Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

I was struggling to decide between 3 PS3 games, Timeshift, Uncharted or Kane And Lynch.

Eventually i randomly chose kane and lynch.

Now there's something i love about this game more than any other. Mainly because it has a genuine human drama, you mostly feel this is the character Kane because of the backstory of the death of his son.

A great feature of the game is when your dying the screen goes into negative and you can hear voices of past events which is a clever addition as it builds up the emotion.

The online is massive fun, it's not just your random kill anyone game. You can choose the bank map and go inside, steal money and escape.

Overall, this game is fantastic but is slightly below the mark of my game of the year, Call of Duty 4

i just bought this game this morning, i was very happy of what i bought i thought to myself this was worth my money i can see why they want to make a movie out of this a very good story, very good plot line, very good characters i just freaking love

for the people who like hit-man

they need to try something more freestyle, pounding action in Kane and lynch dead men

i recommend you buy it

also there is great multiplayer contents and the co op is very good

i think its worth your money guys

10/10

One of the fewest time killers i had with friends at home was playing co- op with this game, a lot. This is one of the few points Kane & Lynch has at a fun value, with a title like this and a concept like that, it does really feel like an old-school game meant to be played with co-op (like an arcade game whose name i forgot, but consisted in one driving a car and the passenger seat shooting the bad guys at front)

Anyways, the story follows at a psychological drama emotional vibe, and certain strong elements that would put the player in enough stress if it isn't by the story's way of f'ing up the characters lives, and although it doesn't grab enough interest on it's character development it does at least satisfy you with those individual personalities of each that makes a credible duo that are not precisely role models, but personifies our GTA player inside us.

The Sound is decent, although i noticed some of the same music/soundtracks are a bit over-exploited, voice acting is convincing enough to put you on stress through the characters.

Gameplay-wise is pretty Kinetic and non-stop, shootings are exciting whenever you control it (although a bit stiff with recoil when trying to shoot enemies) and blood-packed enough for those who find this satisfying (AKA: Me) And although it can get repetitive at times, there's no stop sign to show at you by the constant number of henchmen coming at you. There is another command system that plays out in a strategic way where you can command NPC's to kill X enemy or take cover somewhere else, i personally found it under-exploited, because i was doing all the killing and shooting to sum up... ._.

Also, level design is sort of simple, some of the maps are pretty short and it could get repetitive to miss out or going all the way around the map in some missions, but also it has a decent amount of variety on it's missions that also offers another level on the "old-school" game vibe that you could really have a grip on.

And although there is also a 2-way ending that has some flaws in it (since one is cannon to the supposedly disappointing sequel and the other is not, and both endings do have some of the same annoying conclusion, it does still have replay value through both campaign co-op and multiplayer.

In conclusion, Kane and Lynch: Dead Man is a Flawed, but Kinetic Shoot 'Em Up Game with Lots of Shooting, Co-op Replay Value and Potential for a Franchise that makes this starter of a series (that i hope doesn't die and deliver us a Better and more submersive K&L3) a kick-ass of a time killer.

A man on death row is busted out of his prison transport and is thrust into a violent game of do or die. That man is Kane, his newly-appointed partner is Lynch. They are both class-A scumbags, and they have to work together despite the fact that there's no love or mutual respect for each other. What follows is a strictly linear traipse through many different environments ranging from bank vaults to Japanese night clubs. You'll kill many people and pick up lots of different guns...but how much fun will you have (if you pardon the macabre use of the world "fun")?

The answer is some, but not as much as you'd like. The weapons are all pretty much the same with a terrible targeting system. Precision targeting is almost non-existent in this game and hit detection is all over the place. The ability to take cover behind walls, pillars, etc. is very faulty and works only half the time. Some scenes are also too dark to make out what's going on.

There's plenty of swearing, and the voice acting is quite good. Jesper Kyd's gloomy score sets the tone perfectly. This is not an upbeat, cheery game. It's about ugly violence and grim revenge. For this reason alone very much earns its 18/M-rating. The presentation of this violence however is not that graphic, literally. The graphics are of PS2 quality. They may be in 1080p high-def but they look real bad.

I hear a sequel is in the works. More freedom to roam and an ability to upgrade Kane and Lynch as characters would be a welcome addition. Better graphics would be appreciated too. Above all, the guns and targeting need to be improved. Kane & Lynch makes for a decent bargain bin game, but don't pay top dollar for it.

Graphics C Sound B+ Gameplay C+ Lasting Appeal C

So the 'part 2' of Kane & Lynch came out recently, and since I didn't have the money to throw at that, I thought I would share my thoughts on the original.

Even though the game got some mixed reactions from people, I think it is entertaining if you like playing shooter games. This one isn't overly demanding to play, I passed through the game on the standard difficulty without too much trouble, but it is challenging at times, especially some of the Boss battles - I remember at one point you have to slug it out with a huge truck in a junkyard, it was quite difficult doing it with the controller since the aiming sensitivity never feels perfect no matter how much you fiddle with it in the settings. It was still satisfying when I finally got there, and I remember the batteries in my controller were going flat, so I had some extra motivation!

As others here mentioned, the game is similar to one of IO's earlier efforts - Freedom Fighters, and I think K&L DM is kind of a spiritual successor to that game. For instance, there is a similar squad-based mechanic presented that lets you command your comrade Lynch and also any followers you may have in your posse. Additionally you can swap weapons and distribute ammo with them. The controls for doing these things weren't so simple it was instinctive without sifting through the manual, but it is easy when you know how. You could almost go through the whole game without using the special squad commands since the core shooting play is quite basic and your AI controlled friends can happily go about their own business. But much like the enemies, they do stupid things sometimes like running into the line of fire.

The graphics were good, at the time I had to play in standard definition, but still the detail in the game was evidently well done - the game engine technology is the same (or close) to Hit Man Blood Money I think. Probably the standout level for me was the Japanese Rave Disco club, were you had to 'escort' someone to the roof, and you could only tell the hostile security guards from the hordes of dancers by the flashlight beams darting around amidst the disco ball lights. I remember this section took me a few tries to get through, and yes, there probably will be some 'collateral' damage along the way. The diversity in the environments is actually one of the stronger aspects of the game, and like the Hit Man series you find yourself in different parts of the globe, so things don't get so stale in that respect.

The guns in the game will be familiar, you get hand grenades & flash- bangs as well, I think probably the most interesting weapon was a tear- gas grenade launcher. The violence is over-the-top - you can rush an enemy then break his legs and neck by hand - Ouch! There isn't much opportunity for stealth in the game. However, I seem to remember a scenario in a Poppy Field though, but to be quite honest, every situation turns into a veritable blood bath. The story in the game isn't much to write home about, I didn't find myself rooting for Kane and Lynch's cause - actually, I wouldn't even call them antiheroes because there isn't much of a 'greater good' sense to things, but I can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The 'script' is filled to the brim with 'colourful' language but instead of being gritty or realistic it comes off as forced and ultimately a bit silly.

I didn't have many genuine issues with this game, there was a bug during a car chase sequence where the van you were in would hit a junked car and flip on its back meaning I couldn't get my crew to the required destination - this happened *every* time I reloaded the checkpoint, so in the end I had to replay the whole section. Annoying. Apart from that, the cover system is a little dodgy since Kane will 'snap' onto nearby objects whether you want him to or not, so that can be a bit dodgy, especially when making a mad dash to safety from a killer Helicopter or something. Overall, none of these things are damning to the game, just some quirks really.

Overall, I had a fairly good time with this game, probably those who loved Freedom Fighters or played the Hit Man games in a not-so-stealthy 'Guerilla' style will truly relish the huge body counts in K&L DM. I would recommend playing in the standard difficulty, even if you are an experienced player, since the game is suitably demanding as it is and 'hard' is perhaps leaning more towards 'masochist' sensibilities. Anyhow, I think the game can pass some pleasant evenings, so if you are interested, give it a shot!

*Review for Xbox360 Version