Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

"One Hell Of A Visceral Punch"

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

No one but IO Interactive could've made “Kane & Lynch”. Since they first made their mark with “Hitman: Codename 47”, no other developer has been painted more vivid and stylish portraits of a seedy underworld of than them. “Kane & Lynch” marks their first foray away from the stealth gameplay of “Hitman” since their 2003 sleeper “Freedom Fighters”. All told, that's often a risk developers take when wandering outside the genres they've gained fame in. Yet with “Kane & Lynch” IO Interactive has struck a perfect balance of frantic action while maintaining that undeniable cool atmosphere and tenor that made the “Hitman” series such a success.

Players assume the roles of the two title characters. Kane is an ex-mercenary on death row who is freed on his way to execution by the very mercenary group he betrayed and left for dead several years earlier. Apparently Kane made off with a ludicrous amount of money and left the others to burn, now, they want it back. He is given 3 weeks to retrieve it or his wife and the daughter he's never known will be murdered. To make matters worse, he's been paired up with Lynch, a medicated psychopath, who's been paid to keep an eye on him. This is truly an unusual story for gaming. There are no heroes, no good vs. evil, no clear conscious. These men are murderer's, they are violent, vile, vicious people. There is no just cause in what they are doing and they both are well aware of it. Their constant bickering between what each thinks is right and wrong along their mishaps make them all the more intriguing, neither man is right.

The game is cast in the 3rd person shooter mold, similar to “Gears of War”. You can shoot from the hip, or aim down the sites for improved accuracy. You can also utilize cover behind various objects. I know some critics have complained about the cover system saying it's really buggy. I really didn't have any problem with it, as long as you stand near a corner or crouch behind something of moderate size you'll automatically take cover. The action is intense and visceral thanks largely in part to the level designs and objectives. You'll be escaping a prison truck, staging a no-chance-in-hell bank heist, kidnapping a mob-bosses daughter at a dance club and so on. The levels are all nicely varied and some of the objectives are really cool and makes the action all the more intense, whether you're running from an army of S.W.A.T. members, or being chased down the city streets in a getaway van.

You're also given a squad to work with. You're able to issue some very basic commands like follow, engage or guard, but for the most part you'll probably just let them do things on their own. The squad A.I. is passable but nothing special. They'll do some stupid things like rushing into the middle of a group of enemies or not moving to the area you ordered them to. At the same time though, they'll take out their fair share of enemies and since you never need to rely on them to complete the game, you can look past it pretty easily.

The squad complications can be solved by playing the games two player co-op mode and this is the way “Kane & Lynch” was really mean't to be played. The co-op works perfectly from a technical standpoint but really does things you haven't seen in other co-op games. For instance, during the bank heist Kane will be fighting through enemies and guarding the safe-cracker at the vault, while Lynch holds off the police at the lobby. Or at the dance club, Kane will take point clearing out security guards while Lynch carries the hostage. The different task each player is given along with the already exciting action make this one of the most fun co-op experiences I've had.

The game also has Xbox Live support for its “Fragile Alliance” game mode which is really quite unique. You'll be put on a team that's raiding a bank, fighting through cops and collecting as much cash as possible then escaping. The catch is someone can turn on the team and kill another player and try to escape with the money for himself. If this happens everyone must begin hunting the traitor and any dead players respawn as police officers to further impede the traitors escape. The tension of never knowing who or if someone will betray you makes “Fragile Alliance” seem new each match. While some may not like the idea of this mode, I can guarantee you've probably never played anything like it.

Graphically “Kane & Lynch” looks good. The character models are really detailed (these aren't handsome, buff guys, they're scarred, balding and old) and animate nicely. The levels all look good with some really impressive set pieces like the skyscraper and dance club in Tokyo. The presentation isn't going to knock your socks off like “Assassins Creed” but it's definitely a solid (and stylish) looking game on all fronts. The sound is better with excellent voice acting all around especially for the two leads. Not to mention another memorable soundtrack by Jesper Kyd, who is one of the finest game composers in the world.

Although I guess it makes me sound like a bad person for saying I really enjoyed this game about two really twisted guys, I'll say it anyways. This game is awesome. “Kane & Lynch” is a brilliant start for what I think should become another great series for IO Interactive. This is easily one of the hidden gems of 2007. Any gamer with a taste for mature action and story should find “Kane & Lynch” a sleeper hit that packs one hell of a punch.

Graphics- 8.5
Gameplay- 9.0
Sound- 9.5
Overall- 9.5

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/07

Game Release: Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (US, 11/13/07)