Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

"Does this dynamic duo of crime make the bank?"

IO Interactive. Eidos. This company has churned out some quality games. Ever play Hitman, Freedom Fighters, Tomb Raider? Then you know, there is some quality fun to be had, but there may be some small issues that disrupt said fun overall. Read on to find out if this title is for you.

Are you interested in the underworld? Not that place with infernos and men in red pajamas. I'm talking about the seedy, dirty, violent, scary criminal underworld. It exsists all around us, and many of us have probably wondered at one point or another just what it would be like to experience their favorite films, like Heat, Reservoir Dogs, or even Goodfellas. Crime syndicates that span the globe, illegal activities, murder, revenge, and more spent shell casings than you can shake a dead crook at. Cops, robbers, jobs. You'll see it all in this title, and I think most of you will not be dissapointed if this type of thing interests you.

Kane and Lynch features an interesting backstory, a bullet ridden, nonstop killfest of a current tale, and ties it all up nice and neat with proper dialouge, true villians, and heated gunbattles that sport mostly tight controls. You will likely instantly be drawn into Kane's tale, and since, in single play mode, you play as him, this is a good thing. You will find out many things about your old bosses, old crew, and new "friend" Lynch as well. But the main focus here is to find out about Kane, his family, his crimes, and what he's going to do about it all. There's The Seven, a powerful crime syndicate that seemingly knows all and is all powerful. There's a gentleman that runs the Japanese mafia, known as Retamoto, and Kane knows him as well. Then there's your old "friends" that quickly become your new crew at one point. You'll find out all about them as you span the many levels of this game. If you play as the second player in a local (only) co-op game, you will see the world from Lynch's point of view, and find out a small bit more about who he is and what he is about. Kane and Lynch may not entirely get along all the time, but they're all they've got.

With all that being said, let's get right into the main review, shall we?

Graphics - 9 It all looks right. Up close and from afar, details are nice, smooth, and look beautiful. Explosions, blood bursts, guns, animation of character, it's all exactly right. It all fits the mood and pace of the game. From outdoor urban environments like city streets, rooftops, and even war torn areas at the back end of the world, to exellently made indoor environments like banks, night clubs, office buildings and more, this game just puts you right there with the characters. You won't have much to complain about here. It isn't the absolute best the console has to offer, but it's pretty close. Taking cover, running around, issuing orders, watching your men and your foes, you will get a true sense of realism. And the details on character models are fantastic. Scars, blood, blemishes, differing facial structers and haircuts. At times many of your opposition look the same, but they're supposed to more than 90% of the time, considering they are all police or something of that ilk. You will be able to marvel at cityscapes from rooftops in a couple of the levels, and things look fantastic. When you're in buildings or on city streets, you will really feel you have been there in real life, thanks to all the detail you'll find here. It is truly impressive.

Sound - 9 Nothing wrong here. Fancy stereo set up or no, when you're in firefights, you're going to feel like you're being shot at. Your men scream to you and one another, the people fighting you scream to each other as well. The dialouge in the game and based on your commands is varied, and top notch. Almost every line is a new one, with very few repeated phrases, even in combat, which I find quite impressive. Guns sound exactly right, as do explosions. Everything here is extremely accurate. Story dialouge can be a little low at some points, but it's hardly noticiable.

Story - 8 Let me start off by saying, as a major fan of a good crime caper story, I personally would rate this aspect at a 9. But for many gamers, movie fans, or what have you, this is "just another crime drama". With tons of action. But the fact remains that the story is incredibly solid, easy enough to follow, and you will care about it as you play. Many popular crime films are cited as being inspiration for this title. And you can tell, in the plot, in the gameplay, even in the character design. Games have been doing this for a little bit now, and I think it's a nice touch, to fully immerse a gamer. Now to the main plot (with little to no spoilers). Just to set you up on what's going on: Basically, you're Kane. Kane is on his way to death row. A man that goes by the name of Lynch "rescues" you with a pretty sizable crew of masked men from your police transport van. From there chaos ensues as you all flee the area, and make your escape. Upon escape, however, Kane comes to realize just who it was that took him from the clutches of death. It's The Seven, a powerful, and familliar crime syndicate. They know him, but we're (as the gamer) unsure of Kane's past with them for right now. They tell him they want their briefcase back and that he stole from them. He denies that, and gets saddled with Lynch just as the police catch up to them.

These newly wanted men are charged with finding this mythical briefcase that holds something important to these powerful men. Along the way they must get a crew together, rob some banks, break into some prisons (you read that right, INTO), and travel the world, meeting one seedy element after another to get by. Along the way we discover how important Kane's family is to him, and how they may become involved for the worst. This crew of over the hill mercenaries, thieves, and lunatic (Lynch), must now call on all their old school skills, and do what they do best. All the while, Kane is trying to preserve his own life, his family relationship, and cope with Lynch's mental medical issues. And along the way, you will leave a trail of blood and gun smoke. It's a tale of robbery, murder, revenge, survival, and honor. Who will survive?

Gameplay - 8 This is what it all comes down to. Whether you're a buyer, a renter, a casual fan of the genre, story, or what have you. So how's this one stack up? Ever play Freedom Figthers? How about something more popular and recent, like Gears of War? It's a third person shooter with squad based command stuff in it. So don't think it's exactly like Gears, as it's not. But the basics of that action are found here. I plan to cover both aspects of this game's play (single and co-op locally on your 360, there is no online coop mode). First let me say this game is meant to be played with two human players as Kane and Lynch. You will experience much more from Lynch's perspective than you get to see in the just Kane game, and you can have so much more team work at play. It's a blast to play through as two players.

However, the game is VERY, very playable as single play Kane, so don't despair. The camera will stay at your characters back and when you go into aiming mode it will zoom up. When you go to shoot, you can't always think the bullet will hit dead center. Moving slightly, firing a weapon with alot of kick, etc. will change your shot drastically. Down to the smallest detail actually. Many complain about this, but I think most of you won't have many issues here. The cover system is employed here, but it is a little harder to use than in many other games. It does not use a button to initiate, you automatically take cover when standing or crouching and you press your body into an object or wall. For some this is difficult. I'd say the system definately needs work, as sometimes when you expect to take cover you may run past your cover, or expose slightly from the side, and often this can get you killed. It's not incredibly frustrating, but you will notice it at one point or another. You can fire or toss grenade types from cover. You can also shoot from the hip, without needing to zoom aim.

On top of this, there are squad commands for your crew and/or single partner. You switch out people using the direction pad, or just by going in order (in groups of four) in a row. You can tell them to "follow", to "post up and defend", or to "attack that target/area". Each individual is issued orders, but if you want everyone to follow just press X quickly four times to cover your crew. This can be applied to any situation, from cover, to assualt, and of course fleeing. You will spend many parts of the game fleeing from police or well armed criminals, to get to a better area for you, or just to escape the level. There are a few small sections where you can conceal your weapons and walk normally among people, but this sections are over pretty quickly. The entire game is a really big, glamourous shootout really. There are a few missions where you need to protect a target, but they are very few and far between. Mostly it's "reach point A, to B, to C, to Exit", all while shooting up bad guys, throwing bombs or gas canisters, and ordering your team or partner. Every now and again very unique two player functions are found. Do not despair if you only play alone! The AI is wonderful in this title, and you will have no problems issuing orders to Lynch and the others (in later levels).

Here's a unique example: In a night club, Kane walks through the crowd, Lynch keeps back. Kane gets Lynch to kidnap a target and carry her through the club. In the mean time, Kane has to fan out ahead and either shoot his way through the bodyguards, or sneak through the crowd and stealthily take them down with his awesome switchblade knuckle knife. If you play single player, you can order Lynch to stay in areas where it's safe while you go to work, and then get him to hurry up to you. If you can play two player, one person is Kane and the other is Lynch, and that's where the game truly shines, as Lynch can make his own, more human desicions about the hostage, in shootouts he can offer even better cover, and he's in charge of his own actions. In this mode, Hard mode (called Morphine, with Asprin being the easy mode), is actually not that Hard at all with two players working together. Mainly, the gameplay is a third person shooter with the elements of gunplay and explosives you'd expect, and even a couple "on rails" shooting sections on the LA freeways. You ocassionally run up on a (tough) big boss of a section, normally a man in a powerful vehicle of some sort. As said before, in other levels, you just hit your target, get in, get out, make your escape. Later in the game squad combat becomes important, and the game amps up the difficulty. Near the start and up to the middle, you will play through fun (and more simple) crime based missions. The game can be beaten on medium or easy within seven hours. Once you know what to do, on easy, with two players, skipping cinematics, you can probably win the game in four hours. On hard mode, alone or even with support, you will spend many, many hours trying to work out the missions and command your squad to the big prize.

If you like third person shooters, crime dramas (with plenty of foul language, ultra violence, and all that nitty gritty), or if you're just looking for something a little different from what's out this time of year, you will enjoy Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. In terms of achievements, you will find many here. Some are mostly standard game fare, both for onine play and offline, and some are only gotten via two local co-op. Some are only for Kane, some are only for Lynch. And still others are level specific (like in the night club, avoiding hitting any innocents during your fight, which is pretty fun yet hard).

Multiplayer - 7 This section of the game actually has it's own title, Fragile Alliance. That name says it all about this mode of play. You and a crew (all human players via Live Gold online), are sent into various locations (maps) where you are meant to steal millions in cash. You work out your game plan, enter the map, take down all the police or body guards in the area, and then you all grab your money. It's at this point things can get really dicey (and uniquely fun). This mode sets itself apart from many other multiplayer games on the market right now. Because once you're ready to leave and everything is secure, your are likely all going to turn on each other and fight for the money, winner take all. That's right, in this mode, backstabbing, outside planning, and a quick trigger finger are all par for the course. Of course, you can respawn and get revenge kills, thus making the game take even longer (and making things even more tense). If you so chose, you could ally up with someone before you two ever even turn on your game, and be sure to pair up in the same patch against your foes (friends?). Or, you could be a lone wolf and still win it big, just by letting everyone else do all the work getting in, getting your money for you, and then killing one another. During this time, you could hang near the getaway area and then make your grab.

Don't think being the cops trying to stop the robbers is a bore though. For every merc kill a policeman gets, he'll get an instant cash bonus, plus 10% of whatever money that was dropped if he can run up to it without being shot. So whether you assault or defend, you'll probably be very entertained. Overall I gave this section a seven because not everyone would enjoy this mode. It is a third person shooter, sort of capture the flag mode when you boil it all down. So you may be tired of it quickly. But for those that appreciate the nuances involved, in terms of double crosses and quick escapes, you will find alot of entertainment here.

Overall, like with many 360 titles, it's a fantastic, frenzied experience (online and off, and with 2 player local), but it's over very quickly. There are level select modes, three difficulties to play through, and many ways to control your squad, however, so for those of you that love the genre, and especially those of you that love the subject matter at hand, you will have no problem owning this game if you've got the cash to burn. However, for around 85% of you, I'd reccommend renting this game first, highly. You may find yourself bored with it, or frustrated by the amped difficulty near the end, or the controls in general (though they aren't that bad once you get used to the cover system and tune up your aiming sensitivity). Rent it, beat it in a couple days, take it online and see if you like the Fragile Alliance, and try to play the story mode with two human players if possible. The achievements are numerous and many of them are unique, so you will also have fun getting those if that's your thing. I know I enjoyed it.

In the end, this game is one gritty, fun, violent ride. The story is great, the gameplay is more than good enough, and my only real complaint is that it's over too quickly. The online mode is fun and addictive and has a fairly active community. Give this game a try, rent it, then buy it if you really enjoyed it!! Here's to you, Kane and Lynch. Thanks for the wild ride.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/07

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