Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

true Name: Kane and Lynch: Dead Men Genre: Third Person Shooter Platform: Xbox360, Playstation 3, PC (Reviewed on Xbox360) <img src="/contributed/1194990021xpWdeWUE7w.jpg"> Kane and Lynch: Dead Men has been an appealing title ever since the two antiheroes found themselves on the cover of Gameinformer Magazine. The details about the plot, involving a traitor and a murderer, have intrigued not only gamers but Hollywood as well. Even before release of the game, Lions Gate purchased the rights for the film version. Unlike some of the other crime-based games released in the past few years, Kane and Lynch aren’t given a large city to roam around in. The linear gameplay is actually a relief – so many games now try to stun players with large, open environments with the promise of “going anywhere.” Because of this, plot suffers and even though those games may give more hours of play less of it is spent on a compelling story. Story is actually one of the most importants aspect of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. The story is as good as many of the crime and action movies of the 20th century. It pays homage to some of those films as the levels progress. A stand-off in a diner may remind you of Pulp Fiction, a fight in a night club may remind you of Collateral, a shoot-out on the Tokyo streets may remind you of Heat, and the later levels may remind you of some of the biggest action movies of the 90's. The single player runs at about six to eight hours depending on how much you die and there are multiple endings to explore for a second playthrough. <img src="/contributed/1194990030HQIs3e0cmx.jpg"> One minor pet peeve comes from the chapter titles of the levels being displayed on screen as you progress. Something in the vein of “I told you he would kill him!” will pop up on the way to meeting two people. This ends up giving small spoilers throughout the game that takes the edge off of some otherwise powerful cut scenes. Later in the game they move to events that just happened, which is a much better way of labeling the chapters because it doesn’t spoil events to come. There are problems that become hassles later in the game. For the addition of a cover system (which has become a necessity in game design) the developers decided to go minimalist, having the character take cover automatically when pressing against a surface. There are three ways this could have turned out: too much, too little, or just right. In the case of Kane and Lynch it ended up being too little, as it isn’t uncommon to run into a wall for several seconds before noticing that for some reason your character has decided not to take cover. Squad controls also become more of a hindrance then a helper, as keeping teammates alive is harder then it should be. Ordering them to go different places doesn’t always work as intended and can end up in a full party wipe. Most of the time it is just easier to forget they exist than to deal with the chance that sending one ahead may just get him killed on the way because he took a stupid path. <img src="/contributed/11950082076zc8haeZIp.jpg"> Absent minded squadmates are part of a larger issue with the AI – cops will stare stupidly at each other as you run past them or will stay on pre-determined paths that lead straight into your aim. The bad enemy AI and teammate AI may balance itself out but they are still distracting from an otherwise fantastic experience. Neither squad controls nor AI really become an issue when you take the game online and try your hand at Fragile Alliance. I had a chance to play the multiplayer at length when I visited Eidos last week and <a href="/gamer/coop/blog/article/kane_and_lynch_community_day">my impressions</a> of Fragile Alliance haven’t changed. As the name suggests, you play along with a group of “allies” (to use the term in the loosest fashion it has ever been used) to complete one of four multiplayer levels. The best level to explain the situation is Withdrawal, which sets the team into a full-scale bank robbery in a large bank filled with police and security. A team of eight needs to work its way into the innards of the complex and take all of the money from the inside and out the back door to a van that arrives in intervals. Everyone who makes it to the van splits all the money collected which can be used to purchase new weapons and armor. <img src="/contributed/1194990054kuTMn4U3tu.jpg"> That is, if you don’t try and make it out solo. Fragile Alliance allows you to take out teammates and become a traitor, putting the entire team's aim on your head but letting you potentially walk out with millions of dollars. The developers said that the idea is to be manipulative and play like a criminal, not a soldier. They are right, and the gameplay is fantastic. Dying respawns you as the enemy and lets you seek revenge on the allies who had scorned you. The music and voice acting are stellar and really match the game. This is an area that, if screwed up, could have been devastating for the title. So much emphasis lies on the plot and dialogue, bad delivery could have cost the game its audience and any sense of taking the game seriously. This isn’t an issue as it sports some of the best voice acting to date in a game. The line between film and game continues to blur. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is worth playing this year. That may not sound like high praise but with the onslaught of the holiday season it is one of the finest reccomendations I can give. Luckily for Eidos; three of their main competitors (Mercenaries 2, Grand Theft Auto III, and Army of Two) were all pushed back into 2008 giving Kane and Lynch a spotlight in its genre. Unluckily for us, it could have used the competition. If a delay had meant adding online co-op then it may have been worth it after all.  Even with all of the amazing titles this year I still suggest buying Kane & Lynch - if you can find that extra $60 somewhere. <img src="/contributed/1179941567uPH4QkIKnO.jpg"> <a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2481309-10416249"> </a> review

2007-11-14T06:53:52-05:00

Name: Kane and Lynch: Dead Men Genre: Third Person Shooter Platform: Xbox360, Playstation 3, PC (Reviewed on Xbox360) <img src="/contributed/1194990021xpWdeWUE7w.jpg" /> Kane and Lynch: Dead Men has been an appealing title ever since the two antiheroes found themselves on the cover of Gameinformer Magazine. The details about the plot, involving a traitor and a murderer, have intrigued not only gamers but Hollywood as well. Even before release of the game, Lions Gate purchased the rights for the film version. Unlike some of the other crime-based games released in the past few years, Kane and Lynch aren’t given a large city to roam around in. The linear gameplay is actually a relief – so many games now try to stun players with large, open environments with the promise of “going anywhere.” Because of this, plot suffers and even though those games may give more hours of play less of it is spent on a compelling story. Story is actually one of the most importants aspect of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. The story is as good as many of the crime and action movies of the 20th century. It pays homage to some of those films as the levels progress. A stand-off in a diner may remind you of Pulp Fiction, a fight in a night club may remind you of Collateral, a shoot-out on the Tokyo streets may remind you of Heat, and the later levels may remind you of some of the biggest action movies of the 90's. The single player runs at about six to eight hours depending on how much you die and there are multiple endings to explore for a second playthrough. <img src="/contributed/1194990030HQIs3e0cmx.jpg" /> One minor pet peeve comes from the chapter titles of the levels being displayed on screen as you progress. Something in the vein of “I told you he would kill him!” will pop up on the way to meeting two people. This ends up giving small spoilers throughout the game that takes the edge off of some otherwise powerful cut scenes. Later in the game they move to events that just happened, which is a much better way of labeling the chapters because it doesn’t spoil events to come. There are problems that become hassles later in the game. For the addition of a cover system (which has become a necessity in game design) the developers decided to go minimalist, having the character take cover automatically when pressing against a surface. There are three ways this could have turned out: too much, too little, or just right. In the case of Kane and Lynch it ended up being too little, as it isn’t uncommon to run into a wall for several seconds before noticing that for some reason your character has decided not to take cover. Squad controls also become more of a hindrance then a helper, as keeping teammates alive is harder then it should be. Ordering them to go different places doesn’t always work as intended and can end up in a full party wipe. Most of the time it is just easier to forget they exist than to deal with the chance that sending one ahead may just get him killed on the way because he took a stupid path. <img src="/contributed/11950082076zc8haeZIp.jpg" /> Absent minded squadmates are part of a larger issue with the AI – cops will stare stupidly at each other as you run past them or will stay on pre-determined paths that lead straight into your aim. The bad enemy AI and teammate AI may balance itself out but they are still distracting from an otherwise fantastic experience. Neither squad controls nor AI really become an issue when you take the game online and try your hand at Fragile Alliance. I had a chance to play the multiplayer at length when I visited Eidos last week and <a href="/gamer/coop/blog/article/kane_and_lynch_community_day">my impressions</a> of Fragile Alliance haven’t changed. As the name suggests, you play along with a group of “allies” (to use the term in the loosest fashion it has ever been used) to complete one of four multiplayer levels. The best level to explain the situation is Withdrawal, which sets the team into a full-scale bank robbery in a large bank filled with police and security. A team of eight needs to work its way into the innards of the complex and take all of the money from the inside and out the back door to a van that arrives in intervals. Everyone who makes it to the van splits all the money collected which can be used to purchase new weapons and armor. <img src="/contributed/1194990054kuTMn4U3tu.jpg" /> That is, if you don’t try and make it out solo. Fragile Alliance allows you to take out teammates and become a traitor, putting the entire team's aim on your head but letting you potentially walk out with millions of dollars. The developers said that the idea is to be manipulative and play like a criminal, not a soldier. They are right, and the gameplay is fantastic. Dying respawns you as the enemy and lets you seek revenge on the allies who had scorned you. The music and voice acting are stellar and really match the game. This is an area that, if screwed up, could have been devastating for the title. So much emphasis lies on the plot and dialogue, bad delivery could have cost the game its audience and any sense of taking the game seriously. This isn’t an issue as it sports some of the best voice acting to date in a game. The line between film and game continues to blur. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is worth playing this year. That may not sound like high praise but with the onslaught of the holiday season it is one of the finest reccomendations I can give. Luckily for Eidos; three of their main competitors (Mercenaries 2, Grand Theft Auto III, and Army of Two) were all pushed back into 2008 giving Kane and Lynch a spotlight in its genre. Unluckily for us, it could have used the competition. If a delay had meant adding online co-op then it may have been worth it after all.  Even with all of the amazing titles this year I still suggest buying Kane & Lynch - if you can find that extra $60 somewhere. <img src="/contributed/1179941567uPH4QkIKnO.jpg" /> <a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2481309-10416249"> </a>

3658

1125

2007-11-17T13:30:50-05:00

2007-11-14T06:53:52-05:00

11027

8.0

kane_and_lynch_dead_men_xbox360 published Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Xbox 360

2009-10-18T01:19:10-04:00

328