Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

A Flawed Beauty on January 12, 2008

First off: Kane & Lynch sets a new standard for gritty crime storytelling in games. The presentation shines in almost every area. Art direction and level design, writing and voice acting all meet or surpass current standards. One might quibble with the forced overuse of expletives throughout, but it's a minor complaint really. The shooting and cover mechanics, while awkward at first, actually become quite comfortable as you progress and gunfire ends up feeling realistically irregular in a good way. Melee kills are simplistic but vicious and enjoyable.

Now the real problems: The Artificial Intelligence, both friendly and hostile join those from the recent Clive Barker's Jericho, as possibly the worst I've seen since PS1 days. Both your squad mates and the enemy will run around aimlessly at any given time and will, in some cases, stand only feet away from each other or the player and do nothing. Nothing but die. In ridiculous shame. The squad control mechanics are generally useless and the player will find themselves either ignoring them or repeatedly pressing "x" to keep teammates close by. Offline co-op is lacking and seemingly more difficult than going it alone. The mode would have been better served by splitting the screen horizontally rather than vertically. The exclusion of online co-op is ENTIRELY INEXCUSABLE! This is a buddy game and pointedly presented and marketed as such. IO Interactive should really take a look at their decision or their inability to include it. If at all possible they should add it as downloadable content.

The multiplayer introduces the "Fragile Alliance" game mode and is largely an enjoyable affair. While it never reaches the highs in presentation of the single player campaign, by its nature it avoids most of the pitfalls. There is no friendly A.I. to contend with and, though there are NPC hostiles thrown in as cannon fodder, your fellow human controlled mercenaries often prove to be your most dangerous adversaries. At its best it can be incredibly intense.

When all is said and done, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is that rare game that really is greater than the sum of its parts. Issues that in a lesser product would be game-breaking are ultimately overshadowed by enjoyable gunplay wrapped in beautiful environments and engrossing presentation. Do yourself a favor and play this game.