Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Review for PC

System: X360, PS3, PC	Review Rating Legend
Dev: IO Interactive	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Eidos Interactive	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: August 17, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1 (2+ Online)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Mature	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

There are three main multiplayer modes to choose from, two of which are completely new for this game. Fragile Alliance makes a return from the first Kane & Lynch, and the gameplay consists of you and a group of other players pulling off a heist, grabbing the loot, and trying to escape before you’re gunned down by the cops. The twist is, players on your side can turn on you and nab your cash. The player with the most loot at the end of the round wins.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days screenshot

The other two modes are Undercover Cop and Cops & Robbers. Undercover Cop is set up similarly to Fragile Alliance, though one player in each round is randomly, and secretly, chosen to be an undercover cop. As the cop, it’s your mission to stop the criminals and retrieve the stolen loot. Lastly, Cop & Robbers simply pits teams of players against each other, with the cops’ side working to stop the robbers before they can make it to their escape vehicles.

All of the multiplayer modes have fun and interesting elements I found intriguing. However, the rounds are too short, the atmosphere from the story mode all but disappears in multiplayer, and the levels are tiny. In just a few short hours, you’ll pretty much see everything Dog Days has to offer, and it hardly amounts to a full-priced, retail product.

That’s a shame too since the production values are definitely AAA-quality. There are a few things here and there I could pick apart: movement blur looks good but it’s not always conducive to good gameplay, and certain bits of texture work aren’t as pretty as others, but as a whole, Dog Days looks good. The handicam visual style is an interesting approach that really helps drive home the violent nature of the two main characters and the world they run around in.

I wish the same could be said for the voice acting, but it’s not all A-list material. The actors often unnecessarily exaggerate their lines, and though I never felt like profanity was used gratuitously, the dialogue wasn’t always great. Hearing the characters bark at each other while they remained mostly stationary and their mouths barely moved kept me from ever truly caring about them or their stories. The music and sound effects, however, serve the gameplay well.

After running Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days through its paces, I wanted to love the game. In some ways, the franchise seems greatly misunderstood. Dog Days has more in common with Left 4 Dead than a typical action adventure, and the multiplayer modes are definitely something different. The story mode co-op (both online and off) is another appreciated addition, though some of the matchmaking options are a tad archaic. Though Dog Days wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I enjoyed its arcade approach. Unfortunately, the design and breadth of content don’t come close to justifying the price. Had this been a $15 game folks could download from PSN or XBLA, it would be much easier to recommend.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.4

Graphics
Though the shaking of the handicam visuals, as well as movement blur, made the game hard on my eyes at times, it’s an otherwise great-looking game that runs smoothly.

3.5

Control
The controls seem overly complicated, but everything works fairly well. The cover system is kind of clumsy, though, and there’s not much else going on outside of the shooting action.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
In terms of ambient sound, Dog Days has got it goin’ on. The voice acting, however, is hit & miss. I was interested in the world of Kane & Lynch, but the characters themselves aren’t completely convincing.

3.0

Play Value
Remember the bank heist toward the end of the movie Heat? That’s pretty much Kane & Lynch 2 in a nutshell. Unfortunately, the gameplay never changes gears. There are some fun ideas here, but the execution leaves much to be desired.

3.4

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Raw, Real, & Uncut: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days introduces a unique, unseen visual style to video games. Taking visual references from documentary filmmaking and the user-generated era, Kane & Lynch 2 delivers a sense of intense realism never before experienced.

Play as Lynch: This time play as psychopath Lynch. He's taking advantage of the opportunities Shanghai has to offer, and nothing is going to get in his way.

Brutal shooter gameplay: Players will feel the world pushing back on them, creating constant tension, as they fight to survive. New shooter mechanics built from the ground up with button-activated cover system, refined A.I., and new features to add to the frenetic pace and realism.