The cover system is pretty solid, with players needing to press X to snap Lynch into cover, before pulling him out with the control stick. The game's third-person shooter gameplay borrows heavily from the Gears Of War and Uncharted franchises, with mechanics for switching the shoulder view and popping into cover with one button press (which is also used to vault over obstacles). If you're looking for moral complexity, look elsewhere. There is a moment when Kane turns to Lynch and says, "This is business, don't make it personal", which admirably sums the game up. Instead, this is just a horrific 48 hours in the life of two badasses and that sense of moral ambiguity actually rather works. There are no moral choices and even the loose revenge plot seems a mere side distraction. As Lynch, you'll play the entire campaign as a criminal intent on filling his boots no matter who gets in the way. The game also lacks any real moral dilemmas. The violent gameplay has a graphic and realistic feel, which, alongside the lashings of swearing and smattering of torture and partial nudity, makes the most of the game's BBFC 18-rating. It should be noted at this juncture that Kane & Lynch 2 is right from the very outset a very adult adventure. The approach works well as the lack of orchestral accompaniment allows the tense and punchy action to speak for itself.Īfter taking into account feedback from the first Kane & Lynch, the sequel supports co-operative play in its main campaign either via local split-screen or online. The game also features no soundtrack whatsoever, instead relying on the natural score of a rampage through Shanghai. IO Interactive appears to have carefully balanced the game's stylistic touches without ever going over the top. Despite some initial fears, the woozy camera does not actually prove that off-putting after an initial adjustment period, and it can also be turned off entirely for anyone particularly perturbed. The game adopts a 'shaky' camera system, which is designed to imbue the feel of a hidden camera documentary. The character models are well presented, the animations are strong and the level of detail seems admirable. On the whole, the graphics are good, apart from a few slightly artificial or rough textures in the cut-scenes. Kane & Lynch 2's overall visual presentation is a mix of user-generated YouTube videos and blockbuster bank heist movies (particularly Michael Mann's Heat). The game's recreation of the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai feels vibrant and real, with the oppressive hustle of the city ebbed by the competing glare of a myriad brightly coloured in neon lights. The game's story tracks a frantic 48-hour period as Kane and Lynch attempt to escape every badass in Shanghai on both sides of the law to get out of dodge in one piece. After Lynch persuades Kane to join him on a seemingly routine visit to rough up a gangster, the daughter of a Triad boss ends up being killed, with her father only having two people in mind to blame. After crime veteran Glazer - played by Jason Connery with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Michael Caine - offers Lynch an arms deal that could set him up for life, ex-military Kane is drafted in to make the sure that the sale goes without a hitch, or at least that's the plan. Despite enjoying a relatively low-key existence, the paunchy grouch is drawn back to a life of crime with the ever tempting offer of 'one last big score'. The story takes place two years after events in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, with Lynch having gravitated to the murky Shanghai underworld. Instead, the game delivers a brutal and mature alternative in the third-person shooter market that is still worth checking out.įor the second Kane & Lynch, the player mostly becomes the mulleted Lynch rather than the balding Kane as in the first game. Unfortunately, though, Kane & Lynch 2 doesn't quite fix all of the problems of its predecessor, nor does it eclipse rival franchises such as Uncharted or Gears Of War. The game's story feels a tad disjointed and brief, but it's largely an enjoyable experience and the multiplayer offering is genuinely addictive, especially the team-based modes. Developer IO Interactive has clearly taken note of the somewhat mixed response that greeted Kane & Lynch: Dead Men in 2007, as the sequel's co-op-oriented gameplay has been strengthened within a gritty and violent Shanghai-based narrative. Eidos's psychotic criminal duo Adam 'Kane' Marcus and James Seth Lynch make a violent return this summer for third-person shooter sequel Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.