Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 17 August, 2010

Muzzled toughs.

Version tested: Xbox 360

I can't help wondering what the atmosphere in the IO Interactive office was like when EA announced details of Army of Two: The 40th Day. Both sequels were revealed within a few months of each other last year, and the similarities are startling.

Obviously, they're both follow-ups to third person co-op shooters with a heavy focus on cover and flanking, so the gameplay echoes are to be expected. They're also both set in Shanghai, in the aftermath of one last job that goes disastrously wrong. Both concern themselves with helping our foul-mouthed amoral anti-heroes battle across the city to freedom. Even the dual animation for opening doors feels familiar.

It's the depth of gameplay, or lack thereof, that proves the distinguishing factor. Army of Two wasn't the most innovative game around, but it at least included a robust co-op system and weapon customisation. Kane & Lynch 2 offers... shooting. Lots and lots of shooting. And pretty much nothing else.

The story picks up with world-weary Kane arriving in Shanghai to help paranoid psychopath Lynch, his erstwhile partner, finish off some vaguely sketched black-market arms deal. The two haven't spoken since it all went a bit Bad Boys II at the end of the first game, and there's a nice undercurrent of tension in the opening moments that suits the edgy atmosphere. There's unfinished business between the two, but before it can be resolved, Lynch wants to put the frighteners on a snitch. Bing bang boom, the shooting starts, and doesn't stop until around five hours later when you plop out the other end of the disappointingly slender story.

'Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days' Screenshot 1

John Woo's new Streetdance movie proved surprisingly controversial.

There are a number of first impressions of Dog Days that grab hold early on and never really dissipate. First is how it looks. IO has opted for a grainy, lo-fi, "YouTube" visual approach, and while you can appreciate the flickering urgency it brings to the cut-scenes, its impact on the gameplay is distracting rather than immersive.

That shaky handheld style is divisive enough when used for action scenes in movies like The Bourne Supremacy, but for a game where there's nothing but action for hours on end, it's often downright nauseating. Sprinting is especially problematic, as the camera lurches and judders behind you, the scenery swaying in and out of focus. This, at least, can be switched off in the pause menu, but you're still left with a game that looks cheap and ugly.

Light sources fragment and flare all over the place. Gory moments are buried under censorious pixel smears. Fast movement results in deliberate screen artefacts, mimicking the effect of a low resolution movie blown up to HD size. The gameworld blurs and flickers and flares constantly, to the extent that I found myself taking a break after each level to allow my rapidly encroaching headache to subside a little.

'Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days' Screenshot 2

Lynch: now looking more like Little Britain's Andy than ever.

This has a knock-on effect on the characters themselves, with models that are sparsely detailed and poorly animated. At one point in the second stage, while protecting a limo from attack, I was taken aback to notice that some of the enemies didn't even seem to have proper faces, just vague, lumpy people-shapes smudged under the digi-smear effect. There's a British crime boss who looks like someone tried to digitise Michael Caine but got an inflatable Harry Hill sex doll instead.

The main characters fare slightly better, but even then the low-tech approach sells them short. Kane's stubbly beard jitters about on his face as if he's covered in flies, while close-ups have a bizarre, waxy sheen. A section in which the pair fight their way through a shopping mall, stark naked and bleeding from multiple razor cuts, looks more like something out of Silent Hill. And not in a good way.

So the game takes a visual gamble that fails to pay off. The other first impression that proves hard to shake is in the control. There's just something not quite right to the way things move and aim and interact. Everything feels loose and flappy when it needs to be tight and focussed. Cover is flaky, sometimes refusing to let you take shelter because you're at slightly the wrong angle or just because the game engine doesn't want you to take cover next to something of that shape.

As in the first Kane & Lynch, precision aiming is blighted by weird hitboxes that feel far too broad for a game of this type. You're occasionally able to snap off a decent mid-range headshot, but most of the time it's best to spray a quick burst and hope a lucky bullet hits the spot. Combat feels chaotic and manic, an appropriate choice given the subject matter and tone of the game, but one that ultimately frustrates whenever you try and bring any finesse to the mayhem. This nervous energy could have worked for maybe for one or two set-piece battles. Stretched out over the whole game, it's wearying.

This is all in service of a plot that races along at breakneck speed, propelled by incoherent, angry cut-scenes and loading screen voiceovers that convey only the bare bones of the story, rarely getting any more insightful than, "Argh! F**k! F**k you...I'll f**king...F**K!"

It's especially disappointing given that the previous game - for all its faults - managed to spin a decent, pulpy crime yarn, with personal stakes for Kane and a neat wild-card element in Lynch's psychosis. All of that is absent here, with Kane trudging reluctantly along behind his savage companion for no apparent reason, while Lynch growls and barks about his Chinese girlfriend, a virtually unseen and mute young lady whose existence seems fairly arbitrary.

'Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days' Screenshot 3

Do not mess with the Shanghai Dwarf Police.

Worst of all, Lynch's lunatic tendencies have been all but removed. You're playing as him for almost all the single-player story, yet there's never anything as clever or interesting as the bank job from the first game where he hallucinates that civilians are cops. He's become just another scowling, swearing, shooting abstraction.

There's virtually nothing in the gameplay to distract from this uninspired construction. Weapons are simply picked up off the ground with no mechanism to improve or add to your arsenal. For solo players, the conceit of having two characters in play is left untouched. There are no co-op moves or tactics to employ, just an extra gun following you around and occasionally finishing off some enemies for you.

This is alleviated somewhat by the choice between split-screen and (at long last) online co-op, where the game's rather mundane shooting galleries at least offer enough alternate routes to encourage more ambitious flanking manoeuvres, even if the bog-standard AI doesn't really require such flourishes.

'Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days' Screenshot 4

Fragile Alliance. It's like a stag night in Newcastle with slightly less violence.

But wherever ideas could be injected, IO has opted to leave things as basic as possible. Kane & Lynch 2 doesn't even offer any reason to rummage around in the dark corners of the levels. While the developer is to be congratulated for not falling back on tired "Find 50 pointless trinkets" padding, it's unthinkable that the studio that innovated so effortlessly with Hitman has come up with a game so empty; an unvarnished shooting gallery so bland and repetitive that the late arrival of a stage where you shoot from a moving helicopter somehow feels deliciously fresh.

Online, at least, is an area where IO continues to explore different avenues to varying effect. Co-op heist mode Fragile Alliance follows the same template as it did in 2007. A gang of players hit a location, kill whatever guards or cops stand in their way, swipe the valuables and then try to make it to the getaway van before time runs out.

Any gang members killed along the way respawn as cops, and you can also turn traitor on your criminal cohorts, gunning them down and taking their cash, at the risk of turning everyone else against you. If you wound someone by accident, you get a yellow card, giving the injured party the right to execute or forgive you. Reach the van first and you can also opt to split your personal haul with the getaway driver, leaving the others stranded, rather than sharing it equally between everyone. Solo players get to enjoy this scenario as well in the offline Arcade Mode.

Undercover Cop is much the same, except one member of the team is randomly selected to be an infiltrator. It's up to them to sabotage the heist and kill the other players without everyone turning on them. It's another clever wrinkle, but one that lives or dies by the effectiveness of the players. It's very easy for the game to devolve into mayhem, which might be a realistic depiction of honour among thieves, but isn't the most consistently entertaining way to spend your time. Cops and Robbers, meanwhile, follows the same heist template but offers a more recognisable team-based framework with AI removed from the equation, pitting human thieves against human cops.

All the modes are certainly preferable to yet another half-baked deathmatch variant, but the construction of the thing still holds it back from greatness.

There's no real motivation to turn traitor, for example, since the cash you swipe is only good for buying new weapons between rounds. Nothing is carried over from one game to the next, and since the default weapons work just fine and you can walk away with at least a million dollars by playing fair, the whole mechanism goes limp. Betraying the squad means a lot of risk for no lasting reward so, unless you're an unrepentant griefer, why would you bother?

More on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Also holding things back are the incredibly strict time limits - five minutes is the longest available - which leave little room for any serious strategic play beyond "I'm going this way, you go that way". It also means that the game becomes pretty much impossible with low numbers. With its woolly targeting, the odds of one or two survivors battling through a gauntlet of whack-a-mole cops in the time it takes to boil an egg are minimal, so expect to see lots of dropouts when things go pear-shaped. Adding insult to injury, you earn absolutely no XP for a failed mission, regardless of how many lawmen you killed or dollars you snatched before death.

And, finally, the maps are scripted to a fault. The same cops spawn in the same places, running in the same direction, every single time. It's easy to imagine that players who put in the hours will be able to breeze through them blindfolded within a few weeks.

All the ideas behind the multiplayer remain sound, and are certainly good for a few rounds, but the co-op heist concept simply needs more variation, more room to improvise, to keep you coming back. It could have been a giddy Tarantino-esque spin on Left 4 Dead's beautifully pitched panic, but instead it's a curious distraction that runs out of steam far too quickly.

The kindest thing you can say about Dog Days is that it exists. It's a shooter, and there's a lot of shooting. In that respect it meets the genre basics, without ever being successful in any single area. The single-player mode is short and hollow, its wanton excess weighed down by twitchy targeting and distracting video effects. The multiplayer is fun, and improved from the previous game, but still fails to offer any compelling reason to commit for the long term.

Taken as a whole, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will probably amuse unfussy fans of nihilistic violence for a few evenings. But in a genre stuffed with far more interesting efforts, that still leaves it woefully below average.

4 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (163) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • darkmorgado #1 2 years ago

    Ouch! After all the good coverage this has been getting, I was expecting much higher!

    I wonder if IGN give it a good one after the scandal last time round...

  • welshben23 #2 2 years ago

    Oh dear! I didn't expect it to be that bad.

  • Ryboy #3 2 years ago

    Oh dear. The Kane & Lynch games always look so promising too.

  • the_dudefather #4 2 years ago

    Wonder if we will get a 'GiantBomb 2: Durger time' out of this game...

  • Deckard1 #5 2 years ago

    I'll wait for other reviews thanks

    /doesn't read

  • Mkwone #6 2 years ago

    I hope you have Jeff Gerstmann number on speed dial :p

  • Haloboy #7 2 years ago

    Whaaaaaaaaaa? I was certain this was going to deliver after enjoying the ultra visceral demo. Pain and Wince too. :(

  • M4RV #8 2 years ago

    Dan, Having in mind that Eidos is now OWNED by SE, expect a Ninja to make you a visit right about... NOW...!!! :)

    - - - -

    On a serious note, after having tried the demo over and over again, I can't say I'm surprised if the game turns out to be that bad. Instead of making a new Hitman, IO keep wasting their time and ours... For shame. :\

  • berelain #9 2 years ago

    No no no no no :(

    Kane & Lynch was a mess, but it had promise. Promise that, by the sounds of it, IO has utterly failed to deliver on every level. Blagh.

  • G_J_M #10 2 years ago

    Looked crap, demo was crap, was never sold on it. I win!

  • Bradach #11 2 years ago

    having played the demo i completely disagree with the reviewer. I like the visual style and the fact that it runs at 60fps meant that the shooting was smooth and responsive IMO.

  • Perfecto #12 2 years ago

    I hardly expected this to be a 8 or a 9 but I doubt this is as bad as a 4 out of 10, It's another one of those "lets give it a low score to get some publicity for the review" situations.

  • karooo #13 2 years ago

    yeah its a really bad game... I was shocked when the credits came up and the MP wont last for more than a month.

    AVOID it. get it used or rent

  • Dagdriver #14 2 years ago

    HA! can't say I'm surprised.......
    For all their former innovation, all IO's engines has been bad and clumsy with rubber like controls.

  • towser #15 2 years ago

    So...a bit ruff then?

  • ignatiusjreilly #16 2 years ago

    P45 for Mr Whitehead please!

  • DonnieDarko333 #17 2 years ago

    I was expecting a 6...4/10 seems WAY to low..i think i'll still give it a blast.

  • harshahorizon #18 2 years ago

    WOW that was totally expected.

  • AC!D #19 2 years ago

    I have to say based off the demo i played this is a rubbish review. Considering the first game was rubbish and got a 7/10 this gets a 4? Are you ppl high?
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 14:23

  • Haloboy #20 2 years ago

    Who who who who who WHO LET THE DOGS DOWN?

    Demo was crap my arse. No it may not have been as replayable as Mafia 2's (timer help) but I did play it enough times to know it was good enough to warrant a purchase. The MP side of the demo I found especially fun and problem free.

    I'll still pick it up 4 or no bleeding 4.

  • Nephirion #21 2 years ago

    Hang on, the sequel is lower scoring than the original game WTF????

  • KayJay #22 2 years ago

    First one was shit. This one looked shit. This one is shit.

  • superdelphinus #23 2 years ago

    heh @ 4/10

  • superdelphinus #24 2 years ago

    "having played the demo i completely disagree with the reviewer"

    why do people write things like this?

  • bad09 #25 2 years ago

    Dan is leaving EG I see ;)

    Wow didn't get 4/10 from the demo TBH, still I like the first and that wasn't well received either. Pre-loading now and I'm looking forward to playing tonight.

    Besides...if Dan hates it it must be good ;)

  • Darren #26 2 years ago

    Oh hell... that score... EEEEK... means its worst potentially than the critically mauled original! I certainly wasn't expecting that after trying the demo which I thought was good but certainly not outstanding. Really dunno whether to stick with my PC pre-order or not now...

  • Shikasama #27 2 years ago

    My only issue with the review is that last paragraph. It comes across as saying 'those were my thoughts, if you don't agree and do like the game then you're an easily pleased phillistine who doesn't play the real games in the genre'. Poorly worded that man.

  • MadCaddy13 #28 2 years ago

    This is after oxm gave it 9/10! Some up n down scores then.

  • gnrlstuart #29 2 years ago

    no surprise. stiff animation, poor visuals covered with dithering to try and make up for the lazy design. poor shooting mechanics. and multilayer which is...shit. if it was a tenner. sure! why not? but it's audaciously competing in the same price bracket as AAA blockbusters. if this is a hint of what Hitman will be like, it's a sad day for gaming. pull your socks up io.

  • Skandalle #30 2 years ago

    Lynched!

  • actionfitz #31 2 years ago

    "The kindest thing you can say about Dog Days is that it exists."

    whoops! careful Dan, we all know what happened the last guy to give Kane and Lynch and Low Review Score!
    hehe.

  • ryanbreck #32 2 years ago

    Had hoped for a decent sequel after the first game was certainly flawed, but interesting, and well worth a playthrough once it dropped to a tenner. I was extremely disappointed by the demo though, and not terribly surprised by this review. Can't help but feel it's a shame.

  • muscleblade #33 2 years ago

    The oxm review was extremely positive. This is extremely negative. Waiting for a metacritic average score above 80 to buy or below 80 to pass then. The demo was pretty fun.

  • Markitron #34 2 years ago

    I actually glad it scored so low, Im sick of seeing its ads on half my fave websites

  • rojjer #35 2 years ago

    Horray! More scandal around a Kane and Lynch release! HAHAHA, a 4 though? Really? Perhaps you were having a bad day..

  • ignatiusjreilly #36 2 years ago

    Destructoid score:

    Score: 1.0 -- Epic Fail (1s are the lowest of the low. There is no potential, no skill, no depth and no talent. These games have nothing to offer the world, and will die lonely and forgotten.)

    :D

    Imagine if you were the PR guy/gal charged with ensuring high scores and talking to reviewers - would love to see how they approached this job after last time. Not very well, it looks like.

    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 14:41

  • RevanNL #37 2 years ago

    Well, if the demo has tought me anything it's that it's no 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (wich was quite decent). How about a new Hitman game IO?

  • trooperdx3117 #38 2 years ago

    Didn't OXM give the first Kane and Lynch an 8 so I don't think they were really going to give 2 a bad score

  • LR100 #39 2 years ago

    Wow, surprising. I am going to try the full game properly and make my own mind up.

  • dudefella #40 2 years ago

    Confirms what I thought: That they should've fkkn made Hitman 5 instead.

  • glaeken #41 2 years ago

    It's funny but I actually liked the first game and was disappointed that they were stripping all the squad control stuff out and turning it into a basic shooter for the sequel. That seems to have worked out very well for them.

    Why they don't just do a proper Freedom fighters 2 or Hitman game I don't know. I fully expect to hear news of Kane and Lynch 3 going into production from IO next.

  • andywilkie35 #42 2 years ago

    Hahaha christ almighty, was hoping to pick this up cheap and blast through it in co-op at Christmas, think I'll give it a wide berth.

  • j-bo #43 2 years ago

    Brilliant review tagline pun :)

  • andywilkie35 #44 2 years ago

    Would like to add, thought it was weird that it sounded like it was getting good previews after the god awful demo. I merely thought the demo was one of those ones that doesn't show off the true game, seems like it did.

  • menage #45 2 years ago

    I had no problem with the vsuals at all from the demo, I actually liked the effects.

    Game could become boring I'll admit.

  • chibber23 #46 2 years ago

    A friend of mine got a beta code to preview for another website and said it was bad... REALLY bad - he then got the review copy and said it wasn't any better so I was expecting something like this. Pitty.

  • spekkeh #47 2 years ago

    EG 4/10, Destructoid 1/10, OXM 9/10.

    I wonder whose palms have been greased.

  • Menzeldinho #48 2 years ago

    You guys are just so overly critical? can't you give anything a realistic score now days? K&L2 is much much better than a 4/10... anyone interested in this game ignore this pathetic review, go read oxms.

  • El-Dev #49 2 years ago

    This review has definitely put me off K&L2. Was either gonna buy this or Mafia 2 but it looks rubbish as well. Looks like I'll just keep my money.

  • GAmbrose #50 2 years ago

    Once again people are fixated on the score and not the review content.

    I've not played the final game, but he seems to have justified what exactly he doesn't like about it.

  • UncleLou #51 2 years ago

    Destructoid 1/10

    Jim Sterling, I take it? Not saying it's a good game, but he's the most clueless and painfully ignorant reviewer on the whole internet.

  • spekkeh #52 2 years ago

    A 4/10 is a realistic critics score. It's not EG's fault the rest of the industry has a ludicrous 9.356 vs. 9.357 going.

  • Shadzter #53 2 years ago

    OW! Definitely wasn't expecting it to be that dreadful.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 15:01

  • Syrette #54 2 years ago

    1/10 is a joke of a score.

  • bloodflowers #55 2 years ago

    I thought it was a breath of fresh air to play a game that runs smoothly for once. Too much low frame rate trash out there, and yes that DOES affect playability.

  • Big-Swiss #56 2 years ago

    PREDICTABLE!

    if played the first, this is the perfect proof of a hype game situation which can't deliver!

  • lordofthedunce #57 2 years ago

    I think I just time travelled.

  • Haloboy #58 2 years ago

    Whoever just tried to hack EG obviously didn't agree with the score.

  • dirtysteve #59 2 years ago

    I thought the game was being over-promoted because of it violence and grittiness on the run-up to release. With very little coverage on the gameplay, i wasn't hopeful.

  • IkariW #60 2 years ago

    A nothing game made for the mainstream masses who have a 'thing' for this type for mindless trash...
    0 Imagination,
    0 Excitment,
    0 Character,

    Lucky it got 4... in my opinion, not sure why they bothered making a sequel tbh.
    Ikari

  • spekkeh #61 2 years ago

    1/10 is a joke of a score.

    I disagree. Game reviewers for too long have been grading games as it would be a high school report. It's not like "it has collision detection, so that's a 2.."

    A game has one sole purpose: to entertain us. If that fails on all accounts, then a one seems to me a justifiable score.

  • Goodfella #62 2 years ago

    I commented on the demo a while back saying how shit it was and got negged down. This review makes me feel better.

  • ignatiusjreilly #63 2 years ago

    NowGamer also reckon they finished the game in under 4 hours. If that's true along with the other disapointments mentioned in the review, Squenix should be happy with their 4/10.

  • bloodflowers #64 2 years ago

    Spekkeh: conversely - if a game is riddled with flaws but you still enjoy it, then surely it's worth a reasonable score - to some people at least. That's the trouble with all game rating systems - the reviewer often has nothing in common with your preferences in gaming. For example, I place a high value on 60fps games, because anything less makes my eyes tired, whereas most reviewers don't seem to give a damn (annoying since it only takes 1 sentence to mention it - DO YOUR JOBS).

    I thought the first one was pretty good, I even enjoyed the characters even though they were fundamentally unlikeable. Shame they seem to have 'straightened' out Lynch - there was potential here for odd camera effects and confusion when he starts to lose it.

  • mashk #65 2 years ago

    Kane & Lynch 2 : Dog Shit Days?

  • Retro_ #66 2 years ago

    And yet, the demo was ACE !

  • Masta200 #67 2 years ago

    this review is a fail. I wouldn't listen to this.. other reviewers have given it much higher. OXN gave it a 9/10. and gamesmaster 85%

  • Masta200 #68 2 years ago

    yes ignore this pathetic review. Read gamesmasters - they gave it 85%.
    Do not let this review put you off the game.

  • yoomazir #69 2 years ago

    retard review...

  • GAmbrose #70 2 years ago

    And yet other reviewers have given it 2.5/5 and 1/10 so...what's your point?

  • Boomerang #71 2 years ago

    CVG: 8.5

    Oh, and to all the numpties saying money must have changed hands for review scores; the only reason the scores are varying wildly is that - get this - DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE REVIEWING THEM. Madness...

  • rojjer #72 2 years ago

    think most of this comes about from hating the look of the game - if you hate the look, its going to hit the score hard.

    Feels like a marmite game, I for one like the look they've given it, however I've only played the demo so have only been exposed to it for a short time.

    I also liked Fragile Alliance from the first game - and if you only like it in short play sessions, there's a strong chance you're not playing it with a bunch of mates hell-bent on killing the other 'criminals' and making off with their loot. I LOVED hearing little kiddies freaking out when you took them out in the first game :
    'what the FUCK ARE YOU DOING!!?!?!'
    'err.. playing the game? LOL..'

    loved it.

  • Verwandlung #73 2 years ago

    Why they revived this tripe series instead of focusing on a new Hitman I will never understand.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 15:48

  • DUFFKING #74 2 years ago

    'I disagree with review x, so therefore review x is a conspiracy'

  • JahB #75 2 years ago

    this review is a fail. I wouldn't listen to this.. other reviewers have given it much higher. OXN gave it a 9/10. and gamesmaster 85%

    given how both of these publications have a scoring scale from 7.5 to 10, i'm not surprised. i've only played the demo, but nowhere is there any sign of a 9/10 game.

  • Skurmedel #76 2 years ago

    Already have it on Steam so I can't really bail out hehe. But I'll play it and see if I agree with the review.

    I think it's a bit unfair calling this a PC review though, the controls are bound to behave differently on the PC version.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 16:00

  • TAPNGO #77 2 years ago

    giantbomb gave ps3 3 stars and xbox360 2 stars.

  • Pike #78 2 years ago

    Hmm, shame. I kind of enjoyed the demo.

    But then Mafia II is just around the corner, so I'll save my money for that instead.

  • Byzanite #79 2 years ago

    ouchies.

  • bodhi85uk #80 2 years ago

    i like EG's scoring system, its a shame everyone is so used to an average game being a 7/10. average games are getting 5's, and that's the way it should be

    giving an average game anything more than a 5 defeats the point of having a 1-10 (or 0-10 for the pedants) scoring system. it seems like most review sites give the best games 9 or 10, good games 8, average games 7, poor games 6 and then arbitrarily assign a number between 0 and 5 to the shovelware.

  • Quint2020 #81 2 years ago

    I can't say I was expecting much but..... ouch.

  • Pastici #82 2 years ago

    Did not expect that! The Demo was fantastic. Probs pic this up around xmas in a sale or something, I'm playing the first now and quite liking it. But damn, we need Freedom Fighters 2!

  • CaLeDee #83 2 years ago

    Lol at people who only want to read reviews that say good things about games. You're kinda missing the whole point.

  • ziggy_played_guitar #84 2 years ago

    OXM UK gave it a 9. Weird. Someone is.

  • Skurmedel #85 2 years ago

    bodhi85uk: I think reviews would be better with no score at all, but I agree, 5 should me average instead of 7.

  • Machetazo #86 2 years ago

    Doggone it!

  • AnsemsApprentice #87 2 years ago

    Nearly everyone on the Demo article a couple weeks back said it would be bad, including me but I was talking maybe 5/10.
    4/10 is a real shock to me even though it's just a point away, because it wasn't exactly god-awful. Fair enough though Dan, if that's what you thought.

  • rojjer #88 2 years ago

    hmm, this review is starting to reek a bit now.. Other reviews rolling in at around the 8-7 out of 10 mark..

    Still, it is just that - a journalist's take on the game so, fair play - I agree with the other guys though. Thanks. (not that Destructoid prick though)

  • Retro_ #89 2 years ago

    Eurogamer have lost the Plot. This is not a 4/10 game. The demo was great but as another site's review stated, this game is for hard core gamers, not a game for lettuce handshake pansies then ;)

    [Edit] My opinion i know but I have 90+ PS3 games including a big chunk in the Metacritic top 100 ( I choose what game i buy, i ignore reviews generally ) so I trust my own feelings towards a game/demo hence why I think this is a 7+/10 game with the potential to be an 8/10 if the online side works.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 16:50

  • dsmx #90 2 years ago

    Unlike other review sites Eurogamer reviews on numbers lower than 7, 4 means it's below average and that is what it is.

  • ziggy_played_guitar #91 2 years ago

    Idk which OXM UK you guys buy over there in... UK, but my copy features a review for that Fury Bears game which scored 4, so I don't get how your OXM only goes from 7 to 10. I realy thought it was the same mag.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 17:01

  • GAmbrose #92 2 years ago

    Ziggy - I bet they don't give many scores below 5...

  • dancingrob #93 2 years ago

    as far as I'm aware there are only 3 UK sites /magazines that use anything like the full scale, EG, Edge and GamesTM.

    Even those three magazines tend to use 7 to mean 'average' rather than 5.

    I'd love it if games scoring could simply move over to the 5* system, as that tends to work much better at both ends of the scale. Reviewers could actually use the top score, rather than treating 10s as something to appear once a year only, whilst at the bottom end of the scale, there's no need for 1-5 any more, as everything simply becomes the 1* it deserves.

  • beastmaster #94 2 years ago

    Average = 5/10
    Below average = 4/10

  • deez #95 2 years ago

    Very short-lived and samey but loved the graphical style and so really enjoyed it... for 5 or so hours.

  • ReapingAngel #96 2 years ago

    I lost interest in the review when the reviewer went on about the graphics. True the game is not GEARS but it moves at a steady frame-rate (my opinion in based on the demo) and yes, the shakycam can be distracting but its just like (once again!) GEARS roddie-run cam. C'mon, I think the review was just harsh. I'll wait for other reviews, thanks

  • harhol #97 2 years ago

    Kudos for not falling into the "it's just big dumb fun!" trap/payroll. Shit like this needs to be buried and forgotten.

    Also: Hitman 5.

  • asphaltcowboy #98 2 years ago

    Mirrors my thoughts from the demo almost bullet point for bullet point!

  • dirtysteve #99 2 years ago

    I wonder if they'll let the IP die now, or try again. It seems unfair, considering all the great games that aren't getting sequels. I guess the Publishers just cant resist big, dumb action games, not unlike their movie counterparts.

  • bad09 #100 2 years ago

    right now it's a 0/10 for me.

    Steam countdown is over yet I can't play my game that I paid for :(

    / gets first doubt about Steam in a year of using it
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 18:18

  • Seehuusen #101 2 years ago

    I think this is yet another of those Love/Hate games. This game will surely have it's fans, but also those who hates it and wont ever buy it.

    I absolutely got blown away by a game called Necrovision, but it's scores were quite horrible.

    Try the demo, if you like it, buy the game, if not, stay away. That simple, enough said.

    Now regarding some of IO's other titles, why on earth did they make a sequel to the horribly rated K & L ? why not another Freedom Fighters or Hitman 5, there's a lot bigger fan bases for those games :p

    i'd personally give it a 8/10, so im amongst the ones who love the game.
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 18:21

  • makeamazing #102 2 years ago

    I think its a marmite game no doubt, played the demo and hated it, thought the graphical style was being used to just cover up poor looking graphics.

    I can understand some people liking this game and some people hating this game (which would give it a score range), but when i think of all the games released over the years, a 9/10 this is certainly not.... OXM review... funny.

  • TRUTH #103 2 years ago

    This game will sell loads as it's specially aimed at the Rude Boy Thicko (lots here in UK), who thinks swearing and violence is so cool, because there brain is so simplistic. This game purposely aims for this, knowing the stupid thick Bling culture will pick it up for the swearing and violence...BLing!
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 18:26

  • Skurmedel #104 2 years ago

    bad09: Same here, trying to download it at work so I can take it home as a backup (shitty connection at home.) But it's so fucking stupid having to wait for a US Timezone deadline... Can't they go with CEST in Europe or something. And when it's finally up the Steam servers seem to crash.

  • bad09 #105 2 years ago

    @ TRUTH

    A little bit of generalization there don't you think? I'm a 34 year old carer and house hubby and quite enjoyed K&L1 with it's tribute to Michael Mann movies. I also enjoyed the demo of K&L2 (after turning off those horrid "effects" that made me think my card was knackered!).

    My brain is not simplistic (if you don't ask Mrs bad09) and I HATE ALL bling, don't even wear a bloody watch....

  • JayKwon #106 2 years ago

    Good review, I liked the demo very much, especially the mp, but I was worrying about all the problems mentioned in the review. Guess there were no cuts in terms of problems.

  • dsmx #107 2 years ago

    I demand another freedom fighters, great game in every way. We pushed the russian scum out of new york now we have the rest of the US to go, come on IO make it happen.

  • thesonglessbird #108 2 years ago

    I thought 7. Hmph.

  • Anthony_UK #109 2 years ago

    Hmmm, maybe I'm blind but bar the slightly rubbish animation I thought the graphics were fairly detailed and impressive from the demo.... Coming out of the alleyway into the busy street I thought was particularly impressive....

    It was a toss up between this and the surprisingly impressive Mafia hmmmm

  • TRUTH #110 2 years ago

    But it seems to me it is these rude boy/ bing thicko culture that will mainly pick this up...The reason is simply to hear the swearing and graphic violence and chat on twitter 'that was f**king cool, shot that dude up with shotgun man - wicked game'.

    I'm in my 30's, yet believe there is a culture (esp teenagers/early 20's - not all) who are fairly stupid and don't understand concept of anything (usually not educated). All they like swearing and violence in games as it's something there small brains can cope with, which seems cool with there friends to talk about. ..It's a game purposely aimed to look cool to the Bling idiots! - They made it as they know it, it will be picked up by these thickos(Naughty Bear was another game aimed at this audience) .
    Edited by 2 at 17/08/10 @ 19:05

  • des #111 2 years ago

    What a crappy review...holy shit

    "Eurogamer have lost the Plot."

    EG has lost a plot long time ago...
    Edited by 1 at 17/08/10 @ 19:07

  • UncleLou #112 2 years ago

    . All they like swearing and violence in games as it's something there small brains can cope with, which seems cool with there friends to talk about. ..It's a game purposely aimed to look cool to the Bling idiots!

    Seriously doubt that. Like bad09 said, at least the first game was a tribute to Michael Mann, to Heat, Collateral, etc., with a ton of visual style that couldn't have been further from anything "bling". What you're describing sounds like Army of Two, Gears, that sort of thing. Absolutely don't see K&L in there, sorry.
    Edited by 2 at 17/08/10 @ 19:37

  • bad09 #113 2 years ago

    @ TRUTH

    TBH I live somewhere the "bling" crew thrive and I think COD or GTA is more your target game ;)

    While I can't comment on 2 (bloody Steam!) I think K&L1 was quite stylistic TBH, as I said just like Mann films.

  • john_silence #114 2 years ago

    Does it say something about me or the game that I was looking for a review of this and typed "dos gays" instead of dog days?
    Oh heck, I'm sure I can guess your answer =|

  • hobojebus #115 2 years ago

    Ha the first one was awfull aswell so really i expected very little from the sequal, especially after that sham with the awards being given to it before a reviewer's even got their hands on it.

  • lockload #116 2 years ago

    Eurogamer reviews rarely put me off games they are usually way off the mark with my tastes

  • hahayou #117 2 years ago

    The complaining about a lack of upgrades and persistence seems completely unfair. It's a valid stylistic choice, and personally I don't want to stop in the middle of a gunfight and install a barrel of +1 vs goblins, thanks.

  • George-Roper #118 2 years ago

    LOL, no surprise whatsoever. Dragged myself through the first game, purely because i'd paid money for it. Didn't expect this to be any better.

  • thegoldenvision #119 2 years ago

    @ TRUTH

    Your ranting about the uncouth, uneducated yoof would likely carry more weight if you knew the difference between there, their and they're.

    As for K&L2, I enjoyed the demo on PC. Compared to the Hitman series I found the controls and general gameplay mechanics something of a revelation. It's not going to redefine gaming but I found it to be a solid shooter with a really distinctive visual style (in a good way), so it's worth a punt.

  • beastmaster #120 2 years ago

    Going back to the 1/10. What did it get that for? The 'Exit Game' option?

  • souljah #121 2 years ago

    Ok, IO.

    Now you have that shite out of your system, Freedom Fighters 2 or Hitman 5 pretty please.

  • bad09 #122 2 years ago

    All I know is the cunts at Steam took my money and I got no fucking game for my trouble. Guess I'll play something else until they fix up but....

    ...Oh look what's that completely free thing on torrent sites? Oh yeah I forgot pirates are the problem on PC.....

  • bloodflowers #123 2 years ago

    I'd rather see something similar to Freedom Fighters than another Hitman title - the last few were - boring.

  • UncleLou #124 2 years ago

    I'd rather see something similar to Freedom Fighters than another Hitman title - the last few were - boring.

    Wow, I thought Blood Money was the pinnacle of the series, the one where they finally got everything right and absolutely nailed the level design, with an amount of different solutions in each level that makes the predecessors pale. Horses for courses, I guess.

  • harhol #125 2 years ago

    @bloodflowers

    They didn't even get the stealth working properly until Contracts...

  • Praetorianer #126 2 years ago

    Planet Xbox 360 08/17/10 Review 7.7 out of 10
    1UP 08/17/10 Review B-
    joystiq 08/17/10 Review 2.5 out of 5

    Averaging 65 score at Metacritic.

    From what I've read so far I can conclude, that the time I've spent in order to make an educated opinion about this game, was probably wasted time. Bargain bin, at best.

  • Mr.DNA #127 2 years ago

    "This, at least, can be switched off in the pause menu, but you're still left with a game that looks cheap and ugly."

    Kane & Lynch: Dog Days is an ugly, ugly game.

  • Praetorianer #128 2 years ago

    Only good thing about this game (or its reviews) so far: it reminded me of Dog Days by Fear Factory

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=qUWhj1FF_fo
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=qUWhj1FF_fo
    [/link]

    So I gave it a spin again...after blowing the dust off.

  • SHPanda #129 2 years ago

    Well that was to be expected, the first was poor and a sequel wasn't necessary or really all that much demanded I wouldn't have thought. And my play through the beta left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

    Oh well, glad it bombed really, hopefully IO get the idea and they just concentrate on making Hitman 5. It's been too long now!

  • mrboshingles #130 2 years ago

    Sounds like their dog days are over! boom boom!

    /Basil Brush

  • curtlikesmeat #131 2 years ago

    This seems like one of those series that just seems to do well sales wise based on the sheer amount of advertising and the way it's rammed down people's throats. I like it when shit games get shit scores. Next!

  • trip919 #132 2 years ago

    4? Well, well - that's surprising.

  • Capa26 #133 2 years ago

    Good to hear shouts for Freedom Fighters and Hitman sequels, but in all honesty if this is the way IO are going... I hope they stay the fuck away from them.

    Oh and..

    @TRUTH

    Talking about a lack of education and consistently omitting words like 'the' or 'and' in sentences (as well as the already mentioned there, their and they're error) is a bit pot kettle...
    Edited by 1 at 18/08/10 @ 06:50

  • Progguitarist #134 2 years ago

    Demo was cack...4/5 was expected.

  • Skurmedel #135 2 years ago

    bad09: Same here, Steam has fucked up. I would at least like to see someone from Steam clarifying the situation on the forums. But all I can see are tarts like myself waiting for it to be playable.

  • thegoldenvision #136 2 years ago

    re: Steam

    The European release isn't until Friday. I think Steam generally adheres to regional release dates. Not sure if this is the problem here because it certainly shows up as a new release to me, but it's been the case in the past.

  • dr_faulk #137 2 years ago

    Wow, Eurogamer really Lynched this!

  • Skurmedel #138 2 years ago

    thegoldenvision: It says "available now" for me as well, and the store page has been claiming 17th august for at least a month. If they adhere to the regional release date they should internationalize the release date on the store page.

    Just generally tired of paying for my games and getting a hard time because everything is centered around the US. Steam is quite bad when it comes to this, it took them ages to include VAT in the EU prices (and I'm still seeing Euros even though that's not my currency) and how games become available west coast-time or whatever it is they run on.
    Edited by 1 at 18/08/10 @ 00:01

  • bad09 #139 2 years ago

    @ Skurmedel

    Steam have falsely advertised the wrong date for Europe it seems. Rather than unlock for the people they duped they will keep our money and unlock it on the 20th. RELOADED seems to have unlocked today though so I guess many "sales" will go through there.......

    I don't normally buy at launch but after asking about it on their forums apparently this type of false advertising is sadly quite common on the normally awesome Steam, guess I'll go back to not buying at launch. Less annoying...

  • frostcircus #140 2 years ago

    Is anybody (preferably Dan) able to compare the demo to the full game? I enjoyed the demo. Is there any chance I'd enjoy the full game?

    I can see how tearing through Shanghai as an angry Walter Becker could get old eventually, but the demo left me wanting more of it anyway. Does it just feel like playing the demo over and over? Or is the demo area a highlight?
    Edited by 1 at 18/08/10 @ 07:12

  • ninjanutta #141 2 years ago

    Oh look,another patheticly low score for a game on EUROGAMER,this site really needs to sack the reviewers,this is getting really boring now,the talent of digital foundry is put to shame by the jokers of the internet for game reviews,yeah the games just a straight forward shooter but its stil a 7/10.its not even that short either.Its all done for shocks but dont they realise that most of us gamers are old enough to have a brain.Its an insult.sort it out EUROJOKER....Also if you enjoyed the demo,you will love the full game,its like the demo all the way through,yeah its mindless shooting but even that has a place on my game shelf.I have played the full game all the way through.
    Edited by 1 at 18/08/10 @ 07:33

  • byakuya83 #142 2 years ago

    despite having a stunning visual presentation it was clear from the demo that the gameplay was very limited. they probably should have stole a few ideas from army of two, the aggro meter and drawing attention etc.

    on giantbomb they said it took around 4 hours to complete the brief single player campaign, that is short.

  • muscleblade #143 2 years ago

    I bet they played it on normal if they completed it in 4 hours. I always play on the hardest difficulty and therefore spend more time with a game. This game also have big focus on multiplayer and it has an arcade mode so i dont think i would complain about the lenght myself. That the game isnt very good is a better reason for me not to buy it.

  • MiY4MOTO #144 2 years ago

    Fucksocks! I only just spotted the review after my pre-order had shipped, I would have cancelled and waited for a major price drop had I thought it was going to be this bad.

    I hope Mafia 2 doesn't suck... I'm hoping for a DF article soon about Mafia 2 to see if I should cancel my 360 pre-order and get the PS3 version after the shockingly low-fi visuals of the 360 demo.


  • rojjer #145 2 years ago

    Had the game for a few hours now (thanks shopto) and I've got to wholeheartedly disagree with the review. I know these are all just opinions but I've played pretty much every FPS game available on the 360 and there's just no way its worth 4/10. Judging it on my small amount of playtime on and offline I'd rate it a solid 7.

    A few caveats though.. I actually liked the first game.. For all its uglyness, it was an enjoyable violent romp through the story with a tricky choice at the end. And multiplayer Fragile Alliance has given me some of the best moments I've ever had in a multiplayer game - rewards for treachery? Fantastic! And there's more of the same in Kane & Lynch 2 in a slightly more refined state. If you're on the fence, give it a rent - money well spent imo.

  • geeza2020 #146 2 years ago

    I found the demo ugly, and rather boring in terms of gameplay and the characters are still some of the most unlikeable i have ever encountered in a game. So I would have to say i agree with the review score here. Just IMO though. Some people probably love this stuff.

  • thegoldenvision #147 2 years ago

    So I ordered a physical copy and it came today, only it has to be installed via Steam. And Steam is saying I can't install the game until it's released over here. Not impressed.

  • Bluetooth #148 2 years ago

    There's something deeply wrong at IO Interactive... they seem to be stuck with the stereotypes of the "little Chinamen" (Police with midget character models) and the submissive little play doll (mute Chinese girlfriend). Mini Ninjas... also was not helpful.

    This does not bode well for Hitman.

  • mukki #149 2 years ago

    ouch!
    was intrigued by the visual style but Err no thanks!
    Canceled preorder...

  • LR100 #150 2 years ago

    My Xbox copy arrived today. Played it, completed it, enjoyed it. It was quite short, which was a disappointment, but at least it didn't outstay it's welcome by dragging on for too long. The story was a little disjointed, the start of some chapters made you wonder how they came to be where they were and you weren't really sure what was going on. AI Kane was actually quite helpful in gun battles, at one point the AI picked up a gas canister and blew it before I could. I really enjoyed the visual style, although some of the artifacts and blurring made it hard to see enemies during big gunfights. I don't think it's a 4/10 game. I would personally rate the single player mode 6/10 at least, which for me is a decent score, above average is still positive! Haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but if it's any good, it might push that to a 7 or 8/10. At any stretch though, it's definitely better than the first game! I would say if you have been put off by EG's review, this game will probably be £20-25 in a fortnight, so get it then.

    Eurogamer reviews that aren't too favourable tend to end with sentiments like 'chav wankers will buy this just for the swearing and violence' or 'if you're a fan of repetitive/dull/sub par ____, you'll like this'. I find these slightly insulting, as I enjoy a broad range of games, genres and I am most definitely not a chav (trust me on that one).
    Edited by 2 at 18/08/10 @ 19:31

  • ShovelyJoe #151 2 years ago

    So you didn't like it then? OUCH!!!!!!

  • Martin #152 2 years ago

    Glad to hear that my impressions of the demo (played for 10 boring minutes before turning it off) wasn't as off the mark as I though it was.

    Shame though, it could have been good and perhaps IO can patch the problems with MP at least.

  • danjfor #153 2 years ago

    You have to wonder why IO Interactive even bother these days. I've been playing this for a while, and it's pretty much the same as their other games - fairly clunky and broken, but elevated by fairly unique scenarios, characters, and, in this case, visual styles. That scene in the mall, for example; the game's main character stumbles about crying in a television store, the blue of the HDTV screens bouncing off his ugly fat naked body. Is there another developer in existence that wouldn't have had every single element of that bit focus-grouped into oblivion? Yet this review mentions it to gripe about face textures. IOI may not always succeed or exploit their ideas to their full potential, K&L2 certainly doesn't, but credit for trying, surely? Why even bother if they're just gonna get hit with snippy reviews like this?

    "Taken as a whole, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will probably amuse unfussy fans of nihilistic violence for a few evenings.

    No, you're right, I'll go back to the creative, sensitive magnum opus that is Army of Two, 'cos that's a game with heart, isn't it?

  • SFG_Clan #154 1 year ago

    Wow, I didn't expect a score that low. I really loved the demo for the Fragile Alliance multiplayer, but this damning review of the flat single player (which I only played once in the demo - it was so boring) makes me think again.

    Im not sure I would buy it for just Fragile Alliance which I really enjoyed in the demo, when it had enough player, but this seems to make me think it isn't worth the money.
    I'll probably buy it in a month or so for much cheaper but then again I even doubt I'll give it that.

    I do think the reviewer is being slightly snooty - it's not like Army of Two 2 was any better with it's horrible cut scenes and flat copy and paste attitude from the first installment. If anything I think this would be far more interesting but to say Army of Two is better is just a bit... silly (for lack of a better word)
    Edited by 2 at 20/08/10 @ 18:34

  • GaryHoward #155 1 year ago

    Ha, the irony, Just read Jeff Gerstmann's review on GiantBomb, giving it 3 stars out of 5. And that's equivalent to a 6/10 at least. So Eurogamer should be the ones fired, ha!

    Only joking of course. A good review. Shame really, I quite liked the demo. Now I'm slightly put off purchasing this game, maybe a rental is in order for me then.

  • CalmHorizons #156 1 year ago

    This game has the most craptacular ending in my recent gaming memory.

    I struggle to think of a worse one actually in all the time I have played games.

    I'm guessing they'll try to sell the actual ending (not included in game) as DLC, to try and recoup the losses they must have known they would accrue given the games overall shoddiness -and hence inevitable critical panning.

  • Mar27w #157 1 year ago

    anybody who buys this bulltwang deserves to be caned and lynched,played the demo,liked the graphics(sort of)pity the gunplay is so medicore,rubbish bog standard animation/damage effects,clunky controls,no meatyness to the weapons,IQ"s balls havent dropped in the last few years and thier technically really struggling to keep up with the big boys,loved Freedomfighters and the Hitman series but looking at this and their last few efforts dont know if a sequel for either would be a good thing or not

  • Cronan #158 1 year ago

    Seems the Xbox version has a bug where the screen locks up for a few seconds when you use the shot-gun. The game also shipped with six maps, not enough for a game with a four-hour single player campaign. What were OXM thinking? Did they play a different game?

  • virgopunk #159 1 year ago

    Kudos for a proper review! Having read it thoroughly it justifies all of the criticisms clearly and 4/10 tells me its below average which sounds spot-on.

    I'm gutted that this game didn't stand up on it's own two feet. I was really hoping that it'd be a slick piece of adult crime gaming but the YouTube-style, pixellated shaky-cam got my suspicions up at the get go. 60pfps might very well be a good thing but when the quality of the graphics equates to a PS2 game I'm justifiably going to feel a bit short changed. £40 for this is just a bit of a joke really when compared to what other games give you for the same price.

  • bwiancohen #160 1 year ago

    Better game than I expected but single player did get a bit boring towards the end of the (very short) campaign. For me though the online games are great. I love getting involved in a heist gone wrong with 3 friends.

  • Haggar #161 1 year ago

    I picked this up over the weekend and really enjoying it. Love the idea of the characters being right 'orrible and like the setting.

    I love the relentless shooting, it has the intensity of old arcade games with modern presentation and mechanics. Few dodgy glitches though, like blood splatters hanging in mid air and people staring at walls, but on the whole its right ace.

  • mdsll #162 1 year ago

    Never a 4/10. Played it and enjoyed it, same as K&L1. It's a solid game with some very fun set pieces.

  • Mashum #163 1 year ago

    Got this new for £8 in a chain store yesterday - for that price it's great.

    I really liked the style of the whole thing, the video artifacts, the lens flare and the steadycam effect. Also the little vignettes that play behind the menu screens really set up a sense of place. The ending music was spot on as well.

    The gameplay is a bit slack unfortunately but for some reason i just kept plugging through it. A guilty pleasure maybe.