Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Square Enix
Rrp: £4.99 (Steam), £4.99 (Humblebundle)
Released: 13th November 2007
Available on Steam and Humblebundle
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
It’s your last day in jail, unfortunately you’re not leaving through the front gates of your own accord and you certainly aren’t rejoining society, at least that’s what you thought. It seems you have some powerful friends, or enemies, who really, really want you to be freed.
You play as Kane, a convict who used to be a mercenary and through a series of events that unfold in the beginning of the game, you’ve gained yourself a partner in crime, a man by the name of Lynch.
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is a team based action game with a third person over the shoulder camera.
Throughout the game you will have Lynch, your ever present companion, following you. You can issue him orders such as to attack or defend and if you are near death he will revive you, if he can get to you in time that is. You can also swap weapons between you by using the weapon wheel (middle mouse button or scroll wheel click). The outer circle represents weapons your partner has and the inner is weapons you have.
You can issue a command to Lynch (or any other companions you gain) to shoot at particular enemies giving you some tactical capabilities. This effect has been somewhat hampered by the vagueness of the commands. Or rather the vagueness of Lynch’s path-finding abilities. There were times I told him to go into cover and he just stood in the general area of where I pointed rather than behind any actual cover.
All of this can be avoided if you happen to have a friend nearby and at least one control pad, as they can take on the role of one of your partners making the AI problem null and void.
Since it is a action game in third person it uses a cover system, Kane ‘clicks’ onto cover when its available, as handy as that is it can also be a real annoyance as the game seems to like making Kane ‘click’ on cover at the most inconvenient of times.
Graphically it looks quite dated, this is the pitfall of realistic design, with every passing generation the technology becomes more refined and it makes past attempts look quite bad. That isn’t to say that it’s unplayable, not at all, just don’t expect it to look highly realistic.
I have to give the creators credit, they found a good way to explain the tutorial system. It’s not Kane that’s learning how to use a gun, throw grenades etc, its Lynch.
Story-wise this game has an interesting one to tell, one of betrayal, redemption, double crosses and further betrayal all steeped in violence.
Recommending this one is a tough one for me, if it were purely for the plot I wouldn’t hesitate for a second, but the controls and AI make getting through the plot a chore. Throw in the fact that you have to sign in to Games for Windows Live before this game will work and you have a not so glowing review. Honestly? I’d give this a miss, the price is cheap and the story solid but the gameplay itself makes the whole thing a real slog.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days
Mafia 2
Max Payne 3
