Reviews September 7, 2010
Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days
Reviewed by: Bryant Crawley
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Rated: M
Players: 1-2 Co-op (2-12 Multiplayer)
Cost: $59.99
Release Date: 08/27/2010
Publisher: Square Enix Interactive
Developer: IQ Interactive
Everyone's two favorite middle-aged criminals are back in the sequel to the dark and gritty Kane And Lynch: Dead Men. After three years, Square Enix and IQ Interactive bring us another chapter in the lives of these disturbingly likeable characters. The first title in the series had a lot of hype going into it only to be surrounded by a lot of controversy when it was released. Did IQ Interactive make up for the mistakes of Dead Men or does Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days follow its predecessor in becoming another below average shooter?
Dog Days takes place a year or two after the events of Dead Men. If you played Dead Men you might remember that there were two endings to the game. I'm happy that the developer chose one and resolved Dead Men but there’s really no mention of anything else from the previous game, which is disappointing. Instead Dog Days tells us a new tale about Kane And Lynch. Lynch hasn't seen Kane since the events of Dead Men and flies him to Shanghai to split a deal that involves smuggling guns to Africa. The benefits from this would allow Kane and Lynch to retire from their long-running career in crime. Coming as a shock to no one, the deal goes horribly wrong and Kane and Lynch find themselves in a war against the gangs of Shanghai and the crooked police force that is in their pocket. The goal quickly becomes to save Lynch's girlfriend and hightail it out of Shanghai. Unlike Dead Men, Dog Days is mostly shown from Lynch's perspective as the game centers on him this time. Seeing as Lynch was a really interesting character in Dead Men this sounded like a good idea. Yet somehow everything, from the story to the characters them selves, seems to fall flat on its face. Kane and Lynch are portrayed as being pretty stupid this time around. After one mission Kane and Lynch both decide they should lay low yet are shown in a restaurant at the start of the next level. Their bad decisions are only masked by the way the story is told. There is no real story progression throughout the game. You’re just moved from scene to scene as if it was being patched together as you play.
I will not hide it or dance around the issue, Dog Days is one of the ugliest games this generation and there is no excuse for it. The opening CGI cinematic looks great and then everything goes downhill quicker than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Dog Days has incredibly poor textures and an awful frame-rate. Any time there's an explosion the game turns into a slide show for about 10 seconds. The environments all look the same: generic, gray, and uninspired. There is also an awful lot of screen tearing. Many of the cut-scenes have an extremely jerky camera to give the game a sort of gritty documentary style of vibe. I don't know about you but one of the things I hate about a lot of today’s media, movies and games, is how much the camera shakes during action sequences. It obliterates and obstructs the gamer’s view of anything that is going on. To make matters even worse the cut-scenes in Dog Days look like they were filmed with a cell-phone camera. It looks like you're watching an amateur’s YouTube video and not a Triple A title. Quite frankly, it doesn't work at all and is one of many aspects as to why everything about the story in Dog Days, from the actual plot to the presentation is an underwhelming mess. This is true even of the ending. Dog Days has one of the most anti-climatic endings of all time. You'll be shocked when the game ends and will without a doubt be saying “That's It!”
Things are a little better when it comes to gameplay. I would like to tip my hat to IQ Interactive for keeping split-screen play in the Kane And Lynch franchise. Split-screen is a dying feature and it's a shame. Anyway, the game-play has remained practically the same. As usual the Triggers are your aim/shoot buttons. RB (right bumper) reloads your current weapon and LB of all buttons sprints. Not A or X like most games but LB. OK fine. Moving on, the B button allows you too grab enemies and use them as a human shield. It rarely works though. Many times I pressed B and Lynch just stood there while I got shot. A takes cover, Y switches weapons (you can carry two at a time), while X is your action button and picks up ammo. The level designs are again created with co-op in mind but playing with the A.I is an option and works fine. Flanking your enemies is again the key to winning firefights, as the enemy A.I will often have the same battle plan. Playing the game together with someone is admittedly fun regardless of all the other underwhelming aspects. Just like most co-op oriented games you can press X by your fallen comrade to revive him if he falls during a firefight. Speaking of the firefights they are again pretty large and resemble the firefights found in the film Heat. Sadly, since the story is bare bones you'll often be bored during these firefights. Sure you can pick up gas tanks or fire extinguishers and toss them and shoot them around enemies, but since it causes the game to turn into a freaking slide show for about 10 seconds you will quickly stop integrating that into your battle plan. Also, why the hell do the Shotguns have near Sniper-Rifle range in this game?! I spent half the game popping people’s heads 30 feet away from cover with a 12 gauge.
The enemy A.I surprisingly isn't bad as the enemies do try and flank you among another things, but I do have a minor complaint. They move too fast! Essentially it feels like your shooting coked up Triad members/Cops on roller-skates. The game really doesn't do anything to shake up the game-play and the one time it does, a censoring mechanic ruins it. I won't spoil why but one of the levels has Kane and Lynch running around naked and brutally cut up. All of this is blurred out, as is much of the blood in the game. The blood literally has a whitish tint to it or is completely blurred out. It's really not cool, unique, or even funny. As a matter of fact it's downright ridiculous and ruins what little atmosphere the game does have. The level design as a whole is pretty bland and intense levels like the nightclub from Dead Men are non-existent in Dog Days. You often find yourself trudging through the games levels in hopes of some excitement but it never happens. Thankfully the game is only around 4 hours long so the boredom won't last long.
Online play is practically unchanged but there are a few new modes. First off is Cops and Robbers which plays out exactly like you would expect it too. One team is the Cops protecting a bank while the Robbers are trying to rob it. Returning is the beloved Fragile Alliance mode which is where a group of players try and rob a bank not only quickly but stealing plenty of dough in the process. A new spinoff of this mode is Undercover Cop mode where one of the players is obviously an undercover cop and must stop the robbery. Again the game uniquely encourages team killing so you can escape with a bigger slice of the pie. Back to the disappointments though, there are only six maps and even if you loved the online, the two new spinoff modes don't warrant dropping $60 down on a sequel. I will end the online section on a high note by saying I enjoy the Arcade mode, which is essentially the online modes with bots. It helps new players get accustomed to the innovative and outside the box online modes the Kane And Lynch franchise offers.
Voice acting from Kane and Lynch are again pretty good which is nice to hear. The actual sound in the game isn't very good though. Explosions don't have much depth too them, the music is forgettable while the one licensed song in the game just doesn't fit at all. Gunshots from the six or so different guns sound fine though.
Dog Days last’s about 4 hours and is so lackluster you won't want to play it again. Dog Days is like the Jonah Hex of video games this year; a blockbuster that fails miserably on all accounts. At least you won't have to listen to Megan Fox's annoying voice and terrible acting in Dog Days though. The online is the highpoint of the game but doesn't offer enough to warrant purchase when then there isn't much added and you can either rent or buy Kane and Lynch Dead Men for way cheaper.
Gameplay: 4
Basic duck behind cover, shoot, and advance. Yea, if it sounds boring then be prepared to be bored.
Graphics: 3
A very ugly game. Not much else needs to be said!
Sound: 6
Voice acting is pretty good but everything else is just bland and boring.
What’s new: 4
The Undercover Cop mode is new and provides a little bit of new life into this sequel but that alone can not save it.
Replay Value: 3
A four-hour game with only one saving grace and that is multiplayer. Even then, multiplayer won’t last you too long.
Final Score:
4