Containing enough violence to make a Quentin Tarantino look like a Disney movie, Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days is an ultra-violent, grisly and brutal bloodbath that grabs you by the balls and refuses to let go until every last pixellated victim has been killed. Thankfully, the OTT violence is blended with some very black humour, so you can get away with the odd smile or two as you play this and not be branded a sicko.
The art direction here is top[ notch – with the authentic shaky camera wobbling around left right and centre as you play through the various levels, making it seem closer to an interactive movie than anything else. Blood splatters, light distortion and mesmerising explosions all combine to make it a feast that your eyes never become bored of seeing. The games developers have obviously seen one Paul Greengrass film too many, but if you do start to feel a bit dizzy with the Cloverfield-esque shaky camera work, you can turn this off in the options menu.
Playing one half of the title’s psychopathic duo, Lynch (i.e. you’re the one with the really bad haircut); you end up being caught in an intense gang war in downtown Shanghai. Blood splatters everywhere as you run amok, shooting at anyone unlucky enough to get in the way of your much abused gun. The action here is really R-rated stuff, and there are plenty of innocent civilians who end up with their heads blown off for getting in the way of your ongoing street battle. This certainly isn’t a game for the weak hearted, but it says a lot for the human mind (or maybe just mine!) that you do become somewhat desensitised to all the wanton violence after a while.
The very basic mechanics behind the game are a cover-based shooter, in much the same way Gears of War was. The survive, you have to make use of walls and pillars on each level, bidding your time hiding behind them before sticking your head around the corner and picking your enemies off one by one when you get the chance. The problem is, that is pretty much all the game has to offer you. Wanton violence aside, the action does become ever so slightly repetitive after a while. Yes, there really is only so much gratuitous violence you can play witness to before it all starts to become the same. Oh what is hat? Another head being blown off? Yawn!
The dark sense of humour does help proceedings along, and as already mentioned the art direction throughout is some of the best you will see on a game, but this does not help raise it above the realms of just being another gun-heavy shooter. Entertaining for a while, but ultimately an unsatisfactory one.
The art direction here is top[ notch – with the authentic shaky camera wobbling around left right and centre as you play through the various levels, making it seem closer to an interactive movie than anything else. Blood splatters, light distortion and mesmerising explosions all combine to make it a feast that your eyes never become bored of seeing. The games developers have obviously seen one Paul Greengrass film too many, but if you do start to feel a bit dizzy with the Cloverfield-esque shaky camera work, you can turn this off in the options menu.
Playing one half of the title’s psychopathic duo, Lynch (i.e. you’re the one with the really bad haircut); you end up being caught in an intense gang war in downtown Shanghai. Blood splatters everywhere as you run amok, shooting at anyone unlucky enough to get in the way of your much abused gun. The action here is really R-rated stuff, and there are plenty of innocent civilians who end up with their heads blown off for getting in the way of your ongoing street battle. This certainly isn’t a game for the weak hearted, but it says a lot for the human mind (or maybe just mine!) that you do become somewhat desensitised to all the wanton violence after a while.
The very basic mechanics behind the game are a cover-based shooter, in much the same way Gears of War was. The survive, you have to make use of walls and pillars on each level, bidding your time hiding behind them before sticking your head around the corner and picking your enemies off one by one when you get the chance. The problem is, that is pretty much all the game has to offer you. Wanton violence aside, the action does become ever so slightly repetitive after a while. Yes, there really is only so much gratuitous violence you can play witness to before it all starts to become the same. Oh what is hat? Another head being blown off? Yawn!
The dark sense of humour does help proceedings along, and as already mentioned the art direction throughout is some of the best you will see on a game, but this does not help raise it above the realms of just being another gun-heavy shooter. Entertaining for a while, but ultimately an unsatisfactory one.
