Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (2007 Video Game) User Reviews

Certainly worth the bafta

[tyranid_slayer · 8/10 · 22 December 2007]

I was struggling to decide between 3 PS3 games, Timeshift, Uncharted or Kane And Lynch.

Eventually i randomly chose kane and lynch.

Now there's something i love about this game more than any other. Mainly because it has a genuine human drama, you mostly feel this is the character Kane because of the backstory of the death of his son.

A great feature of the game is when your dying the screen goes into negative and you can hear voices of past events which is a clever addition as it builds up the emotion.

The online is massive fun, it's not just your random kill anyone game. You can choose the bank map and go inside, steal money and escape.

Overall, this game is fantastic but is slightly below the mark of my game of the year, Call of Duty 4

Kane & Lynch: Dead men

[Exeron · 8/10 · 2 December 2007]

Kane & Lynch is a story about two men who both are punished to the death. They meet in a prison van on their way to the execution, there is an ambushed and they get rescued. Kane's way back crew "The7" get's in touch with him, they have is wife and daughter and if He doesn't play along...they will both die.

Kane & Lynch is a thrilling but "VERY" violent action game. Just that you have the opportunity to shoot innocent people is frightening but it's nothing i haven't seen before in a game. The game's story is very well written, the gameplay the other end is nothing special. Just shoot your way out in every map. The game isn't that fun Singleplayer but it's very fun in Co-op mode.

CO-OP The CO-OP mode is meant to be played on console in split screen, but it can be played in PC as well but you need some sort of XBOX Gamepad, i spent 300 Swedish KR on it, which is probably 40 dollars. And it was worth it i guess. It's very fun to play with a friend if you are bored.

Graphics Really impressive on this point. I was surprised how well designed the whole game was. It's not crysis but the physics in the game is close to unbelievable. But the fact that the graphics changes from lousy to SUPER in different places is just dumb, hope it gets fixed in the upcoming patch.

Multiplayer This part i haven't tried out yet though. But the Multiplayer part is called "Fragile Alliance". You and a friend or more is about to make a robbery, there is about 4 different maps to play on, where a bank is included. The goal is simply just to get your hands on much loot as possible. The loots will be shared at the end of the game, however there is a way to get away with this, if you become a "TRAITOR" you will get your money and don't have to share it with anyone. To become a traitor you just simply kill one or more of your team-mates. However if one or another team-mate finds out you are a traitor before you get time to kill them. They have a goal to kill you and will get extra score for it. If you get killed you will respawn as a SWAT , Police or security Guard. Although i haven't played this mode by myself these facts are just from gameplays and text.

As it looked before

When the news about Kane & Lynch first was released i expected something completely different, but who doesn't the game looked a hell lot of better on pictures but what game doesn't.

I'm giving this game an kind of weak 8/10. This game has a good story and all but it's feels to simple, just go around and killing people on every single mission, nothing else for a change. There is no mission in this game where you have to kill, kill and KILL. The game is very violent & has lots of gore in it. The gameplay is pretty rude itself, feels like you are in a Tarantino picture. So if you are sensitive for violent this isn't the game you should play, well if you haven't sorted that out already with the facts that the game is called "Kane & Lynch (DEAD MEN).

8/10 Not what i expected but it was still a decent shooter game.

Truly dog days indeed . . . no, actually it is quite fun.

[quadbastard · 7/10 · 19 August 2010]

So the 'part 2' of Kane & Lynch came out recently, and since I didn't have the money to throw at that, I thought I would share my thoughts on the original.

Even though the game got some mixed reactions from people, I think it is entertaining if you like playing shooter games. This one isn't overly demanding to play, I passed through the game on the standard difficulty without too much trouble, but it is challenging at times, especially some of the Boss battles - I remember at one point you have to slug it out with a huge truck in a junkyard, it was quite difficult doing it with the controller since the aiming sensitivity never feels perfect no matter how much you fiddle with it in the settings. It was still satisfying when I finally got there, and I remember the batteries in my controller were going flat, so I had some extra motivation!

As others here mentioned, the game is similar to one of IO's earlier efforts - Freedom Fighters, and I think K&L DM is kind of a spiritual successor to that game. For instance, there is a similar squad-based mechanic presented that lets you command your comrade Lynch and also any followers you may have in your posse. Additionally you can swap weapons and distribute ammo with them. The controls for doing these things weren't so simple it was instinctive without sifting through the manual, but it is easy when you know how. You could almost go through the whole game without using the special squad commands since the core shooting play is quite basic and your AI controlled friends can happily go about their own business. But much like the enemies, they do stupid things sometimes like running into the line of fire.

The graphics were good, at the time I had to play in standard definition, but still the detail in the game was evidently well done - the game engine technology is the same (or close) to Hit Man Blood Money I think. Probably the standout level for me was the Japanese Rave Disco club, were you had to 'escort' someone to the roof, and you could only tell the hostile security guards from the hordes of dancers by the flashlight beams darting around amidst the disco ball lights. I remember this section took me a few tries to get through, and yes, there probably will be some 'collateral' damage along the way. The diversity in the environments is actually one of the stronger aspects of the game, and like the Hit Man series you find yourself in different parts of the globe, so things don't get so stale in that respect.

The guns in the game will be familiar, you get hand grenades & flash- bangs as well, I think probably the most interesting weapon was a tear- gas grenade launcher. The violence is over-the-top - you can rush an enemy then break his legs and neck by hand - Ouch! There isn't much opportunity for stealth in the game. However, I seem to remember a scenario in a Poppy Field though, but to be quite honest, every situation turns into a veritable blood bath. The story in the game isn't much to write home about, I didn't find myself rooting for Kane and Lynch's cause - actually, I wouldn't even call them antiheroes because there isn't much of a 'greater good' sense to things, but I can't really say more without spoiling the plot. The 'script' is filled to the brim with 'colourful' language but instead of being gritty or realistic it comes off as forced and ultimately a bit silly.

I didn't have many genuine issues with this game, there was a bug during a car chase sequence where the van you were in would hit a junked car and flip on its back meaning I couldn't get my crew to the required destination - this happened *every* time I reloaded the checkpoint, so in the end I had to replay the whole section. Annoying. Apart from that, the cover system is a little dodgy since Kane will 'snap' onto nearby objects whether you want him to or not, so that can be a bit dodgy, especially when making a mad dash to safety from a killer Helicopter or something. Overall, none of these things are damning to the game, just some quirks really.

Overall, I had a fairly good time with this game, probably those who loved Freedom Fighters or played the Hit Man games in a not-so-stealthy 'Guerilla' style will truly relish the huge body counts in K&L DM. I would recommend playing in the standard difficulty, even if you are an experienced player, since the game is suitably demanding as it is and 'hard' is perhaps leaning more towards 'masochist' sensibilities. Anyhow, I think the game can pass some pleasant evenings, so if you are interested, give it a shot!

*Review for Xbox360 Version

Flawed but Kinetic Shoot 'Em Up Game with Lots of Shooting, Co-op Replay Value and Potential for a Franchise

[Luiselclapperloader · 23 July 2015]

One of the fewest time killers i had with friends at home was playing co- op with this game, a lot. This is one of the few points Kane & Lynch has at a fun value, with a title like this and a concept like that, it does really feel like an old-school game meant to be played with co-op (like an arcade game whose name i forgot, but consisted in one driving a car and the passenger seat shooting the bad guys at front)

Anyways, the story follows at a psychological drama emotional vibe, and certain strong elements that would put the player in enough stress if it isn't by the story's way of f'ing up the characters lives, and although it doesn't grab enough interest on it's character development it does at least satisfy you with those individual personalities of each that makes a credible duo that are not precisely role models, but personifies our GTA player inside us.

The Sound is decent, although i noticed some of the same music/soundtracks are a bit over-exploited, voice acting is convincing enough to put you on stress through the characters.

Gameplay-wise is pretty Kinetic and non-stop, shootings are exciting whenever you control it (although a bit stiff with recoil when trying to shoot enemies) and blood-packed enough for those who find this satisfying (AKA: Me) And although it can get repetitive at times, there's no stop sign to show at you by the constant number of henchmen coming at you. There is another command system that plays out in a strategic way where you can command NPC's to kill X enemy or take cover somewhere else, i personally found it under-exploited, because i was doing all the killing and shooting to sum up... ._.

Also, level design is sort of simple, some of the maps are pretty short and it could get repetitive to miss out or going all the way around the map in some missions, but also it has a decent amount of variety on it's missions that also offers another level on the "old-school" game vibe that you could really have a grip on.

And although there is also a 2-way ending that has some flaws in it (since one is cannon to the supposedly disappointing sequel and the other is not, and both endings do have some of the same annoying conclusion, it does still have replay value through both campaign co-op and multiplayer.

In conclusion, Kane and Lynch: Dead Man is a Flawed, but Kinetic Shoot 'Em Up Game with Lots of Shooting, Co-op Replay Value and Potential for a Franchise that makes this starter of a series (that i hope doesn't die and deliver us a Better and more submersive K&L3) a kick-ass of a time killer.

a great action game

[emilios_71 · 10/10 · 23 November 2007]

i just bought this game this morning, i was very happy of what i bought i thought to myself this was worth my money i can see why they want to make a movie out of this a very good story, very good plot line, very good characters i just freaking love

for the people who like hit-man

they need to try something more freestyle, pounding action in Kane and lynch dead men

i recommend you buy it

also there is great multiplayer contents and the co op is very good

i think its worth your money guys

10/10

Would make a great movie, but as a game it's a letdown

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 21 December 2009]

A man on death row is busted out of his prison transport and is thrust into a violent game of do or die. That man is Kane, his newly-appointed partner is Lynch. They are both class-A scumbags, and they have to work together despite the fact that there's no love or mutual respect for each other. What follows is a strictly linear traipse through many different environments ranging from bank vaults to Japanese night clubs. You'll kill many people and pick up lots of different guns...but how much fun will you have (if you pardon the macabre use of the world "fun")?

The answer is some, but not as much as you'd like. The weapons are all pretty much the same with a terrible targeting system. Precision targeting is almost non-existent in this game and hit detection is all over the place. The ability to take cover behind walls, pillars, etc. is very faulty and works only half the time. Some scenes are also too dark to make out what's going on.

There's plenty of swearing, and the voice acting is quite good. Jesper Kyd's gloomy score sets the tone perfectly. This is not an upbeat, cheery game. It's about ugly violence and grim revenge. For this reason alone very much earns its 18/M-rating. The presentation of this violence however is not that graphic, literally. The graphics are of PS2 quality. They may be in 1080p high-def but they look real bad.

I hear a sequel is in the works. More freedom to roam and an ability to upgrade Kane and Lynch as characters would be a welcome addition. Better graphics would be appreciated too. Above all, the guns and targeting need to be improved. Kane & Lynch makes for a decent bargain bin game, but don't pay top dollar for it.

Graphics C Sound B+ Gameplay C+ Lasting Appeal C

Well, not *yet*, of course

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 8/10 · 7 March 2011]

Kane was ready to pay for his crimes. He was done. But then the prison transport is knocked over on the way to death row, and after barely making it out alive, he's confronted by his former mercenary buddies, the surviving members of the lazily named The7 – the brothers Beardo and Baldie. They have his estranged wife and daughter... and now he has to retrieve the loot that the other duo believe he stole from them on their final, and failed, operation. He comes back out of retirement to save his family, partnered with(well, he's there to make sure you do as you're told... why is it this plot wasn't used sooner? This is like Heat the video-game(well, different story), and yes, it's as awesome as that makes it sound) the psychopathic Lynch, who murdered his better half. You follow them for a couple of the worst days of their lives, and countless of people *will* be left dead in their wake. Every "Chapter"(note that you can only start at the beginning of those if you quit; while you are in the game, you can replay from the most recent "Scene", and those are frequent so you never have to redo a lot, and it autosaves) consists of you and him(and usually a team) carrying out an attack on a building(like a bank, corporate headquarters, a dance club, etc., and situations like a robbery, a hostage exchange, a jailbreak(!) and the like), get whatever objectives you have done, and get away in one piece. This is a third-person tactical shooter, a bit like a Freedom Fighters 2.0(which, in turn, was Red Dawn interactive). You can give the orders Follow, Attack target and Defend(the latter being directional), and you can not get through this by pretending you're Rambo of the sequels(especially in MP). Using and protecting the people there with you is vital(you can take out anyone else, and this supports grand crowds, similar to what they did in Blood Money), and you can pick up additional clips from them, swap weapons with them and bring bring them back from near-death using adrenaline shots(!), and they can do the same for you(don't rely on it too much, you'll overdose; also, this is highly psychological, with flashbacks and your guilty conscience haunting you as you lay there in what may prove to be your last moments). This is intense, action-packed and exciting throughout, and it never gets to be repetitive. It is also extremely short... I completed it in about a single day(and there's only three difficulty settings and no unlockables, if two memorable endings), and that was the day I helped my brother move out of his place. There is little to no HUD, and in general this is quite minimalistic(the keys are intuitive, you can sit right down and play this). No health-bar, you can't reload(it does it on its own) or tell how many bullets are left before it's necessary to, and anything not being "used" fades into invisibility. It is also pretty streamlined, and while I find this to be a troublesome current trend in this medium, this gets away with it impeccably well. Why, and am I being a massive hypocrite? Because the risk isn't gone, and it doesn't take control out of your hands(well, the rappelling, if cool, kind of is)... and no, silly person(why would you even ask that?). Yes, it's linear(let's be honest, that's a typical approach), still, it comes off as if you are set free in a regular, real-life location. The environment interaction is nifty, with cars blowing up and glass having remarkably poor lead-stopping abilities. There are rail-shooter levels, where you're in a car. You really get a sense that no one can trust anyone else(they second-guess each other constantly, and somehow it doesn't get to be irritating) in this world. The characters(with a cast mostly consisting of anti-heroes) have personality and backstories, though you don't remember them all. Still, this is genuinely emotionally engaging and affecting. The cinematography is great, and this is cinematic and visual, with fantastic graphics(all cut-scenes are in-engine or pre-rendered, and look amazing), gorgeous lighting, and beautiful gas, smoke, fire FX. This has a bad-ass score(all of the audio(including acting!) is marvelous) by Jesper Kyd. I have not tried multi-player(as I could not get it working... one time I tried it temporarily deleted my DVD-drive! There's supposedly a 2-player mode... I'm not sure it works for the PC, it asked me to connect an X-Box joystick...?), but the rule set definitely sounds excellent. You can double-cross your friends, and the idea is to get away with as much of the loot from a bank robbery as possible. Yeah, matches are probably short. Up to 8 players, and close to proper co-op. It's not terribly surprising, coming from IO Interactive, home of awesome, unique(-ish) concepts for games. You carry one gun and one sidearm, as well as two kinds of grenades(pineapple and "distraction" kind), and you use SMGs, shotguns, machinegun, assault rifles, pistols and a sniper(your enemies can use all the same ones, and that last-mentioned is one of the several stand-out challenging occurrences). You can also mêlée kill(anytime you're right by them, there's no "fighting"), with a blade in your hand that comes out between two fingers. This has one of the best cover systems I've tried, so easy and instantaneous to enter/exit, blind-fire and aimed(hold down right mouse button anytime), and such a wide use of the view(without leaving the safety) is possible, meaning you will hardly ever be caught with your pants down(I'm scowling at you, The Godfather: The Game! And Enter the Matrix! And many others). You can wound others, and then finish them off, like Contracts. There is a lot of brutal, disturbing content, bloody violence and strong language(no sexuality or nudity) in this. I recommend this to any fan of the genre and the concept(if you want to play a Michael Mann movie, this is one of the better ones). 8/10

Interesting storyline, but gameplay is a let down...

[evan_dow · 7/10 · 25 October 2019]

There are feature's in this game which are before their time. I completed the story mode in about a week. Most of the achievement's for this game require you to play in multiplayer. You will get a handful for single player play. I just think this game could have done with a better cover mechanic. You have to huddle right up beside a corner for cover rather than press a button to do it for you like in other game's such as 007: Blood Stone.

Given this title is probably like five dollar's by now, go and get it. It will be interesting whether there will be a part three on the next-gen console's these day's I think it would work well and I think a lot of people would like to see it.

Another selection from Eidos

[Justice_WithoutCause · 9/10 · 4 December 2007]

So I had just recently finished the game and I was left at awe. This feeling rose up in question of if I really enjoyed the game or not. In the end I decided that I did. There are a few factors you must take into consideration when you play this game: 1) The Graphics - Something I have come to expect from most 3rd person shooter games is a set of lackluster graphics. No they are not up to par with next-gen standards, but people say that about every single 3rd person shooter. From Grand Theft Auto, to Eidos's own Hit-man everybody wants more. Sure it would be nice for it to look great but think of this. Would you rather a game with great graphics and no character development or story to a game with great character development or story and not so up to snuff graphics?

I was always under the impression that a video game was meant as a means of entertainment, a distraction from the real into the land of your fantasy. If you play a game because of the way it looks, you are into gaming for all of the wrong reasons.

Do you remember Super Mario Bros. 3? That was fun, simple, graphics were obviously horrible... Everybody still has fun playing that game today. I know I do. So stop moaning over the look of the game and remember that it was only a decade ago we were playing at 16-bit and still having fun.

2) Audio - Paranoia rings a bell when I think about this. There are very few moments int he game where you hear no gunshots being fired. As for the voice acting, Lynch leaves something to be desired but the voice acting for Kane adds much more to the character of this flawed man.

3) Game play - The game has a simple premise, kill the bad guy's, a little harder than we are usually used to. Somebody is always shooting at you, and you are always on the brink of death. The shooting system is to the point, which has received some criticism.

Many players are stating that the line of fire is often broken or flawed, saying that the bullets don't go exactly where you aim all the time. Guess what? They are right... However, if you go to a shooting range, or if you have ever shot a gun before, you would know that at distances the line of fire can be altered depending on many things. I think it added a sense of realism to the game.

4) AI - This is where things go wrong for me. The AI is stupid. There is no other word to describe it. Not so much the enemy though, more so your crew. There had been times when Lynch or anybody wouldn't follow me, or they walk up to a high cal. turret.

Now the game works easy, you can revive a fallen ally be injecting them "Mia Wallace Style" (Adrenaline). The problem here resides in previous paragraphs where I had stated that there is always someone firing at you and often time you have to revive a fallen ally in front of the enemy or turret that had killed him.

This is one tough game.

--- My overall reaction to the game was great. I had high hopes for this one, and wasn't let down too much. I like simplicity put to a challenging game with a good premise.

When the game got to the end I noticed something that has been popping up in many games of recent release... The inevitable lack of an ending. This was present in the recently released Assassin's Creed as well as Jericho, both games toted for sequels. This is where my advice comes in... If you are like me and you like getting frustrated and finding your way out of a good fire fight, play it. Especially if you are fans of Hit-man and Freedom Fighters.

My only warning is that this, like the two games mentioned above, should have been made directly as a movie. Great story, great potential.

In conclusion, I rate this game a nice 9 out of 10. Eidos has never been one to impress those looking for absolutely everything (Graphics and the like), but most do not realize that game creators are on a budget and some things cost more money and more importantly in the industry TIME that they do not have. You can only push a release so far before people forget about it.

Great Game.

[youmomisaprick · 10/10 · 2 January 2008]

I thought this game was great, i really enjoyed playing and the online game is not only about shooting as many you can, there is a little tactical game play in online. And the multi player system is a split screen story mode. I think that i was pretty much the same game mode as Hit-man, but this time it was just on the streets. There was only one bad thing it was that it was fast completed. But there is allot of action anyways.

One of the things in the game that is two thumbs way up is the story line in the game, you almost fell like you know this persons very good after the game is completed, I've never seen such a good plot in game and hat is really awesome we need to see more story in games, that makes it more interesting to play.

The main characters is Kane and Lynch.

Kane is trying to spare his family from getting involved in a crisis against him and the gang the seven.

Lynch have schizophrenia, and is a watchdog for The seven, hes job is too make sure Kane gets the money he have stolen from The seven back!

The most underrated game ever

[claytonators · 10/10 · 15 February 2008]

How come so many reviews are slating this game. i really do think its quite excellent probably second only to saints row in my xbox360 collection (with the usual candidates GOW and Halo3 way below). First of all I'd like to say a lot of the issues other people have with the game i just haven't had. I didn't find it too hard. It's challenging, yeah just like hit-man. I didn't find aiming a problem, OK machines guns are hit and miss but a rifle is pretty much spot on, surely thats quite realistic? i didn't hate the story line, it's no enthralling quest like good old mass effect, thats for sure, but it isn't bad. it's definitely entertaining. I thought the cover system worked rather well. I think that playing this game is more like doing it in real life, in a way. Whereas you might be looking for cheap leg-shot kills and cover that makes you totally invulnerable in other games you won't find it here. I think as what it set out to be a games take on true Michael Mann style action movie its truly superb. Hosts of memorable levels, very good game-play (i think anyway) and good variety too. This isn't run shoot repeat like halo or GOW or the army boy approach of COD4 (which is pretty excellent admittedly), this is a more stylised film approach with much more vulnerable and edgy characters. I'm a big fan of IO, loving hit-man and the equally underrated Freedom Fighters and i don't think this game disappoints at all. Whatever is said about this game it doesn't look like many people are sitting on the fence. And as for divided opinions go, my opinion is very high. If you like hit-man or Micheal Mann's Heat (1995) then give this a try. 10/10 Great