1. SkipTheCutscene

   10

   THE most underrated shooter of all time. I'm convinced that if the "steady cam" camera mode were set to "enabled" at start, the average review for this would be much, much, higher. Like others have mentioned, the shaky camera thing that is on by default was a giant mistake. Had I myself not already seen a review with a tip about turning it off, I probably would have stopped playing after about ten minutes, and subsequently missed out on what I believe to be one of the most immersive, thematic, well acted, richly evocative, and just plain fun action games of the decade. Bear in mind, I'm talking strictly about single-player here it's now 2013 and the multiplayer game has totally dried up.
   
   The other reason I think this game gets lower reviews than it deserves: the lead characters are morally ambiguous criminals. And we're not talking about lovable anti-heros like the guys from Oceans Eleven or Heat (although the action sequences from that film were definitely an influence here, which is a great thing..) I can totally understand how the Gears of War crowd might find it challenging to assume the role of a desperate, balding, impulsive, mid-level crook. The world of Gears of War is downright antiseptic compared to the characters, setting, story, and visual aesthetic of Kane and Lynch. In this game, killing innocents who get in your way comes with no penalty. There is no good/bad meter. The game leaves that stuff all up to you. And if you want to fully enjoy this game, you really can't sit in judgement of the characters, you have to embrace them in all their un-redeeming glory. Several times while playing, I had to remind myself that it was okay to be bad, because it is after all, just a game. So I am not surprised that many gamers reacted so harshly to the prospect of playing as someone who is just ugly, physically and morally. I will say that when I did open myself up to what the game challenges you to explore, it was one of the most enthralling experiences I've had sitting in front of a TV. That said, Kane and Lynch are not completely unsympathetic I wont go into story stuff here... suffice it to say, I had a much, MUCH deeper emotional connection to them than anyone in Gears, Halo, Far Cry, whatever...
   
   Regarding the story it was so refreshing to not have to sit through tons of exposition. I find it ironic that people complain about the length of the single player campaign here, because where are the complaints for the tons of padding in so many games that have you sit through a deluge of expositional recordings and tedious backstory that doesn't forward the plot or connect you to the plight of the characters in a meaningful way? Even everyone's beloved Bioshock, which I played concurrently with K&L the entire story takes place in the past it doesn't drive the action so much as vary the pace of the game with dialogue that is admittedly less dry than the typical "data discs" or "ancient tomes" scattered throughout most modern video games, but let's face it, the thing that makes Bioshock great is the environment and the overall concept. I can't stress enough how much I dislike having to listen to or read long stretches of exposition in leu of actual forward moving story structure. In K&L the story takes place in the present. No boring cutscenes talking about their past. The story elements happen DURING THE ACTION. Perfect. And the performances are AMAZING. What is the downside to minimal cutscenes and zero expositional text/audio? The game is shorter. Because it figuratively and literally cuts to the chase. As for the reviewer who claimed there is no story... I don't even know how to address that... I can only guess that they are so used to the the trite, overwrought, highly expositional nonsense one finds in most games that they don't recognize good storytelling when they see it. Good storytelling is simple, visceral, and hopefully, invisible. I consider the storytelling in this game masterful. For me it was one of the most cinematic gameplay experiences I've had. To any potential future players, let me say this... when you play through this game, at a certain point you wind up taking refuge in a television store... when that scene happens, think back on what I'm talking about here, and ask yourself is there a story? I think you will agree, the answer is yes. And it is FAR more engaging than your typical shooter.
   
   Finally, regarding the hit detection. I don't get people's complaints here when you hit the enemies, little x's appear right where you hit them, so you get a very acurate sense of the spread of bullets. If they're not taking hits, it means their cover is too high and you need to think tactically and try to flank. This is not a flaw, this is good gameplay.
   
   Clearly this game isn't for everybody. But for those willing to go where this game wants to take you, all I can say is... buckle up.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
2. Bob_H

   8

   This game looks fantastic. The graphics are not top-tier, but the weird pastel look of the last game is done away with through a clever film effect. A shake-cam (which can be disabled) really improves the tension of the action. It is a unique style. The shooting is solid, a major improvement over the previous game. The game is difficult but feels rewarding.
   
   In addition to the story mode, an "arcade mode" allows one player to play up to ten rounds as members of a heist in different locales. I don't play on Xbox Live, but arcade mode is very cinematic and offers a ranking system similar to online games. It is addicting, even if the lackluster A.I. can't compete well in later rounds.
   
   The game has some major flaws. The story is quite short (it took me 3 1/2 hours; medium difficulty on split screen). The ending is abrupt. There is a strange problem in late-game that can possibly pause the screen for up to around fifteen seconds whenever a headshot is landed. Despite these problems, the story is definitely worth playing through. While $60 may be a little steep, I am content with where IO is going with this franchise.… Expand

   • Helpful? 6 of 12 users said Yes.
3. Air

   5

   I had been truly hoping for Kane & Lynch 2 to be something special, become the crime thriller video game that everybody had always wanted. I had not played the original Kane & Lynch, so I came into this not knowing quite what to expect. Well, first impressions were quite... nauseating. The filters and camera movement they put in this game can really give you a headache, and I've got to say, this is the first time in my entire history of gaming that I had gotten a headache while playing a game. However, I seem to be a rare case, because other publications love it and even herald it as one of the best looking games of the year. In short, I disagree. But now that we've covered its aesthetics, somewhat, let's move on to the game itself. Dog Days is a pretty average third-person shooter. They do very little to change the cookie-cutter formula that I have already seen in so many games before. There are a couple cool additions such as the ability to limp to cover when you are downed, and there is one single sequence that has your shooting from a helicopter, but everything inbetween is average and often repetitive. However, even if all this was enjoyable (which I assume some game journalists found it to be), the game won't even last you five hours, not including the mediocre arcade mode and dime-a-dozen multiplayer modes (with the exception of Fragile Alliance, which I found to be actually intriguing), and that is what really hurts this game. The gameplay itself is tolerable, and some new mechanics could have been embraced more thoroughly if the developers wished for a better game, but selling a game that can literally be beaten in one sitting just hurts. Luckily I only rented it, because $60 for this "experience" would have really stung. Overall, Kane & Lynch 2 is an ordinary shooter with a truly bizarre hit-or-miss visual filter, which stands as one of its few unique elements. Dog Days true merits come from its Fragile Alliance multiplayer mode and some cool co-op moments, but all in all, Kane & Lynch still has stooped down to mediocrity despite all my hopes. The story is gruesome, cynical, and thrilling, but was still very derivative in many areas, and a number of other design flaws make Dog Days hard to recommend.… Expand

   • Helpful? 5 of 6 users said Yes.
4. Dottem

   3

   Abysmal, repetitive boring and frustrating. These are the words that describe Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days to me. I've played through the 4 hour campaign, which has a one sentence story, with no character development, absolutely no logical sense or anything sensible about it. The gameplay is the worst part of the game, while I agree the shooting, the gun feel is quite heavy and visceral, this doesn't negate the fact that you'll be shooting, and only shooting, for four hours straight, this gets boring after about 10 minutes of the game. There are no mini games, no stealth sequences, no bank robbing, NOTHING but shooting at bad guys who pop their heads out of cover every 5 seconds or so through boring factories, slumps, and train stations. I bought this game just because of how it looked, and I believe many did so too, but if you take out the gimmicky visuals, it's an ugly, boring, simple, short game which deserves being in the bargain bin. I do not suggest buying it, or even renting it.… Expand

   • Helpful? 1 of 1 users said Yes.

See all 42 User Reviews