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Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

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4.8 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 99 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Developer: Io Interactive

Genre(s): Third-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: November 13, 2007

Summary

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a dark and gritty drama featuring two men, one is a flawed mercenary and the other a medicated psychopath. Forced together on a violent and chaotic path of redemption and revenge, no action is considered too harsh as this volatile partnership is pushed beyond reason in this brutally realistic, character-driven third person action shooter. [Eidos Interactive]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GameTrailers

The right combination of gameplay elements and design decisions make Kane and Lynch easy to recommend to crime junkies and anyone who enjoys a little therapeutic videogame violence. A well-executed plot really makes the game, while the multiplayer additions add replay value and variety.

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PC PowerPlay

In full stride Kane & Lynch comes up trumps. It offers an action-packed ride of memorable settings wrapped around a couple of gritty-as-hell characters. [Jan 2008, p.55]

YouGamers

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men could be a great game. Unfortunately it feels unfinished, and falls short of that mark.

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PC Zone UK

Though somewhat let down by its combat, Kane & Lynch is still well worth a play, even if it's just for the cinematic feel of the levels, the refreshingly different characters and the excellent multiplayer. [Christmas 2007, p.66]

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GameStar

A game like a blockbuster movie: nicely done, quickly forgotten. Neither story nor characters are parts of a meaningful whole, but it's good action entertainment anyway.

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Computer Games Online RO

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is not revolutionary.

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PC Format

A disappointing, mediocre shooter at best and a frustrating swear-a-thon at the very worst. I can't honestly recommend it. [Jan 2008, p.66]

ActionTrip

Familiar elements from Hitman are felt throughout the game. While some gamers may find this a welcomed facet, it's really disappointing that after all these years Io didn't show enough determination and creativity to bring something new to the scene of contemporary shooters.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

Kane & Lynch is more "Freedom Fighters" than "Hitman", so it should appeal to action junkies looking for their next fix. [Dec 2007, p.67]

VideoGamer

If you enjoy games with decent plots, developed characters and brilliant dialogue, this violent, offensive and witty action game is probably worth your attention, and if you're a shooting game purist, try not to expect too much and you'll still have plenty to enjoy.

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Eurogamer

Factor in an exceptionally short single-player campaign, an undercooked tactical squad element and a distinct lack of gameplay variety and it's impossible not to see this as a very big missed opportunity.

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IGN

A game that many people will play through and enjoy simply because of the forceful story and characters. Others will find the gameplay isn’t up to speed with the rest of the gaming world and wonder why anyone would bother. Frustration should never enter into a game because of the mechanics, but with Kane & Lynch it does.

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GamingExcellence

Like the protagonist Kane, it’s decent but has too many flaws for comfort.

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Cheat Code Central

Kane and Lynch reeks of an undercooked effort that should've baked a few more months in the development oven. If the care and polish that went into the wonderfully cinematic level presentation had also been applied to the writing and gameplay, it could've been a bar-raising effort for the third-person shooter genre.

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Game Over Online

In a season of really great shooters, Kane & Lynch is pretty much a dud. It’s sort of a style over substance kind of game, except the style isn’t even terribly impressive. The substance, what there is of it, amounts to a fairly so-so action game that’s kind of short.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

Kane & Lynch is very much a case of what could have been. With a little more time for polish and tweaking Eidos could have had a game worthy of the hype and its British Academy Video Games Award nomination (which was somehow secured before the game’s release).

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GameTap

IO's next big thing is a mish-mash of a few phenomenally great moments hidden inside a clusterf--- of nearly unplayable controls, bad level progression, unpredictable AI, and some seriously broken gameplay scenarios.

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G4 TV

Overall Kane & Lynch is an interesting -- if overly violent -- take on the “buddy” game. The tag-team setup adds something to what would already be a solid action game and makes it that much better.

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Play Magazine

There's an inconsistency to the overall design quality that really kept me at a distance while playing Kane & Lynch. [Dec 2007, p.75]

PC Gamer UK

Nothing more than a merely adequate shooter. [Christmas 2007, p.66]

Gamer 2.0

So if you have some extra time on your hands, Kane & Lynch is just barely worth a rental. Were it not for its story, we would undoubtedly give it a “Skip It” recommendation. However, it should be able to tide you over for a small while. Don’t expect anything great out of it though.

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PC Gamer

While not an objectionable gaming experience, it's not something you should go out of your way to try, either. [Feb 2008, p.70]

1UP

Exciting as cinematic set pieces are, K&L is a game, not a film. By that standard, it fails to do what a game should do: provide you with meaningful choices and tests of skill.

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Gaming Age

If it had been given the proper treatment, budget, and amount of time, Kane & Lynch would have easily been an A-/90% game. As it was released, it feels like a preview build that somehow hit retail shelves.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 4.8 (out of 10) based on 99 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jam Z gave it a10:
Great storyline , great characters , gameplay is good not pretty bad . Co-op mode is very cool in this game .

Hugo gave it a9:
Well, what to say? A lot of people simply read reviews for this game and decide "it's probably really shoddy, I'll give it a miss." A select few seem to have dived in and given it a shot. I was one of those people. And I was really pleased. Like, really, really goddamn pleased. To me, this is far superior to Gears of War as a cover based tactical shoot-em up. It feels real and believable, which is mostly thanks to a brilliant storyline and even better characters. The graphics can look a little flat now and again, but it still looks plenty good, and since when were graphics a primary concern? It sounds brilliant, and I especially love how plot points are screamed by the characters over flying bullets. It's a little short in the story, but a lot of fun, and the co-op is well thought out (though split screen only, so much better on 360). Multiplayer is where this really shines though - frankly, it's a work of genius (assuming you can stand live on PC, and find other players). I recommend you buy it, or at least borrow it off someone and make a judgement after that. And to those that complain about the aiming - it's meant to be realistic, and I never had a single gripe with the aiming or cover system (apart from the odd clipping issue here and there).

John R. gave it a10:
Simply one of the best games ever made. Instead of counting all the great aspects (as almost everything about this game is awesome) I simplay say: The bad reception of this game shows how infantile and stupid most reviewers and players are. This is a fantastic, intense and very mature shooter (featuring one of the best soundtracks ever made) which should be considered as great and important as Max Payne. How any serious gamer can give this game a rating beneath 7 is a mystery to me.

Dalek gave it a5:
Boring, confusing, stupid. This game was such a terrible beginning. It's like you get pushed into the game and you don't know what's going on but shooting and havok. Multiplayer is 100% fail. Hardly any servers to find. The game is simply a: 1 Part to there, next to that part. The game is very hard on easy. And not fun.

André L. gave it a10:
Don´t give a damn about what other people said, just play the game and take your own conclusions, i´ve played and liked a lot.

Matthias R. gave it a0:
I expected a great co-op mode when buying this. However, there was nothing like that. The single player campaign starts promising but gets boring at the latest when you notice there is always just one way to walk. The levels may optically look appealing but in terms of gameplay the design is boring. The characters are not developed, they are just unpleasant and pseudo cool. The squad parts seem to be a mere joke as team mates always just run into fire.

O. J. gave it a3:
The cranky combat gets boosted by the pretty good story-line at first, but when you head towards the end the combat becomes increasingly frustrating, not to mention the worst ending sequence ever. Like said by other users and by the critics the game has the "preview" edition feel.

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Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

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What The Critics Said

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