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Kane & Lynch: Dead Men pc Game Reviews
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Critic Score
Metascore: 67 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.6 out of 10
based on 24 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 93 votes
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Rate this game

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]

PUBLISHER: Eidos Interactive
DEVELOPER: Io Interactive
GENRE(S): Third-Person Shooter, Action
PLAYERS: 8
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2007

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...

80
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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80
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]
79
YouGamers
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men could be a great game. Unfortunately it feels unfinished, and falls short of that mark.
Read Full Review
79
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]
Read Full Review
78
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.
Read Full Review
76
Computer Games Online RO
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is not revolutionary.
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71
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]
71
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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70
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]
70
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.
Read Full Review
70
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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70
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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70
GamingExcellence
Like the protagonist Kane, it’s decent but has too many flaws for comfort.
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68
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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67
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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62
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).
Read Full Review
60
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.
Read Full Review
60
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.
Read Full Review
60
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]
60
PC Gamer UK
Nothing more than a merely adequate shooter. [Christmas 2007, p.66]
59
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.
Read Full Review
58
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]
50
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.
Read Full Review
42
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.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 4.6 (out of 10) based on 93 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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.

Eirik S. gave it a4:
this is impossible. Its hard enough to get live working and when you do there is a problem with playing coop. This game was made for coop, but obviously coop for the 360. On the pc there is no LAN or internet option when you want to play coop. The only option you got is to connect one or more xbox 360 controllers to your pc.. The singleplayer is hardly any fun with all the bugs, I bought this game for coop but I cant since I dont have a 40" tv connected to my pc, nor do I have any 360 controllers. Stay clear from this game, its a totally waste of money. Buy it when it costs 10$ if you really want this.

Simon H gave it a10:
Taking the chance to give this game a shot when steam was giving it away at half price, I went into the game not expecting too much, from the pretty average metacritic score... However I sure am glad I did! Stunning graphics and story make this game stand out, and you can really care about the main characters, also the levels are very inventive and always have you doing different things. To best explain just how good this game is, I started it at 10:00pm and as I watched the end credits roll it is now 2:50am, and the time just flew!

Michael A. gave it a5:
Everything needed for this to be an excellent game is there, the storyline, the graphics, etc. Problem is, it was all put together in such a way the end product is mediocre at best. Extremely faulty cover system, aiming isn't really an option, bugs everywhere, horrible AI scripting, the list goes on and on... It's not to late to fix it, some drastic patching could, perhaps, save this game, but until then, I advise anyone whose not looking for pure spray and pray bloody action to stay away.

Jared J. gave it a9:
"Kane & Lynch - Dead Men" is an epic modern third person action game. With a twisted plot along secrets to be revealed, this game is as modern as you could get. Along with some puzzels that leave you angry and confused and some controls that stick offten, "Kane & Lynch - Dead Men" is an all-out shooter, you may want to wait for the $49.99 price to lower and wait for "Kane & Lynch 2" (IF THEY DECIDE TO CONTINUE IT) other than that yo will be satisfiyed.

Paul K. gave it a7:
Pretty violent good story everything is good but the aiming is the only thing keeping it from going up to 10.

Brandon M. gave it an8:
Fun game - cool story - great scenario's j- overall quality is high - good sound - good graphics - I don't know why all the bad reviews, I've very much enjoyed it.

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