This is what happens when bad meets evil.
I’m not saying that Kane was a good guy, but he should have had a third option. The pretty much sums up the game as a whole. Kane & Lynch cast you in the role of Kane, an ex-con saved from death row by his former gangster pals only to have them shove a gun in his face and threaten his wife and daughter if he doesn’t tell them where he stashed a crazy amount of money. Lynch is your computer controlled partner who tends to get a little trigger happy when he forgets to take his “pills”. That’s right… there are no good guys in this game.
The game plays like mosts games I’ve played before. There really isn’t anything new in the way of control scheme or graphics. I certainly wouldn’t call the game ground breaking by any stretch. What is done very well though is the story telling. Many times during my play through I found myself wondering if this story would have made a better move than game.
Things Worth Noting:
If you like games where you’re required to shoot things, this is for you. From the second the first cut scene is over to the last moments of the game you’re constantly letting the led fly while being shot at. The only exception would be the nightclub level we’re you’re encouraged to try to avoid the armed guards while walking through the dancing crowd. The fact you’re carrying a tied up Chinese girl during this process doesn’t make this task any less easy, or you any less inconspicuous.
Where Things Went Wrong
There really wasn’t much “wrong” with Kane and Lynch per-say, but it did try to do a few things that feel short of reaching their intended goals. Specifically the squad based commanding of your crew really didn’t add anything to the game for me. You’re given the option to play strategically to try and coordinate attacks, but this didn’t work once for me. I ended up playing through the game with my crew in as close proximity that I get get them… just so the enemies had something else to shoot at.
The Final Verdict
I highly recommend Kane & Lynch. I throughly enjoyed the 14+ hours it took me to complete the game. The solid game play keeps you hooked, while the strong story keeps you tuned in and actually caring about the characters in the game. Ironically enough, the game ends pretty much on the note it begins to which I’ll say, Kane should have had a third choice. I’m giving Kane & Lynch a 8.5.
A note of warning though: The game earns it’s ‘M’ rating via use of language. It’s probably best to play this one after the kiddies have gone to bed with the head phones on.
