Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

My experience of _Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days_ is best described with this little anecdote: half an hour into playing I switched of my Xbox and went to watch _You’ve Got Mail_. This was not out of any dislike of the game, nor because I quite fancy Meg Ryan, but because this game is so overwhelming in its brutality and intensity that I urgently needed some antithesis of entertainment to calm me down and prevent a violent outburst of swearing in Mandarin.

_Dog Days_ is the sequel to _Dead Men_, a gritty and visceral tale of revenge and loss that balanced absurdity and pathos perfectly, let down entirely by dodgy gameplay and numerous technical faults. It continues the story of Lynch, a psychopath and convicted murderer, and Kane, an ex-mercenary, who meet in Shanghai to conduct an arms deal for a British mobster straight out of a Guy Ritchie movie, and from the outset everything starts to go wrong.

Playing as Lynch, you and Kane battle through various kinds of urban environments in Shanghai against gangsters, police and the military. This relentless battle is viewed through a visual style that reflects the ‘user generated content’ of the internet. In short, it’s like a pirate DVD or mobile phone video. Lights flare in horizontal bars, things blur, the colours are all off and the camera shakes constantly. This raw feel is best compared to films like _Blair Witch_ and _Cloverfield_, it adds to the intensity and pace, giving the title its unique art style. The audio follows suit too which adds to the overwhelming feel without being too painful on the ears, the inappropriate use of Chinese pop music is also a nice touch.

The mechanics of _Dog Days_ are nothing new, the standard cover-based fare of shoot, move, shoot again, and occasionally blow something up. The controls are very fluid and easy to master, and the use of fire extinguishers as explosives and scrounging for ammo from dead bodies fits well with the desperate situation. Kane and Lynch are constantly on the run, and at no point do they have the upper hand, the game forces you to be on the move as no cover is perfect and the enemies can easily overwhelm you.

The AI is visibly flawed though. The enemies may be good enough at killing you and hiding from you, but there is little about them that is interesting and rarely will they outsmart you in any remarkable way, instead choosing to run around and shoot you in the back whilst your screen is filled with blood and digital artefacts, and you simply can’t see a thing.

Death comes quick and often without warning, leaving you staring at a blank screen with your time of death in the corner and white noise ringing in your ears; you struggle to wonder whether you died from a gangster’s bullet or if your buddy, Kane, had simply had enough of you and shot you himself, as it is with Lynch that the problems of Dog Days’ story emanate.

Lynch complains constantly and keeps making the wrong decisions outside of the player’s control, eventually leaving him bleeding, naked and in tears. The game’s attempt to tell a personal story of what a psychopath would do for the woman he loves is lost in the pace and grime of this game. It is too short and too crude for anyone to gain a full sense of passion or emotion in the claustrophobic and crime ridden Shanghai. This limited scope has a knock on effect on gameplay too, making the environments and combat more repetitive than in its predecessor.

The game does offer a co-op story mode and an arcade mode in which you and a team of ex-pats pull off a variety of heists; whoever escapes with the most money wins with the twist being that team members can turn traitor and steal from others, but immediately become everyone’s target. Online there are a variety of modes for players to engage in, but a limited community and various minor niggles (such as early quitting and lobby problems) currently hinder its performance.

_Dog Days_ is a game that no one can truly enjoy, any normal person will sigh in despair and mutter curses throughout the story. With each twist and cock-up you will begin to wonder if Kane and Lynch are better off dead; the game over screen brings a strange feeling of relief and the sudden silence is eerie enough to make you shiver. It is these moments that make it worth playing though, the adrenaline rush and fear counteracts the repetitive gameplay and limited scope. It’s a love it or hate it game, ugly round the edges in both plot and style but with a solid core and plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. There is no sense of accomplishment or triumph here, not an ounce of ‘epic win’ just plenty of lights, blood and noise.

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