Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Kane and Lynch 2 Dog Days brings back the titular duo from Dead Men, and puts you in the role of Lynch this time. The story starts off quietly enough, with Lynch getting Kane involved in a weapons deal in Shanghai. The deal quickly goes wrong and the two must get out of China. Thats it for story in this game, get out of China. The game has an extremely linear campaign and is a simple third person shooter with cover mechanics.    
 

 
The visual style is the most unique feature of this game. Its presented in a video camera format. There are digital slowdowns for large explosions, lights altering the lenses, censorship effect over the wounds of enemies and a shaky camera for when you are running. Its all very youtube like and really makes the game stand out. The shaky camera can be turned off if you want to do so. The graphics themselves are average and character models are poor. The animations are not good and I experienced some cases of pop in. The visual style can also become a serious problem as the lighting is poor, and when the camera is shaking and the screen goes red as you take fire its impossible to see.  The weapons in Kane and Lynch 2 sound like toys. There are no grenades for some inexplicable reason and the shotgun is the most accurate and powerful weapon in the game. The voice acting is ok but the script is very poor and fails to aid the already awful story in any way. The opportunity to use Lynch's mental problems as a gameplay mechanic is completely missed, and this is a real shame as it could have made the game much more interesting. There is very little music in the game and sound in general is completely  forgettable.  
 
The gameplay is third person shooting with cover. As I played the game I realised that I have played this before, its every other 3rd person shooter. Cover is a large part of combat but there were multiple points when the cover I was in did not work. The campaign is miserably short and all the levels are extremely linear. As the story is non-existent, the game is near constant shooting without breaks. Every fight seems to go the same way, and it gets very boring quickly.  Multiplayer is far more interesting, with some unique modes. However there are only 6 maps and the modes are the same as Dead Men.  Fragile alliance and cops and robbers make their return. These modes can be fun with some friends but the multiplayer alone cannot carry a game this short and generic.
 

 
The level design is bland and linear, with no branching paths. Enemy AI is very poor. They take cover and often dont do anything more then that. They cannot use tactics and the game is very easy as a result. The campaign took me roughly 4 hours and for all this time you are in Shanghai in remarkably similar areas. There is a chapter were you run through the streets naked, and another were you are on a helicopter but those are the only 2 times the game diverges from its linear and downright boring design.   
 
There is no aspect of Kane and Lynch 2 which is string enough to salvage the game. Its a mechanically competent third person shooter, but it has effectively no story line. The levels are nearly all the same, and the game is devoid of colour or excitement. The dark cynical humour of the game is amusing and the multiplayer has something to offer, but the miserable 4 hour long campaign cripples the game. The visual style is interesting but gets in the way of gameplay far too often. In a shooter market filled with games like gears of war and uncharted with cinematic stories and long explosive campaigns I cannot recommend a game this short and weak. There are no boss fights or exciting moments, and the whole game plays the same. The ending is one of the worst I have ever seen and it all feels lazy. 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pros:  

• Unique visual style 
• Dark humour 
• Interesting multiplayer modes 

 
Cons:  

• 4 hour campaign  
• Pathetic story 
• Horrible ending 
• Huge lack of weapons and content across the board 
• Levels are all in the same location 
• Constant shoot-outs get boring fast 
• Opportunity to explore the characters, especially Lynch's mental state, is completely missed  
• Stiff and clumsy character models and average graphics made worse by intentional video artifacts  

 
Wtf:  

• A chinese politician has the police and his henchman rip apart China's economic hub for a personal vendetta....

Score: 

• 3/10              

Boring, broken mess of a game with terrible visuals and no solid content.