Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
North American cover art
Developer(s)	IO Interactive Nixxes Software (PC)
Publisher(s)	Eidos Interactive
Distributor(s)	Square Enix
Composer(s)	Mona Mur
Engine	Glacier Engine with Havok physics
Version	1.1
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA August 17, 2010 AU August 19, 2010 EU August 20, 2010 JP 20100826August 26, 2010
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: MA15+ BBFC: 18 ESRB: M
Media/distribution	Optical disc, Download

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is a video game developed by IO Interactive, published by Eidos Interactive under Square Enix available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. On July 14, 2010, it was announced by IO Interactive that Kane & Lynch 2 would be releasing a week earlier than scheduled.

Announced in November 2009, the game is described as having a new visual style inspired by documentary films and user-generated content. According to the press release, "every aspect of the game has been designed to deliver a fresh perspective to the words 'intensity' and 'realism'. This includes also a new audio style. Instead of using ingame music, German composer Mona Mur was hired to create complex ambient soundscape layers generated from real city noises, vintage synthesizers, guitar amplifiers and unusual software. " A pair of teaser videos accompanying the announcement present game footage from a distorted surveillance camera perspective. Dog Days was presented from Lynch's point of view.

A single player and multiplayer demo was released on the PlayStation Network on July 21, 2010 and on the Xbox Live Marketplace on July 26, 2010. A demo was released on Steam on July 27, 2010.

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Dog Days has players take control of James Seth Lynch for most of the game (while the second player in co-op is Adam "Kane" Marcus). After the Venezuela incident, the pair part ways. Lynch starts a new life in Shanghai with a girlfriend named Xiu although being involved in a crime organization led by English-born ex-pat Glazer. After Glazer tells Lynch about a high paying operation involving smuggling guns to Africa, Lynch calls Kane for aid in return for a split in the deal. Not only the job would help them retire but also benefit Kane's estranged daughter Jenny (who survived the events in Dead Men).

Plot

Following Kane's arrival at Shanghai, both Kane and Lynch soon deal with an informant against Glazer named Li "Brady" Lung. After a chase through gang territory, Kane and Lynch corner both Brady and his girlfriend. A quick firefight ensues where Brady's girlfriend accidentally gets shot by Kane and Lynch. Brady mysteriously commits suicide.

The next day Kane and Lynch attempt to talk to Glazer about the smuggling operation, but they are ambushed by the city's gang and then the police force. After a firefight on the highway and through the streets while protecting Glazer, they find out that the attack was initiated by a gang led by crime lord Hsing. Kane, Lynch and Glazer's men raid Hsing's headquarters. During the interrogation, Hsing reveals that the girl Kane shot the day before was the daughter of a corrupt government official named Shangsi. In order to save themselves from Shangsi wrath, Glazer's men turn on the pair, forcing Kane and Lynch to kill them to hide the truth from Glazer and escape the police and Hsing's gang while they stay low for a couple of hours. Lynch tries to call Xiu to leave Shanghai as soon as possible but to no avail. Later that night, the police chase down Kane and Lynch who are racing to Xiu's apartment hoping to find her. Both Kane and Lynch discover that the apartment complex has been taken over by Hsing's men, hoping to lure them into a trap. Fighting through multiple levels of the complex, Lynch finds Xiu and stops any of Hsings's men coming for her until Hsing himself takes her hostage. Kane suggests that Hsing should be taken down immediately but fearing for Xiu's safety, Lynch knocks Kane unconscious and surrenders.

During the following day, Kane, Lynch, and Xiu are brutally tortured by Hsing in a bathroom. Believed to be near death, Lynch is thrown into a dumpster. When he regains consciousness, he kills Hsing and saves Kane, but is too late to save Xiu, who had been raped and killed by Hsing. Naked, both Kane and Lynch escape into the city trying to find clothes while being chased by the police. Believing that the weapons deal is still intact, Kane and Lynch arrive at the site where it's occurring. However, Glazer already knows the truth about Shangsi's daughter's death and has his men try to kill Kane and Lynch. Glazer is eventually cornered, revealing that he has a plane that Kane and Lynch can use to leave Shanghai but is killed by a military sniper. After fighting through military and police forces, Kane and Lynch jump onto a train, thinking they're finally out of trouble. But the train is immediately stopped and Kane and Lynch are captured by the military and police.

In a helicopter, Kane and Lynch immediately take control, throwing their captors out of the helicopter and forcing the pilot to land on Shangsi's building. Through multiple firefights in the building, Kane and Lynch corner and confront Shangsi himself. Impressed by their skills, Shangsi gives them an unspecified offer that will pardon Kane and Lynch of their crimes. Taking no chances of betrayal and as revenge for being involved in Xiu's death, Lynch kills Shangsi.

In order to escape from Shanghai, Kane and Lynch arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport to find Glazer's private jet. But when they arrive at the warehouse containing the plane, it is partially dismantled. With no other choice, Kane and Lynch escape Shanghai by hijacking a commercial airliner heading for Balzar, Ecuador.

Gameplay

Players in the campaign mode of Kane & Lynch 2 will take control of Lynch who is backed up by Kane (except in the last mission, where the player takes control of Kane again). The online enabled cooperative mode will allow players to play as Kane. Players can carry two of any weapon they can grab from dead enemies, but unlike the previous game, cannot swap said weapons between allies. Players can take cover through a button press. While still having regenerating health, players can get knocked down while being able to immediately get back up.

Multiplayer

Fragile Alliance returns along with two new variant modes (Undercover Cop, Cops & Robbers). The returning mode still has a group of players attempting to grab as much money as possible while escaping police forces and possible traitors. Undercover Cop follows the same fashion while a randomly chosen player must prevent the team from escaping. Cops & Robbers has a group of player controlled police officers going against the criminals still planned to grab money and escape.

The end of each match will allow players to buy new weapons from their heist money.

There is also a single player variant called Arcade where players must accumulate as much money as possible for high scores while surviving increasingly difficult rounds.

Development

Downloadable content

Soon after its release, 3 DLC packs were made available to download on all platforms. This included a weapons pack, multiplayer mask pack and 3 new multiplayer maps. As a preorder bonus, one of the three DLC packs was given free of charge depending on which retailer it was purchased from.These items are only available in either Multiplayer or Arcade game modes.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	(PC) 65.38% (X360) 62.51% (PS3) 60.87%
Metacritic	(PC) 66/100 (X360) 63/100 (PS3) 62/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	B−
Computer and Video Games	8.5/10
Edge	6/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7.5/10
Eurogamer	4/10
GamePro
GameSpot	6.5/10
GamesRadar	7/10
GameTrailers	8.1/10
IGN	7/10
Official Xbox Magazine	9/10
PC Gamer UK	70%
X-Play
Giant Bomb

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days received mediocre reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PC version 65.38% and 66/100, the Xbox 360 version 62.51% and 63/100 and the PlayStation 3 version 60.87% and 62/100.

Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb scored the game a 3/5 stars appreciating the visual style and the multiplayer modes. He criticized that the short single player completion time and providing only six multiplayer maps (with some available through pre-order) might not be enough to warrant a full price purchase. Gerstmann also scored the Xbox 360 version 2/5 stars after experiencing a major bug where the game locks up for seconds when using the shotgun after extensive play.

Jim Sterling, Reviews editor for Destructoid, placed it as #1 on his list of "The Shittiest games of 2010." Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw also placed it as #1 on his list of "the 5 worst games of 2010," calling it "as headache-inducingly unpleasant as impacted wisdom teeth surgery in the middle of a rave."

Sales

In its debut week, Kane & Lynch 2 went to number one in the UK all-format chart. In its second week, the game dropped to number two on the UK all-format chart despite sales increasing by a third. After less than one month on sale the game dropped out of the Top 10 of the UK all-format charts.

Kane and Lynch 2 has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

External links

• Official website