Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days hands on

Kane and Lynch 2 is the successor to the 2007 gameÂ Kane and Lynch : Dead Men. The first game was received warmly by critics but proved to be an average game at most. Fast forward 2 years and we have the sequel almost ready for launch, but is it an massive improvement over the first game?Â Gamersmint received a preview code of the game which was a decent representation of what the final game had in store for gamers.

The preview code had four levels set in a masterfully recreated Shanghai which impressed, the physcotic duo are BACK to unleash hell again. Lynch was planning to settle down in Shanghai with his girlfriend Xiu but undertakes a job for Glazier, calling Kane for support. As you take control of Lynch in the back alleys of Shanghai, things turn chaotic pretty fast as expected and soon you are chasing a guy in cramped buildings, running over rooftops, shooting waves of bad guys and what not which ends with Kane shooting the girl and the guy slitting his throat. Well what did you expect? Soon they are found running away from the law. Once they come out to the streets, you will be awestruck by the beautiful Shanghai, the traffic, the neon lights as you run for your life killing cops on the way.

There was a definite improvement in firefights although I feel the guns felt very unsatisfying and didn’t pack a punch. The game feels like a live recording hence the screen is shaky and unstable, is that realistic or was that needed? I felt it provided a different gameplay experience and didn’t feel tacked on, It suited the game pretty well. Also the presence of a filter combined with the shaky cam made it very realistic, although it can be disabled in the options. The addition of pixels to cover the gory areas especially when you shoot someone in the head felt unnecessary and although this was the experience intended for gamers, it would be interesting to see how they react to it. I for one, felt this was tacked on and would have preferred having an option to disable it.Â Â My main gripe with the demo was the cover system which handled very clumsily and needs a bit of work before they ship the game, but too late for that I guess which is a bit disappointing. Overall the gameplay mechanics were pretty smooth and refined and a definite improvement over the first game.

The game is hardcore just like the first one although the clumsy cover system as I mentioned earlier was a spoilsport but wasn’t a huge factor and didn’t ruin the enjoyment. In one of the levels you need to defendÂ Glazer’s car in a highway as it is attacked by a bunch of goons, the set-piecesÂ in this level were tremendous and eventually in the final level which was a restaurant scene you get to kill a shitload of cops. It’s the classic gameplay from the first game and its back and better than ever.Â The demo ends abruptly, which left me craving for more.

The voice acting and dialogues are the best things about a Kane and Lynch game and I am not too surprised that it impresses here as well, the action is really tense with both our protagonists yelling at each other which really increases the chemistry between the two, the game features a new concept called “down but not dead” which is self explanatory. It basically means when you get blasted by a lot of bullets you will get to shoot people with one hand, till Kane comes and does the needful. Think of it as the last stand perk inÂ Modern warfare 2Â but with you being able to recover.Â The pacing of the preview code I played was perfect with a great mix of action and dialogue, IO Interactive has clearly taken it a notch up with Dog Days.

The Multi Player is back and is better than ever with Fragile Alliance looking pretty neat,Â you rob a bank, escape and have the option of betraying your team members to increase your cash count, but be warned of the repercussions. In addition to Undercover cop, Cops and robbers, there is a new arcade mode where you can play offline with AI teammates and hone your skill for the realÂ gang warsÂ online.Â Although I can’t give much impressions about the MP due to the lack of players, this certainly seems like a whole lot of fun online just like the first game was.

IO InteractiveÂ have certainly polished this game a lot and it’s looking promising, their attempt at providing a realistic experience is genuine. You should be certainly interested in this game as it does provide an unique experience and is much better than their previous offering. The game releases onÂ August 17 Â in NA andÂ August 20 in EU,Â be sure to check out our full review of Kane and Lynch 2 : Dog Days .