Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days

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Although I do most of my purchasing on Amazon, this is my first written review of a product. Because of the lack of higher reviews, I felt like my positive input/support of the game was necessary. Hopefully people aren't too quick too judge and will ignore some of the mediocre reviews of the game, but Dog Days was honestly one of the most intense games I've played in a while.

Sure, the single player was short (which is why I'm giving the game 4 starts rather than 5), but it was definitely an extremely gritty, violent, and immersive one. I honestly had a great time playing through the single player campaign, and have started tackling Arcade Mode, as well as the creative and entertaining multiplayer components. Top notch voice acting and audio effects, along with an amazing environmental recreation of Shanghai, made for a great experience.

Maybe the handheld, shaky cam style isn't for everyone, but I found that it really contributed to the game, and definitely separated it from other third person shooters on the market (which was the whole point of it, but they really did succeed in making it work), and if it's too shaky for some players, there is an option to toggle the 'camera bob' on or off. Also, I'm never a fan of short single player campaigns, and I do wish that Dog Days had a longer one, but because it was fun and entertaining the entire way through, I feel more compelled to go back and give it another playthrough on a higher difficulty, which I don't often do.

The bottom line is that the game is a bit underrated, but really gritty, intense, and entertaining. The campaign is a short one (roughly 6 hours on Normal difficulty), but a very fun and stylish one nonetheless (greatly supported by the shaky cam and other visual/audio effects). Arcade Mode and the other multiplayer modes are all addicting, unique, and include a ranking system. If you're hesitant, give it a rental, or just wait a couple months for the price to drop and pick it up.

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I never played the first game, but I was drawn to the style and presentation of this new installment. I have played through the single player story and it is shorter than most. It took me about 5 hours the first time through. I wish they could have created a more varied and lengthier campaign. It would have rounded out the game into a top notch title. The story was pretty simple and lacked a good story arc, but I enjoyed the one liners and off the cuff comments that came out as the story developed in game.

The game really pulls me in with how different it is with its presentation. For me it is a very welcome change from military shooters like Modern Warfare 2 and Killzone 2. Neon lights and dirty street alleys and the frantic fire fights through restaurants are so great. It feels like the best moments from the movie Heat turned up to 11.

There are two more game modes beyond the story, Arcade Mode and Online Multiplayer. They are mirrors of each other, but hold many hours of great fun. You play through a variety of heists with 7 team mates in several different game modes, designed to make sure you turn into a greedy, nasty, heartless criminal. Normally I like to play as the good guy, but after a few hours I was perfecting ways to kill off team mates and steal their part or the loot for myself. It became so much fun and challenging as you try to get to round 10 on a certain map. To me this is where the game really shines and stands out from the crowd. If you enjoy multiplayer this game is a blast.

Overall the game has flaws but can really shine in certain places.

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This game's not even half as bad as people say it is. I had played through and completed Max Payne 3 before checking out this title. Kane & Lynch 2, at least to me, reminds me A LOT of Max Payne 3. Same game genre, and even though the game play mechanics aren't the same, but similar (which it should be for being in the same genre), the game still felt good to play. Considering that Kane & Lynch 2 is two years older, and though it's not as well polished as Max payne 3, it's a good 3rd person shoot, especially for the price it's at now ($10).

STORY: The stroies nothing to ride home about (as it usually is for most 3rd person shooters, or just shooters in general), but it's got a good story, not great, but good. It was interesting compared to most, and it held my interest.

GAME PLAY: There are several game play modes with this title. Like Max Payne 3, Kane & Lynch has a story, arcade and multiplier mode, but it also has a co-op mode. I found the gameplay to be pretty good. I enjoyed it. Like Max Payne 3, Kane & Lynch 2 is a simplistic glorified shooting gallery, a cover based shooter, moving from point A to point B. AI is good, I never noticed AI being ridiculously dumb or hard to deal with. AI was challeging at times, they flanked, and I felt that the AI was balanced out well for most part. There's a few neat game play mechanics in this game too. You can in some cases (if you're skilled enough) come up behind an enemy and grab hold of them, use them as a shield as you take out their allies, throw them, or you can execute them on the spot. You can also find explosive items within most of the levels that you can use to your advantage, and most you can even pick up and throw at your enemies to blow them up. I even found out that it's even possible to kill an enemy just by throwing the explosive item directly at him. All in all the game plays solid and enjoyable.

AUDIO: The audio in this games not bad, but it's not top notch either. lip syncing is good, it never seemed off, and the music in the game worked fairly well too. Also, the guns in the game sounded believable. I really have no complaints about the audio in this game.

GRAPHICS: The graphics in this game are top notch for being a late 2010 release. Everything's well detailed in the game, both characters and the environment. Only downside I'd say is that you see a lot of the same A.I. Cops are all the same person, and you kill a lot of the same bad guys, but it's balanced out well, characters and environments are very detailed, it's a hardcore 3rd person shooter, and it's in China (asians all have the same skin and hair color, so really it's as not as noticeable), so it really doesn't matter or ruin the experience.

Now to talk about what people probably dislike about this game the most. The game has this art style to it were it looks and feels as if someone's following you with a camera. I personally didn't mind, and you can even turn it off. It didn't effect my game play, and it reminded me somewhat of the effects (different, but similar) rockstar used in Max Payne 3. It brought a good uniqueness to the game, made it feel gritty.

CONS: Now my only complaints with this game, and one is more of a grip, and that's the AI in this game. I just wish the AI was more varied in the game. I saw and killed a lot of the same bad guys, and the cops and military are always the same person. But, since this is a fast paced shooter, and it's so detailed, it's easy to over look. My only other complaint is that the campaign is pretty short. I completed the game in about 5-6 hours.

VERDICT: Kane & Lynch 2 is a fun 3rd person shooter. This games developed by the same guys that gave you the hitman series. So, it's not nearly as bad as people say. It's a soild game and it's only flaws is it's short campaign and lack of varied AI models. At the price it is now it's definitely worth a purchase. It may not be as well thoughtout or polished as Max Payne 3, but if you're looking for a soild 3rd person shooter or a game similar to Max Payne 3, this is your best bet. All in all, on a scale from 1-10, I'd give Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. For the quality and price, this is definitely a title I'll be keeping in my collection.

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I had played a demo for my 360 then I rented this game for my PS3 and thought the same thing both times. I gave this one a decent chance even though I hated it from the start. But I figured I should play a couple levels to give a fair chance and it never got better. If anything, it got worse and more pointless. The camera play is ridiculous, and it's like playing a crappy vigilante game. The only point is to kill people and whoever you're after. If you want a good vigilante game, play Saints Row: The Third. I sent Kane & Lynch back 20 minutes after I started it. Even if this game was $1, I would rather buy a can of soda than waste my one dollar on this game. Yes, I think it is that bad. If people like it, then more power to them and I hope they enjoy, I most certainly did not enjoy this game!!

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thats how long this game is. 4 freakin hrs! thats insane. as far as the gameplay goes, the shooting mechanic is horrible, the cover mechanic is broken too. to top it off, the game ends abruptly. i was sittin in front of the tv goin, "wait, is that it?"