klepidas
01-07-2007, 13:19
With just a quick glance through developer Io Interactive's resume, populated almost entirely by entries in the Hitman series, it might be easy to miss a little ol' game called Freedom Fighters. A stellar shooter spiced up with the ultimate in user-friendly squad controls, Freedom Fighters received rave reviews from the modest few who actually played it. While calls for a direct sequel may never be answered, Io's latest, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, is essentially a sequel in spirit; only this time the slick and gritty presentation that characterizes Agent 47's murderous exploits is coming along for the ride. For a peek into what the game is all about, we had a go with two levels in an early version of the game -- a high-rise heist replete with stylish rappelling and an all-out firefight with Tokyo police.
Anyone who has played Freedom Fighters will feel instantly at home with Kane and Lynch. To a sizeable degree, the gameplay mechanics are very much lifted straight from its spiritual predecessor. In this case, self-plagiarism is not a bad thing; on the contrary, wreaking personal havoc while controlling a squad couldn't be more intuitive. Simply aim your reticule at a location or target, and tap one of three buttons to send a squadmate to scout the area, attack the target, or come back to your location. Hold the button down and the whole squad scuttles off, with each member directed by an A.I. protocol that is especially proficient at never leaving a squadmate idle with enemies afoot.
While your crew is off dispatching enemies of its own accord, you're free to engage foes in typical third-person shooter format -- move Kane with the left analog stick, aim the targeting reticule with the right stick, and focus in for a more accurate shot with the left trigger. What's nice, but not immediately apparent, is that the game borrows from Gears of War's now en-vogue cover system, though in a less user-controlled manner. Simply pressing towards a wall or column has you taking cover, from which you can take blind shots at your assailants or enter the more accurate focus mode mentioned earlier. Gunplay feels smooth and rewarding, although the hit detection seems a bit off and running for cover feels frustratingly slow during the more frenzied firefights -- an issue compounded by the inability to dive. With that said, the version we played was pre-alpha, so there is definitely time for these minor issues to be amended by release day.
Run-and-gun gameplay and meaningful plot development have never really been the best of partners. With Kane and Lynch, Io hopes to break the trend with a plotline that comes off as rather original and engaging on paper -- a criminal, making amends for inadvertently screwing his former crew over, being policed by a schizophrenic dealing with his own daughter's kidnapping. The story is presented through more than just standard inter-stage cut-scenes, though, as evidenced by in-game voice-over dream sequences while you're in the throes of death, waiting for a squadmate's healing touch (just like in Freedom Fighters, you can heal downed teammates). The Hitman-esque themes of revenge and no-holds-barred execution should give Kane and Lynch that visceral maturity the development team is aiming to deliver.
With a blend of intuitive and instantly satisfying squad-based gunplay straight out of the book that Freedom Fighters wrote, and a gritty panache reminiscent of what the Hitman series brings to the table, Kane & Lynch may just be on to something. If Io can clean up a few annoyances and make sure the dozen or so levels in the game are varied enough, your undoubtedly jam-packed holiday season wish-list may be getting one entry bigger.
Anyone who has played Freedom Fighters will feel instantly at home with Kane and Lynch. To a sizeable degree, the gameplay mechanics are very much lifted straight from its spiritual predecessor. In this case, self-plagiarism is not a bad thing; on the contrary, wreaking personal havoc while controlling a squad couldn't be more intuitive. Simply aim your reticule at a location or target, and tap one of three buttons to send a squadmate to scout the area, attack the target, or come back to your location. Hold the button down and the whole squad scuttles off, with each member directed by an A.I. protocol that is especially proficient at never leaving a squadmate idle with enemies afoot.
While your crew is off dispatching enemies of its own accord, you're free to engage foes in typical third-person shooter format -- move Kane with the left analog stick, aim the targeting reticule with the right stick, and focus in for a more accurate shot with the left trigger. What's nice, but not immediately apparent, is that the game borrows from Gears of War's now en-vogue cover system, though in a less user-controlled manner. Simply pressing towards a wall or column has you taking cover, from which you can take blind shots at your assailants or enter the more accurate focus mode mentioned earlier. Gunplay feels smooth and rewarding, although the hit detection seems a bit off and running for cover feels frustratingly slow during the more frenzied firefights -- an issue compounded by the inability to dive. With that said, the version we played was pre-alpha, so there is definitely time for these minor issues to be amended by release day.
Run-and-gun gameplay and meaningful plot development have never really been the best of partners. With Kane and Lynch, Io hopes to break the trend with a plotline that comes off as rather original and engaging on paper -- a criminal, making amends for inadvertently screwing his former crew over, being policed by a schizophrenic dealing with his own daughter's kidnapping. The story is presented through more than just standard inter-stage cut-scenes, though, as evidenced by in-game voice-over dream sequences while you're in the throes of death, waiting for a squadmate's healing touch (just like in Freedom Fighters, you can heal downed teammates). The Hitman-esque themes of revenge and no-holds-barred execution should give Kane and Lynch that visceral maturity the development team is aiming to deliver.
With a blend of intuitive and instantly satisfying squad-based gunplay straight out of the book that Freedom Fighters wrote, and a gritty panache reminiscent of what the Hitman series brings to the table, Kane & Lynch may just be on to something. If Io can clean up a few annoyances and make sure the dozen or so levels in the game are varied enough, your undoubtedly jam-packed holiday season wish-list may be getting one entry bigger.