Dead Men do walk… and run… and gun… and blow stuff up!

Kane, a scar-faced badass mercenary, and Lynch, a medicated psychopath, aren’t the most family-friendly frontmen for a videogame – so it’s just as well that the Hitman team’s latest title bears a stark BBFC 18 rating. Indeed, Eidos’ newest IP is a game for the adult demographic; Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will be one of 2007’s most violently compelling videogames and a true triple-A release for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Will be. Usually we’d be tentative about saying that, but Kane & Lynch shows easily enough promise for us to forego caution. Billed as a ‘character-driven action game’ Dead Men is shaping up to be a stonking HD squad-based shooter, featuring a deadly duo with enough skeletons in their closets to keep gamers hooked.

We’ve been lucky to see Kane & Lynch in action twice, and it’s looking increasingly polished. Dead Men also looks a lot like Hitman, with art style, animation and character design resonating Agent 47’s outings; though direction, set pieces and Kane & Lynch’s sheer high definition sheen owe a lot to Hollywood.

Cinematic action game

Kane & Lynch, then, is a truly cinematic action game – and boasts gameplay inventive enough to do the next-gen presentation proud. The first level we viewed sees Kane and Lynch heading through a nightclub to talk to the manager about her crime contacts, and end up knocking her out cold when she refuses to co-operate.

The level then becomes about controlling Kane to clear a path for Lynch – manageress slung casually over his shoulder – through the crowded club; taking out gun-toting guards with Resident Evil 4 style over-the-shoulder aiming and a Gears of War-esque cover system, all while trying to avoid picking off the club’s panicked patrons.

As if that wasn’t hectic enough, Lynch requires direction by the player. Simple stop and follow commands let Lynch know when to move, while fearful club-goers flee in their droves and electro-blue lights flash dizzyingly around the duo through a pumping techno soundtrack. It’s a thrillingly evocative, authentically lifelike scene unlike anything we’ve ever seen in a game.

And that’s just the first level we’ve seen. The second ups the ante, placing the pair – plus two accompanying squadmates – atop a Tokyo skyscraper, taking out more suit-wearing heavies with easy-issue squad commands before abseiling down the building’s glass wall to literally blow their way into the middle of a big corporate meeting.

The cinematic ambition of Kane & Lynch is clear to see in this Tokyo setting; first on the roof, as the camera pans round to reveal the sprawling Tokyo skyline, then indoors as pillars crumble through gunfire, the screen smudges from smoke grenades, and blurs outright as Kane takes too much damage. Later lobby scenes are reminiscent of both Heat and The Matrix, and the level’s finale – seeing the player dodging snipers and blowing away riot shield-carrying cops at Shibuya station – only further show off Kane & Lynch’s accessible squad commands and unrelenting action.

Revolutionary take

Kane & Lynch uses an invisible form of Halo’s recharging health system, so taking cover from prolonged gunfire will keep you alive – though, much like Gears of War’s Execution multiplayer game mode, when felled you can still be revived by nearby team mates. That’s sure to compliment Kane & Lynch’s own online multiplayer mode, which we’re told – though details are currently scarce – will offer a ‘revolutionary take’ on third-person competitive blasting, plus Dead Men’s own co-op mode, in which player two will play as Lynch and actually experience his delusional, psychotic episodes as his medication runs low.

Kane & Lynch, then, is a unique and supremely promising third-person shooter. In fact, so confident are Eidos of Kane & Lynch’s credentials that they’re quietly pitching for a spot in the Christmas chart. It’s a lofty goal, especially considering the slew of action games due later this year, but on our two showings, it’s a target these particular Dead Men should be demanding to shoot for.

Preview by: Mark Scott
Preview Published: 04.07.07