Game
publisher Eidos seems determined to make games that recreate the pivotal
gunfight from Michael Mann's Heat. Prior failed efforts include 25 To Life and Reservoir Dogs. Both cast players as
gunslingers trading lead in tactical urban shootouts—cops and robbers
with automatic weapons. And both attempts stunk like tear gas. Kane &
Lynch: Dead Men,
crafted in the same house that made the Hitman games, is better than
Eidos' other odious offerings, but not by much.
The
titular mobsters are consummate bad guys. They kill for money, and wear their
karmic debt on their faces. Kane is scarred and graying. Lynch is craggy and
damn near bald. These guys are ugly villains doing ugly things, and climbing
into their shoes would be fun if so many parts of the game didn't feel so
broken. Those Heat-style
gunfights require smart use of duck-and-cover tactics, but the game's system
for hiding behind blockades is glitchy and undependable. Infrequent checkpoints
aggravate this problem, forcing players to replay deadly missions over and
over.
To
make matters worse, players are frequently responsible for babysitting their
lame-brained compatriots. Escort missions generally stink: Kane frequently has
to keep tabs on a handful of allies. In the co-op version, a second player can
call the shots for Lynch, but there's no option to play this two-player mode
online.
Kane
& Lynch: Dead Men
makes an admirable attempt at telling a violent story about paid killers and
the lengths they'll go to for revenge. But the edges are frayed by comparison
with movies and TV shows that do the same thing. The duo looks tough, but they
behave like a bickering couple on a honeymoon cruise. It's hard to care for
these thugs, and the game's makers know this, so they drag Kane's innocent
family into the sordid affair. Just another cheap shot.
Beyond
the game: Last
year, rumors flew that Gamespot writer Jeff Gerstmann was canned for panning Kane
& Lynch: Dead Men
after Eidos spent a fortune in advertising on the site. Eidos and Gamespot denied the charges, but
the gaming community remains suspicious of the circumstances of Gerstmann's
firing.
Worth
playing for: Fragile
Alliance is an imaginative take on multiplayer. At first, everyone cooperates
for a robbery. Then, just before the getaway, players backstab each other,
trying to make off with the most loot.
Frustration
sets in when: The
game is merely frustrating until you get to Havana, when it becomes a nightmare
of trial-and-error repetition.
Final
judgment: A
hell of a game to lose your job over.