Preview: 'Kane & Lynch 2' Multiplayer

Eidos Interactive's psychotic criminal characters Kane and Lynch are due to make a return this year after their 2007 debut in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Third-person shooter Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days sees Adam 'Kane' Marcus and James Seth Lynch heading to Shanghai for more bank heists, shootouts and sadistic activities. At an event in London, developer IO Interactive showcased three modes from the game's multiplayer - Fragile Alliance, Undercover Cop and Cops & Robbers - which all feature hybrid co-operative/competitive gameplay based around the concept that "money talks". Ahead of the game's release in August, Digital Spy joined a crew of hardened reprobates to put the three modes through their paces.

Before discussing the multiplayer modes in Kane & Lynch 2, a note should be made to the game's visual presentation, which is a mixture of user-generated YouTube videos and gritty bank heist movies. Much has already been said about the game's 'shaky' camera work and grainy visuals in the main campaign, which this time is told from Lynch's point of view rather than Kane's. But judging from the multiplayer alone, it seems that IO Interactive has been careful to balance these stylistic touches without going over the top. However, only time will tell if the game's chosen visual style really proves a success.

The multiplayer in Kane & Lynch 2 supports up to 12 players, depending on the mode being played. One of the biggest aspects about the game is that the developer has really tried to recreate the fragile union of a criminal crew, with all the requisite backstabbing, brutality and tacit honour among thieves. The gunplay is strong and the controls have been tightened, with all the usual third-person shooter mechanics in place, such as a decent one-button cover system. A really good feature is the ability to move into cover via a button prompt when close to death, which enables the player to prolong their time behind the trigger.

Essentially, all multiplayer modes boil down to two things - stealing loot and ending lives. A stash of $4 million is always available to steal, with the winning player being the one who gains the most cash. Alongside human opponents, there are a range of AI-controlled threats standing in the player's way, such as cops, SWAT teams and dogs. Gamers can use the money that they have swindled to buy better weapons and equipment between the rounds. In the playing session, we saw three maps - a fish market, a subway station and an airport - which were all really well presented and set up for the action.

Typifying the criminal gang mentality, Fragile Alliance involves players joining a heist crew to raid a stash of money, before escaping in a waiting van. We played the mode on the subway map, which involves going below street level to the train lines where an explosion has ripped a hole in the wall exposing a bank vault. To get their prize, players have to first tackle NPC dogs and cops, before filling their pockets with the cash. However, making a getaway will involve battling a fleet of tactical cops waiting on the street above.

The mode is called Fragile Alliance because players in the crew are able to turn traitor and kill their allies to steal their loot. However, the treachery must be timed carefully as going too early could result in a messy firefight with other gang members. Should any of the gang die, then they will be respawned on street level as a tactical cop, with a mission to stop the raiders from making their escape. An interesting aspect is that even when players lose their robber status and become cops, they can still steal cash from downed criminals to earn better standings at the end of the match. The backstabbing element works really well and adds a new dimension to the play, which is fast, furious and exciting.

The next mode is Undercover Cop, which we played on the airport map featuring open spaces with an emphasis on tight firefights inside the hangars. In this mode, players again have to grab a $4m stash, but this time one randomly-designated player among them is an undercover cop, whose job it is to foil the heist. The cop wins if all the robbers die before they can get away with the loot, while the raiding crew must steal the cash and then escape on a waiting helicopter. The undercover cop is denoted secretly at the start of the game, so all other players have to look out for suspicious behaviour. In turn, the cop has to pretend to kill other NPC cops and keep up the masquerade of criminality long enough to foil the heist before the crew can escape.

The jury is out on Undercover Cop. It's an interesting concept to place a wholly different tactical agenda on one player, picked at random, but it felt a little mismatched in reality. One player has to pretend to shoot cops to maintain their disguise, which is actually not very fun, and if they are shot by the twitchiness of everyone else, then they have to sit out for the remainder of the game. In addition, there are no respawns in the mode, so anyone who dies early has to just watch the rest of the match. This is not to say that the mode won't work, because it could provide a genuinely different challenge to the deathmatch-capture the flag monotony, but it seemed a little out of balance on this early playthrough.

Finally, Cops & Robbers is a team-based mode for eight players, with four becoming cops and four becoming robbers. We played the mode on the fish market map, which features tight side streets and overhead sections funnelling into a central fish-packing warehouse just perfect for a big shootout. Essentially, the mode involves a team of robbers getting a head start to swindle as much cash as they can from the warehouse, with the aim of making a quick getaway in a waiting van. The loot is shared between the players and so teamwork is essential to prosper. Standing in their way is a crew of cops, whose job it is to stop them from escaping. However, the cops are also able to plunder loot from downed robbers to add to their stash.

Unlike Undercover Cop, Cops & Robbers features unlimited respawns and so it creates a really good sense of push and pull between opposing teams. There are also different strategies to playing as the cops or the robbers, which makes them each a fresh challenge. The cops are very much about an aggressive defensive strategy, while the robbers are all about advancing to the getaway point. Sitting with a group of mates as a four-player crew is a real blast, with everyone working together to beat the other crew. It's a fun experience, which requires tactical nous, coordination and strength to stop the other team from prospering.

The early signs are looking good for Kane & Lynch 2's multiplayer, with the Fragile Alliance and Cops & Robbers modes appearing particularly strong. The game's gunplay is tight and the controls have been sharpened from the first Kane & Lynch. It's difficult to judge how the Undercover Cop mode will pan out at this stage as it appeared the weakest part of the package, but more playing time could unlock its magic. A fourth arcade mode will also be available in the full game. If the single-player campaign can bring the same level of fun and polish, then Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days could be able to stand out from the increasingly-crowded third-person shooter market.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be released on August 27 for Xbox 360, PC and PS3.