Preview: 'Kane & Lynch 2' Single-Player

Eidos's psychotic criminal duo Adam 'Kane' Marcus and James Seth Lynch make a violent return this year for third-person shooter sequel Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. For the game, developer IO Interactive has built on feedback from Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, which received a decidedly mixed response when it was released in 2007. Close attention has been paid in the sequel to strengthening the co-op oriented gameplay, backed by a gritty and violent Shanghai-based story. The biggest challenge, though, will be bringing these distinctive characters to life and making the player enjoy becoming such a ruthless and morally corrupt killer. After recently previewing the game's solid multiplayer component, Digital Spy put the single player campaign through its blood-soaked paces.

For the second Kane & Lynch, the player becomes the mulleted Lynch rather than the balding Kane as in the first game. The story takes place two years after events in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, with Lynch having gravitated to the filth of the Shanghai underworld. Despite enjoying a relatively low-key existence in the seedy grime of the Chinese city, he is drawn back to a life of crime with the ever tempting offer of 'one last big score'. Irritable crime veteran Glazer - played by Jason Connery with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Michael Caine - offers Lynch an arms deal that could set him up for life. As Kane has a military background, Lynch drafts in his old buddy to make the sure that the sale goes without a hitch. At least, that's the plan...

After taking into account feedback from the first Kane & Lynch, the sequel supports co-operative play in its main campaign either via local split-screen or online. There will be moments when the players split apart, but most of the campaign will be spent fighting side-by-side. It should be noted at this juncture that Kane & Lynch 2 is from the very outset strictly for adults. The violent gameplay has a graphic and quite realistic feel, which makes the most of its BBFC 18-rating. There is also a smattering of partial nudity and plenty of swearing. However, playing as a criminal intent on filling their boots no matter who gets in the way is strangely refreshing. Kane and Lynch are badasses, always out for themselves, and that kind of moral ambiguity actually rather works. Hopefully, though, the story will not clumsily attempt to muddy the moral waters as the campaign unfurls.

Our demo started with Kane arriving in Shanghai to be met by Lynch on the city streets. The recreation of Shanghai feels vibrant and real, with the hustle and bustle of the metropolis tempered by the competing glare of a myriad of brightly coloured neon signs. Kane & Lynch 2's overall visual presentation is a mixture of user-generated YouTube videos and low-grade bank heist movies. On the whole, the graphics are pretty good, apart from a few slightly artificial or rough textures in the cut-scenes. The character models are well-presented, the animations are strong and the level of detail seems admirable.

Much has already been said about the game's 'shaky' camera, which can make the player feel like they are watching the action on a camcorder home movie. However, the camera does not actually prove that off-putting after an initial adjustment period, and it can also be turned off for anyone really perturbed. IO Interactive appears to have carefully balanced the game's stylistic touches without ever going over the top. The game also features no soundtrack whatsoever, instead relying on the natural sounds of a rampage through Shanghai as its score. The approach works well as the lack of orchestral accompaniment allows the tense and punchy action to speak for itself.

Pleasantries dealt with, Lynch persuades a somewhat bemused Kane to accompany him to a dirty apartment block to challenge an uncooperative gangster. After kicking the door down, the duo find a bald-headed man and his naked lady friend engaged in some adults-only fun. Unsurprisingly, the couple are unimpressed by the interruption and make a quick getaway in a state of undress (although the woman's nudity is comically blurred out in the most private areas). There are few moral constraints in Kane & Lynch 2 - running through the apartment block in pursuit of the gangster involves bursting into other civilians' flats and the player can execute these unfortunate innocents with no moral recourse. It will be a fine balance as to how the player feels being such a corrupt character for eight or ten hours of the main campaign, but hopefully IO Interactive can retain a sense of balance and focus.

After battling through the apartments, the chase moves out into a fish market, with the bustling stench of the winding backstreets almost lifting from the screen. Shooting is standard third-person fare, with all the usual mechanics for switching the shoulder view and popping into cover with one button press (which is also used to vault over obstacles à la Gears Of War). It's quite unusual to have the right bumper as the reload button, but it's quite easy to get used to. There is a good range of weapons available, which all feel very realistic and fun to shoot (players can hold two weapons at any one time). However, the UZI-style machine guns are virtually useless at long range, which is a bit annoying as they are the weapon of choice for the Shanghai underworld.

Kane and Lynch dispatch a string of goons in the market, before being confronted by a police roadblock as all hell breaks loose. Design-wise, the game tracks pretty safe ground of moving to a section, clearing out a load of bad/good guys and moving on. It's fairly predictable, but certainly not unsatisfying. The enemy AI is decent, particularly in the nuances between the criminals and the police. The Triads are bolder, rushing the player with bursts of submachine gun fire, while the cops tend to hang back and use range weapons. The down-not-dead system is also a good addition. The player has regenerative health, but taking too many hits drops you down to the floor. You then have a short period to frantically shoot any enemies while scrambling to cover to restore health. The system is not revolutionary, but it's a good addition as no one enjoys dying in games.

Leaving a stack of dead cops in the street, Kane and Lynch corner the fleeing gangster and his still-naked girlfriend down an alley. A shootout erupts, with the girl dropping dead on the floor. The player initially thinks that her death is immaterial as the guy is the target. However, after the man kills himself it's clear that she was rather more important. She is actually the daughter of a Triad boss, who has only two people in mind to blame for her death. In fact, the game's story will involve Kane and Lynch irritating pretty much every dangerous person in Shanghai until it's simply a matter of getting out of dodge in one piece.

The other mission we played involved the player travelling in a car with Glazer only to be ambushed on a freeway in a hail of bullets. After exiting the vehicle, Kane and Lynch are tasked with protecting Glazer's car as it tentatively moves to safety. Fighting through hordes of goons is satisfying, with a pleasing thud as enemies are dispatched in grisly ways. The enemies come thick and fast as the car gets closer to safety. As the vehicle moves into a housing area, an explosion stops its passage, with Lynch having to drag the foul-mouthed Glazer to safety before escaping on foot.

After most of the gangsters have been dispatched, the police arrive en masse, packing assault rifles and body armour. At least killing the cops enables Kane and Lynch to upgrade their weaponry, which proves useful when moving down into an underground car park. Glazer says that they need to get to an extraction point to make a getaway, but that will involve battling more gangster and cops. Kane & Lynch 2 is certainly not shy with its body count, far from it. Barely 20 minutes into the mission and the body count is already in the 200s. In the car park, shots echo pleasingly around the space as the dim lights free up dark shadows for taking cover. The players can also pick up gas canisters or fire extinguishers to toss in the air and then detonate with a button press, showering fiery hell down on their enemies.

Exiting the car park moves the group into a complex of buildings. Glazer gives snippets of information, but it's clear that Kane and Lynch will spend much of their time in Shanghai frantically grasping for the truth. The player then gets stuck in a series of staged fire-fights in buildings, as swarms of police descend on the escaping group. The level of blood and gore is abundant, but it's also carefully managed. Shotgun blasts that blow heads clean off are blurred out, which is quite a nice touch. The fleeing group soon makes their way to an open market area teeming with cops. The player has the option to take on the fight from the ground or higher level, which opens up some interesting tactical choices, such as flanking enemies in co-op to clear out dug-in foes. The police put up a committed fight, but for two heavily-armed criminals with nothing to lose, it's no contest.

Ahead of its release next month, it's clear that Kane & Lynch 2 is hoping to position itself as an action game with a mature outlook. Designed with solid third-person shooter mechanics, the game delivers a single and co-op campaign that are always fun to play and has few overly worrying bugs. Add to that a solid multiplayer component and the package starts to make sense. However, a big part of the game will be making the plot feel engaging for the player, especially as they are playing as such a morally corrupt person. Kane and Lynch have always been really interesting characters, but they need a narrative that truly brings them to life. Hopefully, the game will elevate itself above the flaws of its predecessor and make a blood-soaked splash in the competitive world of third-person shooters.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be released on August 20 for Xbox 360, PC and PS3.

> Hands-on with Kane & Lynch 2's multiplayer
> Campaign trailer