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.