18/11/09
GAME ANNOUNCED
Eidos (read, Square Enix... maaaaaan, I can't get used to that just yet!) and IO Interactive today lifted the lid on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. After a trademark filing and numerous leaks, the publisher today confirmed that the title is in development and will see the light of day in 2010.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is set to follow our pair of misfit criminals through the underworld of Shanghai - something that is present in the newly released teasers below.
The press release speaks in riddles and is shrouded in mystery as it talks about offering a "fresh perspective to the words ‘intensity’ and ‘realism’ in video games" and according to Niels Jørgensen, general manager of IO Interactive, “gamers worldwide... are certainly in for a shock."
Interesting. All we have to go on for now are these two trailers and some terrible box art. Just know it's coming 2010... and it's going to try and shock us.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
20/11/09
Kane & Lynch 2 Getting Online Co-Op
One of the main issues with the original Kane & Lynch for a lot of people was that there was no frickin' online co-op. There was co-op, it was just split-screen... but what good is that in this day and age? However, it seems that isn't the case for the sequel and according to a fact sheet spotted by Kotaku's Stephen Totilo, online co-op is confirmed.
The fact sheet according to the blog is light on details, but also mentions that the perspective switches for the sequel and the primary player takes the perspective of Lynch who disappears off to Shanghai to continue his troublesome ways.
I wonder whether they'll change the name to Lynch & Kane? Probably not... sounds too much like a dirty London S&M club. Either way, online co-op... yay!
16/12/09
New Kane & Lynch 2 Trailer is Actually Quite Depressing
Despite what I understand the general consensus to be, I really quite enjoyed the original Kane & Lynch. Not for its sub-standard shooting mech, but definitely for its unique multiplayer and the game's characters.
The latest Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days trailer shows that the characters in the sequel are just as confused, haunted and tormented by their evil past as they were in the first game. In the new trailer, as Lynch (the new main character) stands with a bottle of pills in his hand, replaying memories of a Kane shooout, you can't help but feel sombre and actually a little sympathetic. Talk about damaged goods.
Trailer
15/01/10
Kane & Lynch 2: Dogs Days First Look - Every Dog Has Its Day
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men sounded so good on paper and yet failed to hit the mark on so many levels. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days sounds really good on paper too, but hopefully this time the game might actually deliver. And lord knows IO Interactive are more than keen to make up for the huge disappointment that was the first game.
We recently descended upon the One Aldwych Hotel in London for our first look at the sequel, the presentation of which opened with a vibe trailer depicting remarkably similar cinematic influences to the ones that had previously informed the first Kane & Lynch. So, we're immediately noticing more Michael Mann, this time in the form of the DV shot Collateral and blockbuster action of Die Hard 4.0. Previously IO cited Mann's Heat as an influence, but it's Collateral's naturalistic look and stark depiction of Los Angeles that is specifically the most important factor for Kane & Lynch 2.
Ambitiously IO is looking to redefine the action shooter experience, and the first step in doing so is to apparently adopt a strikingly bold new aesthetic that takes its cue from user-generated video content like YouTube videos or CCTV footage. The upshot is a visual style that immediately looks unlike anything else, with exaggerated lens flare, bright, vivid colours and a generous helping of graininess.
Image:
The vibe trailer goes on to show a YouTube video of a man strolling through Shanghai, which as it turns out, proves to be a genuine taster for the graphical presentation we're shown in the hands-off game demo itself. The amateur video look of the game is certainly very interesting, instantly grabbing our attention as we attentively watch with a raised eyebrow. It looks great, but we're not entirely convinced that it works and a lack of context doesn't really help in making sense of the decision to adopt such an art style.
When the game is in motion, the choppy camera bounces around as it replicates the motion of a chasing cameraman, which personally made us feel somewhat queasy. An extended hands-on play with such an active camera seems unimaginable and frankly, quite vomit-inducing. For the record, we've never before experienced motion sickness while playing or watching any other game, but K&L 2 could change that.
Narrative-wise, Dog Days is set following the events of a simple job gone horribly wrong – just when Lynch was beginning to settle down with his girlfriend and a normal life. Taking the role of lead protagonist, Lynch finds himself working for a weapon merchant named Glazer on one last job, calling in old buddy Kane for his military expertise and knowledge of weapon shipments. Soon the pair find themselves on the run from the law when things inevitably go awry, initiating a frantic chase that unfolds over two intense days.
Image:
Beneath the game's surface grit, still beats the heart of a raw and brutal crime shooter set amid the bleak, grimy Shanghai underworld. As we're introduced to the fourth level of the game which opens on a close-up of sociopath Lynch sat at a restaurant bar as he slurps a bowlful of noodles, the uniquely hyper-real video imagery suddenly begins to make sense - thematically at least. Like the first game before it, Dog Days is similarly adult, with coarse, sweary dialogue and stark, cold violence.
Armed police troopers storm into the restaurant causing Lynch to leap from his stool, entrenching himself behind cover as he's confronted by a barrage of gunfire. The shaky camera lurches around, maintaining its focus on Lynch as he moves in and out of cover, peeking from behind walls and pillars to return pot shots at his attackers. As shots hit the obstacles around Lynch, blocky artefacts momentarily scramble the image and as he escapes out onto the rain-slicked Shanghai streets, the representation of the busy, urban alleyways, replete with neon signs and claustrophobic video stores (proudly displaying copies of Mini Ninjas and Hitman on their shelves) is truly startling.
Out on the main street, incidental events like a civilian casually jumping onto a scooter and riding away adds life to the city, and when the firefight spills out into the night air, all hell breaks loose and the shooting mechanics come into their own. The HUD is stripped down to include only the barest of essentials while the action itself appears to be perfectly robust and serviceable with cover-to-cover gun fighting the order of the day.
Image:
Lynch gradually fights his way through the streets evading as many of the Kevlar-sporting agents as possible, with Kane (having seemingly appeared from nowhere) following closely in tow, eventually finding his way onto an open field where a helicopter descends, casting its blinding searchlight upon the fleeing fugitives. Kane & Lynch sprint into more trouble as yet more heavily armed agents lie in wait to get the drop on the duo. Failing to leap behind a nearby pillar, Lynch finds himself standing out in the open and gets rapidly cut down in a hail of gunfire. And so the demo ends.
But there's so much more yet to be shown, including numerous multiplayer modes including off and online campaign co-op and Fragile Alliance – an eight-player co-operative heist scenario, which plays upon each participant's potential for greed, offering them the chance to steal the entirety of the contents of the bank's vault, betraying the rest of the team in the process. Cue numerous rounds where everyone shoots one another and no one wins.
Slated for a 2010 release, this first showing of Kane & Lynch 2 demonstrates that IO has ostensibly learnt some valuable lessons from their experience on Dead Men, which hopefully means Dog Days will atone for that game's sins and prove to be something genuinely worthwhile.
17/03/10
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Release Date Strikes
IO Interactive has today announced that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be launching this August in all territories.
North America will be getting the shaky-cam shooter on August 24th with Europe and other PAL territories getting the game a few days later on August 27th.
"In a genre where so many games look and feel the same, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will make people double-take." said IO Interactive General Manager, Niels Jørgensen. "We think it’s going to make quite an impression."
18/03/10
Kane & Lynch 2 Gameplay Trailer Welcomes You to Shanghai
If you'd have read our Kane & Lynch 2 preview last year, you would have known that IO Interactive were shooting for a more gritty and realistic look with Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.
The latest gameplay trailer gives you a look at how gritty and documentary-esque it will be, whilst introducing some of the finer delights of the game's setting, Shanghai.
See what we mean about motion sickness as well? Anyone got a bag?
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will see the light of day on August 24th and August 27th in North America and Europe respectively.
Trailer
05/05/10
Square Enix Shines The Light On Kane & Lynch 2's Multiplayer
Square Enix today sent out a slither of details on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Day's multiplayer modes, in particular, the new "Arcade Mode" - which is essentially a single player version of the original's Fragile Alliance mode.
Fear not, the greatest thing about the original, Fragile Alliance, does make a comeback in the sequel in multiplayer form as well, along with two new modes called "Cops & Robbers" and "Undercover Cop."
Fragile Alliance for those blissfully unaware is a combination of co-op and competitive multiplayer under one roof, as it tasks you to play your role in a crew who has to raid a bank for instance. However, with "friendly fire" on and the potential to come back as a defender of the loot, the mode quickly escalates from co-operative into competitive. Are you man enough to betray your crew for a bigger cut? Do you trust your fellow crooks? Well, that's the beauty of Fragile Alliance... well, at least it was in the original. What changes have been made in the sequel though remain to be seen.
The focus of the day's assets though falls on the new "multiplayer" mode, called the "Arcade" mode, which despite what Square says, is actually a single player mode. Regardless, unlike Fragile Alliance, the Arcade mode works in progressively harder waves and yes, the computer AI will turn on you. So beware.
Trailer
12/05/10
Kane & Lynch 2 Trailer Proves The Alliance Is Just As Fragile This Time Around
Whether you loved or hated Kane & Lynch, you have to commend IO Interactive's bravery for attempting to make a multiplayer mode that was both unique and compelling. One that went to break the mould of the deathmatch, deathmatch, deathmatch mentality that some would say is plaguing the industry and stifling creativity. Personally, I loved it.
Thankfully, Fragile Alliance - the standout mode in the original - is set to make its triumphant return in Kane & Lynch 2 this fall. And we couldn't be more excited.
Still, I've seen a few trailers now and I still can't get my head round those visuals.
If the latest Fragile Alliance recap trailer isn't enough, have 15 screens as well.
Trailer
13/05/10
Kane & Lynch Getting the Comic Book Treatment This August
Criminal miscreants, Kane & Lynch are to get their very own DC comics series on the Wildstorm label, to coincide with the game's release on 27th August 2010.
"We could not be happier about this partnership and expansion into comics. Who better to work with than DC Comics?” said Niels Jørgensen, general manager of Kane & Lynch developer IO Interactive. "We hope the comic book world is ready for the violent mayhem of Kane & Lynch."
The comic's story is being penned by Ian Edgington, who has been writing for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Top Cow and others on properties like Terminator, Predator, Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who. Chris Mitten, best known for his work on the Wasteland comic book series is the Kane & Lynch comic book artist whose raw illustrative style is a perfect fit for the gritty world that the duo inhabit.
Ben Templesmith will also be the cover artist, following previous work on 30 Days of Night and Fell.
Kane & Lynch the comic book issue 1 is slated to drop this August 2010.
Image:
This info is taken from X360A.
Their credit for writing it.
My credit for passing the message on to you.
You can find their image gallery here.
Their credit for writing it.
My credit for passing the message on to you.
You can find their image gallery here.
Whew.. That took a while.
Why wasn't there a Dog Days thread up already?
And why is Kane still wearing that plaster on his nose?
