In the third of the Kane & Lynch Insider series, the developers at IO Interactive discuss the multiplayer mode of the game and the (offline only) co-op. One thing that stands out to us as we watch the video is that the graphics aren't all that spectacular. A petty complaint perhaps, but early trailers had us impressed. Maybe it's the bland UI, but something seems off. But, gameplay is paramount, and the multiplayer mode (called Fragile Alliance) looks to change things up a bit. As we've discussed before, players cooperate to pull off a bank heist, with victory being awarded to the criminal that gets out with the most money. To spice things up, players can betray their teammates to steal their cash, and those who are betrayed are resurrected as police officers.
Honestly, it's a little hard to listen to the developers talk about how much co-op adds to the game. Call us jaded, but the fact that co-op is an offline only option is sorely disappointing, making the developers claims about how it changes the experience fall a little flat. Don't get us wrong, we love couch co-op as much as any gamer, but considering that nearly all major titles have online co-op now, it seems like a hefty oversight.
Still, let's try not to dull our excitement for Kane & Lynch, hmm? Watch the video and tell us what you think.
Never once have we thought to use the word "cute" to describe Kane & Lynch -- a game about robbing banks at gunpoint, among other things -- but it really seems the best word to describe the video embedded above. Most of the video is simply listening to Lynch talk about how much he likes the Grand Theft Auto series, and how excited he is to play GTAIV. Of course, we all know it's been delayed until next year, so it looks like he'll have to wait. As we said, it's a cute video (it's also got some salty language, so watch at your own discretion). Give it a watch and give the folks at Eidos some props for their cleverness.
The first in what a appears to be a series of video diaries, the Kane & Lynch Insider #1 has been released. The video focuses on the story development of the upcoming crime action game from IO Interactive. Jens Peter Kurup, the game's director, discusses how the story has developed over time. Interestingly, the game was originally based solely around Kane, with Lynch playing only a background role. As development progressed, Lynch became more central to the story, until the developers decided to essentially turn the game into "a buddy movie." Also, Kurup stresses that players may not necessarily like Kane and Lynch, but that players should still care about them at least a little bit. In this he compares Kane and Lynch to characters like Scarface. He's a horrible human being, but you still manage to care about him. Basically, that's the goal for Kane & Lynch. Here's hoping IO Interactive manages to pull it off.
Warning: Video possibly NSFW thanks to violence and one instance of profanity.
Alright, we've got good news and bad news about Kane and Lynch. Pick a hand. You sure you want that one? Alright, bad news first then. The bad news is that the game will not feature online co-op. Yeah, a game that centers around two characters working together doesn't have online co-op. The news was confirmed by Eurogamer in an interview with the game's director Jens Peter Kurup. From what we can gather of Kurup's circuitous answers, online co-op was scrapped in order to deliver the game on time.
In happier news, the multiplayer mode for Kane and Lynch has been revealed and it sounds like a lot of fun. Described by the developers at IO Interactive as such a good idea that they were surprised no one thought of it before, the multiplayer mode has players performing a bank heist. Titled Fragile Alliance, the mode has players attempt to rob a bank within a certain time limit while avoiding police fire. The twist is that players can turn on each other in order to get more loot. However, killing teammates immediately flags you as a traitor, so one has to pick the right moment to betray. Make it back to the getaway car with extra cash and you can purchase better weapons the following round. As a bonus, betrayed teammates are resurrected as police officers so they can exact their bittersweet revenge. In short, it sounds like a great idea. Here's hoping it makes us forget about online co-op.
So far we've been pretty impressed with what we've seen of Kane & Lynch. The blackguards at Joystiq seemed to enjoy their time with the game at E3 as well. Thus it's with both a little joy and trepidation that we report the game is scheduled to hit store shelves on November 20th. We are happy that we'll finally be able to give the game a proper once over, but also a little worried that November is fast becoming the most densely packed month we've seen all year. Mass Effect, Rock Band (presumably), Call of Duty 4, Blacksite,Army of Two, and now Kane & Lynch. Of course, we're probably forgetting some, too.
Sorry kids, looks like we're eating hot dogs this Thanksgiving. Turkey's expensive, and these games won't buy themselves.
We've been impressed with the IO Interactive (Hitman) title Kane & Lynch: Dead Men ever since the first trailer popped up nearly a year ago. While we haven't seen much in the way of gameplay, the trailers so far have shown that Kane & Lynch should offer a compelling story at the very least. There are emotional relationships, interesting characters, and, of course, plenty of action. The latest trailer is no different, giving us a glimpse at the life of Kane as he writes to his daughter prior to looks like an unexpected prison break. If the final game can live up to the cinematic caliber of the trailers (and judging from our E3 impressions, it might), Kane & Lynch could be a real treat.
The cover story on this month's Game Informer breaks the news on a new 3rd person action game entitled Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. The game -- developed for 360 and PC -- is from IO Interactive, the blokes behind the Hitman series. As you can see, it looks to be a little on the violent side, and is set to feature co-op and online play. Could my dreams of a buddy cop game finally be realized?
Xboxygen has posted some scans from the magazine. Hit the read link to check 'em out.
