Kane & Lynch (PS3)

Another happy couple courtesy of Match.com.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

These details -- along with the aforementioned male-pattern baldness -- give Kane & Lynch its air of authenticity. These are two of the most convincing characters I've come across in all my years of gaming, and an important part of what makes them authentic to me is IO Interactive's willingness to let us see them not only during their moments of glory -- shooting down an attack helicopter, or taking out RPG-wielding soldiers while manning the turret in the back of a moving jeep -- but also at times when they are low, pathetic and decidedly less than heroic.

(Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.) They break into a bank...only to find that what they need is not there. They try to kidnap an associate's daughter...only to have her escape, forcing the two of them to backtrack and kidnap her a second time. And best of all, when they are fleeing the police, their shot-to-hell van stalls out. On foot, just off the highway, Kane and Lynch have to fend off the encroaching cops while the van creeps along at about one mile an hour. Their objective: to stay alive and preserve the van until the driver can get it into gear again.

I laughed during these moments, mostly in disbelief (though I admit to howling in frustration when I realized that I had to re-kidnap the associate's daughter), thinking to myself, I've never performed such pathetic, pedestrian acts in a videogame before.

Kane & Lynch certainly is a strange game, but it's not a consistently compelling game. There are far too many well-what-the-f*&#-do-I-do-now situations, including the aforementioned early-in-the-game bank heist. Confession: I consulted an FAQ not once, but twice -- which, being a veteran gamer, is two times too many. Several try-and-fail/try-and-die scenarios only further sully the experience. (Rogue dump truck: I'm pointing the finger at you. And yes, that is the middle finger. And yes, some people call it "flying the bird.")

The PlayStation 3's visuals are basically on par with what you'll find on the Xbox 360 and the PC. In other words, sometimes the game looks very good; other times it looks like it was developed on an original PlayStation dev. kit by those aforementioned rummed-up, one-eyed chimps. Textures occasionally popped in and out as I moved through the game world, as if I was viewing the game through binoculars and constantly adjusting the zoom to pull the game into focus. (Though it's not likely, perhaps this is intended to mimic the effect of Kane's spooky, fogged-over right eye.)

Finally, there's simply no third act. None. Just when you think you're going to have a satisfying showdown with the remaining members of The7, the whole thing just kind of peters out. There are two endings, but both are cynical, depressing affairs.

In the end, such rich, complex characters as Mr. Kane and Mr. Lynch -- they really are a couple of hard-luck bastards -- deserve an equally rich, equally complex game in which to star. As it stands, these are two believable, convincing human beings inhabiting an unbelievable, less-than-convincing world.

This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.