With the Hitman series already well established, Danish developer Io Interactive are not exactly masters of the family friendly game. This latest effort is their most violent and shocking yet, as you take control of reluctant mercenary Kane and his schizophrenic partner Lynch. Neither character likes the other but for the purposes of the story they have to work together in a series of violent third person shoot outs. By default you control Kane, with the computer or another player taking on the role of Lynch. As the game progress you will also be able to recruit a team of up to eight mercenaries, with your reputation determining the quality of the personnel applying for the job. Ordering your squad around is easy enough but since any of them, particularly Lynch, can have completely different objectives to you, they won’t always take orders – particularly if they’ve taken a dislike to you already - which is a real problem when you want them to administer some first aid.Although it is much more action packed than the Hitman games, there are obviously similarities between the two games, with highly interactive environments and multiple ways to approach any problem. One particular highlight already demonstrated involves a kidnapping at a rave with Kane & Lynch firing into the air to disperse a large crowd of dancers before engaging in a brutal gun battle with security guards, as the sound and music system continues to flash and blare. If the rest of the game is just as inventive with its scenarios then Io may well keep Kane and Lynch alive for a little longer.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a
cooperative action game developed by
IO Interactive and published by
Eidos Interactive for the
Xbox 360,
PlayStation 3 and
Windows. The game depicts a violent and chaotic journey of two men — a flawed
mercenary and a medicated
psychopath — and their brutal attitude towards right and wrong. It has been confirmed that movie studio
Lionsgate has bought the rights for the movie adaptation.
[1][2]
The game itself begins when Kane is being transported to a correctional facility to his execution. Accepting his end, he has written a farewell letter to the daughter he barely knows. However, things do not go as planned. The prisoner being transported with Kane is a man named Lynch, who has organized an attack on the prison truck. In a rattling explosion, the truck is knocked over, and a dazed Kane dragged to relative safety amid gunfire between police and criminals somehow affiliated with Lynch. The shootout drags across alleyways and through warehouses, until a vehicle can be re-routed to evacuate the "dead men". Masked and bound, Kane's unexpected rescuers reveal themselves in an abandoned shopping center: They are "The7", a highly affluent group of mercenaries and former associates of Kane. Seeking repayment for an apparent wrong, the past events catch up; Believing The7 dead, Kane had escaped by himself with a pair of briefcases from a crime scene, with no thought of his former allies. The proposition made is clear- Kane must retrieve both briefcases and return them to The7, or his wife and daughter will be shot. Lynch, the fellow prisoner, will act as watchdog, ensuring Kane's mission does not deviate. This is not a mission of conscience; Lynch's reward will be a place within The7, pending success in the mission
The first major job brings the duo to a bank, with the intent of securing the briefcases from the vault beneath it. After a relatively successful entry comes the botch. The second briefcase is not in the vault. Things only worsen as the heist team returns to the lobby, only to find Lynch has killed all the hostages. With the police arriving in number, the only remaining option is to shoot the way out. Despite the setback at the bank, there is still a path left to follow: to Japan. Yakuza crime boss Retamoto, with whom Kane shares an unmentioned past, knew of and must have taken the case. Without hesitation, Kane and Lynch proceed to Japan to hunt it down. As Retamoto is well-guarded and notoriously dangerous, Kane keeps the name from Lynch until the right moment. On breaking through security at one of Retamoto's night clubs, Kane takes the opportunity to kidnap the Oyabun's daughter, Yoko. Lynch, stuck in the situation, grudgingly agrees to carry on with it, knowing full well that Kane's own daughter is in the same predicament. After a hasty withdraw from the nightclub, a meeting is set up with Retamoto in a Tokyo underpass. Kane's faith in Retamoto's honor is still relatively intact, and he keeps his team at bay, having agreed to a face-to-face alone with the Boss. Retamoto's absence quickly becomes apparent, with only a cellular phone in the meetingplace. An immediate call from Retamoto indicates he is still amenable to a parlay, but this is interrupted by the radio chatter- Lynch has killed Yoko while she tried to escape.
Fearful of reprisal, a narrow escape from Retamoto's gang leads Kane back to The7, hoping that the setback will be tolerated. But the members of The7 still remember how they were left to die by Kane, and return the favour. Kane is left standing in a shallow grave while his wife and daughter are brought to him. Lynch is no better-off, and his misplaced trust in The7 shows as they callously beat him down. Lynch was just a pawn, never to become a player. The ensuing reunion does not go well, Kane's wife still blaming him for the accidental death of their son, and his subsequent departure. Jenny, Kane's daughter, still frightfully clings to her mother, as much afraid of The7 as the man who calls himself her father. As most of The7 depart, only the executioner and some guards remain. Kane pleads- "Just let me talk to them..." The only answer he receives is the resounding gunshot, and Jenny's scream as her mother collapses to the ground.
Lynch, still stinging from the betrayal and humiliation, uses the chaos to interrupt the incoming execution, and incapacitates the nearby guard. Kane seizes the shovel used to dig his grave, and savagely batters the executioner to death, screaming- "YOU SHOULD-- HAVE LET ME--- TALK TO THEM-- YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME TALK TO THEM!" Jenny, traumatized and in shock, crawls into the grave with her mother's body. Kane attempts to comfort his estranged daughter, while Lynch remains on the lookout for reprisals. Not to be disappointed, Kane and Lynch are soon surrounded by a slew of mercenaries. The ensuing carnage is enough to prompt Kane to send off his daughter, hoping that she will find safety.
As the fires die down, only the embers of vengeance stir: The7 must pay for their crimes. Kane, committed to the end, gives his wife a proper, though modest burial. Lynch, moved by the loss, and still conscious of The7's manipulations, teams up with Kane to take them all down.
In order to have any chance of killing the remaining members of The7, Kane deduces that he will need to regain the suitcase from Retamoto. However with Yoko dead, they will have to take the case by force. In order to sucessfully attack Retamoto, Kane decides to assemble a team of blacklisted or disavowed former The7 agents who are serving time in a maximum security prison.
Kane & Lynch
Linear Mode
