Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 331 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 101 out of 331
  2. Mixed: 141 out of 331
  3. Negative: 89 out of 331
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  1. JawnMan
    Jan 25, 2012
    5
    Total Single Player Completion Time: around 4 hours. The latest game in the Kane and Lynch series definitely improves upon the first with better shooting mechanics and a better cover system...but that's not saying much. I died countless times because Lynch either didn't want to get into cover or decided to hide behind the wrong object. Gameplay consists of 95% gunplay and 5% pressing "E"Total Single Player Completion Time: around 4 hours. The latest game in the Kane and Lynch series definitely improves upon the first with better shooting mechanics and a better cover system...but that's not saying much. I died countless times because Lynch either didn't want to get into cover or decided to hide behind the wrong object. Gameplay consists of 95% gunplay and 5% pressing "E" to open doors. It's not varied but it's somewhat enjoyable IF playing the game in co-op. A solo run is incredibly tedious and the A.I. partner is nearly useless. The 4 hour game length is also pitiful and is extended by a couple of multiplayer modes that have NOBODY playing them. It's not a game that's worth full price (not by a long shot) but TRUE fans of the series will enjoy it.… Expand
  2. JonesR
    May 18, 2011
    7
    At a $5 price tag, this game is so worth it. It's on the short side and has no plot whatsoever, but has great non-stop gory action, good selection of different guns, and controlling two nude-crazed lunatics through the streets of Shanghai--just priceless. Lynch is a complete mad man--so much comedy listening to him rant. Add nearly 50 Steam achievements...co-op...and multi-player...whatAt a $5 price tag, this game is so worth it. It's on the short side and has no plot whatsoever, but has great non-stop gory action, good selection of different guns, and controlling two nude-crazed lunatics through the streets of Shanghai--just priceless. Lynch is a complete mad man--so much comedy listening to him rant. Add nearly 50 Steam achievements...co-op...and multi-player...what more could you ask for?

    WARNING: Whatever you do make sure you enable steadycam before you play this game, otherwise you will vomit in about 5 minutes; although it still won't help you through the cut scenes.    … Expand
  3. parpabico
    Jul 4, 2013
    5
    This game features one of the best engine-rendered establishing sequences ever (the very first 15 seconds of waiting for kane in the shanghai street). Unfortunately it's all downhill from then on... this game is seriously boring and even sometimes mesmerizing color palettes can't salvage the mediocre and BADLY REPETITIVE combat.
  4. hotbullet8
    Nov 3, 2014
    5
    Have you forced yourself of finishing a game just to see if you get to enjoy it down the road? Well, that's what this game was for me, it's a really unrefined shooter and would never pay $10 for it, I got it in a bundle but wouldn't pay more than $3 for it, and even then I would rather expend the $3 on an indie game who will be over 5h of fun.
  5. namDa65
    Feb 5, 2012
    7
    Generic shooter but it has + 2 points for atmosphere. The gameplay and ai is bad, but the voice acting and story are pretty good. The atmosphere is spot on and the amateur camera filter is a nice effect. The story is super short, finished the game in 3.8hrs. I just like how much effort the devs put into the atmosphere :)
  6. RealMuthaF
    Jun 2, 2012
    7
    One of the underrated franchises in my opinion, the sequel improves in terms of the shooting mechanics while drops the bar in storytelling. This time you play as Lynch, and oddly, there's a problem with him: he doesn't have the problems he had in the first part. He used to be a medicated psychopath, falling into killing sprees at times, but now he's calm and even got a chinese girlfriend.One of the underrated franchises in my opinion, the sequel improves in terms of the shooting mechanics while drops the bar in storytelling. This time you play as Lynch, and oddly, there's a problem with him: he doesn't have the problems he had in the first part. He used to be a medicated psychopath, falling into killing sprees at times, but now he's calm and even got a chinese girlfriend. Kane, who arrives to help him in a heist, also lost his gruesome charm: now hairy, bearded and without his nose patch which made his appearance memorable, he doesn't have an impact on the story at all. In the original, they were Dead Men, a Traitor and a Psycho in cool suits, two awesome anti-heroes, and now they're just 2 aging men in the dirty suburbs of Shanghai. The new visual style, mimicking the Youtube-like amateur camera, hides the outdated graphics and looks great, action is gory and fast, but the problem is that the game's no longer story-driven. They even haven't shed almost any light on what happened to Kane's daughter, Jenny. (There's more about that in the official comic tie-in, but why not in the game??) And to make it worse, the second half of the game gets just plain boring, with endless waves of asian mobsters to kill, with even the characters wondering "How many more are there?" Another thing that made me sad was lack of soundtrack. Instead of memorable tunes by Jesper Kyd, it's just got some featureless ambient. Speaking about multiplayer, it has an interesting concept, but lacks players. To sum up, basically it's a mediocre gory shooter with unusual multiplayer modes. I'd give it a 5, but I'm a fan of the series and characters in particular since the first game, so I still enjoyed it, and am hoping for the third part that'd note the mistakes of its predecessors. Besides, IO's now got a brand new engine, so there is hope.… Expand
  7. Chap
    Aug 19, 2010
    5
    Look of the game is fantastic and innovative but...game play is terrible and characters/story underwritten. Absolute wasted opportunity. Makes Dead Men look like a classic in comparison. Epic fail as people say.
  8. Myriad84
    Nov 27, 2010
    7
    I really, really want to love these series. And I do to a degree. I really dug the grainy film like play, but you've got to already have a love for that sort of thing. The story is pretty straight forward, though you never really get an idea of whats truly going on in the grand scheme of things. Just like you wouldn't if you were in their positions. This series could be so much moreI really, really want to love these series. And I do to a degree. I really dug the grainy film like play, but you've got to already have a love for that sort of thing. The story is pretty straight forward, though you never really get an idea of whats truly going on in the grand scheme of things. Just like you wouldn't if you were in their positions. This series could be so much more than it is, and each time they come out with one, its just so close to being fantastic, which makes me come back for more just incase the next one hits it square on the head.

    I'd recommend this puppy for those who liked the first one. For the veteran gamers who're more into game play, this may not be for you. But if you enjoy a good, action style story and find this on sale for about $10-$20 (being generous too), I'd go for it.    … Expand
  9. russ-angel
    Oct 19, 2012
    7
    I had a look at the demo on Steam,its great fun.I don't know if its worth a full price tag after the reviews I have read its only 3-4 hours long,but if I can get it in the sale i will be buying it,even though there are a few glitches and the cover system isn't the most responsive.I will give it a 7 for pure atmosphere and excitement.What a shame it isn't longer and a bit more polished.
  10. murut87
    Dec 24, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is kinda good game but no people playing this game,Story? The most fu** you ending ever. Good job Eidos for wasting my money for this sheety game. >:(… Expand
  11. suneater
    Dec 11, 2012
    5
    Duck Hunt 3D directed by Quentin Tarantino. Gameplay is generic cover-based shooting with bloody screens and stupid AI. Story has great potential but is cut off abruptly with no sequel (thankfully) in sight. Completely average and forgettable.
  12. BigBiggo
    Jun 26, 2013
    7
    The standard 3rdPS deal with a dark and nihilistic tone. The shooting is a bit inaccurate at times (especially when using lower tier weapons such as SMGs and some of the weaker Chinese pistols) but it helps add to the feeling of chaos that runs throughout. Enemies come at you in droves and the AI is reminiscent of FEAR, swarming you and generally displaying a lot of aggression (when the AIThe standard 3rdPS deal with a dark and nihilistic tone. The shooting is a bit inaccurate at times (especially when using lower tier weapons such as SMGs and some of the weaker Chinese pistols) but it helps add to the feeling of chaos that runs throughout. Enemies come at you in droves and the AI is reminiscent of FEAR, swarming you and generally displaying a lot of aggression (when the AI doesn't fudge up.) The clunky shakycam can get a bit tiring on the eyes but you can turn it off. Visual design is awesome and the environments are in equal parts rich and dank. The sound is probably the best I've heard in a game, the gunfire is deafening and the timbre changes according to the environment.

    This is meat and potatoes action gaming, just killing upon killing upon killing. Whilst the gameplay is not super polished or innovative, it draws you into the world in a way that few games do.

    Biggest problems are it's short length (4/5 hours) and the fact that it crashes like there's no tomorrow. It's going cheap on Steam, and at it's current price it is certainly worth your time and a lot cheaper than going to the cinema.    … Expand
  13. IDeathstalkerI
    Jun 12, 2014
    7
    The game is like an interactive action movie which you control the characters, the story is poor and it seems like a recycled story from Kane and Lynch: Deadmen but the voice acting is pure and powerful, the gameplay is average but the graphics is fantastic..
    Pros:
    -good voice acting -good graphics -better gameplay than the first franchise, which include the running and the cover    The game is like an interactive action movie which you control the characters, the story is poor and it seems like a recycled story from Kane and Lynch: Deadmen but the voice acting is pure and powerful, the gameplay is average but the graphics is fantastic..
    Pros:
    -good voice acting
    -good graphics
    -better gameplay than the first franchise, which include the running and the cover system
    -the main characters are lovable

    Cons:
    -poor story
    -poor A.I.
    -few and poor weapon choices
    -shooting mechanics is pretty dumb

    Kane and Lynch is a good franchise for my opinion and IO interactive and Eidos should put it on their priorities, too bad they cancelled the 3rd one.. I'm still hoping and waiting for the next franchise for an improved gameplay experience :)
    final score 7/10    … Expand
  14. 1982041400
    Oct 2, 2010
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Monotonous and not interesting. Weak plot, wretched graphics This is not a shooter, it's just a shooting gallery. A positive I can note only one thing, it's a fun camera.… Expand
  15. SuicideMachine
    Aug 19, 2010
    5
    Kane & Lynch 2 is badly designed, linear, reach-next-checkpoint type of game with only one gameplay twist on the way. Hiding behind covers is bugged, shooting difficult due to high 'drunken factor' of weapons. Although I liked the main characters and Die Hard like style, the game is treating them (which makes player wonder, how much they can take), it just wasn't enough to keep me playingKane & Lynch 2 is badly designed, linear, reach-next-checkpoint type of game with only one gameplay twist on the way. Hiding behind covers is bugged, shooting difficult due to high 'drunken factor' of weapons. Although I liked the main characters and Die Hard like style, the game is treating them (which makes player wonder, how much they can take), it just wasn't enough to keep me playing from beginning to end on a single run... which is just another flaw, because finishing the game takes 4-5 hours on Medium difficulty. Speaking of difficulty, developers haven't taken any original approach - it's just more and more enemies at once with every level, which reaches it's ridiculous apogee at the end of game, where game throws at player 20-25 enemies at once.
    Graphics aren't that bad, but they fill empty without post-processing, with it the game looks more like a movie recorded with bad digital camcorder - it's kind of beautiful, but very annoying at the same time. Not everybody likes such a style of graphics, but unfortunately everybody will find it annoying sometimes - post-processing just makes the game hard to play. Also the level design is far from perfect - the levels aren't that original! They are flat and even destructible environment doesn't help them much.

    Overall - For the first hour, I had quite a good time playing it, until I've started to realise how linear and finally boring it is... and then in one level the game faded to black and the credits rolled - in the most unexpected moment, I've ever witnessed in video games. I wouldn't call it a bad game (I've played worse), but even with such a greatly designed characters as Kane and Lynch and a cooperative mode, the number of flaws is so overwhelming, that it makes it barely even a mediocre game.    … Expand
  16. Coolchris330
    Dec 18, 2010
    6
    It's done the camera idea so well that it looks like a dog vomited on my screen. The action is alright, the story is fair and the game has enough swearing to last a lifetime.
  17. Tomwelcome
    Mar 25, 2011
    5
    Gameplay - 6.5 , Graphics - 7.5 , Story - 5.0 , Playing time - 5~10 hours. Singleplayer is boring and short. Multiplayer is ok but no one is playing it, so it's like non-exist.
  18. marcstodal
    Apr 26, 2011
    6
    This game is good but the shaking camera gets a little bit on my nerves. The story is fantastic, the KI is a little bit stupid and the violence level is very high but this doesnt matter.
  19. Ggdograa
    Jun 10, 2011
    6
    Far from perfect, but if you can appreciate what Square Enix was trying to achieve, there can be something good to be seen in Kand & Lynch 2. The games major downfall is its short length and repetitive gameplay.
  20. fhouse
    Jul 19, 2013
    7
    I can understand the hate for this game, because the gameplay is mediocre at best. But it has a really gritty and catching atmosphere. It shows that once you get into the life of crime, there is no way back. It's very-very dark and depressing, and that's why I think it's really special creation from IO interactive.
  21. keeling2008
    May 1, 2013
    7
    Kane & Lynch 2 is what the first game should have been. I played the first Kane & Lynch all the way to its conclusion and knew what the developers were going for, but they never really hit the high notes with their first effort. Kane & Lynch 2 is completely different in that respect as this game is raw, brutal and very violent...

    It still has a host of missed opportunities gameplay wise    Kane & Lynch 2 is what the first game should have been. I played the first Kane & Lynch all the way to its conclusion and knew what the developers were going for, but they never really hit the high notes with their first effort. Kane & Lynch 2 is completely different in that respect as this game is raw, brutal and very violent...

    It still has a host of missed opportunities gameplay wise regarding controls that could have been tighter; the cover mechanic work but only just and the weapons; while most feel good, there are a few that don't really feel under powered. The game also suffers from a very short story mode that severely hampers the overall product on offer.

    The positives do make up for the negatives above in some respect. The story maybe short but what we have is two desperate men fighting their way out of China's criminal underbelly. From the first mission where Lynch needs to 'talk to someone’; the whole scene is turned on its head in seconds. What entails is a desperate struggle for survival for our two main men. Although the quality of dialogue varies it is still nice to hear Kane and Lynch communicate with one another. Lynch, who has deep lying mental problems, can be heard talking to himself more frequently over the course of the game. Kane tells him to pull it together has he knows what a loose cannon he can be but this fuels Lynch even more. Also, when the s**t does hit the fan, the characters sound like they are clearly fuelled by adrenaline when talking... This is a very nice touch and in some fire fights, it adds momentum to the scene. Graphically, this is where the game stands out to me! The handheld video effect is amazing and adds the grit that this story needs for player immersion. When you see naked people or shoot someone in the head, the camera goes blocky just on the 18+ parts. The brutality of the killings is better overall and I was pretty bored with other games that had gratified enemy’s heads exploding up walls. With this kind of game, this sort of graphical execution is great and differentiates it from the pack.

    There is other stand out moments in the game but I wanted to just mention Arcade mode and multiplayer. On PC the multiplayer is dead which is a shame has the modes on offer where great and a lot of fun to play. However, if you and your friends have this game, you can do coop through arcade mode and story mode using HAMACHI (program that lets you connect to friends over the internet but tells the game you are playing it through LAN). Arcade mode is fragile alliance which is a great and it will keep you busy for a while. It's a bank heist with 8 other players, AI or friends and you; the mission? To escape with the money but friends can turn on you at any point in the level. It’s nice being on edge all game as an alliance in one round can be forged by helping a team mate out if they are caught in a sticky situation, however; due to the nature of the levels you can sometimes shoot a heist member accidently meaning you are labelled a traitor for the rest of the round. It is a stand out feature but is lacking further development as the 7 levels can be completed in around 5 hours. The only drawback to such a feature is the guns that you unlock as you gain new ranks.

    In conclusion it is a package that should have been developed better as a single player game with the multiplayer additions adding weight to the product. Instead, what the game has is a under developed single player and good foundations for multiplayer. Combined it is a game that would be a good pick up from the bargain bin for under a tenner given that the online multiplayer is dead. The single player game is worth a run through twice if you like collecting achievements but a once through is suffice. I do like Kane and Lynch 2 I just wish the single player had a few more chapters and because of this, it gets a good 7/10.    … Expand
  22. ReubenIsAGod
    Oct 22, 2021
    7
    This is a very violent game. A very visceral experience that is quite art-house esc/experimental in a way. In 2021 where a lot of shooters are hype violence for the sake of fetishism the violence Kane and Lynch Dog Days disgusts you with the gameplay/visual flare! This is a very grimy game. Is very incredible. Idk, I loved playing through this. Made me think, felt very contemporary forThis is a very violent game. A very visceral experience that is quite art-house esc/experimental in a way. In 2021 where a lot of shooters are hype violence for the sake of fetishism the violence Kane and Lynch Dog Days disgusts you with the gameplay/visual flare! This is a very grimy game. Is very incredible. Idk, I loved playing through this. Made me think, felt very contemporary for something so pasty panned.… Expand
  23. senyorblanco69
    Feb 1, 2015
    6
    juego entretenido pero excesivamente corto, me lo pasé en apenas un día, y para mi no es nada rejugable, lo juegas, lo pasas y al cajón a criar telarañas.
  24. Dco326
    Jul 24, 2022
    6
    Bolji od prvog dela ali kraj je tesko djubre hahahahah kamera sto skace levo desno isto ide na zivce na max, bilo bi cool da su mogli da se menjaju likovi, kamera je i inace cudna i sve boje su nes cudnovate brate :D
  25. dandalis
    Dec 26, 2016
    5
    After playing the 2007 game i was pretty sure about not touching the sequel, but a lil bit more than 1 year later here i am.

    Story is still pretty much non existant and cheap B action movie genre stuff, both main protagonists still are unlikeable but you supisngly can see some humanity in them which wasnt a thing in original. Gameplay wise its a slight step forward from first one,    After playing the 2007 game i was pretty sure about not touching the sequel, but a lil bit more than 1 year later here i am.

    Story is still pretty much non existant and cheap B action movie genre stuff, both main protagonists still are unlikeable but you supisngly can see some humanity in them which wasnt a thing in original.

    Gameplay wise its a slight step forward from first one, but still nothing particularly good. Shooting still is very unprecise. Now i dont have issues with more realistic shooting mechanics where you wont be able to place every bullet in your enemy like kids in games like Gears of War, but what brings it down is that the enemy AI compared to you is extremely accurate when it comes to filling you with bullets making the difficulty curve very unbalanced. Game has decent amount of guns, but they lack any weight or mechanical feedback and their sounds seem like ripped from generic sound effects library.

    The action camera approach at start seems like a cool gimmick, but when your head gets dizzy you hate it instantly. Also i cant stand the agressive screen effects used to make the gameplay feel even more cinematic, they also unssuccesfully try to hide the not so impressive graphics of the game where the only color is either grey or light black with flat texture work and plasticky looking character models.

    Easily the biggest draw back is the game's length, its only about 3.5 - 4 hours, other game modes are not worth your time since no one plays it online.

    Its a very average action game with a dark gritty feel that kinda feels unique, but theres a much better game similiar to this called Max Payne 3 which also has something called replay value. Get this game only if youre really got nothing better to play in given moment and only if its sold for bargain bin money.    … Expand
  26. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 11, 2020
    5
    The game is beautiful, and the physics and render engine are great, but it's plain boring.
  27. AMBO
    Feb 17, 2020
    7
    07/10......................................................................
  28. geekslayer
    Nov 15, 2020
    7
    Плюсы:
    - самобытность и атмосферность боев, интенсивность перестрелок и их качество, большое количество самых разноообразных локаций и заданий - вот то, что выделяет «Кейна и Линча» среди других экшенов. В какой другой игре вам дадут полетать на вертушке, расстреливая всех врагов в здании, а потом еще и расстрелять пару хеликоптеров самостоятельно?
    - уровни сложности отличаются    Плюсы:
    - самобытность и атмосферность боев, интенсивность перестрелок и их качество, большое количество самых разноообразных локаций и заданий - вот то, что выделяет «Кейна и Линча» среди других экшенов. В какой другой игре вам дадут полетать на вертушке, расстреливая всех врагов в здании, а потом еще и расстрелять пару хеликоптеров самостоятельно?
    - уровни сложности отличаются достаточно сильно.
    - телефонные разговоры во время загрузки локаций - хорошая и удобная для игрока фича.
    - озвучка Кейна и Линча и звуки на высоте: выстрелы, попадания пуль в различные объекты, шум вертушек и приборов и т.д. и т.п.
    - отличная оптимизация старого движка. Картинка насыщена деталями, правда, иногда несколько действуют на нервы однообразные здания на стройке, но таковы реалии. С физикой проблем особых тоже нет: слегка чувствуется отдача при стрельбе, деревянные объекты разрушаются достаточно быстро, а каменные или металлические не простреливаются. Так что если ваш экран стал красным или мутным - ищите, кто спрятался сбоку или сверху, а не грешите на недоработки.

    Минусы:
    - интеллект противников. Они тупы, как пробка от шампанского, хотя способны нанести большой урон. Спрятавшись за одним ящиком, враги не перекатываются, не пытаются быстро перескочить в более удобную позицию, а сидят на одном и том же месте. Причем за одним укрытием может находиться до пяти-шести вражин, попеременно выглядывающих из-за него. Несмотря на это, на среднем и выше уровнях сложности этот «тир» становится тяжелым и захватывающим. Да и, по крайней мере, такая перестрелка выглядит куда более реалистичной, чем «толпа на толпу», как это часто бывает в экшенах.
    - скудный выбор кнопок для управления. Например, чтобы перепрыгнуть через препятствие, надо нажать W (вперед) и C (укрытие). Можно выбрать назначение любой кнопки, но в итоге изменится и комбинация.
    - спрятавшись, нельзя переползти на другое место. Для этого сначала надо встать (максимум, что можно сделать - пригнуться, чтобы в тебя было сложнее попасть), а потом снова сесть.

    Вывод: если вы играли в Dead men, Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days стоит пройти обязательно. Разработчикам удалось сохранить атмосферу приключений героев и сделать сюжет интересным.
    P.S. Чуть не забыл: трясущуюся камеру и спецэффекты любительской камеры советую отключить в настройках, не то укачает.    … Expand
  29. GVB
    Jan 14, 2023
    6
    Better than the first one. The action is good (even great in some points) and the dark and decadent environment of the suburbs is recreated in an amazing way (special mention to the idea of ​​the video camera that "records" everything that happens, an underground point which works very well). For a moment, it even seemed like the story was going somewhere... but no. Same development thatBetter than the first one. The action is good (even great in some points) and the dark and decadent environment of the suburbs is recreated in an amazing way (special mention to the idea of ​​the video camera that "records" everything that happens, an underground point which works very well). For a moment, it even seemed like the story was going somewhere... but no. Same development that leaves you indifferent, and the narrative rhythm fails miserably (that ending is terrible, please).… Expand

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
34
#34 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25
  1. PC Format
    Dec 25, 2010
    83
    A massive upgrade on the first game, but don't blame us if you get a bit tired of shooting people in the face. [Issue#244, p.106]
  2. AceGamez
    59
    The best advice i can give is to trust your own instincts: even after reading this, if the concept and setting still appeal to you, definitely give it a chance. Just don't expect to feel the same way when it's over.
  3. Game Over Online
    50
    Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is an interesting beast because it really shouldn't exist. Outside of a unique art style it brings nothing new to the genre and does little to improve over the original game, which I might add, was far from a good game.
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