Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

 Xbox 360
User Score
3.3

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 350 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 350
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 350
  3. Negative: 223 out of 350
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  1. IntruderG.
    Feb 8, 2008
    4
    This game is not the worst game ever nor is it the best game ever. If anything it is terminally mediocre. Whie it has some fun scenarios, there are entirely too many technical flaws that make the experience below average. The graphics, especially in game animations, are are below average. The vertical split screen on co-op seriously hampers your peripheral vision. The controls are a This game is not the worst game ever nor is it the best game ever. If anything it is terminally mediocre. Whie it has some fun scenarios, there are entirely too many technical flaws that make the experience below average. The graphics, especially in game animations, are are below average. The vertical split screen on co-op seriously hampers your peripheral vision. The controls are a little loose. The music and story are the highlights of the experience and the unique multiplayer is a nice diversion from Team Slayer and the like. Unfortunately, the few fun parts are outweighed by the bad. Kane and Lynch is worth playing, but only as a rental. It is definitely not worth $60.… Expand
  2. ChrisM.
    Nov 23, 2007
    0
    Thsi is possibly the worst game ever made for 360. The mechanics are pathetic. The camera is total garbage. Do yourself a favor, don't buy this garbage.
  3. Sam
    Mar 23, 2008
    4
    With the badass trailers and the very appealing character concept, I was expecting this game to be IOI's finest since Hitman: Silent Assassin. They proved me wrong. While this game isn't as bad as the Gerstmann sympathizers say, it's still pretty bad. Which is a shame, because IO had everything they needed, every tool to make this game great. They just didn't use them. With the badass trailers and the very appealing character concept, I was expecting this game to be IOI's finest since Hitman: Silent Assassin. They proved me wrong. While this game isn't as bad as the Gerstmann sympathizers say, it's still pretty bad. Which is a shame, because IO had everything they needed, every tool to make this game great. They just didn't use them. First of all, the gameplay is trial-and-error based, and is overly frustrating. There's no open-endedness to the game at all, which was what IOI made their name from: letting you decide what you want to do. There's none of that here. You just go around shooting, escorting, and doing what the game tells you to. You don't get to plan out the heists, or any of that. The poorly written script plans it out for you. But the game does its best to keep you from sticking to that. It is a very buggy game. The controls don't do anything to help it, either. The aiming is horrible. You will never hit who you're trying to the first few tries. This applies for every time you attempt to shoot someone. And beyond firing and team commands, they're very hard to use, often involving drawn-out button combinations just to perform a simple action. What's worse is that after you've put in that sequence, the action you're supposed to perform has a high chance of not working. The biggest example of this is taking cover. Now, unlike the rest of the game's controls, the input for taking cover is pretty simple. Unconventional, but simple. You just run up to a wall and slap the analog stick to press up against it. The problem is, 9 times out of 10, it doesn't work, and even when it does, the horrible collision detection this game sports will get you killed anyway. Your character often just runs up to the wall, rather than sticking to it, often leaving you open to enemy fire. And speaking of enemy fire, you'll get it a lot. The enemies in this game have decent AI, but they are often crack shots, which is more than what can be said for the ally AI. These are by far the worst teammates you'll ever see in a video game. They pretty much do nothing but get shot, and when they aren't getting shot, they're either missing their targets or shooting you. Yes, it is just that bad where your friends kill you twice as much as the bad guys do. In actuality, you're better off just sending them to draw fire, as that's all they'll succeed at. Just make sure you're close to them, because they don't revive each other, and if they die, it's game over. The story doesn't do the game any favors, either. It's never particularly well written at any time, and what's worse is that it doesn't explain everything that it should. It also doesn't quite hold its own against several games that came before it, which is a total shame, but isn't totally unexpected. Strong plots and interesting stories have never really been a part of IOI's traits. But at least you'd think it has decent dialogue. Unfortunately, it fails there, too. First off, it's not cleverly-written, and it uses the F-word more than any single piece of media you'll ever find. There are very few sentences said in this game that don't have it. It was an obvious attempt to make the game seem grittier than it is, but all it did was just take away the drama and strong feeling that the word evokes. Most of all, it really just feels like they hired an angst-filled teenager to write out the dialogue. It's just that poor. However, the game has one good point: Its multiplayer concept. Fragile Alliance is a very well-thought out concept that follows the game's themes of trust and betrayal very well, in that the outcome of a match is entirely in the players' hands. You can stick to the plan and be a team player, or you can pull a Kane and leave everyone of your partners for dead. Unfortunately, the very same flaws that the Campaign mode has are carried over to this mode, save for the ally AI. You'll still have the same control problems, the same poor collision detection, and the same horrible aiming. It doesn't flat out ruin it, but it doesn't do anything good for it. All in all, this game could have been so many things, but achieves none of it, not even its main selling point: Its own story. The only way I can really recommend this game is if you have absolutely nothing else to play at all. It is a rental at best.… Expand
  4. JoeF.
    Nov 21, 2007
    4
    Crappy graphics (original Xbox-esque), worst hit detection I've seen in a next-gen game, lame voice acting, horrible AI. The story is okay, the scenarios are cool. I wanted to like this game so much. I had been waiting for months to play it and I was so hyped. Talk about a let down.
  5. ChadL.
    Nov 29, 2007
    1
    This game had potential but it falls flat on its face with the poor controls, horrible interface and Xbox 1 like graphics. Dont buy this game its a huge waste of money and time plus i heard its been bricking consoles Stay Away.
  6. JasonManley
    Dec 4, 2007
    0
    Wow, just wow, i was amazed at how horrible this game was. It was a difficult affair but i think they only made it hard to cover up how short it is. Not worth a $60 price tag, not worth a $9 rental.. only play this game if someone is paying you to play it.
  7. JohnR.
    Nov 30, 2007
    0
    This game is just plain broken. Horrible characters, horrible animation and a story that aspires to Heat like levels of greatness and ends up more like L.A. Takedown.
  8. PeteB.
    Nov 30, 2007
    0
    Just trash, pure unadulterated trash. Absolutely painful to play through.
  9. Matty888
    Jan 2, 2014
    1
    Playing this game made me cry. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Why was this game even made. I having nothing to say about this game. I give it a 1 because some of its story was alright, and if the game was remade with normal controls, mechanics, physics, gameplay, online and this wasnt the most cliched thing ever, it would be sort-of playable.
  10. JohnMorgan
    Nov 30, 2007
    1
    Having actually seen the game, it's a mediocre shooter with ok graphics, a bad cover system, and bad AI. What is truly shameful, however, is that Eidos the publisher had Jeff Gerstmann of Gamespot fired for writing a negative review of the game. I will never buy another Eidos product or visit Gamespot for additional reviews, and I urge others to do likewise.
  11. CarlosF.
    Nov 30, 2007
    1
    With the amount of games out this is not even worth a rental. The story is to cocky, the gameplay is horrible and they overuse the word F$$$k. Even the multiplayer is bad. It does not have a online coop.
  12. JonathanS.
    Dec 6, 2007
    1
    This game is unbridled crap - from low quality graphics (compared to COD4), to more swearing more than was in Goodfellas. Couple this with unlikable characters, and you have this, a game that should receive a 1 out of 10 from every reviewer out there.
  13. MarioV.
    Nov 30, 2007
    0
    This game is horrible. Do not buy this game and do not rent this game. The game play is awkward and clunky. It's hard to shoot anything and the cover system is useless. A terrible experience that no one should pay for.
  14. mrfreezie
    Dec 1, 2007
    0
    This is hands down, the worst game ever. I doesn't even deserve a 0 because that means I acknowledge it's existence. It does not deserve even that.

    In the gaming community, before Kane and Lynch, if you asked someone what the worst game ever made was, the surefire answer would be "Superman 64." Well, now that KaL is out I can honestly say that Superman 64 is no longer the    This is hands down, the worst game ever. I doesn't even deserve a 0 because that means I acknowledge it's existence. It does not deserve even that.

    In the gaming community, before Kane and Lynch, if you asked someone what the worst game ever made was, the surefire answer would be "Superman 64." Well, now that KaL is out I can honestly say that Superman 64 is no longer the worst game. In fact, in comparison to KaL, Superman 64 is Game of the Year material.
    DO NOT make the mistake, avoid this game at ALL costs.    … Expand
  15. JerryHerdez
    Dec 1, 2007
    0
    If this game gets nominated to any awards this year, it should be for worse game of the year. The game looks and plays like a last gen PS2 game (if you take out the HD capabilities). However, I don
  16. JonnyL.
    Dec 1, 2007
    0
    This game is total garbage. Cover system is broken. Aiming is off. Squad system and AI is totally useless. Story is mediocre at best and dialog is horrible. Characters are trying too hard to sound like tough guys. I'm really surprised this game wasn't made following a movie. It feels really rushed and just thrown out there. Probably not a great way to even waste your rental on, This game is total garbage. Cover system is broken. Aiming is off. Squad system and AI is totally useless. Story is mediocre at best and dialog is horrible. Characters are trying too hard to sound like tough guys. I'm really surprised this game wasn't made following a movie. It feels really rushed and just thrown out there. Probably not a great way to even waste your rental on, no less buy it.… Expand
  17. MykeD.
    Dec 10, 2007
    1
    It's like playing a dumbed-down version of Gears Of War with Sega Saturn quality graphics, pathetic.
  18. PeterS.
    Dec 2, 2007
    1
    I really enjoyed the premiss of this game when I first fired it up, but soon found many flaws that spoiled what would otherwise have been an enjoyable shooter. The control system is far too buggy and there were awful clipping problems when zoomed in. There are many better third person games out there to choose from.
  19. PaulA.
    Dec 29, 2007
    1
    This game is garbage. It's repetitive, and extremely boring. All the guns are the same, all the A.I. are the same, all the textures are the same. Theres nothing else to describe this game but crap. There is no redeeming qualities.
  20. Paul
    Dec 3, 2007
    0
    Falls very very short of it's promise. A co op shooter sounds good, but they did everything wrong. Terribly implemented controls, it feels like the developers didn't want it to be good.
  21. AnonymousMC
    Dec 3, 2007
    0
    Utter rubbish. A triumph of advertising and hype over substance and polish. Thank god for the reviewers who actually told it like it is (even loosing their jobs for it).

    Advertising and hype is the new way to judge a game it seems but user scores and honest reviewers will always be around to nip them in the bud.
  22. DavidT.
    Dec 3, 2007
    0
    This is one of the worst games in the history of gaming. It is completely broken, it is ugly, it is glitchy, and most importantly, it is no fun to play. This game could possibly be worse than the notorious ET game for atari back in the day. You could fill a whole landfill with copies of this game because it's not worth anyone's money. Not even a few dollars to rent it. Stay far, This is one of the worst games in the history of gaming. It is completely broken, it is ugly, it is glitchy, and most importantly, it is no fun to play. This game could possibly be worse than the notorious ET game for atari back in the day. You could fill a whole landfill with copies of this game because it's not worth anyone's money. Not even a few dollars to rent it. Stay far, far away from this!… Expand
  23. MattK.
    Dec 3, 2007
    0
    Do not buy this game. There are so many problems. The shooting machanics are just plain broken, the story is nhilistic and boring and the cover system is aweful.
  24. Zaggy
    Jan 9, 2008
    0
    Worst game ever! The graphic is like a bad PS2 game and the sound/music suck big time..and the control is to be ashamed over....Big disapointment
  25. Nate
    Nov 27, 2007
    4
    Disappointed is the best way to describe how I feel about this game. It had so much promise! The story is good and the videos between missions are cool, like watching a decent crime flick. The gameplay is so simplified, shoot until evrything in front of you is dead, thats basically it. The graphics are not great either, there is a part when kane and lynch are hanging out the back of a van Disappointed is the best way to describe how I feel about this game. It had so much promise! The story is good and the videos between missions are cool, like watching a decent crime flick. The gameplay is so simplified, shoot until evrything in front of you is dead, thats basically it. The graphics are not great either, there is a part when kane and lynch are hanging out the back of a van shooting the entire police force and the animation is awful. It looks like a game from 1998 or something. I had high hopes as I loved the Hitman series but they are very different games. Don't bother… Expand
  26. Chammolookefo
    Nov 29, 2007
    0
    Well i would have gave this game a higher score but for recent events including the fireing of a populor reviewer for giving a 6.0 to this game and the publisher Edios freaking out on gamespot threatining to pull its ads im thinking they paid off people for good reviews The games not very good any dont waist your money.
  27. SteveF.
    Nov 30, 2007
    0
    This game blows the big one. I hate 3rd person shooters with crap graphics and lame controls. Why not first person? I should have rented this turd before buying. Cool idea for a game lame execution.
  28. BrentW.
    Dec 1, 2007
    0
    This game is terrible and completly unpolished seems like it was rushed out for the xmas rush, the story is also trash and the characters are unbelievable, buy hitman instead a much better game buy the same creators
  29. OldeEnglish
    Dec 1, 2007
    0
    There are many other top notch games out this Christmas Season. There is definitely no reason to even play this game. Or even rent it. I would say buy this game for someone you despise but then you would actually have to purchase it and give money to Eidos which would sadly trickle back to the corrupt the corrupt owners of Gamespot/Cnet/Metacritic.
  30. AnonymousMC
    Dec 4, 2007
    0
    Boycott this game!

    EIDOS are trumpeting preview comments from E3 in July as 5 star reviews on the K&L website and they tried to bully gamespot by pulling all of their advertising funding. Which actually seemed to work because a gamespot editor who had been writing for the online site for the past 11 years was fired after his poor review of the game. This game, and the company behind    Boycott this game!

    EIDOS are trumpeting preview comments from E3 in July as 5 star reviews on the K&L website and they tried to bully gamespot by pulling all of their advertising funding. Which actually seemed to work because a gamespot editor who had been writing for the online site for the past 11 years was fired after his poor review of the game.

    This game, and the company behind it, are polluting the games press waters, show them what you think by refusing to buy it, it's a mediocre game at best anyway.    … Expand
  31. CruithneM.
    Dec 6, 2007
    3
    In a year of AAA titles for all consoles, this game stands out as the runt of the litter. So much promise, so many good idea, so little delivery. Seriously, there's never been a better year for games in the entire history of gaming, go buy one of the good games.
  32. FSFeeEF
    Nov 26, 2007
    3
    It had alot of potential, but the overall gameplay is just crappy. Graphics are below average and A.I. is awful. For me its just unplayable
  33. JasonG.
    Dec 16, 2007
    0
    Horrible game Hit boxes and aiming are worse then a N64 game, your cross hair is aiming right at a guy as you duck behind a wall and you still hit the wall. the "duck and cover" doesn't even work as half the time you can't hit anything else you come out from behind the walls. The friendly AI is terrible as well, they will run out into 10 things firing and die super fast. The AI Horrible game Hit boxes and aiming are worse then a N64 game, your cross hair is aiming right at a guy as you duck behind a wall and you still hit the wall. the "duck and cover" doesn't even work as half the time you can't hit anything else you come out from behind the walls. The friendly AI is terrible as well, they will run out into 10 things firing and die super fast. The AI can shoot through most walls Oh...and if you die 5 times in a row, the game crashes.... Complete waste of money, sad coming from the creators of hitman.… Expand
  34. Barnes1987
    Mar 28, 2017
    4
    This game is terrible, One of the worst games on the system. How it managed to spawn a sequel is amazing in itself. Avoid at all costs, even for free it's still a gamble.
  35. Miguelbpaes
    Apr 25, 2023
    3
    Kane & Lynch poderia ser um ótimo filme, ou até mesmo série. Mas como game, é completamente péssimo, e peca em tudo que se presta a fazer.

    A história é confusa, curta e convoluta, os gráficos são péssimos com uma taxa de quadros abismal e a jogabilidade é travada e extremamente imprecisa. Isso faz KL1 ser um game difícil de recomendar, e fácil de passar longe. Kane como protagonista    Kane & Lynch poderia ser um ótimo filme, ou até mesmo série. Mas como game, é completamente péssimo, e peca em tudo que se presta a fazer.

    A história é confusa, curta e convoluta, os gráficos são péssimos com uma taxa de quadros abismal e a jogabilidade é travada e extremamente imprecisa.

    Isso faz KL1 ser um game difícil de recomendar, e fácil de passar longe. Kane como protagonista não convence, e Lynch como suporte também não.    … Expand
  36. JediMasterLex
    Aug 16, 2023
    3
    This game is stil just as bad, actually even worse going back and playing again just this last week, finally beat it and I want my time back. Nevermind all the Jeff Gerstmann and Eidos crap they pulled, thankfully they aren't a company that exists anymore.

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
23
#23 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 57
  3. Negative: 6 out of 57
  1. Official Xbox Magazine
    80
    Part thug brutality, part capers and hijinks, the latest wild ride from the developer of "Hitman" has its fair share of rough edges--maybe even more than its fair share--but its epic missions are so thrilling that they'll sear away the nuggets of disappointment you'll ocasionally feel. [Dec 2007, p.68]
    Read full review
  2. GamePro
    60
    Sure, the gritty atmosphere and balls out gunplay offers up some thrills, and yes the multiplayer options hold some potential but the hard-boiled noir tone and interesting amalgam of varied ideas never truly comes together to form the cohesive action thriller that the game aspires to be. [Dec 2007, p.121]
    Read full review
  3. 1UP
    75
    We rarely see scenarios and story structure this good in a game, and that makes it easier to forgive some of the more hardcore technical game-design issues. It's definitely more of a popcorn game for the action-movie crowd than a hardcore shooter, but there's nothing wrong with that.
    Read full review
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