THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: GilloD on November 30, 2007, 08:55:46 PM

Title: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: GilloD on November 30, 2007, 08:55:46 PM: Is K&L a 6.6 game? No. Gertsman is a fucking pussy and deserved to get fired for shafting the game. This is based on my 40 minutes with the title.

Look, it's pretty fucking exciting and it does the whole "U RIN AN ACTION MOVIE" bullshit pretty well. There's a whole level that takes place in the back of a van. Sound exciting? It is. The bulk of the game- Shooting cops- is pretty well done. The cover system is wonky and it seems a little too easy to get killed (A not-so-modest concern when the game loves to throw dozens of cops into the fray), but coming back to life is a simple affair- Get pumped full of adrenaline by a team mate! The squad commands are at least as good as Mass Effect and certainly not as good as Vegas, but hold up just fine. Squad AI is pretty good, enemy AI, however, fucking sucks. I've never seen such silly fucks in my life. They love to charge the line, run right past you and keep going. It's kind of a pain because as you're trying to peg the 10 cops hunkered down in cover, 6 are running in the door and right past you. Also, the automatic weapons barely work and are completely useless when compared to pistols. In general, combat can feel a bit loose and weapons are more inaccurate than they should be, but it works fine.

Graphics are awfully pretty, although the much touted "crowd system" is kind of a letdown. Yes, there are 40-60 people on screen at a time. Hilariously, there are only 6 or 7 models, which gives you the creepy sensation of being in some kind of Distopia. In the Tokyo club level you can watch people dance with their clones. Also, the crowds can be a fucking pain. Try finding the 1 guy out of 60 who is shooting you. It took me a dozen tries to get the 100 feet to the door in the club.

That said, on the whole the game purrs wonderfully. The characters are sort of generic, but entertaining. It pulls off the Buddy Cop/Heist thing really well. Reminds me of HEAT:THE GAME. It's absolutely not a 6.6 title. I'm not sure if it's more than a rental (No online co-op? What the fuck?), but for my money it's better than the last 10 hours of Asasassaassaain's Creed.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: zeergoth on November 30, 2007, 09:06:14 PM: He gave it a 6.0.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: demi on November 30, 2007, 09:06:53 PM: I dunno man you are playing on a SDTV right? :scratch
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on November 30, 2007, 09:20:52 PM: Quote from: demi on November 30, 2007, 09:06:53 PM
I dunno man you are playing on a SDTV right? :scratch

Nah, HD now. The game looks pretty good. Animations could use some work, but on the whole it's nice enough. The locations are great, that one level goes Outside->Bank->Lobby->Van->Highway->Ditch->City->Subway all in like 20 minutes.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on December 01, 2007, 08:26:25 AM: Multiplayer is pretty not bad as well.

I beat it during a rental period. I had a very fine time with it, its got some good ideas, but its in need of more polish. The storytelling it pretty good and refreshingly bleak. Its very much worth playing, but I wouldn't think about buying it, especially at full price unless you're going to log some serious hours on co-op and online
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: bork on December 01, 2007, 09:27:02 AM: Quote from: HyperZoneWasAwesome on December 01, 2007, 08:26:25 AM
Multiplayer is pretty not bad as well.

I beat it during a rental period. I had a very fine time with it, its got some good ideas, but its in need of more polish. The storytelling it pretty good and refreshingly bleak. Its very much worth playing, but I wouldn't think about buying it, especially at full price unless you're going to log some serious hours on co-op and online

Not bad, needs more work, and sounds like a good rental, huh? Sounds like a 6.0 to me!
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 01, 2007, 12:18:37 PM: Quote from: lyte edge on December 01, 2007, 09:27:02 AM
Quote from: HyperZoneWasAwesome on December 01, 2007, 08:26:25 AM
Multiplayer is pretty not bad as well.

I beat it during a rental period. I had a very fine time with it, its got some good ideas, but its in need of more polish. The storytelling it pretty good and refreshingly bleak. Its very much worth playing, but I wouldn't think about buying it, especially at full price unless you're going to log some serious hours on co-op and online

Not bad, needs more work, and sounds like a good rental, huh? Sounds like a 6.0 to me!

On a real world 10.0 scale? Yeah, it's a 6. In the Gamespot/1up anything-under-7.5-is-trash scale, it's a solid 8.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 01, 2007, 11:52:40 PM: THIS GAME IS FUCKING AWESOME

BEST LEVEL EVER: You meet with these dudes and they make you crawl into a grave. Then they bring your wife and daughter in. THEY SHOOT YOUR WIFE IN THE HEAD AND YOU GET HER BLOOD ON YOUR FACE. Is that awesome? BUT WAIT. YOU CLIMB OUT OF THE GRAVE AND BEAT THE BAD GUY TO DEATH WITH A SHOVEL AND KANE IS SCREAMING. Then GET THIS: You climb into the grave to comfort your weeping daughter AND A FUCKING 3 STORY DUMP TRUCK comes barreling out of nowhere and you have to SHOOT THE DRIVER OUT OF IT. It is beyond cool. This is not 6 territory.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: demi on December 01, 2007, 11:57:11 PM: Woah, that's badass.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 02, 2007, 12:49:57 AM: Quote from: demi on December 01, 2007, 11:57:11 PM
Woah, that's badass.

The next 2 levels are obscenely badass. The Prison Break level is great, but the Tokyo Assasasasaasiin level is even better. I'd go as far as to say it's the most flawlessly executed example of a heist ever put to the gaming medium. I really don't understand where the reviews are on this. The levels are well designed, squad AI is pretty good, the graphics are great and the gameplay doesn't break new ground, but it works well enough. There are some hilariously bad enemy AI moments, but they're not game breaking. Maybe I haven't gotten far enough in, but so far this is definitley worth a play. I almost never buy anything anymore, so it's hard to suggest it, but it's much better than a 6. These later levels really shine.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: demi on December 02, 2007, 01:06:38 AM: Why did Gerstmann make a big deal about the F word when he loves GTA? Moran total. Can't wait to get my copy.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 02, 2007, 01:20:56 AM: Quote from: demi on December 02, 2007, 01:06:38 AM
Why did Gerstmann make a big deal about the F word when he loves GTA? Moran total. Can't wait to get my copy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FuJ81sDR2o

Here's the video review. All the video takes place in the first level. I think it's piss poor. He's dead on about the characters being unlikable, but it hardly affects the gameplay. The worst levels are definitley the first Tokyo levels, so just push through them. It gets better from there.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: brawndolicious on December 02, 2007, 01:30:21 AM: aren't the characters meant to be unlikable?
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 02, 2007, 01:39:30 AM: Quote from: am nintenho on December 02, 2007, 01:30:21 AM
aren't the characters meant to be unlikable?

Yeah, but they're not even like "Oh, what a badass". One is a fuck up who, in order to save his wife and daughter, kills dozens of innocent people even though the only reason he needs to is because he's a fuck up asshole in the first place. The other is a crazy schizo who murdered his wife and kills hostages all the time. Am I supposed to root for them? I sort of feel karmically just letting them die.

That said, this is the first game where I allowed myself to be killed just so I could replay a part of such intense fucked up awesomeness.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: brawndolicious on December 02, 2007, 02:44:28 AM: Quote from: GilloD on December 02, 2007, 01:39:30 AM
Yeah, but they're not even like "Oh, what a badass". One is a fuck up who, in order to save his wife and daughter, kills dozens of innocent people even though the only reason he needs to is because he's a fuck up asshole in the first place. The other is a crazy schizo who murdered his wife and kills hostages all the time. Am I supposed to root for them? I sort of feel karmically just letting them die.
That said, this is the first game where I allowed myself to be killed just so I could replay a part of such intense fucked up awesomeness.
oh, well you see I got hyped for this game ever since I saw an interview with this swede-looking guy saying they wanted to make the characters REALLY, REALLY fucked up. Since they delivered on that vibe apparently, and made decent and clever missions, I'm definitely renting this.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: The Sceneman on December 02, 2007, 05:22:09 AM: this game actually sounds pretty sweet
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 02, 2007, 10:40:22 PM: Anyone else played it yet? It's shockingly short, actually. What's there si great, but I thought for sure it was a joke when it ended so abruptly. Also, there need to be better transitions between levels. It's sort of funny when Kane is like "WE NEED TO GO TO HAVANA" and then it fades to black and you're in the middle of a fire fight in Havana. Just a shot of a plane flying or something would have been nice. It's probably a rental, but it's a great rental. Get a friend and a few 40's.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: demi on December 02, 2007, 10:41:18 PM: mine isnt here yet
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 03, 2007, 01:18:28 AM: Quote from: demi on December 02, 2007, 10:41:18 PM
mine isnt here yet

Let me know when you get it so we can talk about it's general awesomeness and yet strange lack of lasting impression.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: ferrarimanf355 on December 03, 2007, 01:18:45 PM: :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :gerstmann :shh
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: abrader on December 03, 2007, 05:01:54 PM: Am I actually going to try this?
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gertsmams
Post by: TVC15 on December 03, 2007, 05:03:44 PM: So I've heard people say this is like Freedom Fighters. True, no?
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 03, 2007, 09:09:11 PM: Quote from: TVC 15 on December 03, 2007, 05:03:44 PM
So I've heard people say this is like Freedom Fighters. True, no?

Very true. The type of combat you engage in (Mostly from a reinforced position) as well as the types of missions (Sabatoge, stealth-y type stuff) as well as the squad controls are all very, very Freedom Fighters influenced.
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: Mondain on December 03, 2007, 10:34:20 PM: I really love this game, but the infamous trucking mission seems very hard. How the heck are you supposed to bring the driver down?
Title: Re: EB Official Review: Kane and Lynch, the game with the girth to satisfy Gerts
Post by: GilloD on December 03, 2007, 10:50:12 PM: Quote from: Mondain on December 03, 2007, 10:34:20 PM
I really love this game, but the infamous trucking mission seems very hard. How the heck are you supposed to bring the driver down?

Oh god. It took me like 10 tries. I tried climbing on the van, but Lindsey or whoever kept dying. Just stay in the pit and unload auto fire into the window when it drives at you. It's dumb luck, climbing on the van didn't seem to help me. Keep at it, the next level is the best.