Kane and Lynch: Dead Men hands on

[Epix]

The air’s thick with smoke, bullets and bad words. Kane (scar) and Lynch (baldy mullet) are going about their business like a machine, one unloading covering fire while the other cuts around potted plants and office furniture, shooting security staff in the back. Over the gunfire, screams and shattering glass, they shout encouragement to each other. It’s classic buddy-movie stuff… with one important difference. “What the f*** are you doing? You f***** psycho!” shouts Kane, as Lynch fires indiscriminately across the office staff. “Keeping an eye on you…” Lynch shouts back. Then, inexplicably, he clutches his head and starts to whimper. This certainly isn’t Bad Boys II.

Though it’s a sort of spiritual successor to Hitman - you might have even noticed 47 lurking in that cover shot - Kane & Lynch really couldn’t be any more different from Io’s classic assassination series. For a start, stealth’s absolutely minimal - one early scene sees you give up your weapons on entry to a Tokyo nightclub, but literally 20 seconds later you’re clubbing a guard to the ground and wiping out the rest of the security contingent in a hail of bullets. Planning’s less important, too - say goodbye to lurking in corners and hello to run-and-gun tactics in enormous environments. But the most important change is the most obvious: where 47 works alone, Kane and Lynch work as a team. Just about.

Playing through the solo version of K&L, you’ll play as Kane, the more balanced - but still completely ruthless - “leader” of the pair. It’s an uneasy alliance - though you’re effectively babysitting the bearded nutcase, he’s keeping an eye on you for your paymasters… and he’s prone to losing the plot at any moment. If he’s put under too much pressure - because you’ve ordered him into a bad spot, say - he’ll start to sway and hum. Then, if left unchecked, he’ll have one of his “episodes” and go berserk, depriving you of backup and possibly getting himself shot. Later in the game, Io tells us, he’ll run out of medication and start to really spiral out of control. In certain scenes you’ll be tasked with looking after him, but these are few and far between - you’ll always have the option to let a friend drop in and take the part of the maniac, so providing shotgun cover in split-screen mode.

Fortunately, Lynch isn’t your only ally. As a former mercenary, Kane has contacts… and though his rep is in tatters at the start of the game, he’ll eventually be able to scrape together a team of guns for hire. You order these people around with simple, symbol-button controls - Go, Attack and Stay are the only commands - but they’ll do their own thing surprisingly well, letting you create exact movements with minimum fuss. As Kane’s notoriety increases, he can recruit more men until your team size is increased from four to eight. At this point, some members will turn into what Io calls “orbiters” - they’ll operate in pairs, minimizing the need to spend lots of time ordering every single person around.

Another crucial aspect of teammates is tied to the health system. There’s no energy bar for the characters - the screen goes red when you’re on the brink of death, showing that it’s time to find some cover. Hide for a few seconds and you’re back to full strength - take another couple of shots and you’re dead. If a teammate is close by, they can save your ass - get yourself “killed” and they’ll dash up and give you a shot of adrenaline, letting you get back to your feet. It’s a similar system to the one used in Io’s squad shooter Freedom Fighters, and it works.

What’s really impressive about Kane & Lynch, though, isn’t the anti-heroes, the team dynamics or even the filthy-mouthed repartee - it’s how it looks. So far, only a handful of games have used PS3 to provide anything more than a glossy coat of paint to a distinctly last-gen experience - Dead Men is one of the rare few that offer an experience that wouldn’t be possible on PS2. The club and Tokyo high street missions - we’re playing both - offer environments, detail and swathes of people like nothing you’ve seen before. No wonder Lynch occasionally starts shaking.

New Tokyo Level Revealed

1) Office Assault
On the roof, Kane tells his boys the plan. Important plot points use the in-game engine and let you move the camera, so the pace never lets up. A tap of a button and the team begin to rappel - Io says you’ll see less of Hitman’s dark humor, but admit they’re thinking of adding office “romance” on the odd floor. The ensuing gunfight is a bit “Matrix lobby scene.” After retrieving the briefcase he’s after from a dead businessman, Kane pulls out his knife and slashes the corpse’s face. “What was that about?” asks Lynch. “None of your business,” murmurs Kane - but we’re suspecting a story to do with the scar over his eye.

2) It’s the cops - kill ‘em
A short elevator ride gives the boys a chance to change into civilian clothes. This fools one policeman, who waves the crew through as panicked crowds flee the building. As in the nightclub, there’s a density to the crowd that makes movement difficult… until the rest of the cops arrive and go nuts. They’re lobbing tear gas, whiting out the screen - but if you can find their grenades, you can simply tap a button to lob them back and clear your vision in seconds. Cry us a river, copper.

3) Street fighting
As the fighting hits the road, precision aiming becomes essential. Unlike Hitman - which uses first-person shooting - K&L offers an over-the-shoulder view. Using this perspective stabilizes your aim. If you run out of ammo, you can grab fresh clips - or even swap guns - from other members of your team.

4) Snipe the floor with them
As the crew makes their way down the street, a police sharpshooter appears on the overpass. When a sniper’s after you, their sights appear on the bottom-left of the screen to show how close they are to drawing a bead on your position. It also allows textbook Saving Private Ryan moments where you catch sight of yourself aiming back along the sniper’s sights before you take his head off.

5) Dead man walking
Kane suffers a few too many hits, and a flash of red and some heavy breathing tells you he’s near death. One more bullet and he’s down - the screen goes white and we hear a flashback to his wife screaming “I told you not to keep a gun in the house!” Before we can hear more, though, one of our allies pumps us full of adrenaline and we’re back on our feet. The posse take off across the overpass and heads for the getaway car. There’s still a lot of ground to cover - and plenty of policemen to turn into corpses.

Who’s Kane?
Family man gone mercenary

It all went wrong for Kane when his two-year-old son found his gun and shot himself. Blamed by his wife - you’ll hear her shrieking in flashbacks when Kane nearly dies - he became a mercenary and worked for a group called The Seven. But his retirement job has gone wrong and, after double-crossing The Seven, he’s captured by the cops and sentenced to death. The Seven break him out, but not because they like him... they promise they’re going to kill him, but will leave his family alive if he gets their cash back...

Who’s Lynch?
He needs his meds...

Lynch is a schizophrenic psycho who’s used to pulling small-time jobs in Detroit. Trouble is, he’s prone to violent blackouts and, after one in particular, his wife ended up dead - with Lynch catching the blame. He’s in on The Seven’s breakout of Kane, with the promise that he’ll make sure the family man stays in line. The Seven have said that he can take over Kane’s job when their job is all over, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a betrayal is in the works.

Hands-on: The Nightclub scene
One of the most impressive early missions is Club Mizuki. Though it’s similar to Hitman: Blood Money’s Mardi Gras level, the crowd here aren’t just window dressing - they’re a clammy, jammed-together mess of people that get in your way and slow you down. Instead of parting like the Red Sea the minute you pull a Glock, they panic, run in different directions and soak up bullets meant for bodyguards. The lights are distracting and the music’s throbbing - it’s the first in-game nightspot that feels like a “real” club.

Mann on fire
Io makes no secret of their influences - the nightclub and street levels are stunningly similar to scenes from Michael Mann flicks Collateral and Heat. So what else can we expect to see in the game? “Well, there’s a bit of Man on Fire in there,” admits Neil Donnell, executive producer. Man on Fire? That’s the Denzel Washington flick where he chops a man’s fingers off, before pulling off two shotgun murders in a crowded club and shoving a block of C-4 up someone’s ass. This is going to be interesting.http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/previews/article.jsp?articleId=200705219245844029&releaseId=2007042417839414034&sectionId=1001&pageId=2007052195032531025

http://www.techshout.com/images/kanenlynch-deadmen-ss.jpg

http://xbox360.geekyblogs.com/files/2006/07/kanenlynch.jpg

http://www.photoshopstar.com/tutorials/44/03.jpg

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[KRA]

nice.
but can't rep you yet.
anyway it looks and sound really great.
i would love to see some video.

[totobeni]

meh..after reading all these stuff..i think ..i was wrong..this game seems very normal and average..it's just Hitman single player in Co-op...

there is nothing special here damn , i should search for some videos ..i was thinking this is big game (cuz all the hype in x360 forums for this game )..

[KRA]

meh..after reading all these stuff..i think ..i was wrong..this game seems very normal and average..it's just Hitman single player in Co-op...

there is nothing special here damn , i should search for some videos ..i was thinking this is big game (cuz all the hype in x360 forums for this game )..

not everything must be oryginal. some thing may be not so special.
but just good done. and i can imagine this quite a fun game.

[Sephiroth_VII]

1) Office Assault
On the roof, Kane tells his boys the plan. Important plot points use the in-game engine and let you move the camera, so the pace never lets up. A tap of a button and the team begin to rappel - Io says you’ll see less of Hitman’s dark humor, but admit they’re thinking of adding office “romance” on the odd floor. The ensuing gunfight is a bit “Matrix lobby scene.” After retrieving the briefcase he’s after from a dead businessman, Kane pulls out his knife and slashes the corpse’s face. “What was that about?” asks Lynch. “None of your business,” murmurs Kane - but we’re suspecting a story to do with the scar over his eye.

2) It’s the cops - kill ‘em
A short elevator ride gives the boys a chance to change into civilian clothes. This fools one policeman, who waves the crew through as panicked crowds flee the building. As in the nightclub, there’s a density to the crowd that makes movement difficult… until the rest of the cops arrive and go nuts. They’re lobbing tear gas, whiting out the screen - but if you can find their grenades, you can simply tap a button to lob them back and clear your vision in seconds. Cry us a river, copper.

3) Street fighting
As the fighting hits the road, precision aiming becomes essential. Unlike Hitman - which uses first-person shooting - K&L offers an over-the-shoulder view. Using this perspective stabilizes your aim. If you run out of ammo, you can grab fresh clips - or even swap guns - from other members of your team.

4) Snipe the floor with them
As the crew makes their way down the street, a police sharpshooter appears on the overpass. When a sniper’s after you, their sights appear on the bottom-left of the screen to show how close they are to drawing a bead on your position. It also allows textbook Saving Private Ryan moments where you catch sight of yourself aiming back along the sniper’s sights before you take his head off.

5) Dead man walking
Kane suffers a few too many hits, and a flash of red and some heavy breathing tells you he’s near death. One more bullet and he’s down - the screen goes white and we hear a flashback to his wife screaming “I told you not to keep a gun in the house!” Before we can hear more, though, one of our allies pumps us full of adrenaline and we’re back on our feet. The posse take off across the overpass and heads for the getaway car. There’s still a lot of ground to cover - and plenty of policemen to turn into corpses.

Hands-on: The Nightclub scene
One of the most impressive early missions is Club Mizuki. Though it’s similar to Hitman: Blood Money’s Mardi Gras level, the crowd here aren’t just window dressing - they’re a clammy, jammed-together mess of people that get in your way and slow you down. Instead of parting like the Red Sea the minute you pull a Glock, they panic, run in different directions and soak up bullets meant for bodyguards. The lights are distracting and the music’s throbbing - it’s the first in-game nightspot that feels like a “real” club.


Lol!!! I played those two levels at D3 last year, if only for a few minutes. Also, it was on a 360 devkit...

meh..after reading all these stuff..i think ..i was wrong..this game seems very normal and average..it's just Hitman single player in Co-op...

there is nothing special here damn , i should search for some videos ..i was thinking this is big game (cuz all the hype in x360 forums for this game )..
Now what's wrong with hitman!? Besides, the game was really fun to play back when I had a go at it, so I can imagine it's even better now.

[totobeni]

^ nothing wrong..but i just realized that this is a normal game

before they (eidos) put this on PS3 , i read many Xbox/MS forums and they made this game look like the next coming of Godzilla ,I Remember alot of hype stuff made this look like Mario Bros of this gen (maybe cuz it was X-exclusive..i don't know )....i even defend this game many thime here at that Eidos thread (http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?p=1503502)about no big game for PS3 and i say that it's huge game.. ...

i have no doubt it will be solid and good game...but za X hype just fools me..that all..

[LiquidEagle]

Can't wait for this game!

[AC!D]

Hitman has some of the most intelligent level design and non-linear gameplay options out of any game ive played (There are so many different ways to take out your mark that it has tons of replay value especially if you plan the perfect kill that attracts next to no attention from civilians or the cops. These guys design a game that makes you think and thats lacking in most other games ive played) . If this is even half as good as hitman then its gonna be a gr8 game. IO is easily Eidos's best Developer so expect big things from this game. Expect this game to be everything that Army of two is hyped to be only Kane and Lynch will deliver.

[woundingchaney]

meh..after reading all these stuff..i think ..i was wrong..this game seems very normal and average..it's just Hitman single player in Co-op...

there is nothing special here damn , i should search for some videos ..i was thinking this is big game (cuz all the hype in x360 forums for this game )..

They do seem to be big on the title.

Everytime I see anything on it or read anything on it; it simply appears to be a run of the mill shooter with a new partner dynamic. Depending on the quality of this dynamic seems to be linked to the quality of the game. I wonder just how well the partner concept is going to blend with the gameplay though. Where as Im sure there are many people interested in the game I think its going to be overshadowed by the first party/exclusive releases on both console and the PC AAA titles this winter.


PS- Am I the only one that is getting sick of the temporary health these days. I mean if I get the shit shot out of me all I have to do is have a seat and relax and Im good to go again. I think the concept works a lot better in mp than it does in sp.

[AC!D]

They do seem to be big on the title.

Everytime I see anything on it or read anything on it; it simply appears to be a run of the mill shooter with a new partner dynamic. Depending on the quality of this dynamic seems to be linked to the quality of the game. I wonder just how well the partner concept is going to blend with the gameplay though. Where as Im sure there are many people interested in the game I think its going to be overshadowed by the first party/exclusive releases on both console and the PC AAA titles this winter.

Care to take a wager on that Wounding ? hehe!
The movie rights for this game have already been snapped up for this game also which tells me the story should be rather good too.

[woundingchaney]

Care to take a wager on that Wounding ? hehe!
The movie rights for this game have already been snapped up for this game also which tells me the story should be rather good too.

LOL

Maybe man I dont know Im kind of hesitant of betting against the shooter genre these days.

Ill bet you a +rep it doesnt outsell

PS3 - HS, R and C

360 - Mass Effect, Bioshock

:)

[AC!D]

All im saying is don't right this game off as another shooter Because IO make the thinking mans games. I don't think a new IP like this will outsell those games cause Sony has really gone above and beyond marketing those games ( maybe the sequel if this first one is as good as i think it will be) but im willing to bet next gen Hitman will outsell most of those judging by how well Hitman blood money did.

Off topic for a moment guys i must say that everybody is really quick to right off third party shooters and overhype Killzone 2 and Halo 3. Personally i haven't seen any new dynamic in those games. I have been more impressed with the Darkling dynamic in the Darkness, the time abillities in Timeshift, the monstorous creatures in Area 51, the use of dinosaurs/enviroment agaisnt enemies in turok and the use of psychic powers and creepy as hell looking enemies in Jericho. I hope you guys don't miss out on these gr8 games including Kayne and Lynch just because MS and Sony have a bigger marketing budget than third party publishers.

[Red_Eyes]

Should be better than Hitman.

[LiquidEagle]

I'm certainly eagerly awaiting this game. I'll be picking this up and playing it alongside my 1st party games of choice this fall because I think this game fits just fantastically into PS3's portfolio.

[Sephiroth_VII]

And because IO is Danish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_Interactive) (Yeah, I can't mention this enough times :hugegrin:)

Anyway, the game is looking good, and is definitely a must-buy for me and many of my friends.

[Segitz]

And Crytek is german :P

But thats about it on worldwide reputable studios from good ol'

[LiquidEagle]

Southern California's doing alright for itself with SCEA Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Blizzard, and a good dozen other sweet developers :-p

[KRA]

german trailer SD WMV (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=20306)

german trailer HD WMV (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=wmv&id=20306)

[dendj55]

I like the look of this game.

[VonGak]

Southern California's doing alright for itself with SCEA Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Blizzard, and a good dozen other sweet developers :-p

I wonder how it must feel being a geeky programmer who never leaves the darkness of the basement and then work in sunny Southern California where all the women are super-models who despise geekyness.

*tapes up more tinfoil in the window*

[LiquidEagle]

I wonder how it must feel being a geeky programmer who never leaves the darkness of the basement and then work in sunny Southern California where all the women are super-models who despise geekyness.

*tapes up more tinfoil in the window*

I certainly wouldn't know! I'm terrible at programming!

[VonGak]

^ LOL, you lucky lucky bastard.

[KRA]

playsyde trailer (http://www.playsyde.com/news_4433_en.html)



File : Trailer (80.61 MB) (1280x720) (http://www.playsyde.com/leech_3933_en.html) Streaming version (http://www.playsyde.com/stream_3933_en.html)

File : Trailer (MP4) (89.32 MB) (1280x720) (http://www.playsyde.com/leech_3934_en.html)

[VonGak]

PS- Am I the only one that is getting sick of the temporary health these days. I mean if I get the shit shot out of me all I have to do is have a seat and relax and Im good to go again. I think the concept works a lot better in mp than it does in sp.


No you aren't alone.

I liked the idea of not having to spend time on looking for medi-kits or feel tempted to use quick load/save each time one got hit but in execution the automatically regenerating energy bar somehow kills the flow in battles because one constantly stop up to regenerate and then there's the whole invulnerability feel.

[KRA]

IGN Hands-on. (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/799/799873p1.html)

June 27, 2007 - Io Interactive, the development studio best known for the Hitman series, is hard at work on its second squad-based shooter. Following in the gameplay footsteps of Freedom Fighters, Kane and Lynch is a gritty, visceral action title that is looking to bring a bit more of a cinematic feel to games as it traces the story of the unlikely duo. We recently had the opportunity to make the short drive down to Eidos' offices to get our first crack at the pre-alpha build to see just how it handles.

The section of the game we played began in one of the same areas we were previously demoed, though not allowed to touch. We began on the top of a skyscraper in Tokyo, dressed as window washers. The fighting began immediately with a group of soon-to-be-dead guys dressed in suits standing around a helicopter. We took cover and spent a few moments figuring out the controls. It didn't take very long. If you're familiar with Freedom Fighters, then Kane and Lynch will come naturally to you.

The squad controls are greatly simplified compared to games such as Rainbow Six: Vegas. There's a command to tell your squad to return to your side and follow you, another to move to/attack a certain place, and another to stay put. To tell a single member to attack an enemy, you just look at that enemy and then tap the "attack" button. If you want everyone in your squad to focus on that one enemy, holding down the command button will do the trick. The same goes for moving squad members to specific places or asking one or all to return to you. The squad also acts as an extended inventory as you can swap weapons with any of them within reach. With this setup, the game opens up to a variety of play styles.

On the roof, we chose to sit back and let the squad do most of the work. By pressing up against a piece of cover with the analog stick (in this case the cover was what looked like an air vent), the game automatically recognizes your desire for protection and slides you into place. From there, we looked out and directed the squad while taking potshots with our automatic weapon.

With one enemy left, we rushed him and mowed him down to clear the roof. A short rappel later and we were inside a conference room for another fight. Here we put our guns to the real test. Though the action all takes place from a third-person perspective, you can hold down a button to bring the camera in closer to Kane's shoulder to improve your accuracy. You won't move as fast like this, but we found the pistol to be deadly as we ran about and quickly took aim as foes presented themselves.

Running and gunning worked fairly well within the confines of the office building. Occasionally, we found ourselves a bit overwhelmed and had to take cover behind a desk or pillar. Most of the objects in Kane and Lynch are semi-, if not fully, destructible. Pillars make a nice bit of cover, especially when the bullets start tearing them up Matrix style. As we worked our way down the spiraling staircase the rest of the squad did their thing even while we ignored them. Even at this early stage, the squad AI is good enough that you can essentially leave them be without having to worry about them being a nuisance.

When we reached the ground floor, we moved into a section of the game that we hadn't yet seen. All of the commotion our team of ne'er-do-wells created inside the building did not go unnoticed. In fact, what looked to be the entire Tokyo police force was waiting outside for us. And they weren't happy. And they had guns.

Out on the streets, things were more open. This makes cover more difficult to find and easier to simply walk around. With the huge number of officers waiting, this was not going to be easy. In fact, Eidos explained that this was one of the toughest parts of the game. Thanks for tossing us in there on our first try with Kane and Lynch. Needless to say, we died. It happened first as an officer lobbed a canister of tear gas our way. The gas causes the screen to blur which caused more than enough confusion for the rest of the officers to take Kane out.

Death in Kane and Lynch doesn't always mean a restart. If your squad is close by, they can revive you before you bleed out. This presents an extra bit of thought: Sending your squad out to fight on the offensive can make the game move more quickly. However, press too hard and you can end up in a weak position. Though it wasn't implemented yet in the build we saw, Eidos explained that past memories would be shown as you bleed out. In this way, the life flashing before your eyes will fill in a bit of the back-story not covered in the primary cutscenes.

Fighting through the streets of Tokyo also introduced us to the sniper rifle. If an opponent has you in their sights, a scope will appear in the corner of your screen to let you know you're about to get nailed. These rifles are strong, too. Once we got our hands on one, we spent the next few moments clearing out the streets. A single shot is enough to take anyone out and the accuracy is good enough that even police using riot shields are no match.

The combat on the street was by far our favorite part of the brief demo. There aren't just a few cops around to fight with you. People are busy fleeing the building and trying to get out of the line of fire. Looking down your scope at a foe across the road to line up a shot isn't as easy as you might think. Crazed civilians running this way or that constantly get in the way. Of course, you can always just shoot them down to clear a path to your target. These are, after all, men of somewhat suspect morals that you're controlling.

This early build of Kane and Lynch hadn't yet had most of the story sequences built in and we didn't get to try out the promised co-op mode, but it did give us a good idea of the direction Io Interactive is heading with the gameplay. At this stage, Kane and Lynch is looking quite promising, even amidst the huge competition it faces when it releases at the end of this year.

[KnightRiderX]

Gameplay footage. (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/78057.html)

[FantasyGhost]

click for higher res:
http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch7_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch7.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch6_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch6.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch5_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch5.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch4_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch4.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch3_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch3.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch2_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch1.jpg) http://www.vggenmedia.com/games/ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch1_t.jpg (http://ps3.vggen.com/image.php?game=3274&image=ps3/kanelynch/kanelynch1.jpg)

[GTAce]

Donut Shop Gameplay HD (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25230.html)

[KRA]

GameTrailers: Walkthrough (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27322.html)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Hate to say I'm not that excited about this game and will probably miss it.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Hate to say that I no longer like you and wil probably add you to my ignore list.

[J/K] ;) Ignoring a game from the only good Danish developer is a sin though...

[FantasyGhost]

Developing for PS3 is "fun"

PS3 Kane & Lynch to run as well as Xbox 360 version.

http://img.pro-g.co.uk/images/ps3/kane_lynch_dead_men/news/6830_1_f03e96bf9c.jpg (http://img.pro-g.co.uk/images/ps3/kane_lynch_dead_men/screens/kane_lynch_dead_men_60.jpg)

Hotly anticipated third-person shooter Kane & Lynch will run equally well on PS3 and Xbox 360, despite Sony's console requiring "special effort", its lead PC programmer has revealed.

Speaking to Pro-G in an interview (http://www.pro-g.co.uk/xbox360/kane_lynch_dead_men/preview-675.html) yesterday, Morten Heiberg, of Hitman developer IO Interactive, said that while the assets were very similar across the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC versions of the game, the team had experienced some challenges "getting up and running" on Sony's next-gen console.

He said: "It's a new platform for us. It's our first PS3 game. It's a challenging platform to develop on, but it's also one that has a lot of potential that's just waiting to be unlocked as people get to know it better and as developers get more skilled at utilising the machine."

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is an adult third-person action shooter which draws inspiration from classic heist movies like Reservoir Dogs. Its two main characters, Kane and Lynch, are anti-heroes with dodgy pasts and questionable morals. In the game you take control of Kane as you battle to save his family from the clutches of brutal gang The7. A second player can drop in and out of the campaign as Lynch to play the game co-operatively.

When asked what exactly makes it a challenging platform to work on, Heiberg pointed towards the way the PS3's CELL processor works and said that game code "ends up being rather different" compared with Xbox 360 and PC versions of the same game.

He said: "The Xbox and the PC are very similar. They are just two very powerful CPUs and you can make it through your threads and be sure that it's going to run reasonably OK. The PS3 doesn't have many general purpose CPUs like a multi core system has on the PC side. It has a CELL processor which is itself a pretty powerful processor, but if you're really going to get something out of it you're going to have to utilise the SPUs on it, which are small special purpose units that you write little programs for doing whatever you need to get done.

"Those are not just standard threads that you just spawn like you do on a PC. You have to really think it through and identify areas in your game that will benefit from this and isolate that code and make the cuts so you can transfer the minimal amount of data to and from those units and get the most processing power out of them."

http://img.pro-g.co.uk/images/ps3/kane_lynch_dead_men/news/6830_8_b08316d7ae.jpg (http://www.pro-g.co.uk/ps3/kane_lynch_dead_men/screenshot-51.html)

He added: "It's a very different approach. The code ends up being rather different than it is on the Xbox and the PC. You can start with something that's pretty much the same and then you try to run it on the PS3 and it doesn't run very well. Then you start to optimise it and optimise it and you get further away from where you started but you really start to unlock some of the potential of the PS3."

Despite these challenges, Heiberg confirmed to Pro-G that there was no frame rate reduction in the PS3 version of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. When asked if developing for the PS3 was a headache for IO, Heiberg said that despite it requiring additional resources and special effort, most developers are "keen" on the platform because of its interesting architecture.

"Well obviously it's something that requires a bit of resources and special effort, which costs money", he said. "But on the other hand it's something that I think most developers are rather keen on getting into because it's a new fresh system and it's an interesting architecture. Development wise it's fun. It brings back a lot of memories from college and university. In many ways it's a fun architecture to work on but definitely one that's also going to cost you some money because you need to write special purpose code for it."

For Pro-G's full interview with Morten Heiberg, where he discusses getting the game heard during the busy holiday season and why its multiplayer is more interesting than Gears of War's or Halo 3's, check elsewhere on the site. (http://www.pro-g.co.uk/xbox360/kane_lynch_dead_men/preview-675.html) And if that's not enough, we'll have a hands-on preview of the game later in the week.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is out for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 23.http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/07-11-2007-6830.html

[cliffbo]

online looks good:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27550.html

[AC!D]

Online looks like the most innovative ive seen this year.
Buddying up with playboy to market this game was just genius by Eidos.
Taking inspiration from movies like heat, collateral and other crime thrillers is a nice touch. IO being one of the best developers in the world i have big hopes for this game. Top it off with a mature rating and im in Heaven i knew they wouldn;t let me down:)

[KRA]

GameTrailers: Review 8.0/10 (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27909.html)

[VG Aficionado]

I didn't want to make a new thread for this, but it's starting to seem interesting... stolen from PS3forums:

you can select your friendlist in the mp section... pulls up the actual XMB f-list and can send messages and read messages... a step in the right direction so far...I'm not sure what Resistance is like in the latest patch, but the latest Smackdown game supports this feature as well. Not quite as seamless in-game messaging, but getting close.

[\m/]

I didn't want to make a new thread for this, but it's starting to seem interesting... stolen from PS3forums:

I'm not sure what Resistance is like in the latest patch, but the latest Smackdown game supports this feature as well. Not quite as seamless in-game messaging, but getting close.

You can send messages to your friends in-game in skate. too. Although there seems to be a slight problem with it. Matt was telling me that it showed that you (VG) and a few other people had the game, but when he sent a message to you, you didn't have the game. Stupid EA :P

[VG Aficionado]

Oh, that's right. I'm not sure if I got the message despite not having the game though, I'll have to check that.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I wasn't excited about this game at all after seeing it this summer... Hm..I dunno. It's not out yet is it? I'm probably gonna pass.

[cpiasminc]

"Well obviously it's something that requires a bit of resources and special effort, which costs money", he said. "But on the other hand it's something that I think most developers are rather keen on getting into because it's a new fresh system and it's an interesting architecture. Development wise it's fun. It brings back a lot of memories from college and university. In many ways it's a fun architecture to work on but definitely one that's also going to cost you some money because you need to write special purpose code for it."
This is a sentiment I've heard echoed everywhere, and I've seen this quote pop up on B3d as well. It's something that many people who've seen the era of Assembler-on-everything would say. The counterpoint to it is generally from the studio view rather than the view of individuals. Partly because it's not that common for people to have that experience anymore. And secondly because a couple of guys feeling young again by pounding their heads on their desks and drinking gallons of Jolt isn't necessarily conducive to productivity.

[KRA]

This is a sentiment I've heard echoed everywhere, and I've seen this quote pop up on B3d as well. It's something that many people who've seen the era of Assembler-on-everything would say. The counterpoint to it is generally from the studio view rather than the view of individuals. Partly because it's not that common for people to have that experience anymore. And secondly because a couple of guys feeling young again by pounding their heads on their desks and drinking gallons of Jolt isn't necessarily conducive to productivity.

you surelly seem to be very embittered man to me.
will it make you better if someone feel sorry for you ?
or worse :)

[cpiasminc]

you surelly seem to be very embittered man to me.
will it make you better if someone feel sorry for you ?
HUH?!???

I'm a bitter fellow all right, but I didn't think any of it came out in that post.

[KRA]

HUH?!???

I'm a bitter fellow all right, but I didn't think any of it came out in that post.

well i can see it in almost every comment you make
unless it isn't some tech thing only.
but maybe it's just my poor english :)

[cpiasminc]

well i can see it in almost every comment you make
unless it isn't some tech thing only.
but maybe it's just my poor english :)
It was just something about the tech. There are a lot of people out there who would say similar things about PS3 development, and it's because they were around in a different era. People coming out of school these days and people who are relatively junior, and even many otherwise senior people don't have any exposure to that. On top of which, most people subscribe to the notion that not requiring that sort of exposure and being in a completely Turing-complete environment is the way programming should be (and worst part is there aren't any people of the contrary opinion in academia). Less than 5% of programmers in the world even know what DMA is. Even within the gaming industry itself, you'll find less than 20% of them know what a cache is. It's not that they're stupid or anything -- it's just that this is how they've been brought up.

The things we often hear about how much of a pain the PS3 is, and how difficult the Cell is are most importantly from the standpoint of a studio. Even when you hear it from a Gabe Newell or a John Carmack, they're still talking as tech directors and not as individual coders. A guy like Mike Acton feels it's necessary to go back to the Bronze Age of programming because that's what produces results (he also seems to have a disease that causes him to utter the word "bulls**t" at any idea that doesn't completely fit in his image). Yeah, individuals may be perfectly happy with the efforts and the nitpicking that needs to be done to work on the PS3. That doesn't mean it's necessarily good for the whole team. And the fact that the PS3 demands no less of you means that it's a price everybody has to pay, and that's the biggest minus mark when looking at it from a studio level.

Multiplatform titles suffer not because studios can't necessarily pay that price, but because studios can't pay it all at once. You can't escape the fact that you still have to get products out, and the development isn't happening solely on one front at a time. So a lot of crufty garbage still has to hang around because the shiny new toys aren't ready for prime time. Moreover, you have to work in such a way that you can't damage anything in the garbage (i.e. assets can't be redone) in order to get the new toys up to snuff. So you also find yourself cannibalizing things you really don't want to in order to make life livable in the short term.

Even exclusive titles suffer because the spread of knowledge is so weak at this point. I've yet to see a major snag hit by any developer (multi-plat or exclusive) on PS3 for which Sony's support answer was anything other than "We don't know" or "We've never seen that" or something to that effect.

[Jay Gee]

Even exclusive titles suffer because the spread of knowledge is so weak at this point. I've yet to see a major snag hit by any developer (multi-plat or exclusive) on PS3 for which Sony's support answer was anything other than "We don't know" or "We've never seen that" or something to that effect.
Well, that's fucking gay.:\

[cpiasminc]

Well, that's fucking gay.:\
That's not to say they never have answers. Just never to the major blocking ones or things where people are trying to do something kind of big. And in these cases, Sony is often good about arranging times for people from their own teams to visit and provide some in-house support and firefighting... but the fact that it comes to this so frequently is really sad.

[KRA]

It was just something about the tech. There are a lot of people out there who would say similar things about PS3 development, and it's because they were around in a different era. People coming out of school these days and people who are relatively junior, and even many otherwise senior people don't have any exposure to that. On top of which, most people subscribe to the notion that not requiring that sort of exposure and being in a completely Turing-complete environment is the way programming should be (and worst part is there aren't any people of the contrary opinion in academia). Less than 5% of programmers in the world even know what DMA is. Even within the gaming industry itself, you'll find less than 20% of them know what a cache is. It's not that they're stupid or anything -- it's just that this is how they've been brought up.

i don't know what are you talking about.
you write this was just something about tech
yet you are commenting some hitman developer
who wrote

"Well obviously it's something that requires a bit of resources and special effort, which costs money", he said. "But on the other hand it's something that I think most developers are rather keen on getting into because it's a new fresh system and it's an interesting architecture. Development wise it's fun. It brings back a lot of memories from college and university. In many ways it's a fun architecture to work on but definitely one that's also going to cost you some money because you need to write special purpose code for it."

in this way

And secondly because a couple of guys feeling young again by pounding their heads on their desks and drinking gallons of Jolt isn't necessarily conducive to productivity.

you are like commenting something different.
changing a little discussion to what is good for studio vs. what some developers think.
using some shity emo sentences about old sad guys feeling young again.


A guy like Mike Acton feels it's necessary to go back to the Bronze Age of programming because that's what produces results (he also seems to have a disease that causes him to utter the word "bulls**t" at any idea that doesn't completely fit in his image).

who the fuck is that ?
and who cares ?
and secondlly you are preety the same using some shity words at any idea
that doesn't completly fit in yours image.


Yeah, individuals may be perfectly happy with the efforts and the nitpicking that needs to be done to work on the PS3. That doesn't mean it's necessarily good for the whole team. And the fact that the PS3 demands no less of you means that it's a price everybody has to pay, and that's the biggest minus mark when looking at it from a studio level.


and who was saing that it's good for the whole team ?
what kind of 'good' do you mean ? and why are you writing about it in the first place ?
why are you constantlly writting about something from a studio level ?

i am not a programmer. but i can see that some individuals as you and
this hitman's developer said have some good time playing around with ps3.
i can see developers that like to go deep into machine they are working with.
opposite to the new school. and i can see that while they having fun
can do some interesting things. is it great for whole team ?
is it that great from a studio perspective ? not really but was this discussion about it ?
and is it great from a gamer perspective ? yes it can be sometimes.
when some talented developer having fun with ps3 on some primitive level
using prehistoric methods make something great. it surelly can.


Multiplatform titles suffer not because studios can't necessarily pay that price, but because studios can't pay it all at once. You can't escape the fact that you still have to get products out, and the development isn't happening solely on one front at a time. So a lot of crufty garbage still has to hang around because the shiny new toys aren't ready for prime time. Moreover, you have to work in such a way that you can't damage anything in the garbage (i.e. assets can't be redone) in order to get the new toys up to snuff. So you also find yourself cannibalizing things you really don't want to in order to make life livable in the short term.

Even exclusive titles suffer because the spread of knowledge is so weak at this point. I've yet to see a major snag hit by any developer (multi-plat or exclusive) on PS3 for which Sony's support answer was anything other than "We don't know" or "We've never seen that" or something to that effect.

it's gamers forums and sometimes i find interesting to
read your post to see it from a different developer/studio but
sometimes i don't really get it.
sometimes i feel like a fan of cars going to some forum about cars
and reading that i don't appreciate the work of some mechanics enough.
and i shouldn't just write what i want becasue it feels different
from his point of view.

[KRA]

ThreeSpeech: KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN - HAND’S ON (http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=713#more-713)


http://www.threespeech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/kl2.1.jpg

Eidos’s anticipated third-person shooter is on its way, and ThreeSpeech is lucky enough to have been playing it on PS3 to the exclusion of things like family, social life and work. You play primarily as Kane, a hard-case ex-Merc and trained killer who’s managed to upset his former bosses, an enigmatic bunch called ‘The Seven’, by stealing some loot from them. Now they’ve sprung him from prison and they’re holding his wife and daughter hostage until he recovers it. To keep an eye on him, The Seven have assigned Lynch, a man on some serious medication to keep him from going totally psycho – which he does quite a lot, with murderous consequences.


http://www.threespeech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/kl3.1.jpg

The first level involves Kane being busted, along with Lynch, from a prison van, and having to shoot it out alongside the heavily-armed mob that have sprung him. It’s a tense and chaotic shoot-out with the cops, climaxing at a donut shop, that sets the pace for the rest of the game. From there, after a cut-scene with The Seven and an introduction to your minder, Lynch, you’re into a deserted shopping mall for a bit of tutorial time.

Combat is straightforward, right and left triggers to aim/shoot, with some handy melee tricks, and grenades. You can make use of cover, of course, and blind-fire or take more time to aim from cover. You’re going to be in a good many shoot-outs with multiple enemies, so it’s good practice. Health can be recovered by getting behind cover and waiting until your screen stops being red. If you should die, however, Lynch or occasional other team members will try to reach you and give you a shot of adrenaline to revive you. You can only do this once per shoot-out, however, or you’ll OD and have a heart-attack.

http://www.threespeech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/kl5.1.jpg

Kane’s next task is to rob a safety deposit box in a bank where he believes the loot is stashed. Naturally, the robbery goes wrong, providing the opportunity for a hostage situation and shoot-out with the cops that’s like playing all your favourite heist movies. It’s Dog Day Afternoon, Reservoir Dogs and Heat all rolled into one, an intense, action-packed chapter as the cops attempt to storm the bank. You have to cover all windows, throw back smoke grenades etc as Lynch goes nut-nut and starts shooting the hostages. At this point, handily, you’ve got another bank robber on your side, the safe-cracker, and you have to watch his back too. He’s also on hand with an adrenaline shot should you need it.

Once Kane and Lynch are out of that sticky situation, via a car chase where you and Lynch are shooting the pursuing cops from the back of a getaway van, you’re bound for Tokyo and a nightclub run by a former girlfriend of Kane’s. Still chasing the elusive loot you need to trade for Kane’s family’s lives, the desperate duo must now kidnap her to trade with her gangster dad. And this sets up what must surely be one of the best videogame sequences of all time.

http://www.threespeech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/kl4.1.jpg

Having knocked out Yoko, the club owner, Lynch has to carry her out of the busy nightclub while you, as Kane have to take care of the heavily armed security that are on high-alert around the club. The club is busy, full of punters happily dancing to pounding techno. It’s dark in there, of course, and your way is half-lit by strobing disco lights. The bouncers are carrying torches, so can be spotted pushing their way through the crowd towards you. Once they’re on you, they’ll start shooting Lynch first, so you have to stay close and protect him and Yoko. And this is where it gets really clever.

If you take down the bouncers using melee, or you’re accurate with your shots, the punters will be largely oblivious to what’s going on. However, if you fire into the crowd wildly, or deliberately target the punters, you’ll start a panic and everyone will stampede towards the door. There are several levels to the club, so it’s quite a feat to get to your escape point on the roof, but absolutely brilliant fun. And really that’s just the tip of the iceberg, the action doesn’t let up, and there’s plenty of hours of it to be had. It’s a pretty linear storyline, but you’ll have so much fun playing it you won’t mind.

The graphics throughout are lovely and the animations smooth, with a decent amount of background detail. The AI is impressive too, so you can’t simply work out your best way of tackling any level and stick to it, they will always respond differently, and quite cannily. The dynamic of the two main characters is an interesting one, too. Just when you think you’ve got things under control, Lynch may flip out and bring more heat down on you. It’s entertaining, original and the best third-person shooter on the PS3 so far. There’s online play promised for 4-8 players, too, where the aim is to steal as much money as possible from a bank and successfully make your getaway.

Kane & Lynch is out in time for Christmas, so get writing to Santa now.