Hands on with Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

In television's The Odd Couple, a typical argument between the two men revolved around cleaning their messy apartment. An argument between Eidos' odd couple Kane and Lynch, on the other hand, includes use of a revolver.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is as gritty a game as they come, boasting action and more action. We recently mediated a level of the game at the CTIA 2007 event and were intrigued by its cooperative-style play.

A grizzly tale of thievery and murder, Kane & Lynch follows the titular anti-heroes in their effort to exact revenge on a mercenary group called The 7. Kane, a former member of the underground coalition, is forced to do the group's bidding in order to save the lives of his wife and child. Tasked with keeping watch over Kane to ensure he completes his task is Lynch, a drugged-up psychopath that The 7 broke out from prison. The unlikely duo begrudgingly cooperate with the hope of destroying The 7. However, their distaste for each other makes each crime-riddled step of the way to revenge more difficult than they imagined.

While adhering to the same plot, Kane & Lynch mobile departs from its console and PC counterparts in terms of gameplay. Side-scrolling levels replace three-dimensional shootouts, for instance, although the intense action still remains. Indeed, most of your time is spent shooting down baddies that assault Kane and his psycho ally. A bit of platforming makes it into the mix, but the game emphasizes thrills above all else.

An almost non-existent heads-up display and simple controls give Kane & Lynch a minimalist feel – other than health gauges that sit at the bottom of the screen for both characters, that's it. The screen is delightfully free of meters and ammunition counters, which makes it easy to hone in on the action.

Control-wise, nearly everything can be done with the center key, from firing your weapon to interacting with objects in the surrounding environment. Holding down the key opens a radial weapons menu from which you choose from a variety of firearms with the directional pad. Through the course of the game, Kane comes across a handful of guns including staples such as a shotgun, grenade launcher and Uzi.

Plenty of opportunities exist to put these weapons to good use, usually as a means of riddling an enemy's body with bullets. The Tokyo skyscraper stage we explored was packed with well-armed guards just begging to be shot. Whenever an enemy is hit, a small vitality gauge pops up next to their body to let you know of their remaining health. Timing weapon fire is critical to dispatching foes, especially since you need to hop between short platforms with taps up on the directional pad.

Control is granted over one character at any given time, with switching between them done via the '#' key. Usually, it's best to stick with Kane, but specific sequences require Lynch's sniping ability. Playing as the latter keeps you stationary, giving you control over a targeting reticle instead. You move it about the screen using the directional pad in order to gun down opponents or shoot objects such as explosive barrels to open up secret areas.

One section, for example, features a non-stop barrage of guards that can only be ended by disabling a nearby security camera. Once enough guards have been eliminated using Kane's Uzi, there's a brief pause in the action that gives you the chance to snipe the camera as Lynch. Act fast and the camera is neutralised, otherwise more guard stream through, forcing you to switch back to Kane to clear them out.

Short sequences like this give Kane & Lynch an intensity lacking in other side-scrolling shooters. And with the cooperative dynamic at the core of the game, we ought to expect more of these moments.

The title is set for a release in about two weeks, so it won't be long until we find out if this odd couple can maintain the quality gameplay we've experienced so far.