That’s quite a price drop after a mere few days on sale. So much so that now, only a week after release, you can find the game for around £20. Even on a hard difficulty, I can’t imagine the game lasting more than 4-5 hours for most experienced players, and for a title with an RRP of £49.99 that’s simply not on. The second, and without doubt, major flaw is the campaign’s length. This isn’t a problem, though, as the first game didn’t really benefit from this feature, and as the sequel stars only Kane and Lynch, with no backup squad, you won’t miss it. IO has also removed the admittedly poor squad commands featured in the first game, and Kane is fully AI controlled, accepting no input from the player. The problem is, it’s nigh on impossible to be stealthy, and no matter how hard you try, either you, or Kane’s dodgy AI (just count how often he stands in front of you in a fire fight) will spark a full-fledged fight. The forced stealth sections of the first game are gone, but there are clearly optional stealth sections here (as indicated by Kane telling you to be quiet and to take guards out silently). This time, save a jaunt as a gunner in a chopper, you’ll simply run and gun from one location to the next with no change in gameplay style at all. Unlike the original game, which featured car chases, bank raids, jungle warfare and so on, Dog Days is about as straightforward and simple as they come.
First, it’s devoid of any form of variety.
The single player campaign is entertaining enough, and packs in some satisfying gunplay, but it has two major flaws. I applaud IO for doing something different, and it’s a visual style most won’t have seen applied before. indeed, simply looking at screenshots makes the game look bad, but, in motion, it’s an impressive and original effect, even if it does cover what are clearly dated visuals. Now you have to press X to stick to cover, which is a far better option. It’s no Gears, certainly, but the controls are good, aiming is solid, and the cover system, barring a few instances of being hit even behind solid cover, is spot on, especially now that IO has done away with the god-awful sticky cover system seen previously. It’s all familiar stuff, and it has to be said, the actual central shoot and cover mechanic works very well, indeed. Taking control of the heavily medicated psychopath, Lynch, for the majority of the single player campaign, players are sheep herded through several linear and repetitive locales, from back alleys and shopping malls to train yards and corporate skyscrapers, while indulging in third-person shooting and cover hugging. As you can probably guess, this seemingly simple plan is anything but, and soon both antiheroes are thrust into a crapton of trouble. Lynch has invited Kane to the Chinese metropolis in order to help with a big arms deal, promising a ton of cash for one last big job. Set in Shanghai, Kane & Lynch 2 centres this time on Lynch, leaving Kane in a supporting role.
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