Good ideas where present and an inventive multiplayer also featured however due to overwhelming technical issues and clunky gameplay the game was doomed to the mediocre rating it received. Fast-forward to 2010 and Kane & Lynch are back in Dog Days.

Dog Days is set in the seedy underworld of Shanghai, where since the events of the last game, Lynch has built himself a new life and even found love. With both Kane & Lynch still having their fingers in the criminal pie Kane comes over to meet Lynch to complete a big money arms deal, and of course things go very wrong indeed, que guns gore murder, betrayal and chaos on the streets of Shanghai.

This time around the game focus more on Lynch and tries to develop him as a reformed character compared to the one present in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men and for the most part they do mange to make Lynch seem like a passable character however in doing so this creates the feeling that Kane is little more than a back seat character tagging along for the ride. Much like their first outing Kane & Lynch do interactive with each other in a believable manner both during cut scenes and during gameplay as they spit off one liners and witty replies, this is testament to the strong voice acting on the show in Dog Days.

Voice acting aside the single player story starts of well and manages to convey it’s self at a decent pace as it pushes players through various different locations and with a sense of grit about them. The main issue with the story is there’s too much going on in too little time and at points feels very underdeveloped and a bit tacked on which takes away from the overall experience. The gritty and gory tale of Dog Days won’t be anything that will shock veterans of crime based movies but less experienced people may find shock value in the scene involving some handy knife skills and a middle aged mans ass. Overall the story is good but the finale feels like an afterthought tacked on to ensure the game met its release date deadline which can cause a little bit of frustration and confusion. However the main issue that involves Kane & Lynch single player story is the length. Branching to around five hours with next to no replay value is a huge disappointment and may leave some feeling somewhat bitter or underwhelmed after spending their hard earned cash on such a short game.

The campaign side of Dog Days can be further enjoyed via online and local co-op play placing you and a buddy in the shoes of Kane & Lynch. Co-op adds extra depth and enjoyment but never does Dog Days feel like it was built with co-op in mind, there’s no co-op game mechanics such as multiple path choices or any requirement of a joint effort to complete a task. This makes the co-op feel a bit underdeveloped and a bit underwhelming but never the less it’s nice to have the option. At the time of writing this review there was a small issue with connections being lost between co-op partners but this was not regular enough to list as a major issue.

Story issues aside Dog Days gameplay is a mixed bag of good and bad. A problem which was present in the first game makes a return in Dog Days with a number of guns being absolutely useless as their damage is near minim and their accuracy is woeful, this can result in some situations where a player may be pinned down in a area and can be sitting there for 5-7 minutes trying to kill a enemy without success and this of course leads to frustration and cries of pure confusion to why they the weapons feel so pointless. That being said towards the end of the game new weapons will become available and for most part do mange to cause damage and be accurate however this also highlights another issue carried over from Kane & Lynch: Dead Men and that issue is that enemies simply to do die when they should be deader than the Sega CD. Enemies will shots to the chest and in some cases the face only to stand back up and start firing back like nothing has happened, this becomes a major issue when dealing with a number of enemies in a small space and adds a bit of a negative niggle to the gameplay experience overall.

The inclusion of the ability to take hostages as meat shields may sound like a decent feature but it quickly becomes apparent that the mechanic doesn’t work very well due the issues with the weapons mentioned previously. Taking a meat shield prompts Lynch (or Kane if playing in Co-op) to draw their pistol, the main issue is the pistol is very ineffective against enemies and very inaccurate add to this that the meat shield doesn’t really soak up much damage and this all results in a quite pointless game mechanic, when it comes to the Meat shield it’s more of a thanks but no thanks situation.

A weakness of Dog Days comes in the form of the AI, enemies and team mates tend to be very static and predictable and at times almost zombie like. The AI flaws become apparent quite early on with enemies almost presenting themselves to be filled with lead which at first provides comedy value but after a while becomes a bit silly and comes off as lazy on the developer’s part. AI also has the tendency to run into walls and turn around almost in a turret like manner only to run back and forward. When playing alone through single player Kane will be controlled by the AI and this results in the harder difficulties being unplayable due to the sheer stupidity of the AI as it wonders around like a lost dog, at times the AI will decide that Kane enjoys licking walls and sticks him in a corner starring at a surrounding wall while players try and take on the enemies. At its very worst the AI tends to lead Kane into a number of glitches such as being stuck inside of wall or just simply not following the player halting game progress, all of which leave the player in a state of pure confusion and hysterical laughter. With hysterical laughter in mind it’s at this point where the mention of the frankly surreal physics engine bugs must be mentioned, at times enemy’s character models will flop to the floor once killed but will continue to move limbs such as their arms and legs. It’s hardly a game breaking bug but never the less it’s a bug that should never of made it to the final product.

Improvements have been made to the cover system which is a little more defined compared to Kane & Lynch’s first outing however there is still a few issues such as getting stuck onto walls and sometimes certain obstacles almost repositioning a player when taking cover behind it which can lead to some cheap deaths. In some cases obstacles that look like they can be used as cover e.g. a large bin are in fact not compatible with the cover mechanic which at times boggles the mind….as well as earning the player a bullet in the head. The main issue however is in some places the cover system manages to become a bit of a mess in confided spaces which results in a play flying from cover to cover while trying to simple detach them self from a box or a wall, the cover system on the whole feels a bit ineffective and primitive in a games market filled with the likes of Gears of War.

If there is anything to entice people into picking up Dog Days it has to be the visual style. Dog Days is presented in a amateur footage style similar to films such as Blair Witch Project, REC and Cloverfield however Dog Days goes one step further and adds extra layers of amateur such as increased motion blur, static and sound distortion on loud noises. The visual style is a thing to behold as it genuinely is interesting and well done and also adds to the games gritty underground feeling. Entering a brightly light room will cause the camera to blur; explosions cause pixilation which all adds to the feeling of seeing things through a lens. The visual style also adds an extra layer of intensity when it comes to fire fights as it engages the player and makes them feel like there on the front line of the action. The visual style also adds a seedy look to the backstreets of Shanghai which looks wonderfully bleak yet nicely detailed throughout the game.

A highlight of Dog Days is the fantastic audio present within the game, weapons all sound meaty and realistic and the sounds of bullets hitting surrounding cover all sounds top notch and results in each fire fight feeling intense throughout. The ambient sounds of Shanghai provide the sound track to Dog Days, ranging from music played on radios to sounds of TV’s from surrounding homes to the rain drops hitting the floor it all sounds very satisfying and realistic adding to the overall feel of Dog Days.

With a short campaign to play through Dog Days offers multiplayer in the form of the returning and celebrated Fragile Alliance as well as Undercover cop and Cops & Robbers. All three game modes set the scenario of criminals embarking on a heist to steal money and at this point is where the three game modes differ.

Fragile Alliance returns with same basic set up of players taken up the role of a criminal on a heist, teamed with other players it is up to you whether you wish work as a team and split the cash at the end of the heist or you can attempt to betray your team mates and take off with as much cash as you can pick up. Turning traitor marks you out for your team mates, killing traitors offers players a extra bundle of cash however if a player is killed by a traitor they return to the game playing as a police officer and join the AI controlled police as they try to stop the criminals. Fragile Alliance is still an interesting concept and offers an intense multiplayer experience as well as a major trust exercise as you keep your eye on any potential traitors. Unfortunately much like Fragile Alliances first appearance the AI controlled police always spawn in the same positions and always go to the same spots making the experience a little repetitive.

Undercover cop follows the same rules as Fragile Alliance with the only key difference being one player is given the role as the undercover cop which means victory can only be achieved by the cop being killed or by the cop killing the criminals. Although the set up may sound a bit stream line it is in fact the best of the multiplayer modes as the sense of paranoia and the intensity of the heists all increase in leaps and bounds. Playing as the Undercover Cop is interesting and challenging as shooting anyone of the AI controlled police in a level will result in an automatic failure, the key to winning as the Undercover cop is to blend in with the criminals and replicate their movements’ while planning their downfall all of which creates a entertaining experience.

Cops and Robbers offer the weakest experience of the three. Combining a mixture of Fragile Alliance and Team Death Match the whole thing feels rather clunky and messy. Players take up roles of either police officers or criminals with the latter being tasked with yet another heist while the police try to prevent the criminals from reaching their escape vehicle. Killing criminals a large stash of cash is encouraged as score is determined by cash collected through kill enemies’ and collecting their carried stash. Overall Cops and Robbers is more of a chore to play than the other game modes due to overlay long match making and uninspired gameplay.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days multiplayer overall adds much needed extra game hours as well as some interesting takes on the multiplayer landscape however all the issues of the single player section transpire to the multiplayer making things not as enjoyable as they should be. The concepts are all original and interesting however the execution is done to a below average standard.

Further game time hours are added to Dog Days via the Arcade mode which acts almost like a training tool for the multiplayer. Arcade Mode is at its base a offline version of Fragile Alliance in which a player is scored on how they perform during a heist through a number of rounds with scores being determined by how much cash a player scoops and how many kills they earn as well as this points are taken away from any civilian kills or friendly fire incidents. Arcade Mode gets repetitive fast as enemy AI go to the same locations each time making it very easy to eliminate them and friendly AI never tries to betray anyone or indeed does anything different from round to round. Running and gunning your way through a number of rounds on the same map beings to make you question to why you’re not just playing the online option which is far superior to arcade Mode. Arcade Mode as an option feels more like a cheap way to add replay value and the whole thing feels rather pointless, some may find it a useful aide to prepare themselves for the online multiplayer but for most part it’s an option worth skipping.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days as an overall game improves on some of the issues of its predecessor but not all the issues. The clunky gameplay and primitive cover mechanics all take away from the experience that Dog Days have to offer. The short single player campaign does mange to engross the player at first but the final act comes off as slap dash and underdeveloped which is a running theme throughout Dog Days on the whole. The unique visual style and fantastic audio are the highlights in what is an average game that feels unfinished and unpolished. Multiplayer offers a fresh spin on things but with the issues previously mentioned affecting the game this too also comes off as underdeveloped.

At its best Dog Days manages to be a dark and gritty title filled with both visual and audio treats but beyond that it’s nothing more than an average game with gameplay issues that stifle the overall quality of the game. That being said there is still a fun time to be had with Dog Days as long as you can overlook the issues and niggles at the core of the game. Dog Days will satisfy those looking for a straight forward no nonsense gritty action game but never the less that doesn’t mean Dog Days is anything above mediocre at best.

Thanks to Square Enix for supplying us with a review copy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But it stands to reason, is it a little too late? With all the focus recently being on the announcements of Gears of War 3, or  are Epic merely counting on people to play Gears of War 2 to fill the void until the the colossal Gears of War 3 release?

Improvements
Title Update 6 makes these new improvements:

• Adds a new public multiplayer match option called Social Xbox LIVE (aka player matches), open to anyone who owns all downloadable maps (that is, All Fronts Collection). We’ll be having a promotion that will dramatically reduce the cost of the All Fronts Collection.
• You can join Social Matches in progress and can quit any time without penalty, although players who quit a match early don’t receive earned experience (XP) from that match.
• Social matchmaking lets your party join a match in progress. If a match is not found, your party hosts a new match, filling any empty player slots with bots.
• Social Matches automatically cycle to the next map without further matchmaking.
• Teams are rebalanced between matches based on XP level without splitting parties.
• If you quit, your spot is taken by a bot until a new player joins the match. That new player can join while the match is in progress.
• If you join a match in progress, you are assigned a team based on XP level and party size.
• If you join a match in progress, you replace a bot at the earliest opportunity: at the first bot’s death for respawning game types (for example, Annex) and at round completion for Warzone, Execution, and Wingman.
• Social leaderboards become part of the War Journal.
• Renames Public Matches to Ranked Xbox LIVE Matches to differentiate these from Social Xbox LIVE Matches, and adds some improvements to these matches.
• Improved host selection using bandwidth testing and previous hosting data has been added.
• Before the match begins, teams are balanced based on XP without splitting parties.
• Renames Private Matches to Custom Xbox LIVE Matches and makes these matches invite-only.
• Adds the ability to join Horde sessions that are in progress.
• In Social Horde, you can join a session in progress through matchmaking and you are able to continue your session from the last wave you failed without starting over.
• In Ranked Horde, you can join a session in progress only through invites.
• If you join a session in progress, at the end of the session you receive the score you achieved during the time you spent in the session.
• Improves the precision of weapon selection using the D-pad.
• Improves client-side hit detection for ballistic weapons.

Exploit Fixes
Title Update 6 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:

• Execution rules could be ignored when using certain weapon types.
• On the Subway map, you could get outside of the playable environment by sliding into cover and rolling between a train car and the side of tracks.
• On the Blood Drive map, you could get outside of the playable environment in various locations.
• Players could grief other players on Submission, Annex, King of the Hill, and Guardian games by preventing the objective from being completed while racking up experience. Title Update 6 adds match time limits to each of these game types to prevent this practice.

General Fixes
Title Update 6 fixes these other issues as well:

• An issue that could cause your profile to be overwritten, erasing XP level, and achievement progress
• An issue that could cause a campaign save slot to be overwritten if you previously chose to continue without saving and then signed in.

Balancing
Title Update 6 makes these balancing changes:

• Changes the Gnasher Shotgun pellet pattern to increase hit consistency.
• Changes the Guardian game type to select the leader based upon XP level (highest to lowest).

What we know about Gears of War 3 thus far:
It’s announcement
4 Player co-op
Online improvements
Set to receive dedicated servers
First gameplay screenshots

The most obvious change you may see to your left 4 dead 2 menu is the addition of ‘mutation’. This features a weekly rota of different a different game mode; starting off with versus realism. Players will soon even be given to opportunity to vote for their favourite game mode; for it to be played again the subsequent week.

The two new featured weapons are pretty much at both ends of the scale; with a golf club at one end, and a big startlingly awesome M60 at the other. The M60 is an exceptionally fun weapon to use, as it mows down zombies with ease, effortlessly tearing apart their limbs, leaving you with a huge smile on your face, and an outstandingly blood splattered screen. Unfortunately, the golf club isn’t quite as fun. It’s pretty much an exact replica of every other average melee weapon, such as the baseball bat or police baton, with a new skin.

The maps themselves are intricately detailed; with a variety of alternate paths to get to the end, which like the other maps, can change through every play through, keeping the experience new, vibrant and exciting. This map also features 2 new infected – a brand new uncommon common – the fallen survivors. The fallen survivors were well equipped survivors, who clearly got over run by zombies, and infected. Fallen survivors take a few more bullets to take down than regular infected, but its well worth it as they often drop first aid kits, Molotov’s, pipe bombs and other zombie killing goodies. The other ‘new’ infected is the bride witch. This is basically the exact same witch, but with a new skin, of a bride. Well, you know what they say – hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And by the looks of it; that witch has been scorned more times than Megan Fox has masturbated too.

Unfortunately, valve took it upon themselves to kill off one of the original left 4 dead characters, which feature in ‘the passing’, and even help this generation of survivors stay alive, by helping to shoot off several of the onslaught of zombies. Though I don’t like the choice of killing off a character, (one of my favourites might I add – but you’ll have to play to find out who! – or just use Google.) And though I personally don’t like this choice; it does give Left 4 Dead 2 somewhat of a storyline, which is what many players believe it lacked.

Overall; this DLC is most certainly worth the small fee of 560 Microsoft Points; even though it’s only 3 maps, they have a fair bit of replayability, especially with the all new added Mutation mode, which will keep keep things exciting and new for players, this – along with 10 new achievements are bound to keep players busy. Overall, I give this DLC 4/5 stars, as after all, there is only so much playtime you can get from 3 maps, and though it does feature new infected, they aren’t anything overly new or exciting. But the cameo from the left 4 dead 1 characters, and the brilliant maps, which feature an awesome finally definitely makes it all worth while.

As a ‘thank you’ from the Just Cause 2 team for all the grapple carnage of the last two weeks, players can now ram, smash and crash their way across Panau in a smooth, pimped-out ice cream van – the Chevalier Ice Breaker – available now for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC absolutely FREE.

Pimped-out by Panau’s finest body shop, the Chevalier Ice Breaker’s lowered suspension, slick aluminium alloys and body-styled side skirts are perfectly complemented by its rigid front bull bars, more than capable of tearing apart anything that stands in its way. Mind that child!

The Chevalier Ice Breaker is the perfect addition to your arsenal of vehicles for ramping up the chaos on Panau. Take it for a spin and add to the over 25 million kilometres driven by players worldwide, just one of the stats tracked online at JustCause.com. Register your PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 profile on the site and see how your tallest BASE jump, total kills and more shape up against the world’s top ten players.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.

Just Cause 2 is available now for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® and is released under the EIDOS brand portfolio.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, here we are again with Desmond, an unlucky subject (or lucky in some ways) chosen to use the all new Animus. Although for our first moments, we’ll be using the first old Animus. Your very first moments upon entering the memory, is that of a baby being born. This baby is no ordinary baby, it’s an upcoming Ezio, a new character for a new historical setting. Sure, our previous character was awesome (and still damn right is) but Ezio has a sleek, ladies-man look. He’s also a very good fighter, I kid you not. He seems to want the attention, much like we crave the attention of all the great features yet to discover.

What made Assassin’s Creed special was the beauty of the landscapes and carefully crafted historical characters. However, what made it even more special is how you become apart of a historical setting thanks to the wonders of DNA and the Animus. Nevertheless, the sequel does what made the first a very exciting and fresh experience. Not just another game, not just a typical sequel, but a game that throws in many new and useful features whilst modifying certain elements to better reflect our new setting. Many of the flaws from the first seem to be addressed. Assassin’s Creed II takes place in Italy, a place that has many secrets and beauty that one could only wish he or she could experience in reality (although, probably without the violence). If you can’t quite get that time machine working, then I guess we’ll have to settle with some Assassin’s Creed II.

"What made Assassin's Creed special was the beauty of the landscapes and carefully crafted historical characters."

It becomes increasingly hard to tell you about the details of Assassin’s Creed II. I really want to tell you some things but then there’s a part of me thinking, I really shouldn’t just give every speck of detail away. So, let me put it this way – if you are even slightly curious about the previous events, then you will certainly have a sense of continuation and explanation come through. First things first with the character Ezio, he has all his fingers but he doesn’t wield a blade right away. This allows us to play and moderately progress through the various tutorials that will pop up and eventually lead you to the things you really want to do. It’s a good balance, because titles that are too overwhelming at first play can be difficult to grasp. A fist fight feels solid early on and it’s easy to learn the controls of combat – especially if you liked it in the first. The controls feel similar, but there are many small and interesting changes to discover. Ezio seems to be a much more flexible protagonist, it seems, and as you climb buildings and make satisfying jumps, you’ll soon start to notice it.

Throughout, you are not alone. There are many small and effective ways that passers-by can aid you. You can hire prostitutes to lure the attention of enemies whilst you make your way past them. If you want to spill your coins, go ahead, because doing so will attract residents nearby, creating an effective distraction. Compared to the first, Ezio doesn’t seem to be alone much. Early on, I’ve found myself having to follow someone to get to some enemies rather than just making my own way there. Ezio, being his character, does like the attention, so I guess it’s only fair to have assistance during fights. When fighting, you’ll have a choice of weapons by holding down RB. You can have a variety, at last. An interesting-yet-simple element that’s been present for many years in other titles, is that you can now pick up a weapon dropped by an enemy. If you find yourself needing further aid, you’ll probably want to preserve some currency for weapons and upgrades.

A major new feature is the economy. There are marked on your map, so these shouldn’t be a problem to find (assuming you’ve synchronised the View Points). Instead of having the health eventually re-generate, as was the case in the first, this time it doesn’t – kind of. If one block gets decreased, but not all the way, then that block will re-generate. Say, if you have a few blocks decrease completely, then it will not re-generate. Fear not, there are some creepy-looking doctors standing on the streets of Italy. You simply walk up to them, press Y and can be healed for a small decrease of your currency. Also, you can take some extra medicine, in case you are unable to find a doctor. This is especially useful during areas with fights or if you’re just too lazy to find the doctor.

The impossible is now possible - Leonardo would be proud.

There’s nothing more satisfying in Assassin’s Creed II than climbing up a very tall building, which likely is a View Point and looking into the distance. Seeing all the building and landscape is kinda breathless, just the closest match to reality in my opinion. View Points, like in the first game, are synchronised, which will un-blur parts of the map, to make it easier to navigate. It is highly encouraged that you synchronise View Points upon finding them (preferably when not in combat, might I add). Conveniently enough, there are hay stacks placed, so you can just dive off these to get back on the ground quickly. Bird droppings are present on buildings to indicate that you can jump from there safely. The beauty shines through day and night. So, exploring somewhere like Florence or Venice is still satisfying without the sun. However, with that said, I did find certain alleys a slight bit difficult to see through due to the poor lighting.

It’s not just jumping across buildings, though – there are tombs and more open areas present. Your knowledge of the areas will be put to the test in events like races. Like Crackdown (yeah, great comparison!), you are getting from checkpoint to checkpoint whilst trying to figure out the quickest and most effective way of getting there. I guess this will be trial and error on some later races, but so far it has been a lot of fun. Races, however, are just one type of side-mission to play in. You’ll discover more of these and be able to earn achievements from doing so. On the subject of achievements – the list does seem fair and, although there are some collectibles, it’s nowhere near the shear amount of flags in the first game. Symbols are also on the sides of buildings, where you’ll have to switch to Eagle Vision to activate the puzzle. On one, I was linking a series of images together that all had one similarity. It does seem a little confusing but if you look beyond the description of what to do, I’m sure it will become obvious how to work out.

All this way through, and not once did I mention anything about swimming. Well, as with many sequels, you can now swim. I take it Animus 2.0 is a much better machine. I found myself discovering new features at times I wasn’t expecting. So, not everything is clearly revealed right off the bat. This is what makes Assassin’s Creed II a very satisfying experience. There’s far more features in the game than I’ve explained and you will soon discover them. It does seem to be a great experience so far for me and it doesn’t look like the game is just going to suddenly end after a few hours of playing. Add on the length of all the side-missions, and you’ve got yourself a rather lengthy title to play, and a satisfying one at that, with dives off of buildings and dual blade killings. Whoops…that’s it. YOU go find out the rest of the features now before more come into my mind.

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