Preview- Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days [Hands-on]

Released: 27^th August 2010

Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Developer: IO Interactive

Publisher: Eidos Interactive/ Square Enix

In serving its cold, dirty and gritty underbelly, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is met with a unique visual style. Shot to look like real-world documentary type camera work, there's no escaping the flair that IO Interactive have used to showcase the second in the Kane & Lynch series- the first having been received critically poorly. In trying to distance itself from others in its genre, Dog Days' hand-held camera aesthetic that accumulates strewn rough cuts, sharp movements, blinding lens flares and extremely fuzzy quality all help convey its added sense of realism.

And it works. As the demo's opening cut scene begins (once the loading screen has neatly portrayed a phone call), it becomes immediately clear- if you hadn't already guessed- the excellent tone that has been set. It's something that is expertly transitioned into the third-person, over the shoulder, cover-based action also, where the camera idles from side to side and waves to and fro as quality seeps and loses focus once the game play picks up.

Taking control of Lynch in the sequel, combat feels extremely well handled, from smooth transitions into cover, to the aim assisted shooting mechanics that do well to pick off enemies through the destructible cover. With the opening of the hands-on taking place in a Shanghai restaurant (more on that later), the explosive blend of action movie and grindhouse rough and tumble can be sampled. With sprinting seeing the camera jaunt up and down and side to side in trying to replicate the work of amateur cameramen, action is visceral and brutal with an unforgiving feeling of being a part of the action.

However, the short demo does little to forbade negativity coming its way. I wholeheartedly question the reason for the HUD elements when IO have gone so far in addressing the pervading sense of 'real'. Why not go all out in having that sense of documentary film making? It seems only a part of the intention has been carried out, since the remainder of the game is still blindingly eager in promoting unrealistic game play elements such as relocating weapons after a fire-fight using down on the d-pad highlighting dropped weapons, or choosing to use markers for points of interest. Not that the developer seems keen in becoming lazy in other aspects of the game's design- the attention to detail within the streets of Shanghai is simply fantastic. Stores are fully stocked (one shop has IO's previous work on store shelves!), and the shady streets are dirty and populated with well animated characters. The sense of location is further improved with the lights of monumental skyscrapers casting shadows down onto the action.

In addition to the sample of single player campaign, the demo also features a newly introduced singe-player 'Arcade' mode in which players must accumulate as much stolen money as possible with a team of ragtag NPC criminals against AI police officers within a four minute time period. Working together is the aim of the game if you're to make the escape vehicle in time, although with money split evenly between surviving members (used for buying additional weapons), you may want to increase your share by killing other members of your team- seeing you become a “traitor” and a walking target for everyone involved. Fail to escape the heist and you'll lose a life, with each of the three rounds given getting progressively harder. The multiplayer equivalent to 'Arcade' is the returning 'Fragile Alliance', whilst 'Undercover Cop' selects one player to be “cop”, tasked with stopping the other players from stealing the dough, introducing a dramatic multiplayer mode in which no one can be trusted until the cop is dead. 'Cops and Robbers', meanwhile, is Dog Days' take on team death match in a 6 versus 6 fight between the opposite sides of the law.

Whilst the first game was a let down by nearly all who played it, Dog Days looks really quite excellent. The cover system adds weight and refinement to the combat system whilst the presentation and immersive graphical style is well put together (unless you suffer from motion sickness that is!) The main problem I have is the sense of uniqueness- other than the visual flourishes, it offers very little different from the waves of other games already on the shelves. I can't help but get a feeling that it'll hog bargain bins in little time after its release.

News- Keyboard set for Rock Band 3?

Well it was the next logical instrument to be included in the band platter of plastic peripherals, but now it seems our dreams as rhythm action Gods has been delivered the addition of a keyboard to sink our teeth into. Downloading the demo of Green Day Rock Band will feature this teaser screen (picture below) upon loading. A teaser for the hugely anticipated Rock Band 3 and a precursor to the addition of the keyboard. In addition, the 'vocal harmonies' logo is also shown which is expected to be carried over from The Beatles Rock Band into the main game.

It should be a nice addition to the stagnating genre and will most likely be emptying our wallets of any cash upon its arrival. The thought of having some awesome keyboard solos and backing strokes added to the band is great and I'm excited about getting to grips with yet another system of play. But please, lets leave it there.

Preview- Split/Second

Released: 21^st May 2010

Format(s): PS3, Xbox 360

Developer: Black Rock Studio

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios

What do you get if you put Burnout, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 into a creative blender? That's right, Split/ Second- an arcade-style racer intent on delivering the thrills, competition, and insane speed of the racer of the norm and injecting it with style, destruction and chaos. Much in the same style as the Burnout series before the Paradise open-world departure, Split/Second by Black Rock Studios (who made Pure) is a circuit based racing game where the key to taking the chequered flag in first place is wanton destruction of opponent's vehicles in a bid for survival of your own.

Playing off the game-show backdrop, the racer seems like the video game equivalent of Death Race, where the whole level is literally rigged to blow. From buildings falling atop speeding cars, and air planes landing within a whisker of your rear bumper, this is unlike anything really witnessed from the racing genre as yet. All this chaos is of course limited, however, and this is where the meter system is implemented. The “powerplay” meter itself is split into 3 sections, slowly filling through such driving manoeuvres as drafting an opponent, drifting, and jumping. A fill of the first part of the meter results in the ability to trigger small explosions through the track, perhaps a single car, or a few barrels on the side of the track. Nothing major- the most destructible events are saved when all three sections of the meter have been filled, levelling buildings on top of any incoming racers, felling satellite towers and more edge of your seat carnage. Certain events also occur only once in a single race, such as opening short-cuts which will alter the shape of the track.

The demo, available now on Xbox Live and PSN, takes place at an airport, where you'd do well to avoid one of many explosive set pieces. From what I've seen of the game so far, it looks absolutely brilliant, very similar to Burnout- as mentioned before. Where it improves on that particular game is the way in which the HUD is placed beneath the car's rear bumper meaning the full impact of the surrounding action can be taken in without any obstruction, which I think is a nice touch. Upon running through several races, it's refreshing to tell you that my experience was somewhat different on every play-through through the use of the game's mechanics making it possible for the track to change into one of several routes. The way in which each race progressed was also thoroughly entertaining to say the least. Whilst I enjoy racing-sims wholeheartedly, the way in which Split/Second's approach and originality sets itself apart from basic racers is great. I just hope that re-playability can still be had after extended sessions of play with the full game with only a limited number of sights to see. But with the demo anything to go by and 8-player online multi player and 2-player split screen, Black Rock should certainly deliver the first big racing hit of 2010.