While IO Interactive (IOI) is best known for their
long running Hitman franchise, they have developed a handful of
other titles. One of these was Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, which
garnered a mixed reception from critics and indirectly led to the creation of
gaming outlet Giant Bomb after GameSpot fired editor Jeff
Gertsman for his 6/10 review score for the game. Despite the reception, IOI
announced a sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, which Square Enix
would publish in 2010. Upon release, Dog Days received a mixed reception
from critics, with criticism aimed at its short length, story and experimental
visual style.
Despite all the negativity that surrounded the game
when it came out, I actually always had an interest in playing Dog Days,
largely due to the unique and gritty presentation that resembled footage from a
cheap handheld camera. Sometime after release, I ended up ignoring the game
until I was made aware that the game had developed a cult following over the
years for the exact reason it caught my attention (and convinced that I didn’t
need to play Dead Men beforehand). Although you can easily buy the game
cheap secondhand for about $10-15, I bought a brand-new sealed PS3 copy off the
Square Enix store (normally $20 now), largely because I could and partly so I
could have the freshest experience in honor of this blog’s 12th anniversary.
As it turns out, while there is plenty that one could
criticize about Dog Days, largely when it comes to its gameplay, there
truly is something about its presentation, and to an extent its story, that
keeps the experience engaging and worth (re-)visiting.
