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PSN Tuesday: Twisted Metal demo, Puddle, Madden
This week on PSN, you can try out the latest entry in the Clown Car Combat genre, with the Twisted Metal multiplayer demo, or Corporate Combat in Syndicate. Or ... not really combat with Puddle.You can also download Madden NFL 12 -- just in time for the Super Bowl! Not that you'll be playing Madden while the game is on, of course. That release joins a trio of IO Interactive games newly available for download: both Kanes & Lynches and Mini Ninjas. Find everything available this week on the PlayStation Blog.
Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light half off, Kane and Lynch character packs available today on XBLM
As part of Xbox LIve's "Countdown to 2011," today's deal is the excellent downloadable title Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light at 50 percent off, which means the co-op adventure can be yours for 600 Microsoft Points (that's $7.50). That's quite inexpensive for some time with Lady Croft. We'd say "cheap," but she ain't cheap. Also available today is the free Kane & Lynch character pack for Guardian of LIght. Don't ask questions, just let the weird wash over you. Finally, there's a dose of randomness with a pet monkey for your Avatar, half off for 120 MSP ($1.50). "He's not horrible. He's lovely. He's a lovely little monkey." %Gallery-87912%
Kane & Lynch and Kain & Raziel buddy up in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light DLC
Ever wondered what playing through Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light would be like if Lara was Adam 'Kane' Marcus and Totec was James Seth Lynch, eponymous characters of the Kane & Lynch series? According to a hack of the PC version that popped up on YouTube – along with a helpful confirmation straight from developer Crystal Dynamics' Twitter account – soon enough you'll be able to experience such bizarreness firsthand as both characters will be available for download at some point in the future (remember: before the end of 2010). Also revealed was that other Kane from CrystalD's past: Kain and Raziel (of Legacy of Kain series fame) will be the second character pack. Names are also put to the second and third content expansions: "Things That Go Boom" (number two) and "Hazardous Reunion" (number three). PS3 owners can actually buy the second pack right now, as of last week's update. The YouTube clip after the break shows a bit of our old friends Kain and Raziel in action ... for the first time in seven years. Quick, someone explain YouTube to them! [Note: Crystal Dynamics is asking fans to tweet their choice for which character pack should come first. Instead, we're going to ask you to decide in our totally scientific poll, just below.]%Poll-56348%
Kane and Lynch film needs a new director
Following the inexplicable trend of movies based on video games getting totally derailed before they even start filming, it seems the once-certain production of Kane and Lynch has become ... decidedly less so. LA Times reports that planned director Patrick Alessandrin (District 13: Ultimatum) is no longer behind the reins of the movie. As a result, the movie's shooting schedule, planned to start next month, has been delayed. A representative from Millennium Films confirmed that "the director has not been chosen" and that the film's "start date is TBD." If you're part of the ever-burgeoning community of high-profile film directors who read this site (what up, Spiels?), consider this your invitation to step in and save the day. That is, if you think you can handle the raw thespianic force of a Willis/Foxx collaboration.
Kane and Lynch 2 apparently nailed belly chic
In my otherwise totally accurate and insightful review of Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, I mocked the couture of the game's villains. I might have even said they dressed like my dad, which is wholly unfair to a man at least 50 percent to thank for giving me the precious gift of life.
Kane & Lynch fire off a few thousand rounds in new Dog Days trailer
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is sure to have an actual plot, though you're not going to see any of it in this trailer. However, if you want to see two men shooting everything, and everyone, they encounter -- and you're likely to, if you're a Kane & Lynch fan -- then we invite you to check out the video after the break.
Kane & Lynch 2 demo assaults the public next week
The public demo for Kane & Lynch 2 -- requiring no subscriptions or hoop jumping -- will release sometime next week. The PlayStation 3 demo will go live Tuesday, July 27. As for the PC and Xbox 360 versions, um, Square Enix doesn't seem to be too sure, but the company line is "next week." The demos should be available in North America, Europe and other PAL territories. Kane and Lynch's Dog Days will start on August 17 and 24 in North America and the PAL lands, respectively.
Kane & Lynch 2 Xbox 360 demo for UK residents on July 1; PS3 and PC demo coming later
Ah, but there is a catch: in order to gain access to the Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days demo, you'll have to send a message to the Kane & Lynch YouTube channel before 11am GMT on June 30 -- and obviously you'll need a YouTube account to do this. Simply put "Token Request" in the subject field and include your date of birth (another catch: gotta be 18 years or older!) and Xbox Live Gamertag in the message body and you're good to go! This is open to residents of the UK and northern Ireland only -- sorry, everybody else! Come July 1, keep an eye on your YouTube inbox for your unlock code. Oh, and take note that those who are already "friends" of the YouTube channel will get first dibs on the demo codes. Don't have an Xbox 360? Don't fret, because Destructoid spoke with an Eidos rep who confirmed that a "consumer demo" would be available on the PS3 and PC sometime in the future. The Xbox 360 demo is only exclusive to that platform for a limited time. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days terrorizes Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on August 24 in North America and August 27 in Europe.
Kane & Lynch 2 multiplayer warns of an undercover cop
Following "Fragile Alliance" and "Cops and Robbers," Kane and Lynch 2's final multiplayer mode -- "Undercover Cop" -- is revealed in the trailer above. The new mode is a lot like the Cops and Robbers gametype -- with a twist, of course. In this case, the cop is an undercover player who must stop (with license to kill) the criminals and secure the stolen money while maintaining the guise of a criminal himself. So yeah, it's the video game equivalent of Donnie Brasco. %Gallery-80516%
Kane & Lynch 2 multiplayer pits cops against robbers
The multiplayer component of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days won't simply be a "Fragile Alliance." Oh no -- it'll be flat-out war between "Cops and Robbers," in this team-based mode where up to four heavily armed crooks attempt to make off with four million bucks -- in just four minutes. Yep, it's the video game equivalent of Heat. %Gallery-93743%
Kane & Lynch comics to terrorize newsstands this August
Are the Kane & Lynch video games simply not enough to satiate your homicidal duo needs? Then draw pleasure in a new partnership between IO Interactive and DC Comics, which will spawn a limited comic run telling the origin stories of this reluctant duo produced by DC Wildstorm. The series will be written by Ian Edginton, who has been in the biz for over two decades, working on comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, Heavy Metal, Top Cow and, of course, DC. Chris Mitten will handle illustration duties, while Ben Templesmith will do the covers. The first issue releases this August, just in time for the game's August 24 launch. Why, isn't that quite the coincidence?
Kane & Lynch movie poster seen at Cannes
The Kane & Lynch movie project appears to be moving smoothly -- it's to the "poster" stage already. Proving beyond a doubt that the casting is a "done deal"(as tweeted by writer Kyle Ward), Empire spotted a Kane & Lynch movie poster with billing for both Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx at the Cannes Film Festival. This poster covers the entrance to the Majestic Hotel, making it look a bit more like the Tacky Hotel. According to Empire, the poster gives the film a 2011 date, but we don't see it. Perhaps it's behind that inconsiderately placed luggage cart. [Via Collider; thanks, Gimpygoat!]
Hands-on: Kane & Lynch 2 'Fragile Alliance' multiplayer
Whether or not it's Inspired by real-life heists -- that's according to its developer, IO Interactive -- the Fragile Alliance multiplayer mode in Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days definitely feels inspired. I recently played a few rounds of its increasingly difficult, single-player Arcade game type (shown in the above video) before working together with (and against) fellow journos online and came away pretty impressed. In fact, it seemed more fun and polished than what Joystiq's played so far of the game's single-player campaign. Here's the setup: Players start out on the same team -- the crooks -- and steal loot at the beginning of a round. Those who can make it past A.I. controlled cops in one piece (and get inside the getaway vehicle before it leaves) share a cut of the cash everyone's grabbed. But these aren't the most honest men you're playing as, so it's possible to turn traitor on your own gang -- even take other players as human shields -- and attempt to avoid death at their (and the cops') hands, in hopes of taking all the spoils for your own. For the first match or two I played, everyone worked together. After that, people started getting greedy. %Gallery-92331%
New Games on Demand added, questionably priced
Now, we know that Xbox 360 Games on Demand costing $19.99 and $29.99 is nothing new, but we have to call into question the choice of that higher price point for two of the three newest games available via the service. Far Cry 2, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men and Shrek the Third are now on the Marketplace, as promised, all priced at $30. Three Hamiltons for Far Cry 2? That we can get behind. But the other two are definitely $20 fare, in our humble (professional) opinion. Especially since you can buy all three games new for near that price from online retailers such as Amazon.
Hands-on: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (single player)
There were a number of interesting features -- complex characters, a dark, mature story that explored the seedy lives of criminals -- in IO Interactive's original Kane & Lynch, provided you could look past the broken gameplay and the subsequent review scandal. While the franchise's name may be forever tarnished, that hasn't stopped IO from developing a sequel, one that expands upon the best aspects of the original. But does Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days fix the gameplay inherited from its predecessor? Sort of. As our previous impressions indicated, there's much to like about the game's presentation. Like Dead Men before it, Kane & Lynch is certainly not short on style. The "digital camera" effect makes this shooter look unlike any other game I've seen, offering the illusion of reality. Upon closer inspection, you can see the graphics tech is far from cutting-edge, but the clever filters and camera techniques make Dog Days feel far more authentic than the photo-realistic approach most other games attempt. %Gallery-91581%
Shrek the Third, Far Cry 2 and Kane & Lynch coming to Games on Demand
Here's a brain-teaser for you: What do Shrek the Third, Far Cry 2 and Kane & Lynch all have in common? If you said "they all feature cartoon donkeys voiced by the stars of the Beverly Hills Cop series," you'd be correct. It's a little known fact that all three games contain flippant burros voiced by Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold and Bronson Pinchot, respectively. Oh, also? They're all coming to the Xbox Live Games on Demand storefront on April 27. The price of each game hasn't been announced -- we've contacted Microsoft to see if we can figure out how much each game will cost. Also, we'll double-check about the donkeys, although we're pretty certain we're right about that one.
Extended Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days trailer welcomes you to Shanghai (again)
Usually, an extended edition features a lot of the stuff that had to be left on the cutting room floor. In the case of this Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days trailer, however, it means "the extra violent stuff we couldn't show the first time around." Seriously, don't hit that play button unless you want to watch two cops unload on a guy that's laying on the ground, practically defenseless -- save for his ability to fire off grunts and groans with every piercing bullet, that is. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days wreaks havoc on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on August 24.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days trailer welcomes you to Shanghai
Watch as the always unlikable duo of Kane and Lynch (that's Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx to you People magazine types) get reunited on the streets of Shanghai and, before catching up over a couple cold ones, find themselves caught up in a shootout and chasing a naked person through the streets. This is just how these guys get acquainted after "a while" apart! Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days welcomes you to Shanghai on August 24.
Jamie Foxx to play Lynch in Kane and Lynch film
According to the Twitter account of Kane and Lynch screenwriter Kyle Ward, it seems that Lynch will be played by Academy Award winning actor ... Jamie Foxx. Huh? Tweeting last night that it's a "Done deal ... Jamie Foxx is in," Ward outed the star of Ray as one half of the game adaptation's titular team (Bruce Willis is allegedly signed on for the role of Kane). When asked about whether Foxx would be playing Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted film (also being written by Ward, though he was said to be taken off writing duties some time ago), he clarified, "Foxx for Lynch (Kane/Lynch)," pinning Foxx to the long-haired half of the duo. What's really surprising is that the film's producers didn't go with Kevin Gage (Heat's "Waingro"). Come on -- they look identical! [Via ShackNews]
Kane & Lynch's Dog Days begin on August 24
Though it seems like we just got back from Shanghai, it appears we're going to be booking another flight soon. Square Enix has announced that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will kick off "48 hours of hell" for its duo of miscreant protagonists on August 24 in North America and August 27 in Europe. If you'd like to spend the interim months preparing for the sequel, there's a new trailer from IGN available directly after the break. (Side note: How weird is it to see the Square Enix logo at the beginning? Totally weird, that's how weird.)
