When I first saw screen shots and videos from this game I was very excited. Guns, explosions, cops, robbers, vast locations, great scenery. But then the game was released and the gaming press started bashing it left and right - I guess mostly because the game did not live up the extreme hype surrounding it before the release.

The reviews of Kane & Lynch raised a lot of controversy. A reviewer at GameSpot was allegedly fired because of the review he wrote and the low score he gave the game because it didn’t look good when the publisher had paid GameSpot tons of money for heavy advertisement for the game. Reviewers who liked the game and gave it a good score have been labeled as “sell outs” by some members of the gaming community. Because, obviously, it’s not possible to like a game even though the majority of other people don’t. How stupid would that be?

So you can probably understand that I was a bit skeptical when I went out and bought this game. After reading the reviews, I decided I wouldn’t do it, but then I read a lot of comments from gamers saying that if you ever saw the movie Heat and liked it, then Kane & Lynch would be literary right up your street.

I have now played through most of the game and has yet to be disappointed. Sure, I’ve been frustrated at times, but that’s because I’m a terrible gamer, unable to adapt and learn from my previous mistakes. That means I often have to play the same level ten times before I get it right. There, I’m man enough to admit that my mistakes are solely my own, not caused by “buggy levels”. Sure, the graphics are not that of Half-Life 2 and the controls and camera movement can be somewhat confusing at times, but it’s still tons and tons of fun playing the game. By the way, if you don’t like the gore, you can turn off the blood - stop complaining about something you can easily control.

The intricate story of Kane & Lynch will take you around the world to see some really good looking sites. In one of the levels you’re in a huge night club with perhaps 300-400 other people. In all my years of gaming, this is the first time I’ve seen a crowded place that’s actually crowded. Getting around is a mess because of all the people and when someone starts shooting at you it gets really interesting. I saw Collateral, didn’t you?

Personally I wouldn’t mind playing a Kane & Lynch sequel, but since I’ve not played through the entire game yet, it’s of course possible that things will happen to the characters that makes that impossible.