kane-and-lynch posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Jamie Foxx to play Lynch in Kane and Lynch film

by Ben Gilbert { Mar 18th 2010 at 6:15PM }

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

by Justin McElroy { Mar 17th 2010 at 4:30PM }

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.)

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Impressions: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

by Randy Nelson { Jan 19th 2010 at 5:00PM }

IO Interactive is ditching many of the audio-visual bells and whistles of the modern third-person action game for its upcoming Kane & Lynch sequel, with the hopes of ultimately creating a more realistic, gritty experience. So far, we'd say the developer is doing a pretty good job. Set in a Shanghai that's a far cry from the brightly colored one found in Army of Two: The 40th Day, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is presented "documentary style" -- it looks like the game is being recorded on a handheld camera as you play, with all of the shaking and imperfections you'd expect from such a production.

It's as if the action has been taped and uploaded to YouTube -- there's even an animated "Buffering..." message in place of a stock loading screen. The video pixelates when you're hit and loses sync when the camera's rocked by explosions. Particularly heinous headshots and other brutal injuries generate a mosaic effect as the camera moves past them, adding to the documentary feel. Oh, and there's no soundtrack -- the only time you'll hear music is if you happen to pass a radio or catch a shopping center's muzak over the gunfire.

We're sold on the presentation, but the gameplay ... well, read on after the break for my thoughts on an in-progress build.

Gallery: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (01-19-10)

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Here are the first Kane & Lynch 2 screens

by Justin McElroy { Dec 17th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Yesterday's debut trailer for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days may have been high on style, but it wasn't so big on substance. Thankfully, reader AlexLK12 was able to massage the game's official site and come up with four screenshots that are just a bit more informative.

For instance, just look at the shot above. Why, already we know that the game has both Kane and Lynch in it. Also, there are guns.

Gallery: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Kane & Lynch 2 debut trailer is totally 'raw' and 'brutal'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 16th 2009 at 11:47AM }

We really should keep a count of how many times "raw" and "brutal" show up in the Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days marketing materials. Anyway, above you'll find the debut trailer for IO Interactive's "raw and brutal crime shooter" – so says the email it came attached to – that shows Kane ... wait, Lynch longingly staring at a bottle of pills, while Lynch, er, Kane has apparently survived a big shootout and is coming to visit the other guy in Shanghai. Ah, yes. Kane and Lynch are the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for a new generation.

Rumor: Kane & Lynch 2 teaser has duo dodging dogs

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 6th 2009 at 10:35AM }

MTV Germany has posted a video that could be construed as a viral teaser for Kane & Lynch 2. The clip is mock "surveillance video" of two naked men desperately barging into a Chinese restaurant. The streakers are apparently on the run -- there's some gun fire aimed in their direction -- until one (possibly Lynch by the looks of his hairstyle) trips and falls over a table, only to be attacked a few seconds later by a dog. The other gentleman, perhaps Kane, successfully beats the dog off of his partner with what appears to be a tray, and then the two presumably escape.

Could this be be a viral ad for Kane and Lynch in "Dog Days?" Your call.

[Via Kotaku]

Hitman 2 may recast lead, Kane and Lynch still coming

by Justin McElroy { Oct 20th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Though it was sniped by critics, Hitman was a smash at the box office, raking in $100 million in theaters plus another $80M on DVD. Emboldened, producer Adrian Askarieh has a full slate of Eidos films in the works, projects that he recently discussed with GameDaily.

His main focus right now is a Just Cause film, which he's producing independently, so don't be surprised if it doesn't quite hit that same level of Hitman polish. Look for that to start shooting next year. Also next year, Kane and Lynch is finally set to start filming in March -- after plenty of false starts -- with Bruce Willis in the Kane role. Finally, there's the Hitman sequel, which Askarieh said may need a new lead, as star Timothy Olyphant is filming a new show for FX. Though Askarieh said he'd like to get Olyphant back, we can't imagine why when Richard Moll is right there.

Report: UK Advertising authority to warn publishers to tone down violent ads

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 20th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Overwhelming violence has never really been a problem in UK games advertising -- in fact, less than 1 percent of video game ads were turned down by the regulatory Advertising Standards Agency in the past year (a Kane and Lynch ad and Condemned 2 ad were the only offenders). However, according to a report from MCV, the ASA will publish new guidelines for gaming advertisements in September which will suggest publishers consider the "wider context of the impact their ads have," rather than simply fulfill the ASA's base requirements.

Basically, the ASA is suggesting that publishers think about whether their advertisements will "offend and cause distress" throughout their ad consumers. Though the ASA admits that violent game ads have yet to be a problem in the UK, it'll use the new guidelines to "qualify the existing guidance to help publishers avoid problems in the future." That statement just confirms our long-held suspicion that the ASA is full-to-brim with psychics.

Paws for concern, 'Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days' trademark discovered

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 14th 2009 at 9:15AM }

Discovering a trademark for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days has made us preemptively fire Ludwig Kietzmann, before his upcoming review of the game could be completed. In the future, Square Enix Europe will pull all advertising from our site due to these choice quotes:

"This game will send you to the doghouse."
"You will roll over when playing the game."
"You'll beg for it to stop."
"I played the game for a bit, but then I had to put it down."
"Here's our score, K? 9/100."
"Kane & Lynch is a bitch."

We apologize to everyone, our readers and Square Enix Europe, for this review.

[Thanks, Spencer!]

Livingstone: Kane & Lynch 2 aimed for Sept., more Hitman, Tomb Raider en route

by Ben Gilbert { May 11th 2009 at 11:00AM }

In Mumbai for the Golden Cursor Animation Awards, recently appointed Eidos "life president" Ian Livingstone sat down with the folks at GamingIndians and spilled a full bag of beans. Unsurprisingly, he says the Square Enix acquisition was "a great deal in many ways" and that the various Eidos development studios would remain largely independent. "It's great news for the brand and for the people," he says.

And also, apparently, great for sequels, as Livingstone confirms work on the next Hitman game, a sequel to Kane & Lynch currently targeted for a September release date and -- big shock! -- a re-imagining of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series. "The next Tomb Raider, I think, will surprise a lot of people and reinvigorate the franchise," Livingstone notes, stressing the relevance of game characters in mainstream media these days. Incidentally, he more than intimates that Eidos Montreal is working on Thief 4, though now we know that to be a fact -- the "worst kept secret in the industry," in fact.

85 million Final Fantasy games sold, global takeover imminent

by Ben Gilbert { Apr 23rd 2009 at 1:42PM }

Hot on the heels of yesterday's official acquisition of "the house that Lara built" (Eidos, folks), Square Enix has released a load of numbers on its biggest IPs -- including some that it just acquired yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the Final Fantasy series flies high above its brethren (in a fancy airship, of course) with over 85 million units moved over the series' lifetime. We imagine after the company releases its flurry of FFXIII titles, that number will jump considerably.

Among other details in the release is Dragon Quest's lifetime sales, reaching nearly 50 million units, and the Tomb Raider series showing up with 30 million units sold in the past 13 years. Also of note is Kane & Lynch: Dead Men selling nearly two million shameful, shameful copies. Can we expect the layoffs to stop for now?

[Via Edge]

Source (warning: PDF)

Square Enix explains why it wants Eidos

by Justin McElroy { Feb 16th 2009 at 10:30AM }

Like a middle-aged woman who spends half of Feb. 15 explaining to her mother why a new toilet brush and a night of darts is as much a Valentine's Day as she can expect from Lyle, Square Enix has gone on the record with the precise reasons it has an interest in buying struggling publisher Eidos. In addition to the dev houses included in the deal, the company has its eye on Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Kane & Lynch.

Meanwhile, and surprising no one, 20-percent Eidos shareholder Warner Bros.* says it's putting its support behind the deal and honestly, it's kind of hard to blame it.

*Did you know Time Warner is our parent company? Well, now you do.

Source -- Warner backs Square Enix's bid for Eidos
Source -- Square Enix Cites "Major" Eidos Franchises

GameTap Thursday: Kane & Lynch, Grimm

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 11th 2008 at 7:00PM }

GameTap adds a pair of dark tales this week for subscribers. American McGee's Grimm keeps "improving" childhood classics with the addition of The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs (remember, it's free to everyone for the first 24 hours). Also, the dynamic duo of Kane & Lynch get all violent up in the joint.

Grimm: The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs (Windows) - Much like Harry Potter, it just keeps getting darker.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Windows) - You think we're going to put some Gerstmann-gate crack in here, don't you? Well, we're not! We aren't going to mention it at all.

Once again, there aren't any additions to GameTap's free games list this week. The full list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

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Kane & Lynch devs talk pain of low scores

by Justin McElroy { Sep 10th 2008 at 1:50PM }

We fear the inevitable day when video games will be crafted by machines (besides the robot that adds $60 worth of "better" to Madden every 12 months, of course), but it will also have its share of upsides. For example, we'll no longer have to worry about hurting actual people's feelings when we say awful, curt, snide things about their labors of love.

Kane & Lynch dev IO Interactive recently spoke to Games Radar about what getting negative reviews feels like, and you'll never guess the one that "really" hurt: "Then GameSpot reviewed the game. And they didn't like it one bit. I'm not quite sure why, but I remember that review hit the team like a hammer."

A heap of heartache as a result of GameSpot's Kane & Lynch review? Wow, and we thought Eidos and Jeff Gerstmann would never find common ground!

Bruce Willis in talks to star in Kane and Lynch film adaptation

by Ross Miller { Jun 3rd 2008 at 8:55PM }

Bruce Willis is in talks to star in the upcoming Kane and Lynch film adaptation, reports Variety. Willis will play Adam "Kane" Marcus. That's one-half of the rumor from back in November 2007 that said Billy Bob Thornton was in talks for the role of Lynch. According to the Variety piece, the filmmakers are still looking for Lynch, with shooting to begin before the end of the year. The movie will be directed by Simon Crane, based on a script by Kyle Ward.