Kane & Lynch and Haze

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Developers: IO Interactive
Description: Apparently, IO Interactive hasn’t gotten enough shooter action with its successful Hitman series. The developer has a new title, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, that’s sure to offer plenty of crime-filled mayhem. Like the mysterious Agent 47 of the Hitman games, IO’s newest title features not one but two shady anti-heroes: Kane and Lynch, two death row inmates that are sprung from prison and forced to work together on a deadly mission. Kane is a mercenary who is being hunted by his former outfit, known as the Seven, which has kidnapped his daughter. Lynch is a paranoid schizophrenic who apparently murdered his wife during a blackout and must be controlled through large amounts anti-psychotic drugs. The two men must join forces and retrieve a fortune in diamonds before the Seven kill Kane’s family.

The deadly duo known as Kane & Lynch.

The two characters make for an interesting combination, especially when you consider that Kane & Lynch features co-op gameplay. In the single player campaign, players control Kane while the game’s artificial intelligence steers the volatile Lynch. Players must keep an eye on Lynch and make sure he’s medicated, less he loses control. The game features several urban environments with intelligent NPCs and crowds that react realistically to violence, and players must control and manipulate NPCs to achieve their objectives. In addition, parts of the game will also reportedly feature squad-based combat, as Kane can hired other mercenaries and thugs to assist him with his mission. Meanwhile, the multiplayer co-op mode allows players to select either Kane or Lynch. Even better, perhaps, is the online multiplayer mode call Fragile Alliance, where up to eight players can either work together or betray their teammates at any moment. Kane & Lynch was designed as intense crime drama with high-octane action, and the game looks like a cross between a Michael Mann thriller ("Collateral," "Heat") and a Coen Brothers crime noir flick ("Blood Simple," "No Country For Old Men"). IO Interactive has a knack for creating suspenseful third-person action gameplay, so Kane & Lynch should be solid in that department. The premise and two-character narrative brings something a little different to the action crime genre, too. If the AI for Kane & Lynch is effective and can provide solid NPC action, then IO could have another hit franchise on its hands.

PC Requirements: to be announced.

Haze

Platforms: PS3
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developers: Free Radical Design
Description: The PlayStation 3 has been in dire need of some attractive exclusive titles beyond the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4. So far, Sony’s list of exclusives has been a short one full of misses (Heavenly Sword, Enchanted Arms, Lair) and a couple hits (Ratchet & Clank, Resistance: Fall of Man). Free Radical Design, best known for its successful TimeSplitters series, has developed a brand new title for the PS3 called Haze, which is a futuristic first-person shooter (no shortage of those, right?). Will Haze make the short list or the long list?

It’s not purple, but Haze gets kind of crazy once soldiers start taking Nectar, a potent combat "supplement."

Even though Haze may look like another generic FPS, the game has a few distinguishing features and elements that could put it on the short list. In Haze, you play Sgt. Shane Carpenter, a soldier employed by Mantel Global Industries, a private company that has replaced the U.S. military and NATO in the year 2048. Embroiled in a conflict with South American rebels known as the Promise Hand, Mantel Global’s soldiers are fuelled by a mysterious "nutritional supplement" called Nectar, which acts like a potent narcotic. Nectar is where the game gets interesting, because the substance gives players superhuman abilities like increased perception and resistance to damage. But Nectar also has hallucinogenic, mind-bending effects. According to Ubisoft, the Nectar gets in your head and soon, the lines between good and evil begin to blur - or become a "haze," if you will. Is Mantel Global a diabolic corporation? Or is the Promise Hand a terrorist organization? With shades of the classic PC game Deus Ex, Haze looks to offer a compelling narrative strengthened by an interesting gameplay feature. Speaking of gameplay, Haze will also feature some different abilities, such as playing dead and stealing weapons. The game also has Free Radical’s new artificial intelligence system, dubbed Conspire, which promises dynamic NPC behaviour. In addition, Free Radical’s Disparity Rendering System - whatever that is - helps power the game’s visuals and creates the hallucinogenic effects of Nectar. And FPS like Haze wouldn’t be complete without a multiplayer mode; the game has a four-player cooperative mode as well as an online multiplayer mode that can hold up to 16 players with narrative-based missions. If Haze doesn’t make the PS3’s short list, then it won’t be for a lack of trying.

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