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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.

Demos for NHL 10 and DiRT 2 join Lost Planet 2 and Mini Ninjas on Live

by Xav de Matos { Aug 20th 2009 at 4:45PM }

Need something to chew up your free time between constant attempts to sequence break Shadow Complex? Xbox Live Marketplace has been invaded by a slew of new game demos -- currently available to Gold members -- to help combat your boredom.

With four demos hitting the Marketplace in the last two days, Xbox users are treated to a collection of completely different gaming experiences. Strap into the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and race the Trailblazer event in DiRT 2, lace up your skates and hit the ice in the NHL 10 demo, show off your ninja skills in Mini Ninjas or jump online with up to four players and attack the evil Akrid in the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a diverse selection of video game demos.

Queue up the DiRT 2 demo
Queue up the NHL 10 demo (and check out Xbox Canada's exclusive Q&A)
Queue up the Mini Ninjas demo
Queue up the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo

Mini Ninjas demo sneaking onto PC, PS3, 360

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 17th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Eidos has announced that a teeny, tiny, adorable demo for Mini Ninjas is on the way for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC this week. The PC and Xbox 360 demos will be available this Wednesday, August 19. PC users will be able to download the demo from the official Mini Ninjas website, while Xbox 360 owners can grab it right from Xbox Live Marketplace. The PS3 demo will be available on Thursday, August 20, along with the usual PSN update.

No details have been given as to what the demo contains, but we're fairly certain it will include ninjas. We're also guessing that said ninjas will be small in stature. Just a guess.

Rocksteady 'not involved' in the development of Hitman 5

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 16th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Despite the recently discovered resume indicating that Batman: Arkham Asylum developer Rocksteady Studios may be working on a game titled Hitman5 (yes, without a space), Eidos "Life President" Ian Livingstone flat out denies the possibility. Talking to Prey's World Gaming Magazine, Livingstone said, "Hitman always has been and always will be IO Interactive's baby, which it still continues to be so."

Worried about miswording in that? He followed up with, "Rocksteady are not involved with the development of Hitman 5." All that said, we do know that some version of Hitman is on the way, as Livingstone has confirmed as such in the past and Rocksteady is currently hiring a few positions to produce a "AAA titile on the next generation platforms." It appears as though the two are unrelated though, at least for now. Meanwhile, IO Interactive is currently wrapping up development of Mini Ninjas for a September release -- and then the studio can get to work on the next Hitman game in earnest, eh?

(Please?)

[Via Blue's News]

Mini Ninjas sneak into stores on September 8

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 13th 2009 at 5:18PM }

Following the release of Hitman and Kane & Lynch comes ... Mini Ninjas? IO Interactive's first attempt at a children's game sure is stereotypically adorable, and it'll be available in North America on September 8. International releases will follow on September 11 in the UK and additional PAL territories and on October 9 in France and Germany. While the US release will be co-published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and Eidos, the European releases will be published entirely by Eidos, a Square Enix joint.

Hands-on: Mini Ninjas (Xbox 360)

by Kevin Kelly { May 29th 2009 at 9:30PM }

click to enlarge

Once the most feared warriors in all Japan, Ninjas have been made incredibly cute and cuddly just by shrinking them down. Yes folks, it's Mini Ninjas. Tiny little ninjas that can weave magic spells, possess animals and defeat evil. While utterly unlikely to instill fear into the hearts of rival feudal lords, they sure do make an adorable subject for a game.

We've finally gotten to play the game, which has been veiled in shadowy secrecy since its January announcement. You'll find our impressions, new details, videos and an extremely versatile hat beyond the break.

Gallery: Mini Ninjas (05-29-2009)

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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.

Mini Ninjas, big media update

by JC Fletcher { Apr 9th 2009 at 12:00PM }

Eidos sent out a ton of screenshots for Io Interactive's massively multiplatform miniature melee, Mini Ninjas, including our first looks at the Wii and DS versions. The latest game from the Hitman creators follows a trainee ninja named Hiro, the youngest ninja in his clan and the only one left, and his friends Futo and Suzume as they battle the Evil Samurai Warlord and his army of "mindless Samurai warriors," transformed from helpless forest creatures.

Head past the break to see the Wii and DS galleries. We don't know if it's because the Wii version's graphics are extra-sharp or the 360 version's are extra-simple, but the game looks fairly consistent between the two platforms! Publisher Eidos plans to release Mini Ninjas this fall, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii, and DS.

Gallery: Mini Ninjas (360)

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Mini Ninjas provide stealth kills in convenient travel size

by JC Fletcher { Jan 19th 2009 at 2:31PM }

The DS's Ninjatown will now have some competition in the adorable-ninja department, although Io Interactive's Mini Ninjas is more I-Ninja than Ninjatown. The action-platformer, announced for just about every currently-available gaming platform except PSP and phones, features a chibi assassin named Hiro and his traveling companions, as they travel to the Fortress of Doom to defeat the Evil Samurai Warlord. There's something kind of funny about setting ninja as good guys versus samurai!

The game is due out Fall 2009 in both North America and Europe, published by Eidos. Head into our gallery for totally cute screens, and check out the also-cute (but surprisingly badass, and surprisingly panda) trailer above!

Gallery: Mini Ninjas (Wii)

Mini Ninjas revealed as Io Interactive's next game

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 19th 2009 at 1:56PM }

Io Interactive has sneakily announced its next title: Mini Ninjas, which is coming to current-gen consoles, DS and PC this fall. The developer, whose last project was the site-imploding Kane & Lynch, appears to be going down a far more charming path with its latest title. Quite a departure from the gritty adventures of the aforementioned duo and Hitman's Agent 47, isn't it?

Mini Ninjas has already been rated E10+ by the ESRB, and Io's general manager believes the game has "exceptional appeal" for both young and old alike. Check out the gallery below (and preview trailer after the break) to see if you think Mini Ninjas will bloom like a lotus blossom later this year.

Gallery: Mini Ninjas

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Mini Ninjas are invading your PS3 this Fall

by Jem Alexander { Jan 19th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Mini Ninjas is the next title from Io Interactive (Hitman series, Kane And Lynch) and, as you can see from the announcement trailer above, looks very different to anything they've done before. The game will be available this Fall on the PS3 as well as pretty much every other platform that exists ... except the PSP. The game focuses around the eponymous Mini Ninjas as they fight off evil mini (and not-so-mini) Samurai.

You'll be playing Hiro, the mini hero, armed with your ninja magic and helped out by a couple of ninja friends "as you travel through a perilous world to reach the final confrontation with the Evil Samurai Warlord in his Fortress of Doom." From the sounds of it the story isn't going to be much of a selling point, but we're loving what we've seen from the video and the screenshots (check out the gallery below).

In terms of art style alone, Mini Ninjas looks adorable. Hopefully the gameplay lives up to it. We're looking forward to seeing more throughout the year.

Gallery: Mini Ninjas

Video: Mini Ninjas is all about stealth cuteness

by Dustin Burg { Jan 19th 2009 at 1:15PM }

Today, Eidos and IO Interactive unveiled their latest project, Mini Ninjas, a fresh IP that's all about too adorable ninjas. Trailer above, screenshots below and after you consume the media you should agree that Mini Ninjas has the charm, cartoonish look and humor that gives it the potential to be good. Key word there is "potential". Mini Ninjas will be releasing multi-platform later this Fall. Cute panda.

Gallery: Mini Ninjas (360)

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!