Superfrog
Madruk
Das neue Projekt von IO Interactive (Hitman-Serie). Text und Scans aus der aktuellen Game Informer (US) - klingt EXTREM ambitioniert und sieht fantastisch aus:
Twisted Pair
On a prison bus delivering him to his execution, Kane has come to terms with the fact that he is going to die. Despite the evil deeds and betrals that punctuate his life, there is some solemn comfort in the knowledge that things can't get any worse...or so he thinks. "Get down, now!" warns a voice next to Kane, and then the world erupts into chaos as the transport is rammed bhy an oncoming semi truck. On the asphalt and surrounded by gunfire and explosions, he is hellped to his feet by Lynch, a psychopath and fellow prisoner gripping Kane's arm with one hand and a shotgun with the other. One look into the man's darting eyes is enough for Kane to know that he's no savior, and this isn't a rescue - its a kidnapping. Then, as Lynch hums a gleeful tune while killing advancing waves of law enforcement, Kane realizes he would have been better off on that bus.
When people hear the phrase "buddy movie," images of wacky hijinks starring Eddie Murphy or Mel Gibson will undoubtedly ocme to mind. But if one looks past the comedy into the character dynamics, these films are ultimately about conflicting personalities forced together by circumstance. This notion of a fragile, necessary alliance is the core principle behind Kane & Lynch, the new third-person action title from IO interactive. Starring the calculating Kane and reckless Lynch, the game will follow these unlikely partners as they work together toward a common goal. However, Kane & Lynch is no Lethal Weapon; convicted killers aren't exactly fonts of comedy, so the game will instead rely on the tenuous partnership between the two criminals to drive the story an the gameplay forward. Every aspect of Kane & Lynch - single player, co-op, and multiplayer - focuses on their grudging acceptance of the fact that they need to cooperate.
Of course, for players to understand the many potiental problems in this match-up, it helps to know the circumstances that push the two unsavory men together. If they were just two nice guys looking for a lost cat, there wouldn't be much intrigue. "Things are just a lot more volatile if you have two unstable characters instead of one stable and one unstable or -God forbid - two stable ones," laughs game director Jens-Peter Kurup. In fact, the word "unstable" is a gross and understatement when used to describe Lynch in particular. Before his incarceration, he lived a normal life in Detroit until he began to experience mysterious blackouts. As they grew more severe and nightmarish, he began to heavily medicate himself to keep the episodes at bay. Though this was somewhat successful at first, he arrived home one day to find his wife murdered...and he wasn't entirely sure that he didn't do it. By the time Kane meets Lynch, the episodes have become so severe and violent that the man is essentially a sedated psychopath - the pills in his pocket the only thing keeping him from becoming a rampaging animal.
Kane is more complicated, but no less dangerous. Prior to death row, Kane's brutal pragmatism and skills in negotiation earned him a place in an international mercenary organization known as The Seven. However, something went wrong with a heist, and it seems that Kane betrayed his employers and escaped with the loot. This scenario is exactly what prompts the prison bus kidnapping described previously; some of the The Seven survived, and they want Kane to answer for his actions - but not before he pays them back. The Seven offer a deal to both of the doomed men They have two weeks to locate and return the stolen loot. For Kane, success means that he will still be executed for his treason, but his wife and daughter will be allowed to live. At that point Lynch's deal will come to fruition, as he has been promised Kane's position in The Seven....but only if the whole thing goes off without a hitch. "Two guys who are very different with the same task, but seperate objectives," clarifies Kurup. "Kane's a professional, Lynch is a thug. Kane stays cool, Lynch is losing it. They're trying to fix their lives, and they're really doing a very bad job of it. "
For gamers familiar with IO's work on the Hitman franchise, it should be no surprise that he the developer has selected a pair of flawed individuals for the game's starring roles. However, as a contrast to Hitman's austere assassin Agent 47, Kane and Lynch aren't quite heartless. "The're much more believable than Agent 47, who is very difficult to do stories for because he's inhuman," Kurup admits. "He can't really evolve, but if you have people you can push, you can get somewhere. Watever Kan and Lynch do, they do because they have to. It's not their jobs, it's how their lives unfold." Plus, it is difficult to deny that there is a certain kind of appeal to the modern anti-hero, giving gamers a chance to vicariously explore a darker side of humanity.
A focus on anti-heroic personalities is where the similarities between Hitman and Kane & Lynch end, however. In fact, this new project actually has much more in common with IO's critically acclaimed 2003 release Freedom Fighters. In that titles, players assumed the role of a brave patriot as he fought alongside a group of allies to retake New York City from the Soviets. Though the caracters' ultimate goal in Kane & Lynch may not be so noble, many of the mechanics players will use to achieve it will be quite familiar, right down to the control scheme. "We really didn't want to stray too far from the Freedom Fighters controls because there was so much praise for them working well and being intuitive," reveals producer Hugh Grimley. Specifically, this refers to the way that the players will be able to coordinate efforts with a small group of improvised allies.
In addition to being saddled with his watchdog Lynch, Kane will also be responsible for a crew of assorted ragtag mercenaries as he tries to reclaim the lost fortune. "I'm very cautious not to call it a squad, because the word "squad" implies military, and these guys aren't soldiers," Kurup explains. "They don't heed anyone but themselves. They'll obey you, but only because they like the money you can get them, as well as other favors." Issuing commands with the face buttons in real-time , players can order their crew to attack, move to a specified position, or to take cues from Kane's behavior and mimic it - which also doubles as a follow command. In practice, these on-the-fly orders will allow players to effectively control a variety of situations without ever having to leave the action themselves.
For instance, in one level Kane and Lynch have the task of breaking into a Tokyo office building. It's an assassination/retrieval mission, and Kane has recruited two additional grunts to help out. As you rappel down from the roof in control of Kane, you issue the mimic command to get your three allies to follow. Then, once you break through a window into the crowded boardroom, all hell breaks loose. In the firefight that ensues, there's no time to be wading through menus or mmaps to position your crew, so the aiming reticle also acts as a kind of pointer. Just set it where you want your troops to go, hit the move button, and then just keep shooting.
Sending you whole force to the same location isn't usually the best move, though, so it will be important to issue commands individually. "Basic crew AI is based on fire, movement, and flanking," Grimley tells us. "You can use one unit to draw their fire, and another to cree\p up on their position and flank them.: After crashing into the boardroom, the player can flank the enmies and clear them out in a matter of seconds by quickly sending a goon to either side of the area, then advancing with Lynch, gunning down foes during the whole process. While strategic positioning will be crutical, the team doesn't want to make a game bogged down in tactics like Full Spectrum Warrior; its a fast-paced action game, first and foremost. "It's a very raw shooter. Big guns in international cities. Lots of blood and smoke," details Kurup.
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