New channel icon drawn by Mack Kenny. You can find him at mackkenny.com or twitter.com/MackKennyArt Need a break or only care about hearing about one particular title? Then feel free to use the below time stamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:37 - Freedom Fighters 9:43 - Kane & Lynch 21:05 - Kane & Lynch 2 28:33 - Mini Ninjas Hope you found the video worth watching! If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
I actually had a good experience with Kane and Lynch Dead Men believe it or not. I had an extra few bucks lingering on Amazon, and I looked up pc games and filtered it via price, low to high. It was the only thing close to what I was looking for in my limited price range, so I bought it. Ran great for me, personally. On Windows 8 that is. Not so much on 10. The enjoyable part was the split screen multiplayer with my little brother, me on keyboard and mouse and him with a controller. It was okay the game was kinda trash because we had some much fun, and it's much better with a competent teammate. Single player wasn't very interesting, but I still beat it on my own nonetheless. Oh yeah, and when Lynch flips and is killing innocent people player 2 sees police officers instead of civilians, which I think was pretty cool. Idk if you knew because the models were broken in what you showed.
I'm a big Kane & Lynch fan, but even I have to laugh at the mental image of a Microsoft employee running around the office with a printed receipt, yelling: "Guys, guys! Someone bought Kane & Lynch on xbox 360 for 20 bucks in 2020!!"
Kane and Lynch 2 is my ultimate guilty pleasure. While plot and gameplay are really nothing to write home about - I just love its aesthetics to death, man. Even shaky cam.
Same. I also loved the gritty crime tone. I just wish it had more going for it. Could've been the ultimate crime thriller, but it's an ultimate guilty pleasure instead and I'm okay with that.
I remember when my mom got it for my birthday. It was the first time playing and loved it. I'm glad I did otherwise I would of felt bad hating a game I got on my birthday.
I actually like Kane and Lynch as characters. I would like to see IOI revisit K&L and reboot the series. I believe that it has a lot of potential to be a good series
@@secondavenger9775 I feel like IO could by the K&L rights for like a target gift card. I love the characters and the potential for another story but I know it doesn't sell.
sohasn I’m kinda surprised, Square Enix is definitely not gonna be doing anything with the IP so why just sit on it rather than handing it over to IO during the buyout
I forgot the name but it has fighters in it but there is a mission in hitman that is a little like freedom fighters. There is many guys with guns it’s on a rough farm .
The plot and setting of Kane & Lynch 2 is yet one of the most tasteless while fascinating I've seen for a piece of media. It's like if Michael Mann teamed up with Gaspar Noe to co-direct a movie with him.
It’s a ugly world out there Kane and lynch is just to hyper violent it almost feels real especially the second one if they were to reboot the series with a serious vision and a similar style of the second one and make the violence feel as scary and primal and adrenaline inducing as the second one while also maintaining an interesting story they could really hit it out the park
I feel like if Noe and Mann made a movie it would be crazy stylish like Kane and Lynch 2. Story and dialogue may be tasteless but you can argue the sequel looks WAY better than the OG Kane and lynch
God Freedom Fighters was honestly such a pillar of my gaming experience, I couldnt finish the level on the docks where you had to sneak, so I simply replayed the first 2 hours of the game a hundred times.
As someone who really appreciates the Kane & Lynch games for their certain qualities and stylistic choices, your overview and critique on them is really refreshing compared to everyone who just deems them as 'worst games ever' which was everywhere especially during their release years. Really saddened too how neat the multiplayer concept was but just didn't have much content to have staying power.
In a way, I liked that the game's penultimate enemy are two dogs; two dogs you gun down indiscriminately without much thought. I like to think it's indicative of Kane and Lynch's fate to come.
Just started playing Kane & Lynch: Dead Men a couple of weeks ago on PC for the first time, and haven't found any of those issues on this video. Actually, I was pretty ignorant about them even existing just until watching this. The companions aren't exactly rocket scientists, but I never heard anyone denying me help either. And idk, I'm enjoying myself with it most of the time. Maybe it's something personal, but I was really missing a dumb, gritty, late 2000's third-person shooter trying to pass itself as "mature". It aged kinda funny if you ask me.
When I was a kid I used to play this game over and over again. It was my first third person shooter ever, and the cover mechanic, while flawed compared to other titles, felt really refreshing. I didn't have any major problems, just some ghosting here and there. The only issue I have is whenever I play the Skyscraper mission, Kane turns himself into the invisible man and you can only see his clothes. This happened every time, and it's really wierd.😂
I have also played this game to death about 8 years ago on PC and don't remember any glitches, I liked the maps, especially the prison one for some reason.
it's a flawed game that has aged well over the years, this guy is just bashing it because he is from the new crowd who thinks shitting on older badly received games is still fun. also yeah, I played this myself a few days ago and i found none of the bugs that has mentioned in this video. the fact that K&L had way more creativity put into than any AAA shooter game of nowadays, shows just how worse the gaming industry has gotten. also Jasper Kyd's soundtrack is just so cool, K&L has so many qualities, beneath a flawed game. but this guy just doesn't get it. he is just backing up the Gamespot review
Omg someone remembers mini ninjas, it is such an underrated game and deserves a sequel. Imagine that games art style with the power of current gen hardware.
I LOVED it to death as an edgy teenager, both games were great experience and i finished them several times. Now i wouldn't really enjoy it so much, but my undeveloped mind was in heaven :D
I LOVE Freedom Fighters! The ragdoll physics were the best, even better with the cheats XD. Multiplayer was a blast as well. Nice to see the series get some more love.
Hey man, just want to say a massive Thank you for putting out really high quality stuff like this. I'm not really a RUclips guy but this kind of videos (in-depth looks, analysis, critiques or comparisons) with so much quality are far too rare in my opinion, even it's for games I've never heard of like the ones in this video or the SC series and the first Hitman I've enjoyed. I really appreciate the time and effort you put in this stuff, they keep me wanting more and I sincerely hope you keep doing this. FYI : I live in La Réunion, a Tiny French island located east of Madagascar. A lot of people never heard of here so I guess your videos reached the far end of the world :D Cheers, mate
You know the sad part about the Kane And Lynch games? There are some genuinely cool ideas in there. Hell, I remember playing the Fragile Alliance beta back in the day and I still think that it's a really cool idea for a mode. I know many are likely to disagree, but I'd like to see either a Kane And Lynch 3 where they finally get it right, or a complete REMAKE of at least Dead Men.
Once I heard him say "the popo's wizard powers" I slammed that like button. Hahaha some of the most entertaining commentary on YT by far -- so glad I found this gem of a channel.
Freedom fighters is the first memory I have of playing a video game I have as far as I know, I still remember that bridge and then being stuck in that hallway really vividly
Nobody faulted you for not finishing Splinter Cell DS, and nobody would have faulted you had you given up on Kane And Lynch after it stopped working on your PC...
Oddly enough Kane and Lynch 2 has a cult following, rightly so in my opinion (maybe I’m biased). I get why people aren’t huge fans of it, but tonally and stylistically there’s nothing like it. I wish they’d make a movie out of it.
A moment of silence for the $19.99 that was sacrificed for the video. You shall not be forgotten as it will now forever be in the catalog of Quality Content from this channel. Good job Critical Nobody.
As a young lad I had the mini ninjas demo on my ps3, I would play it over and over countlessly. Eventually at about 9 years old I came back to my ps3 and found out that the digital copy of mini ninjas I had was just a demo. I asked my dad to take me to game stop and get the full game. Once I got it I loved it so much! Nothing but good memories with mini ninjas and I had no idea IO made it. Im a huge fan of the hitman games as well!
Welp I can say this, I've played Freedom Fighters and MAN was that a game I enjoyed as a teen and even as an adult. Does make me wish IOI would go back and maybe do a sequel or a remake, especially considering Freedom Fighters basically used the same engine Hitman 2 SA used, but modified. Imagine a modern day Freedom Fighters using the same engine as the current day Hitman. GOD would that s**t look good and play nice. (Assuming they keep things in tact and fix some of the more glaring flaws) As for Kane and Lynch? Take it from me people, you want a coop game to play for about 4 to 5 hours? Play Army of Two. While it may be silly as hell with it's plot and such, the gameplay is fun and being able to upgrade and customized weapons make it endlessly more fun than any of the Kane and Lynch games. I actually bought K&L2 because I just finished playing Army of Two: The 40th Day and wanted a new coop game for my friend and I to play. We beat it and then I got my money back at gamestop. I then bought it again a few years later because I was curious to see if it was just as bad as I remember it. And while no it isn't, I will only go back to it if I'm bored. Can't say much on mini ninjas, so will put that in my backlog. Thanks for the video man, was fun to see your opinions on these games. Also that ending, I know that pain as a video maker/editor myself. Oof.
I feel like IOI LOVES the Kane and lynch series because they won’t let it die they reference it in every game they have made since, it’s referenced in hitman absolution as lynch is literally in the game, it’s referenced in hitman 2016 and 2 as you can wear Lynch’s outfit, and honestly Kane and lynch could be really good I feel like if they “remake” the first game they could make it really good
Blake the whole or writings naked thing is supposed to be depowering yes because you don't have your equipment but also comedic with Kane and Lynch 2 it's just awful awful things happening, and then everything gets worse
@@dww7094 I didn't mean to imply that the tone of the scene is in any way similar. I was only referring to the fact that both playble characters in both games are naked, since I felt that was the part Craig emphasized. That's all. In all honesty, I don't even consider unoriginality a bad thing if you can nail the thing you're trying to emulate. We all copy ideas here and there even when we don't mean to.
fucking love the 2 kane and lynch games to death. even especially how they had to rush the 2nd game because they needed it to come out the same time the movie was gonna come out that's also another reason
Tha Botmon there was one in the works it was supposed to star bruce Willis as Kane and Jamie fox as Lynch but the last anyone heard about the movie was 2013 so I’m pretty sure it got quietly cancelled and there also was a release date but just kept getting pushed
I'm one of the 10 people who absolutely adored Kane and Lynch, K+L1 felt like a Michael Mann movie on cocaine, Dog Days felt like a cross between Mann and Nicholas Winding Refn on Meth. I played through them with a friend when I was in uni, realised they weren't great, but had a great time regardless. I even got really highly ranked in the Fragile alliance multiplayer mode back in K+L1, I really wish another series would take up that mode, it was so unique
Kane and Lynch does the Safdie brothers form of desperation storytelling ten years before they'd hit mainstream acclaim with a brilliant presentation and impactful gunplay that gives some Michael Mann vibes that I think is through what I've experienced felt genuinely smart while forever keeping me uncomfortable (which is a complement)
All I have to say is thank you thank you, thank you for covering mini ninjas. I love that game for its serene quality where you're just kinda going on an adventure with little to no stakes. It's a jolly romp indeed, and I only came here ready to be sad when it was torn to pieces. I'm glad somebody else appreciates it like I do.
Hey man, keep up the great work! Your reviews are always entertaining and I always look forward to your videos. Keep doing it, your quality shines through and your "boom" will happen sooner rather than later. Great work!
I played Mini Ninjas when I was young. About 9 years later, I finally beat it at the age of 20. I'm so glad it got a mention and that you enjoyed it too!
Kane & Lynch 2 happened because the original sold 1 million copies in a fairly short time frame and Eidos essentially DEMANDED a sequel while IO itself wasn't very keen on it. It shows. Also, the reason the original feels rushed is because, despite its (relative) technical stability, it feels like a 3-4 year development cycle game that was done in just about 18 months.
IO did want to work on another Kane and Lynch, but Eidos kept rushing them. Hell, the last part of K&L1 is very obviously what was left of the Freedom Fighters sequel.
I never had any issues with k&l on pc. Its a masterpiece in my eyes and for 2 dollars on sale for both games its an absolute bang for the buck. I love it
I love the idea of Kane and Lynch it just feels like IOI didn't actually know what the compelling part of their game was. Instead of delivering a gritty crime game where the main task is setting up and executing heists, they focused on the duo protagonists and action essentially making a worse Army of Two game. Imagine a K&L game that takes note from the post 2016 Hitman games where there's complicated, simulated environments in which you have to plan and execute audacious heists grabbing as much loot as possible while keeping as many members of your team alive as possible. Maybe as members of your crew die, holes in your team’s skills start to open up for future missions; a dead hacker means cameras become a pain, no locksmith leaves you with no option but to go around or blow your way through a particular path. One mission might be the quiet infiltration of a gallery at night while another see’s you busting into a bank in explosive fashion, or trying to hit multiple Casinos on the Las Vegas strip simultaneously. Messing up leads to the action spilling out into the streets as you attempt to dash back to your safe house. I struggle to think of a game that as satisfyingly pulled off the heist fantasy of great film such as The Italian Job, Reservoir Dogs and Ocean’s 11 but the heist’s is exactly what I remember from K&L despite there actually not being all that much of it in the game.
Freedom Fighters needs a remaster or remake. Absolutely loved that game as a kid and loved playing the offline co-op with my dad and brother. Not to mention that beautiful...beautiful soundtrack.
I love your channel. I think you have a pretty thorough insight on things and that's always refreshing. I've seen how your reacted to the critics and insults and mind games on your re 2 reboot video (I'm currently playing it and although very enjoyable it's far from flawless) and that just settled it for me. I wanted to add that regarding what you or others might think about your voice, I personally can't watch anything with a bad commentary, you know, flat sounding. So, having good content and delivering it right it's way better than having a polished timbre. Keep it on
>"Why are anthropomorphized birds training ninjas," >me having just watched Gaijin Goomba's video on Tengu: "huh, isn't that's a Tengu reference? They _are_ often depicted as anthropomorphized birds that sometimes teach their wisdom to humans."
wow i actually remember Mini Ninjas being advertised in my school on a cork board in the cafeteria when i was in 5th grade, i never knew until today that the god damn Hitman devs made that
Freedom Fighters was such a huge part of my childhood. Bought it based on its box art alone. I remember I would buy a greatest hits game almost every month. I would walk into circuit city with no plan. That’s how I ended up playing games like Freedom Fighters, Dead to Rights, Rise to Honor, okami, God of War. Good times.
Freedom fighters was definitely still one of my favorite games I ever got to play looking back story wise it falls flat but I love certain missions and just the pure nostalgia of it.
Another great video! Hopefully at some point you’ll review the entire Eidos lineup, with many of my other favorite games like Thief and Deus Ex! As far as these games go, Freedom Fighters was the only one I played, and I really liked it! I should probably replay it. In the past I’ve considered checking out Kane and Lynch, before seeing the bad reception. I’m forever grateful I avoided it and will continue to do so! After seeing this, I’m now considering playing Mini Ninjas! It looks fun!
I actually remember loving Mini Ninjas. In fact I loved it so much that I played through it in about three days or so if I remember correctly. Bear in mind I'm terrible at video games due to disability so it's a wonder it didn't take me longer lol
I would genuinely love it if Kane and Lynch showed up as targets in hitman (I mean absolution showed they exist together). Respecting the past whilst also letting everyone therapeutically murder it too.
Freedom Fighters! Man, I beat that game a good 2 dozen times as a kid. I didn't have a whole lot of money or games back in the early 00's so coming home to seeing that game on the counter couldn't have made me happier. It had a really cool hub-world mechanic that I would have genuinely adored to see expanded upon with 7th or 8th generation technology. Imagine Freedom Fighters 2 with the level complexity of the latest Hitman Entries! And DAMN, the music! 17 years later and it's still one of the most unique soundtracks I've ever heard from a Third-Person shooter!
I'd thoroughly recommend that you watch pyrocinicals video on Kane and Lynch 2, I'd very in depth and has a lot of information that I thought was unfairly left out of this video.
I loved Mini Ninja's, Freedom Fighters, and the second Kane and Lynch game co-op and online. K&L2 was just a very violent, very hectic shooter. The fact that you could be shot through bad cover and fall to the ground crawling around and shooting wildly while the camera shook in all directions, gave it a lot of adrenaline pumping moments. The alternate ninja characters in Mini Ninja's have some lovely unique animations (I seem to remember hanging upside down firing arrows, and as seen in the video, running around like a tiger).
Mini Ninjas has been an... interesting game to me. I remember playing the game on PS3 years ago and generally enjoyed it, however the game never quite stuck with me the same way some other games did. But I will say, in *retrospect* i think it’s a pretty good game
YESSS someone finally talking about Freedom Fighters, I played the heck out of this game as a kid on the Gamecube. Still boot it up every now and then.
Just about Kane and Lynch. In the context of the time this game came out it's clear that IO were massive fans of Michael Mann movies. And the movie that had just released in the closest proximity to this game, was Collateral. The biggest action set piece that happens in that movie takes place in a nightclub, hence in Kane and Lynch there's a gunfight in a nightclub. Tom Cruise in that movie was a bad guy who was yet strangely sympathetic hence the choice to make Kane a bad guy who's sympathetic. Really if you watch every Michael Mann film up to the release of this game, you can see the genesis of ideas that inspired IO to cram as much of that into something interactive. And as someone who played Kane and Lynch at release, I respected the effort. Just... my 2 cents :)
I have very deep memories of the underground hideout in freedom fighters, mini ninjas was one of my favorite games during a rough in my childhood, and I remember playing Kane and Lynch with my cousin a little bit later. Thanks IOI
I love that the line you used for Kane & Lynch 2 is "ARGH THIS IS FUCKIN' STUPID!" Also, what you said about the South America chapters in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men being the point even the biggest Kane & Lynch apologists throw the towel in is 100% correct, as I am the biggest Kane & Lynch apologist in the world.
Didn't think much when you mentioned Mini-Ninja's Game. Then you reminded me of the show and it was one of those moments where you see those forgotten childhood shows that send memories flooding back. IO MADE THIS!?
I loved Kane & Lynch. Reasons why were because they had awesome, cinematic heist scenarios you never see in other games. The story were awesome in that you play as these very morally grey characters. Kane wants to be a consummate professional that doesnt kill unless necessary and Lynch is a psychotic who literally cant control himself but the two are stuck together in this situation. The gameplay was great because it provided very tense gunfights with crumbling cover. I also like that you can be hit in cover because parts of your body are poking out of the cover. You can kill bad guys the same way so it's fair that it can happen to you as well. As for the "inaccuracy" in shooting, it's more about those guns actually do tumble rounds so you have to account for that. The Columbia part is insanely tough though. Have to agree there. As for the sequel, there is a reason for the story. Kane had a big job go bust and he owes money so he has no friends except for Lynch...kinda. I love the story is set in a crazy 24 hour time period and reminds me of cool crime movies like One Nite in Mongkok and Exiled. The presentation was amazing as well with the phone/handheld camera effects. I dunno why anyone would want to turn that stuff off. It's like saying you prefer to turn off the soundtrack to a Mario Bros game or something.
I think a great series of games you could cover for this sort of series is the Pivotal games made Conflict series. starting with conflict desert storm all the way to disasturous conflict denied ops. They also all came out on pc which makes it handy for reviewing. Personally one of my favourite games from PS2 era.
New channel icon drawn by Mack Kenny. You can find him at mackkenny.com or twitter.com/MackKennyArt
Need a break or only care about hearing about one particular title? Then feel free to use the below time stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:37 - Freedom Fighters
9:43 - Kane & Lynch
21:05 - Kane & Lynch 2
28:33 - Mini Ninjas
Hope you found the video worth watching!
If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
Great vid, I grew up playing Freedom Fighters, one of my first third person shooters! Cheers man
When was you I mean seven?
I actually had a good experience with Kane and Lynch Dead Men believe it or not. I had an extra few bucks lingering on Amazon, and I looked up pc games and filtered it via price, low to high. It was the only thing close to what I was looking for in my limited price range, so I bought it. Ran great for me, personally. On Windows 8 that is. Not so much on 10. The enjoyable part was the split screen multiplayer with my little brother, me on keyboard and mouse and him with a controller. It was okay the game was kinda trash because we had some much fun, and it's much better with a competent teammate. Single player wasn't very interesting, but I still beat it on my own nonetheless. Oh yeah, and when Lynch flips and is killing innocent people player 2 sees police officers instead of civilians, which I think was pretty cool. Idk if you knew because the models were broken in what you showed.
you know i appreciate the videos u make for us man, but i have one thing to say. you have never made any sacrifices for us
Kane and Flinch, Kane and Flinch 2: Bog Days.
I'm a big Kane & Lynch fan, but even I have to laugh at the mental image of a Microsoft employee running around the office with a printed receipt, yelling: "Guys, guys! Someone bought Kane & Lynch on xbox 360 for 20 bucks in 2020!!"
That made me exhale from my nose. Take my like you piece of shit!
I like to think that when I got the Kane and Lynch 2 avatar shirt, someone at Microsoft got a pair of wings.
@@OMGmyFACE lol amazing
@@OMGmyFACE lmao
When he said he bought it for $20 my jaw dropped....dude you can pick it up for like $5 either at gamestop or on ebay
Mini Ninjas is freaking amazing, loved playing it as a kid
I loved playing it as an adult :D
i still have it installed, i just love the way the game looks, i would love a new one :D
Same
H4ppy Zer0 same
Bruh saaaaame
Kane and Lynch 2 is my ultimate guilty pleasure. While plot and gameplay are really nothing to write home about - I just love its aesthetics to death, man. Even shaky cam.
SAAAME! And once I found out how OP shotguns were, the game became a little more fun as I turned whole armies of enemies into a fine paste.
Same. I also loved the gritty crime tone. I just wish it had more going for it. Could've been the ultimate crime thriller, but it's an ultimate guilty pleasure instead and I'm okay with that.
Same to me, since there are no sequel of Getaway.
The little things like the censor blur on headshots are pretty neat too.
Love K&L2's aesthetic, unabashedly dirty and gritty. Me and the boys play Fragile Alliance on occasion.
IOI's other games summarized:
They're not a hit, man
Mini ninjas is great
@@xrqdioqctive369 This comment has nothing to do with the games' quality.
Oooh
Seinfeld theme intensifies
Freedom Fighters though ;-;
Ah, Freedom Fighters. Nothing but good memories of that game.
I was playing it earlier, even better with cheats.
I remember when my mom got it for my birthday. It was the first time playing and loved it. I'm glad I did otherwise I would of felt bad hating a game I got on my birthday.
Same man, same.
I remember playing FF with my friends on the playstation 2 using the multi tap so we could do 4 players lol.
@@ThEFREeSIDeSCUm same!
Mini Ninjas was one of my fav childhood game
it was fun, light hearted and just very casual and easy to get into as a kid
love that game
it's kind of strange that the are only making hitman games right now I'men aren't they planing to make a new project
badreedine Djellali I wish they make a mini ninja 2
I actually like Kane and Lynch as characters. I would like to see IOI revisit K&L and reboot the series. I believe that it has a lot of potential to be a good series
IO Interactive lost the rights to Kane & Lynch in their management buyout from Square Enix, so we're almost definitely not getting a third game.
@@secondavenger9775 I feel like IO could by the K&L rights for like a target gift card. I love the characters and the potential for another story but I know it doesn't sell.
Second Avenger is that confirmed? Because the PS4 and Xbox One Versions of Hitman Absolution still have cameos from Kane and Lynch
@@jac_238 this information was confirmed by IO Interactive staff at the (in the Hitman video mentioned) noclip documentary 👍🏼
sohasn I’m kinda surprised, Square Enix is definitely not gonna be doing anything with the IP so why just sit on it rather than handing it over to IO during the buyout
If they'd just take The Division's graphics and did a Freedom Fighters remake, i'd be all over it
Homefront: The Revolution is pretty much a reboot of freedom fighters, in a more high tech setting, and first person perspective.
@@diegoramirez1585 Homefront The Revolution is also absolute Dogshit
I forgot the name but it has fighters in it but there is a mission in hitman that is a little like freedom fighters. There is many guys with guns it’s on a rough farm .
Home front is terrible and to say it's a remake is a huge insult to Freedom Fighters. But damn do I wish their was a true spiritual successor.
@@mr.novoice3435 Its the Colorado map in hitman 2016. The main mission there is called freedom fighters in refernce to the game
The plot and setting of Kane & Lynch 2 is yet one of the most tasteless while fascinating I've seen for a piece of media. It's like if Michael Mann teamed up with Gaspar Noe to co-direct a movie with him.
Tasteless?
It’s a ugly world out there Kane and lynch is just to hyper violent it almost feels real especially the second one if they were to reboot the series with a serious vision and a similar style of the second one and make the violence feel as scary and primal and adrenaline inducing as the second one while also maintaining an interesting story they could really hit it out the park
I feel like if Noe and Mann made a movie it would be crazy stylish like Kane and Lynch 2. Story and dialogue may be tasteless but you can argue the sequel looks WAY better than the OG Kane and lynch
God Freedom Fighters was honestly such a pillar of my gaming experience, I couldnt finish the level on the docks where you had to sneak, so I simply replayed the first 2 hours of the game a hundred times.
Great to see you back in 2020
As someone who really appreciates the Kane & Lynch games for their certain qualities and stylistic choices, your overview and critique on them is really refreshing compared to everyone who just deems them as 'worst games ever' which was everywhere especially during their release years. Really saddened too how neat the multiplayer concept was but just didn't have much content to have staying power.
Especially DXs "review" of K&L2
@@marbl3d45 Oh definitely. It might as well had been an extended section on one of those cheap 'Top 10 Worst Games EVER!!!!' list videos
I mean, the multiplayer is literally pay day before pay day was a thing.
I can't believe the final boss in Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days was 2 dogs.
Ha, you're right. That sure is dumb
@@CriticalNobody I actually did a full Let's Play of that game, if you wanna use that footage for your reviews, its okay by me.
ritcheyz Holy shit! I thought you were joking. Just looked it up and laughed my ass off
In a way, I liked that the game's penultimate enemy are two dogs; two dogs you gun down indiscriminately without much thought.
I like to think it's indicative of Kane and Lynch's fate to come.
Just started playing Kane & Lynch: Dead Men a couple of weeks ago on PC for the first time, and haven't found any of those issues on this video. Actually, I was pretty ignorant about them even existing just until watching this. The companions aren't exactly rocket scientists, but I never heard anyone denying me help either.
And idk, I'm enjoying myself with it most of the time. Maybe it's something personal, but I was really missing a dumb, gritty, late 2000's third-person shooter trying to pass itself as "mature". It aged kinda funny if you ask me.
When I was a kid I used to play this game over and over again. It was my first third person shooter ever, and the cover mechanic, while flawed compared to other titles, felt really refreshing. I didn't have any major problems, just some ghosting here and there. The only issue I have is whenever I play the Skyscraper mission, Kane turns himself into the invisible man and you can only see his clothes. This happened every time, and it's really wierd.😂
I have also played this game to death about 8 years ago on PC and don't remember any glitches, I liked the maps, especially the prison one for some reason.
@@Rubycek The prison level was awesome. Do you remember if you had Invisible Kane too in the Skyscraper level?
It is a good game, this guy is bashing the game just to back the gamespot review obviously.
it's a flawed game that has aged well over the years, this guy is just bashing it because he is from the new crowd who thinks shitting on older badly received games is still fun. also yeah, I played this myself a few days ago and i found none of the bugs that has mentioned in this video. the fact that K&L had way more creativity put into than any AAA shooter game of nowadays, shows just how worse the gaming industry has gotten. also Jasper Kyd's soundtrack is just so cool, K&L has so many qualities, beneath a flawed game. but this guy just doesn't get it. he is just backing up the Gamespot review
Game character: "Pull out ya'll"
Critical nobody's note: #orgyadvice
LMAO!
Omg someone remembers mini ninjas, it is such an underrated game and deserves a sequel. Imagine that games art style with the power of current gen hardware.
"You'd think when planning this murder spree through the city streets, you would take into account THE POPO'S WIZARD POWERS!" Best quote from you yet.
Kane and Lynch 2: FOOOOUR HOOOOURS I'll never get back
I enjoyed it, a real guilty pleasure.
I LOVED it to death as an edgy teenager, both games were great experience and i finished them several times. Now i wouldn't really enjoy it so much, but my undeveloped mind was in heaven :D
I mean however shit it was gameplay wise, the atmosphere was weirdly magical.
Thought it was OK, but my brother and I hated the gunplay.
First one I genuinely enjoy. The second one is a guilty pleasure to play stoned with a buddy.
I LOVE Freedom Fighters! The ragdoll physics were the best, even better with the cheats XD. Multiplayer was a blast as well. Nice to see the series get some more love.
amazing game
I loved manipulating the ragdolls using console commands
As a poor child I replayed the freedom fighters demo COUNTLESS times. Great fun on PS2
Hey man, just want to say a massive Thank you for putting out really high quality stuff like this.
I'm not really a RUclips guy but this kind of videos (in-depth looks, analysis, critiques or comparisons) with so much quality are far too rare in my opinion, even it's for games I've never heard of like the ones in this video or the SC series and the first Hitman I've enjoyed.
I really appreciate the time and effort you put in this stuff, they keep me wanting more and I sincerely hope you keep doing this.
FYI : I live in La Réunion, a Tiny French island located east of Madagascar. A lot of people never heard of here so I guess your videos reached the far end of the world :D
Cheers, mate
Freedom fighters is sooo underrated! I love that game!
You know, you are totally right about both Kane and Lynch games... But dammit i just love them both for some reason.
You know the sad part about the Kane And Lynch games? There are some genuinely cool ideas in there. Hell, I remember playing the Fragile Alliance beta back in the day and I still think that it's a really cool idea for a mode. I know many are likely to disagree, but I'd like to see either a Kane And Lynch 3 where they finally get it right, or a complete REMAKE of at least Dead Men.
Righteous, I want 3rd Kane & Lynch too! I disagreed with his whole segment about Dead Men.
The thing is. Many would agree but know that a 3rd game will never happen.
Once I heard him say "the popo's wizard powers" I slammed that like button. Hahaha some of the most entertaining commentary on YT by far -- so glad I found this gem of a channel.
"PULL OUT!! all of you." - Freedom Fighters
Freedom fighters is the first memory I have of playing a video game I have as far as I know, I still remember that bridge and then being stuck in that hallway really vividly
This video proves to at I need to write my video essay on why Kane and Lynch is a need to play experience
Nobody faulted you for not finishing Splinter Cell DS, and nobody would have faulted you had you given up on Kane And Lynch after it stopped working on your PC...
Did you know that the jungle levels from kane and lynch were recycled from a scrapped freedom fighters sequel?
If they were to ever make a sequel i feel like it wouldn’t be like it used to be
Well that makes me depressed
that was the worst level hands down
Aww yeah, freedom fighter's was a great game, I can remember just hanging about in the sewer and just listening to the ambient music/sounds.
Oddly enough Kane and Lynch 2 has a cult following, rightly so in my opinion (maybe I’m biased). I get why people aren’t huge fans of it, but tonally and stylistically there’s nothing like it. I wish they’d make a movie out of it.
A movie or a game
Kane and Lynch 2 was epic! One of my favorite old gems
A moment of silence for the $19.99 that was sacrificed for the video. You shall not be forgotten as it will now forever be in the catalog of Quality Content from this channel.
Good job Critical Nobody.
As a young lad I had the mini ninjas demo on my ps3, I would play it over and over countlessly. Eventually at about 9 years old I came back to my ps3 and found out that the digital copy of mini ninjas I had was just a demo. I asked my dad to take me to game stop and get the full game. Once I got it I loved it so much! Nothing but good memories with mini ninjas and I had no idea IO made it. Im a huge fan of the hitman games as well!
Welp I can say this, I've played Freedom Fighters and MAN was that a game I enjoyed as a teen and even as an adult. Does make me wish IOI would go back and maybe do a sequel or a remake, especially considering Freedom Fighters basically used the same engine Hitman 2 SA used, but modified. Imagine a modern day Freedom Fighters using the same engine as the current day Hitman. GOD would that s**t look good and play nice. (Assuming they keep things in tact and fix some of the more glaring flaws)
As for Kane and Lynch? Take it from me people, you want a coop game to play for about 4 to 5 hours? Play Army of Two. While it may be silly as hell with it's plot and such, the gameplay is fun and being able to upgrade and customized weapons make it endlessly more fun than any of the Kane and Lynch games. I actually bought K&L2 because I just finished playing Army of Two: The 40th Day and wanted a new coop game for my friend and I to play. We beat it and then I got my money back at gamestop. I then bought it again a few years later because I was curious to see if it was just as bad as I remember it. And while no it isn't, I will only go back to it if I'm bored.
Can't say much on mini ninjas, so will put that in my backlog. Thanks for the video man, was fun to see your opinions on these games. Also that ending, I know that pain as a video maker/editor myself. Oof.
Kane and Lynch is my guilty pleasure, I really like that first game...
I feel like IOI LOVES the Kane and lynch series because they won’t let it die they reference it in every game they have made since, it’s referenced in hitman absolution as lynch is literally in the game, it’s referenced in hitman 2016 and 2 as you can wear Lynch’s outfit, and honestly Kane and lynch could be really good I feel like if they “remake” the first game they could make it really good
Amazing video. I can't express with words how relatable your experience is and what joy the review brings me. That's why I love your channel
MGS2 did the whole "run around butt naked after a torture sequence" first so even the one memorable thing in K&L2 isn't original.
I mean like the framing and action of the scene are so different that they don't provide similar experiences
Blake the whole or writings naked thing is supposed to be depowering yes because you don't have your equipment but also comedic with Kane and Lynch 2 it's just awful awful things happening, and then everything gets worse
@@dww7094 I didn't mean to imply that the tone of the scene is in any way similar. I was only referring to the fact that both playble characters in both games are naked, since I felt that was the part Craig emphasized. That's all.
In all honesty, I don't even consider unoriginality a bad thing if you can nail the thing you're trying to emulate. We all copy ideas here and there even when we don't mean to.
I love Kane and Lynch as characters 2 is an actual good game, no matter what people say. They did the best they could with the budget the game got.
fucking love the 2 kane and lynch games to death. even especially how they had to rush the 2nd game because they needed it to come out the same time the movie was gonna come out that's also another reason
Francise Marko
What movie? There’s a Kane and Lynch movie that exists?
Tha Botmon there was one in the works it was supposed to star bruce Willis as Kane and Jamie fox as Lynch but the last anyone heard about the movie was 2013 so I’m pretty sure it got quietly cancelled and there also was a release date but just kept getting pushed
Freedom Fighters 2 one day pls.
I'm one of the 10 people who absolutely adored Kane and Lynch, K+L1 felt like a Michael Mann movie on cocaine, Dog Days felt like a cross between Mann and Nicholas Winding Refn on Meth.
I played through them with a friend when I was in uni, realised they weren't great, but had a great time regardless.
I even got really highly ranked in the Fragile alliance multiplayer mode back in K+L1, I really wish another series would take up that mode, it was so unique
The only reason I played Kane and Lynch because someone said there is a nightclub level, which is inspired by one of my favorite movie Collateral
Honestly I absolutely loved kane and lynch it's one of my favorite games but that might just be because i always played split screen with my brother
Kane and Lynch 2 is easily one of the most interesting games I have ever played in the best way possible
I love your hitman video and I just love hitman in general so much that I have watched it 5 times it never gets old I love your videos
Kane and Lynch does the Safdie brothers form of desperation storytelling ten years before they'd hit mainstream acclaim with a brilliant presentation and impactful gunplay that gives some Michael Mann vibes that I think is through what I've experienced felt genuinely smart while forever keeping me uncomfortable (which is a complement)
You hit the fucking nail on the head, safdie brothers and Michael Mann…. Noted that’s a good idea and a very good mix
which again took alot from pusher, which makes sense cause they are danish
All I have to say is thank you thank you, thank you for covering mini ninjas. I love that game for its serene quality where you're just kinda going on an adventure with little to no stakes. It's a jolly romp indeed, and I only came here ready to be sad when it was torn to pieces. I'm glad somebody else appreciates it like I do.
About 4 minutes until the new non hitman io game is announced
Hitman 3+ 007
Kyne and Lynch was very good game to me. I was so much fascinated with history, storytelling. It was a great time!:)
Hey man, keep up the great work! Your reviews are always entertaining and I always look forward to your videos. Keep doing it, your quality shines through and your "boom" will happen sooner rather than later. Great work!
I played Mini Ninjas when I was young. About 9 years later, I finally beat it at the age of 20. I'm so glad it got a mention and that you enjoyed it too!
Kane & Lynch 2 happened because the original sold 1 million copies in a fairly short time frame and Eidos essentially DEMANDED a sequel while IO itself wasn't very keen on it. It shows. Also, the reason the original feels rushed is because, despite its (relative) technical stability, it feels like a 3-4 year development cycle game that was done in just about 18 months.
IO did want to work on another Kane and Lynch, but Eidos kept rushing them. Hell, the last part of K&L1 is very obviously what was left of the Freedom Fighters sequel.
I never had any issues with k&l on pc. Its a masterpiece in my eyes and for 2 dollars on sale for both games its an absolute bang for the buck. I love it
15:22
Dude, you can tell how mad he got when it happened again lol
"Outside of anything hitman related, mini ninjas might be the best thing IO has made" was the only acceptable thing to say there
I love the idea of Kane and Lynch it just feels like IOI didn't actually know what the compelling part of their game was. Instead of delivering a gritty crime game where the main task is setting up and executing heists, they focused on the duo protagonists and action essentially making a worse Army of Two game. Imagine a K&L game that takes note from the post 2016 Hitman games where there's complicated, simulated environments in which you have to plan and execute audacious heists grabbing as much loot as possible while keeping as many members of your team alive as possible. Maybe as members of your crew die, holes in your team’s skills start to open up for future missions; a dead hacker means cameras become a pain, no locksmith leaves you with no option but to go around or blow your way through a particular path. One mission might be the quiet infiltration of a gallery at night while another see’s you busting into a bank in explosive fashion, or trying to hit multiple Casinos on the Las Vegas strip simultaneously. Messing up leads to the action spilling out into the streets as you attempt to dash back to your safe house. I struggle to think of a game that as satisfyingly pulled off the heist fantasy of great film such as The Italian Job, Reservoir Dogs and Ocean’s 11 but the heist’s is exactly what I remember from K&L despite there actually not being all that much of it in the game.
Ty Logan you literally just described payday 2
Hope next up you will cover Thief, Deus Ex or Prince of Persia series - apart from Hitman and Splinter Cell these are my favorites. :)
Same man, Splinter cell and Hitman are my all time favs
Man I'd love to see him cover the Thief series (and also Dishonored)
When people talk about childhood games like Legend of Dragoon or Freedom Fighters I get a little emotional 😭
I feel old😂 Supermariobros is a childhoodgame
Freedom Fighters needs a remaster or remake. Absolutely loved that game as a kid and loved playing the offline co-op with my dad and brother. Not to mention that beautiful...beautiful soundtrack.
I love your channel. I think you have a pretty thorough insight on things and that's always refreshing. I've seen how your reacted to the critics and insults and mind games on your re 2 reboot video (I'm currently playing it and although very enjoyable it's far from flawless) and that just settled it for me. I wanted to add that regarding what you or others might think about your voice, I personally can't watch anything with a bad commentary, you know, flat sounding. So, having good content and delivering it right it's way better than having a polished timbre. Keep it on
Loved Kane and Lynch, first game I ever played on PC was blown away.
>"Why are anthropomorphized birds training ninjas,"
>me having just watched Gaijin Goomba's video on Tengu: "huh, isn't that's a Tengu reference? They _are_ often depicted as anthropomorphized birds that sometimes teach their wisdom to humans."
I don't care what anyone says, Mini Ninjas is a critical part of my childhood and its very good.
wow i actually remember Mini Ninjas being advertised in my school on a cork board in the cafeteria when i was in 5th grade, i never knew until today that the god damn Hitman devs made that
Holy shit, I completely forgot about Mini Ninjas! Damn, that was a fun game. I should replay it some day.
Mini Ninjas is actually my favorite game of all time, i love it so much
Freedom Fighters was such a huge part of my childhood. Bought it based on its box art alone. I remember I would buy a greatest hits game almost every month. I would walk into circuit city with no plan. That’s how I ended up playing games like Freedom Fighters, Dead to Rights, Rise to Honor, okami, God of War. Good times.
Freedom fighters was definitely still one of my favorite games I ever got to play looking back story wise it falls flat but I love certain missions and just the pure nostalgia of it.
You're such a great guy! I really enjoy these videos. Also, kudos for supporting Karl Jobst in times of need.
Another great video! Hopefully at some point you’ll review the entire Eidos lineup, with many of my other favorite games like Thief and Deus Ex! As far as these games go, Freedom Fighters was the only one I played, and I really liked it! I should probably replay it. In the past I’ve considered checking out Kane and Lynch, before seeing the bad reception. I’m forever grateful I avoided it and will continue to do so! After seeing this, I’m now considering playing Mini Ninjas! It looks fun!
I actually remember loving Mini Ninjas. In fact I loved it so much that I played through it in about three days or so if I remember correctly. Bear in mind I'm terrible at video games due to disability so it's a wonder it didn't take me longer lol
That MP concept for Kane and Lynch would be great if it were presented like TTT/Murder. Randomly chosen traitor.
I would genuinely love it if Kane and Lynch showed up as targets in hitman (I mean absolution showed they exist together). Respecting the past whilst also letting everyone therapeutically murder it too.
You know what, im gonna say it; Kane and Lynch was fire, and i want another installment
Freedom Fighters! Man, I beat that game a good 2 dozen times as a kid. I didn't have a whole lot of money or games back in the early 00's so coming home to seeing that game on the counter couldn't have made me happier. It had a really cool hub-world mechanic that I would have genuinely adored to see expanded upon with 7th or 8th generation technology. Imagine Freedom Fighters 2 with the level complexity of the latest Hitman Entries!
And DAMN, the music! 17 years later and it's still one of the most unique soundtracks I've ever heard from a Third-Person shooter!
I'd thoroughly recommend that you watch pyrocinicals video on Kane and Lynch 2, I'd very in depth and has a lot of information that I thought was unfairly left out of this video.
I think the best part of Kane and Lynch was playing it with a friend in couch coop, good memories
I loved Mini Ninja's, Freedom Fighters, and the second Kane and Lynch game co-op and online. K&L2 was just a very violent, very hectic shooter. The fact that you could be shot through bad cover and fall to the ground crawling around and shooting wildly while the camera shook in all directions, gave it a lot of adrenaline pumping moments. The alternate ninja characters in Mini Ninja's have some lovely unique animations (I seem to remember hanging upside down firing arrows, and as seen in the video, running around like a tiger).
Mini Ninjas has been an... interesting game to me. I remember playing the game on PS3 years ago and generally enjoyed it, however the game never quite stuck with me the same way some other games did. But I will say, in *retrospect* i think it’s a pretty good game
YESSS someone finally talking about Freedom Fighters, I played the heck out of this game as a kid on the Gamecube. Still boot it up every now and then.
I haven't finished the video yet but I see freedom fighters and now I'm happy, love your channel
I've never played Freedom Fighters, but this video instantly made me wish for a modern remake.
16:43 shooting in Kane & Lynch feels like shooting an Airsoft gun. Both in terms of accuracy, bullet velocity and bullet visibility
The most interesting about Kane and Lynch is Lynch's voice acting. Mini Ninjas does seem like a decent game.
Just about Kane and Lynch. In the context of the time this game came out it's clear that IO were massive fans of Michael Mann movies. And the movie that had just released in the closest proximity to this game, was Collateral. The biggest action set piece that happens in that movie takes place in a nightclub, hence in Kane and Lynch there's a gunfight in a nightclub. Tom Cruise in that movie was a bad guy who was yet strangely sympathetic hence the choice to make Kane a bad guy who's sympathetic. Really if you watch every Michael Mann film up to the release of this game, you can see the genesis of ideas that inspired IO to cram as much of that into something interactive. And as someone who played Kane and Lynch at release, I respected the effort. Just... my 2 cents :)
Add James Bond to the list now.
Yes its gonna be great
I loved Kane and Lynch 2! for like a week. Don't blame me, the co-op is still fun
I have very deep memories of the underground hideout in freedom fighters, mini ninjas was one of my favorite games during a rough in my childhood, and I remember playing Kane and Lynch with my cousin a little bit later. Thanks IOI
I have Mini Ninjas in my library and now Im tempted to give it a go. It looks really fun
I love that the line you used for Kane & Lynch 2 is "ARGH THIS IS FUCKIN' STUPID!"
Also, what you said about the South America chapters in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men being the point even the biggest Kane & Lynch apologists throw the towel in is 100% correct, as I am the biggest Kane & Lynch apologist in the world.
I played mini ninjas as a kid and it genuinely made me happy to find out IO made them
Didn't think much when you mentioned Mini-Ninja's Game. Then you reminded me of the show and it was one of those moments where you see those forgotten childhood shows that send memories flooding back. IO MADE THIS!?
I loved Kane & Lynch. Reasons why were because they had awesome, cinematic heist scenarios you never see in other games. The story were awesome in that you play as these very morally grey characters. Kane wants to be a consummate professional that doesnt kill unless necessary and Lynch is a psychotic who literally cant control himself but the two are stuck together in this situation. The gameplay was great because it provided very tense gunfights with crumbling cover. I also like that you can be hit in cover because parts of your body are poking out of the cover. You can kill bad guys the same way so it's fair that it can happen to you as well. As for the "inaccuracy" in shooting, it's more about those guns actually do tumble rounds so you have to account for that. The Columbia part is insanely tough though. Have to agree there.
As for the sequel, there is a reason for the story. Kane had a big job go bust and he owes money so he has no friends except for Lynch...kinda. I love the story is set in a crazy 24 hour time period and reminds me of cool crime movies like One Nite in Mongkok and Exiled. The presentation was amazing as well with the phone/handheld camera effects. I dunno why anyone would want to turn that stuff off. It's like saying you prefer to turn off the soundtrack to a Mario Bros game or something.
All I remember with freedom fighters is playing the demo on gamecube i think and failing constantly to capture the Statue of Liberty.
Freedom fighters was one of the games i grew up with , it was really nice for its time
The soundtrack for freedom fighters was so good
I think a great series of games you could cover for this sort of series is the Pivotal games made Conflict series. starting with conflict desert storm all the way to disasturous conflict denied ops. They also all came out on pc which makes it handy for reviewing. Personally one of my favourite games from PS2 era.
Thanks for covering Freedom Fighters! More people should cover that game more!!!