We'll have to be quiet about our Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days preview, but Lara's latest outing is definitely worth a look...

With great anticipation, I awoke to the knowledge that my journey across the country to visit Square Enix’s headquarters to view two upcoming releases would possibly go down as one of the most entertaining days of my life. I felt a pang of disappointment that one of the games that I was going all that way to see included Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days. Not that I was prejudging it, but going on its predecessor, the chances were that it was going to be like Harold Shipman: probably pretty reasonable at its job, but it’s quite hard to overlook the fact that it’ll kill a lot of people (in a metaphorical, psychological sense, rather than literally killing people, of course).

I felt a little bit bad for Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, mostly because of the roasting that it received from certain quarters. The worst review I read called it “a sickly mess of a game with the multitude of negatives undermining every positive.” It quickly became the game that separated actual reviewers from people who’re in fact free advertising for developers [note: this in no way refers to anything that may or may not have actually happened or ever will. All reviewers are free to write what they want, it's just that some are morons who masquerade as 'game reviewers']. It was an exceptionally terrible game, but somehow it still achieved a reasonably impressive 67.5% average score for the Xbox 360 version (the PS3 was two points down due to some very pointless reasons). If this is not proof that scoring a game is pointless, then I don’t know what is. Then again, if you need an arbitrary score provided by reviewers to convince you to buy a game, then by all means go waste your money.

However, as much as I detested the game, it did have positives. The story was engaging, with interesting pacing and variety. Actually, thinking about it, that’s about it. But this fact can’t be simply brushed under the carpet. Hollywood, in their recent “let’s turn games into movies” trend, have enlisted Bruce Willis to play the role of Kane and Jamie Foxx to play Lynch. Although they will no doubt make a similar hash of it as they did Max Payne, it shows that us gamers aren’t alone in admiring the positives of a good story in a game, in particular Kane and Lynch’s.

So, as my train pulled into Paddington, I had managed to convince myself that things might not be so bad. The teasing trailers had tried to celebrate the multiplayer’s new twists, which, it must be admitted, did indeed look truly individual. No other game was doing what they were saying that they were set to do and that is sometimes all we can ask from games. The cinematography looked good, as did the effects. But then this isn’t meant to be a film review, it’s meant to be a game review, so gameplay will need to show up this time.

I notice that I’ve not mentioned the other game that I’m set to see. As an admirer of the series when I was younger, I was looking forward to seeing the franchise’s next steps under the rejuvenated Crystal Dynamics studio. It is a series that produced one of the best platforming games of all time and it was about time it got back to those heady days of yesteryear instead of just living off the name. I am of course talking about Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. What, you couldn’t guess that from the previous few sentences?

Although the return of Lara under her new guise as an arcade game hasn’t set every fanboy’s pulse racing, the noise that the Crystal Dynamics has been making sounds positive. Darrell Gallagher, Crystal Dynamics’ General Manager, stated that their goal was to create a “perfect companion piece to the Tomb Raider franchise. One which could be clearly recognised in its own space, have the familiarity of being set in the world of Lara Croft and at the same time offer fans fresh gameplay”. And as a downloadable title, included as a part of Xbox’s Summer of Arcade, it will be able to appease both the hardcore followers as well as the casual gaming market. Built with two player cooperative multiplayer in mind, players can still play it as a solo adventure and at 1200 MS points, it could become a relative success.

As I stood on the underground on the final part of my journey amongst the throngs of people heading for the tennis at Wimbledon (fools, I’m off to play games whilst you just sit there and get sunburnt!), I had a true sense of optimism for the forthcoming session. This sense of optimism got repaid and then some. Unfortunately, due to an embargo placed upon me until the 19th of July, I won’t be able to tell you how the Kane and Lynch testing went, but suffice to say that it is immeasurably better than its predecessor in almost every sense. Come back on the 19th and I’ll tell all from that session and the experiences on the beta, which should be starting next week.

What I can talk about is hugely entertaining Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. First and foremost, let’s just cover the title: although it isn’t under the Tomb Raider umbrella, it is most certainly Lara, just a slightly smaller version of her. Also, fret not fanboys, a new Lara title is in the process of being made, but when it will be released and what it will be will remain a mystery for some time.

"Guardian of Light could quite possibly be better than any of the previous titles and if you miss out on this, you’ll be kicking yourself for it"

However, for all of you now thinking “well that’s rubbish; I’ll not bother reading the rest as I like my Lara big, fiddly and with unnaturally large breasts” STOP! Guardian of Light could quite possibly be better than any of the previous titles and if you miss out on this, you’ll be kicking yourself for it. When I said that it was “hugely entertaining” at the head of the previous paragraph, I wasn’t lying. Although I was only playing a pre-alpha version, this was as addictive, as energetic, as playable and as challenging as any game I have played recently. I am totally cereal.

Visually, you’re immediately struck by how different it looks as you look down on Lara from a fixed camera position akin to Baldur’s Gate 2 and Diablo. Yet this camera angle deceives, as the game is in fact built upon the same game engine as Lara’s previous outing, meaning the physics and environment behave brilliantly for a game of this size and price. Moreover, this angle allows the game to function simply and effectively as it removes the necessity to fiddle with a detached camera. Immediately I prefer this game to the last!

"The ease at which Lara can be manoeuvred and controlled ensures that there is never any possibility of becoming frustrated and angry because she jumps inadvertently off a cliff"

Controls are again simple to pick up and simple to use consistently (except for the fact that I occasionally had a retarded moment and planted bombs that exploded, diminishing my health, instead of rolling). The ease at which Lara can be manoeuvred and controlled ensures that there is never any possibility of becoming frustrated and angry because she jumps inadvertently off a cliff.

The maps were huge and never required a linear path to get to the next stage, throwing up variations in playthroughs, but there are also numerous extra areas that can be explored for fun and additional bonuses. The puzzles that you have to complete to progress require real thought, but at the same time are achievable and hugely rewarding. And it is in these puzzles that the game’s coop mode comes into its own.

Your pal Totec, an ancient man that you’ve inadvertently freed, is an amazing chum to have around. His individual tools and skills are often required and harmonise perfectly Lara’s own skill set. A perfect balance is struck as each player requires the other to complete challenges, ensuring that the entertainment is constantly fresh and engaging. With a points system also employed (points being gained through picking up gems, killing enemies, etc.), it ensures that there is also a competitive edge between the two players as they push the other to reach the highest points tally at the end of the level.

As we only played cooperatively though, I am unsure how it plays out when playing solo, but I am assured that the game changes accordingly, altering the spawn rate of enemies and challenge difficulty as needed. However, this is most certainly a game that demands to be played with a friend, either in the same room or over the ether.

I mulled this thought over as I rolled into my final destination. Believe me when I tell you that fun will never feel like such a bargain, with or without a friend. This isn’t Lara as we know her, this is better. And considering it’s going to be a quiet summer for gaming, this will be played again and again and again and again...

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