Hands on: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

The first mode we get to try is called Arcade Mode. Multiplayer director Kim Krogh explains that it started out as a tutorial of sorts for the Fragile Alliance mode, but it worked out great and they decided to keep it in the game as a separate mode.

You team up with a bunch of AI controller allies. The goal is to steal a shitload of cash, fight your way through police barricades, and reach an escape vehicle. You have three lives, and the difficulty level increases with each level. Once your three lives have expired your cut is calculated and the score is posted online, so you can compare your skills with those of your friends.

We quickly learn that things aren't as simple as they seem at first. The rest of your crew won't play nice if you don't do your part. If you don't bring back enough money, or shoot enough police officers - they might just see you as a liability and start shooting at you. Their patience with you grows thinner with each round.

Each multiplayer level has its own back story, and Kim Krogh tells us that they have been inspired by real world heists. In the level we're enjoying, the story is as follows: Our crew has been tipped that another crew is about to rob a bank. We let them do all the hard work and rob them on the way out.

The level starts out with us shooting down a bunch of crooks as they make their way out of the building. They drop enough cash to keep us happy for a long time, we collect it and make our way towards the getaway vehicle.

After learning the basics in Arcade mode we move on to the multiplayer modes. We start out with Fragile Alliance, a mode which makes a return from the original game, and the concept is the same as in Arcade mode with the only difference being that your partners in crime are now controlled by other players. The getaway car drives off after four minutes, and all players who reaches it in time get a share of the money everyone brought back. The winner is the player with the most cash collected after three rounds.

And this is where the "fragile" part of the alliance comes into play. If two players carry a million each, and the third one only takes home a few grands, it doesn't take much figuring out to see that it won't make much sense to share the loot with him.

It doesn't take long until everyone mistrusts each other. What if one of the others start shooting at me? If you shoot one of your own, you're marked as a traitor, and all the other players can see that you have taken down one of the crew. If you shoot the traitor, you're not marked as a traitor yourself, so once you shoot someone you will quickly get the rest of the team shooting at you.

But perhaps the others will see it your way, and realise the guy you shot was dragging the rest of them down, and as the team size is limited to only there is plenty of opportunity to create small alliances. An organised version of free for all. After three round it becomes apparent that the players that were the most cunning and best at back stabbing that came away with most of the cash.

If you're truly only looking out number one, you can share your loot with the driver so he drives off before the rest can reach the car. A nice little touch, and this idea of mixing co-operative gameplay with free for all creates an environment where plenty of memorable multiplayer moments take place.

Next up is Undercover Cop. The basic principle is the same, but with a twist. One randomly picked player, is in fact an officer of the law and his objective is to stop the other players from escaping with the money.

The undercover cop won't be marked as a traitor when he shoots one of the crew, so you are going to have to keep your eyes open for something suspicious. It's paranoia overload. We know that the AI controlled cops won't be shooting at the undercover cop, and he isn't allowed to shoot them, but its still hard to tell who you can trust.

There is a sudden "Hey!" from one of the other journalists. The undercover cop got him. Two more fall soon after this. One player panics and shoots at his comrades, but not at the undercover cop. He is marked as a traitor, and quickly all guns are aimed at him. Now there are only three players left. The dead criminals are respawned as SWAT cops, and as they can tell which one of us is one their side, they make short work of the remaining two robbers. The cop walks away with the win.

Next round. There is tension in the air as we wait for the level to load. Who's the undercover cop this time? It's me! I get butterflies in my stomach and quickly form a game plan. I decide on trying to isolate the other players. I shoot in the general direction of the computer controlled robbers, but make sure I don't hit them. I pick up a pretty penny, and follow the rest of the crew, not at the back of the pack to avoid suspicion.

The first SWAT:s appear, and everyone starts shooting. I aim over their heads and patiently await an opening. One player runs towards a garage, in order to flank the cops. This is my chance. I run after him, and as soon as I'm out of sight from the others I press the trigger. I pump him full of lead, but my aim is poor. He falls down, but just survives and empties his clip in my stomach, while I frantically try to reload my gun. It's my turn again, but a third player has appeared, and quickly grasps the situation. He quickly puts a couple of well placed bullets in my head. One dead cop, and three robbers get away with the cash. Damn!

The last mode we get to try is called Cops & Robbers. As the name suggest we are divided into two teams. One side tries to get away with the money, while the other side tries to stop them. If one player collects more than a million, he automatically gets marked on the maps of the cop team, so it's a good strategy to divide the money evenly. One of the other journalists missed this detail, and he quickly lights up on our maps. But confusion grips the cops. Should we hold our position close to the getaway vehicle or rush forward and catch them off guard?

The robbers stay together while we split up and we pay dearly for this mistake. All robbers escape.

That's the end of our session with Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. As I think back on what I just experienced Fragile Alliance and Undercover Cop, are what stands out the most. The paranoia these modes bring give the game an extra edge I haven't experienced elsewhere. The closest thing I can think of is the spy in Team Fortress 2, but Valve's game never reaches these heights of mistrust. Cops & Robbers on the other hand, is similar to most other team based modes you've played. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but when compared to the other modes we have played, it is a bit of an anticlimax.