"KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN"

Mature; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3; PC, Eidos/IO Interactive

In "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men," gamers will find an original Hollywood-style story line centered on a pair of criminals, an evil organization called the 7, a bank heist and lots of shooting. (A movie based on the game is in development.)

Unfortunately, game developer Eidos rushed to release "Kane & Lynch" in a crowded holiday season, and the game has numerous flaws.

Delaying the release a few more months might have given Eidos enough time to iron out major glitches, including horrible artificial intelligence, inaccurate gun targeting, random cover spots and no online cooperative play. The annoying vertical split-screen mode is almost impossible to use and unheard of for next-gen consoles. The AI debacle hurts game play because you're responsible for keeping your virtual counterparts alive, and they you, with reviving adrenaline shots, so you die a lot of unnecessary deaths.

For those who make it through the game (it's really the second half that becomes frustrating), "Kane & Lynch" offers great mature-rated banter between the two lead characters and fun, innovative situations, such as a shootout in a Tokyo nightclub, a gunbattle while rappelling down a skyscraper and a prison break. With all the shooting, finding cover is random, which leads to many frustrating deaths. It's impossible to figure out what object will protect you from bullets.

This game franchise had great potential. It just needed more time.

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