I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but what the heck is wrong with game-makers that make a game for a console and then at one point decide they'd better support it for PC, too? And when they do, they don't tailor it at all for the PC. A pox on them and their lets-cash-in-on-whatever-we-can-regardless-of-the-quality-of-the-result ways.
Here I am with a new game, Kane and Lynch (got the "extended demo" off BitTorrent actually and wow...am I glad I didn't spend money on this turd!). Looked like it would have an interesting storyline, fast gameplay, cool weapons, etc. Pop it in, fire it up and...utter, complete and total disappointment.
Saves:
First big black eye for any half-witted console-to-PC port: no free-form saves. Sadly, I find myself putting up with this more and kinda getting accustomed to it. Nearly forgot to mention it.
Realism:
Cops (the enemy) can take about 12 rounds to their chest and 1-3 to their head before falling (depends on weapon used). I don't die (or at least very rarely) since my psycho sidekick, Lynch is always there to pump me full of adrenaline. Apparently using adrenaline to patch up a sucking chest wound is a recently-discovered thing. Ok, I'll look past all this in the spirit of wanting to just have some violent fun.
AI:
The AI lives up to only the first half of it's name as I was give more than one opportunity to pump aforementioned rounds into cops as they just stood there like a bullet-absorbing lemming. No tactics were exhibited on the part of the cops; they mostly just ran in formation from one meager cover source to another. Some were very sharp and ducked down behind the open door of their police cruiser as they shot at me.
Controls:
Usually, the controls or the feel of the game is the first thing that tips me off that the PC version was purely afterthought or a perceived obligatory platform for the producer to support. The controls are loose and feel sloppy. The default WASD controls direct the character except A and D do not strafe. No, no, strafing isn't supported. /eyeroll The mouse is used to aim your weapon but again, it's loose and is difficult to precisely target an enemy. Yes, one more symptom of playing a game from a low-precision console on a high-precision platform. A pox on them I say.
Ok, I've mentioned a few of the negatives so it's only fair to mention some of the things I liked about the game.
Opponent view:
Occasionally, those dastardly cops would try to snipe your character. When that happens, a little window appears in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Either make sure you don't allow a nice view of yourself to show up there or make sure your brainpan is made of kevlar.
Characters:
It's very obvious the devs put a lot of work into the characters - their appearance, their character, their personality. Well done on this part! While the characters aren't necessarily someone I'd like to share a dorm room (or cell) with, they offered something that made them easy to relate to.
Sound:
Awesome gunfire sounds.
So, some of the things I wrote above may be skewed since I have always been, currently am and will continue to be, a computer gamer. But that's the part that chafes me about games like this. Kane and Lynch should have been a computer game...it is sold as one but in all reality, it is not a computer game. It's a console game that tried to become a PC game. And failed.
Unfortunately, I have a number of games in my collection that fit into this same category. The Punisher is one that comes immediately to mind. Again, fun-sounding game - great potential. But in the end, they were written as console games and weren't properly ported to the PC platform. Frustratingly, this is a very do-able task with Call of Duty 4 as an excellent example of a console/PC game done well. I have no idea how it plays on a console but apparently it's not bad, based on reviews and comments from fellow Avians. But, back to the games that fit in this category: this is why I very often acquire an "extended demo" via BitTorrent. If I don't like the game, I'm not out any $$$ for a game I wouldn't have finished anyway. If I do like it (such as appears to be the case with UT3), I'll buy the full game. I do this, not only so I can play online without hassles, but because it's the right thing to do. So, if you have any "alleged PC" games you believe fit into this category, post them here as a warning to others to serious consider before buying.
In closing, I should have probably started out with this but I mean no slight to console gamers. There are many out there who love their 360s and PS3s and Wiis and that's cool - variety, the spice of life and all that
. My frustration is with the developers that 'claim' to support the PC platform and in fact, do a sloppy conversion in order to slap on the "PC DVD" platform sticker.
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