If you can resist the temptation to lay down your arms now and then, there's actually a great deal to admire. It's one of the most stylish and technically accomplished titles around. It was always puzzling why the original didn't get the graphical credit it deserved, but it seems unlikely Dog Days will suffer the same fate. IO's mastery of convincing character models gives the game a wonderfully credible cast of characters, and when it deigns to slow the pace down the potential is there for all to see. The seedy neon anti-glamour of scuzzy after-dark Shanghai provides a wonderfully evocative backdrop to the violence, and the art builds on the original's promise with an array of deft and dramatic lighting techniques which, along with a rock-solid frame-rate, make for a game that feels very assured. With that said, the game really is pretty. The interesting premise is replaced and character development is strangely absent in these early stages. Bringing the demented duo back together for Dog Days feels slightly forced. Busting them out of jail made perfect sense - but perhaps it was a one-shot idea. Back then it was clear why Kane & Lynch were gaming's odd couple. If anything, the premise, sense of purpose and narrative cohesion were its strongest elements. None of this was a problem in the 2007 original. You might roar through the madness at first, but there's only so long you can slaughter scores of Chinese gangsters and police before the novelty wanes and the sense of routine kicks in.
As a result it's easy to feel a little detached from what's going on, and you'll wonder aloud how you've ended up starting a war over apparently very little. Each mission blurs directly into the next, with the lavish cut-scene interludes failing to provide narrative payback.