Remember how the psychotic, AI-controlled Lynch used to unload shot after shot into enemies who were already dead in the first game? In the second, you might catch yourself doing exactly the same thing-just to be sure. Enemies aren't quite as smart on their backs as they are on their feet, but, like you, they're able to defend themselves and, if you don't finish them off, to get back to their feet.

This 'down not dead' mechanic makes for some memorable moments as you lie on your back shuffling away from and shooting at enemies, hoping that the game's regular color palette will return to replace the bright red tint that bleeds onto the screen every time you're shot. If you take too many bullets, you fall to the ground where, rather than having to wait for another character to rescue you as in the first game, you can crawl back into a relatively safe spot before getting back on your feet and, where possible, straight into cover. When you combine this mostly good enemy AI with the fact that you're almost always greatly outnumbered-not to mention that many of the objects you take cover behind are realistically destructible-Dog Days poses a decent challenge even on its default difficulty setting, which is the second of four available. Furthermore, enemies can and do use cover in much the same way as you, and they even mix up the ways that they lean out so that resting your crosshair where their heads popped up a second ago rarely means you're ready and waiting the next time they try for a shot. And, more to the point, they're quite handy with the weapons they're carrying. The push-button cover system works well for the most part, and you can do all of the usual blind firing and leaning out to take your shots, but your enemies are smart enough to flank you when the opportunity presents itself.

That's right, in Dog Days you spend a lot of time getting shot. And, invisible cameraman theories aside, it makes sense that your view and your aim would be a little compromised when sprinting as fast as you can or getting knocked to the ground after taking a bullet-both of which you spend a lot of time doing. Opting to keep the shaky cam switched on can make the game a little more challenging in spots because it interferes with your aim, but other than a few cutscenes in which the camera sways for no apparent reason, its movement is very much in keeping with your own and with your surroundings. You might initially find this visual style quite distracting, but because the treatment is always consistent, it doesn't take long to get used to it. The shakiness of the camera is optional, but other effects such as compression artifacts, lens flare, and lights smearing vertically across the screen are mandatory. The entire game is seemingly played from the perspective of an invisible drunk who, armed with the world's worst camcorder, has decided to follow protagonist Lynch everywhere he goes. The first thing you can't help but notice about Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is its aesthetic. There are plenty of opportunities to flank enemies. Kane and Lynch still aren't characters you're likely to empathize with, but shooting up Shanghai in their company isn't a bad way to spend a dog day afternoon. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days looks better, sounds better, and plays better than its predecessor, and while its story mode clocks in at an all-too-short four hours or so, a handful of other modes are fun to keep playing for a while after the credits have rolled. Kane's nose is no longer broken, Lynch's medication is keeping his inner psycho under control, and their gritty second outing improves upon the first in just about every way. For two guys who debuted as Dead Men back in 2007, Adam 'Kane' Marcus and James Seth Lynch are in pretty good shape.

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