Critics and industry insiders have debated long and hard on the subject of gaming as art and again it boils down to the same old statistics and examples. Take Fumito Ueda's Ico, for example, a game so beautiful and at the same time tragic that it borders on a deep and personal experience that everyone can relate to in their own individual way. Now think of a famous painting; who has ever stared longingly at a fantastic painting or sculpture and derived their own meanings and personal attachment to it? Anyone who is into art will probably throw their hands up and admit they have an emotional attachment to their favourite piece of work -and if the same level of engagement can be created between gamer and game then by rights it makes them art.

But we're not here to debate this issue; we're here to learn about Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, a modern triumph in artistic direction and deep storytelling that at many points makes you feel for the central players in what is best described as a spirograph full of lies, deceit and revenge. From the team who brought us the critically acclaimed Hitman series, this title bears the same bloody penchant for the dark and unlawful side of life.

Our story begins with Kane on his way to death row, chained up in a van full of convicts and sitting next to the psychopathic Lynch. He's writing a letter to his daughter who he has never met due to his shadowy double life as a mercenary with crime syndicate The7. The superb voice acting tells of a man who is broken and remorseful for the terrible things he has done in his life and how he has accepted his fate peacefully. During this revelation the van is run off the road and the prisoners are set free by a number of masked men, who hurry you and the other convicts through back alleys and diners to freedom.

This event serves as the tutorial mission and you are greeted by hails of police buckshot and panic as you run groggily around following orders from the henchmen. Instantly several questions are raised, including why you have been broken out of captivity and just who exactly Lynch is. The gameplay follows the tried and tested Gears of War formula with the action playing out in third person. Usually in these types of games the camera can be the life or death of the playability, but thankfully this particular camera is smart and responsive, never hindering your actions. Looking around while pinned down in a back alley swarming with SWAT teams firing constantly on your position really gets the adrenaline pumping.

The controls are mapped with the right trigger for firing your weapon, the left trigger for aiming, A for vaulting over walls and so on. The d-pad allows you to give orders to other teammates, while the right bumper selects which member to bark these orders at. It's very simple and even newcomers to the genre will quickly find themselves at home. After escaping the police shootout it seems that Kane was busted out for a reason; The7 are less than impressed after he supposedly stole something of great value from them and they want it back. Just what was taken is pivotal to the plot, so I won't be telling you here - you'll just have to discover for yourself! With the help of serial killer nut-job Lynch you have to go on one last mission to recover the goods and save your skin. The one catch? If Kane fails then his former associates will kill his wife and daughter - and that's never a good thing - so it's off on a series of car chases, shootouts and heists that rival even the most meaty Hollywood blockbuster. But there's a hitch...

While it's explosive and in your face, some things just don't sit right. For starters, why can an enemy withstand five bullets before he goes down? It just isn't right. Frustration sets in when trying to headshot enemies to counter this annoyance, as the cover system, while smart, is broken and inaccurate. Imagine the scene; you get close to an enemy police officer by hiding behind a pillar, the guy runs out slightly, giving you enough space to take him down with a head shot. You lean out of cover and slide the aiming reticule over his head and pull the trigger. But instead of leaving a bloody mess on the floor and a smug sense of satisfaction, all you end up doing is shooting chunks out of the pillar. Where in the planning and game testing stages was it deemed acceptable that in a game where gunplay makes up the core of the game dynamic the aiming system is off-centre and at times downright useless? If you do manage to shoot at the guy while aiming for his head it's also quite likely that your bullet will hit the bench or wall he's hiding, behind despite your cross hair clearly targeting his noggin. Infuriating and resulting in many needless deaths, this is one area where the game loses serious kudos, which is a shame, because there is such a large aura of cool about the whole experience that becomes watered down as a result. The range of weaponry at hand is expansive, including staple tools such as M-16s, rocket launchers, shotguns and pistols - but we've seen them all before and they lack the weighty feel of their counterparts in other games of this type.

Also baffling is the option to 'revive' your downed team mates with a shot of adrenaline; while proving to be a saving grace at some of the tougher sections, it reduces the sense of threat and tension suggested by the mounting odds stacked against you. However, most of the time when a teammate dies it's because of their inability to follow your orders; the fact that the medicated Lynch often goes a bit mad and defies your orders is just as annoying and even if it does fit the nature of the character, it results in a great hindrance to the gameplay. Graphically however it has its moments, such as a scene involving your team rappelling down the side of a skyscraper above bustling Japanese streets. There isn't really anything outstanding to note when it comes to textures however, as flat, single-colour walls and decor sully what is at points a very attractive looking game. A shootout in a freeway tunnel displays some very nice lighting effects though, as tiled walls reflect lens flare - undoubtedly a high point - but for the best part the whole thing feels a tad soulless in its look.

Despite these problems, Kane & Lynch still has plenty of good points to justify a purchase or at least a rental. Online play is a real treat and different from the usual deathmatch/capture the flag elements of most online shooters. It's a simple model - you choose a squad of other online players, select a bank job and try to steal as much loot as possible while dodging the cops! Working as a team is important and makes every player and action count so real coordination is key. The twist is that at any given time a player can turn traitor and try to kill the rest of their team to claim all the booty! If you and your friends so desire you can stage a major coup and turn against the leader then share the rewards. The levels are big and offer alternate methods of infiltrating banks and vaults so that no two games will play out the same. Available offline in the main game is a two player co-op that is just as you would expect - the same old annoyances from single player but livened up slightly by the presence of a friend, although it's a shame this mode isn't available online too.

In spite of the misfires and wasted potential the game bears, there are still many moments that redeem it somewhat. The set pieces are memorable and shooting at squad cars while in the back of a speeding van is one of the best. The sweeping soundtrack sounds like it was ripped right out of The Matrix and fits the pace and immediacy of the action perfectly. The banter between Kane and Lynch is also perfect; nothing mixes up a brutal gunfight like a bit of arguing between the lead characters, such as this scene following the first time the schizophrenic Lynch snaps and unloads his shotgun on innocent hostages:

"Why the $%!" did you kill those hostages?"
"I dunno... uh... they were moving and the police kept on coming... I tell you they were swarmin!! But it's ok, we'll get away no problem"
"NO ONE GETS AWAY WITH WHAT YOU JUST DID!"

Some of the dialogue is perfectly scripted and the voice acting is spot on, really enhancing the cinematic quality of the experience. The range of locales, while often lacking in graphical prowess, is also impressive. In one mission you are fending off cops in the lobby of an executive L.A. bank while another sees you battling through the dusty, sun-bleached streets of Havana during the middle of a coup to exact revenge on some members of The7. It's all glitzy enough and looks cool, but the Havana level is too much to swallow, as Kane and co. gear up in fatigues and all of a sudden become the new A-Team (minus the DIY montages and milk-spiking). A team of washed-up old mercs taking on a whole military establishment is just one step too far, detracting from the 'Lock Stock' feel of previous missions. To put it simply, if I wanted Call of Duty 4 then I would have bought Call of Duty 4 (hang on, I did and it was way better!) and if I wanted Hitman: Blood Money I would have bought that too - but to mix the two styles of play in the final third of a game so fixed in its roots up to that point is both confusing and random.

There is great promise here that adds real weight to the characters, but nothing can forgive the glaring shortcomings of the gameplay itself. The fact that Eidos have put pen to paper to green light a film version of the game before it came out seems like a gamble and will no doubt make everyone imagine another Uwe Boll disasterpiece - but if the film-like quality of the game is this good then I have high hopes for the big screen version. Then again, if the control method is so clunky and irritating here then perhaps the duo belong on the big screen instead of on your console. A missed chance at an iconic franchise that literally shoots wide of the target, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will be enjoyed by some, so try it without expecting too much and you might just find yourself won over.

Reviewed by Dave Cook for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).