Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

Besides the obvious benefits of having extra hands at your disposal, Kane's team also acts as an extension of his inventory, which is essential given that he can carry only one primary and one secondary weapon (as well as some grenades) at a time. If the player wants to nab a weapon from one of his team, he simply positions Kane next to the relevant gun-handler and selects the 'weapon wheel'. Both Kane's and the team member's inventory can then be accessed and items swapped as required.

Our first glimpse of Kane and co working together involved the team (five in total) repelling down the side of a towering corporate building, blowing out a window and storming an office with all guns blazing. Team members take cover behind pillars and, following an intense and satisfyingly raucous shoot-out, cut the enemy to shreds with impressive speed and efficiency.

Above: Lynch, on the left with the bald head/long hair combo, is keeping tabs on you for your ex-colleagues

As well as demonstrating a group assault, the high rise level also showed us the extent of the game's destructible environments, with most cover only providing fairly transient protection when under heavy fire. This means that players won't be able to simply keep their head down when the guns start blazing in the hope that their team will take care of business for them.

While Io describes the team-based action as Kane & Lynch's "typical gameplay scenario," it also showed us a night club level in which the two leading men worked together without team support. The absolutely rammed dance floors also neatly showed off just how well Io can handle crowds, with Kane and Lynch having to bustle their way through a dense mass of party people.