Some fresh gameplay of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days has arrived from E3 in the form of a 'b-roll' of the fourth level in the game. The two protagonists, Kane and Lynch, sit down and have a meal at a noodle house and are most likely contemplating how they're going to get out of the situation they have found themselves in when, of course, all hell breaks loose.

The gameplay is - as you would guess - a playable, but not final version of the game and is missing some dialogue. Some of the problems I noticed had to do with the camera angles (specifically in close proximity areas), the cover system, and while this just might be a pet peeve of mine, how sluggish the character models are moving. I understand Lynch is a little overweight, but could IO Interactive loosen him up a little bit?

The "down, but not out" mechanic is shown extensively with the ability to rise up in cover and safe from enemy fire. The guns all sound realistic and unique to each of their categories and yes, shooting an assault rifle full auto will drain the magazine in less than two seconds. Interesting to me is the prompt of telling the player where they can go while in cover, to either move to different cover, vault, or take a peek.

Those of you who think the hand-cam presentation style is gimicky and doesn't work, I'd like to beg to differ. It's not as intrusive as you would think it would be and it does add a certain flair to the game without being overwhelming. Lens flair and pixelation both add a cinematic feel to the game, which is what this game would highly benefit. One of my favorite touches is Lynch's talking to himself in a weird way to reassure himself.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpP4wu4WJv0

The game looks functional and entertaining. I'm not going to expect it to blow me out of the water because I'm not going to hold it to that precedent. It's impressive that IO is taking the sequel in the direction it is, especially after the reception of both gamers and critics alike. I'm still looking forward to playing it, despite whatever reviews may come.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be muttering sweet nothings to itself while blasting people with shotguns on August 24, 2010 for Xbox 360 and PS3.