The campaign mode can be played either single player or via two player split screen. When in single player mode, you control Kane. Most of the levels give Kane a few minions to which you can give orders, such as telling them to attack a specific target, stay put or follow you. Your squad’s AI isn’t very good, though, and you’ll often find yourself running back and forth to revive them. When you go through the game with a second player, it becomes considerably easier. Player two controls Lynch, and any henchmen you get for the level are split between the two of you.

The AI ranges from good to bad throughout. There are some enemies who will duck and cover when you fire at them, and there are others who will just stand there while you unload your gun into their chest. Nobody, friend or foe, seems to know how to react when a grenade is thrown at them. The innocent civilian AI is off as well. Some civilians will run away from gun fire, while others will flee and come back. One of the levels has Kane and Lynch shooting their way out of a crowded dance club, and while you can fire your gun to clear running room, all of the dancers are back dancing in the same spot five seconds later

Kane & Lynch also features an online mode called Fragile Alliance, which is almost a completely different game. Fragile Alliance puts groups of strangers together with a common goal: get money. Instead of controlling your teammates, like in the single player game, you’re teamed with others via Xbox Live. In Fragile Alliance, everyone can work together, which almost never happens, or everyone can be a traitorous jerk, which usually occurs six times a round. Fragile Alliance lets you choose to murder your teammates and steal from them or to help everyone make it to the end and share in the loot. Should you choose the less team-friendly route, you get marked as a traitor and have to watch your back, because the person you just killed can come back as your enemy and will be out for revenge.

At the end of each round, the money stolen is tallied and you can use your spoils to purchase new weapon and armor packs for use in the next round. These give you a distinct advantage because they allow you to kill your teammates faster and take more hits while you run to the chopper. There are currently four maps available for Fragile Alliance, with more available soon as downloadable content.