MDK2
Review of MDK2
There are three very interesting characters that are utilized in gameplay. Kurt Hectic (alias Janitor) who is the lead character from the first MDK is back, and still the shy reluctant superstar. Kurt wears this cool suit that Dr. Fluke designed to enable him to defend himself from the enemy. This suit is equipped with a sniper scope, gun with unlimited ammo and a chute. Dr. Fluke Hawkins is the mastermind behind the operation. He is weak, old, and off the wall, but what he lacks in brawn he gains in the brains department. To say the least, he is pure genius. Dont forget to experiment with Dr. Flukes gadgets; the outcome can be quite surprising. Dr. Fluke also created the perfect companion, a dog named Max. Max is far from your normal canine however. He likes to smoke stogies and has 6 legs that can hold 4 weapons at any given time. Max also has a jetpack that enables him to fly.
MDK2 Armageddon picks up where the original MDK left off. Just when they thought it was over, the Aliens come back for more. Dr. Fluke sends Kurt on his merry way once again to fight the enemy. After Kurt defeats the first boss, he losses contact with the Doc. Mad dog Max is now sent out to help Kurt. The good doctor finds himself in deep doodo soon after. Gameplay gets real interesting at this point.
Thats enough of the story telling. Control is the games key point. MDK2 is not really a pick up and play type of game you will get the hang of it thru trial and error. It can get rather frustrating at times. On the plus side, controls are tight. I also liked the fact that there is a good selection of controls and options to enable the gamer to customize gameplay. I tried out a few before I found one that suited me. There is also a difficulty setting which ranges from easy to hard and a training session to familiarize the player with the maneuvers and weapons.
Hints are available thru gameplay but you may still find yourself chasing your tail a few times trying to figure out what the hell needs to be accomplished. Learning the moves and utilizing chutes and jetpacks takes some practice. Acing the sniper mode is essential to gameplay. When in sniper mode, you will get a heads-up-display and to keep perspective, there is a window that pops up on the right hand of the screen that displays the character. Also in sniper mode you can zoom in on the target and select the type of ammo or gadgets. These options depend on which character you are portraying. MDK2 also requires some thought so whip out that thinking cap there are puzzles to solve. Keep an open mind and experiment with combining items.
The graphics are sweet. I was very pleased to see that some of the PS2 abilities are finally being exercised. The color schemes used for each level are right on and sets the mood beautifully. The backgrounds are detailed, displaying a decent amount of high-res textures. The lighting effects are excellent. The characters including the enemies cast realistic shadows and the eerie scenes give that sense of gloom. There are also some cool effects like when grenades are thrown they trail a red tail then blows up leaving a colorful array of smoke. The Aliens ooze with green blood.
The sound effects in MDK2 are plentiful. The background music has an adventurous tone and changes as things intensify. I liked the fact that you can hear danger approaching, this gives the gamer a heads up that something is lurking around the corner. All the creatures have their own distinctive sounds and are quite noisy at times. Gameplay also includes some comic relief from the characters including the enemies. The big boss is a huge purple alien that wears red sunglasses and asks Earth, Whos your daddy?
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'MDK2' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Loretta Mattie © Absolute PlayStation
Click here to view our 13 MDK2 in-game screenshot slideshow
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