MDK2 Armageddon Review
PS2 owners who haven't played any other version of MDK2 should be pleased with the game, and Dreamcast owners who couldn't muster the dedication to complete the game might want to see what they missed on the PS2.
Though it took Bioware almost a year, the company has finally released the enhanced PS2 version MDK2, the sequel to the stylish PlayStation shooter. Bioware has attempted to address all the issues found in the Dreamcast version of the game and has even tossed in a few graphical and sound enhancements for good measure. The result is a more rewarding and less frustrating version of what was an excellent Dreamcast game.
MDK2 begins only moments after the end of the first game. Aliens once again threaten the Earth, and this time mad scientist Dr. Hawkins, janitor and part-time superhero Kurt, and six-legged robotic dog Max must work as a team to eliminate the alien menace. As the game unfolds, you'll take control of each of these three characters and use their unique play styles and character strengths to progress through their particular levels. The game has 10 sprawling levels that star one of the three primary characters in rotating order.
Playing as Kurt hasn't changed much from the last MDK game. Outfitted in a special suit that features a sniper rifle, a chaingun, and a parachute, his levels usually focus on a combination of sniping special switches, gunning down enemies, and jumping and gliding to various platforms. Max is bipedal and can hold a gun in each of his four remaining paws. Max spends his time picking up guns and shooting his way through walls and through legions of alien enemies. Max doesn't use a lot of items, but occasionally dons a rechargeable jetpack that lets him fly to other parts of the levels. The weakest of the characters is Dr. Hawkins, who combines common items he finds to create weapons and better items that help him solve puzzles. Unfortunately, Dr. Hawkins often has to jump a series of small platforms, where one mistake can be deadly. Dr. Hawkins also has a different physics set from Kurt and Max, and it's difficult to adjust to his physics in midgame. Additionally, Hawkins has to solve a good number of puzzles, many of which don't have solutions that are immediately obvious or involve an extremely tedious process of finding and stepping on switches. Playing as Hawkins is a refreshing change from the run-and-gun nature of playing as Kurt and Max, but his levels could have used a bit more imagination.
MDK2 is set up in an extremely linear fashion. A quick in-game cutscene will set up the level, then you'll progress from room to room until you've reached the boss at the end of that level. The levels are usually a series of huge rooms or outdoor environments connected by tight corridors. This sequence is hardly noticeable at the start of the game, but it begins to get old quickly. At the end of each level is a huge battle with a gigantic menacing boss character. These boss fights are an excellent homage to the boss battles from classic side-scrolling action shooters and are easily some of the most intense parts of the game. MDK2 does feature a few deviations from the third-perspective shooter gameplay. For example, there is a minigame where you play as a runaway torpedo that has to dodge incoming asteroids, and there is another minigame where you play as a fish that must swim his way through a maze of look-alike tunnels. For the most part these minigames are a welcome departure, but some of them are pointless and tedious.
MDK2 Armageddon Quick Links
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- GameSpot Score 7.6 good
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- PSX Extreme 7.5 / 10
- IGN 8.7 / 10
- Thunderbolt 8 / 10
- GameZone 9 / 10
- TotalPlaystation 9 / 10
- Da GameBoyz 8.5 / 10
- Electric Playground 8 / 10
- Game Vortex 98 / 100
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