What happens when you make a chainsaw wielding maniac your main Character?
The storyline, much like its prequel's, is credible and gives sufficient justification for Shank's unrelenting anger. Journeying back to the orphanage where he grew up, Shank's bus is hijacked by some quite unfortunate thugs and after seeing what had become of the city, he decides to stick around and help clean up. Shank's idea of "cleaning up" though is unorthodox, illegal in most countries, and gets really really messy. What more could we ask for?
Veterans of the franchise will find the control system hasn't changed much but has obviously been tweaked for better evasion. The new counter-attack system is great for quick elimination of single opponents and priceless in crowd control. The real-time weapon switching feature was unfortunately discontinued and so players will have to choose their weapon set wisely before they start each level as weapons can only be switched at the beginning of a new level or after a life loss.
A definite improvement is in the game's interactivity. Slaughtered foes now sometimes leave behind weapons that Shank can use for a limited number of attacks depending on the weapon's strength. Shank can also use many other items scattered throughout the game, no matter how unlikely they look, as deadly weaponry. Each level promises a Boss fight at the end and quite similar to the original, Bosses in Shank 2 can only be beaten strategically and prove much more challenging than the lackeys before them who can just be hacked, slashed, ripped or even blasted to bits ever so easily.
As is custom with the series so far, Shank 2's visuals are crisp and gore is bountiful. The level's are well designed with well positioned environmental hazards and machinery to help take out the unending waves of enemies if used correctly, if not they become death-traps for Shank himself. Platforming is smooth and movement is fluid making the combat all the more exciting especially when heavily outnumbered. The larger scale and more dynamic camera in Shank 2 also helps a great deal. All engaging enemies are mostly visible on screen which makes it hard for attacks to go unnoticed and easier to counter or evade. Animation is as good as ever with a realistic physics system.
All said and done, Shank 2 is a masterful improvement of a great game and a fitting sequel to its predecessor. Improved load times means that you are rarely away from combat and are constantly in the thick of things. Though the campaign is still quite short, promising only about 4 - 8 hours in a single player campaign, putting down the controller is much harder this time and bathroom breaks come at a premium. If you're looking for high octane action with a cause then look no further, Shank 2 gives you plenty of it and definitely redefines "hack and slash"