MDK 2

aka: MDK 2: Armageddon, MDK 2: Out Snipe - Out Shoot - Out Think, MDK2
Moby ID: 2499
Dreamcast Specs
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Description official descriptions

After Kurt Hectic, the janitor extraordinaire has bravely ventured into the perilous minecrawlers and averted the alien threat to the Earth, he returns to his friends, the genius scientist Dr. Fluke Hawkins, and his invention, the six-legged robotic dog Max, to celebrate their great victory. However, they find out that one minecrawler in Canada still hasn't been destroyed. Kurt is sent to complete the mission, but as a result, gets kidnapped by an alien being known as Shwang Shwing. Doc and Max rush to his rescue and soon realize that they are up against a much bigger threat, involving an alien empire and galactic conquest. The fate of the Earth is in their hands.

MDK 2 is the sequel to the third-person shooter MDK, largely following the same gameplay template and re-creating its humorous tone. Most of the gadgets used by Kurt in the previous game return in the sequel. In addition to levels in which the player controls Kurt, the game introduces two new playable characters, Doc and Max, with their own levels. The three protagonists have distinctly different gameplay styles. Kurt is a versatile fighter who is able to shoot enemies from afar using his trusty sniper gun; the boss encounters of his levels usually involve various sniping strategies. Kurt can also use his special suit to glide from platform to platform. Max is the most straightforward of the three; having six legs, he can shoot from four guns at once, and also use a jetpack for long jumps. The Doc is physically the weakest character; he relies on stealth and manipulation of items to solve problems. He is able to fight using an atomic toaster, and can also consume plutonium, which transforms him into a monster for a short duration.

The PlayStation 2 version as well as the later Wii version based on the PS2 version introduce different difficulty levels absent in the other versions.

Spellings

  • 孤胆枪手2 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Dreamcast version)

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BioWare QA
Director of QA (Interplay)
Produced by (BIOWARE)
Designed by (BIOWARE)
Lead Programmer (BIOWARE)
Designed by (BIOWARE)
Programming (BIOWARE)
Additional Programming (BIOWARE)
Art Direction and Special Effects (BIOWARE)
Level Design (BIOWARE)
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 82% (based on 61 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 99 ratings with 1 reviews)

Not revolutionary,but great action game nonetheless

The Good
Several years after the original MDK pretty much introduced the 3D action genre with it's blend of hyperkinetic comic-booky action and bizarre humor. Now, with polygon-blasting no longer a revolutionary idea and with the genre being completely overpopulated it is a good time to revisit it with some of the original 3D blasters: Kurt, Max and the good ol' Doctor, as they once again take it upon themselves to repel an alien invasion. Unfortunately for them the aliens don't just stop with an assault on earth this time, and while Kurt goes to save earth's cities from the alien harvesters, the Jim Dandy suffers an attack and forces Max and the Dr. to take the trash out and get the trio togheter for a final assault on the alien homeworld.

Simple yet serviceable plot for an action game and made more entertaining by the self-parody treatment used in the game by such elements as the comic-book styled cutscenes (think Max Payne but in motion) and similar gimmicks.

Gameplay-wise the big thing here should be already obvious, instead of just playing as the chaingun-wielding, sniper-helmet Kurt, you now alternate between him, the six-legged dog Max and the Dr. Each with their own sequences and gameplay style. Kurt plays just like the original MDK, blending 3D platforming action with some tactical elements (like the sniping portions); Max turns the game into an action fest with the emphasis placed on shooting everything (guess how you open doors?); and the Dr. turns things into a puzzle-like platformer where you combine items and have to solve simple color-sequencing exercises and the like.

Not exactly super-revolutionary but cleverly executed with every particular scenario adjusting to it's character's gameplay style and providing a more diverse overall experience.

Aside from that, the new weapons and power-ups, two things truly standout in this sequel: the quality of the (now fully polygonal) graphics which sport all sort of particle and dynamic lightning effects with hardware T&L and the truly massive size and layout of the levels that exploit said lightning effects to the max, providing imposing alien structures to explore (the final alien city and a level that revolves around a gigantic tower being the standouts).

All that plus a streamlined interface, plenty of performance and tuning options, on-the-spot voice acting and overall great production values.

The Bad
Not really revolutionary, and misses lots of touches from the original such as some of the more memorable power-ups (remember that they were all cartoony stuff like "the world's smallest nuke"), and the flat-out bizarre elements of the original such as the weird music video, regardless of the always charming inclusion of farting aliens.

Last but not least, Kurt's sequences are way more entertaining than the others...

The Bottom Line
Funny and effective sequel to a classic of the genre. While it doesn't exactly shatter any rules or bring any new elements to the game as the original did, it does provide a lot of great gameplay with glossy first-rate graphics and killer production values. A must for any fan of the genre.

Windows · by Zovni (10503) · 2003

Trivia

Engine

The game's engine is called Omen, and it uses DirectX 5 and OpenGL, however on the CD there is DirectX 7 bundled.

Extras

The GDROM has a section that a PC cd reader can access. Pop it into your computer for some audio and visual extras.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 2001 (Issue #201) – Villain of the Year (for Shwing-Shwang)
    • April 2001 (Issue #201) – Best Art Direction

Information also contributed by doninss and Rev-san

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Related Sites +

  • Hectic HQ
    Fansite about the MDK series, which includes information on MDK 2 (English)
  • MDK 2
    Product page on the developer's website
  • MDK2 page
    Diagrams. Links to walk-thoughs, forums and saves.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 2499
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by bake84.

PlayStation 2 added by Kartanym. Dreamcast added by Zovni. Wii added by Kabushi.

Additional contributors: Zovni, Unicorn Lynx, doninss, tarmo888, formercontrib, OFF, Patrick Bregger, Mnich47.

Game added October 15, 2000. Last modified March 14, 2024.