MDK2 (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Erik Wolpaw
• Reviewed on: 06/12/2000
• Released on: 05/31/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: MDK2 (PC) Review

When it was announced that BioWare would be developing the sequel to Shiny's 1997 action hit, MDK, there was some understandable concern among fans of the original. While BioWare had become known for its high-quality role-playing game Baldur's Gate, it wasn't exactly known for its quirky 3D shooters. But that's about to change. MDK 2 is everything you'd want in a sequel. It improves on the original's technology and expands its gameplay without losing the off-kilter sense of humor that helped make MDK so unique.

MDK 2 begins just moments after the end of the first game. Mad scientist Dr. Hawkins, his janitor and reluctant superhero Kurt, and the six-legged robotic dog Max are aboard their spaceship celebrating their defeat of extraterrestrial madman Gunter Glut. The ship's computer informs them that a second alien warship has been spotted threatening Edmonton, Alberta, and Kurt is once again forced to don his battle suit and wage a one-man war against the alien menace.

Only this time, he's not alone in his one-man war. Dr. Hawkins and Max, who had little more than walk-on roles in the original, are full-fledged, playable characters this time around. The game is split into ten huge levels. Each level is played using one of the three characters, and each character stars in three levels.

The gameplay on the Kurt levels is pretty much unchanged from MDK, and it's still both unique and enjoyable. As in the original, Kurt's coil suit is equipped with a chaingun, a powerful sniper rifle, and a parachute. The action in these levels generally centers on a combination of precision sniping and gliding.

Max's levels play more like an over-the-top shooter. He has six limbs, two of which are used for walking, while each of the other four can be equipped with a weapon, making him a veritable wall of firepower. In some levels, Max is given a rechargeable hover pack that leads to some tricky jumping and flying puzzles. These act to break up the shooting action, but a few - especially one that requires you to slowly guide Max over a pool of deadly toxic waste - are more frustrating than fun. However, this more annoying sort of challenge is the exception to what is generally a highly gratifying string of outrageous firefights.

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