In addition, Max uses a jetpack to fly around (à la Boba Fett of Star Wars fame). [33][34] The game was released on May 9, 2011. The sound effects are just as good. Specifically, they announced they were restarting their in-house development studio, the money to do so coming from the sale of the Fallout franchise to Bethesda Softworks, from whom they planned to license the Fallout IP for the MMOG.

The Bioware Omen Engine and the Bioware Logo are trademarks of Bioware Corp. MDK, MDK2 and related marks are trademarks of Shiny Entertainment, Inc. and certain characters are © Shiny Entertainment, Inc. The left trigger jumps, and the right trigger fires your weapons. The PC version was released on GOG.com in September 2008,[6] and on Steam in September 2009. And while the first game was plagued by slowdown, the problem is seldom seen in the sequel, even though the game features some genuinely huge environments that are packed with enemies. Hawkins' levels in general were seen as inferior to Kurt's and Max's. The main difference between MDK and MDK2 is the ability to control three playable characters (Kurt, Hawkins and Max), each with their own strengths and weaknesses. [35], The HD version was developed by Overhaul Games, although several of the original developers consulted on the project.
His weapon is a chain gun, which is attached to his arm, and carries unlimited ammo. Nearly every aspect of BioWare's sensational sequel shines in a way that sheds a painfully revealing light on their competitors' glaring inadequacies. However, he concluded "MDK2 is a well-designed action platformer that will take quite a bit of time to get through its 10 levels. Max is the action hero of MDK 2, and his levels focus primarily on wall-to-wall shooting. [11] Kurt's main defense is his "Coil Suit," a skin-tight armor made of a Kevlar-like material. BioWare drops by the GameSpot offices to show off the latest build of MDK2… MDK 2 proves to be the exception to the rule though, as the newest edition of Interplay's somewhat silly shooter is a sizable improvement over the original game. Together they must out-sneak, out-blast and out-think their enemies as they attempt to reclaim earth from a vile alien menace. It is a sequel to the 1997 game MDK. -- GameSpot Review.

The game begins moments after the conclusion of MDK, with Kurt, Max, and Dr. Hawkins celebrating their victory over Gunther Glut, and thus saving Earth from the alien invasion. Filter reviews by the user's playtime when the review was written: When enabled, off-topic review activity will be filtered out.

As such, the gameplay in the sequel is more varied than in the original game, with more emphasis on platforming and puzzles than straight run-and-gun shooting. Max becomes the new emperor of Swizzle Firma, forming an interplanetary alliance with Earth. Reinvigorate your childhood fantasies of living in a cartoon and pick up MDK2 - there ain't much better in the genre. Aliens once again threaten to destroy Earth, and this time around, Kurt (the coil-suit powered janitor), Dr. Hawkins (the eccentric inventor), and Max (the gun-wielding, six-limbed robotic dog) must work as a team to eliminate the alien menace. Our belief is BioWare has been successful in the past in spite of inexperience due a serious commitment to making great games. Kurt spends most of his level sniping baddies and switches; Dr. Hawkins collects objects and combines them to solve puzzles and make useful items; and Max holds a gun in each of his four paws and powers his way through the level. [18] Items from one inventory can be combined with items from the other, but items within the same inventory cannot be combined. The background music is great and really helps define the mood of the game. [16] He is also able to wear two different types of jet pack. Mdk 2 has built on the first one by keeping all the good stuff, making the good stuff better, and dramatically improving the graphics. While each of the levels features a general audio track that best reflects the character you're using, certain events or locations within the level will summon a change in the background music - usually a more tense or suspenseful theme that helps to make the situation more dramatic. Together they must out-sneak, out-blast and out-think their enemies as they attempt to reclaim earth from a vile alien menace. Kurt Hectic is back to save the universe.

It's a real juggling act trying to get it to do all that at once. "[22] He later explained "Bioware is aiming to create the ultimate single-player experience with MDK2.

Climbing the tower with Max's jetpack on level 8 or diffusing the bombs as Doc Hawkins on level 6 will take any gamer a loooong time to complete. Kurt destroys it, but as he awaits to return to the Jim Dandy space station, he is taken prisoner by a massive alien. are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp, Ltd. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Zeschuk said the PlayStation 2 version, titled MDK2: Armageddon would feature the same difficulty tweaks as found in the PC version (adjustable difficulty levels and the ability to save anywhere), as well as slight redesign within most of the levels and some gameplay tweaks. However, he praised the game's variety and sense of humour.
In addition, these models needed to have basic animations for running, walking and other simple actions. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. "[57], Nintendo World Report's Jared Rosenberg scored the Wii version 8.5 out of 10, praising its use of the Wii's controls, but criticizing the graphics, writing "It is obvious that the game is over 10 years old. As such, the general game mechanics are more varied than in the first game, with the inclusion of more platform and puzzle-based elements than before. It could have been a little longer, it would have been well served by more character development and it really needed a method to tell the story of the game. [36] Programmer, co-producer and co-designer of the original game, and COO of Overhaul Games, Cameron Tofer stated, "MDK2 holds a special place in all our hearts – the team was really close, and it was the first time many of us were able to create an action game at BioWare. He then sends Kurt to the alien ship to save Max. [15] He has access to numerous weapons, such an uzis, shotguns, Magnums and gatling guns. Levels are huge and the obstacles you face are almost always clever, taking full advantage of how different each character plays. However, upon doing so, he too is taken prisoner by the same alien. "[61] However, nothing further was heard about any of the possible sequels, which have presumably all been cancelled. After finally ridding the station of aliens, he finds the co-ordinates of their home world and sets course. Superb. Forget Gunbird 2 and Bangai-O. This time he is teamed with the genius Dr. Hawkins and the 6-legged gun-toting robotic dog, Max. He concluded "MDK2 is this generation's best example of a pure action shooter, and goes down in my book as one of the genre's most complete titles to date. For the most part, MDK2 is a run-and-gun third-person shooter. It all snowballed from there and the next thing we knew we had three completely separate yet equal player characters. Bioware has filled the game with funny pop-culture references, such as an alien disturbance in sector 867-5309, and the game does a good job of poking fun at the characters. Numerous cut-scenes are rendered using the game's 3-D engine, which lends much drama (not to mention comedy) to the storyline. LUA ©1994-1998 TeCGraf, PUC-Rio. The math processors can be used to optimize any kind of math operations, which, in a 3D game, means a lot. He praised the sound, voice acting, controls and level design, arguing "MDK 2: Armageddon is a great action title that is certainly worth twenty hours of your time. "[27], Faulkner and Randall explained the game was still utilizing the Omen Engine, with Faulkner saying of programming for the PlayStation 2 "The PS2 is certainly good at pushing polys, no doubt about that. Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as not interested. In July 1999, IGN interviewed Zeschuk. [31] The Wii version features brighter graphics, and the game has been optimised for control with the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk. And while most games fail in their attempts to be at least slightly funny, MDK 2 actually provides some good laughs and keeps you interested in how the plot will develop. Max heads to the other ship to free up the communications. Meanwhile, Hawkins pilots the Dandy to Swizzle Firma and contacts his colleagues. --T. Byrl Baker, The cliche is that sequels are never as good as their originals. Called MDK2 HD, this version features new 3D models, textures, improved lighting, and remastered music, and was released on Beamdog in October, and on Steam in July 2012. © 2020 Valve Corporation. While the difficulty issues have been addressed to some extent, there are still areas that need work. In March 2001, a slightly reworked version, featuring level design modifications and gameplaytweaks, was released for the PlayStation 2 as MDK 2: … Upon confronting Ballooba, he admits he's only trying to destroy Earth for his own amusement, because, since he mastered space and time, he has become bored. We hadn't anticipated that the PS2 had that kind of brute horsepower on its bus. [39], MDK2 received mainly positive reviews across all systems. The problem was that there was too little video memory to fit all our textures, and the machine can't use a texture unless it's specifically in video memory.

Additionally, red arrows have been used to mark the important parts of the levels, and flashing circles point out where to shoot certain bosses.