Shiny Entertainment was a growing superpower in the 90s. Earthworm Jim put them on the map, and MDK became a PC staple, often mentioned in the same breath as Quake. After MDK and the criminally overlooked Wild 9, Shiny began developing Messiah, a surrealist action game that boasted experimental dynamic real-time tessellation. They effectively invented low-level detail scaling for 3D video <a href="https://comicvibe.com/games-that-pay-real-money-pros-cons-and-user-reviews/” title=”Games That Pay Real Money: Pros, Cons and User Reviews”>games but, for whatever reason, never patented the technology. MDK‘s sequel was eventually developed by BioWare before they became the RPG powerhouse they are known as today. MDK2 was originally released on Dreamcast, but got an enhanced port on PlayStation 2 where it was retitled as MDK2: Armageddon. Did BioWare have what it took to fill Shiny’s shoes, or was MDK just too weird a concept to be done by anyone else?
MDK barely had a story apart from flashes of text between stages. MDK2: Armageddon‘s intro spells out the first game’s plot in seconds while also directly following up on it. Kurt Hectic had just saved Earth by murder-death-killing Gunta Glutt and his alien armada of minecrawlers, thwarting his campaign to terraform the planet. On the night he was set to celebrate with his dog Max and Dr Fluke Hawkings, somehow, the aliens had returned. A new minecrawler has appeared in Canada, and this time the player will play as Max, Doc, and Kurt, fighting the evil forces of Zizzy Balooba and his big purple goon, Schwing Schwang. Yes, these are real names; they are not made up. Stop laughing; take this seriously. The world is at stake.
The originalMDK featured only Kurt as the sole playable character. Max barely showed up, and the Doc only appeared during the mission briefing. MDK2 features ten levels, rotating between three heroes, with each hero getting four levels to play through. The final level is open to all three characters; it features unique paths and a slightly different final boss experience tailored to whichever hero is chosen.
Kurt Hectic plays much as he did in the first game, keeping his arcade-like run-and-gun shooting, stealthy sniping, and agile style intact and relying on his signature Coil Suit and Ribbon Chute to glide and platform over gaps. His primary weapon is a chain gun built into his arm, but his core mechanic centres around his Sniper Shield helmet, which allows the player to zoom in on distant targets. Kurt’s segments emphasise precision aiming and platforming, challenging players to hit specific weak points or trigger environmental switches from a distance to make their way through long-range gauntlets. He still has access to subweapons like grenades, decoys, and a range of sniper bullets, making him the most well-developed, diverse, and fun character to play as.
Max, the six-legged, cigar-chomping robotic dog, turns the gameplay into a full-on, high-octane run-and-gun shooter, making him less engaging than Kurt since he’s missing the unique abilities of the coil suit. Having four arms is ultimately meaningless because the extra firepower isn’t much different from playing as Kurt without a sniper helmet or the ribbon-chute. The only real difference is that he runs out of ammo apart from his Desert Eagle. His levels are fast-paced, enemy-dense, and chaotic. The only standout feature is battling massive armies of enemies at once, and the main thing that sets him apart from Kurt is his jetpack, which runs out of fuel far too quickly. The game heavily depends on players using it to hover and navigate past gates. Max is a disappointment and should have played more like Gungrave or be a full-on first-person shooter like Serious Sam.
Doc Fluke Hawkins offers a cerebral, slow-paced experience that trades gunplay and action for adventure gameplay and item crafting. The eccentric scientist cannot fight effectively with conventional weapons; instead, he must explore his environment to collect seemingly random household items like duct tape, pipes, atomic toasters, and fish. Players must combine these resources in his inventory to build quirky tools, weapons, and platforms, making his levels a distinct test of problem-solving and environmental experimentation. He barely has any health, and getting into fights as him is still amusing despite his poor combat aptitude. The Doc was a worthwhile addition, and it’s too bad that Max is the odd one out.
Even though MDK2 is a technical evolution of the first game, it feels more dated. This sequel is noticeably less surreal and abstract, leaning harder on the cartoonier aspects and coming off as less dark as a result. The sprite-polygon mix of the first game was very impressive for its time, and even now there aren’t too many games that look like that. MDK2 goes full 3D and has less impressive animations than Metal Gear Solid, which came out two years earlier on PlayStation. Just like games on that console, MDK2 doesn’t have any facial animations, and characters appear very puppet-like with glaring seams on their models. At first glance, it looks decent, but the shortcomings become more apparent the longer it’s played.
The PlayStation 2 version of MDK2 boasted enhanced control options, which were a godsend because the Dreamcast controller has only one analogue stick. Using control scheme “F”, MDK2: Armageddon can be enjoyed with a layout that feels perfectly in line with how modern third-person action games are controlled today. Playability-wise, it feels a little stiffer than the first game. Like MDK, apart from Kurt’s sniper mode, shooting is mostly a spray-and-pray affair where accuracy isn’t a factor. As long as foes are somewhat centred on the screen, they will be shot.
Visually, MDK2 environments hold up better than its characters. The settings kind of resemble something out of a Metroid Prime game. The ambience is further enhanced by Jesper Kyd’s score, which seamlessly blends pounding techno-industrial beats, soaring orchestral brass, and eerie ambient synths. The music shifts dynamically to match the frantic pace of Max’s gunfights, the tension of Kurt’s sniper segments, and the quirky, whimsical tone of the Doc’s stages on the Jim Dandy. Kyd’s music is a great match for MDK2, and while it may not reach the same level as Tommy Tallarico’s work, his techno style has become an iconic part of MDK’s identity.
Cubed3 Rating
BioWare made a decent MDK sequel. Its tone is a bit sillier, and Max’s gameplay does not justify itself, but it feels good to headshot aliens a mile away as Kurt, and the Doc’s nuclear toast is an excellent addition. It might not have been the technological or artistic breakthrough like the first game, but there aren’t many third-person shooters on the Dreamcast or PlayStation 2 as solid as this one that still feel great to play even after over 25 years.
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Formats: Dreamcast, PC, PlayStation 2, Wii
Genres: Action, Adventure, Shooter, Third-person
