MDK 2

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.