MDK2
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| MDK2 | |
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| Developer(s) | BioWare |
| Publisher(s) | Interplay |
| Release date(s) | March 31, 2000 (DC) May 25, 2000 (WIN) March 26, 2001 (PS2) |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) USK: 12+ ELSPA: 11+ |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 |
| Media | 1 GD-ROM (DC) 1 CD-ROM (WIN) 1 DVD (PS2) |
| System requirements | 200 MHz CPU, 16 MB RAM, 250 MB available hard disk space, OpenGL-capable graphics card with 4 MB RAM, DirectX-compatible sound card (WIN) |
MDK2 is a video game and sequel to the third-person shooter, MDK. The original MDK was developed by Shiny Entertainment and released in 1997 by Interplay. For the sequel, established RPG developer Bioware Corp. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada took the reins, delivering a highly rated gaming experience that followed on closely from the first game.
MDK2 was originally released for the Dreamcast and PC in 2000. It was later revised and released for the PlayStation 2 as MDK2: Armageddon. The main difference between these two versions is the ability to select the difficulty in the later, PS2 version.
Contents |
[edit] Protagonists and Gameplay sections
Like the original, MDK2 features three protagonists: Kurt, an ordinary janitor and reluctant hero, Max a mechanical six-legged dog, and Doctor Fluke Hawkins, Max's creator and all round eccentric scientist. Unlike the first game however, the player is put in control of all three characters, with each delivering a significantly different gameplay experience.
[edit] Kurt's levels
Kurt's levels emphasise the use of his coil suit and Ribbon Chute, a ribbon-like parachute which allows him to take lifts off upward air currents and glide gently from platform to platform. They also focus heavily on his built in Sniper Scope which allows foes to be dispatched from afar, both directly and indirectly, using the sniper mortar attachment.
[edit] Max's levels
Max's levels deliver somewhat more mindless action, allowing the player to arm up to 4 weapons at once, each wielded by one of Max's many arms. However, as part of MDK2's many platforming segments, Max is outfitted with a jetpack, which gives rise to several mid-air refuelling challenges.
[edit] Dr Hawkins' levels
Dr. Hawkins' levels are perhaps the most divergent and make an altogether more cerebral experience. The Doctor has to combine inventory items to make weapons and tools that can be used to progress and occasionally drinking plutonium that causes him to transform into a 'Hyde'/'Hulk' style creature, able to beat up the enemy, later in the game Hawkins is forced to defuse bombs.
[edit] Plot
The game is a direct continuation from the end of the first game, starting with an introductory sequence showing all three protagonists celebrating the defeat of the alien menace, the 'streamriders' from the previous game.
[edit] 'Its all over'
Only to find out halfway through a celebratory toast, the Invasion isn't over and one last mine crawler is found, Kurt is dispatched to stop the invading "mine crawler", with Doctor Hawkins mentioning that Max and himself will help Kurt if they can. Kurt skydives into the mine crawler, and clears his way through, overpowering the pilot, Hanz. Afterwards, he establishes connections with Dr.Hawkins, who fails to tell him that there is something behind him. Kurt is overpowered by the finger of Shwang Shwing, the right hand-man of the alien emperor.
[edit] 'Man the torpedos!'
Upon the disturbance in the connections, Doctor Hawkins sends Max to an alien ship on board a torpedo, and Max destroys the ship's central AI. However, Shwang Shwing appears also, and overpowers Max.
[edit] 'Attack of the BFB!!!'
Doctor Hawkins then has a brief conversation with Shwang Shwing, upon which he states that his ship, the Jim Dandy is 100% impenetrable; upon which a hull breach occurs; forcing the doctor to correct his statement as 99.9% impenetrable. Doctor Hawkins, through his zany inventions, clears the ship all the way to the cargo hold, where his arch-enemy, BFB ("Balloons for Brains", as he puts it) appears. Doctor Hawkins defeats BFB (after angering him by stating his paper on hydro-capacitors was simply "boring"; a response to BFB's boasting about how it was published in over 500 systems across the galaxy).
[edit] 'Shwang Swing's shades of doom'
Locating Kurt Hectic, Doctor Hawkins sends him to where Shwang Shwing is. Kurt rescues Max, and defeats Shwang. Shwang escapes into a portal, and Kurt Hectic follows, while Max goes back on board the Jim Dandy. Max discovers that the Jim Dandy is overwhelmed, and starts clearing his way through. Once he reaches Doctor Hawkins, BFB appears, and challenges Max with a "more superior" version of himself; Bad Max. Max defeats Bad Max, and rescues Doctor Hawkins. Later on, Max enters to a portal that appeared due to the defeat of Bad Max, and leaves Doctor Hawkins with BFB.
[edit] 'The BFB strikes again!!!'
Gathering his fundamental items, Doctor Hawkins proceeds with "science", while continuously deactivating the bombs BFB had been setting in various places on board the Jim Dandy. Giving BFB "a lecture on Darwinian survival", Doctor Hawkins ejects BFB's corpse to outer space (while keeping the large orbs of his two brains). He then proceeds to locate Kurt Hectic and commences with an atomic cascade; giving the ship tremendous speed towards the given coordinates, teleporting Kurt without his Coil suit.
[edit] 'Swizzle Firma'
Kurt Hectic, after Shwang Shwing, arrives at Swizzle Firma, the alien homeland. After following Shwang's ship and crashing it down, Kurt learns that Shwang is not the mind behind the operation, but the emperor, Zizzy Ballooba is. Kurt Hectic then flies to the castle gates, where Zizzy awaits.
[edit] 'Shwangs wheelchair of doom'
Max arrives the streets of Swizzle Firma by the means of a portal, and learns that "The Ultimate Doomsday Device" will destroy earth, once the aliens figure out how to aim. Max clears Swizzle Firma, and encounters a badly-injured Shwang in the launching silo of the device. Max defeats Shwang, and tries to disable The Device, but it launches anyway (with Max -commenting "Oh Sh-"). However, since the aiming was not complete, harmlessly, The Device lands in front of Zizzy Ballooba's palace; right nearby Kurt Hectic.
[edit] 'Zizzy Balooba'
Doctor Hawkins arrives later on, and sets the Jim Dandy in Swizzle Firma's orbit. Upon attempting to teleport Kurt Hectic and Max since he wanted to destroy the palace by using Jim Dandy's weaponry. The teleportation goes wrong, and Doctor himself is beamed down to Swizzle Firma. After finding the gadgetry he wanted to have in order to create some sort of transport, he flies a telephone booth.
Upon their entry, the heroes have an argument among themselves on how they should encounter Zizzy Ballooba. They all choose different ways, but they are re-united in the throne room. The first invasion, and the second invasion were just for his own amusement; because he has figured out space and time, and did not have much else to do.
[edit] 'Epilogues'
Each character has different endings, depending on whom you choose in the final choice.
Kurt's Ending: Kurt Hectic is declared a world hero, and enters the spotlight; to exit soon enough, and return to his janitorial duties.
Max's Ending: Max leaves Earth and settles down as the emperor of Swizzle Firma, and makes the alien world Earth's most powerful ally.
Doctor Hawkings: The Doctor's genius is proven to a degree of madness; upon which, he returns to his old hobby, atomic robotic zombies.
[edit] The Name
The name "MDK" was rumored to be an initialism for "murder, death, kill" by fans and the gaming press after the original MDK was released. This was never confirmed by any of the involved parties, and various other theories exist regarding what this stands for. In the installation screen for the PC version, several explanations are listed, with each followed by a question mark; these were likely included for added humor. The one that was generally accepted for the second game was that it was naming the three main characters: Max, Doctor, and Kurt (the protagonist in the original MDK).
[edit] Trivia
- The Comic-Book style loading screens are an homage to Jack Kirby.
- The name "Zizzy Balooba" appears to come from an alien named "Zyzzybalubah" that appeared in an episode of Peewee's Playhouse.
- The telephone booth Dr Hawkins flies, is a spoof of the TARDIS in 'Doctor' Who and the phone booth in 'Bill and Teds excellent adventure'
- The mine crawler at the start of the game is actually heading towards the location of Biowares headquarters, much like the first minecrawler in MDK was Shinys'.
- If you listen to the tracks on the Dreamcast version on its CD player function, you can hear a conversation where the 3 characters aren't sure if the invasion is 'over' or not.
- Theres also a folder of concept art on the Dreamcast version when read by a PC.
- The games cover is a spoof of 'Charlies Angels title sequence'
[edit] Credits
- Produced and Directed by Cameron Tofer and Greg Zeschuk
- Lead Programmer: Cameron Tofer
- Programmers: Stan Melax, Justin Smith, David Falkner, Ryan Hoyle, and Charles Randall
- Art Direction and Special Effects: Russ Rice
- Level Design and Art: Cassidy Scott, Kalvin Lyle, Casey Hudson, and Toby Manthorpe
- Art: Sean Smailes, Derek Watts, Rob Sugama, Matt Goldman, Lindsay Jorgensen, and Mike Sass
- Sound: David Chan
- Soundtrack: Jesper Kyd
- QA Lead: Karl Schreiner
- Executive Producers: Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka
- Voice Acting: Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and Atomic Improv
[edit] External links
- Official MDK2 section at Bioware website
- Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie (provided voicework for MDK2)
- Atomic Improv (provided voicework for MDK2)
- MDK2 at MobyGames
