A World Full of Scientists, Robot Dogs and the Most Badass Janitor (Ever?) -- An MDK2 Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

I feel like just seeing the box art is enough.

Rating: 7.5/10

Verdict: MDK2 shows its age in how it controls and the checkpoints are too few and far between in the Dreamcast version, but I can understand why MDK2 is so loved because it does everything else right.

            MDK2 is a game originally released in 2000 to mostly great reviews. It starts three very memorable characters who are entirely different from one another – Kurt the Janitor, Dr. Hawkins the Scientist and Max the six-legged robot dog. During the celebration of their victory in the first MDK, they are informed that there is another minecrawler in Edmonton (of all places), and Kurt goes to destroy it. From then on, things go from bad to worse, because well, video games.

            I like to gush about the positives in games first, most of the time, but I got some negativity that I want to get out of the way. Some people can’t look at an old game and give it a high rating if it’s their first experience because games have come a long way in a lot of aspects, while some people are able to appreciate a good game regardless of their age. I fall into the latter, but it’s important to acknowledge that there are some limitations from the old school that have been improved upon in the modern era. I could spend all review explaining what I mean but I’ll keep it at that. I will repeat this again someday when I review another old game, I’m sure.

                The reason I brought it up is because I bought this game for Dreamcast as opposed to playing the remakes or even the PC version because it technically was originally for Dreamcast. I wanted to experience the first version. I feel like I may have played the wrong version, though, because there is one issue that drives me up the wall and that’s the problem this game has with checkpoints. What I mean by this is that they seem so far away because this game is so difficult.

                Stop Internet, I know what you’re thinking! I’m whining because I suck. I’m not terrible at the game, but I’m not great. Maybe I would have been more forgiving back in the day to having to replay areas, but at this day and age it’s just not for me. Completing a section only to die and repeat the same section is not good gameplay to me. Some will argue that games like Dark Souls thrive on that, and sure, maybe that’s your thing. I can’t remember what the checkpoints and whatnot are like in Demon’s Souls (that being the only one I’ve played), but this is a personal preference so of course I’m going to knock the game down a little bit for it. Any critic who claims to be 100% objective should be shot and fans shouldn’t expect them to be. So I feel like the PC version or one of the remakes may have been a better choice because I know the PC version at least has a quick save feature so it would have saved me some unnecessary grief.

                Another problem I have is the controls, which is more of a problem of its time than a problem with the game itself. I once proclaimed that the N64 controller was awesome, but these days the limitations of single-stick controllers are really evident, and unfortunately MDK2 suffers from that. I just have a really hard time getting used to using the A, B, X and Y buttons to move, even though theoretically, using those to move and the stick to look around is the most efficient system possible. Because of this, my movement just wasn’t as fluent, the game was harder than it should have been (note: the game would be really hard regardless), and platforming and whatnot was more difficult. The move from 2D to fully 3D worlds was an awkward transition for certain genres, and MDK2 does prove that with how it controls.

                With that out of the way I can lather this game with praise. I mentioned it above but the characters truly are a thing of beauty. All three of them have their quirks, whether it’s the eccentricity of Dr. Hawkins or the fact that you’re playing as a Janitor. And who doesn’t love the idea of a robot dog with six legs who can hold a bunch of guns at a time and blast fools? Their conversations are often silly and some are downright comical, and the fact that the game doesn’t take itself silly lends itself to an amusing and enjoyable time. My appreciation for the characters grew as the game progressed.

                The story follows the tone set by the characters. Sure, something massive is happening but the game presents it in a comic book style, and it makes it less dark. It adds a lot of charm to the experience, and was definitely a good move by Bioware (though it may have also been that way in MDK, which I haven’t played).

                I have to give special attention to the music. It always adds another layer to what you’re doing. Some of it is dark, some is downright creepy, some makes you feel like a badass, but it always captures the mood of what’s going on perfectly. It’s one of those soundtracks that manages to stand out right from the beginning and I mean that because I sat and listened to the main menu music for a bit before I started playing.

                The visuals look good for a 2000 game, and it’s clear that they put some work into making the stages. Each one has its own unique style that compliments the characters and their own attributes, and technically speaking, the game did use the Dreamcast capabilities well.

                The level design is linear, but I don’t usually mean that as a negative. We live in a world of a lot of open-world, and when a game is linear (like Remember Me), people get on their high horse and speak badly about it. I appreciate both methods because sometimes I just want to play a linear game, and MDK2 has a lot of baddies to shoot, some puzzles to solve (especially when you’re Dr. Hawkins), and some giant boss battles. The way MDK2 uses its three protagonists offers a lot of variety because they have different styles – Kurt snipes a lot, Max just straight up murders chaotically and Dr. Hawkins is more puzzle based.

                In closing, this is one of the weirder 7.5s I’ve ever given because as much as I respect and admire the game design, there are those two matters that dampened my actual enjoyment a fair amount. I give a better breakdown of what my mindset is when rating anything in my biography under the Contributors (still waiting on other contributors) tab, so check that out if you want to understand where my head is.  MDK2 is undoubtedly a great game, and had I played a different version it’d be an 8 or an 8.5 at least, but I chose Dreamcast so that’s what I have to stick with.

Ye Indie Game Corner 1 - Reviews For Galah Galah and Moirai

Written By: Tyler Selig

                It’s been a little bit since my last blog post, and that’s because I’ve been moving to a new house so times have been busy. However, I am back. Outside of this article, there will be a new On The Gamely in the next couple days along with a full review of Super Mario 3D World.

                But just as an article to keep all three of you as fans, every now and again I will do a short review of a few indie games that I’ve played recently (I will try to keep them to new releases). As far as I know these two games were released within the past couple weeks.

Galah Galah

Rating: 8.5/10

Coolest elevator ride since Drive. Or something.

                I have to admit I’ve become kind of a… fanatic of Jake Clover, because I view him as a David Lynch of video games. I know Lynch has become the go-to director to reference when something is surreal but I feel he’s a better fit than someone like Jodorowsky. Anyway, not to get all off-topic and onto movies, but I just love what Jake Clover does, as I count Nuign Specter in my Top 100 games of all time.

                So what does Galah Galah offer? He bills it as a “game which involves a number of glitchy alien experiences. It’s meant to be a game version of a video of unfinished games.” It’s a little less WTF than some games, but it’s still ultimately WTF mixed in with some minimalist gameplay. I don’t say that as an insult, because the visuals are well done and his art-style has always fit the nature of his games. Though a lot of the gameplay is simply walking from point A to B, he does throw in some parts where you can die.

                But Galah Galah is another interesting experiment, a game that uses audio and video in fun ways to give you an experience unlike others. It’s a short game, and these types of 10 minute games allow the developers to get away with certain things a full game can’t.

Moirai

Rating: 8.5/10

Someone's gonna get a hurt on real bad.

                Moirai is a first-person adventure game where you end up wandering through a cave for a brief amount of time. We see a lot of games like this in the indie community that aren’t heavy on gameplay, but Moirai comes with a very novel feature that I won’t spoil.

                Because I don’t want to spoil it, I can’t give a real great review because there’s only so much I can talk about with a short game.

                I did think that the music was fitting, and the game tells its simplistic story in a very clever way, and it’s because of that reason that Moirai gets an 8.5 from me. I’m a sucker for experimentalism and things that are outside the norm.

                Well there you have it, two 8.5s to start this off. Don’t like what I have to say? Yeah, me neither, but let me know in the comments.

PS4 Launch Party - What's That In The Shadow? Oh, it's Contrast. Hi Contrast. (It's A Review)

Written By: Tyler Selig

                This is my first article for what I’m dubbing, “My PS4 Launch Party.” I intend to write a long review for Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack. I plan on reviewing Resogun and Contrast, which will be shorter reviews. I may even throw in an article detailing what I think about the actual Playstation 4 itself, but I will not be giving it a rating. I'll probably tease you with the reviews of Resogun and Contrast first, just to tease you before I unload the big daddy reviews, because you're a dirty dirty girl, and you like that.

                So read on for my review of Contrast, a multi-platform game that I played on PS4.

Rating: 6/10

Verdict: Contrast is an entertaining game, but nothing that will set the world on fire. At its core, it’s a solid puzzle-platformer but while it has a cool idea, outside of a couple neat puzzles, it doesn’t use it all that excitingly. A 6 doesn’t mean “shit game,” it means “decent game, worth playing but not exceptional by any means.”

            Contrast reminds me a bit of Lost in Shadow, a superior game that was released on Wii a couple years back. The fact that both games have you using shadows to platform your way through is why I say this. The idea to me was fascinating back when Lost in Shadow was released, and you don’t see many games use that “gimmick,” so I was pretty excited to play Contrast.

                Unfortunately Contrast doesn’t hit the levels of Lost in Shadow, but it’s not a terrible game by any means. You play as Dawn, a mysterious woman who helps a little girl named Didi as she goes through family issues. It would actually be pretty heartbreaking if the writing allowed it to be, as you get to see your parents go through marital problems and you find some things out that would potentially damage a little girl for life. It tells its tale mostly seriously and in a noir-like fashion, which is appealing to me but verbally and visually, but the voice acting and the quality of writing sometimes lets it down… which is a shame because there’s an emotional story here to be told and it doesn’t reach those heights.

                With that said, the visuals aren’t exactly next-gen, but it’s also not a triple-A game. It’s not full-priced, and if you get Playstation Plus right now (which you should because they give you 30 days just for buying), the game is free. The visuals do a competent job of making the world feel alive.

                The biggest disappointment lies within the biggest aspect of gaming: the actual gameplay. It has a cool feature revolving around shadows but it doesn’t really give you engaging platforming or puzzles (outside of a couple which I found slightly challenging and interesting). I felt like there were some real innovative things that could be done here, and since the game only clocks in at about three hours, I felt like the developers should have went balls-to-the-wall and gave us some really intriguing puzzles. Unfortunately, most of it is pretty average and doesn’t live up to its potential.

                If you’re looking for a quick puzzle-platformer to spend your time with in between other games, you can’t go wrong with Contrast. It’s just that if you’re a gamer that’s interested in Contrast, you probably have a backlog of games to play anyway so while I’d give Contrast a minor recommendation, you also won’t be missing much by avoiding it.