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.

Sega Dreamcast Launch Party - Livin' Like It's 1998

Written By: Tyler Selig

Ooooh you can see my sexy pajama pants.

Over the past year we have seen the 3DS become an absolute mammoth of a system, the release of the Xbone and PS4 and we've also seen the Wii U fall into a downward spiral so bad that Trent Reznor should re-release his album and call it the Wii U Experience... but I'm playing the mother fuckin' Dreamcast. Okay, I'm also playing my 3DS, Wii U, PS4 and PC (sorry Microsoft, I don't have the money), but I recently bought a Sega Dreamcast. Before I go into what that entails, let me quickly explain why.

When I was younger, I owned the Nintendo systems and got into the Playstation 1 (see how bad the Xbox One name is Microsoft? This would be really confusing had I said Xbox 1), but I had this friend who had Sega's last system -- the Dreamcast. To this day I've only ever played a handful of games from when he let me borrow it or I'd go to his house and play games like Powerstone 2. I was in a retro gaming mood so I opted to buy a console that I never owned. I originally considered the Saturn but the price of a bunch of the games I really wanted were ridiculously high so I decided on the Dreamcast because while some games I'm intrigued by, such as illbleed, are also pricey, there are some games I want to play that are reasonably priced, at least for retro games.

Shenmue is in the agenda once it gets back in stock on Lukie Games, and there are some others I hope to get, but I bought MDK2, Slave Zero and Jet Grind Radio. I heard great things about MDK2 and Jet Grind Radio, and I've never heard of Slave Zero and it was cheap so I took a chance.

I am looking to do this article which is just basically an "unboxing" type article, followed by reviews of the games I bought. Now, I will still be doing reviews for new games and other articles so this party is being scattered throughout the year. All year baby!

So what is the Dreamcast and why did I want it? Simply put, it is the Sega swansong, at least for consoles. After this they became the software only company that we know them as now. It was a very innovative system, pioneering online gameplay on consoles for example, and the influence is clear in the first Xbox (just peep that controller). It is actually held in high regard by a lot of people who experienced it and the games I have played for it have been pretty awesome, like Crazy Taxi or Powerstone 2. Hell, I first played Virtua Tennis on it and I fell in love with a Tennis game of all things.

I originally intended on just having a quick introduction but shit I'm wordy today. So let's get on with the show.



The first thing I actually did was try to put my VMU -- the memory card -- into my controller. I have never come across a more confusing memory card in my life. First of all, the thing reminds me of a Tamagotchi (not a criticism), and then went I set the date, I thought, "Okay, now it's time to put this bad boy in." This is where the readers probably end up thinking I'm stupid, and I've made peace with that, but it confused me. I thought you would just put it in right-side up but boy was I wrong. I didn't even realize that you had to take the top off of it and when I did it just confused me because I couldn't fathom a world where you had to put the memory card -- which has a screen you can look at -- in upside down because that would mean your picture would be upside down. Or so I thought.

So when I finally accepted that the Dreamcast is weird, I put it in upside down.

THE WAY YOU THINK IT WOULD GO IN.

The bottom picture is when I actually put it in correctly but I turned off the screen. It's been a long time since I messed with a Dreamcast and I forgot how silly the whole thing is, in the coolest way possible. The memory card has buttons like a controller. You set the date on the memory card. The memory card has a life of its own and is going to become Overlord of the entire planet and/or universe.

So having made me feel like an inadequate man, I decided that once I had the controller matter under control that I'd actually turn on the Dreamcast and play this shit. But first I took a second to admire the supper that my little brother was eating as he watched me hook up the rest of the Dreamcast.

I couldn't get a signal on my TV but it turns out I just hadn't pressed the cords in hard enough. That's good because had this not worked I would have been like:

Unfortunately the guy on the right would have been my little brother just enjoying his BLT.

So finally, after a close scare and WTF VMU, I got to this screen:

I considered leaving it on 1998 because maybe it's a secret way to time travel and I wouldn't have had to deal with the movie Shutter being released yet, but alas, I put in the real date and continued on with my life.

My life took me to this screen, which strangely felt like home. It filled me with such a beautiful feeling in my soul. A warmth in my heart that was so intense it could heat up the coldest areas. I saw the Sega screen, and remembered the Sega Genesis, a system I was quite fond of back when Little Tyler was me and I hadn't yet conquered the internet with a video game blog.

So where do we go from here? Well, here, silly people:

 To be continued.