Gaming MDK

[Brasil]

I'm not sure if many remember an older PSX game called MDK, but it was fun as hell. Shiny Entertainment developed it, so it was rife with Earthworm Jim-esque sarcasm and humor. The plot is fairly standard stuff: alien invasion.

But the plot is really just there to provide a means to an end, that end being a really fun and original sci-fi romp through the sick and twisted minds of Shiny. I remember the gameplay quite fondly, because at the time, it was just so there, and so varied. I mean, it was almost like action-oriented puzzle solving.

In fact, each "area" was pretty much its own problem. You're confronted with an enemy soldier on the other side of this massive, impenetrable glass wall, and in order to proceed, have to...ah...gooify the enemy soldier, and destroy the platform they're standing on, which then would set off a chain reaction that would destroy the glass wall. None of your "conventional" ("conventional" being futuristic grenades, assault cannon grafted onto your arm, heh) weapons work, but why not try the mortar sniper rifle you just picked up? It's very schway.

Another really nice part to the game is the...suit, I guess, that you wear. Your character is outfitted with this techno-suit that allows you to catch wind currents and glide around. The "wings" are designed really well, because they don't look anything like any regular type of wings you'd see in any other game, lol. They're literally just bands of...whatever, heh, that pop out when you hold the button. To add to the sheer cool factor of it, you can fire the assault cannon (or any weapon, I think) while you're gliding down, so you literally rain death down upon your enemies. The game's camera is really intelligent, too. It's more or less an over-the-shoulder shot during those sequences, and it works really well.

And in general, I found the camera to be very effective. It always behaved intelligently; I never saw any of the issues that more recent releases suffer from (i.e., blinding you in a corner by zooming in on your character's forehead--Ninja Gaiden, I'm looking at you). When you happen to get backed up against a corner, which happens fairly often, hehe, Kurt (the main character) simply becomes transparent. It's such a simple gameplay mechanic but it works perfectly.

The art direction of the game is stunning, too, as to be expected from the guys who brought us Earthworm Jim (which is a fantastic game...go play it...and play it loud). Even the opening sequence to each level is exhilirating. Each level is one of the alien ships--rather, the surface of it. Each ship is basically a huge mining platform that's stripping away the Earth's resources. Now, since it's hovering a few miles above the surface, a ladder isn't exactly going to work.

In order to get on there, you get dropped and free-fall/glide the way down to the landing zone, and have total control over this. No CG, no FMV. You're playing the intro. And all during your descent, there are anti-aircraft alien cannons firing at you, flying aliens zooming up at you (rather, you're zooming down at them XD), and various power-ups and such heading your way. It's spectacular, it really is.

As if this weren't enough, your support team consists of a man who is really nothing more than a mad scientist, and a six-legged dog named Max. They both make snide comments to and about you, and their banter is written very well, and acted very well.

MDK is a really nice game. It's one of those gems that you rarely get to see these days, and it's a shame. Shiny is pretty much screwed at this point, especially after the stinker of Enter the Matrix, but back in the mid to early 90s, they were top-notch, and MDK is a testament to that, I think. It's a fun, quirky, and uber-funky game. Good stuff.

I'm very likely going to go searching for it in a few days...definitely one of the more innovative uses of gameplay that I've seen.

Anyone else? Remember it? Played it?

[Goodbye, Face]

I rented it a loooooooong time ago, I guess when it first came out. I only remember that the guy had a weird head, he was dressed in all black, and that there was this red wall that I didn't understand how to get past, to the point that I thought it was a glitch, I returned it to BlockBuster and got my money back, which is kinda funny. Is MDK2 any good? I've been interested in getting it, but I've heard conflicting things about it.