MDK2

MDK2 is the direct sequel to the original MDK released in 2000 by established RPG developer BioWare Corp. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and was released for the Dreamcast and PC originally, but was eventually re released for the PlayStation 2 as MDK2: Armageddon. Recently, the game has been re-released on WiiWare as well, and an Updated Rerelease was also released for the PC.

MDK2 begins right where the last game left off, here reluctant Hero Kurt Hectic, a janitor employed aboard Dr. Fluke Hawkins' ship, the Jim Dandy, is sent to deal with the last minecrawler in Canada instead of enjoying his well-earned break from fighting off the last batch of Minecrawlers. After destroying it, Kurt is promptly kidnapped by a rather huge alien called Shwang Shwing. From here, the characters Kurt Hectic, Fluke Hawkins, and Hawkin's six legged, bipedal robotic dog named Max, take turns saving one another, until the last level, in which they finally confront the last boss.

Each of the three characters has a different style of play, such as:

  • Kurt Hectic relying on his Coil parachute and Sniper rifle/chaingun to move through the levels, with emphasis placed upon tricky sniping and a mix of firepower and puzzles, and the use of his coil parachute.
  • Max places emphasis on raw firepower, able to wield a gun in each paw (for a total of 4 guns). Max's levels consist of getting from A to B, utilizing his guns for clearing rooms of enemies, broken up with a few Jetpack platforming areas. His playing style means that he is more than likely to be surrounded and attacked, but he has a much higher health bar when compared to the other two characters (200%, compared to Kurt's 100% and Hawkin's 60% health)
  • Hawkin's are more of the smarts variety, and are quite humorous when compared to the other two characters, relying on combining items to form gadgets to fight/traverse through the stage and puzzles.

The stages themselves are based upon which character is playing it. For Kurt, fans for hovering, blue spheres for sniping, and plenty of gaps and chasms for crossing. Max's stages frequent hallways for shootouts, interspersed with a few jetpack vertical areas requiring careful use of hovering with the jetpack. Hawkins' stages emphasis the use of gadgets as a means of getting around.

Tropes used in MDK2 include:
  • Abnormal Ammo - Professor Hawkin's trademark Atomic Toaster, which fires...well, radioactive toast. Different bread types for different ammo.
  • Aliens in Cardiff - the target of the city minecrawler in the first mission is Edmonton.
  • Almighty Janitor - Kurt Hectic, who is literally a janitor who prefers to shirk the eyes of the public. (Heck, in his ending, he returns to the Jim Dandy, despite garnering the attention of the entire Earth.)
  • And Now for Something Completely Different - Kurt, Max, and Dr Hawkins all have very different styles of play. Kurt's tend to have a moderate number of enemies, and a lot of platforming that utilizes his gliding powers. Max's levels have tons of enemies and things to destroy, along with the occasional jetpack section. Hawkins' levels are all puzzle-platformers, usually with few enemies.
    • Meta example: This is a BioWare game!
  • Angels Pose: Occasionally used as the MDK2 logo. Happens right before the heroes meet the final boss.
  • Applied Phlebotinum - The Plutonium near the Giant meat eating plant is used to create the atomic toaster, and is later used to turn Professor Hawkins into a mini-hulk.
  • Arm Cannon - Kurt's chaingun and sniper rifle.
  • Attack Its Weak Point: The Bif enemies have eyes in their belts.One good snipe from Kurt sends them down.
  • Badass - Everyone.
  • Bottomless Magazines - yet again, Kurt's Chaingun. Averted with Max's firearms, except his basic, default handgun.
  • Guns Akimbo - Max can wield four guns.
  • Final Exam Boss - You can choose which character you want to confront the final boss with. Whichever one you choose though, you will have to utilize nearly every weapon or skill possessed by that character to actually win the fight.
  • For the Evulz: The motivation of the final boss for invading the earth? He was bored.
  • Fun with Acronyms - Applies to the original as well, for neither Shiny or BioWare have explicitly said what the MDK in the title stands for, but popular theories/jokes include Murder, Death, Kill and, in the spirit of the original game's release date, Mother's Day Kisses.
    • Do note that the names of the main characters are Max, Dr. Hawkins, and Kurt.
    • In addition, the title of Kurts original mission in MDK is 'Mission: Deliver Kindness'
  • Adventure Narrator Syndrome - "AAAAAAAH! No."
  • Improbable Weapon User - Dr Hawkins and his atomic toast.
  • Jet Pack - Max, naturally, who starts off with a fuel refilling one, and eventually gets a nuclear powered one later on.
  • Leitmotif: Each of the three characters has their own distinct musical style.
    • Kurt's style is a mix of orchestral music and hard beats. A variation on the "heroic" music from the introduction tends to pop up in it. Perfect for running, gliding, and sniping.
    • Max's style is hard rock and techno, appropriate for the guns-blazing setup of his levels. Sometimes the techno softens for when he's doing platforming levels instead of shooting things.
    • Hawkins' style is orchestral, and heavy on the brass and woodwinds. Sounds like a mad scientists' theme tune, that's for sure.
  • MacGyvering: The main gimmick of Dr Hawkins' levels.
  • Mad Scientist: As if it wasn't clear enough with Dr. Fluke Hawkins, The Atomic Robot Zombie Men made by him as seen in his ending put in the nail to show this.
  • Mook Maker: Some enemies come out of these and in a couple of levels have to be destroyed in order to progress.
  • More Dakka: Max starts out with a single infinite-ammo Magnum. It's not long before he's quad-wielding miniguns.
  • Mythology Gag: The second invasion's first target is Edmonton,[1] in reference to MDK 1's first level, Laguna Beach.[2]
  • The Professor - Dr. Hawkins.
  • Projectile Toast - Dr Hawkins' Weapon of Choice. Atomic, too!
  • Suddenly Voiced: Everyone.
  • Suddenly Shouting:

Dr. Hawkins: (to the BFB) Well then, here is a lecture on DARWINIAN SURVIVAL!

  1. ↑ Bioware's headquarters
  2. ↑ Shiny's headquarters
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