It Takes Three To Make A Thing Go Right. Review

It Takes Three To Make A Thing Go Right.

The number three has magical properties. Three diamonds can win the jackpot, three

amigos can save the day, it takes three licks to get

to the center of a Tootsie Pop, and of course three editors can wreck shop on

the best gaming site in town. Three is also the perfect number for an elite force

that could save the world! Unfortunately the Father, Son and Holy Ghost weren’t

available for this game, so we’re left with a heroic janitor, a mad scientist

and an oversized AIBO with a passion

for guns.

Welcome to MDK2: Armageddon, brought to us by the magic

number three and, of course, Interplay. When the original MDK2

made its debut on the Dreamcast around this time last year, it quickly became

one of the coolest (and hardest) action titles in town. Many enjoyed its awesome

gameplay, suave humor and slick graphics.

They also endured the largest headache in the world due to horrendous difficulty.

So now the game has landed on the PS2. Let’s find out how the transformation

went.

Armageddon challenges players to take on three separate hero identities.

You’ll wreak havoc on alien foes as Kurt, the world’s most average butt-kicking

janitor, Doc Hawkins, the misunderstood man of science, and Max, his greatest

canine creation. Each of these three identities has his own style of gameplay

quite different from the rest.

As Kurt, you’ll make use of the super-cool coil suit. It has a built-in sniper

helmet, a snazzy ribbon parachute and doubles as formalwear for those special

occasions. While sniping, you’ll find an amazing level of zoom that brings the

action up close and personal. With a weapon this precise, you could probably

shoot the fleas off a dog’s back from a mile away.

As Max, you’ll blow hordes of enemies away with a weapon in each of your four

hands. Levels with Max involve plenty of destruction, giving you your daily

dose of shoot ’em up action. Four guns are better than one!

Finally, as the good doctor, you’ll put your enormous brain to use creating

bizarre items like an atomic toaster and solving puzzles from beyond the outer

limits of the universe. The world is counting on you, so try not to blow it

up.

Armageddon

is essentially the same as the original DC version of MDK2 with a few

minor adjustments. Most notable is the adjustable difficulty. Thanks to the

miracle of modern technology, players can now choose how hard they want the

game to be. One of the things that held back the original was the insane level

of difficulty. I love a good challenge as much as the next guy, but when you’ve

fought the same boss, tried the same puzzle, or failed to jump that gap a bazillion

times without a glimmer of success, things go from fun to frustrating at the

speed of light. The adjustability really helps.

In-game hints also are provided to help ease the pain. Some of the more difficult

or abstract puzzles are now graced with small “pointers” that lead you in the

right direction.

The problem of difficult level design still stands, though. With so many instances

of platform jumping, there are bound to be times when you’ll just get stuck

repeating the same difficult jumps over and over. There’s simply no way to make

platform jumping any easier. At least now the enemies won’t chew you up so quickly

in the process.

Another welcome addition to Armageddon is the control options. With

the PS2 controller’s dual analog sticks, there are even more ways to handle

the heroes. The controls aren’t fully customizable, but there are enough choices

for even the most discriminating action hero.

Outside of difficulty and control, nothing new has been added to Armageddon.

It still has top of the line voice actors and wacky humor

to keep you entertained. It also retains the high graphical quality of the Dreamcast

version with a blazing framerate and decent camera.

I would definitely recommend MDK2: Armageddon to anyone who hasn’t

played the Dreamcast version. Its mix of brains and brawn come together for

some truly fun gameplay. But for a game that’s a year old, it would have been

nice to see a little something extra.