A man, his dog, and a janitor

       In the long ago April of 1997 a man set out against alien forces to save humanity. This man was no warrior or military force, supernatural being or chosen one. This man was a janitor in a skin-tight black sniper suit. Enter the comic world of MDK, a game I wouldn't be overly surprised to hear few had played. Thanks to the expert restorers at GOG.com we can all once again slip into the role of Kurt Hectic affordably and on much newer systems. The premise and story were a synergy of the cool and comic, and the game, focusing on heavy action and sniper combat, was viewed as a bit extreme at the time. The action featured comical aliens (always ready to openly mock you and your sniping prowess) and witty items. In what other game are you

Some pixelated action as Kurt in the original MDK

forced to unleash the world's smallest nuke to open a door? The game comes off as appropriately cute and cool in it's own regard. The sleek and stylish Flux Suit you get to pilot is a delight complete with the ability to glide through the air and snipe from afar.
        Recently I have been indulging in the improved sequel (also available on GOG) only to find it more comical, fun, and cute then its predecessor. Once again Kurt Hectic is called into action, this time to save the city of Edmonton from an alien mine crawler. The game takes on an excellent comic-book theme as the story unfolds and our unlikely janitor gets the full 3D treatment. One small tutorial and some fun voice acting and you are rushed into an alien vessel filled with evil aliens and mockery.
        The first portion of the game is strikingly similar to the entirety of the first game, which is good. MDK was a fun game and its game mechanics were polished and easy to understand. The twist comes at the end of the first level where you are suddenly rushed into the... er... paws of Max, Dr. Hawkin's (the man who made the sniper-suit) six-legged cyborg dog. Let me say that again, you get to play a six-legged cyborg dog. He is a tough, indestructible-cigar smoking (cyborg's apparently suffer no ill effects), gun toting hound that loves lovin's from the doc.

A six legged dog battling in the prettier world of MDK 2

        Because Max has six legs he can stand on two and equip up to four guns simultaneously in the others. Between shotguns, magnums, uzis, gatling guns, and rockets, the game suddenly takes a turn to the shoot 'em up genre, and while the enemies from the previous level remain the amounts of them would overwhelm the poor Janitor. As Max the levels fly by in a flurry of gun fire, barely allowing you to breathe between all the shooting, the game takes a sudden twist once more upon completion of the level and you are suddenly drawn into the third and final character: Dr. Hawkins.
         At this point in the game I realized the quality of bang for my buck I had gotten. In effect I felt as if I had gotten three games as diverse as these characters are. Dr. Hawkins game focuses nearly entirely on puzzle solving. He starts with no weapons and only proceeds to get one later in the level that is difficult to use and usually not worth a shot unless absolutely necessary. As a scientist you will science a wonderful assortment of household objects. Everything from the bathroom hand-dryer to duct tape to a fish bowl (with fish) will be used in creative means of scouring your ship, the Jim Dandy, clean from the alien scum. This also happens to be the wittiest and wildest portion of the game with cute and innocent one-liners from the doctor every time you create--or fail to create--a new puzzle-solving invention. I laughed out loud at several of the games funny and quirky moments. Hilarious cut scenes also retain a certain goofy charm.
         Of course the game isn't perfect and there were many frustrating moments my first play-through. The game features nine levels (three for each character) that will last you short to medium lengths of time depending on your skill and persistence, the latter being essential. There are moments in the game where direction isn't given and you find yourself dying from respawning enemies, or falling to your death in a jumping segment. The puzzles can be just zany enough as the doctor to cause frustration, and the controls can be overly touchy. This is can all be changed and arranged though as you master the controls and set your own (in some cases highly recommended), so the these issues are temporary at best.
         MDK 2 is fast, funny, and skill based. Recommended for an audience of teenagers or adults who want a laugh and are fluent with controls. The morals of the game never bothered me. The game kept a light hearted approach to defeating clearly alien foes, though there are some head-shot moments (lots if you are good enough with Kurt). It felt like ridding your house of bugs--really, really annoying bugs. Another bonus is the price tag. GOG charges a measly $5.99 (their usual price) for a non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) download. The game has it's pretty moments also, but will run on almost any system. My Dell Mini 10 ran it flawlessly on 1024 X 600 resolution with all settings on high. Fun, quirky, and complete, I suggest you check it out for a unique experience you won't find in most today's games.
         Cheerio! I'm off to save Edmonton!

I am

I am...
            A PC Gamer that is
                                                Religious,
    Intellectual,
                          Concerned,                ~                  and intrigued
  by games                                      TODAY
                               and what we can DRAW from  them. 
           
I am...
            tired of stereotypes,
                                            callousness,
and insinuations that games destroy lives more than books
                                                                                                           movies
                                                                                                           music                                            

I believe...
                  There is art here.
 There is good to be had
                                        There are worlds to explore
There are morals to UPHOLD
                                                               decisions to make
and imagination to foster.



     This is the art form that is ultimately interactive. And, like any art form, there is the crude,
                                    The shadow,
                                             The vulgar,

Like any art form finding the BEST is  part of the work.


       This is a record of me on my adventure, my search, my pilgrimage for beauty in the endless worlds of modern games.


May it be of some assistance to you and your ilk in determining entertainment that is worthy of your priceless time.

"We believe in being ^bhonest, true, ^cchaste, ^dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing ^egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we ^fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to ^gendure all things. If there is anything ^hvirtuous, ⁱlovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
                                               -Joseph Smith, Articles of Faith,