MDK

Allright, if youre reading this you probably have already heard everything else there is to know about MDK from the other reviews. Frantic action, stunning level design, offbeat humor, sniper helmet, etc. However, Ive noticed from some of the other reviews that some people do not believe there is a save function in this game. They are wrong. You CAN save the game. I'll admit youre never told to save except for between levels but yes it is there whenever you need it. Just press F2, make a file name, and press enter. That's it. F3 brings up your saves so you can load. Dont let something that isnt true dissuade you from buying a game that, while short and somewhat dated, is something that I personally believe that every gamer should try at least once. Also, for full enjoyment of the game I feel that one has to tweak the controls a bit as they are truly archaic in design. Luckily by going to the options screen in the main menu or F12 in game you can configure both the keyboard and mouse commands to suit your style be it WASD, arrow keys, or whatever else. Lastly, if you feel like you would like the game then go for it. The difficulty really isnt that hard and now that you know how to save it wont impact you as much when you get to a difficult section.

Before going on to make lackluster movie tie-ins, Shiny made some of the most creative games on the planet. MDK was a technical tour-de-force when it was released, with ridiculously large levels and insane draw distances. The game also had a crazy, dark sense of humor that permeated the whole design, from taunting enemies that held targets up to their faces, to weapons like "The World's Smallest Nuclear bomb". There is a frantic pace to the whole experience, only pausing for breath between levels (but even there, there's no progress bar, just a long tunnel to keep running through). It's an extremely linear experience, but in a good way, focusing on quality over quantity. By today's standards, the visuals have aged a bit, but I think MDK is still one of the best 3rd-person shooters ever made, and the core gameplay still shines through.

Besides the offbeat humor and the entertaining variety of the gameplay, MDK has one major thing going for it: presentation. This decade-old game holds up rather well thanks to some inspired level design and art direction. The colors really pop out; the game is dark, but isn't afraid to throw in vivid reds and oranges amidst the browns, blacks and grays. The dated graphics inadvertently give an otherworldly quality to the world's architecture. It's true that the assets are blocky, yet manage to be discernible and even look futuristic somehow. There are some seriously awesome textures here that are meant to disorient the player and try to turn genre conventions upside-down. The game is a joy to look at, listen to, and play -- despite an old-fashioned control scheme layout. WASD-inclined players will end up making some sense out of the archaic controls after some time-consuming fiddling before the game starts. Surprisingly, the sniper interface is still stunning, and is a real testament to the care this game was given. There are three sub-screens that help you see where your bullets are going. You can even look at all three at once. Levels typically take 10-15 minutes to complete, but offer few - if any - checkpoints. It's kind of a pain to have to restart from the beginning. However, the aforementioned variety in gameplay and excellent pacing among the different action and platforming setpieces helps alleviate this. When your play session is over, you'll likely feel gratified and wanting to keep playing; MDK is a very original piece of work. It is a very worthwhile, steadfast example of the action/platform genre that everyone should check out.

First of all, this game rocks. It's fast-paced, very funny and extremely enjoyable. I suppose you can expect nothing less from a company like Shiny! Its flaw, quite possibly the only one, is that it's rather short. On the other hand the few hours you spend playing MDK will be so action-packed, they're definitely better than a 10-hour grindfest in some JRPG or MuMORPuGer. ;) Overall a must-have for any FPP/TPP fan and for all of you who like a good laugh. Did I mention this game rocks? Because it does, srsly.