MDK is a 1997 third-person shooter video game developed by Shiny Entertainment for Windows and subsequently ported to Mac OS by Shokwave, and to the PlayStation by Neversoft. The game was published on all systems by Playmates Interactive Entertainment (PIE) in North America, while Shiny handled the European release.

The Story Behind MDK

When trying to think of his first name, they wanted to name him after someone who lived a notoriously hectic life, and settled on Kurt Cobain. To achieve lifelike movements for Kurt and the enemies, the developers utilized motion capture, a groundbreaking technology in video game development at that time. In 2007, Interplay announced a third game was planned, but it was never made.

The naming of Kurt Hectic was inspired by two disparate sources. According to Bruty, Bruty's first image for the game was a doodle of an armor suit with a self-contained machine gun, and a helmet that could be used as a sniper rifle. Hawkins' in-orbit space station, the Jim Dandy.

How MDK Plays

Some levels feature Kurt taking over an enemy bombing ship and performing bombing runs, some feature a glider which Kurt must ride to a specific location. However, when Kurt is in sniper mode, he is unable to move, and can thus be easily targeted by enemies. He must enter sniper mode to select the area he wants Max to target.

This is created when Kurt detaches his chain gun from his arm and mounts it onto his helmet. Additionally, the airstrike can only be used in exterior locations on the Minecrawler. Other weaponry in the game includes grenades, "The World's Most Interesting Bomb" (when Kurt throws the bomb, all enemies within the vicinity will approach it, at which point Kurt can detonate it), "The Very Large Hamster Hammer" (a giant hammer that causes the ground to vibrate violently, damaging any nearby enemies), and "The World's Smallest Nuclear Explosion" (used for opening locked doors).

Why Players Still Load It Up

IGNs Jay Boor said it "has to be one of the most impressive PC to PlayStation ports I have ever seen." However, GamePro noted that the graphics, though outstanding by PlayStation standards, were downgraded from the PC version, and judged that the new content was not enough to merit a replay from those who had already played the PC version. Great puzzles, but they're really pretty simple, and the whole game can be solved without using too many brain cells." Reviews widely praised the sniper mode, graphics, and overall unique gameplay and style. Game Revolutions Johnny Lee called the game "Non-stop 3D shooting, killing, exploding, dodging, parachuting, running, ambushing, assassinating, jumping, mind blowing action!" He commented that it stands out from other games with its requisite parachuting skills, sniping mode, bombing minigame, and acerbic sense of humor.

They nonetheless gave the PlayStation version a perfect 5.0 out of 5 in all four categories (fun factor, graphics, sound, and control), remarking, "MDK is riveting, combining tensely paced run-n-gun gameplay with the stealthy, strategic stalking that the sniper helmet enables." EGM and GameSpot were not as convinced, citing polygon breakup, control issues, excessively low difficulty, and the brevity of the game. Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and IGN both strongly approved of the quality of the PlayStation port, particularly citing the retention of all the content of the PC version and the addition of the new warp rooms. The Windows version holds an aggregate score of 89% on GameRankings, based on five reviews.

MDK — Frequently Asked Questions