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MDK may refer to:
MDK is a 1997 third-person shooter video game developed by Shiny Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. It was ported to Mac OS by Shokwave, and to the PlayStation by Neversoft. It was published on all systems by PIE in North America and Interplay Entertainment in Europe. The Windows version was released in April 1997, the Mac version in June and the PlayStation version in November. The game was released on GOG.com in September 2008, and on Steam in September 2009.
The game tells the story of Kurt Hectic, a janitor who reluctantly must attempt to save Earth from an alien invasion of gigantic strip mining city-size vehicles named "Minecrawlers". These Minecrawlers are not only removing all of earth's natural resources, but are also crushing any people and cities that get in their way. Aided by his boss, the (possibly) insane inventor/ scientist Dr. Fluke Hawkins, and a genetically engineered robotic two-legged/four-armed dog named Bones (although he prefers Max), Kurt must infiltrate each Minecrawler, and fight his way to the pilot, whom he must then kill before returning to Hawkins' in- orbit space station, the Jim Dandy.
Conceived and co- designed by Nick Bruty, MDK was Shiny's first PC game, and was notable for using software rendering, requiring only a Pentium or equivalent microprocessor, rather than necessitating any GPU enhancements, despite its large 3D levels and complex polygon-based enemies. As the developers were attempting things never before seen in a PC game, they had to write their own programming language from scratch. Additionally, when in sniper mode, the player has the ability to zoom up to 100x, but the developers chose not to employ any of the standard solutions to pop-up, such as clipping or fogging. They also worked to ensure the game ran at a minimum of 30 fps at all times on all machines. The game's original system requirements were a 60MHz Pentium, 16 MB of RAM, 17MB of hard drive storage, an SVGA compatible video card, and a Sound Blaster or equivalent sound card; modest specs even by the standards of the time.
MDK received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the gameplay, the level design, the sardonic sense of humor, the game's technical accomplishments and, in particular, the use of sniper mode. The most oft repeated criticisms were that the game was too short and the story was weak. The game was a commercial success, and Interplay approached Bruty to work on a sequel immediately. However, he was already developing Giants: Citizen Kabuto, and so BioWare was hired to develop the game. MDK2 was published for Windows and the Dreamcast in 2000, and for the PlayStation 2 (as MDK 2: Armageddon) in 2001. In 2007, Interplay announced a third game was planned, but it was never made.
MDK is a third-person shooter video game series in which the player must defend Earth from alien invaders. There are two games in the series; MDK, released in 1997, and MDK2, released in 2000. MDK was developed by Shiny Entertainment for Windows, and ported to Mac OS by Shokwave and to PlayStation by Neversoft. It was published on all systems by PIE in North America and by Interplay Entertainment in Europe. MDK2 was developed by BioWare for Dreamcast, Windows, PlayStation 2 and Wii. A HD re-mastered version, developed by Overhaul Games was released for Windows in 2011 as MDK2 HD. MDK2 was published on all systems by Interplay.
In both games, the objective is to save Earth from alien invaders known as "Streamriders." In the first game, the player controls Kurt Hectic, a janitor, who must infiltrate and destroy a series of gigantic strip mining city-size vehicles named "Minecrawlers," which are removing all of earth's natural resources. In the second game, the player can control three characters; Kurt, his employer Dr. Hawkins, and a genetically engineered robotic two-legged/four-armed dog named Max. In this game, a second wave of Streamriders attack Earth, and the player must battle them on the last remaining Minecrawler, Hawkins' in- orbit space station (the Jim Dandy), an alien attack ship, and, eventually, the alien home world itself.
Both games received generally positive reviews across all platforms. MDK was praised for its gameplay, level design, sardonic sense of humor, and technical accomplishments. The most oft repeated criticisms were that it was too short and the story was weak. MDK2 received praise for its graphics, gameplay styles, level design, boss fights, sense of humor, and fidelity to the original. The most commonly criticized aspects of the game were the difficulty level and the platforming sections. In 2007, Interplay announced plans for a third game, but it was never made.