Shank 2 - PlayStation 3

Shank 2 Review: Blinded By Bloodlust

Phil Kollar — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:40:00 GMT

The first Shank was a gorgeously animated action game that suffered from some badly designed levels. Given a second chance at creating a gory tale of vengeance, developer Klei Entertainment has fixed a lot of tiny problems in Shank 2, but the major frustrations from the first game have largely stuck around.

The biggest shift in Shank 2 comes in the form of much smarter controls. Instead of the attack button also grabbing healing drinks, there’s now a dedicated button for picking up health drops, so you won’t use them accidentally while fighting. The mostly useless block button is now gone entirely, with a smoother and more reliable dodge move mapped to the right stick.

While I felt significantly more in control than in the last game, the developer has balanced out the newfound precision by throwing out more (and denser) waves of enemies. By the final few levels, every encounter becomes a slog to see if you can survive another 20 or 30 enemies in difficult new configurations with infrequent checkpoints. At first it’s fun, but eventually there are too many bodies on screen to keep track of the action, which is a major problem when enemies wielding guns or Molotov cocktails pop up in the corner.

In addition to moving better than before, main character Shank can pick up weapons dropped by enemies, lending welcome variety to the combat. I enjoyed occasionally switching to a baseball bat, lead pipe, or even kitchen sink when I got bored of chainsawing enemies, and each weapon has its own speed and damage potential to learn. Though Shank’s weapon options have increased, he can no longer swap between core weapons on the fly. Now you choose a loadout at the start of each area and can only modify it when you die. I don’t understand why Klei would limit Shank’s arsenal in such an arbitrary way while allowing him to pick up any random weapon off the ground.

Even if you’re able to appreciate the combat, one thing you certainly won’t find in Shank 2 is a compelling motivation for all the bloodshed. While the original game’s plot was thin, Shank was at least given reason for murdering everyone in his path. The supporting cast is larger now, but the brief and soulless cutscenes don’t provide any reason to care about the characters nor enough evidence to warrant a massacre. I don’t think a stylish action game needs a deep plot, but if developers are devoting time and resources to the story, they should be able to do better than this.

Thankfully, narrative isn’t a concern for Shank 2’s best feature: the wave-based cooperative survival mode. We’ve seen this type of mode pop up in tons of games in the last few years, but it gels nicely with Shank 2’s fast-paced action, allowing you to quickly build up a huge score and money to purchase bonuses between rounds. You can choose between multiple characters with unique buffs and weapons, and each level is peppered with clever traps that help you survive especially brutal rounds. I just wish there were more than three maps to play on.

While I continue to respect Klei Entertainment’s art style and devotion to bloody fantasy above all else, it needs to design less frustrating levels and encounters before its games truly click for me. The upgrades in Shank 2 are a lot like the act of revenge: It feels satisfying in the short term, but in the end you’re left with the empty feeling that maybe it didn’t improve that much at all.

New Shank 2 Trailer Is The Best Kind Of Trailer

Kyle Hilliard — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:55:46 GMT

The best kind of game trailers are the ones that show exactly what a game will look like, and I don't think you can do much better than this Shank 2 trailer.

It's just 42 seconds of pure, uninterrupted gameplay. It also looks pretty awesome.

Shank 2 will be releasing some time this year, and that's about as specific as developer Klei Entertainment has been willing to get.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Klei Entertainment Returns With A Vengeance In Shank 2

Ben Reeves — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Electronic Arts released Shank, a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up, on PSN and Xbox Live in August of last year. Since then, developer Klei Entertainment has been hard at work on a follow up title, Shank 2.

The former mob hitman with a dark past returns when his loved ones are put in danger. Shank 2 is basically a story of revenge, but the game will also introduces an arcade-style, survival mode that will have players working together to take down gangs of enemies. Check out some early images and a video of Shank 2 in action.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Hands-On With Shank 2

Joe Juba — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:35:00 GMT

Earlier this week, EA and Klei Entertainment announced Shank 2, a sequel to the well-received downloadable title. Shank 2 still sports a violent and animated style, but not everything is staying the same for this bloody brawler.

If you enjoyed the gonzo gunplay and brutality of Shank, don't worry. That isn't going anywhere. In the single-player level I ran through, Shank sliced through countless enemy soldiers, stuffed a chainsaw into their stomachs, and used them as human shields. The basic gameplay still brings to mind the chaos of side-scrolling arcade shooters, and it feels like an action-packed and gory cartoon.

As Shank runs across burning rooftops wiping out the bad guys, I notice a handful of changes to the combat. The grab maneuver is much more useful, acting as a effective counter as well as a fun way to mix up your assault. Shank can also pick up a variety of weapons from fallen foes, including limited-use heavy weapons. I grabbed a huge shovel off of a musclebound dude, and by performing a heavy attack while jumping, brought the massive implement down on a line of advancing thugs. The animations for all of these moves is well done, conveying brutal satisfaction with every kill.

At the end of the level, I encounter a boss with a giant flamethrower. One of the complaints the original Shank was the difficulty of the boss fights, but the team at Klei Entertainment seems to have addressed the issue. The battle isn't easy, but it doesn't require the same degree of repetition as the last game. After grabbing and tossing some exploding containers at the brute (and shooting some when he's underneath), Shank is triumphant. However, it requires a lot of deft flame-dodging along the way.

The single-player mode feels like a more refined version of its predecessor, but the co-op mode is completely different. Instead of having specially designed co-op missions, you team up with a buddy locally or online to defeat waves of oncoming enemies. As your foes air-drop into the arena, your job is to mow them down and prevent specialized bombers from setting up explosives on three piles of crates. You accrue money along the way, which you can use to buy special weapons (like turrets and air strikes) to gain an edge, but you can also spend your cash on healing items. Survival is the name of the game, and things get hectic as you progress, increasing the importance of spending your money wisely and using your items well. It may not have the crafted and story-driven feeling present in the first game's co-op, but it definitely has more replay potential.

I never managed to play all the way through the original Shank, but I enjoyed what I played. My time with Shank 2 not only got me pumped for the sequel, but also made me consider giving the first one another shot.