Shank 2

The high definition visuals in Shank 2 certainly don’t fail to impress. The hand-drawn landscapes and characters feel like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo teamed up to create a animated short that emulates the Kill Bill movies as well as Hard Boiled or The Killer. The stylistic cutscenes give the bloody violence a cinematic flair and the animations are silky smooth just like the original. Visual effects like the pouring rain or raging fires are also well produced and add to the authenticity of the environment.

The musical score for Shank 2 was designed with an action movie in mind. Music appropriately builds to a climax during the boss battles and the cavalcade of sound effects really makes the on-screen action pop. The voiceovers have improved slightly for this game, but the quality has more to do with the change in tone of the sequel. The corny lines from the original are still present though. As a 2D-brawling sidescroller, the need for directional sound effects was limited, but certainly welcome in the sound mix.

To complete the Shank 2 single player campaign, that will take approximately two and a half to three hours. However, the Survival mode has the potential to provide a solid amount of multiplayer time assuming you can find a competent co-op partner. Players choose between twelve different unlockable characters that all have different damage, health and item modifiers. Players earn currency by killing enemies during the match and can spend that money on weaponry or health. Over the three different stages within multiplayer, different combinations of characters have better luck than others based off the layout of each map.

While I miss the co-op campaign mode from the original Shank, implementing wave-based multiplayer similar to the Gears of War series was a smart move. I’m also appreciative that Klei is allowing people to connect online rather than forcing players to recruit a local player like the first Shank. The survival mode is definitely tense and required a coordinated effort to defuse bombs while warding off the enemy.

For the cost of $10 on the PlayStation Network ($5 less than the original at its 2010 launch), you probably have to decide how much the multiplayer is worth to you. The campaign ends almost as quickly as it starts and Klei doesn’t provide much incentive to repeat the single-player story beyond standard PlayStation trophies. However, the amazing animation and stylish combat is definitely worth experiencing at least once. If you are a fan of the original Shank, you won’t find this title as innovative as the original, but rather a much more polished version of the game. Download this PlayStation Network title if you are in the mood for a visually stunning, 2D side-scrolling brawler.