Real Talk By: KJ

Klei’s Sequel to the best downloadable of 2010 is back for another round. Shank 2 sees the protagonist fighting in a resistance against an evil dictator known as Magnus. Of course, before you can face him, the user will have to cut through his countless goons. The enemies are varied, each with their own strategies of attacking. Some will pop shots from long distances, others will attack equipped with heavy shields. Most will just use pure brute strength. There’s several challenging boss battles, especially playing on Hard difficulty. This game is all action from beginning to end. The whole game is like the last 40 minutes of The Expendables, but on a constant loop. Fire, Carnage and Mayhem. Explosions, Bullets flying, Heads rolling, and Blood flowing.

The first game was 15 dollars the sequel is only 10. Understand that this version of shank, is the supreme one. The game demands multiple play-throughs just figuring out all the unique ways you can take a life. There’s several counterattacks to almost every class of villain. Shank Takes a Baseball bat from an enemy, and shoves it through their throat. I wont even break down the Gun counters, please see for yourself. Other new weapons include Molotov cocktails, Landmines, and the incredibly useful Sledgehammer. All of these weapons can be used in combos. Some of the real fun in shank does come from its multiplier system. Linking hits together is even more of a challenge this time, but using Shank’s famous pouncing attack can help extend the life of a combo. While the AI has been “Amp’ed up”, Klei gives the player a fighting chance due to S2’s impeccable combat system.

The story also allows you to play as female lead Corina, who is also in the resistance. She is one tough lady. Equipped with Uzis, Revolvers, and a scythe, she’s a lot more than just a costume swap. Speaking of, the player can still unlock unique costumes for shank, and now Corina. Each costume isn’t simply for cosmetic reasons. Some skins will alter attributes. This makes it fun to pick especially during multiplayer sessions. For example, Shank’s diseased mentor Cesar is a possible skin. Selecting his skin provides the player with 20% Extra light attack damage, 20% more Heavy weapon damage, and 15% Ranged weapon damage. Keeping the game balanced though, the player will have 30%  less Health.

We enjoyed the Coop Campaign from Shank 1 more than other reviewers, and would have loved to see another go at it. Especially with online capabilities, oh what could have been. Coop story has been completely pulled for a tower defense style two player mode, known as survival. There’s three supply cases in the levels you and a buddy must protect. Guard the supplies, and kill everything. Wash, rinse, repeat. This mode is fun, but it should not have been a replacement to a traditional story. As an extra add-on though, this works. The maps are well designed but there is only 3 available as of this writing.

This has to be one of the best beat-em-ups around. As a man who grew up playing nothing but the genre, take this comment seriously. While the campaign will take the average player 4 hours to complete (6 on Hard), we’ve played full retail games that lasted the same amount of time with no replay value. Shank 2 as a complete package is incredibly affordable at 10 dollars. If you call yourself an action fan, or have a pulse in general, do the right thing. Download.

Shank 2 Gets

Out of five

What’s Legit?

+ Top Notch 2D animations

+Fluid combat system

+Single player campaign demands several play-throughs

+Well worth 10 bucks

What’s Perpetrating?

-Removal of Campaign Coop hurts the score

-Survival Mode runs out of steam