With unapologetic bloodshed and constant dismemberment, Shank 2 definitely lives up to its name. The overall campiness is reminiscent of an 80′s action movie, one-liners and all. For the kids keeping score at home, this is definitely a good thing. Your motivation in Shank 2 is simple, but familiar: An evil overlord has kidnapped the girl and left a trail of bad guys in his wake (Time for carnage to ensue!). As this is a sequel, Klei Entertainment has set out to improve on the original. While there isn’t anything terribly new here, the game is an absolute blast.

One thing I love about the modern era of consoles is having a platform for indie developers like Klei to create unique gaming experiences for reasonable prices. Shank 2 is one such experience that hearkens back to the old-school beat-em-ups. The gruesome violence may not be for everyone, but the fluid and intuitive combat will satisfy even the most jaded of gamers.

While playing through the game, you mostly play as Shank, but you also take control of another character, Corina, for a few segments. She mostly controls the same, just with a different arsenal of weapons at her disposal. You can outfit Shank and Corina with your choice of heavy weapons, guns, and explosives at the beginning of each stage. While I didn’t unlock everything (yet), I did rather enjoy using Corina’s scythe and Shank’s shotgun. The scythe seemed to have the biggest area of effect when getting surrounded, while the shotgun was great for taking out a big group of enemies. You can also grab, pounce on, and throw your enemies for more over-the-top gore. Just watch out for the guts, they get everywhere.

Having this amount of variety in combat is good, but the fluidity of these options is what makes Shank 2 great. Slicing and dicing through enemies feels natural and highly polished. Jumping and rolling both work quite well, which come in handy for the more hectic encounters. The only action that felt a bit clunky was throwing items, which requires an awkward two-button press. That being said, you’ll never feel you’re at a disadvantage because of the controls.They really are top notch.

Getting through tougher areas seems more like a challenge than a chore. There are a number of these difficult encounters, but you’ll feel like it was your own fault and not the game’s if you die. Button mashing isn’t quite enough; you’ll need to be a bit more strategic. Combinations of red-laser snipers and grenade-throwers can make you want to pull your hair out, but your frustration will quickly dissipate after disemboweling them all.

The bosses were a personal highlight for me, as each presented their own unique challenge. While plowing through the normal enemies is a bit of a breeze, these provide more of a challenge and greater feeling of accomplishment. Not only are these more enjoyable, but your reward for defeating each is a brutal animation of their death. The writers for the Saw movies would bow in respect.

Animation for these cutscenes, and gameplay in general, is now silky smooth, featuring fewer rough edges. The game ran incredibly well throughout, with only one minor slowdown that I can recall. Online play does lag at times, but runs surprisingly well overall. One animation in particular that I really liked was the fire. Something about the blend of colors and the way it moved really mesmerized me. I had to take a moment to stop and appreciate it more than once.

The story campaign is relatively short, but the lasting appeal for this game will lie in its collectibles and new survivor mode. You and a buddy can team up, either locally or online, to fight waves of enemies as you protect ammo caches from being blown to smithereens. You’re able to purchase more upgrades as you progress through the waves, making for a frantic and intense co-op experience. While this is a fun mode that allows you to unlock a number of skins and weapons, it comes at the expense of a co-op campaign. It would have been nice to have both, but I guess it’s better than not having either.

dat fire, it burns so good!

While the campaign can be completed in an afternoon, I still thoroughly enjoyed Shank 2. Games of this nature can overstay their welcome if the hour count gets too high, but I felt satisfied when I finished the game. That being said, the greedy side of me would have liked another hour or two. The violence was a bit much for me at times, but the combat was simply too enjoyable for me to consult my morals.

For $10, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with Shank 2. The developers have clearly listened to the criticisms of the first game, making for a more polished and refined experience. For anyone looking for the reinvention of the wheel, you won’t be finding that here. However, this is one of the more enjoyable action games I’ve played in quite some time. If you and a buddy have the cash to spare, Shank 2 is guaranteed to be a good time.

A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes. The game was played for 3 hours and completed on the PS3, with an additional hour spent playing survival mode.

Shank 2 Review

By Taylor H.

With unapologetic bloodshed and constant dismemberment, Shank 2 definitely lives up to its name. While there isn't anything terribly new here, the game is an absolute blast.