Beamer
Mar 6 2005, 07:40 AM
Game: Kenny's Rampage 2
Creator: Matt Kennedy
Genre: Action
Description: Set on the same day as the first Kenny's Rampage game, Kenny's Rampage 2 focuses on what Stan goes through on that day. Stan learns of Kenny's killing spree, and sets off on his own violent mission to Denver to try and stop him, uncovering a disturbing plot on the genocide of homeless people.

Rating: 74%

Review: The first Kenny's Rampage game was notorious for its gratuitous violence throughout South Park Gaming when it was first released. It was basically the Grand Theft Auto of SPG. You played as Kenny, went on a killing spree through a building, gunning down innocent civillians, S.W.A.T. teams and army soldiers and medics, before taking your own life at the end. It was all good fun, and the gory violence was simply a huge milestone for South Park Gaming back then. However, the game lacked any storyline or point... until the sequel was released.

Kenny's Rampage 2 not only gives the first installment a storyline, but also has its own storyline, adding some real depth to the game, especially in comparrison to the original. Despite its title, Kenny's Rampage 2 is actually centred around Stan. It takes place on the same day as the first game did, and the events in both games are interweaved with eachother in a rather ingenious way. You can actually go through the same building from Kenny's Rampage 1 in some points and see the same people Kenny killed lying dead on the floor in the same places they were in the original, which I personally thought was a very nice touch.

Kenny's Rampage 2 opens with a cutscene involving Stan fearing the worst for Kenny after an incident involving his family. He boards a pixelated bus to Denver, where he embarks on his own killing spree and later uncovers a secret plot from an organisation called the F.B.P.P, which massacres homeless people to decrease the population. It's pretty ridiculous, and the story doesn't really seem to go anywhere, but never the less, it is very interesting, and adds a lot to the series Whilst the first Kenny's Rampage was really just a pointless crime spree, Kenny's Rampage 2 is slightly more story-based, and is full of cutscenes (one of which, involving a new character "Dang," runs for quite a while, and manages to explain all of Kenny's actions from the first game).

Unfortunately, there are quite a few inconsistancies between the two games. Granted, they're just small, but they really bring the game down quite a bit. Things like the fact that Stan reaches Kyle at the bottom of the elevator before Kenny does, yet by the time Stan gets outside, Kenny is already speeding off in his car - and those who played the first game will know that Kenny speeds off in his car AFTER the scene with Kyle at the bottom of the elevator, meaning that there's really no way Stan could have reached him first if Kenny was already outside by the time Stan got out there. Still, I'm just over-analysing this, because the way Matt Kennedy has tied the two games together really is quite clever and unique. He really should be commended for this, despite the plotholes.

The gameplay is Kenny's Rampage 2 leaves a lot to be desired too. The game is an action game, yet the only real bit of action in the game takes place towards the end in the building, where various army soldiers, S.W.A.T. team members and F.B.P.P. workers try to gun you down. Unfortunately, the action part of the game really only lasts a few minutes, and it's not very hard, either (although it is harder than the incredibly easy "action" parts of Kenny's Rampage 1, despite the fact that Kenny's Rampage 1 had more of these parts in it). The bulk of the game seems to just be spent on the cutscenes or the rampage levels.

Of course, if there's one thing one Kenny's Rampage game can't be without, it's the gratuitous violence, and boy, is this game jam-packed with it. In almost every frame, there's someone to kill, and the death animations are extremely gory. People can be attacked several times, each time advancing their death animation a little. Unfortunately, the same death animations are used for each different type of person in the game, and while they're very fun to watch at first, they eventually get very repetitive. Still, if it's any consolation, you can decapitate me in the game. tongue.gif

Graphically, Kenny's Rampage 2 ranges from good to bad. While the death animations are fun to watch, the actual graphics themselves are full of annoying details (such as Stan looking VERY strange when turned left or right), and the animations in general seem to range from smooth and good-looking to very clunky. The graphics themselves are mostly outlined graphics, but some have no outlines, and the use of both styles of graphics can be rather irritating to me at times... and don't get me started on the GTA level.

Yes, Kenny's Rampage 2 also has a GTA-styled level in it... and by GTA-styled, I mean it's exactly like GTA. Hell, even the graphics in it are directly from GTA. Whilst they don't like bad or anything, they really don't fit in with the rest of the game, and neither does the level in general, really. The aim of the stage is to run down as many gang members as possible. Original? No. Fun? Sort of... but the fact that the gang members often get stuck on buildings when you go out of the screen, and you can't get to them. Which brings me to my next complaint...

Unfortunately, Matt Kennedy's lack of skills in Click & Create make for some strange bugs in Kenny's Rampage 2, such as in the weapons store - when the shopkeep hands you the axe, he'll ocassionally miss you completely & you won't get the weapon, and if you touch him while he's talking, he'll start talking again, causing some serious timing problems. Whilst they rarely happen and don't really affect the game so much, they are VERY annoying, and a more experienced game maker could overcome these bugs quite easily.

Sound-wise, the sound effects are just as repetitive as the death animations. Sounds are constantly re-played again and again, but luckily most are pretty cool and so won't get on your nerves. Musically, the game mainly consists of rock midis from bands such as Metallica, which suit the theme of the game well. Very rarely is a midi used in here that doesn't set the mood of the level it's used in, and the music is definitely an improvement on the music used in the original Kenny's Rampage game.

At the end of the day, Kenny's Rampage 2 isn't a bad game, it just lacks structure and gameplay. It's not very challenging at all, and the entire game (half of which is spent on either rampage levels or cutscenes) can easily be completed in less than 20 minutes. However, despite numerous bugs, some awful graphical work and lots of storyline problems, the game does offer a certain quaint charm to it that makes it really fun to play, even if it does seem to lack some aspects that are just plain vital to a good game. It has that certain Matt Kennedy style to it that just makes it great, and it's a very dark and interesting game when compared to his other projects.

Replay-wise though, Kenny's Rampage 2 won't last long. You might play it twice or so when you first get it simply to see both endings (not that there's much difference between them), but after that, it's not the sort of game you'll go back to for a while. In short, it's not completely bad, just don't expect too much from it if you're looking for a good, solid game. The game's introduction cutscene calls it "Matt Kennedy's masterpiece," and while a masterpiece it is not, it surely is the pinnacle of Matt Kennedy's short South Park Gaming career, and is well worth a download purely for the interesting aspects it has to offer.