*UPDATED* It was discovered after the review was written that the Origin version of the game has graphical glitches that the Steam version doesn’t have.  Also the friends can not play online together if one has a Steam copy and the other has an Origin copy.  The score was updated to reflect this discovery.

When Shank found his way to computers and consoles across the globe, he left his mark. We have games with cartoon style graphics, beat-em-up side scrollers, and games with lots and lots of violence, but the original Shank game blended all of these variables together into something amazing. You could string together never ending combos with some insanely cool moves and hold a guy down as you shot his friends. By the time that I discovered the move where you grab a guy and shove a grenade in his mouth, I was hooked. Shank also had a compelling story that followed him of love, betrayal, and revenge.

Naturally, when I found out that Shank 2 was coming out and that they were changing some of the gameplay mechanics, I was excited. New moves, new combos, new weapons, new game modes; I was prepared for a great sequel. What I got was a remake that pales in comparison to the first Shank title.

Once upon a Time…The End!

When ever possible, I begin my reviews with a few paragraphs that cover the storyline and key plot elements. Sadly, the story of Shank 2 is almost completely emotionless and highly forgettable. Shank 2 opens on with Shank sitting down on a bus somewhere in South America. When someone picks a fight you slice off their hand and go to war.  And that is pretty much it. You are just helping people by stabbing the crap out of anyone who stands in your way. There is a story, but it is just bland compared to Shank 1.

Gameplay Mechanics in Shank 2

As expected, Shank 2 plays best with a controller. The basic control layout is the same. The thumb stick controls movement, shoulder buttons grab, pounce, and lob grenades, and the face buttons jump and use your 3 weapon classes (shanks, melee weapons, and long range weapons). Those of you how played the first game will have no trouble jumping right into Shank 2. Gamers who are new to the franchise, will pick up the controls quickly through the use of in-game prompts as opposed to a separate tutorial.