So Michael Knight and KITT are back in Knight Rider: The Game 2 (or Knight Rider 2 to keep things simple) for another, quite possibly unwanted sequel. Reprising much of the story from Davilex’s first game, you must work your way through a story and, indeed, a game, that have had almost no effort put into them. By anyone. Even the box art looks like nobody could be bothered making an effort.
But, as it happens, KITT now has weapons.
Yes, you read that right. KITT has weapons installed. Ignoring the fact this goes against everything the television series holds dear, it’s a gameplay mechanic that isn’t implemented well. They are used for melting random ice blockades in the road, or fighting robots and stuff. Because the television series was renowned for its heavy use of science fiction cliches.
More of the same old, same old play comes into effect. Boring fetch quests see you travelling from one side of the map to the other, battle Goliath and escape the attention of an attack helicopter. The one new area, an underground robotics lab, is tarnished by scrappy combat and wave after wave of doors protected by laser webs.
To say we found Knight Rider 2 uninspiring would be an understatement. We understand and appreciate that most game sequels just expand slightly on the previous entry in the series, but at the same time bolting on a weapon mechanic isn’t the way to make things feel fresh. Far from it. Clunky as it was, you almost wish you were playing the first one. That’s not much of a recommendation, but it’s the best we’ve got.
It’s also a shame that Michael spends so much time calling KITT “buddy” – it’s used so often you feel like punching the screen. If you did that, we wouldn’t hold it against you.