One of the big highlights of Antstream coming to Xbox is the arrival of PS1 games.

The list is still a bit slim on the ground for now, and it remains to be seen how strong the lineup will end up being, but we’ve already got an obscure, oft-forgotten game added to the list.

1997 shooter MDK – or Murder, Death, Kill – is back with a vengeance. Well, kind of.

Introducing a new weekly column where we select a retro game of the week from Antstream Arcade and take a closer look at it. Played on an Xbox Series X.

What is this and when did it release?

MDK came from David Perry’s Shiny Entertainment, following their critical success of Earthworm Jim and was co-developed with Nick Bruty. It was a completely different style of game from Earthworm Jim, more 3D-oriented free-flowing action with stealth parachutes, but with a similar sense of humor, like using the world’s smallest nuclear explosion to open a locked door. This action-adventure dropped in 1997 and was quite ahead of its time with polygonal enemies, the use of scopes to shoot far off targets and gliding to get aerial pickups.

Why this game?

I grew up with this one on PC and it really stuck with me. I know it released on Steam and GOG a while back, but this is actually the first time I’ve picked it up since launch. It’s still really fun to play, is one of the best examples of how well PC games ported to the original PlayStation, and honestly, I really wanted to see how well Antstream handled a more intensive title. The answer? Surprisingly well, though there were definitely more noticeable hiccups than with Dizzy and Indy. To be expected really.

So tell me about it.

To be honest, the controls really haven’t aged well. And visually it does look a bit rough now. As I also said above, Antstream struggles with this one just a little bit.

But through all of that, it’s refreshing to see a game of this scale, scope and standard on the service. And amazingly, its charm manages to carry through, making it still feel incredibly refreshing, different and something quite special in 2023.

MDK was an important moment in the industry, at a time when it was still working out how to transition to 3D and what made for a fun game. Yet it is a game and series that has kind of been lost to time, despite how well it sold, how at one time there was a TV show in the works and the way it juggles its tone, style and gameplay.

The gunplay handles well, action is fast and furious, and it’s a relatively short length so you can sprint through this one – even faster with save states.

If you grew up with MDK, this is another hidden gem on the service you may not have been aware of. If you didn’t, prepare yourself for a lesson of 3D gaming history unlike any other.

Each week we spotlight a game on Antstream Arcade, new, old, and everything else in-between.