Very few games are able to walk that delicate line between entertaining game story-wise and game that makes you want to play more. Not only did he make a thoughtful parody of the RPG genre but was also able to craft a successful entry into said genre. Ron Gilbert, creator of the fantastically under-appreciated The Secret of Monkey Island, was able to nail two birds with one stone with DeathSpank. Though it is a rare occurrence that a game will consistently cause me to double over in a fit of hilarity. The uneven terrain makes it impossible to predict impact points with bazookas and grenades, meaning that you’re just as likely to kill yourself as an opponent.Every once in a while a game comes along that makes you laugh out loud. Meanwhile, there are bombs on the battlefield, crates of TNT on the train tracks, and self-destructing robots that will kamikaze your location, and with so much combustible material, splash damage becomes an unpredictable concern. Your first projectile is a semi-automatic pistol and you’ll quickly stockpile an arsenal of grenades, bazookas, and alien ray gun The bullets make it a bit too easy to cut through some of the bad guys, and the melee/ranged attack balance isn’t quite as refined as it was in the original. The emphasis on modern military technology is a bit more problematic. I preferred the humor in the first game, but the quality difference is negligible, and you’re advised to take this as commentary instead of criticism. That said, there’s no accounting for personal taste, and you may enjoy the sheer absurdity. The historical hodgepodge is generally amusing, but it does create some mixed comedic moment Anachronisms aren’t as funny when everything is out of place, and the game would benefit from some more stable points of reference. The game opens on a WWII battlefield, and you’ll soon be repairing radio towers, sailing on pirate ships, and doing battle with a celebrity chef in front of a panel of Japanese judge Thongs of Virtue opts for a more overtly modern atmosphere. Despite a rather large list of anachronisms, the first DeathSpank maintained a medieval veneer that kept the story grounded. If you’re wondering what makes Thongs of Virtue different, you need to look towards the subtle alterations in setting and tone. There are numerous pop culture and gaming references laced into the extensive script, and while the reliance on conventional gameplay tricks blunts a few of the jokes, the general silliness always shines through. Like its predecessor, Thongs of Virtue is a self-aware parody of the RPG genre and video game logic in general. Of course, the game’s real appeal lies in the offbeat humor that frequently upstages the action. You can still use fortune cookies to purchase answers to puzzles and you’ll still spend a lot of time running in circles while gobbling down healing platters of pizza and frie The gameplay consists of unremarkable hack-and-slash combat that takes you through a series of colorful monsters and locale You can equip up to four weapons and four items at any given time and all of the other mechanics are unchanged from the original. A fantasy game in which the three main villains are corrupt incarnations of Mother Theresa, Rachel Ray, and Santa Claus has some obvious charm, and Thongs of Virtue manages to drag plenty of punch lines out of the insanity. The plot is a thinly veiled knockoff of the Lord of the Rings, but that’s a fine launch point for satire. DeathSpank was light on plot, and everything you need to know is recapped within the first ten minute You play as DeathSpank, a thong-clad dispenser of justice on a quest to gather and destroy the six Thongs of Virtue in the fires from which they were made. That’s true even if you haven’t played the original. Thongs of Virtue offers nearly 15 hours of gameplay for a mere $15, so you’re practically guaranteed to get your moneys worth out of the title. Developer Hothead has cooked up some new creatures and new environments, and there’s no denying the game’s strong financial value. Is that worth another purchase? It depends, but you could definitely do a lot worse than DeathSpank. Most of what I said then still applies now, and if you liked the first game, you’ll probably like the second, because it’s essentially more of the same. DeathSpank is only a couple of months old, so when faced with DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, I’m tempted to hit copy/paste and recycle my original review from July.
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