DeathSpank

The title alone shows that this game does not take itself too seriously and that exactly is what DeathSpank is all about.

This satirical RPG follows our hero, DeathSpank on his epic quest to fulfil his destiny of finding an artefact, which is called ‘The Artifact’. With its powers said to be beyond imagination and that it must be kept safe from evil, DeathSpank races on to try and find it.

Throughout the game you need to perform various quests for the characters you meet. This not only helps the character, but in turn can give you very handy items to help you progress. If the title of the game alone hasn’t made you giggle then the interaction with the characters will definitely tickle your funny bone. When you talk to a character, you get a list of questions or statements that you can say. Some of these will help you to get one step closer to The Artifact, where as others are just so random you have to choose it to see what reaction you get.

As with any good RPG, you get the chance to upgrade your hero to make him as tough as he can be. The various upgrades can come in the form of Hero Cards, which can improve DeathSpank’s stats and you can also upgrade the weapons you wield to fight the tougher enemies. Another upgrade to look out for is Runestones. When combined with the correct weapon, it can unleash a unique and deadly attack. But in order to use the Runestone or to use an upgraded attack known as ‘Weapons of Justice’ with your normal weapons, you will need to fill up your Justice Meter. The Justice Meter can be filled by just hacking and slashing your foes. Once filled, one of you’re chosen four weapons will glow so you know your attack is ready.

All your items, quest info and Hero Cards can be found when you click  RB to access the Equipment pages. Here you can check for quest hints, combine items and even recycle items for a bit of extra cash.  You can also assign which weapons you want to either your Y, X, A or B buttons and move potions and food to your D-pad. Another nifty option is the ‘always equip best armor’ option. By ticking this box it automatically chooses the best armour you have and saves you having to stop the gaming pleasure.

On a whole, this game is completely up my street. At first when I saw that on XBLA it would cost 1200 MS Points I thought that this game had better be pretty special for such an amount. And to my pleasant surprise it has exceeded all my expectations. If you are looking for a laugh out loud, button bashing, quest finishing game then Deathspank is just for you.  This blend of beautiful 2D backgrounds with 3D characters does allow the game to look stunning. And with the loading screen only popping up when you’re teleporting, it gives DeathSpank a smooth transition from the different areas he explores, which you just have to admire.