So after finishing Amnesia: The Dark Descent, I mentally landed myself in a fix as to which game I should play next. They’re so many, and most notably, there’s Dragon Age: Origins, which I’ve been waiting to play for a long time, knowing the epic RPG freako I am. But mentally, I still wasn’t ready to devote myself to this game. Epic RPGs require one to be involved with and grow with the game with time, and they do require lots of in-game reading, analysis, etc.
My ultra-busy schedule these days limits me from immersing myself into games like these, so I had to choose something different. Other games on my “still to play” list were Just Cause 2, StarCraft II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Lights, etc.
One common thing existed among these games, they are all big releases from big publishers, and I sort of know what to expect of them. Then, there are these indie games released by these small publishers and developers. See, this is where the gaming industry is taking a similar shape to the music and film industries. You have these big commercial releases, and then you have the independent media, which have more creative control over their material. Plus, considering the generation or age of the gaming industry at the moment, these indie games have an element of surprise in them.
It’s only been in the past 2 years that indie developers have really come up with quality games, probably due to technology being available on the cheap to a wider demographic and the growth of quality developers and programmers.
So, coming back to the point, I decided to go with a partially-indy game, namely, Deathspank! They say, that Deathspank is a perfect brew of Diablo and Escape from Money Island. Sounds intimidating, doesn’t it? Both are games with entirely opposite philosophies. This is a download-only game; it is not available in retail. Although it is being distributed by EA, it’s still made by a relatively small studio. although I really can’t figure out why they haven’t released this game on retail, especially with EA involved with the distribution.
So, DeathSpank it is.
Now, who is DeathSpank? DeathSpank is the obnoxious, over-the-top, full-of-himself hero of the game, on an expedition to attain “The Artifact.”
I spent 2 hours with this game, and I must say, the definition “blend of Diablo and Escape from Monkey Island” pretty much holds too. And the dialogue play is damn humorous! It’s in the action that this game comes alive. Leveling up and hunting for weapons and potions is really fun. I don’t want to comment much on this game at the moment, since I’ve played only 2 hours. More to come soon.
