Wednesday, September 22, 2010

DLC Quick Gaming Fix : Shank



I was completely ignorant of the DLC game medium and Shank has made me seen the errors of my ways! Shank is a side scrolling beat-em-up that is reminiscent of a Robert Rodriguez film. Klei Entertainment has given new life to a retro genre with this title.

Shank is a mob enforcer that has fallen in love with Angela. Shank's boss, Caesar, gives our hero a choice, kill Angela and he will inherit the criminal empire or Caesar will take care this distraction. Shank refuses and Caesar sends three of his top assasins to kill the lovers. Miraculously, Shank survives the attack and sets out on a path of vengeance.

Shank may have an animated look but this is one not for the kiddies. Shank thrives in carnage as he employs chain saws, a variety of fire arms, and of course shanks on his victims. My jaw dropped seeing the titular character feeding his foes grenades during regular gameplay. Shank is absolutely unrelenting in his quest for retribution! 

The difficulty varies throughout the game. If you die during a boss battle, the game will instruct you on how to beat the boss, making the fight too simple. You can button mash your way through the waves of enemies but the combat system/level design does allow players to employ some strategy. I recommend that you play smarter, not harder! Your thumbs will thank you in the end.

The production value of this game is amazing! From the smooth animation, stylized cutscenes and a fantastic soundtrack, Klei Entertainment didn't hold anything back with this game. The game also features an assortment of unlockable costumes including  "DeathSpank".

I have two complaints with this game. As with most side scrolling beat-em-ups, the gameplay came become repetitive. The developers attempted to use mini cut scenes to keep things fresh during game play but it was still noticeable. Secondly, fifteen  bucks seems pretty steep for a game that has about 3-4 hours of game play. I'm not familiar with the going price of DLC games so maybe it's just me. If money ain't a thang then I seriously recommend this game! Shank is available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PLAYSTATION Network, and coming soon to PC.





Check out the soundtrack! You can download the zip here!

Shank - Original Video Game Soundtrack by Suite803

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