Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The Baconing was a load of old nonsense, which suits me just fine. I like nonsense. The first time I realised words were among my favourite things I was but a young pup reading a giant Edward Lear tome and being struck about the face by seemingly infinite invention. But Edward Lear never included any “Bad Mothas” in his work as far as I remember and The Baconing is adding one such lady by the name of Roesha as a downloadable co-op character. To the patchwork pig-flesh stew that is Deathspank’s world, Roesha brings a dose of ’70s disco blaxploitation, with a glitterball special attack and, I quote, “a nasty attitude”. To celebrate her arrival, the game and the DLC are available at a 50% discount through Steam until Wednesday the 18th. Mr Caldwell found much to like. Perhaps you will too?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is not the only game Hothead is currently working on, it transpires. Those man-fellas and lady-fellas are also turning their attentions to a third DeathSpank game. DeathSpank is, you might recall, the creation of former Lucas Arts heroman Ron Gilbert; he’s now reunited with former colleague Tim Schafer at Doublefine, with Hothead confirming to Kotaku that the ‘Spank will be entirely their own work. It is called The Baconing, it is promised to be major improvement upon the first two games, and it features (in fine, crappy superhero comic tradition) The Anti-Spank.
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“Described by top scientists as Monkey Island meets Diablo,” according to the DeathSpank official webpage. It’s what Ron Gilbert is working on now so, you know, go take a look.
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1UP only have a bloody exclusive, so we’re going to have to link to them. Curse them and their exclusives and their fashionable haircuts. They’re doing a week of DeathSpank coverage starting with a preview, including the aforementioned screens. Ron Gilbert does an Adventure Game/Action-RPG cross-breed based on an office running joke which just wouldn’t stop. I’m excited by this. More of this kind of thing. And more when we know anything which isn’t based on 1UP’s bloody exclusive. Bloody 1UP.

The hero of a generation of gamers, Mr Ron “Monkey Island” Gilbert, has announced his new game, and the publisher who’ll be distributing it.

Ready?

DeathSpank Episode 1: Orphans of Justice.

Oh yes.

It’s an “RPG Adventure”, featuring a character from the short-lived Grumpy Gamer cartoons. Gilbert explains,

“I called up Tim Schafer and said “Loan me a desk, I have a game to design!” and I proceeded to crank out what can only be called the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG game play of Diablo. Clayton [Kauzlaric] and I got together and banged the kicks out, slapped some meat on the characters and tightened up our story and world, and damn it, we had a design you could cook an egg on.”

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