Looting with humor

DeathSpank is a downloadable game available on XBLA and PSN. DeathSpank tries to take the Diablo formula of bashing (or spanking) endless hordes of monsters to death,collect their precious items and level up in the hunt for better stats. You start out in the end of your search of a legendary item of unimaginable power called simply "The artifact". Your hunt for the artifact will take you on a perilous journey through the lands as you meet orphans, other heroes trying to complete their quest logs and many oddly named characters. 
   

DeathSpank will try to make you laugh with just about everything it has to offer. The dialogue is full of jokes, some which are funny, but most lines fall short on the fact that they are delivered in a slow, over the top voice acting. Unless you manage to get past the way the dialogue is spoken, you will most likely be compelled to start pressing the "Skip" button pretty soon. The game manages to be fun in other places than the dialogue though, one example being the ridiculous weapons that are featured throughout the 6-7 hours that it will take you to complete DeathSpank.    
 
 As the Xbox 360 doesn't have as many input options as a PC, you wont be casting a plethora of spells in DeathSpank. Instead, you have a "Justice meter" that will fill up as you fight enemies, and when it gets full you will be able to unleash a special attack with your "Weapons of justice", like stunning your enemies or spinning around with your sword. This system is a good fit for the console, the fighting is definately up to par. You won't just be fighting random monsters though, the game is full with story- and sidequests that will have you doing regular RPG stuff; collecting items, killing certain monsters etcetera. Some of the quests are a bit tedious when you have to run back and forth from the same guy, but most of them are good.    
 
DeathSpank is a great bang for the buck game, gamers who enjoy action RPG's should pick this up right away, and if you're unsure if this is your thing, try out the demo for a good taste of the game. While you most likely never will play this twice, it's meaty for a downloadable game and looks great as well.