Thursday, January 26, 2012

DeathSpank 2 and 3

Gameplay:
  • DeathSpank 3 (The Baconing) was pretty short compared with DeathSpank 1 and 2.
  • We played DeathSpank 2 in two-player mode on the computer with an Xbox controller hooked up to it. We played DeathSpank 3 in two-player mode on the PS3. I was player 1 (DeathSpank) both times and preferred the computer controls, as it was easier to aim.
  • This is a good two-player game for someone whose partner may not be as experienced in gaming. Player 2 can choose from a selection of healer support characters. Player 2 cannot customize their gear, and they do not level up. The camera always pans to Player 1. Llamaentity, being an experienced gamer, would have preferred a little more equality for Player 2.
  • The game is extremely easy on two-player mode. Whereas I died a lot when I was playing DeathSpank and DeathSpank 2 in single player, Player 2's healing ability can help the duo to stay alive even while fighting higher-level monsters. DeathSpank 3 was a little more difficult than DeathSpank 2. I think the enemies hit harder, but a portion of it might have just been that I found the controls to be more difficult on the PS3.
 Social Justice:

My main complaints about DeathSpank 2 were the dearth of people of color, the lack of playable women characters, and the stereotypical treatment of the character Steve (selectable character for Player 2). To be fair, everything in the game is a stereotype and played for laughs, but, you know, real-world inequalities and such. Well, DeathSpank 3 answered both my hopes and fears.
  • There was one female playable character - Roesha, who is heavily based on 70's blaxploitation films. I think she was a "special offer" character too, so she might not have been available in the PC version.
  • Still no people of color... Instead, we have non-humans with stereotypical "foreign" attributes.
  • My little happy moment was when DeathSpank pretended to formerly be a woman, and someone congratulated him on his sex change.