DeathSpank shows off at Penny Arcade Expo… And where are the monkeys?!?
Only a few months left, and the offspring of the return of Ron Gilbert on the videogaming stage that matters should make its appearance on the Internet. No absurd puzzles flavoured by wannabe pirates and three-headed monkeys this time, but a new formula that would like to merge the opposed gameplay of the adventures and the wilder hack and slash videogames.
Gilbert, the talented game designer with his veins full of humour who created entertainment landmarks like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion and the SCUMM script engine on which these are based, has attended the Penny Arcade Expo held in the state of Washington between August 29-31 showing DeathSpank, an action-adventure that the same author described as “what can only be called the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG game play of Diablo“.
Announced by the designer on his blog, Grumpy Gamer, during the past January, DeathSpank is up to now a complete mystery excluding the Gilbert’s depiction, that other than presenting in shot what should be the gameplay and promising to change the videogaming business once again (or to show some good ideas while trying at least), describes the very little warm acceptance for the project by the software houses he proposed it to during time.
“Everyone hated it - says Gilbert - But the weird thing is the more publishers that turned it down, the more convinced I became that this was a great idea. Every rejection fueled me with excitement and the knowledge that I was right. Nothing says innovation and creativity like armed security showing up to escort you out of the building while saying ‘Let’s not have any trouble’“. The turning-point for DeathSpank came when the designer met the small Canadian software house Hothead Games, for which Gilbert first acted as a consultant for the adventure On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness then becoming creative director of the entire ship.
Inspired by a comic clip of February 2005, DeathSpank is first of all the result of the creative efforts by Gilbert and his regular partner Clayton Kauzlaric. Designed with an episodic framework as like as the adventure games released in the last months (Bone and 3D Sam & Max above all), the game will rely on the “unique style of Gilbert’s humour and storytelling” and the compulsive pursuit for new objects, weapons and armors peculiar of the Diablo franchise.
The three teasers showed at PAX exhibit no gameplay, but yet so they clearly exhibit the absolutely out of line overall tone of the production, the dark (or better still blood red) humour, a lovable soundtrack and the will to rag an industry that has since closed the doors on the face of designers less aligned to business and money god like the one that gave life to the incomparable character of Guybrush Throotrott, err… Threepwood.
Amid the three clips, Ron Gilbert also reveals that the release date for the first episode of DeathSpank has been settled within… an unspecified period of time during 2009. Would it be the case to get ready for the improbable clash between the third episode of Diablo and what is expected to be its most unthinkable (and funny) mockery?
This post has been featured on Slashdot on September 1, 2008, producing on the blog a maximum daily peak of 11014 unique visitors and 12702 pageviews (source: LLOOGG).
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20 Responses to “DeathSpank shows off at Penny Arcade Expo… And where are the monkeys?!?”
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his name is ron gilbert, not rob
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What in the world are you trying to say here:
The three teasers showed at PAX exhibit no gameplay, but yet so it seems explicit the absolutely out of line overall tone of the production, the dark (or better still blood red) humour, a lovable soundtrack and the will to rag an industry that has since closed the doors on the face of designers less aligned to business and money god like the one that gave life to the incomparable character of Guybrush Throotrott, err… Threepwood
Christ, FAIL. You sir should have your English license revoked.
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This is a very promising adventure, as it appears on the horizon.
I am looking forward to check it out.
Thank you for finding this great game.
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Um, yeah. There’s a difference between “that theme won’t sell to a wide audience”, and “that gameplay sounds like a pipe dream”. I really don’t see it working. I just don’t. Lots of people have nice ideas but I really don’t care until I see gameplay shots. I suspect that publishers might have cared more if they saw some evidence of the gameplay working?
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Bob, I couldn’t agree more. That whole paragraph made my head hurt.
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I can’t wait to play this!
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I need the thong of justice!!
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Lol. can’t wait. the rainslick game by hothead is pretty good too.
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Wootness!
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So rad. I can’t wait. Here’s hoping the system requirements aren’t too intense though. I’d like to be able to play it on my current system
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Ooops, my bad… too much grog yesterday
Sorry for the mess, as partial excuse I could say that English isn’t my mother tongue.
Yep, still no gameplay, still no game. But hey, he’s Ron Gilbert, one of the few pure geniuses of videogaming. So I think I’ll have some faith in him
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Well, knowing the creator, and watching the video, I am certain that the tone is just right
About gameplay, well, humour does improve playability (as anyone who played Monkey Island(TM) knows). After all, games are about having fun, right? Still, I have to agree that I would like to take a look at it before giving some more opinion.
Whether it ends up really working or not, I am excited that this title came up. Innovation is always exciting and sometimes I just get bored of playing ’serious’ games.
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This comment is off-topic (feel free to delete it), but anyone else noticed the amount of commenters that use IE?…
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Why oh why RPGness everywhere? And why people don’t understand that RPGs are about assuming a role, not about stats grinding and lack of action?
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Amazing
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Looks promising. good sound track
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I LOVE the music. And genuinely funny games can be counted on one hand, and most of THOSE are made by Ron Gilbert. This is a must buy for me.
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Yeps, I don’t think this will work either. Don’t mix the genres, that’s not the key. Make the game itself good, and make it stick to one simple genre. That’s the key to great gameplay. Maniac Mansion is a work of beautiful and mystical vision.. the games after that - kinda fun, but not the same thing. I personally do not think it is possible to make a mystical and great, vision-based game like Maniac Mansion in today’s crappy atmosphere.
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Sometimes it’s so easy to forget
And what about games in general? Games are about fun, and most often they are so serious that they are not about fun at all.
This guy (Gilbert) knows where the fun is; as long as he doesn’t make a really bad game, I think we can expect some smiles and a few laughs. And that’s worth buying IMO.
Good luck Mr. Gilbert!
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Ah, and btw dunno if anyone noticed, but below the image I’ve attached it’s written: “The evil of devils cannot compare to evil of men because men are jerks - somejerk”
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