Review: DeathSpank - Thongs of Virtue (XBLA)

As you may recall, I recently reviewed DeathSpank, an action-RPG drenched in Ron Gilbert's tears. I have just finished the sequel, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, and it seems quite fitting to throw out another review. Just know that I may come across as a broken record as Thongs of Virtue has a lot of [expected] similarities to its younger brother.

For those who haven't played the original game -- I have no idea why you would want to play this if you haven't -- Thongs of Virtue is an action-RPG with beautiful, pop-up book visuals and the humor of Ron Gilbert. If you have played the original game, look forward to more of the same. When I say "more of the same," I mean exactly the same. There are quests that are essentially the same quests from the first game and I guess that is to be expected; both games were made simultaneously. While this may have been a good business decision, it makes for a horrible development decision.

It may have been that I jumped into Thongs of Virtue too soon after playing DeathSpank, but I actually liked Thongs of Virtue less than DeathSpank. The problem is, Thongs of Virtue is more of an expansion pack than a full blown sequel. Because the games were made simultaneously, all issues and faults remain unfixed and unchanged. If you loved the original game, you will surely love this thong-centered sequel. I, on the other hand, was not in love with the original and those feelings remain unchanged.

I really can't recommend Thongs of Virtue to anyone other than rabid fans of the original. It is as literal as the saying, "more of the same," can get. Even if you haven't played either game, I would still recommend playing the original DeathSpank. I enjoyed numero uno more -- I found the story and quests more enjoyable -- and if you end up enjoying the original, you can have this nice, shining "sequel" for desert. In my case, Thongs of Virtue was less of a dessert and more of a cup full of Turbo Lax. The only redeeming quality was the ability to kill a few characters I can't mention without spoiling, but that is hardly worth $15.