Hothead-Games posts

DeathSpank and DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue got lots of critical acclaim from developer Hothead Games, thanks in part to the guidence of classic game designer Ron Gilbert. However, with Gilbert now gone from Hothead to join Double Fine, it looks like Hothead is going to make a third DeathSpank action-RPG without Gilbert's help.

In a post on Hothead's blog site, the development team used a letter from "DeathSpank" itself to ask its fans what title should be used for the third game in the series. While not an officially announcement it's clear that Hothead is at least thinking about making a new game in the franchise.

Thongs of Virtue is a curious game. Some might think it's a sequel to DeathSpank, but the timing of the release certainly disproves that. If you ask Gilbert or the team at Hothead, they say that it's essentially the second half of the overall DeathSpank game. That's a lot more believable, and in the end, Thongs of Virtue's greatest weakness. It's a big improvement on its predecessor, both in terms of gameplay and in story, but in the end it is held back because it is not a stand-alone title, but rather just the second part of a larger game. We hope more is done with the gameplay and story seen here, since it's definitely a concept worth exploring further.

If you are a Mac gamer and have been waiting for a native Mac port of the two Deathspank fantasy action-RPG titles from developer Hothead Games, your day has come today. Both Deathspank and its immediate sequel, Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue, are now available to download for the Mac platform via Steam. As with all Mac games that have a PC counterpart on Steam, you can purchase the Deathspank titles for the PC for $14.99 each and get the Mac version for free and vise-versa.

But what if you were able to get a copy of the original Deathspank for free? You might be able to if you are picked as one of the 10 winners of Big Download's latest contest. We have 10 Steam codes for the game to give away to some lucky readers. And you might want to head to the Spank This web site where you will have a chance to win some other prizes including an Intel Core i7-970 PC processor .... and also hit chickens. A lot.

How do you win? It's very simple:

• To enter, post a comment on this contest page.
• The comment must be left before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, December 16
• You may enter only once.
• 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• The winners will be sent a Steam code to download the first Deathspank game (valued at approximately $14.99)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules. You must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) who is 18 years or older to enter this contest

Our thanks to Intel and Hothead Games for providing the codes for this contest. Good luck to all who enter our latest giveaway.

DeathSpank is a game that has been a long time coming. originally envisioned as an adventure game from the mind of Ron Gilbert, it's been floating around for a long time. Fortunately, the folk at Hothead snagged up both the idea and Gilbert, making the dream of Ron Gilbert fans come true. Unfortunately, it was done in such a way that, while not bad, is thoroughly deserving of the relatively low price it goes for. Despite being an amazingly well-presented game, DeathSpank never moves beyond the initially shallow beginning into the more entertaining, lasting part that most games include. Still, it's a game that most people should play, both because of its accessibility and because of its humor.

DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, the second game in developer Hothead Games' humorous action-RPG series is only a few days away from its PC debut. The title will be released via Steam and publisher Electronic Arts on November 30 for $14.99. Mac gamers also have some good news today as both the original game and Thongs of Virtue will be released for Apple's OS on December 14.

Both the PC and Mac ports of Thongs of Virtue will also be getting a couple of exclusive content items not found in the original console release. One is a new co-op character called Sidekick Tankko who is described as "Half-man, half-spider and all awesome." A new area, the Snowy Mountain Dungeon, will also be made available in the PC and Mac ports. You can pre-order the game now on Steam for 10 percent off its normal price.

Hothead Games, the folks behind the Penny Arcade Adventures titles and more recently Deathspank, are already working on its next game project. The problem is that the collective minds there can't come up with a decent name and want the general public to do the heavy lifting and give Hothead some suggestions.

You can see a screenshot of the game above. It' some kind of fantasy themed card game but instead of mere humans the folks playing the game are supposed to be wizards. You can give your suggestion for a title by posting on Hothead's comment page. The person who has his or her title picked to become the official name of Hothead's next game will get a nice credit mention. No money or prizes involved but hey, you take what you can get.

While PC gamers have had to wait a little longer to get their hands on DeathSpank, that wait will be over very soon. Publisher Electronic Arts and developer Hothead Games will be releasing the PC port of the humor-filled action-RPG game on Steam this week and there are plans to bring the game to the Mac as well in the future.

Big Download got a chance to ask some questions to the CEO of Hothead Games, Vlad Ceraldi, about the PC port of DeathSpank, including how the game was adapted to work on the PC, the influence of the game's originator Ron Gilbert and more.

Both EA and developer Hothead Games have been vague and a little non-committal about bringing the humorous action RPG DeathSpank to the PC. Well, that's no longer the case, since DeathSpank has been officially announced for both PC and Mac! The game will release via Steam on October 26, and pre-order customers will receive a 10 percent discount off the $14.99 price tag. Note that the release date reflects the PC version only. A Mac OS port is currently in development, but no official release date has been announced.

Action game fans can further their saving by purchasing the bloody violent action game Shank (developed by Klei Entertainment) alongside DeathSpank in the "Shank and 'Spank" Bundle. Customers that pre-order this two game bundle receive a 15 percent discount on the purchase, making for a fantastic value. If you want to get into the spirit of Shanking before the game releases of the PC, the official soundtrack is available to download for free here.

Download the Shank Soundtrack

Two of the main creators behind some of the classic PC adventure games of LucasArts are officially joining forces once again. Kotaku reports that Ron Gilbert has now joined the team at Double Fine, reuniting him with his former LucasArts teammate Tim Schafer. Gilbert previousy worked at Hothead Games and was the main developer behind its two DeathSpank action-RPG titles (which hopefully will be released for the PC and Mac soon as indicated by their ESRB listings).

Double Fine recently decided to switch from creating big retail games to small downloadable game titles. However so far the developer has been silent on any plans to bring these games to the PC or Mac platforms. Gilbert did say his first game for Double Fine will be an original title adding, "Fans of those old adventure games will like it."

DeathSpank is still waiting on PC release, but it's almost definite that it will be released for our favorite platform. Hothead has forged forward, however, and released the second title as we patiently sit and wait on the action-adventure hybrid's PC port. Thongs of Virtue is available on the consoles, and as this trailer shows, have new quests, new weapons, and a new story. It also looks to be more absurd and funny than its predecessor, which is perfectly fine by us.