Xbox Live Arcade’s Summer of Arcade has given and continues to give gamers a slew of fantastic games. Next up on the slate is Klei Entertaiment’s Shank, a 2D side-scroller with tons of over the top action. But the real gem of the Summer of Arcade so far has been Hothead Studios' DeathSpank. DeathSpank was a taste of role-playing goodness that has a perfect mixture of humor and compelling gameplay.

If there was a downside to the game it was that there wasn’t enough. Though the game was well paced and was worth the price tag, I still wanted more out of it. Now gamers will get a chance when DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is released on September 21st for the PlayStation Network and the 22nd for Xbox Live Arcade.Thongs of Virtue sees the noble DeathSpank once again on an arduous quest to collect sacred items. This time around said items are six Thongs of Virtue that give the wearer great power and are sure to be sought after by some big baddies. Levels will be much more varied this time around, our hero will traverse areas like a war torn battlefield and the North Pole. Cooperative makes a return as well, this time allowing a player to quest along with two friends versus one. At a price point of $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft Points this game is a must buy, but do yourself a favor and play the DeathSpank first.

Every once in a while a game comes along that makes you laugh out loud. Though it is a rare occurrence that a game will consistently cause me to double over in a fit of hilarity. Ron Gilbert, creator of the fantastically under-appreciated The Secret of Monkey Island, was able to nail two birds with one stone with DeathSpank. Not only did he make a thoughtful parody of the RPG genre but was also able to craft a successful entry into said genre. Very few games are able to walk that delicate line between entertaining game story-wise and game that makes you want to play more. DeathSpank only further proves that downloadable games are the place for indie game developers who might otherwise not have the funding to make a full scale retail priced game to create something truly inspiring.

DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue comes out of the outhouse on September 21st for the PlayStation Network and September 22nd for the Xbox Live Arcade.

I know you are looking forward to this sequel to DeathSpank Ranters, but how excited are you? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Hothead Games Blog