Shank

Most modern beat ’em ups seem to serve no purpose other than to milk our nostalgia and remind us how repetitive games once were. Shank, however, is something new, something special. It rewrites the history of the genre by adding the advanced combos and visceral action of modern 3-D action games like God of War and Devil May Cry [デビル メイ クライ] to a more traditional presentation and design — that of the 2-D brawler.

Like any other game in the genre, you fight from one side of the stage to the other, reach the boss and venture on to the next stage. Thanks to a fighting system that offers flexibility, speed and a great variety of stages and enemies, Shank’s brief but very challenging campaign is one of the highlights of its genre in recent years. The presentation complements the game perfectly, taking the visual style of Samurai Jack and pairing it with the desolate, violent Mexico found in Robert Rodriguez’s films; one could possibly mistake it for being a spin-off of Machete. The game also contains a two-player campaign that works as a prologue to the main single-player.

Unfortunately, the two-player campaign is a bit shorter and a bit too hectic for its own good. Nevertheless, for a cheap downloadable game, this is the best time you’ll have with a chainsaw, hunting knife and shotgun all at once. Just don’t be afraid to use all eight buttons. Shank makes the most of modern controllers, where others only aim for nostalgia.