August 12, 2011August 12, 2011

The Baconing Sizzles on PSN PLAY August 30th

Hi, I’m Mike with Hothead Games and I am really excited to be able to share some insight on our exciting and meaty game The Baconing coming out August 30th, 2011 as part of the PSN PLAY promotion, which runs through September 19th!

Best Video Game Title Ever!

I have been lucky enough to work in the industry for over 11 years now but never did I imagine working on a game with an epic title like The Baconing! I mean, everyone loves bacon and now the fan favorite food has made its way into gaming.

The Baconing is an action RPG which stars everyone’s favorite Vanquisher of Evil, DeathSpank. The story revolves around DeathSpank wearing all six Thongs of Virtue which unfortunately summons an evil version of himself in the AntiSpank. Now our hero must seek out the Fires of Bacon and burn five of the Thongs, which will allow him to weaken and defeat the evil giant, bringing peace back to Spanktopia.

The one thing I really enjoyed about working on The Baconing is that the game does not take itself too seriously. We had a ton of laughs creating characters, quests and in the studios during the voice recordings.

Freaks & Oddities

Today I wanted to introduce you all to some of the eye-catching areas and characters in The Baconing. The game features over 100 quests, with seven sci-fi inspired environments and tons of crazy characters to meet along the way. Two of my favorite characters in the game are The Leprechaun Mob Boss and Z.I.M.O.N.

The Mob Boss heads up a group called the McMafia who reside in Rainbow’s End, which is a Leprechaun Las Vegas. If you complete all of the side quests like rigging the odds on the slots, and taking out anti-gambling activists, DeathSpank becomes a made-man and part of the family. The reward is a DeathSpank inspired tribute to the Godfather film, a must-see moment.

Z.I.M.O.N. is an ancient supercomputer that regulates the climate and atmosphere in the Forbidden Zone. Equipped with obsolete technology like a 1200 baud modem and several bytes of memory, Z.I.M.O.N. has sustained barely-livable conditions since the late 70’s when he was created. When you meet Z.I.M.O.N., you will quickly notice a connection to retro portable gaming, and while it’s retro you would be surprised how a game of memory can quickly ramp up.

Whether you are an existing fan or someone brand new to the DeathSpank world, you will have a blast with The Baconing. We have made tons of improvements and maintained the laugh inducing conversations that people come to love from the quest seeking hero. We created this video for you so that you get smoky, crispy taste of our mega Thongolith Myth. Enjoy!

And some cool info to pass along, if you pre-order now through August 25th you get an exclusive The Baconing PS3 Static Theme. Also when The Baconing releases you will get your hands on an additional sidekick character with Roesha – One Bad Mutha. PlayStation Plus members get a sweet 20% discount on their purchase during PSN PLAY.

For more information check out www.TheBaconing.com or follow us @deathspank and @HotheadGames.

Comments are closed.

50 Comments

8 Author Replies

GT-420
August 12, 2011 at 9:21 am PDT

What are the improvements? I think that’s what most want to know.
- Mike Inglehart
  August 12, 2011 at 10:19 am PDT
  
  Mechanics you now have a shield bash, charged crossbows and perfect reflect. The bash allows you to control the battlefield as you can knock enemies away from your position. In addition, if you bash at the correct time when an enemy is firing a projectile at you, you can reflect it back at them taking it out, which is our perfect reflect. The charged crossbows offer a risk/reward system where you give up movement to charge up more powerful attacks.
  
  Environment wise we have added cover. These allow you to quickly take refuge to recover. You can also use these to stay hidden from enemies and land a first strike. In addition, users will notice collections of buffed barrels in the world which offer you the chance to land crippling blows to enemies. But be careful, the enemy can use them against you as well.
  
  From the AI standpoint, we spoke with fans early on and players were asking for more of a challenge so now they have it! The AI has more brain power now, as ranged enemies for example will strafe on your position as you take cover. The AI attacks quicker and more often now as well and with more damaging effects. Battles are far more engaging now and make for more enjoyable gameplay experiences.
whatisdelicious
August 12, 2011 at 9:26 am PDT

I think considering “The Baconing” the best video game title ever is a little generous.
Phillyblunz
August 12, 2011 at 9:27 am PDT

14.99, and this whole pre-pay for digital stuff is a trick.

Pre-orders ensure you get a copy on release day, I’m sure they aint running out of digital copies so pre-order is a cash grab to trick people who wouldnt buy the game after seeing it or hearing reviews.

Nice Sony, Nice.

This is something I would expect MS to do, what have you become Sony?

Oh and buy 4 games at $14.99 to recieve one game for “free” LOL>

PSN games that are worth $10, are sold for $15, if you buy 4 of them, then you get a $10 game for free, again nice trick.

The only game worth anything is the free game you get after spending $60.

You tricked me with QORE, then again with PLUS, now tryin for the hat trick.

I’m ashamed of you.
bubit13
August 12, 2011 at 9:28 am PDT

OMG! I’m first! okay I’m done now! lol ;D
TheDakotan
August 12, 2011 at 9:28 am PDT

I’m surprised the Epic Meal Time crew hasn’t found out about this game

LOL
bubit13
August 12, 2011 at 9:28 am PDT

Ohhh… :( nvm
Phillyblunz
August 12, 2011 at 9:28 am PDT

But I do love Bacon!!
joseph2411
August 12, 2011 at 9:31 am PDT

Epic title name, epic game, epic characters..oh and epic trailer (the one posted on EU blog) :)
Ivan_MF
August 12, 2011 at 9:44 am PDT

Already purchased the games on Play.
Really enjoyed the first Death Spank. Already own the second. Maybe I`ll finish the 2nd before receiving the baconing!

ˆˆ

Everything Sony, Microsoft or any other major company will try to do is to get profit. The Play program and every other service they provide aims profit. This will never change. If you do understand this, all you got to do is to carefully study if that is good for you.
Their decisions about what comunnity wants also has the profit as their goal. They will try their best to make as much players happy as they can IF they can get profits along the way.

So…do the maths, search for previews, play demos, but always consider that they want to make money out of our joy.
That is pratically what game industry is all about.

Again: sorry about the bad english.
DZORMAGEN
August 12, 2011 at 9:45 am PDT

@ Phillyblunz

How is Sony “tricking” you? Are they forcing you to buy the game? They are offering the game at $11.99 if you are a Plus member, then they are giving an incentive to put money on the game now. After that they are saying buy 3 more games they offer for $11.99 and you get Pay Day for FREE…. No one is tricking anyone. Buy it if you want, or don’t buy it. The offer is on the table……

Honestly some people here need to grow up. No one understands Sony is in a business to make money, just like every other company out there trying to make money. They are offering something and people need to bash it. Like I said NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO BUY ANYTHING, or as you say “TRICKING” you…

On topic, I am happy to say I did pre-order this game along the other 3 games, and waiting for this fun, and funny game to come out! I have played the 1st one, and played a little of the 2nd (should go back and finish it all).
Buchi1324
August 12, 2011 at 9:47 am PDT

philly calm down my man u get 20% off so tech they aren’t 14.99 also deathspank games are pretty good sellers so if you dont want it dont buy it this is for people that want all 4 of those games and then to get a free one…or even if you want 3 of the 4 u get all 4 and blame get the free one and if you split the cost u get 2 games for 7ish a piece so whats the problem with offers u dont have to do its not like thats the only way to get heist if you dont like the other games just buy heist then….no ones forcing you
Ivan_MF
August 12, 2011 at 9:47 am PDT

Just to clearify: I`m all okay with people making money out of my joy.
I`m addicted to playing games. I`ve learned english as a necessity of rpg games.
Also, logical interpretation and all that stuff academic studies about gaming benefits.

Whoa, now THAT is bad english. ˆˆ
Ivan_MF
August 12, 2011 at 9:49 am PDT

@DZORMAGEN are we the same person?

O.o
Arcadian_Rebel
August 12, 2011 at 9:51 am PDT

Well said, Phillyblunz (#3)!

I’m looking forward to Deathspank: The Baconing!
DZORMAGEN
August 12, 2011 at 9:59 am PDT

#13 Ivan_MF

LOL, that is funny. I guess we just understand what Sony, and these companies signed with the Play program are trying to do. These kids don’t…..
Craazy
August 12, 2011 at 10:18 am PDT

I haven’t done the PLAY thing yet…..still debating. But I will say the free game PayDay the Heist WAS AWESOME @E3. Super cool co-op game I am pretty stoked for the release. This is one of the 3 or 4 games I would play from the promotion…..not a big fighting games fan so the Street Fighter thing doesn’t do much for me!
Mike Inglehart
August 12, 2011 at 10:26 am PDT

Hey everyone, thanks for taking the time to read the posting. If you have a question on The Baconing, I will be in and out of the forums to try and answer anything that is on your mind!
ABRipperXX
August 12, 2011 at 10:42 am PDT

Hey Mike, how long is the baconing going to be? I’m hopeing as long as the last two 12-15 hours?
- Mike Inglehart
  August 12, 2011 at 10:52 am PDT
  
  The game length for The Baconing is more in line with the first game, we made sure to retain the same value and quality for the experience. And if you actually dare to try the Insane Mode, I would wager you will be spending a few more hours in the game.
krae_man
August 12, 2011 at 10:52 am PDT

Please tell me you’ve fixed the eating-Gun dynamic of Thongs.

90% of the enemies in Thongs had guns and they would always stop you stop your eating. You could never retreat from a bad situation because you would continue to get shot even though you should be way, way out of range of the enemies shooting at you.

And Potions were too expensive and you could carry so few to make them a viable substitute.

Guns are less fun in a game like this anyway.

Also, Please, Please make the X’s, Checkmarks, Exclamation points etc visable on the overall world map. It was really annoying to know you completed a quest, but can’t remember where to go to get the EXP for it.
- Mike Inglehart
  August 12, 2011 at 11:02 am PDT
  
  All enemies projectiles are now visible, so you can see what is going to hit you and when it will hit you as well. We removed the invisible gun bullets since it seemed unfair and not obvious to the user. To help give you time to eat or drink a potion in gameplay, as I stated above, we have cover objects in the game.
  
  If you are low on health, dart behind cover, eat something or pound back a health potion, and then pop up and take down those pesky ranged enemies. The cover addition, really improves your choice and options in a fight and no longer will you need to run away.
  
  Potions and our market in the game have been reworked. The pricing and economy is tuned and works much better this time around. And as far as getting lost, we have worked very hard on making maps and areas that are fun to adventure around but not confusing. I had the same issue when I joined the company to work on the game and I am happy to say, you really get to know the worlds this time around just like the streets in the city you live.
Grexotic
August 12, 2011 at 10:53 am PDT

Wonder how far in depth & engaging the quests are. Will you add 3d please?
- Mike Inglehart
  August 12, 2011 at 10:57 am PDT
  
  We made it a point to remove senseless fetch quests in the game. With DeathSpank being a hero, the user should feel that they are doing heroic things and not fetching lost tackle boxes and records that people have lost. The quests you take part in this time around focus on a bigger goal such as locating secret codes for entry into an ancient complex or figuring out how to try and reprogram a replicating machine to move past a portal.
  
  When we spoke with the community through our website and forums early on, people asked for fetch quests to be kept at a minimum and we have taken the time to make sure that the quests you head out on have importance and value in terms of what a hero should be doing. And there are a few funny ones in there too, just wait until you meet the Red Princess!
Destiny89
August 12, 2011 at 11:08 am PDT

You guys should make this series a full PS3 retail game, i love death spank and im sure getting this day 1. btw the first 2 games were one of the best last year
ButtersThaatsMe
August 12, 2011 at 11:15 am PDT

What just happened?
krae_man
August 12, 2011 at 11:27 am PDT

Good to hear. Looking forward to the game. I hope you un-nerfed the spinning sword. That thing was awesome:P
devilmosh
August 12, 2011 at 11:41 am PDT

The Deathspank games rock, and bacon rocks, so I predict the end of all things come August 30th because the universe just can’t handle them both!

Seriously though, I’m still playing the first and have the second waiting for me, but I pre-ordered this and can’t wait!
Mike Inglehart
August 12, 2011 at 11:44 am PDT

Thanks for the all the kind words everyone! We enjoy making the products and it’s always great to hear people enjoying them even more!
fsavoie
August 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm PDT

Why no more Deathspank in the title?
- Mike Inglehart
  August 12, 2011 at 1:22 pm PDT
  
  The reason for the name change as we have talked about in many of our preview articles was to ensure that people realize they do not need to have played the first two games to purchase this one. Since each product is a stand alone game, we want to be able to allow people who did not play the first two, to be able to jump into The Baconing without feeling like they have to play the other two games, especially when we have made many enhancements and improvements to this one. We liken the series to the James Bond films, you do not need to see Goldeneye to enjoy Casino Royale, you can just jump in at any point. It’s the same for this series, you do not need to play Thongs of Virtue to enjoy The Baconing.
marlyt
August 12, 2011 at 12:21 pm PDT

Very much looking forward to one more Deathspank adventure. I bought the first two and loved them. And Deathspank + Bacon + Awesome!!! Bacon truly makes everything better.

@ DZORMAGEN & Ivan–Realize that the youth today, as sad as it is, have been taught in our government schools that the US is an evil imperialistic country and that capitalism is thge root of ALL evil. We are the head of the snake, according to academia and corporations are evil for making money. Good luck to any of them who try to get a job from these evil rich people. Thank God for the “Green Jobs Initiative”…Ha HA HA!!!! That’s too funny. Peace. Ooops I said God. I’m automaticall inferior and dense to boot.
devilmosh
August 12, 2011 at 12:32 pm PDT

@10 Well said.
Phillyblunz
August 12, 2011 at 12:54 pm PDT

You guys have never watched super couponers or whatever then.

People feel a need to purchase things just because they think they getting a deal.

If i raise the price of 4 things by $5 each, then give you something worth $10 if you buy all 4 the illusion of a deal is apparent when in reality you just paid $10 too much and actually paid for that free game too.

These games should be $10 or less, but people pay $15 for COD DLC so why not, LOL.

I’m plus but not stupid, I’m talkin about people who will be stuck with 3-4 games they didnt want as they thought they was getting a deal, LOL.

If it doesnt apply to you, that is no consequence, 1000’s of people will be suckered in by these tactics and thats why they underhanded.

I stood by and still stand by Sony for years now, but these days the bad news keeps getting worse.

There is no good reason for presale of digital content, period.

No doubt companies want your money, but underhanded tricks is dirty business.

In time you will see this is true,

So says Phillyblunz.
grimmy
August 12, 2011 at 12:57 pm PDT

You could make ten of these and i’d buy every one! Already have it on pre order.
Cedge410
August 12, 2011 at 1:03 pm PDT

New Avatars Madden 12 & MLB 11 The Show
Heavenly_king
August 12, 2011 at 2:19 pm PDT

I have pre-ordered the 4 games muahahahahahaha!!

Here I come thongs lol XD
tylerh1701
August 12, 2011 at 2:31 pm PDT

@ Phillybunz – Why do you get to decide how much each game is worth?
Brandon_2535
August 12, 2011 at 2:58 pm PDT

I just hate the fact that there’s a trophy for completing the game on the Insane mode. Really kills the mood of going for 100% of the trophies.

Don’t get me wrong, I still pre-ordered the game and absolutely love the DeathSpank series, but that trophy really bummed me out. I hate having to torture myself on a hard difficulty just to get 100% of the trophy collection.

:(
Brandon_2535
August 12, 2011 at 3:09 pm PDT

Also, you mention: “We created this video for you so that you get smoky, crispy taste of our mega Thongolith Myth. Enjoy!”

Where is the video?

One more thing: If we complete the game on a difficulty level besides Insane, does anything transfer over when we start the Insane play-through? Like armor, level, weapons, anything?
Mike Inglehart
August 12, 2011 at 3:28 pm PDT

Here is Sony PlayStation Europe’s link to the video. Unsure why you cannot see it in this posting.

The achievement accumulations carry over into insane mode, so reflections and other numeric based achievements continue to add up no matter where you play. We added the insane mode as people were asking for something really challenging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7eCmdc_qxDo
Brandon_2535
August 12, 2011 at 3:35 pm PDT

Thanks for the link, not sure why it didn’t show up on here. Great video, anyway! Can’t wait!

I understand why you added the insane mode, I was just curious as to why you based a trophy off it when there’s already a trophy dedicated to beating the game on any difficulty.

I just hope I can manage it because I really want earn 100% of the trophies like I did during the first two games.
DZORMAGEN
August 12, 2011 at 3:44 pm PDT

@ 29 Phillyblunz

So you are telling me just we don’t watch extreme couponing we are getting ripped off? I am confused?

1st off once you start to get a team together and make games and work hard hours and make sure the game is perfect then you should start talking about how much games cost. I don’t think you ever worked at a games studio or developed a game..

I find it funny you are comparing actual games on PSN to Activsions add-on DLC! You are a joke… I never bought any add-on DLC from that company nor do I ever plan to, or buy their games for that matter.

Pre-orders if you don’t know give companies a better understanding if they game will be a good selling game etc.
PNOBOY954
August 12, 2011 at 4:46 pm PDT

im str8 off those games
madagus
August 12, 2011 at 4:52 pm PDT

just wondering if these play games will have trophies or not
Ivan_MF
August 12, 2011 at 5:13 pm PDT

The video itself is in the main page, in the link where you open this post: blog.us.playstation.com.
Don`t know why you can`t see it here.

I believe everyone understands that they are trying to make more money through pre-sale.
But they also offer bonus for those who bought it antecipated.
There will be trophies for the games, as Mike already stated.
MrAssassin47
August 12, 2011 at 5:35 pm PDT

Wow, you guys have no consideration for people who haven’t already beat the first game, I see DeathSpank sitting with Sandy’s decapatated head, what the hell?!?!?!
mramazing365
August 12, 2011 at 6:07 pm PDT

yeah not too bad something fresh baconing very interesting?
maltyler84
August 12, 2011 at 6:16 pm PDT

Where’s my FF VI?
LordRaymond
August 13, 2011 at 1:55 am PDT

Deathspank is awesome! Must preorder this game now.
Catharasis
August 13, 2011 at 1:46 pm PDT

@42- Spoiler alert- She dies in the second one! The first ends where the second begins (the battlefield). You kill her at the end of the game (or she attempts to kill you, but can’t- depending on the ending). Either way, Deathspank fans have beaten the game and know what is going on and if not, they are trying to make The Baconing a stand alone game anyway hence the omission of Deathspank in the title.
MrAssassin47
August 13, 2011 at 2:29 pm PDT

@46 My ass it’s a stand-alone, they would of just not shown Sandy altogether.
xNemesiSx
August 14, 2011 at 12:39 am PDT

Already pre ordered the Baconing today, i love the deathspank games. They are good, fun, lots of hour of gameplay for 15 bucks, worth every penny. The feel kinda sad because i haven’t finish deathspank thongs of virtue due to the Rudolph glitch but i send my save file to hothead games, hope they can solve it (yea i find out a little late they were helping and fixing save files).
rabidninjamonky
August 14, 2011 at 2:17 pm PDT

I also couldn’t finish thongs of virtue because of the reindeer muff glitch. It’s extremely annoying. It’s been over a year, why hasn’t there been a patch for that? If anything Just make it to where you can buy the reindeer muffs in a shop. I played and really loved the game but I feel cheated not being able to finish it. That bug happens in the last 5 minutes of the game. If You would have cared enough to patch it I would have preordered this already.
xKiD_JoKeRx
August 15, 2011 at 2:25 am PDT

i like bacon! :)