Shank received mixed reviews from critics, but generally positive reception overall. The PlayStation 3 version holds a score of 75.86% at GameRankings, while the PC version holds a score of 76.33% and the Xbox 360 version a 75.11%. In its first week over 9,200 units were sold on Xbox Live Arcade, and in August 2010 alone sold 41,000 units on the same system. It remained in the top 20 Xbox Live Arcade games for the month of September 2010. Critics generally praised the art style of both the gameplay and cutscenes, however some critics felt the game had uneven level design and repetitive gameplay.
Gameplay
Shank is a side scrolling beat 'em up with a comic book art style. In the game the player controls Shank, an ex-mob hitman. The game features three main types of weaponry: a pair of knives, heavy melee weapons (the starting one is a chainsaw) and firearms (the starting one is a pair of pistols). Each weapon is assigned to a controller button, and the attacks can be combined to perform various combos. The player can collect temporary-use weaponry from fallen enemies, such as machine guns and rifles, as well as grenades.
Shank has other attacks such as multiple grapple attacks, throw enemies, and is able to perform a pounce maneuver, in which he jumps in the air and lands on a nearby enemy. Some acrobatic abilities can also be performed, such as swinging from lampposts or other tall structures, and running along the front of things such as billboards. On screen enemies each have a health bar that displays on the player's heads up display, akin to Final Fight.
Shank features a cooperative campaign designed to be played locally, which is a prequel to the single-player campaign.The multiplayer allows players to play as Shank and his partner-in-crime Falcone. In this mode players are often required to work as a team to accomplish objectives, such as defeating level bosses. Players can combine moves for special attacks with the characters perform together. Also available is the ability to revive a fallen teammate should they die in combat.
Synopsis
The story of Shank is told in two parts, single player campaign, and a cooperative campaign, which serves as a prelude to the former. It follows the character Shank from his time as a hitman in the mob through his revenge on the same mob for the murder of his girlfriend.
Cooperative campaign
The cooperative campaign begins with Shank and fellow hitman Falcone as they head to Cassandra's strip club, which has been overrun by a biker gang. As they arrive she is kidnapped by the biker leaders. Shank and Falcone chase them to a back alley and kill one, leaving the other for Cassandra. The pair then head to a wrestling match that their mob boss Cesar had rigged. The Butcher was supposed to lose the fight, but the wrestler instead decides to defeat his opponent. Shank and Falcone are ordered to teach The Butcher a lesson.
Later, Cesar phones the two hitmen and asks them to go and oppose a priest and the members of his congregation. After killing a number of SWAT members they succeed in kidnapping the priest, taking him to Cesar and his cousin Angelo. After giving him a life lesson, Angelo takes out his magnum and shoots the priest in the face, much to Shank's disapproval; he then dons the dead priest's garments and takes his place in order to make the murder go undetected. Afterward, Falcone calls Shank about an important hit: the deputy mayor is in town and he must be eliminated. By taking him out, the mob will be able to gain control.Shank and Falcone kill the deputy's final bodyguard, and are about to take the deputy out when Eva is taken hostage. Suddenly Shank is full of doubt, and is not able to pull the trigger. Rudy, Cesar's personal assistant, kills the deputy mayor, threatening to kill Eva since she's deemed as a nuisance. Shank quickly dives in front of her and kills him. Realizing they must flee, Eva and Shank drive off into the sunset. The player then hears the voice of Cesar who tells his assassins to find and kill them.
Single-player campaign
The single player campaign begins as Shank walks into a bar looking for vengeance for Eva, his murdered girlfriend. He asks the bartender where he can find a wrestler named The Butcher. He pulls down a poster of a fight that mentions The Butcher's next fight. As he leaves the bartender reports to Cesar, Shank's ex-mob boss, about Shank's return. As Shank makes his way to the wrestling arena, the player learns through flashbacks that The Butcher had kidnapped Eva. Shank arrives at the arena and confronts The Butcher, killing him. He soon realizes that he killed an impersonator, as the dead fighter doesn't have the same tattoo as The Butcher. He discovers that The Butcher is in another town and travels there.
After a violent train ride Shank arrives at a meat factory, The Butcher's hideout. The Butcher reveals that he killed Eva. He taunts Shank, stating that he enjoyed every second of it. Shank and The Butcher fight, with Shank finally choking him with a chain. He then makes his way to Club Stardust, a strip club owned by Cassandra. Shank meets with Cassandra at which point a flashback shows that as Cassandra was about to kill Eva with her katana, Shank stopped her, slicing the right of her face and leaving a large scar. He kills Cassandra and escapes the club. In a nearby bar he encounters a man from the Venom gang named Mello who has information. The player learns through another flashback that Shank used to be part of a mob ruled by a man named Cesar. Shank was Cesar's best hitman. He'd asked Shank to kill Eva as a test of loyalty, but when he refused Cesar ordered his top men to track down and kill them both.
He follows an ex-friend from his former mobster life to track down "Father" Angelo. He soon catches up with his prey, severs his left arm and tells him to tell Angelo that he's coming. Shank follows the trail of blood left by the mobster which leads to a church. At the church Shank has another flashback, which shows that Angelo lit Shank's house on fire, ensuring Eva could not be saved. As Shank fights through the church, Angelo attacks him with a rocket launcher. Shank battles him, gaining the upper hand, but Angelo fires a rocket causing a church bell to fall on Shank, knocking him unconscious. He wakes up strapped to an electric chair, face to face with Cesar. After Cesar leaves Shank frees himself, then ties Angelo to the chair and electrocutes him.
Shank pursues Cesar to his villa, where the final showdown begins. As they fight, more of his past is revealed. Shank would have obeyed the order to kill Eva, but upon arriving Eva revealed that she was carrying his child. Shank explains that Cesar had always taught him the importance of family and so he didn't kill her. Cesar replies that if he had known this things could have gone differently. As the fight nears its end, Shank is stabbed and shot multiple times in the chest. Despite this, he still manages to kill Cesar. The game ends as Shank walks towards the sunset, his revenge fulfilled.
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