Fans of side scrolling action will be pleasantly excited to get their bloody hands on Shank.
Shank is one of those games that you'll love if you're a fan of games like Battletoads and classic side scrollers alike. It's fun, with gorgeous art direction and a rewarding combo system. I find it odd that Gamespot refers to it as mindless button mashing, when that's exactly what it's supposed to be. It's basically God of War, but 2D. Can you get by with just mashing buttons? For sure you can, but can you also refine your actions and really DO what you want your character to do? Yes, you can. I'ts unbelievably satisfying to dodge, melee, jump, shoot grab, grenade and then finish it off with a throw and know that THAT'S exactly what you intended. There are some issues with response in the controls but it is no different than GoW. It has a tendancy to queue your button presses and execute them a moment later. Gamespot sees this as flaw, however it works no differently than the GoW3 with the score of 9.
It's odd that they criticize the game for being shallow, when current games are easily just as shallow. Shank is no more shallow than games like Megaman. In Megaman, you are a robot boy, saving the world from Dr. Wily and his robots. In Modern Warfare, you are soldier saving the world from tyranny. It's all pretty shallow when you think about it. Get from A to B and you are the only one who can do it! Realistically, 95% of games are shallow, but you didnt buy Shank or Modern Warfare for a great story now, did you. No, you bought it to blow people away and have a good time killing enemies. It's as simple as that.
Honestly, I think the wrong person reviewed this title as the reviewer clearly is relating it to recent titles which boast $59 pricetags and 6-10 hour play through times. Shank takes no more than 2-4 hours to complete, but on the menu it clearly states downloadable content, so it's promising to know DLC is on its way.
If you like games like Scott Pilgrim, Megaman, Battletoads - then grab Shank. Does this game deserve a 10? No, it's not perfect. But is it fun with a $15 price tag? Of course it is.