Clive Barker's Undying

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000056KDW
• Item Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: February 21, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,810 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC

Amazon.com Review

After making a name for himself with horror classics such as The Damnation Game novel, The Books of Blood short-story collection, and the feature films Hellraiser and Candyman, Clive Barker has slowly moved away from the horror genre toward more fantasy-centric work. Barker hasn't completely forgotten about his first love, however, and Clive Barker's Undying, a first-person action game from Electronic Arts and DreamWorks Interactive, beautifully captures the type of horrors that populated Barker's earliest works. And not only is this game genuinely frightening, it's also a lot of fun to play.

Cast against the backdrop of Ireland in the year 1923, Undying follows Patrick Galloway, an investigator of the paranormal. Galloway has been summoned to Ireland by his old war buddy Jeremiah Covenant to put an end to the strange occurrences at the Covenant family estate. What Galloway finds is a house of horrors that is populated with Jeremiah's dead siblings (and other ghastly creatures), all of whom want to snuff out Jeremiah so they can complete a spell cast when they were children.

Graphically, Undying is first rate. The Unreal Tournament graphics engine has been used to great effect and the result is amazing character models and environments. The haunted mansion is suitably dark, with wispy draperies and macabre paintings. The estate's grounds are a mix of lush Irish countryside and crumbling ruins, all set against vivid skies.

Pretty pictures aside, the most impressive thing about Undying is its atmosphere--this game is flat-out scary. Every element of the game, be it the gothic architecture, eerie story, great weather effects including rain and lightning, or amazing sound effects, perfectly complement each other. The result is a gameplay experience that rivals the Resident Evil series in terms of generating sheer terror in the player.

The great atmosphere isn't Undying's only innovation--it also features a very cool two-handed attack system. Most action games saddle the player with an attack system where one hand controls all the weapons and the other hand does nothing. In Undying, the left hand (and left mouse button) controls the standard weapons, such as the pistol and shotgun, while the right hand (and right mouse button) casts spells. This is a great gameplay device and ensures the action stays at a frantic pace.

Of all the spells in the game, the coolest is the Scrye spell. When cast, it lets the player see and hear past events--some of which are quite horrific--and occasionally it shows you how to progress beyond a certain level. This help can come in the form of highlighting certain objects or unveiling a portal, but whatever the method it is a very well-designed gameplay element.

The only real complaints with Undying involve the long loading times between levels and the system requirements, but even those aren't enough to derail this excellent--and terrifying--action game. --Kilmic Robbins

Pros:

• Very, very creepy
• Amazing sound effects
• Excellent graphics
• Slick controls

Cons:

• Long loading times
• Story is a little convoluted

Product Description

What does not kill you will make you wish ithad.  Product InformationIn his writing and films Clive Barker has inspired fascinated and utterlyterrified his audience. Bringing his unique talent and vision to PC gamingClive Barker’s Undying is a first person shooter that delivers an unparalleledtale of horror. Summoned by an old friend you are Patrick Galloway master ofthe occult armed with the dark knowledge of arcane magic and a six-shot weaponof forged metal grace. You must unravel the curse of the Covenant family...ordie trying.Set in Ireland of the 1920’s players take on the role of Patrick Gallowaywho has been summoned to an ancestral estate by its lone descendent Jeremiah.Death has claimed his four siblings each who have reanimated intent on slayingtheir living brother the last of the family so as to free the Curse of theUndying King.In order to save his friend and unravel the curse that has befallenJeremiah’s family Patrick must embark on five perilous quests before he canunearth the final horror of the estate.Each quest brings Patrick face-to-face with one of Jeremiah’s undeadsiblings and the strange and wicked creatures the curse has attracted. Inaddition Patrick must triumph over his reviled competitor Kiesinger. If thereis power to be had by unearthing the mystery of the estate then Kiesinger willtry and steal it - and there is much power to be had. It’s up to Patrick todefeat each of Jeremiah’s siblings and vanquish Kiesinger in order to quellthe Undying King.Their Family Secrets Will Scar You For Life.Characters:LizbethWith striking beauty and regal elegance the youngest of the Covenantsiblings never had trouble stunning the multitudes. Whether seated in her box atthe Opera or perched on a park bench reading poetry young Lizbeth invariablydrew an array of suitors. How deep is the lament then when such a rose issnipped before reaching full bloom?BethanyAn avid horti

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Action and Terror from the first person view-point!, June 6, 2001

By 

Michael Pappalardo (Ronkonkoma, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clive Barker's Undying (CD-ROM)

I have played many, many FPS games. Doom. Doom 2. Quake. Duke Nukem. Half Life. Aliens vs. Predator just to name a few. And none of them, not even Half-Life or AvP could have prepared anyone for this.

This game is terrifying beyond all belief. Not since Silent Hill has there been a game so utterly nerve wracking. I have played games that were designed to scare you, but this, from the mind of horror master Clive Barker, will have you trembling in your seat. Unexpected occurences, such as monsters bursting through walls, the ground suddenly falling out from under you, terrible shrieks that sound like they came from right behind you....you walk into a dark room and see nothing. The door slams shut, you turn around......the beast standing there will take your head off if you aren't fast enough!

Crisp, beautiful graphics that look great even on older video cards (such as Voodoo 3), and incredible sound effects make this game what it is. Very cool weapons, such as the Tibetan War Cannon which shoots a blast of ice at your enemies, and amazing looking spells, such as the ectoplasm, which fires bolts of pure energy at your enemies are just some of the weapons you will use. There is 'duel-weilding', where you hold your weapon in your right hand, and your left hand is free for spell casting. Spell power can be upgraded through 'Mana Wells' found throughout the game. Helpful items such as 'Ether Traps' can keep monsters at bay while you try to find your way out!

The story is rather good, but there are many events in the game that will get you sidetracked while you are trying to perform a task asked of you by one of the NPC's, and then all of a sudden you find yourself being led one way by something else when you are trying to go the other way.

There are some other annoying aspects, such as being unable to backtrack, so if you miss something, thats it, you've missed it. Doors will often shut behind you, and will be unable to be opened again. There are also many doors throughout the game that cannot be accessed until much later in the game, where you will find yourself scrambling around the many beautifully detailed areas in the game, trying to find them again. There are quite a few monster types in the game. However, at some parts, these monsters respawn at an overwhelming rate, and some of these creatures are VERY difficult to kill because of their unique skills.

The inventory system and weapon selection systems were rather annoying as well, with the '1' and '2' keys cycling forward and back through weapons respectively, and '3' and '4' to cycle through spells. There is a button that allows you to access a 'weapon wheel' where all weapon icons are displayed on screen, allowing you to pick which one you want. However, if you have to quickly switch weapons in a tense situation, both methods are rather difficult to pull off.

Despite those gripes, the game itself is very good. The monsters are scary, the ability to cast a spell that shows you things that are not normally there, such as ghosts and alterations in the scenery, which will help you understand the story, or just plain terrify you, add to the atmosphere and mood of the game. If you are a fan of horror and FPS games, this one is for you! Not for the weak of heart! Difficult controls, but all in all a good game!

Single Player First Person Shooter

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Undying is easily the early leader for Game of the Year, February 24, 2001

By 

Christian Purst - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clive Barker's Undying (CD-ROM)

Undying has more to offer than any game in recent memory and is an absolute blast to play. I agree with what some game reviews have already said, calling it the scariest game ever made (Seeing how Clive Barker was involved, it's not too surprising!).

Graphics: Beautifully detailed and textured environments. Awesome creatures with uncanny realism. Cool special effects and plenty of blood!

Sound: Enemy and ambient sounds are among the best I've heard. The voiceover is tight, most notably being Aaron (the ghostly brother). I read that Clive Barker himself is the voice of Ambrose (one the main characters in the game) and he too, does an admirable job.

Gameplay: Most your basic FPS elements with an interesting twist on accessing your weapons & spells. The wheel-based selection system takes some getting used to, but is quite effective during battle (the game also allows you to use a more conventional system of hot keys if you prefer). Fighting creatures in Undying stands apart from the crowd when the player (you) gets hit. Blood splatters on the screen and your view is knocked in the direction from where the impact came. Very Cool! Most puzzles are rather easy except for a handful that will have you scratching your head and feeling silly once you figure it out.

Presentation: The game comes with the normal PC stuff (jewel case and manual = sigh). However, Undying does come with a big diary full of back story on the family and is extremely well written.

Pros: Just read anything I or nearly all the game reviewers are saying. Hands down the early pick for game of the year.

Cons: A little short for my liking, but that's a PC game issue in general. You'll get longer play with some console games, but few as fun as Undying.

You definitely won't be sorry if you get this game. Maybe scared.... But not sorry.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 and 1/2 Stars. This game is really Good & Spooky, March 2, 2001

By 

H. A Huffman "haumf" (Mt. Prospect, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clive Barker's Undying (CD-ROM)

First of all, I am biased. I love most of Clive Barker's work and I liked the movies based on his writings. But that doesn't mean I gave him a free pass while evaluating this game. Also, I never purchased Unreal Tournament (just didn't like the whole concept).

After playing the game for about two hours, I am completely lost in the big Irish mansion (well, actually, I just opened the wrong door and I am now lost in some lower dimension), running low on health and have "died" about 4 times already but I like this game. The game's engine is wonderful: The lighting effects, textures and character movement are great. The plot is also wonderful; it's the main reason why I don't get that sense of futility that comes with playing mediocre games.

This game does have the familiar "find the key" type puzzle but it does not have the standard "run - jump - shoot" action of most FPS games. Undying is more like a "walk - investigate - what happened to the lights? - duck! - that's not my reflection in the mirror! - NOW run" type of game. This game adds many Barkerish touches (the long gloomy hallway with the white curtains wafting gently across it - pure genius.) that add to Undying's quality.

Aside from the care taken by Undying's creators to provide the right atmosphere, the user interface is very easy to understand and configure. The dual weapon/spell control is a little daunting at first, but I am getting used to it.

One reviewer compared this game to "Resident Evil". That game is a mess that bored me to tears. Undying is a really engrossing, spooky adventure. Electronic Arts and Mr. Barker have created a superior gaming product that is well worth Amazon's price and my prediction is that it will be popular for many years.

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