OverBlood

by Electronic Arts

Product Details

• ASIN: B00002STJP
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches ; 2.4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,964 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Riverhillsoft had an ambitious concept for its new PlayStation title, Overblood: incorporate elements of an arcade-style action title, a fighting game, an old-fashioned text adventure, and a puzzle game, then wrap them all around a graphic adventure title with a fairly interesting plot. The result? A game that excels in none of these areas and leaves the impression of a good idea spread far too thinly.

Overblood starts off innocuously enough. You awaken from a deep cryogenic freeze without either the memory of your identity or a functional computer console. After foraging for essentials, you meet up with a small hyperactive robot, dubbed Pipo, whom you can change perspectives with and control to perform various tasks. You soon piece enough together to realize you must learn your identity (beyond just the name "Raz Karcy"), find a cure for the fungal disease you've been infected with, and escape the facilities. At this early stage, the game comes off like a 32-bit take on an old Infocom text adventure reminiscent of the 70s sci-fi flick, Silent Running. Later on, the game takes on more and more of a Resident Evil feel - except with easier puzzles and fights, a save-as-you-go save function, and better voice work. However, the occasional arcade-style action bits are more like the interactive parts of titles like Dragon's Lair and Rebel Assault. They entail moving at just the right moment and are more timing than skill-based.

You can toggle among three camera perspectives - first-person, near above, and a far behind view much like Resident Evil, each of which is required at some point. Unfortunately, the control itself is really pretty sloppy. The collision on many of the objects in the world causes you to stick to them, and the fighting elements used later on in the game are an extreme exercise in frustration. (In fact, the final ten minutes of Overblood will likely cause you to scream out loud several times.)

Ultimately, it's an interesting game with a lot of promise, although it feels sloppy and half-finished. Overblood should keep your interest right up until the end, but only just. That's really a shame, because with a little more development on the gameplay and control, it could have been pretty damn good. --Joe Fielder
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

A 3D SCI-FI ADVENTURE

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Screw Ya'll I Like This Game, October 6, 2005

By 

Myrrick F. Robinson "PumpkinFan4Life" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: OverBlood (Video Game)

It has bad graphics, but a good story. it's funny with bad excuses for horror scenes. but i'll warn you, prepare yourself for the scream when you fall to your death. Classic!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, January 19, 2010

By 

Raz Karcy ""PEEEPOOO NOOO!"" (Floor B-4) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: OverBlood (Video Game)

Overblood is a sci-fi adventure with a taste of horror. The scares aren't laid on thick. Instead the horror in the game comes mostly from an eerie mood that being alone in a large, abandoned facility creates. There's not the kind of tension you find in Clock Tower or Hellnight, where there's something constantly stalking you. So the mood depends mostly on the story, and the game really has a great story. It's not long, but I can appreciate that. The puzzles in the game are pretty good too. Of course, the graphics are not great by today's standards, but if you're looking for a solid game that may have slipped under your radar back when the PSone was in its heydey, you should definitely give Overblood a chance. I played this game for the first time about two years ago when I was on a search like that, and I still thought it was great. It truly deserves to be played.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun game that keeps you guessing, but nothing past that, May 27, 2008

By 

Johnathan Doler - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: OverBlood (Video Game)

Don't be fooled by any past claims about this game falling under the title of Survival Horror or being horrific in anyway; despite its name, there is very little horrific about OverBlood. However, just because it doesn't live up to false claims, doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, it's actually quite a good Adventure game and it has some fun moments. It does have a double-edged blade however and while the adventuring and narrative are sharp, at times they're a little too sharp.

For one, you have to use almost everything within your humanly power to avoid dying as every event, enemy and puzzle means your life. The only problem is if you don't know what to do, what items you need or where to go when the crap hits the fan, then you will end up making a quick acquaintance with the Grim Reaper in this game.

One aspect about the game that bugged me was the simple fact that your main nemesis in the game are natural disasters that happen almost randomly. I guess natural disasters isn't the right word as you are accosted by deadly sewer water at one point, but the sheer, unbridled randomness of such encounters gets exasperating after awhile, especially when you have to escape from a crumbling cave on a jet ski (something that Resident Evil 4 unknowingly ripped off and made more infuriating and unnecessary).

The enemies you do encounter in the game are few and far between which breaks up the adventure aspects so you can punch or shoot your way to victory, but there's really no atmosphere or consistency with it and considering it's the only moment in which you have a life bar, it makes the instant death 'you vs. mother nature' aspect unfair in comparison. Plus, finding items in the game is a bit of a secret because most of the pistol clips are actually invisible and are found entirely by just random searching.

The sound effects are pretty generic and otherwise passable. If anything, the monsters you fight make this hilariously stupid mutant cat noise that will make you reach for the mute button after hearing it a second time. The soundtrack is a little mediocre as it's noticeable but not memorable. Sure there was one song early in the game involving long feminine chants that was nice, but nothing else worth writing home about.

The game play is pretty good as controls are responsive and you can usually tell where you need to go most of the time. The graphics aren't half bad either, but like most 3D games it tends to have a silly feel to it, such as when your robot pal Pipo decides to jump up randomly and his robotic body literally squishes itself in order to jump. Also, every time Raz or Mily runs they look like wooden puppets getting their strings being violently pulled on.

The story has its predictable moments, but like the game play/sudden puzzle solving elements, it keeps you guessing while telling you just enough for you to know. What really knocked me off my feet about this game though was the voice acting as it's REALLY good. The only down part is that Raz sounds a little bored sometimes (I understood it when he first woke up, but the entire time?), but that's the only nitpick I can find.

So overall, the game is good. Not fantastic or a magnificent achievement, but enjoyable.