Customer Reviews

Splatterhouse

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off this game is in absolutely ZERO ways for children... blood, gore, violence, language and nudity. Seriously the opening movie is detailed in a way I've never seen in a videogame. Main character wakes up in pool of his own blood, tries to get up and his guts spill all over the floor, not a gush pf blood... his guts. Instead of finding little trinkets or packages hidden around you find pieces of nude pictures of the main character's girlfriend that get pieced together in the "collectibles" section of the menu.

I'm writing this game as a fan (not die hard) of the Splatterhouse franchise since I grew up with it. I was going to wait off until this game came down in price but I found out that it would have the original 3 splatterhouse games unlockable and that warranted a release day purchase for myself. Basically the game plays about as expected... take a classic side scroller beat 'em up and convert it into a 3rd person 3D brawler without changing the overall plot very much (guy searches haunted mansion full of beasts and other vicious looking monster type enemies to save girl). Appeal to the mature audiences by cranking up the gore and blood to cover the floor and walls (and screen), then just for good measure make the collectible items in the game torn up nude pictures of the large breasted blonde female character love interest of the game scattered about the levels.

Overall story is written by comic writer Gordon Rennie (Judge Dredd) and has a all metal soundtrack: Lamb of God, Mastadon, Five Finger Death Punch, and more.

Splatterhouse is what you'd expect... pretty much a summer horror action flick in the form of a game. It's not an artsy game in the slightest and appeals to everything that people try to deny liking. At worst it's a monument to the lack of creativity in the game market & at it's best it's a guilty pleasure for nostalgic gamers. But hey, I like it so far ;)

I have been following this game since Bottle Rocket was still tinkering with it, and I have to say, I think the wait was worth it.

Controls: 3.5/5, my two biggest problems are a problematic camera and I cannot seem to just block without rolling around. I am a twitch individual though, so the latter of these issues can probably be forgiven.
Story: 4.5/5, it's a B-movie turned into a video game. Mindless gore, violence, and nudity everywhere, and they never take themselves that seriously. It's wonderful.
Graphics: 4/5, I have seen better graphics, but they never promised to break the mold. I like the damage effects as you lose health though.
Sound: 4/5, a pleasant mix of death metal and orchestral music do a good job at setting the pace for brawling, boss battling, and platforming, as needed.

Pros
+ Hyperviolent, not enough games revel in this like they should. It's almost impossible to take seriously, except there is a lot of pretty graphic violence. I'd be impressed if you couldn't tell that from the box though.
+ Great voice acting from Jim Cummings as the Terror Mask. You may know him better ask Darkwing Duck. YES.
+ Original three Splatterhouse games can be unlocked. I think very few people will be buying this without having played the originals, so this is a huge plus for them.

Cons
- Long loading times when you die.
- Quick time events that restart boss battles if failed. I don't know if all bosses have this, but the first one did and it was supremely irksome.
- Aforementioned control issues, but I may get better at the game.

Final thoughts
I am enjoying this game thoroughly. There is a point in the first level where you get your arm ripped off, and proceed to beat enemies to death with it. That pretty much sets the pace for the game. That being said, I will not be turning to this game for deep, introspective musings about the state of the world. Unless that state involves monsters.

Overall, 4/5.

I think this game is great. Offers up a lot of Gore. Old Splatterhouse games are able to be unlocked. Downloadable content is also available on Xbox Live. New masks and a few arenas are available for purchase. As far as gameplay, there is a ton of button mashing going on here. Some RPG elements with upgradeable moves and combos. Some minor platforming in the form of side scrolling. The camera tends to get wonky at times and can add some frustration to the gameplay. Loading screens can be very annoying especially if you die a few times in the platforming levels. Overall the game is fun if you can find it for a good price, I wouldn't dump $60 on it.

I have been keeping my eye on this game basically every since it was announced. However it did not really get much press coverage and little hype (short of a few random trailers here and there). The day it was released it had alot of marketing on the major gaming sites. But no reviews? A few days later still no reviews? That will generally concern most hardcore gamers. Since I and a friend were really anticipating the game we just bought it and went for it. Started playing 6pm and beat the game at 2am (on Hard mode). The game was great fun and the combat is much better than I initially thought! There is a lot of replayability here and you unlock the 3 original versions of the game throughout the main playthru.

There is certainly nothing Hollywood has to be worried about with regard to the story, and to be honest my friend and I checked out about an hour in because it was just total nonsense and hard to follow (not for complexities but just silliness). However, thats not a problem. The ONLY reason people should play this game is for the gameplay itself and the gore!! Yes the game is EXTREMELY bloody - to the point that it splatters on your screen alot and sometimes almost completely covers the screen. There are "finishing" moves for all enemies that will generate a short quicktime even and usually winds up in the enemies arms/head/toros being ripped off and gallons of blood flowing! It never gets old and even towards the end of the game you might still miss one as you werent quick enough for the QTEs.

Graphically the game is fine, nothing spectacular. There are a few areas throughout the game that switch to a sidescrolling 2d feel very similar to the original games (and paying homage I'm sure). These sections make for a nice change of pace/dynamic to the game and keep it interesting (although some of the platforming elements of these sections can be somewhat lame and the enemies are generally much weaker in this mode taking only 1 hit to kill).

Also, it could have been a factor that we had been playing 8 hours straight and loosing steam, but the game seemed to fall apart somewhat towards the end. The areas started to get weirder and weirder, and the game itself started falling into the habit of using the same old gaming cliches.

After beating the game on Hard you unlock Brutal mode and all of your character stats remain when you play again on the newer/harder mode. These stats include special moves, combos, health, rage meter, weapon stats, etc. As far as difficulty goes, we started the game on Hard and it was fun without being too challenging. There were a few parts that really got us stuck and were hard but to the point of cheap. A perfect example is a section where you are on a thin bridge/platform that slowing has chunks fall away while making you get closer and closer to a stack of 6 "bosses" (from previous chapters) that are made invincible by another creature that protects them. The problem is that you run out of room to do any form of combat - the creature making them invincible is hard to hit because she morphs away constantly, and you eventually run out of room. Our only chance at getting past was to finagle the enemies into falling off the edge and finally lucked our way through. It was frustrating and a little cheap, but maybe that was the point - but i digress.

I hardly EVER post reviews for any products, so take it as a rarity that i posted one for this game. Also consider that my friend bought the game, we played it together and beat it in 1 night, but now 2 days later I'm ordering my own copy because I want to keep playing it.

A title that seemed one of the big dogs at E3 when it was announced but then flew right under the market. I completely forgot about this game until I heard about it being on sale and picked it up for a modest $8. For $60 bucks, I could see myself being a little disappointed, but for $40 and below its one hell of a bargain.

The storyline is involving, and really draws you in. As you learn more about the estate and the people involved, you begin to see cut scenes from your past that slowly piece together why exactly you are in the situation you are in. Lots of collectibles and unlockables, so it gives you reason to replay the campaign. In addition to these, as you slaughter countless enemies, you rack up BLOOD points which you use to learn new skills and enhance your abilities. If a portion of the story is giving you an increasingly hard time (and trust me, there are sections that are extremely difficult) you can always grind a couple levels before and rank up your skill so the harder portion is easier to beat. (Have yet to do this myself but I know the option is available.)

What shocked me most is how well the story is told. In addition to the survival horror elements the gameplay provides, the eerie atmosphere perpetuated by the environment keeps you on your toes, while the narration of the Terror Mask relaxes with you with temporary comedic relief. Its an experience in itself how the game constantly sways your mood through the proper use of comedy, horror, and drama that the story seamlessly blends.

If you are looking for a complex and intricate experience, you are looking at the wrong title. If you want a couple months of fun and some good laughs, don't hesitate to pick this up, for the price its at now, its unbeatable.

Did I mention you can also unlock the previous 3 splatterhouse games? Yeah, they're there too.

Let me just preface this review by stating something that anyone interested in Splatterhouse should already know: this game is *NOT* for kids. Not even slightly. In fact, it is likely not for many people, though the reasons why will vary.

"Who *is* this game for," you ask? Well, fans of the original Splatterhouse games for one; fans of over-the-top, sensationalized violence for another; fans of straightforward beat 'em ups in the vein of God of War; and anyone with an affinity for the themes and styles of certain print and video media, including The Evil Dead, Dead Alive (among many others), and the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft. Splatterhouse delivers outstanding fan service on all these points.

For the sake of review length I won't go too much into some of the technical issues with Splatterhouse that other reviews have oft highlighted. Yes, the handful of side-scrolling segments can be frustrating and the insta-deaths here will feel unfair. Yes, the gameplay may become a little repetitive, though it never stayed this way long due primarily to the wide array of means by which enemies can be dispatched.

For me, the production values (great CGI cutscenes throughout), voice acting (top-notch thanks to Jim Cummings' demented turn as The Mask), and attention to the themes and inspirations of the original games allowed me to *easily* overlook any perceived technical shortcomings.

Splatterhouse is a must-buy for a certain segment of gamers out there ... and I think you know who you are.

When i heard a while back that namco had remade splatterhouse for the 360 i knew i had to have it! I was always a big fan of part 2 and especially part 3 on the genesis years ago, and i couldnt believe how low key they kept this great remake. Its bloody gory violent adult beat em up fun fest! Loved how some of the levels reverted to its 2d roots out of no where, really added nostalgia that only a older gamer who played the first versions wouldve recognized. The naked picture fragments of his girl were an awesome addition, as well as the fact that the three original titles were unlockable to play thro the story mode, that was especially awesome to me since i never owned a sega master system and never had the joy of playing the original installment of this series. I reccomend this game strongly to any fan of the original series, and to any fan of bloodsport beat em up games, its very exiting challenging and interesting. Great job Namco!

This is an example of a great game being absolutely destroyed by critics because of small problems. I absolutely love this game but I'm not going to lie about the fact that the splatter kills WILL get repetitive, some of the one liners are repeated too much, there are glitches in the game, and the enemies are pretty much all just palete swaps of each other as if this was the early 90's in the arcades. But the story is fantastic, the gameplay is satisfying as all hell, the voice acting is amazing, and it has quite a bit of replay value. Don't believe the loud mouths bringing this game down. It's a good game if you don't mind small problems

its a fun game if you remember the sega years ... which you get the old version, when you beat some of the levels..

Hot Damn! This game certainly is not for kids! It is an awesome game, but sometimes the gore gets on " your eyes " for an awesome
effect. Also, it is a nice addition to my turbographix 16 if anyone remembers that one.