Splatterhouse Review (XBOX 360 Version)

A re-imagining of a classic Sega Genesis franchise, 2010's 'Splatterhouse' is a gory beat-'em up with infused horror elements. The game once again follows the series' main character, Rick (and his mysterious mask,) as he tries to save his girlfriend from the maniacal Dr. West, who has made a pact with the underworld and has summoned all sorts of heinous creatures to stand in your path. What ensues is an action-packed brawler that features more violence than almost any other game I've ever played prior, as the mask transforms Rick into a hulking monster himself.

The game's design brought me in mind of the old beat-'em ups that I used to play a lot on the Nintendo 64 and Playstation. It mainly takes place in a fully 3D environment, where you have to clear rooms of enemies either by using your fists, various weapons, or enemies' dismembered arms of heads. Like in the Devil May Cry series, many times doors will be blocked by spirits that will not let you past until you defeat the various enemies set against you. Although it's a very basic design that doesn't push the envelope in this age of high-definition, open-world gaming, it's still quite fun and pays homage to past years where these games were popular.

Although it's primarily a three-dimensional brawler, developer Namco-Bandai Games did a great service for fans of the old-school Splatterhouse trilogy from years ago. In an attempt to break up the game's style a bit to avoid repetition (and to pay homage to the series' past,) they included the occasional section where Rick will drop into a 2D environment. In these parts, the game's camera becomes fixed from outside of the environment and Rick must walk from left to right (in side-scrolling fashion,) pummeling enemies and avoiding obstacles such as spikes. It feels a lot like the original games and is a nice change of pace. Those parts were one of the most fun aspects of this game in my opinion.

In addition to its eight hour campaign, Splatterhouse not only includes several different challenge rooms, but it also contains unlockable versions of the original three Splatterhouse games (including an uncut version of the original.) These inclusions add a lot of extra gameplay and will keep you hooked for longer than eight hours. The challenge rooms themselves take a while to master because you have to beat each in a certain amount of time in order to earn a gold medal, while ever increasing amounts of different enemies attack you in waves.

The game controls pretty well, for the most part, although there are some issues where it lacks precision. Gameplay relies upon light, heavy and grab attacks, as well as the odd quicktime event (where you have to press a series of buttons to finish off a boss, for example.) Combos, dash moves and upgrades can be purchased through an in-game upgrade menu (where you essentially use the amount of blood that you've spilled to buy things.) Different attacks work well against each type of enemy and, on harder difficulties, the roll button is incredibly useful, especially against larger enemies such as the giant worms that you face sporadically. Despite the lack of precision at times, it's not that hard to pull off the moves that you want, so it doesn't ever become overly frustrating due to poor control. There is a lot of variety in the combat too, so it's fun to try to master different moves.

The mask also gives Rick a myriad of different abilities, including berserk mode. When you've gained enough rage (also earned by spilling a bunch of blood,) you are able to utilize this move to increase Rick's brute strength. There are also abilities where you're able to pull out long blades attached to Rick's arms, in order to decapitate and dismember enemies' body parts. Both of these rage moves allow you to take out large groups of enemies within quick succession and help you earn achievements along the way.

The game's visual style incorporates elements of cel-shading, but also more realistic visual elements. The character models are pretty well-designed and animate relatively well, although some animations aren't that fluid. One thing I liked a lot about the character model of Rick is that, as he gets injured, his body starts to deteriorate (skin falls off the bone, injuries appear, etc.) That was a nice touch.

The environments surrounding the insane action are always varied, detailed and employ the use of some good looking textures. This isn't a game that will make you want to have a top of the line high-definition display, but it doesn't look bad by any means. Then again, some of the visual fidelity in the environments tends to get lost at times due to the insane amount of blood. Each location has its own style and that prevents the game from looking stale or boring after a while. There are some frame rate issues and brief stuttering when you move the camera around the environments, but it doesn't affect the experience much.

Splatterhouse is a very campy game that doesn't take itself seriously and that is very evident in the writing and voice overs. Dr. West is a classic mad scientist character who's evidently insane, but it's the mask that steals the show with a ton of hilarious one-liners. He chimes in every so often. The audio sounds pretty good overall, but the soundtrack audio quality could be a bit better. The game's soundtrack is comprised of different heavy metal songs that play throughout the experience.

If you're a fan of the series, or a fan of this type of game in general, then you will find a fun experience within the confines of this game. However, it is definitely not for everyone due to its over the top graphic gameplay and character designs that may disturb younger players. It's a very traditional game that doesn't push the envelope much at all, but it's a fun romp that brings back nostalgic memories. Plus, you can't go wrong with the inclusion of the three classic Splatterhouse games, which are unlocked as you progress through the game. Collectible lovers will enjoy the fact that there are various (nude/sexual in nature) photographs of Rick's girlfriend spread around the environments for you to find pieces of.

Overall, I enjoyed Splatterhouse. It has some issues, but it was fun to play through and ended up being a good challenge on hard. I'd never played much of the original games in the past, so it was great to be able to play them in order to see why people loved them so much, and why they were cult classics. It's nowhere near a game of the year contender, but it's a decent (and underappreciated) game.

Rating: 6/10

Splatterhouse was released on November 23, 2010 for the XBOX 360, PS3 and PC.

Mafia II Review (XBOX 360 Version)

Developed by 2K Games' Czech Republic studio, Mafia II is a sequel to the hit PC/XBOX game (Mafia) released in 2002. It is a stand-alone story, that follows Vito Scaletta as he comes back to Empire Bay (which is basically a digital re-imagining of New York City,) after fighting for his country in the Second World War. Upon his return, Vito is reunited with his old pal Joe, who helps Vito find work with the mafia. What follows is an intriguing, entertaining and very well-written story about Vito's rise within the mafia organization and major events/issues that arise along the way. The game's storyline takes place over two decades - the 1940s and the 1950s.

Throughout the game's 15 hour campaign, you will meet many interesting characters and will be put in a myriad of different situations, ranging from taking someone out, engaging in a shootout, stealing documents from a hospital or helping a colleague dispose of a body. The game is very story-driven and, because of that, its design is incredibly linear. Because of the great emphasis on keeping you in the midst of Vito's story, the game doesn't really feature any side missions or anything to do in terms of free roaming. I honestly didn't mind that because I was so engaged in the storyline and what was going to happen next, that I just wanted to keep playing the main missions anyways. Personally, I think it was a good design choice because there were no distractions and the story grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until its grand finale. I also liked how the developers added a level where you play as Vito during his time fighting in the Second World War.

Mafia II plays like most of the other open-world crime games, as in Grand Theft Auto. It's very traditional and doesn't push the envelope much, but it's quite fun and doesn't have many issues. Using cover during gunfights is integral to staying alive and the cover mechanics work quite well. The shooting mechanics are also quite good and are easy to get used to (and are superior to the average sandbox game's shooting mechanics.) It also features a robust fist-fighting mechanic, which can be engaged by shoving an opponent. It allows for more realistic fighting, including the ability to evade, block, throw two different types of punches (varying in strength) and counter-attack.

There is also a great emphasis on driving. Although these types of games traditionally involve a lot of travel across their large maps, Mafia II involves more travel than usual. It's something that may turn some people off, but it didn't bother me too much. I liked how the driving physics changed based on the type of weather (for example, roads were slippery during the winter season which was prevalent at the beginning of the game.) The cars primarily handle pretty well, but the driving physics can be a bit floaty at times and it can be hard to turn at fast speeds. However, you're driving cars from the 40s and 50s, so it's understandable.

Visually, the game is quite impressive. Empire Bay is very detailed and feels lifelike. The texture work and attention to detail is impressive, as is the fact that the environments are very destructible. The character models, their expressions and animations are also well-done, and it honestly feels like you're watching a movie at times. Overall, the game runs quite well, but it does have a few frame rate issues (which I noticed primarily while driving, but it wasn't very frequent.) There isn't much in the way of character customization, but you can decide to change Vito's clothes if you'd like (clothes can be bought at stores throughout Empire City.)

The game's dialogue and story are very well-written. The characters are believable, interesting and well-rounded. You really get to like Joe and Vito a lot, even though they have issues. It doesn't hurt that the voice acting is top notch, with strong performances from the entire cast. It honestly feels like a good, interactive mob film (one of my favourite genres.)

What really impressed me about this game was the great attention to detail that 2K Czech put into the game. As I mentioned before, the world looks great and has a lot of detail, but it's not just that. Each decade that the game takes place in feels different and has subtle changes (as well as major changes because the models of cars available change as you progress. More become available once you hit the 1950s.)

In addition, the driving is also more realistic than usual as you will die if you get into a front end collision at a high speed. The cops are very prevalent and will start to chase you (in an attempt to pull you over and fine you a certain amount of money, which you can pay or resist,) if they notice you speeding, driving away from a collision or hurting civilians. They, along with enemies, can also shoot you through the back windshield of your car as you drive, or blow the tires with a well-placed shot. If you're wanted and escape, the cops will keep record of your car and your appearance, so you're forced to change vehicles and/or your clothing to get them off of your back. The cops will also do their best to stop you from escaping if you rob a gun store or a clothing store.

2K Games formed a partnership with Hugh Hefner and his Playboy enterprise for this game. With this partnership, 2K Czech scattered various Playboy Magazines throughout Empire City, for players to find. Each time you find a magazine, you will be able to browse an image of a centerfold from the eras in which the game takes place. Be warned that there is nudity.

Mafia II is not an easy game but it's not frustratingly difficult either. I played it on hard and found it to be a good challenge. You have to rely on your cover during a gunfight because one well-placed shot at a close distance can take you out. In general, it doesn't take a lot of hits to kill Vito. Conversely, you must make sure to be strategic with your shots in order to quickly take out your enemies in an efficient manner.

Overall, Mafia II is a very strong game. In fact, it's one of my favourite releases of the past year. Not only is it fun to play, but it's so immersive and interesting that it hooked me from start to finish and I had a lot of fun playing it. It gets a bit of a bad rep for not having much in the way of side missions but I think it works better without them, because the story never lets up. If you're a fan of open-world sandbox games of this ilk, then it's definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 8/10

Mafia II was released on August 24, 2010. It is available for the XBOX 360, PS3 and PC.

Doritos Crash Course Review (XBOX Live Arcade)

Throughout the last while, Doritos held a competition for independent developers, where they would compete to see who could create the best game(s.) Out of the two winners, one was Crash Course, which they released on XBOX Live Arcade for free in early December. It is not only an incredibly nice gesture and gift, but it's also an excellent marketing idea employed by Doritos (who have done this before with the release of Dash of Destruction a couple of years ago.)

Crash Course is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's a game where you run your personal avatar through insane obstacle courses that are suspended in the air above water. There are three different continents (U.S.A., Europe and Japan,) with five courses each. Each course is full of different obstacles (which keep getting tougher as you progress,) including trampolines, swinging hammers, metal presses and collapsing floor panels. Your objective is to get to the end the fastest way possible, without being hit, flattened or falling into the water. Luckily, there are checkpoints after each section, so it's not overly frustrating and allows you to focus on each section as they come, in order to get better.

The control scheme is very basic. All you really need to do is run (RT,) jump (A) and be able to move, climb and slide (using the left joystick.) It works very well and is quite tight. In the time that I've spent playing the game, I haven't had any issues where the controls made me screw up, which is nice. Normally, controls can be hit or miss in this type of game.

Although its visuals aren't anything to write home about, the game looks decent overall. It has some okay texture work and detailed backgrounds that set each continent's venues apart. For example, there's a background for a USA course that features King Kong attacking a building. The backgrounds are the best visual aspect of the game because most of the courses look alike, apart from different colour schemes based on which area you're in.

As its description suggests, Crash Course is a challenging game. It has a great, subtle learning curve, though. As you progress through the United States courses and onto the other two continents, you will become familiar with the game and will be able to handle the tougher obstacles and courses in general, without feeling like the game ramped up the difficulty far too fast.

Crash Course has full leaderboard support and online multiplayer, although it's very basic. When you play against friends or other online foes, you will only see a cardboard cut-out of their avatar being flown around the course, in conjunction with the speed/efficiency that they are traversing the obstacles. It's funny at first and works quite well, but it's just as fun to compete against your friends' times through the leaderboard than it is in a versus race.

Overall, Doritos Crash Course is a really fun, challenging and hilarious game. It's very simple in design, but they did a good job developing the game and its control scheme. It's a great addition to your XBOX Arcade game collection, especially since it's free. This is a game that you do not want to pass up on downloading because who knows how long it will last (previous free games were deleted after specific periods of time.) Make sure to play it with friends (or challenge friends online,) because that's where the game really shines.

Rating: 7.5/10

Doritos Crash Course was released on December 8, 2010, for the XBOX Live Arcade. It is free to download.

nail'd Review (XBOX 360 Version)

The latest release from developer Techland (known for their Call of Juarez series for the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3,) nail'd is an over-the-top, adrenaline-fuled off-road racing game. Thinking outside the box and trying to differentiate their product from other MX/ATV racing games, Techland decided to create something much more chaotic and unrealistic. The result is an incredibly fast-paced racing game where you must make sure to watch the track ahead of you, or else you'll end up flying off of a cliff or crashing into one of the many different obstacles that litter each track. Their creativity should be applauded, but the game feels like it needed some more time in the shop for fine-tuning.

At its core, nail'd is still structured like a traditional racing game. You win races by being the first one to the bottom of a lengthy course, or by being the first racer to speed around a track three times. Its seven to eight hour long career mode is predominantly filled with these types of races, but it also features stunt events and modifiers (which change the rules of races. For example, modifiers can eliminate crashes between players or make it so your boost gauge is constantly full.) Unfortunately, the stunt event moniker that the game uses is very misleading because the game doesn't technically feature any tricks in the traditional sense of the word. The only way to earn points in this mode is to complete boost feats by doing things such as planting a stable landing with all four wheels, driving insanely fast, or going through flaming hoops and gates. This is the type of game that would benefit greatly from having a real stunt mode, so it's too bad that it is not included on the disc. However, the game also includes a time trial mode, as well as a custom tournament option.

Boost is a vital part of the game and you will need to use it well in order to win because the A.I. racers can be quite challenging at times, utilizing catch-up A.I. to close large gaps quickly. You can fill your boost meter by pulling off the aforementioned boost feats. The flaming hoops and gates (referred to as sniper, fan and expert boost feats,) are spread out across each track and add an extra level of challenge to each event, as some of them can be quite tough to hit. The harder to reach ones (especially the expert gates) can be found in confined areas, so it's very easy to crash and take yourself out of the race for a moment if you miss them. Quick decisions are necessary in order to decide whether it's worth it to go after them or whether it's a better idea to stay your course. Careful maneuvering will help you hit the aerial hoops, as you can press the left joystick up after going over a jump to speed up and fall at a faster rate, or press it down to prolong your time in the air.

One of the best aspects of the game is its unique track designs. Most of the tracks twist and turn all over the place with a lot of creative shortcuts, including being able to drive up the support structure of a large bridge or the ability to jump on top of a crashed airplane to outrun your competition below. It's this creativity that makes nail'd unique. It's four different environments (the Arizona desert, the mountain ranges of the Andes, the great forests of Yosemite Park and the exotic countryside and seaports of Greece,) all offer a few unique and varied tracks. For example, the forest tracks in Yosemite Park are much more confined than the other environments and offer many more obstacles in the form of large rocks, falling boulders, trees and ravines. Conversely, the Greece countryside tracks are much more open and happen to be full of decaying architecture, orchards, sailboats and incredible jumps.

Although the unique track designs are a breath of fresh air for the genre, there are some incumbent issues in relation to the way that the game plays and its relation to the design of some of the tracks. Techland went to great efforts to make sure that players feel a great sense of speed as they fly through the countryside, go over an incredible jump, or soar through a group of hot air balloons (which serve as aerial obstacles in some tracks - especially in the Andes mountain ranges.) However, this great sense of speed is occasionally detrimental to the core gameplay mechanics because the blur effect that the developers employed sometimes makes it difficult to see the twists and turns ahead of you, or even the racers directly ahead of you. In a game like this, it's essential that you're able to see what is coming up ahead of you because the tracks twist and turn so often and sometimes without much warning. You have to be able to know what to expect and must be able to steer accordingly (whether you're doing so in the air or on the ground.) Luckily, there isn't much of a punishment for crashing, which is something you will do a lot of.

Visually, the game looks decent. There is a lot of variety in the visuals and the different tracks, environments and vistas are well-detailed. Each location has its own individual look and colour scheme (for example, the Arizona tracks are primarily red because of the colour of the sand and rocks, whereas the mountain ranges are distinctly white and brown for the most part.) However, the riders' animations are quite stiff and the character models are quite basic. One very positive thing is that the game runs well and doesn't suffer from any major framerate issues, which is a good thing considering the great speed you're driving at and the quick decisions that need to be made each race.

Online multiplayer is available for up to twelve players to compete for online supremacy on each of the tracks. In this mode, players are able to compete in the same types of events that are found within the single player career. However, I found it very difficult to find matches, as the servers were a ghost town.

The soundtrack is worth making a note of as it's one of the game's standout aspects. In addition to big name artists such as Slipknot ('Duality,') Queens of the Stone Age ('3s and 7s,') and Rise Against ('Re-education Through Labor,') the developers went out of their way to assemble a group of well-known metal musicians to compose an original soundtrack. This 'super group' contains members of bands such as The Deftones, Hatebreed, Static-X and DevilDriver. A lot of these songs are instrumentals and, unfortunately, it seems like some of them were recorded at a lower audio quality than others, making them somewhat hard to hear at times. To even hear the soundtrack, you will need to go into the audio options menu to turn down the sound effects audio, because the roar of the engines is a lot louder than the music at default settings.

Overall, nail'd is a game that sounds great on paper, but is hit and miss when it comes to the finished product. The game features some great ideas and interesting elements, but it feels unfinished and lacks polish. As it stands, nail'd can't keep up with the likes of Pure, which was released earlier this generation. If you're a fan of this type of game and the sport it reflects, then this game is worth looking into. It's entertaining, but won't blow you away.

Rating: 5.5/10

nail'd was released on November 30th, 2010 for the XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

About Me

Greetings,

Thanks for stopping by my video game review site/blog.

I started playing video games approximately twenty years ago and have been a gamer since. I grew up playing the Atari 2600 and my cousins' NES, but I didn't own a console until the release of the Super Nintendo. Since then, I've owned most of the major systems and have had a lot of experience playing almost all of them. I currently own every major console, as well as a DSi and PSP. I will be reviewing games for each platform, and within every genre.

My favourite genres include: first-person shooters, sports games and action/adventure games. However, I'm also a big fan of role-playing games.

My career as a reviewer began in 2004, when I started reviewing movies for a horror movie website (www.allhorrormovies.com.) I was one of their main reviewers, reviewing movies for independent studios as well as Lion's Gate Films. I've been wanting to review games since then and have decided to begin that, as it is my favourite hobby and main interest/passion.

My goal with this site/blog is to review the games I play with 100% honesty, integrity and to be as detailed as possible.

Keep checking back as I will be updating this blog/site with reviews regularly. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think. I'm always interested in a good discussion about my favourite hobby and past-time.

Happy gaming.

- Chad