Topic: Splatterhouse

[Quemaqua]

GiantBomb has a Quick Look

It isn't really much of a look.  You get the basic idea, but the game is more fun to play than it is to watch (oddly enough), and it got quite a bit better not long after they stopped.  I watched that after Sy linked it in IRC, decided I wanted to kill some stuff, picked it up... and was really surprised to find more of a game there than I thought I would.

It's super gory, and generally horrific, but it's also really funny and goofy, paying homage to some classic horror movie stuff too.  What surprised me most is it's heavily Lovecraftian, which was sort of a pleasant revelation.  The story actually seems like it could potentially be interesting, too.  There are some cliches, but they toss you right in with no explanation and sort of reveal what's going on through context and some flashbacks.

So... I think this really is the bloodiest, most violent game I've ever seen.  I can't think of anything that approaches this.  Maybe Madworld, but I never did get to try that one, so that's just a guess.  I think it's because of the over-the-top-gore and the licensed metal soundtrack and nudity (yes, you collect pieces of nude photographs of your girlfriend) that the fact that there's a real game underneath it surprises me.  I haven't played more than a couple of hours so far, but it's a decent brawler, there's been a good boss fight, and lots of moments where I've dropped my jaw a little or laughed out loud at the craziness.  And as you collect blood, you can buy upgrades for health, to get new moves or power up old ones... all that sort of thing that's become somewhat standard since God of War.

Anyone ever play the originals?  I never really did... maybe once at a friend's house, but I don't remember much.  Anyway, a nice little feature is you can play all 3 here in this one, too.  Cool!

So to summarize: ridiculous violence, heavy metal, naked ladies, potentially interesting story, lots of Lovecraft references, all wrapped up in a decent brawler that seems to be getting better as it goes along.







Yeah... it's like W7RE: The Game.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Fuck yes, this looks awesome.  I've had my eye on it for some time.  I might just need to pick it up now myself.  I played the first two games a lot when I was younger, mainly the second one though since that was on Genesis and I only played the first one at a nearby arcade.

[Quemaqua]

Oh oh, and I completely forgot to mention that you get to hit dudes with 2x4s and lead pipes that swing like baseball bats, and they'll splat against the walls like a cartoon and it's the most satisfying thing ever.

EDIT - Also, should mention that it does have some fun little side-scroller bits which are amusing, but the last one I did was a bit wonky the game's really long load times started to become an annoyance.  It seems a lot worse on 360 from that Quick Look, though.  On my PS3 it's not even half as bad (and the game didn't install anything... not sure if that's an option or not).

I also noticed something weird when I looked the game up on GSpot for screens.  Apparently it came out on PC in Japan in 2003?  That doesn't seem at all right.  Maybe their entry is fucked up?  I know the game has been in the works for ages now, but still.

EDIT x2 - So I played the crap out of this.  I don't know when I started.  9 maybe?  It's now 2.  And apparently the game is pretty beefy, as it says I'm only 27% done with the story mode.  This game is really impressing me.  It's not perfect, and a little wonky in spots, but I honestly haven't had this much fun with a game in some time.  I fiddled for a minute with the old one and it's great how much stuff they carried over.  Pretty funny.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I picked this up today and played through the first two chapters and this game is fucking awesome.  I'm digging all of the Lovecraft stuff they've put in the game so far.  Cutting dudes up with that huge cleaver is fucking satisfying as well.

[Quemaqua]

I'm thinking it includes the next difficulty level in the completion of story mode, so I'm guessing I'm a little over halfway through the game.  That would make sense matching up how many chapters there are (I'm guessing there's one Jen photo to collect per chapter).

Looking forward to getting back to this tonight.  Had just too much fun last night.  I think I got to chapter 5.

[W7RE]

I was trying to keep an eye on this game but it somehow snuck up on me. I didn't even know it was out already. Watching the quick look now.

[W7RE]

I downloaded the quick look last night and just now got around to watching it. HOLY SHIT this game looks fun! I need it! I love all the blood, and the mask pushing you to keep killing for more. That part sort of reminds me of Manhunt, where the sick guy making the snuff films of your kills would whisper in your earpiece for you to kill people.

Also, the need for blood and the chatter about it from the guys on the quick look made me wonder what a Warhammer action game starring a servant of Khorne would be like.

[Quemaqua]

It reminds me a lot of The Darkness in terms of the "evil being possesses you and you don't like it but need it because otherwise you're screwed" angle, and with it talking to you as you go about doing stuff.  It's very similar to that except funnier.  The Darkness was voiced by Mike Patton and was about the coolest thing I've ever heard, but this is a lot more caricatured and goofy.  Which isn't bad.  Without a little levity, the game would risk getting buried underneath itself unless done just right.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I just finished Chapter 7 and having a fucking blast.  This game is great, I can't get enough of it.  The survival mode levels are fun as hell, its great just having the awesome metal soundtrack going while killing waves of monsters.  The journals you unlock are pretty cool too, especially for any Lovecraft fan, lots of homages and references to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and Herbert West: Reanimator.  The originals had a few of these references too, but not as much as this game.

[Pugnate]

Yeah... it's like W7RE: The Game.

[TheOtherBelmont]

So I finished this up tonight and loved it.  It's a little rough around the edges in some aspects, but for anyone who loves excessive violence and gore, Lovecraft lore, and metal (like me) its a great game.  I hope they flesh out some of the rough spots (like the weird audio glitches and small variety of finishing kill animations) in the next game.

[W7RE]

I got this game for Christmas (my brother definitely knows how to pick the right gift for me) and it took a couple days to start it up because I was still on the SWTOR leveling grind. A while after watching the quick look I sort of cooled down on my excitement, until I popped it in and remembered what it was like. I'm really liking the game, despite some of it's shortcomings. It's one of those "yea, it's got a few annoying things, but  holy shit is the rest good!"

I really wish there were more games with this level of violence and gore. The metal adds a lot too. I realize how superficial those two things are, but I don't care, I love them. It's sort of making me want to pull out some old games like Shadowman and Nightmare Creatures 2, but they might remain better games if I don't look at them, and just let my nostalgia feed my imagination.