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Splatterhouse |OT| Blood, boobs, and nostalgia

Mdk7

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Picked it up at lunch. Played for about 30 minutes. Will post some impressions soon. Got some stuff to take care of first.
Come on, i wanna know! :D
 

Enk

makes good threads.
Pretty interested in trying this out. Despite me being a big Splatterhousr fan, this just doesn't tweak my nostalgia chords enough to bite at $60. I'll eventually give this a shot though when it drops down in price.
 
I got the game a little while ago as an early birthday present, so I decided to take a few quick snap shots of the
horrendous
box art, inside the case as well as the DLC page. Instruction manual is the usual color on the outside b&w on the inside and the required hard drive space is 111kb.

splatterhouse1.jpg


splatterhouse2.jpg


splatterhouse3.jpg


I await the custom cover art GAF, don't let me down!
 
Nothing in the Eurogamer review about the music.
Gah it is probably generic filler like every other soundtrack this generation.

Would be a huge loss too as the music was one of the best things the Splatterhouse series had going for it.
 
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Nothing in the Eurogamer review about the music.
Gah it is probably generic filler like every other soundtrack this generation.

Would be a huge loss too as the music was one of the best things the Splatterhouse series had going for it.

The Eurogamer review didn't talk about much other than the 'tastelessness' of it.

Giantbomb seemed to like it, but they are usually not very gushy in their Quick Looks. I expect them to give it a 3.
 

kamspy

Member
Needs to have the original packed in.:( I was really hoping for it.

Also, dude needs a hockey mask, not that bone looking thing.

Otherwise looks like a solid rental. Replay value might warrant a purchase if the controls are good. I'm a sucker for old school gore.
 
RedStep said:
That's bizarre, mine has a different DLC "tag" on the front, as well as a different design on the instruction manual (US 360 version). Where'd you get that one?

My Cousin bought it at Best Buy. Now I'm curious to see yours. :lol

kamspy said:
Also, dude needs a hockey mask, not that bone looking thing.

No doubt. I'm hoping for an unlockable character skin or something.
 
How many developers worked on this game for how many years? God i would love to learn its budget.

Anyway, i hope it works out for Namco
 
Alright guys.

So I picked it up on the 360.

The menu for the game is pretty cool. Reminds me of another game but I can't quite place which. Sorta changes depending on what screen menu your on, etc.

Game starts off very quickly. With you not really knowing whats going on other then your dying and the mask is telling you to put it on. It starts off with you being super powered and then you suddenly go back to normal due to unknown circumstances.

So far in the 30 minutes I've encountered 3 different enemy types. Each with a different splatter kill. I could see these getting old after doing them so many times but I will admit that when the screen goes black and the blood goes pouring EVERYWHERE... its AWESOME! :D and satisfying, but thats probably the blood hound in me. Also saw what was presumably the first boss.

The mask talks to Rick and quite often. I find him humorous to say the least. He comes off a bit evil, a bit sadistic, and rude. Just a odd character. Looking forward to hearing more commentary from him. I like how him and Rick talk to each other. One line I remember is after
Ricks arm gets ripped off and he starts screaming like crazy...the masks says "For a dick, you are such a pussy"

The combat so far has been fun but I feel I have done everything I can so until I can upgrade...which I'm guessing is either near the end of the first chapter or sometime in the second chapter. Combat feels fun, though when the enemies gang up in number I feel you really have to be on your guard. I saw my health draining drastically sometimes, one point to where before I realized, I was dead. There is no health power ups as far as I know but once you have a meter raised enough you can do a blood draining technique to drain the enemies around you and give you health.

One area I will say that is bothersome is the loading when you die... its LONG AS FUCK. I don't have the game installed though so that might rectify it a bit. Also I noticed the framerate dipping a little bit here and there but nothing terrible, at least not as of yet.

Overall, I enjoyed what I played and am pining for more. I like the style. So far it feels very "Haunted House" like which I always love in games. The combat feels good but I want more options and moves which hopefully spice things up a bit. I have yet to play any side scrolling or platforming bits.

I saw the guide at the store and for those wondering how many chapter there are...
12 in total
.

Any other early questions? Go for it!

Dead to Rights said:
No doubt. I'm hoping for an unlockable character skin or something.

When you start the game it asks which mask you want... one is locked and its blacked out. Not sure what it is.
 

BitchTits

Member
FrostuTheNinja said:
To be honest, the original games aren't necessarily shining examples of great gameplay.
Right. The only reason to ever bring this series back was use of the retro-factor and to go for the OTT gore.

The games were just straight forward scrolling beat 'em ups, I don't remember the controls even being that good (slow/clunky).
 
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Alright guys.

So I picked it up on the 360.

The menu for the game is pretty cool. Reminds me of another game but I can't quite place which. Sorta changes depending on what screen menu your on, etc.

Game starts off very quickly. With you not really knowing whats going on other then your dying and the mask is telling you to put it on. It starts off with you being super powered and then you suddenly go back to normal due to unknown circumstances.

So far in the 30 minutes I've encountered 3 different enemy types. Each with a different splatter kill. I could see these getting old after doing them so many times but I will admit that when the screen goes black and the blood goes pouring EVERYWHERE... its AWESOME! :D and satisfying, but thats probably the blood hound in me. Also saw what was presumably the first boss.

The mask talks to Rick and quite often. I find him humorous to say the least. He comes off a bit evil, a bit sadistic, and rude. Just a odd character. Looking forward to hearing more commentary from him. I like how him and Rick talk to each other. One line I remember is after
Ricks arm gets ripped off and he starts screaming like crazy...the masks says "For being such a dick, you sure act like a pussy"

The combat so far has been fun but I feel I have done everything I can so until I can upgrade...which I'm guessing is either near the end of the first chapter or sometime in the second chapter. Combat feels fun, though when the enemies gang up in number I feel you really have to be on your guard. I saw my health draining drastically sometimes, one point to where before I realized, I was dead. There is no health power ups as far as I know but once you have a meter raised enough you can do a blood draining technique to drain the enemies around you and give you health.

One area I will say that is bothersome is the loading when you die... its LONG AS FUCK. I don't have the game installed though so that might rectify it a bit. Also I noticed the framerate dipping a little bit here and there but nothing terrible, at least not as of yet.

Overall, I enjoyed what I played and am pining for more. I like the style. So far it feels very "Haunted House" like which I always love in games. The combat feels good but I want more options and moves which hopefully spice things up a bit. I have yet to play any side scrolling or platforming bits.

I saw the guide at the store and for those wondering how many chapter there are...
12 in total
.

Any other early questions? Go for it!



When you start the game it asks which mask you want... one is locked and its blacked out. Not sure what it is.


Great impressions!

I think I'll be keeping my pre-order now.

A few questions though:

1) What's the difficulty like so far?
2) How are the collectibles?
3) If I loved Wolverine/Dante's Inferno, is it comparable in quality to them? (If you've played them)

I know you haven't played much, but maybe the game has given you an indication of both.
 
canadian crowe said:
Great impressions!

I think I'll be keeping my pre-order now.

A few questions though:

1) What's the difficulty like so far?
2) How are the collectibles?
3) If I loved Wolverine/Dante's Inferno, is it comparable in quality to them? (If you've played them)

I know you haven't played much, but maybe the game has given you an indication of both.


1.The difficulty so far seems decent on normal. I wanted to played through on hard my first time and make it last longer but it must be unlocked. Again, I found myself when surrounded by enemies having to watch my health, it went down quickly. I also like how when you hold the strong attack, time semi slows down and you can select what target to hit. So if another enemy is coming at you instead of the one your aiming at with the charge attack. You can mix it up.

2. The collectables are the torn pictures of your gf Jen, and you find these old record players that have audio journals from Dr west. Says there is 12 totally in the game so I'm guessing its one per chapter and also I think its 3-4 peices for each complete picture of Jen, so guessing each level has a complete picture to obtain.

3. I enjoyed both Dante's Inferno and Wolverine. I'd say currently, I find Splatterhouse feels like niether. Now granted they are all beatemups to an extent but I just mean to me Splatterhouse stands on its own. The damage system to Rick is definetely like Wolverine though with realtime damage. I like how you can see his ribs, and stomach torn open. Think Wolverine stlye but more brutal looking. So far, I'd say fans of the genre would do good in checking this game out regardless of reviews. Yes, quality wise, so far Splatterhouse is up there.
 
Dead to Rights said:

The cover and the manual both have such cool art. Almost makes me want to buy the game, because that's so damn rare these days. Buuuuuuut I think this is the kind of thing I'll be happy to pluck out of a bargain bin.
 
slasher_thrasher21 said:
1.The difficulty so far seems decent on normal. I wanted to played through on hard my first time and make it last longer but it must be unlocked. Again, I found myself when surrounded by enemies having to watch my health, it went down quickly. I also like how when you hold the strong attack, time semi slows down and you can select what target to hit. So if another enemy is coming at you instead of the one your aiming at with the charge attack. You can mix it up.

2. The collectables are the torn pictures of your gf Jen, and you find these old record players that have audio journals from Dr west. Says there is 12 totally in the game so I'm guessing its one per chapter and also I think its 3-4 peices for each complete picture of Jen, so guessing each level has a complete picture to obtain.

3. I enjoyed both Dante's Inferno and Wolverine. I'd say currently, I find Splatterhouse feels like niether. Now granted they are all beatemups to an extent but I just mean to me Splatterhouse stands on its own. The damage system to Rick is definetely like Wolverine though with realtime damage. I like how you can see his ribs, and stomach torn open. Think Wolverine stlye but more brutal looking. So far, I'd say fans of the genre would do good in checking this game out regardless of reviews. Yes, quality wise, so far Splatterhouse is up there.

Thanks for answering my questions.

I think this will satisfy what I'm looking for. As long as it's technically solid, I'm in.
 

strideramc

Member
Hero of Canton said:
For anyone who wants to know: yes, Jen is topless in the torn pics (assuming you find all the pieces, that is).

I'm not entirely sure why, but this made me lol when I read it.
 
strideramc said:
I'm not entirely sure why, but this made me lol when I read it.


What makes that funnier is knowing in the game, when Rick picks the first one up, he says something along the lines of "Jen must have left this behind to let me know I'm going the right way"

Guy must have the best girlfriend ever seeing as she seems to have multiple nudie pictures of herself to tear up and throw throughout the levels. :lol

Also guys, the game seems to be self aware of what it is. I sense some funny commentary throughout the game.
 

Nose Master

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Alright guys.

So I picked it up on the 360.

The menu for the game is pretty cool. Reminds me of another game but I can't quite place which. Sorta changes depending on what screen menu your on, etc.

Game starts off very quickly. With you not really knowing whats going on other then your dying and the mask is telling you to put it on. It starts off with you being super powered and then you suddenly go back to normal due to unknown circumstances.

So far in the 30 minutes I've encountered 3 different enemy types. Each with a different splatter kill. I could see these getting old after doing them so many times but I will admit that when the screen goes black and the blood goes pouring EVERYWHERE... its AWESOME! :D and satisfying, but thats probably the blood hound in me. Also saw what was presumably the first boss.

The mask talks to Rick and quite often. I find him humorous to say the least. He comes off a bit evil, a bit sadistic, and rude. Just a odd character. Looking forward to hearing more commentary from him. I like how him and Rick talk to each other. One line I remember is after
Ricks arm gets ripped off and he starts screaming like crazy...the masks says "For being such a dick, you sure act like a pussy"

The combat so far has been fun but I feel I have done everything I can so until I can upgrade...which I'm guessing is either near the end of the first chapter or sometime in the second chapter. Combat feels fun, though when the enemies gang up in number I feel you really have to be on your guard. I saw my health draining drastically sometimes, one point to where before I realized, I was dead. There is no health power ups as far as I know but once you have a meter raised enough you can do a blood draining technique to drain the enemies around you and give you health.

One area I will say that is bothersome is the loading when you die... its LONG AS FUCK. I don't have the game installed though so that might rectify it a bit. Also I noticed the framerate dipping a little bit here and there but nothing terrible, at least not as of yet.

Overall, I enjoyed what I played and am pining for more. I like the style. So far it feels very "Haunted House" like which I always love in games. The combat feels good but I want more options and moves which hopefully spice things up a bit. I have yet to play any side scrolling or platforming bits.

I saw the guide at the store and for those wondering how many chapter there are...
12 in total
.

Any other early questions? Go for it!



When you start the game it asks which mask you want... one is locked and its blacked out. Not sure what it is.

He doesn't say
"being such a dick", it's more along the lines of "You know, for being a Dick, you sure can be a pussy!" Which is a play off of his name. Rick = Richard = Dick. :lol
 
Nose Master said:
He doesn't say
"being such a dick", it's more along the lines of "You know, for being a Dick, you sure can be a pussy!" Which is a play off of his name. Rick = Richard = Dick. :lol

Thank you for the correction! :) That was it!

MiniDitka said:

You play like me mini... smashing everything in sight! lol Also you didn't do any splatterkills in that last group of enemies. Could have cleared them out much quicker!
 
VALIS said:
Sixty dollars. Huh. Well, good luck with that.

I don't understand why post like this are made. Adds nothing to the thread. Its 60 bucks sure, but for some, totally worth the price of admission dependant upon someones personal interests. Now if a game is a technical mess or broken, I totally get that.
 

Despera

Banned
slasher_thrasher21 said:
I don't understand why post like this are made. Adds nothing to the thread. Its 60 bucks sure, but for some, totally worth the price of admission dependant upon someones personal interests. Now if a game is a technical mess or broken, I totally get that.

Thanks for the impressions yo. I'm seriously considering getting this game now. Sounds like a hilariously awesome game.
 

derFeef

Member
Watched the quicklook on giantbomb. Nuts, in a good way! And I always buy (and enjoy) games slasher likes... so... :D
 

MiniDitka

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
You play like me mini... smashing everything in sight! lol Also you didn't do any splatterkills in that last group of enemies. Could have cleared them out much quicker!
I'm pretty bad so if you play like me than I feel sorry for you :lol Yep, could have cleared the enemies much quicker but as usual wasn't paying attention and just kept mashing the buttons :D
 
My roommate wanted to get it and I discouraged him. However I like what I am seeing in the videos.

This game is really under promoted and I can see how Publishers bitch about the game not doing decent sales.
 
MiniDitka said:
I'm pretty bad so if you play like me than I feel sorry for you :lol Yep, could have cleared the enemies much quicker but as usual wasn't paying attention and just kept mashing the buttons :D

Well I mean in at least smashing all the objects in that first room! lol
 

Mar

Member
I was reasonably hyped for this game but I just watched the Giant Bomb quick look. Man, this game looks absolutely terrible.

I'll pick it up for the arcade version of the first game included. But jesus the new game is a train wreck.
 

Spoo

Member
Figured I'd chime in, since I've had quite a few hours with the game so far.

The first thing I noticed from the get-go was just how genuinely funny the game can be. It's entirely self-refferential, and it knows its audience well; this is not the depth of God of War or Ninja Gaiden, nor the amazing platforming found in this gen's other entries, but what it knows (and knows well) is how to be a bunch of gory fun, top-to-bottom, and giving fans of the old Splatterhouse games exactly what they want: more Splatterhouse.

It's solidly put together -- as you acquire moves, combat can be as deep or as shallow as you want it to be; I'm playing on the hardest difficulty level available (there is another difficulty to be unlocked after beating the game), and I've found that I can tough it out with button mashing if I like, or, by taking advantage of the mechanics, I can be nearly untouchable. This in and of itself is something of a Splatterhouse thing; thinking back to the old TG-16 days, I realized that, my first time through I was a wreck, but I could win. Through mastery, memorization, and maybe a little luck here and there, I could walk through untouched. The same is true here.

The game is repetitive, but it never gets boring -- at least, it hasn't for me. Each new room has an objective, and you follow through. Throughout the entire experience the Mask you wear is taunting you, giving you advice, helping you, but mostly just being a dick -- in the funniest way possible. It's remiscent of Portal, in the sense that you feel like someone is watching your every move. It was a smart addition to the game.

Levels range from creepy haunted-house like environs to ... well, a little less inspired. But none of the art is bad, and aside from a little bit of slowdown here and there, the game is solidly put together. Considering the history of its development, I expected a mess -- instead, it's mostly bug free. Which is weird, since it's Gamebryo engine, and Fallout: New Vegas isn't exactly glitch free :) (Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe they are the same engines).

The throwbacks and references to the original series brings back a lot of memories, and aren't overused. It makes the experience so much better to see that the developers knew Splatterhouse well enough to understand what made it so much fun.

Controls are tight (for the most part), and there's not much more I can say on that end.

If I had to be picky, so far, the Mask may talk a tad too much, and I'm not sure how I feel about the heavy rock. On the one hand, the 2.5d levels have music very remisicent of the earlier games which is hugely appreciated, and the 3D areas are have either nice ambient music and sounds or hard rock during fights. It's a blend, and I can deal with that.

The story is fine thus far. It's a reimagining of the original game (which didn't have much of a story) so it's not surprising that they tried to both lighten it up a bit with some dialogue and give a bit of background. They may have tried a bit too hard, but some of it is a lot of fun.

Overall I'm both shocked and very happy to say this was a worthwhile purchase at 60 dollars, and I'm only maybe halfway through. There's a lot of gameplay here, even if it's not open ended -- it's a linear game, just the same way the original Splatterhouse was. You walk in a straight line 99% of the time -- but fuck if it's not damn fun and a real throwback.

Also, since all the Splatterhouse games are available on the disc as unlockables, you'd be hard-pressed to not nab this if you're a fan.
 
I've only played about an hour of the PS3 version, but I must say that I'm really pleased with my purchase. Controls are pretty damn responsive, with combat being easy to get into and rewarding with some minor combo variety, buckets of blood, and cool finishers. It also has quite a bit in common with the developers other title, Afro Samurai. From it's comic art style/shading to the some of the games battle mechanics, namely the enemy tracking/smashing.

The music is a mixed bag. All of the original composition is great, along with the light ambient tunes that reference the original. It's just that I have a general problem with licensed soundtracks in games like this. To me, it just seems like a bad design decision or a lazy way of marketing the game to "another possible demographic". Hell, it's even mentioned on the box.

Just to echo what others have mentioned, if you were ever a fan of Splatterhouse, you'll more than likely enjoy this reboot. It's fun and gory good times.

Anyways, I'm off to bust some more skulls.

Tits.
 

RedStep

Member
I too spent a few hours with it (360 version).

The Mask is a good companion. I expected something like The Darkness... faux-evil, non-threatening. Both the dialogue (funny) and the voice actor (Tigger) are very good.

The levels are cool so far - the first two have a sort of Disney's Haunted Mansion vibe going (more like the excellent Haunted Mansion game), then it goes outside the mansion.

The game has a bad combination of sparse-ish checkpoints and long loading times after every death. Hate that. Install it if you can.

Combat is solid, nothing worse than Dante's Inferno or GoW (yeah, I said it) once you get used to it. It doesn't have Ninja Gaiden levels of depth, but it doesn't need to.
 

jluedtke

Member
Spoo said:
it's mostly bug free.

Yikes...I've gotta disagree with you on that one. The game is buggy as hell for me. It's frozen up twice now, forcing me to reboot both times (360 version). Each time it froze up was during a load screen, and every time I hit a load screen it's really glitchy and looks like it's about to freeze up at any second.

During the second level boss battle, the music cut out in the middle and the rest of the fight was soundtrack-free. And in the third act, one of the subtitles from the Mask stuck on the screen for about two minutes after it was said. I stopped playing in the middle of the third act, but those are just a few of the problems I've seen so far.

That being said, I'm really, really liking the game. I like the Mask's personality, I like what they did with Rick and Jennifer, and I like how they fleshed out the story of Dr. West. It plays like a cult horror/slasher flick, and that's perfect. It matches the tone of the previous games really well and actually has some nice callbacks to the other games. As a fan of the series, that's great to see. I especially like the
2D segments
(mostly).

However, you can really tell the development team was canned halfway through. Some parts (like the
beginning of the third act in the junkyard
look like completely different games. It's kind of jarring.

So those are my impressions after a couple hours.
 
Got the PS3 version at K-mart. Really liking it so far.

Anyone else reminded of Grabbed by the Ghoulies? Except, you know, not crappy.
 

Spoo

Member
jluedtke said:
Yikes...I've gotta disagree with you on that one

Dang man, I really haven't run into anything as bad as all of that. The loading in the game IS really annoying (it does tend to freeze / jump around a bit, but it's better than looking at a black screen I guess...) -- but a lot of what you described hasn't happened to me (also Xbox 360 here).

The worst glitch I had was during an autosave Rick was in a running animation and he just sort of froze in place. I thought it was still auto-saving so I sat there like a dumbass waiting for it to finish even though it already was lol.

Then again, the fact that it's Gamebryo and peoples heads aren't rotating ad nauseum off their necks is good. We should be happy about that, at least :)
 

MiniDitka

Member
jluedtke said:
Yikes...I've gotta disagree with you on that one. The game is buggy as hell for me. It's frozen up twice now, forcing me to reboot both times (360 version). Each time it froze up was during a load screen, and every time I hit a load screen it's really glitchy and looks like it's about to freeze up at any second.
Game just froze on me (360) : (
 

jluedtke

Member
I just installed it on my hard drive and it seems to run quite a bit better.

I just finished stage 3.
I really hope it gets back to the actual mansion soon, because I'm hating this "other portal" nonsense.
 

shuri

Banned
awesome impressions guys, I'll be picking it up tomorrow it seems! They kinda made Rick too big tho, and I'mnot sure that I like the fact that he has the same normal voice when he's talking under the mask.. You would expect him to sound a bit more brutish.

The original Splaterhouse in the arcades made a HUGE impression of me back in the days, the gameplay was good (for the time), but the artstyle, violence (which was a first back in the days) and incredibly creepy art (for the time, as a 10 years old) made quite an impact on me.
 

SillyPuty

Member
Picked it up from K-Mart and got the $30 gaming coupon which isn't good until the 28th, but it's still a great deal!

I am loving the game so far! My only complaint is that sometimes its a bit laggy when you are hammering several enemies at once. Other than that, my game hasn't froze. Although, I do have the PS3 version.

BTW: Awesome thread OP, thanks for making it! :D
 
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