Splatterhouse: game review (PS3/360)

for those of you who remember the original game which was released in 1988 you will be in no way surprised to see that the series has recently been resurrected with new life and a lot of new blood. originally splatterhouse was criticized for being too violent and controversy soon surrounded the game in many countries, resulting in the game being toned down for some regions. though it had such a frosty reception from some groups it was an instant hit with gamers in both arcades and on home consoles leading to another two games being made soon after. the gorey hacking and slashing seen in splatterhouse is one of the earliest examples of survival horror as we know it and if it had not been for the series its possible that the survival horror genre may not have gained as much ground as it has in the past decade.

the story though similar to the original game is written by gordon rennie (judge dredd, necronauts, warhammer fantasy). when jennifer willis is invited to the house of the estranged Dr. for an interview her boyfriend rick taylor being the protective type tags along. for whatever quirky reason rick choses that night to propose to jennifer but he doesn’t get far, attacked by west jennifer gets kidnapped and rick is left for dead. during the commotion rick knocks over an ancient sarcophagus containing a mask which calls out to him telling him it will save his life and jennifers if he puts it on. with no other choice and the life force rapidly draining from his body he puts on the mask, instantly his body starts to change leaving him in the form of a large muscular beast who feeds on the blood of others to survive.

the gameplay plays a lot like the original in that you have to hack through and pulverize the many creatures you meet on your journey to rescue jenny from the clutches of the evil Dr. west. this of course is easily done because rick is for all intended purposes the hulk, and so the mayhem begins. the controls are simply enough and at the start bashing buttons will result in a guaranteed kill but bashing buttons will only get you so far because as the game progresses you will need to adapt and learn new combo’s in order to survive. executing special moves though incredibly violent and disturbing can be great fun and once learned serve rick well in his task. the terror mask that rick wears requires blood in order to reach its full potential so you get a certain amount for each creature killed, the blood collected can then be used to buy extra moves that level the playing field even more for rick.

included with the steady line of kick and punch combo’s is the ability to wield melee weapons such as 2x4’s, baseball bats, iron bars and even chainsaws and shotguns – all work well on the various creatures and demons encountered throughout the game. borrowing from the original game seems to happen a lot but its more of a clear thought out homage than a lifeless reimagining, even side scrolling makes a few appearances in the game giving fans of the original series a warm feeling inside. i was surprised to see how much jumping had been incorporated into the game, rick has to jump across crumbling bridges and platforms – timed wrong its fatal because under some of this jumps can be spikes or all kinds of traps. the creatures themselves though cannon fodder for the most part are not really that smart and going at them fists first can usually work but the game has its fair share of level bosses or super creatures which require not only lighting fast button bashing but thinking too.

the game is built in the style of a graphic novel but it caught me completely by surprise when i realised it was done with cel-shading.. i’m not the biggest fan of the look but it actually suits this game really well. there are many levels in the game all varying in different styles and looks and they are each rendered so well that i found myself stopping to look and marvel at the carefully constructed level design and lighting. the sound design is deeply atmospheric thanks to the score being composed by howard dossin (afro samurai, baldur’s gate) and complements the game perfectly with its almost  nostalgic sound. when the action really takes off and during crucial battles the score is replaced by some of my favourite metal bands such as lamb of god, the haunted, mastodon and many more all lending some of their best tracks to the game.

so is the game that good? honestly i expected a few cheap thrills from splatterhouse, in short i didn’t expect much but i was wrong. the creatures are challenging enough once the game gets going and the platform puzzling elements all serve to slow you down just enough but not too much so that you are cursing the game. there were times when the fighting got so brutal that i doubted i’d ever get passed but once i upgraded my skills it was not a problem. in terms of replay value there is a lot of fun to be had, once skills are unlocked and the game finished it can be done again with those skills, there are a number of collectables to find such as audio journals from the deranged Dr. west and pictures dropped by jenny – trophies/achievements too are plentiful giving you that rewarded feeling a bit more than most games. even all 3 of the original games can be unlocked and fully played, if that’s not enough there is also a survival mode which really tests your skills.  i really enjoyed splatterhouse and it was a lot of fun but its not going to be everyone's liking, if you don’t like gore and ..more gore then you probably won’t like the game but its worth a rental at least and a definite play for fans of the franchise, after a full play through i’m giving splatterhouse an 8 out of 10.

Gran Turismo 5: in-depth review (PS3 exclusive)

Taking a whopping five years to fully develop gran turismo 5 is simply hands down the best racing game ever, normally i’d come to the conclusion on how good or bad a game was at the end of the review but instead i’m going to do a run down of the features of the game and why its a must own for ps3 racing fans. i originally wanted to review the game just after the launch in November but i got too caught up in racing goodness and wanted to get most of the trophies and win the events.

The original gran turismo series was spawned in the 90’s and upon playing it i was an instant fan. back then the method of play was simple, buy a cheap car and enter it into some low level races then use the money on said car to improve it for higher races and so it went. of course the option of a licence test was there too and in many cases you level up quicker by completing these tests  first, i tried to do this but i was too much of a crazy driver to apply the calm finesse needed to pass these tests instead i went straight for the races.

In gt5 its a different story, the licence tests are still there only this time i have the skills and quite calm to execute the complex manoeuvres needed to pass the tests. and this is where gran turismo starts to make the most sense, if you are not grown up enough to play the game properly then don’t complain when you get no where, it does require a mature enough approach especially with its professional learning curve.

Gaming Modes

gran turismo 5 is split up into two major modes with a number of other modes or events thrown in. the main mode is A-spec and this as you might imagine is the heart of the game, its you yourself racing against computer controlled opponents, at first its easier but as the game progresses your opponents become more aggressive and more skilful in their driving.

the second major mode is B-spec and this is more like a driving managers take on the game. the car is driven by the computer against the computer but you issue commands that determine the outcome of the race, at first i wasn’t at all interested in this because i thought of it as lazy and boring buts its not. B-spec offers its own rewards such as credits for buying and improving cars and even cars themselves which can be very necessary when competing in A-spec.

there are like i said a number of special events included in the game such as TopGear  challenge's (which are as you would imagine pretty zany) rally courses and races, mercedes AMG academy, Nascar racing, go Karting and many more – most of which get unlocked as you progress through the game.

Other Features

photo mode

being a photographer its no surprise that photo mode is probably one of my favourite added features to the game. this mode allows you to shoot your car either on the track or in a location mode that shows of the beautiful graphics that truly do the cars justice. photo mode gives you the option to choose between shooting modes and to generally experiment with very similar controls as you would find on a real SLR camera .

course maker

included is a fairly standard track editor which allows you to modify sections of a track or to simply build your own but given the amount of courses already available its not really needed.

arcade mode

plenty of racing fun to be had here be it local 2 player one on one racing, one player time trials or even drift trials.

online mode

the game boasts 16 player races, chat & lobbies, an online photo gallery where you can share your images or even your tracks and even a garage which can be used to share or exchange cars with other gt5 players.

The Cars

cars in the game are sorted into two categories premium and standard, no points for guessing what the difference here is. premium cars have detailed interiors and can be used in photo locations – in short they look stunning inside as well as out. standard cars are cars which look great on the outside but have no interior, standard cars are either won or bought in the used car dealership while premium are bought brand new for a lot of credits in the new dealership – very straight forward.

the number of cars in the game is a staggering 1000 with almost 200 of them being premium models. each car not only looks amazing but they are modelled so close to the real thing that they drive and perform as they would in real life. being no stranger to luxury cars offline i tested many of the top cars in the game to see just how well they performed to their real life counterparts and the results were as you would expect. Ferraris, Mercedes, BMW’s, Audi’s and many sports cars all looked like sounded like and drove like the real deal. the work put into the cars is phenomenal but it doesn’t end there. gran turismo games have always allowed the player to tune and customize their favourite cars be it in looks or pure speed. this time around it seems easier to tune a specific car from a purring kitten into a roaring lion, and you will need to if you plan on winning races.

Graphics

the graphics are astounding and probably the best i have seen on any system or console. the cars kick up spray as they race along a wet track, mist hangs in the air as cars cut through it at high speed, the sun and clouds reflect not only on the car exterior but also on the interior making it look so close to the real thing that sometimes on long endurance races i’d forget i wasn’t driving in real life. the new physics engine may not be to everyone's liking when it comes to damage, as the game progresses the cars take on more damage both cosmetically and physically – sparks will fly, dents will appear, exhaust fumes blacken the paintwork and even tires will wear out all of this completing the ultra realistic wonder of the game.

Sound

sound is a crucial part of the game and it wins here too. everything has been fine tuned to sound just as it should, the first thing i noticed about the sound was i could actually tell the difference between a V6 or a V8 engine. the sound of each car is simply put clear and distinct, cars not only sound like they do but they change depending on how you tune or modify them. the music included in the game is surprisingly fantastic with a huge selection of rock/jazz/pop and a bunch of other tunes, for the first few days i used classical but then i took advantage of the games ability to read the games off your ps3 and i let it synch up to my 320gb ps3 – there were a few issues with repeat and shuffling songs but all in all it works.

Conclusion

inclosing there really are not enough great things i can say about this game, i expected a nice little racing game to keep me busy for a few days maybe weeks but now its getting daily plays and my stack of new releases are just building up – most of them unplayed. gran turismo 5 is a game that takes time patience and even more time, its got a steep yet fun learning curve and you won’t be earning that dream car on your first few plays. i have been playing it ever since it was released on November 24th of 2010 and its only recently that i bought up most of the super cars by spending an insane amount of money. if you want a simple enough racing game then pick up one of the need 4 speed titles but if you want a real game that is challenging and rewarding at the same time then go for this. it may only be a racing game but its got so much on offer that if played right you will get hundreds of hours worth of play from it.

i’m giving gran turismo 5 a much deserved 10 out of 10 – it may have a minor flaw here or there but it does what its supposed to do with unprecedented style and elegance all beautifully wrapped up in the body of a fuel injected dream machine.

My Game Statistics So Far..

A-spec level: 25     B- spec level: 29

Game Progress: 79%

Current Credits: 7,424,105

Total Wins: 464

No. of Cars Owned: 139

Trophies Earned: 52%

Total Distance Driven: 23,933.4km