Splatterhouse - The original horror action title is back. Now available!

[eastx]

pfDX00DRcq4

Splatterhouse is the 3D reboot/sequel to the original Splatterhouse series of games from Namco. The first Splatterhouse appeared in arcades before being ported to Turbografx-16. Splatterhouse 2 and 3 were Sega Genesis games. All 3 of these games are unlockable in the new game. For the full series history, visit HardcoreGaming 101 (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/splatterhouse/splatterhouse.htm).

Now, more than 10 years after the last game, Rick Taylor and the Terror Mask are back! The evil scientist Dr. West murders Rick and kidnaps his girlfriend Jennifer. But the Terror Mask bonds with Rick and brings him back to life, giving him superhuman strength and Wolverine-like healing abilities. The mask actually talks and argues with Rick now, giving the game some personality.

Reviews

IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/113/1137363p1.html)
GiantBomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/splatterhouse/61-22968/reviews/)
Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5702310/review-splatterhouse-is-just-bloody-offal)
Destructoid (http://www.destructoid.com/review-splatterhouse-188395.phtml)
Games Radar (http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/splatterhouse/review/splatterhouse-review/a-2010112914472362689209/g-2008050716283433087)


Previews


IGN preview (http://cache-04.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/10/003_1.jpg)
GamesRadar preview (http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/splatterhouse/preview/e3-2010-splatterhouse-hands-on/a-20100615115815200077/g-2008050716283433087)
New Kotaku preview (http://kotaku.com/5656030/gory-new-splatterhouse-is-slightly-kinder-gentler-than-planned)


http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/112/1128305/splatterhouse-20101015090200171_640w.jpg

[D4rkewolfe]

I remember reading about this on kotaku or gonemicrosoft. Never played the game, though I remember seeing the video of the VC release. Nothing too impressive, but well I guess it will definitely be seeing some big changes now and not have all those restrictions and censorship it had originally.

[Brak]

Fuck YEAH!!!

[Poor2More]

Fuck YEAH!!!! Part deux

[Poor2More]

Me and my friend back when this first came out on Sega Genisis played this for 18 hours straight untill 11 am the next day, the first all nighter I pulled back in my childhood

[Brak]

Win, Me and my Friend played this game for 18 hours straight until 11 am the next day, the first all nighter I pulled

Me and my friend back when this first came out on Sega Genisis played this for 18 hours straight untill 11 am the next day, the first all nighter I pulled back in my childhood
Quoted for insanity.

[LinkinPrime]

Here's a render.
http://www.1up.com/media?id=3534346&type=lg

Hope they fix the face...seems sloppy.

[retail sucks]

Great news. I love SplatterHouse. It was the "gore" game of it's time. I still own and play Splatterhouse 2 & 3 on Genisis and the original on MAME.

[screwkick]

Great news. I love SplatterHouse. It was the "gore" game of it's time. I still own and play Splatterhouse 2 & 3 on Genisis and the original on MAME.

I believe it came out at home on the Turbo Grafx 16 first. Well thats where I first played it anyways.

[retail sucks]

I believe it came out at home on the Turbo Grafx 16 first. Well thats where I first played it anyways.

Iit was a Japan only arcade game first then ported to the TG-16, FM Towns,(sounds like a radio station) & PC which the Turbo Grafx 16 was where I played it first too.

http://splatterhouse.classicgaming.gamespy.com/games.html

Ports
Splatterhouse was released in various home version ports on the TurboGrafx-16, FM Towns and PC.

Though the Japanese PC-Engine (Japanese name of the TurboGrafx-16) version of the game remains largely unedited, the Western TurboGrafx-16 version features a number of changes, as well as standard changes for an arcade port at the time, caused by the less-powerful hardware of the console (loss of graphical detail, removal of some sounds). They include the following:

The introduction cut scene is shortened and Jennifer's scream is removed.
The Terror Mask is changed from a white hockey mask to a red mask with black accents. This is to keep Rick from looking too much like Jason Voorhees. The mask became more skull-like in later games.
The first weapon in Stage 1 is changed from a meat cleaver to a 2x4.
A general toning down of violence and gore. For instance, less blood comes from enemies when they are smashed against walls. The gruesome sound effects were also toned down.
All references to the Stage 4 boss area being a church are removed, including the altar.
"Evil Cross", the boss of Stage 4 is totally replaced with a new enemy, "Evil Sleep", and his heads are renamed "The Nightmares" (only three of the original six in the arcade game are present) and the weapon for the boss is changed from an axe to a gold meat cleaver, the only cleaver in the game.
The death of the womb boss of Stage 6 is changed from a graphic spilling of embryonic fluids into a generic fiery explosion.
The final boss uses different attacks.
The final boss grave is changed from a wooden cross to a tombstone.
The end cut scene is changed from the original arcade ending, in which the mask breaks from Rick's face, followed by a shot of him walking away from the burning mansion and an additional cut scene showing the mask reform and laugh. The ending in the TurboGrafx-16 version only shows the Mask explode, followed by a picture of West Mansion burning while the credits roll, and finally a large red and orange "End" is displayed.
The TG-16 version was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on March 16, 2007 and in North America three days later on March 19, 2007. The version of the game ported to the Wii Virtual Console is the Western TurboGrafx-16 port; therefore it is the "censored" version as opposed to the "uncensored" original arcade game.

The FM Towns version, ported by Ving Co. and released only in Japan in 1992, is a pixel-perfect rendition of the original arcade, with no substantial changes apart from a new menu interface in the title screen.

There was also an LCD handheld version released, but it is not a port of either games. It is considered to be an original Splatterhouse game in and of itself, though many elements in it are similar to the original game. Also of interest is the fact that the LCD game's title is "Splatter House", instead of the conventional "Splatterhouse".

[foxdvd]

could be good...

[LinkinPrime]

Gameplay trailer:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/45204.html

Visually it seems cool, but not sure about this one.

[mike.m]

They just changed developers on this at the last minute. I have a feeling its garbage since it was supposedly so close to completion.

[Irukandji]

Gore + Mastodon = I'll definitely give it a whirl. Worst case scenario I wasted 2 bucks on a rental.

[Sharp Katana]

played it on TG16 as well. After seeing the trailer eh I'm not interested. I thought it was going to be more like the original thing

[ctrek3]

i hope it's good, after everything i've read about it. like how your life bar is actually his body, and how he loses more chunks each time he takes damage. i just thought that was kinda cool, as i do not remember ever seeing that type of system other then the ghosts & goblin series.

[Brak]

I'm glad that this includes the original SplatterHouse.

[Dr. Pizza]

Sorry buddy, but the FIRST Surivial Horror Game was created by Capcom, and it was for the NES!, yes the NINTENDO, the original, called "Sweet Home", it was banned in the USA for being too scary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Home_(video_game)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlcqNPbqhbg

:)

[fait74]

Sorry buddy, but the FIRST Surivial Horror Game was created by Capcom, and it was for the NES!, yes the NINTENDO, the original, called "Sweet Home", it was banned in the USA for being too scary.



Not to be douche but if you read in the wiki is says in the first paragraph

"there were several earlier games that could be considered survival horror released as far back as Haunted House (as well as now-hard-to-find adaptations of the films Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) on Atari 2600, years before Sweet Home was released. Nevertheless, Sweet Home remains an important early game within the genre."

And you link don't work need to add the ) at the end

[Irukandji]

Not to be douche but if you read in the wiki is says in the first paragraph

"there were several earlier games that could be considered survival horror released as far back as Haunted House (as well as now-hard-to-find adaptations of the films Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) on Atari 2600, years before Sweet Home was released. Nevertheless, Sweet Home remains an important early game within the genre."

And you link don't work need to add the ) at the end

owned.

My first survival horror game was friday the 13th for nes. I still think it's under-appreciated. PS: the music in sweet home and f13 are both super creepy. PSS: this thread is about splatterhouse my bad.

[mike.m]

owned.

My first survival horror game was friday the 13th for nes. I still think it's under-appreciated.

You've got to be joking. That's one of the all time worst games.

[eastx]

Anyone get Splatterhouse yet?

Here's are some early reviews:

PlanetXbox360 review (http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_12340/Splatterhouse)

Videogamer.com review (http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/splatterhouse/review.html)

Hopefully the more well-known sites post reviews soon too.

[ritchardf]

Anyone get Splatterhouse yet?

Here's are some early reviews:

PlanetXbox360 review (http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_12340/Splatterhouse)

Videogamer.com review (http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/splatterhouse/review.html)

Hopefully the more well-known sites post reviews soon too.

i dont think this is the kind of game that reviews very well.

[token2k6]

yeah what is the deal with this? no major reviews, can barely find it at retail (2 BB's I went to only had 2 copies for each system, a guy at GS just stared blankly at me..) I really want this game, but I need to find out if both versions come with the first 3 games, or just on the PS3..

[ritchardf]

yeah what is the deal with this? no major reviews, can barely find it at retail (2 BB's I went to only had 2 copies for each system, a guy at GS just stared blankly at me..) I really want this game, but I need to find out if both versions come with the first 3 games, or just on the PS3..


the splatterhouse website quotes it as a feature of the game, so id say its both versions.

[Mospeada_21]

wow, this is a full-on title release?! I thought it should have been straight to Arcade. Wait and see...

[FracturedMirror]

Gamepro has a review up for it: http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/217407/splatterhouse/

[Jimbo Slice]

Destructoid gave it a 7.5

I am definitely intrigued, as I LOVE the original series (see Gamertag). As a CAG, though, I think I can wait and pick it up for $20-25 by January.

[LinkinPrime]

Damn I didn't know that this came out so soon. Interested, but too much on my plate right now. I'll have to wait for a sale or a B2G1F from GS.

[Scorch]

It's fun. It goes back to sidescrolling at some portions. You can upgrade his attacks and combos and things like that. Is it worth $60? Probably not, but $40 or less would be fine.. or a weekend rental. If you like repetitive action games like God of War or Dante's Inferno, you'll probably like this.

[aeroforce325]

Xbox 360 does have the additional first three splatterhouse games. As for the main game itself. It's definitely not game of the year material, but it is fun, and sometimes frustrating. Needless to say some of the games flaws definitely show themselves throughout, but shouldnt be bad enough to deter anyone from continuing to play through it.

Basically if you can appreciate the game for what it's worth then you'll have plenty of fun.

[Survivalism]

Second the comment made nearly two years ago about Friday the 13th being underrated.

[Blackshear]

I want it but will wait for $20 or less

[unforeseen]

Trade in at Amazon is $3.50
Ouch...

[curtst]

Haven't played the game yet. It looks awesome though. Some of the vids kind of make me think of God of War on the PS3, just crazier? Bloodier? Insanlier (I know it isn't a word)? I could be way off though, probably am. Only reason I want to compare it to that is because the game play seems to be similar and in the vids it tells you when to push certain buttons to pull off insane kills. I have no complaints even if it was an exact copy of God of War. I loved that game playing on a friends PS3.

[eastx]

Amazon had Splatterhouse as a surprise lightning deal this morning ($35). I managed to snag it; hopefully others did too.

[iKilledChewbacca]

Trade in at Amazon is $3.50
Ouch...

:lol:

[crr_1119]

Amazon had Splatterhouse as a surprise lightning deal this morning ($35). I managed to snag it; hopefully others did too.

I got in on that too! Which is great since I was hoping it would've been a deal for Black Friday. Big fan of the classic series, can't wait to play this one.:D

[dkcecil]

Picked the game up this weekend. I'm loving it. They did a good job of capturing the feel of the old games while updating it to the new style. Granted, it is essentially Devil May Cry/God of War gameplay, but the over the top gore and crazy story make it feel at least a bit different.

The game is tough but fair. Every time I died I never felt cheated. (well ok, once I was cheated) It can be unforgiving at times but at least you can level up your health and moves.

I love the mask. It talks to you the whole time...well, more like yells at you the whole time. It adds an element of humor without being straight up comic relief or feeling forced and out of place.

I just beat the second boss and unlocked the original Splatterhouse! :)

[MaxBiaggi3]

I told myself I wouldn't spend more than $30 on this, and I missed the lightning deal, so I can afford to wait a while.

I'm guessing that the price will drop a bit next year. I really want it, but I'm definitely not paying full price.

I actually bought a TurboGrafx-16 and a copy of its butchered arcade port years ago. I love it, but I've always wanted to play the original arcade game without PC pirating or breaking the bank on an arcade machine.

I'm quite surprised that this game actually includes all of the old games as plenty of recent updates of other old games haven't included the originals as unlockables.

[dragonjud]

Played it, and honestly this isn't worth more than $30.00 (boring, repetitive, uninspired..all good ways of describing it). Fully expect to find it for $20-$25 at many places shortly.

[Guy Mockingdale]

Just beat the 3rd chapter and eh, I've played worse games; I will continue on a bit more unless they get HEAVY with the side-scrolling parts. They are little irritating with some random janky deaths, but any death in this game almost makes me want to just shut it off because...

I don't know about anyone else, but I can't install games onto my 360 and this game might have some of the WORST load times I've encountered in a long time, since like PS1. I think I would forgive a lot of the flaws in this game if at least I could get back to it in a reasonable amount of time.

I shouldn't make a judgment call what's its worth since I'm only 3 chapter in but I will, probably wait till this one is just under 20.00. Ah, I feel like I bad talked it a lot, but it does have its good parts ... great atmosphere with the campy lovecraftian vibe.

[eastx]

Sounds like you should get a bigger hard drive! You can get a 250 Gig HD on Ebay for $55 or so, and then buy a case for $15 or so.

Wow, I do hope installing helps with the load times. It usually does...

[Guy Mockingdale]

This game has some parts where I would say death is almost unavoidable the first time and the side-scrolling segments have no check points. If that's the kind of stuff you want to put in your game its unacceptable to think 15-20 second load times are OK. Its my opinion that its a bad game making and assuming it was ok because players will install.

curious, anyone playing this on PS3? is that a mandatory install?

[eastx]

No, of course games should have checkpoints. But if you notice a game has bad loading times, the obvious step is to install and see if that helps (assuming you want to continue playing the game).

[MaxBiaggi3]

As the professional reviews have come in over the past few days, I'm feeling less frustrated about missing Monday's Amazon deal.

The updated core game has plenty of problems (frame rate/camera issues, long load times, loose platforming controls, etc.), but I'm primarily interested in the unlockable ports anyway.

$30 seems more than fair for this title given its low review scores, so that's the price I'm willing to wait for (no matter how long it takes).

[fieldkillah]

I guess I'm one of the few people actually enjoying the game.

[eastx]

I added some reviews to the OP. Destructoid and GamesRadar both liked the game pretty well, though IGN definitely did not. It has technical problems, including collision detection, lengthy load times, and random bugginess. These should come as no surprise considering the developer got switched mid-development.

On the other hand, it has a pretty good story, impressive graphical style, and is very true to the original. People who liked the old games and want to play a modern Splatterhouse will likely be pleased. Those who just want an action game and don't get so much into the aesthetic will have a harder time liking it.

[crr_1119]

Just got the game today from Amazon's lightning deal over the weekend and I'm absolutely loving it so far. While I've noticed a few laggy moments here and there it's never been bad enough to ruin it. I love the graphics and the gameplay is very true to the original. Story is great so far as well.

I don't see why the IGN reviewer gave it such a bad rating, but meh for the most part I never agree with them, there's only a couple of reviewers there who I've seen normally give fair reviews. Glad to see other sites giving it decent reviews though.

But anyway, enjoying it a lot so far. :D

[Jimbo Slice]

How over-the-top violent is this rendition of Splatterhouse? I know it's campy, but I loved that about the earlier ones.

[eastx]

How over-the-top violent is this rendition of Splatterhouse? I know it's campy, but I loved that about the earlier ones.

I didn't post those reviews for my health, Jimbo dog. C'mon.

But to answer your question, it's bloodier than just about anything else, including the original. Rick's arms can be severed, and then he can use them as weapons. It also has fatality-like kills that are more grotesque than Mortal Kombat.

[Scorch]

Eh, now I'm just frustrated. There's some portions where an enemy attacks Rick and he has a "hurt" animation or he'll stumble or whatever, and it leaves him open to other attacks and you can't do a thing about it (there's a scene in Phase 3 with cylinder shaped things with spikes rolling on the ground.. I hit one and he kind of fell down and got hit by another before I even had a chance to get up).. there's also the reverse, I knocked an enemy w/ a weapon down and I tried to continue to hit him but apparently he had an invicibility shield around him.. he stood up and hit me with his weapon while my punches seemed to hit air. I wasn't against a wall or anything and this happened several times. After he struck me, it let me hit him again. Extremely, extremely cheap. I'll pick it up again when it's cheap, but I just sold it.

Oh, also:

Sometimes the subtitles get stuck on the screen and you have to turn them off then back on (or off, but I played the game with them on because sometimes the audio levels were really wonky)
If you have a weapon and hack an enemy that has a weapon in half, the weapon disappears with their body.. but if you hit Y and hack their arm off first, the weapon stays on the ground and you can pick it up.
If you die, expect at least a 30 second load time when you hit continue - WITH the game installed. I don't know how bad it is without it being installed.

Also, what's up with only being able to sprint a couple of steps? You can't even upgrade that either.

[eastx]

GiantBomb review (http://www.giantbomb.com/splatterhouse/61-22968/reviews/) added to OP. 3/5 stars, which isn't bad at all.

[LordVila]

Just beat the game. The game does get very repetitive but for some reason I kept wanting to play it to the end. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of one of the later levels The theme park . The splatterkills were interesting the first time but after that I just wanted to beat the enemy down to keep the flow of the game going. I did like one of the splatterkills Pulling the spinal cord out of the butt .

I think the game is easily worth $20.

[MaxBiaggi3]

Well, Amazon's end-of-year sale went even cheaper than their Black Friday deals. I also got an Amazon gift card for Xmas, so Splatterhouse is now bought and paid for.

I'm a big fan of the series, so I hope I'm not too disappointed. The inclusion of the three old games on the disc (especially the uncensored arcade original) is what sold me on it.

Even if the updated next gen title doesn't work quite right, I'm more than happy to pay $20+ for the compilation of the classic games. I guess poor sales will mean we don't see a sequel. :(