Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Virtual Console update adds speed and gore, lacks swordshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/virtual-console-update-adds-speed-and-gore-lacks-swords/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/virtual-console-update-adds-speed-and-gore-lacks-swords/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/04/virtual-console-update-adds-speed-and-gore-lacks-swords/#commentsFiled under: , ,


There's something about this week's update to the Wii's Virtual Console that just seems off. Maybe it's the odd partnering of a blue marsupial and a lumber-swinging madman, or perhaps it's the noticeable absence of Samurai Shodown II, which SNK said last week would be among this morning's additions. While you work out some conspiracy theories, let's take a look at what new oldies are available.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System, 500 Wii Points): While Sega's 16-bit original has been available for download for a long while, Sonic's 8-bit port changes things up with a handful of new stages, gameplay differences, and cruddier graphics.
  • Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Genesis, 800 Wii Points): There's many ways that we could spend our time waiting to slip on the Terror Mask and bash demons' brains out in Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse redux, but really, what better way is there than to play through the arcade original's 16-bit sequel? The only right answer here is none.

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]]>genesismaster-systemmastersystemsonicsonicthehedgehogsplatterhousevirtual-consolevirtualconsolevirtualconsolemondayJason Dobson2008-08-04T09:30:00+00:00Splatterhouse to feature regeneration mechanic, storyline by Gordon Renniehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/splatterhouse-to-feature-storyline-by-gordon-rennie-regeneratio/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/splatterhouse-to-feature-storyline-by-gordon-rennie-regeneratio/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/29/splatterhouse-to-feature-storyline-by-gordon-rennie-regeneratio/#commentsFiled under: ,

splatterhouse
Click for MOAR gorno!

Namco Bandai made its Splatterhouse redo even more official today, revealing that Killzone scriptwriter Gordon Rennie (better known for Judge Dredd and Necronauts comics, among many others) has signed on to help retell the story of Rick, a college student who attempts to rescue his girlfriend from the evil depths of the sinister West Mansion, only to be transformed by his own inner demons when he dons the ... Terror Mask. Rennie's "original storyline" will deviate from the 1988 arcade game as Rick ventures "beyond the mansion" and into the Sega Genesis sequels to "the ends of the world." But let's be real, this sorta game lives and dies by its blood, guts and gore; not plot twists or character development. Enter: BottleRocket Entertainment.

Gallery: Splatterhouse


Founded by the team behind the ultra-violent PS2 classic, The Mark of Kri, developer BottleRocket ain't about to shy away from the dark shadow cast by the original Splatterhouse. (Fun fact: When Splatterhouse hit arcades in the late 80s, it was the first game to bear a parental advisory disclaimer.) Yes, the trademark 2x4 will make its return, along with other "weapons," including dismembered heads and limbs (fallen foes' bodies can be reanimated to battle alongside Rick or help solve puzzles), but the real gross-out moments come from the new regeneration mechanic. A traditional health bar will be replaced by visual cues seen on the character model. Players will know Rick's hurting because enemies actually dismember him, "savagely tearing away limbs and ripping at his flesh to expose his internal organs." Yikes! And it gets better. The healing process is just as graphic: "To survive, Rick must call upon the power of the Terror Mask to regenerate his mutilated body, allowing players to watch in gory detail as bones, veins, muscles and skin return to his body in real-time" -- just like real life! Oh, and did we mention Rick can "leap" now? It's official: We've just elevated the anticipation status from certified dud to "meh."

Splatterhouse is planned for release in 2009 on Xbox 360 and PS3.

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]]>bottlerocketbreakingnewsgordon-renniegornonamco-bandaisplatterhouseJames Ransom-Wiley2008-05-29T15:30:00+00:00See the first character model from Splatterhousehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/see-the-first-character-model-from-splatterhouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/see-the-first-character-model-from-splatterhouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/see-the-first-character-model-from-splatterhouse/#commentsFiled under: ,


Like good bloggers, we masked our complete lack of excitement for a new Splatterhouse in a milky coating of sarcastic enthusiasm. But after seeing the above character model for the game's (we're betting anti-)hero Rick Taylor ... we kind of wish we'd laid it on a bit thicker. To remove our remaining layers of subtlety: We're saying it looks bad, or, at the very least, underwhelming.

But there, in the distance, is that a ray of hope? Indeed it is, friends, because we also learned today that Splatterhouse is being created by bottleRocket, a developer founded by the team that made the excellent Mark of Kri and sequel Rise of the Kasai. We're still not crazy about the license, but we're definitely more intrigued than we were a few minutes ago.

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]]>bottlerocketsplatterhouseJustin McElroy2008-04-25T08:30:00+00:00Splatterhouse resurrected for 'next-gen' consoleshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/splatterhouse-resurrected-for-next-gen-consoles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/splatterhouse-resurrected-for-next-gen-consoles/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/23/splatterhouse-resurrected-for-next-gen-consoles/#commentsFiled under: , ,


When we think of great gaming experiences that are long overdue for a revival, only one name comes to mind. No, not RocketKnight Adventures (good call though) ... it's Splatterhouse. If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times: storytelling in games needs an injection of creativity! So what better property to invest our trust in than Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse? It's got it all: an evil mansion (the titular Splatterhouse, naturally); a Friday the 13th-style hockey mask ... err, "terror mask"; and a unique protagonist named Rick Taylor fighting gross, puss-filled baddies in a supernaturally enhanced quest to save his girlfriend.

With that said, we're sure you'll relish the news - literally bursting through the cover of next month's EGM - that Splatterhouse has had an ancient Mayan sacrificial mask strapped to its corpse and been resurrected for "next-gen" consoles, on a mission to retrieve money straight out of our wallets. But really, Splatterhouse?

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]]>breakingNewsEGMNacmo-BandaiNamcoSplatterhouseChristopher Grant2008-04-23T13:29:00+00:00Splatterhouse, Double Dungeons due next month on VChttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/splatterhouse-double-dungeons-due-next-month-on-vc/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/splatterhouse-double-dungeons-due-next-month-on-vc/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/splatterhouse-double-dungeons-due-next-month-on-vc/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's time to don your Terror Mask and grab a chainsaw. According to Hudson's Virtual Console list, next month will bring rise to Splatterhouse and Double Dungeons on the Nintendo Wii.

Splatterhouse is a classic gorefest, full of blood and guts and severed hands that flick you off (an homage to Evil Dead II, to be sure). It's a welcome addition the Virtual Console and one of the few titles guaranteed to earn an M rating. Double Dungeon is a first-person RPG similar to Wizardry.

Sega also recently announced four titles, including Vectorman and Beyond Oasis, for release soon, likely in March.

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]]>double dungeonsDoubleDungeonshudsonsplatter houseSplatterHouseturbo grafx 16TurboGrafx16virtual consoleVirtualConsoleRoss Miller2007-02-26T23:25:00+00:00