Splatterhouse Resurrection

ARCADIA · Post by **ARCADIA** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:41 pm

It's a real news!

I don't really like the original (arcade) actually, slippery.

UnscathedFlyingObject · Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:24 pm

You got me interested for a second. I thought they already gave it a name by looking at the title of this thread and there would be more images. I had already seen that about 4 or 5 days ago.

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:30 pm

Ha ha! Nice.

I always enjoyed this series, and still happily play 2 and 3 on my Genesis. It's so violent, that it borders on being comical at times with it's over-the-top way of dispatching zombies and ghouls. It's simple, gory fun.

Now, let's see what Jennifer looks like

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:23 pm

Yay another classic 2D franchise turned into a three dee third-person brawler

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:35 pm

This will be as great as Final Fight: Streetwise

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:38 am

Twiddle wrote:This will be as great as Final Fight: Streetwise

Says who? Developers are BottleRocket, the people behind Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai. Both weren't bad actually.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:58 am

Necronom wrote:
Twiddle wrote:This will be as great as Final Fight: Streetwise
Says who? Developers are BottleRocket, the people behind Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai. Both weren't bad actually.

BR may excel in programming, and even had some clever gameplay mechanics in Mark of the Kri, but all their character designs are boring, generic barbarians without any "soul". Just like that concept art of Rick / Splatterhouse. A massive shadow of FAIL threatens this game.

I still say: Don't let US devs touch japanese franchise (Contra 4? well umm that was a fluke, ok?)

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:59 am

I hope it has more zombies and less parking meters.

Probably still has Glow though.

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:22 pm

Shocky wrote:
Necronom wrote:
Twiddle wrote:This will be as great as Final Fight: Streetwise
Says who? Developers are BottleRocket, the people behind Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai. Both weren't bad actually.
BR may excel in programming, and even had some clever gameplay mechanics in Mark of the Kri, but all their character designs are boring, generic barbarians without any "soul". Just like that concept art of Rick / Splatterhouse. A massive shadow of FAIL threatens this game.

I still say: Don't let US devs touch japanese franchise (Contra 4? well umm that was a fluke, ok?)

How is the new character design any different from the ones of the earlier games? Seriously, the Rick character was never very stylish or complex and ALWAYS very american...being basically nothing else than a ripoff Jason Voorhees with a twist.
This franchise definitely deserves a proper resurrection.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:31 pm

Necronom wrote:
Shocky wrote:
Necronom wrote: Says who? Developers are BottleRocket, the people behind Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai. Both weren't bad actually.
BR may excel in programming, and even had some clever gameplay mechanics in Mark of the Kri, but all their character designs are boring, generic barbarians without any "soul". Just like that concept art of Rick / Splatterhouse. A massive shadow of FAIL threatens this game.

I still say: Don't let US devs touch japanese franchise (Contra 4? well umm that was a fluke, ok?)
How is the new character design any different from the ones of the earlier games? Seriously, the Rick character was never very stylish or complex and ALWAYS very american...being basically nothing else than a ripoff Jason Voorhees with a twist.
This franchise definitely deserves a proper resurrection.

Correct, but the line between good design and bad design can be very subtle. This new picture is like Rick in mutant form in SH3. I really hope he isn't like that all the time. The mask is important. I don't like this new mask, it was better in SH1-2 and Wanpaku Graffiti, even in SH3. And I'm more worried about the OTHER characters... they need to have certain edge to them, to separate them from the hordes of generic mutant monsters of Doom 3 and other fps games. And I'm afraid this is where some japanese genius and originality is needed.

Anyway, I hope BottleRocket prove me wrong and deliver one mean and unapologetic game, filled with clever references to classic gore movies (this was excelled in Wanpaku Graffiti!).

D · Post by D » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:33 pm

Why don;t they just make a FPS out of every game?

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:59 pm

D wrote:Why don;t they just make a FPS out of every game?

I was under the impression that they are doing exactly that.

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:13 pm

Well, the "japanese genius and originality" of the earlier games had definitely strong roots in WESTERN horror films. I mean especially the first one was basically a best-of compilation of all the 70s and 80s cult horror stuff like TCM, Evil Dead, The Fly, Hellraiser etc.
Nowadays, you definitely can't pull off the same designs because quite frankly compared to creature designs of recent games like Silent Hill or Jericho they wouldn't be that disturbing and scary anymore. Imo it would be foolish to assume that the devs don't know that but it should also be pretty clear that this can't be a psychological horror kind of thing like Siren or Silent Hill.
I could imagine that they'll follow a silmilar design route to The Suffering.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:27 pm

yeah that latest silent hill looks really amazing doesn't it

i wonder if there's going to be a stairway to heaven surrounded by floating birdcages

ARCADIA · Post by **ARCADIA** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:14 am

This might be as great as Maximo.

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:04 pm

Necronom wrote:Well, the "japanese genius and originality" of the earlier games had definitely strong roots in WESTERN horror films. I mean especially the first one was basically a best-of compilation of all the 70s and 80s cult horror stuff like TCM, Evil Dead, The Fly, Hellraiser etc.

Sure. It's a simple idea. But why did it come from Japan and not USA? Because that's what the japanese are good at, taking western influences and giving them a treatment that feels fresh and innovative, maybe even twisted. Especially they never cease to amaze me how they use christian religious symbols and ideas (e.g. the cool inverted cross -boss in original Splatterhouse. It was replaced with some less-offensive boss creature in the western TurboGrafx release).

Nowadays, you definitely can't pull off the same designs because quite frankly compared to creature designs of recent games like Silent Hill or Jericho they wouldn't be that disturbing and scary anymore. Imo it would be foolish to assume that the devs don't know that but it should also be pretty clear that this can't be a psychological horror kind of thing like Siren or Silent Hill.
I could imagine that they'll follow a similar design route to The Suffering.

I know. It's not an easy task nowadays. I'm hoping they apply a certain style to this thing, make it stand out with some unique art direction. I would go for a more realistic approach this time, if the main character and "popcorn" enemies were quite subdued, that would leave more room for amazing bosses and nasty surprises. Too bad this image of the new Rick looks to indicate just the opposite.

And again I'm saying this: Only the Japanese have the real ability to surprise. Maybe the French too. The rest of the planet is mainly mimicing what they do. That's why 94% of all the best video games come from Japan. And this is more like a scientific observation than being a fanatic weeaboo (well, maybe a bit of that too

)

heavymetalme · Post by **heavymetalme** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:47 pm

So you're implying that if we fix american horror (as it should be [fingers crossed on new Barker films]) that we can start making better video games as well?

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:22 pm

Shocky wrote:Especially they never cease to amaze me how they use christian religious symbols and ideas (e.g. the cool inverted cross -boss in original Splatterhouse. It was replaced with some less-offensive boss creature in the western TurboGrafx release).

Konami: cross lying slightly on its side (Popols, Castlevania), does damage to bad guys

Namco: As stated, lolz

iD software: e.g. the cool inverted cross

As I see it: one good use, some predictable ones, and American games not far behind.

Post by **Shatterhand** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:29 pm

Popols? Do you mean Pippols?

Shocky · Post by **Shocky** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:33 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote:
Shocky wrote:Especially they never cease to amaze me how they use christian religious symbols and ideas (e.g. the cool inverted cross -boss in original Splatterhouse. It was replaced with some less-offensive boss creature in the western TurboGrafx release).
Konami: cross lying slightly on its side (Popols, Castlevania), does damage to bad guys

Namco: As stated, lolz

iD software: e.g. the cool inverted cross

As I see it: one good use, some predictable ones, and American games not far behind.

Actually I meant a broader context, I mentioned the Splatterhouse cross because it's kind of on-topic here, not because it's particularly ingenious. Check out Neon Genesis Evangelion to see how christianity can finally be put to GOOD use. A more recent example would be the cult with their Savior and general aesthetics in Devil May Cry 4.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:55 pm

Shocky wrote:Check out Neon Genesis Evangelion to see how christianity can finally be put to GOOD use.

Ehhh, nthx.

I think Japan's just sad that they killed off their own Christians three/four hundred years ago (aka Amasuka). Then they turned them into transvestites -> see also: Samurai Shodown 4

ARCADIA · Post by **ARCADIA** » Sat May 03, 2008 1:43 am

Some new images are here

love this one

UnscathedFlyingObject · Sat May 03, 2008 3:40 am

Zombie Hulk meets God of War.

Needs more color.

No bloom so +1.

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Sat May 03, 2008 3:43 am

He looks like the "super" Rick from Splatterhouse 3.

gameoverDude · Post by **gameoverDude** » Sat May 03, 2008 4:22 am

That screen shot looks nice, but the new Splatterhouse needs shotguns, which were sadly missing in part 3. Visible damage on the enemies during battle is something I'd like to see, such as lopping off a boss zombie's arm with the cleaver then having him still come at you.

BR should try doing multiple endings as in part 3, but based on an overall score for the stage rather than just time. They may be able to get the action right after doing Mark of Kri, but here's hoping they can nail the theme well.

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:44 am

Stuff looks cool though I somehow wished they would have kept the claustrophobic mansion setting or come up with something similar. I mean it's still called SplatterHOUSE after all

It also seems that God of War and the Hellboy universe were both big sources of influence. I wouldn't expect too many horror film "quotes" and tributes like in the classic games...
Anyway, anybody intersted in the oldschool splatterhouse games should take a look at the westmansion fan site from time to time. Seems Namco themselves sent him 23 pieces of artwork, some of it quite interesting. Of course there'll be news and screenshots from the new game too

"As it turned out, recently they did acquire some classic Splatterhouse artwork, straight from the Namco Archives in Japan! According to the email I got, some of it was so old that it was on microfiche. They took what they found, cleaned it up and converted it to high-res digital formats, and best of all, they'd be glad to send it to me!"

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

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Sat May 03, 2008 11:10 am

gameoverDude wrote:here's hoping they can nail the theme well.

Not with that ugly fucking sneaker. Those screen shots are an insult to the original arcade game, where the presentation was the most prominent feature anyway. This kind of stuff really saddens me.

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Sat May 03, 2008 12:39 pm

zinger wrote:
gameoverDude wrote:here's hoping they can nail the theme well.
Not with that ugly fucking sneaker. Those screen shots are an insult to the original arcade game, where the presentation was the most prominent feature anyway. This kind of stuff really saddens me.

Are there any particular reasons for your dislike or is it just the usual "OMFG! Fuckers turned it into a 3D game" crap?
...and don't tell me it's because of those ugly sneakers

Btw, according to EGM comic book legend Simon Bisley (2000AD, Slaine) is involved in the project! Let's just hope he does more than just the cover.

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Sat May 03, 2008 1:24 pm

I have nothing against 3D graphics, but can't you see how ignorantly this "repainting" is done? With complete disregard to what the graphics of the original expresses. That's what saddens me, and the sneaker is what really tipped the scales.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat May 03, 2008 1:46 pm

Shatterhand wrote:Popols? Do you mean Pippols?

o ya

zinger wrote:I have nothing against 3D graphics, but can't you see how ignorantly this "repainting" is done? With complete disregard to what the graphics of the original expresses.

I was hoping that Contra 4 would use colors in line with Super Contra. Didn't happen so I got over it.

To be fair to the devs, the original Splatterhouse games defined pea soup gaming. I think the color scheme should be retained, myself, but with the way the gaming industry works I don't see how that would work. "Buy our game, it has the pea-soupiest screens out there!"

1990 EGM says: "A super SCREAM-shot"