Each game is rated for Halloween spirit:

Tame "Trick or Treat?"
Spooky "Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!"
Ghoulish "Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat; call in the spirits, wherever they're at!"
Ghastly "Grim Grinning Ghosts about to socialiiiiize"
Macabre "Now don't close your eyes, and don't try to hide; or a silly spook may sit by your side."

And also rated for "fright factor":

Child's play "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Creepy "I see dead people."
Unnerving "That cold ain't the weather. That's death approaching."
Intense "I know you're there Tina. Because I can smell your brains."
Terrifying "It’s Alive! It’s Alive!"

Splatterhouse serves up a generous portion of glorified violence and gore, and I like that! You control a muscle-bound psycho named Rick who wears a hockey mask just like Jason from Friday the 13th. His girlfriend is being held captive in a mansion, and he'll need to bash his way through a parade of gruesome monsters to save her.

Chained zombies spew green vomit, corpses fall from the ceiling, and giant red slugs burst from chests. You'll fight shambling ghouls, slimy worms, undead werewolves, and a towering dude inspired by Leatherface of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Fortunately there are plenty of potent weapons lying around including two-by-fours, shotguns, and meat cleavers. Smacking a zombie with a board causes it to splatter against the wall, and it looks pretty sweet.

Some side-scrollers are repetitive, but Splatterhouse keeps things fresh with short stages that are full of surprises. You'll battle chairs and silverware in a kitchen, slosh through a sewer, and creep through a room of mirrors. The excellent soundtrack perfectly matches the macabre subject matter. Splatterhouse is the perfect game for Halloween because playing it is like walking through a virtual haunted house.

Originally posted 2013/3/20

I tend to gravitate towards platformers with spooky themes, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not bring myself to like Ghost Manor. The background story is conveyed through about 20 screens of text, and paging through it wouldn't be so bad if they showed more than five words at a time! The game stars a dorky kid with a large head. In the first stage you'll jump between ledges in an underground cavern before making your way up a mountainside. There are a few creepy ghouls in this game and the catchy music is done in the same style as Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES, 1993).

In order to make any progress in Ghost Manor you'll need to locate a key which is tucked away in a really unlikely place. I had to watch a freakin' video on the Internet to find it! I hate it when I have to do stuff like that. The platform jumping is atrocious. Slides give the game a "Chutes and Ladders" feel, but most of the time you're trying to painstakingly move upward on the screen. The ledges are widely spaced and less-than-responsive controls make it hard to judge your leaps.

There are slanted platforms you'll slide off if you don't immediately start jumping around like a flea. Even if you do, you'll sometimes fall right through them anyway. Often the only way to ascend is to catch a ride on a rising spirit or elevator, but waiting for them to come around takes forever! And when you finally reach the upper platforms, trolls and demons appear out of nowhere and send your ass plummeting back to the bottom. With bad controls and poorly designed stages, Ghost Manor is just one big ole bucket of misery.

Originally posted 2013/3/20

Fire up this CD and you'll be treated to the theme song from the original Addams Family television show. It's a nice touch, and for the first time I can actually understand the words! You play the role of cousin Alfred Tully who is looking to cash in on the Addams' family fortune. The action gets off to a rough start as you navigate a graveyard while avoiding golf balls and pools of acid. Then you're forced to fight Uncle Fester while being inundated with spiders and bats. If you can persevere, the game really opens up.

Doors of various colors line the hallways of the mansion, each containing challenges and surprises. You can shoot with your umbrella, and the rapid-fire setting comes in handy. You collect colored keys which gradually give you access to more rooms, and it's fun to see what each one has in store. There's a torture chamber with traps, a conservatory with man-eating plants, a haunted dining hall, and a room with a running train. In Wednesday's bedroom you'll battle a series of possessed toys - including an NES console! Under most circumstances I wouldn't dream of destroying a perfectly good NES, but this thing was trying to kill me!

Exploring is fun but the mansion layout is confusing. Different doors can lead to the same room, and one even dumps you outside of the house! To avoid revisiting the same rooms you may even want to map them out. The graphics are good (check out the audience on the bottom of the screen), and the creepy ghouls come in an amazing variety. The CD-quality audio however is what really steals the show.

The eerie music and spine-tingling sound effects create a chilling aura of foreboding. From the creepy organ music, to the booming thunder, to the cackle of laughter, the audio is absolutely first-rate. The "game over" screen features the sound of crickets, and you'll be hard-pressed to tell if it's coming from your game or from outside. Unfortunately they did not use the actors from the movie for the voices, and that's obvious. Still, the Addams Family is a unique, engaging platformer that's far more interesting than its SNES cousin.

Originally posted 2012/11/1

This rare title, only available in America as an import, is considered by most Castlevania fans to be the best of the series, and they'll get no argument here. Rondo of Blood is visually stunning, even today. The graphics are painstakingly detailed and high resolution, and the use of color is nothing short of brilliant. The demons and creatures you encounter are highly inventive, and effective animations usher in the appearance of bosses. For example, before your encounter with the werewolf, you can see his silhouette in front of the moon in the distance before he leaps into the foreground.

The gameplay is typical Castlevania, where you use your whip and special weapons to battle monsters while collecting items hidden in candles. One aspect I especially like about Dracula X is although you can take multiple paths, the stages don't contain a myriad of confusing staircases like so many other Castlevania titles. I should warn you that this game is extremely hard and will frustrate novice gamers.

Complementing the gorgeous graphics is the best soundtrack I've ever heard in a Castlevania game, along with crisp, distinctive sound effects. You can save your game and return to any stage you've completed. Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is a classic, and if you can get your hands on it, an excellent addition to your Turbo Duo library.

Originally posted 2003/9/3

Much like Altered Beast on the Genesis, this side scroller allows you to transform into wild animals while battling monsters from beyond the grave. I really, really wanted to like this game. The graphics are exceptional, with spooky scenery set in graveyards, catacombs, and deserted villages. Night Creatures looks like a more serious version of Ghouls and Ghosts, and the creatures you encounter make quite an impression.

There are nearly 40 different monsters if you include the bosses, and they tend to be surprisingly creepy. The effective visuals are matched by a haunting refrain that plays in the background. Unfortunately, the gameplay does not live up to the presentation. The interface used to switch weapons and transform is awkward, requiring you to pause the game.

Your character takes a lot of cheap hits and is constantly dying. Even transforming into animals drains your life, so you can only do it sparingly. My best advice is to punch while squatting, which seems to make you much less vulnerable to attack. Night Creatures lets you save your place if you're running on a Turbo Duo, but overall this title feels like a missed opportunity.

Originally posted 2002/5/3

Warlock begins in a picturesque New England town with fiery Autumn trees. As a man in a trenchcoat, you dash through a cornfield until the sky darkens and an evil warlock appears, teleporting all over the place. Once he begins transforming dogs into werewolves you have no choice but destroy them by firing magic blasts from your hands.

Once in the library, this warlock bastard turns innocent college kids into ravenous zombies. It almost doesn't seem right to kill them. It also bothers me how you don't hear their blood-curdling screams until after they've been reduced to dust.

You also have a floating orb which at a glance seems to work like a boomerang. You can send it flying in any direction, potentially inflicting damage on the way and back. Unlike the SNES orb, this one moves in a straight path, heading directly towards an enemy before passing harmlessly over its head! Who in the heck designed this game?

The graphics are noticeably less detailed than the SNES and the audio a bit hollow. I did however appreciate the fact that monsters require a lot less hits to kill. Werewolves for example can be destroyed with one shot instead of three. But before you get too excited, your guy can absorb a lot less hits, so call it a wash.

This Genesis version is also hampered by awkward controls, requiring you to press the directional pad in conjunction with the start button to use spells. Whenever the start button plays a key role in any game, it's bad news. That said, this game feels slightly more playable than its SNES cousin.

Warlocks lets you explore creepy places like castles, dungeons, and graveyards, and they look terrific. I like the simple password system. Too bad the game plays so poorly. Most players will give up in frustration and miss out on most of the fine visuals Warlock has to offer.

Originally posted 2021/11/2

When classic gamers hear "Ghostbusters", it instantly induces PTSD flashbacks of the mind-numbing 1984 game. Rest assured Ghostbusters on the Genesis is nothing like that, playing like your garden-variety 16-bit platform shooter.

There are three playable Ghostbusters, which begs the question "Where the hell is Winston?!" The characters sport oversized heads and look more like serial killers than the actors they represent.

A city map which serves as a stage select, which would be great if the stages were any good. But they are just generic indoor mazes of platforms, ladders, and staircases to nowhere.

There's an apartment stage with slippery frozen platforms and the house loaded with meandering flames. And why would a Ghostbusters game have so much swimming?! Oh well, it's always a thrill when the Stay Puft Marshmallow man appears in the highrise.

Unimaginative enemies include floating knives and coffee cups that can withstand about 20 shots each. The bouncing amoebas and floating eyeballs would be more suitable for a Metroid (NES, 1986) game. At least Slimer looks good.

Random bosses include a dragon, centipede, and headless dude that takes an eternity to kill. Upon losing a life, you pick up exactly where you left off, which is very convenient when you're in the middle of a boss battle.

The controls are fair. I like how you can fire diagonally without moving. Being able to shoot while crawling is also nice, except for the fact that you can't reverse direction. And when you take a hit it's practically guaranteed you'll get bounced into the nearest pit or bed of spikes.

Ghostbusters features an item shop but most of the stuff doesn't seem very useful. I'll lob bombs directly on a boss and they seem to have no effect. The Ghostbusters theme sounds like an off-kilter remix, and some of the other music has a weird carnival vibe.

Ghostbusters misses the mark in a major way. It looks sharp but the gameplay feels awfully by-the-numbers. Worst for all, this game fails to capture the sense of fun and whimsy of the original film.

Originally posted 2021/11/2

This offbeat platformer doesn't make much sense but it's a heck of a lot of fun. Decap Attack stars an eccentric mummy named "Chuck D. Head". Chuck can rapid-fire punch foes with a head that bursts from his chest. Yes, that is awesome. Occasionally he's equipped with a skull on his shoulders he can hurl, but it's really easy to lose. I love how the skull changes expressions when you leave it sitting on the ground.

The platform action is responsive as you hop between platforms, stomp cartoonish monsters into the dirt, and smash totems to collect potions. You can land on gray clouds and flutter in the air to slow your fall. The assortment of enemies include werewolves, cattle skulls, dudes with propeller hats, and black birds that look like Daffy Duck on crack. Your goal is to reach the exit of each stage, although it's not always clear where that lies.

Potions you collect become available for use on an item screen accessible by the A button. You can use this screen to read descriptions of each item, but the user interface is terrible! It would help if the scrolling text could display more than five words at a time! It's very easy to accidentally use an item you didn't intend to. These short-lived power-ups offer invincibility, extended punch range, and high jumping. Don't hesitate to use the potions, as most do not work on the bosses!

Decap Attack's stages depict barren landscapes with skulls hanging from trees. I think they are intentionally bleak to convey a Halloweenish spirit, and it works. I really like those translucent platforms. The weird, jaunty music is great, and I love that creepy organ music that kicks in when you die. The lack of a score and password is a bummer, but it's fun just to see how far you can get. Decap Attack may look like your garden variety platformer but proves to be anything but.

Originally posted 2017/10/16

Although clearly inferior to the SNES edition of Addams Family in terms of graphics and sound, I still find myself gravitating towards this Genesis version. Maybe because it's a little easier? You can rack up plenty of lives, and that's crucial because Addams Family is tough! You play the role of Gomez, but he looks more like John Astin's Gomez from the TV series.

The controls are a little slippery but the jumps feel nice and soft. I would like to say the collision detection is forgiving but frankly it's kind of hard to tell when you're taking damage. There are some cool weapons in this game like golf balls you can bounce along the ground and a sword you can poke up or forward. The mansion's "hall of stairs" contains many doors which function as a stage select. Some rooms you get to explore include a conservatory, kitchen, armory, furnace, and game room. You can even explore outdoor areas.

What makes the stages hard is how they are jam-packed with weird enemies like rats on unicycles, rabbits wearing sneakers, Jawas, pissed-off tea kettles, and guys riding ostriches a la Joust. Enemies are unpredictable, often changing directions as you're about to pounce. Expect all the obligatory environmental hazards like shooting flames, swinging maces, and spikes.

There's even an ice stage for your troubles - complete with penguins! Vertical spikes are obviously deadly, but why do I take damage while standing on a horizontal one? If you find yourself stuck in this game, look for semi-obstructed on/off switches. Addams Family is a fun little romp but all this random nonsense tends to undermine its macabre spirit.

Originally posted 2017/10/4

Scooby-Doo Mystery is a throwback to the point-and-click adventures that were once popular on the PC. You can play two separate mysteries - one set in a snowy hotel and the other at a carnival by the sea. Each begins with a scene of the van cruising down a road to the sound of that familiar Scooby Doo theme song. A conversation in the van sets up the premise, and for the first time in video game history the text dialogue is displayed at perfect reading speed. Amazing! It also nicely reflects the personalities (and speech impediments) of the characters.

Once you arrive at your destination the gang splits up and you assume control of Shaggy and Scooby. You can move freely between areas but interaction requires you to point with the cursor after selecting a command at the bottom of the screen like "look" or "use". The user interface is pretty clunky, and I got tired of dragging that slow-ass cursor around the screen. The illustrated scenery in Scooby Doo Mystery is terrific, but key items and entrances tend to blend in. There are only a few animations but they are amusing.

To solve a mystery you'll converse with people, move obstacles, search for clues, and even piece items together. The game would have been a winner if the puzzles made sense, but more often that not, they defy logic! In the hotel you'll need to open every door in a long hallway before the one at the end magically becomes unlocked.

In the carnival you'll use taffy to start an electric generator. Nonsense like that forces you into trial-and-error mode (or better yet, FAQ mode). I was glad to see a save function until I realized it required writing down a 30-character sequence - with special characters no less! Scooby-Doo Mystery had the potential for spooky fun, but its poorly-constructed puzzles are unforgivable.

Originally posted 2010/10/20

Your enjoyment of this game will largely depend on if you've played the SNES version (which was released first). If you haven't, then Zombies Ate My Neighbors is an engaging, light-hearted romp with a Halloween theme. Its 55 stages (!) of overhead shooting mayhem will take you into zombie-ravaged neighborhoods, hedge mazes terrorized by chainsaw maniacs, and beaches crawling with Creature From The Black Lagoon clones.

One or two players can battle these evil minions by tossing everyday objects like tomatoes, plates, pop-sickles, and footballs. The whimsical soundtrack perfectly complements the action, and an easy-to-read password is provided after every few stages. Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a good game, but if you cut your teeth on the SNES version, you're bound to be disappointed.

First off, the right side of the screen is reserved for scoring and the radar display, forcing the main play area to be somewhat squished. The graphics don't look nearly as sharp as the SNES, and the certain visual effects are missing altogether. For example, monsters don't turn blue when you freeze them with a fire extinguisher.

But the audio is the biggest letdown. The music is muted and some sounds have been reduced to simple beeps. The bass-heavy effects that rocked the SNES just sound harsh. My friend Scott remarked, "it gets more and more disappointing with each sound effect!" The only way this edition improves upon the original is the red blood that drips down the "game over" screen, as opposed to that cheesy purple goo of the SNES edition.

Originally posted 2010/10/20

Haunting starring Polterguy is one of those unique novelty games. You're a teenage ghost out to avenge the family that inadvertently caused your demise through their faulty-manufactured skateboards. Polterguy is a ghost of the 90's, talking about people "dissing him" and sporting a high-top haircut. His mischievous antics, unbridled energy, and green appearance call to mind The Mask starring Jim Carrey. To be fair, this game was released a year before that film.

The idea is to scare the four family members out of a series of maze-like houses. The graphics are impressive. Each room is lavishly decorated with furniture and decor. You can "haunt" various items in each room by hopping in and out of them via the A button. The people are drawn to these, and when they approach something scary/wacky occurs.

These brief but amusing "scare" animations include knives flying out of a drawer, a levitating rocking chair, or a body falling out of a grandfather clock. In the shower, a hot babe in a towel does a little dance before revealing her body to be a rotting corpse! In the game room, a basketball player shoots his head through a hoop, only to have it fall into the fish tank below, turning the water blood red. Some animations are more weird than scary, like the stereo that transforms into a robot, or the plant that spawns a swarm of bees.

You need to collect green ectoplasm to "survive", but frankly it's kind of hard to come by. When a person flees a room you might collect a drop or two. When you run out, you're transported to a dungeon which is basically "time out" for ghosts. While traversing a maze you need to grab green globs while avoiding obstacles like holes in the floor and fists coming out of the wall. The globs appear one at a time, making the process of gathering them painfully slow and tedious.

If you manage to scare all four family members, it's off to a new house. I have to admit the rooms are meticulously detailed and there are a remarkable number of "haunt" animations and dramatic reactions! Sometimes the victims will even pee themselves! Still, I can't help but think this game would have been a better fit on the SNES. The grainy graphics make it hard to tell what's going on at times, and the voice/scream samples are very scratchy.

There's really nothing else like it, but Haunted starring Polterguy is kind of a one-trick-pony. Outside of the animations, the gameplay is kind of a drag. Haunting is one of those games that you don't mind playing once, but if someone asked you to play it again you'd probably respond with "no thank you".

Originally posted 2023/11/4

I loved the movie, but this video game adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula lacks the style and striking visuals of the motion picture. The stages look so drab and generic, you have to wonder if the developers even got to preview the film. Instead of tracing the movie's storyline the game follows various journeys of the character Jonathan Harker (as played by Keanu Reeves).

Most stages are set in maze-like cottages and castles, but there are also forests where you jump between tree branches (that's original). You'll battle a random assortment of creatures from rats to skeletons to giant spiders. Occasionally you'll run into some old man with an object in a thought bubble over his head. I assume that's something I need to collect, but what the hell is it?! A tooth? A muffler? WTF? Who is this old man anyway?

Some bosses seem terribly out of place, most notably that fire-breathing dragon! Although it's not very faithful to the film, the platform action is respectable thanks to crisp controls and a helpful arrow at the top of the screen. The worst aspect of the game are the cheap spear traps that spring up from under your feet. Some of the puzzles don't make any sense, like the one where you cut loose a weight to cause an underground passage to open. The bosses aren't insurmountable because they retain damage between your lives.

In one particularly scary stage you're chased by Dracula's floating maidens, and there's a real sense of urgency. The musical score is creepy enough and occasionally strikes a Ghouls 'N Ghosts (Genesis, 1989) chord. Bram Stoker's Dracula was probably rushed out the door to cash in on the film, but I still enjoyed playing it. Just remember to steer clear of the SNES edition, which looks the same but is far less playable.

Originally posted 2014/10/24

Bloodlines was a big deal back in the day, marking Castlevania's long-awaited debut on a Sega console! Was it worth the wait? Well, compared to the SNES, the characters look smaller and less sharp. The musical score doesn't resonate as well as it does on the SNES. The opening stages seem somewhat random, with dinosaur skeletons and staircases inexplicably leading into the sky.

You can select between two playable characters which ratchets up the replay value substantially. John Morris is armed with a whip that can also be used to swing on. Eric Lecarde has a slower spear attack but is armed with special moves like a mega jump and spinning lance.

All the standard enemies are here including leaping lizards, fire-breathing dragon skulls, floating medusa heads, and charging minotaurs. The skeletons here actually throw their own heads! That's what I call job dedication! You'd never catch me doing that at work! Slashing candles reveals power-ups and gems that look more like letter C's. The first boss is a window-shattering werewolf that introduces a frightening degree of slowdown.

The controls are what make Bloodlines great. They feel so natural, its SNES counterparts feel stiff by comparison. You can attack diagonally and even jump to and from stairways! I love how zombies fall apart when hit, but most creatures just go up in blue flames. Every stage features unique challenges and amazing set pieces. You knock the heads off huge statues in flooded Greece. You'll battle zombie soldiers in a German munitions factory. In Italy you'll take a vertigo-inducing journey up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Bloodlines has a great password feature and I love how using a continue lets you pick up near where you left off. It may not be as flashy as its SNES cousins, but this game is an absolute pleasure to play. In fact, it dawned on me that this may the most playable Castlevania game of all time.

Originally posted 2022/10/27

This superb sequel to Ghosts 'N Goblins (NES, 1986) plays like a lighthearted medieval romp with a horror movie flavor (think Army of Darkness). Ghouls and Ghosts boasts rich graphics, fantastic playability, and a killer soundtrack. Playing the role of a knight, you must forge through an ever-changing landscape of skeleton-infested graveyards, burning townships, and a castle of evil demons (are there another kind?). You'll face skull-spewing plants, hopping turtles, vomiting trolls, and a towering statue that carries his fireball-spewing head.

I love the animations and subtle details in the layered backgrounds. Skeletons peek out from behind trees and feathers fly when you hack a vulture. In the opening stage check out the twisted trees and hanging corpses in the distance. Later a storm moves in and whips the trees around as lightning cracks the sky, creating a terrific macabre atmosphere.

Ghouls and Ghosts has tremendous depth as well. Chests reveal weapons, armor, and sometimes a magician who temporarily transforms you into a chicken or an elderly man (Hint: you can kill the magician before he casts his spell). Weapons include knives, axes, swords, a discus that skims the ground, and "fire-water" which deals damage over a wide area. Most weapons have a secondary magic effect triggered by holding down the attack button for several seconds. Taking a hit causes your armor to fall off, and you'll need to scamper around in your boxer shorts until you find a new suit.

A rollicking musical score perfectly complements the medieval hijinks. If Ghouls and Ghosts has a flaw, it might be its outrageous difficulty. The section where you have to jump between the tongues of the stone faces is absolute murder! Even so, the monumental challenge is part of the game's allure. You get unlimited continues, and you may find yourself using most of them into the wee hours of the morning. With the exception of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ghouls and Ghosts is the quintessential Genesis title.

Originally posted 2010/11/20

The original Splatterhouse (Turbografx-16, 1990) was a gory hash-n-slash side-scroller. Parents hated it and kids loved it. Splatterhouse 2 expands upon the premise by incorporating more stages, creepy special effects, amazing bosses, and a much-needed password mechanism. The developers were clearly influenced by classic horror flicks like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Hellraiser, and Nightmare on Elm Street.

The intro sets the mood nicely as a camera pans over a stormy countryside as a dark mansion slowly moves into view. You begin outside of the house, and it's clear that these ghouls have not been keeping up with their yard work. As monsters approach you can literally punch them in half, and it does wonders for the self esteem (yours - not theirs). Most ghouls look like walking masses of quivering muscle and come in a delightful assortment of shapes and colors.

There's no shortage of splattering blood and guts, but it tends to be green, so parents shouldn't have an issue with it. Splatterhouse 2 lets you do stuff you rarely get to do in real life, like bludgeon an alien with a giant dinosaur bone. The first boss arrives early in the form of an obese creature that spews green acid. He's followed by the obligatory elevator stage, and this is where things start to get a little repetitive.

You gradually figure out how to defeat each creep, but their attacks tend to nickel and dime your life bar. By the time you encounter a boss (like that hideous giant face) you're half dead. As stages progress the monsters can absorb more and more hits, causing the fun factor to diminish. The digitized sound effects and scary music are good but not great. Splatterhouse 2 doesn't feel as a fresh as the original, but at least it stays true to its spirit.

Originally posted 2013/4/4

The first two Splatterhouse games were a celebration of macabre fun and gratuitous gore, and Splatterhouse 3 tries to take the series to the next level. Once again our mask-wearing hero "Rick" must save his girlfriend Jennifer by beating freaky creatures to a bloody pulp. Next time these monsters might want to consider kidnapping the girlfriend of somebody less mentally unstable. Splatterhouse 3's graphics are pretty good. In fact, some of the digitized cut-scenes are among the most impressive you'll see on the Genesis. I especially enjoyed the scene with the text "the monster emits a foul smell and moves closer to Jennifer".

Unlike the previous games where Rick could only move sideways, he can now move all around the screen. He has a bunch of new attacks like jump-kicks, combination punches, throws, and head butts. Splatterhouse 3 even gives you a map so you can choose your own route through the mansion. This would have added a lot of replay value if the rooms weren't all the same! This game is just a series of protracted brawls with the same gang of slimy creatures that take too long to defeat. And just when you thought you've cleared a room, a new set of ghouls drop in from the ceiling. Gah! You can strike several at a time, and pinning them against walls is effective.

The problem is, these creatures can take a hell of lot of abuse, and some bosses require about 100 hits! It is nice how creatures exhibit damage as you wear them down. Some will have the top of their heads collapse halfway through the battle, which is gruesome but fun. Rooms not full of ghouls contain flying books and disembodied hands that chip away at your life. The rooms are furnished but there's not much to see. Splatterhouse 3 doesn't bother to keep score so it's just a matter of persevering until the end. The game has a few good ideas, but repetitive fighting action proves to be its undoing.

Originally posted 2013/4/4

My friends and I play Nightmare in the Dark without fail every October, and I'm telling you this game has aged like wine! Nightmare in the Dark is a co-op platformer with an irresistible Halloween theme. There's nothing quite like it in terms of style. Its core gameplay however does have a lot in common with Snow Brothers (NES, 1991).

Each player controls a cloaked crypt keeper holding a little lantern. Each macabre stage features a unique platform configuration crawling with zombies, skeletons, hunchbacks, and ghosts. The monsters are animated in a whimsical manner, with skeletons that fall on their face after stumbling off a platform.

Nightmare in the Dark's colorful backdrops depict shadowy graveyard scenes, and they add a lot of ambiance. A catchy musical score further adds to the fun. Once these tunes get into your head, you'll be bopping right along. I used to think the music was too upbeat, but it's too good to dislike, and it does possess a slight macabre undercurrent.

Tapping the fire button lets you rapidly chuck flames at approaching creatures, setting them ablaze and stopping them in their tracks. Eventually they will become engulfed in a ball of fire, but in the meantime other creatures tend to close in on you, adding excitement and suspense. Once ignited, you can carry the fireball and set it into motion, causing it to quickly carom around the screen, taking out all creatures in its path! It's very satisfying, especially as you gather up gems and potions that appear in their wake.

Bosses include a Frankenstein monster, a huge skull carriage, and a pair of gargoyles. These cannot be defeated directly, but instead by tossing their burning minions at them! It's easy to run out of real estate against these behemoths, but keep in mind that when you fall off the screen on the bottom, you fall back in on top! Once defeated, you'll frantically try to collect the treasures that pour forth, as they only remain on the screen for a few seconds.

Slow-down does creep in when things get hectic in the two-player co-op mode. It can be pretty pronounced at times but the action remains smooth so at least you won't lose sight of what's going on. Nightmare in the Dark is a fantastic one-of-a-kind gem. For the life of me I can't figure out why it never got a sequel.

Originally posted 2023/10/25

If you ever get a chance to play Warlock, stare intently at the beautiful autumn foliage and scenic covered bridges of the opening stage because that is the best part of the game and frankly it's not even close. You're a guy in a blue trenchcoat running through this idyllic landscape when the old dude from Phantasm appears and the sky grows dark and ominous. He starts transforming dogs into werewolves and the effect looks pretty cool.

After you duck into a library, the evil warlock begins turning innocent students into those fake-looking zombies from Corpse Killer (Sega CD, 1994). You can fire "magic blasts" from your hands to turn them to dust, but everything takes several shots to kill. It's hard to change directions, which is aggravating when being approached on both sides.

You're also armed with this worthless levitating orb thingy. You can send it flying in various directions, but it moves in an erratic zig-zag pattern and doesn't do much damage. Spells are available but I never really got a good grip on how to effectively use them.

There's a lot of stages but they are repetitive. In stage two you explore caves with dripping acid and giant spiders that burrow up from below. You can't shoot low enough to hit them and they're too wide to jump over, so you're just taking damage constantly. After taking a hit you get a few seconds of invincibility, so take advantage of that and get moving!

In one particularly unpleasant graveyard stage you'll face a series of animated statues. One is a lion you have to defeat to pass. The problem is, it won't come to life unless you're practically on top of it. Apparently somebody thought this was a good idea.

The best aspect of Warlock is its graphics. The blood red sky in the graveyard stage looks striking, especially with those eerie green lights emanating from the crypts in the distance. This feels more fleshed out than the Genesis game, with clear digitized sounds and vivid graphical detail. It's a shame the gameplay is so marginal. Warlock is intriguing for the first few minutes, but once the fun factor goes into freefall you'll be forgiven for not wanting to stick around.

Originally posted 2021/10/31

It took me a long time to give Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt a try, probably because I associate the term "scavenger hunt" with "wild goose chase". I wasn't far off. The title screen plays a fine rendition of the Addams Family theme so true to the original I expected voices to kick in! Based on a cartoon series, little Pugsley must collect items strewn throughout an old mansion. The game looks like a million bucks with its crisp graphics, fluid animation, and jaunty musical score.

I love how you can select your stage by visiting various rooms including the attic, laboratory, and bathroom. It's fun to discover hidden areas, collect dollar signs, and rack up big points. Simple run-and-jump controls let you pounce on marching knights, floating rubber ducks, and rolling eyeballs. The platforming action is crazy hard. I'm supposed to collect a laundry list of items but I can't even make it through one stage!

Dangers lurk everywhere as Pugsley sprints below guillotines, ducks under fireballs, and rides flying cannonballs. There are falling spears, swooping insects, and spikes everywhere you look. The crystal ball stage looks amazing with Grandma peering in, but that circular view makes it hard to see where you're going. Low ceilings provide minimal headroom and enemies can throw projectiles through walls.

This game is like a war of attrition and you'll hear a lot of farting sounds as you take hits. Just accept the fact you're going to take a beating and hope you have enough hearts (and luck) to persevere. The worst part of the game are the controls for leaping off chains and ropes! I always end up bumping my head and falling into spikes. Getting through Pugley's Scavenger Hunt requires practice and memorization. The game is well-programmed but I really wish the designers had known when to say when.

Originally posted 2020/11/30

The Adventures of Dr. Franken is a mediocre platformer starring a hip, zany version of the Frankenstein monster. You know he's cool because he's dressed in beachwear including sandals and shades. The unlikely premise is that Frankenstein is taking his girlfriend on a vacation to New York City and decides to save money by mailing over her "parts" ahead of time. It's actually not a bad idea!

When the packages get misdirected however Frank must travel all over the globe to retrieve them. I hate it when that happens! The first stage takes place in an expansive castle with dancing books, critters in the toilet, and monsters prowling the hallways. Navigating the stairs is so confusing! I just keep finagling with the controller until it does what I want. A bizarre assortment of foes include tornado monsters, zombie cooks, grim reapers, and flying green heads with propellers.

You have plenty of moves at your disposal including a fireball attack that freezes enemies in place. I hate how the "kick left" and "kick right" buttons behave differently depending on the direction you're facing. Forgiving collision detection makes it easy to dispatch ghouls, but once they overlap you your health will drain to nothing. Stages branch after the first but they tend to be more irritating than spooky.

In England airplanes bomb you from out of nowhere, and in Italy brick walls obscure your view of catacombs. It's really hard to tell what the heck you can or can't jump on. The music isn't bad and I enjoyed the zany sound effects. What I hate is how it says you have "one life" on the bottom of the screen yet when you die it's game over. A continue option would have been nice, but no - you always have to restart at the castle. The Adventures of Dr. Franken has a few good ideas but I'm afraid they're overshadowed by a metric ton of bad ones.

Originally posted 2019/10/22

This SNES edition of Addams Family feels like a second-rate Super Mario knockoff with Gomez substituted for Mario. You'll hop on moving platforms, pounce on enemies, hit switches, and avoid constant hazards. The cartoonish graphics are clean but minimal, and if not for the huge character portraits lining the walls you might forget you were even playing an Addams Family game!

The selectable stages are a series of rooms including a conservatory, kitchen, and trap-laden "game room." Would you believe they even managed to incorporate an obligatory ice stage? Your adversaries are a weird hodgepodge of random creatures. The ghosts, bats, spiders, mummies, and skulls make sense, but why are there jack-rabbits hopping all over the place? Are those Jawas in the graveyard? Did I just see a bird from Joust?? This game suffers from an identity crisis!

Its gameplay mirrors Super Mario to an alarming degree. Power-ups let you fire bouncing balls or hover in the air. Others provide sparkly invincibility. The spiked balls on chains and oversized cannons look as if they were imported directly from Bowser's castle. The collision detection is forgiving, but sometimes it's hard to tell if you're dealing damage or taking it. You get plenty of lives but minimal health, so expect a lot of one-hit deaths. I do like the audio, especially the reverberation effects in the caves. Failing to capture the spirit of the movie, Addams Family feels like a shallow platformer with a movie license slapped on top. If you want something fun and inventive, stick with the Turbo Duo version.

Originally posted 2013/11/20

Addams Family Values isn't anything to write home about, but at least it makes an effort to capture the spirit of the film, which is more than I can say for the first game. Playing as Uncle Fester, you explore forests, gardens, swamps, and dungeons on your quest to find Baby Pubert. You begin in a misty graveyard, and the enticing gothic visuals convey a nice Halloween vibe. The production values are terrific; even the menu screens sport eye-catching details and animations. The impressive audio delivers a brooding musical score and jarring sound effects. After cranking up my stereo, the sound of crashing thunder made me jump out of my chair!

Family Values is an overhead adventure in the spirit of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992). As you move between contiguous screens you'll collect items and enter perilous underground dungeons loaded with traps, puzzles, and prowling creatures. Other characters from the films wander the stages to offer clues, and their dialogue nicely conveys the demented humor of the film. Fester's default weapon is lightning that shoots from his fingers, which is narrow but effective. The problem is, it loses range as you take damage, making it progressively harder (and increasingly frustrating) to defend yourself.

Enemies include skeletons, trolls, and ravenous plants, but mostly irritating small creatures like floating eyeballs and hopping mushrooms. Since you can't aim with precision, these pesky creatures are annoyingly hard to hit, and Fester is a huge target for them. The overhead view is slightly tilted, so stone pillars and trees tend to obstruct your vision. It's not uncommon to incur damage from spikes or enemies totally hidden from sight!

The puzzles don't make a lot of sense, so pressing a button might open a gate in another area. The graveyard is well designed, but the swamp is just a boring maze of bogs. After using one of your unlimited continues, you're tossed back in the fray with a single ounce of life! That's frustrating - especially when you subsequently keel over after being touched by a moving bush (yes - a freakin' bush). There's a password feature, but you'll need to make a lot of progress to be issued one. I wanted to like Addams Family Values with its macabre atmosphere and Zelda-style gameplay, but I found it to be more aggravating than enjoyable.

Originally posted 2013/11/20

You may find it hard to get yourself psyched up for a Porky Pig game, but Haunted Holiday is no joke! This whimsical platformer is a heck of a lot of fun and loaded with surprises. Porky begins his journey in a haunted graveyard, and this weird stage somehow manages to incorporate both Halloween and Christmas elements. Subsequent stages put Porky in a Wild West ghost town, the water kingdom of Atlantis, and the snowy Alps. Swimming through Altantis is slow going, but the other stages are ideal in length.

Porky's jump-and-pounce action is satisfying thanks to responsive controls and exaggerated sound effects. Warner Bros cartoon fans will notice familiar sights like the two-headed vulture, a prancing dog, and bats with big eyes. Certain enemies are kind of disturbing, like the mounted moose head that scampers around! Yikes! Leprechauns split in two when you pounce on them, and I was surprised they appeared to be smoking pipes. My friend Scott reassured me however that those are not pipes but guns. God forbid we expose kids to the horrors of smoking!

The stage backgrounds are very artistic, and there are random weather effects and some impressive 3D scaling. Ironically the worst looking thing in the entire game is Porky himself, who appears somewhat pixelated. The music is pretty amazing and the digitized sound effects include Daffy Duck's maniacal laugh. The oversized bosses are memorable including Yosemite Sam and a Ghost in a top hat. Haunted Holiday is definitely on the easy side, but that just makes it all the more appealing. As my friend Chris remarked, "it makes you want to keep going!"

Originally posted 2013/1/15

Arriving four years after Super Castlevania IV (Konami, 1991), Castlevania Dracula X was a highly controversial title. Castlevania fans were expecting a port of the critically acclaimed Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (Turbografx-16, 1993). Instead they got something more in line with the original NES trilogy. Some may consider it a step back but it's still oozing with Castlevania goodness.

The graphics are about on par with IV. Dracula X opens with some nifty fire effects in a burning village. Later you'll forge through elegant ballrooms, clock towers, mines, and moonlit crypts. You'll crack your whip at levitating medusa heads, ax-tossing knights, floating eyeballs, and fire-breathing dragon statues. Strange how dog skeletons look a lot creepier than human skeletons.

If you're used to playing Castlevania IV, the controls may throw you for a loop. You can only whip straight ahead, so if a candle is over your head you need to jump high and crack your whip at the apex. Pressing up while attacking hurls special weapons, typically knives, axes, or holy water. I miss being able to tap the shoulder button, but it's still satisfying to whip out three daggers at a time.

The jumping feels different too, but not in a good way. You can control which way you're facing in midair but you can't adjust how far you jump. You really need to measure the distance, often taking a step back before taking your leap. I hate how you fall back when taking a hit, even when hit from behind, often sending you to an undeserved demise.

Dracula X is more challenging than Castlevania IV and I think more addictive. The music is classic Castlevania, and the clarity of guitar strings being plucked is amazing. Crisp sound effects add to the fun, especially those of crumbling bones. The password is a grid of nine symbols, and the kid who originally owned my instruction manual was considerate enough to jot down a few! Dracula X for SNES may not have been everything fans were expecting, but it's pretty solid when judged on its own merits.

Originally posted 2023/10/28

As the first Castlevania to appear on a 16-bit system, Super Castlevania IV was everything a fan could ask for and more. This huge action/adventure improves upon the original NES trilogy in every way. Assuming the role of vampire hunter Simon Belmont, you'll forge through mountains, graveyards, forests, ruins, and rivers on your quest to confront Dracula.

The ability to direct your whip in any direction is very convenient and lots of fun. Striking candles on the walls reveal hearts and power-ups. Typically I'd be reluctant to eat an old pork chop that falls out of a candle, but this game taught me that it's perfectly safe. Who says games aren't educational?

Along with shambling zombies, nervous skeletons, and swooping medusa heads, there are plenty of new foes. Are those hedgehogs rolling around that platform? Is that Michael Myers rising from the grave? The floating horse heads in particular really tend to freak me out. Not sure why but probably because they are floating horse heads.

Special weapons include spinning crosses, holy water, and a clock that freezes enemies in their tracks. It's nice how you can hit the right trigger to rapidly throw knives. Striking down foes results in a dazzling display of flames and flying body parts.

I love the colorful castle scenery, and often you'll spot objects in the distance that foreshadow what's to come. Still, the pristine scenery tends to undermine the dark, gothic tone of the series. While the opening heroic musical score is well done, some of the more delicate arrangements seem a bit out of place.

Slow-down rears its ugly head on occasion, especially when you fight those pesky mud men that divide when hit. The swinging chandelier screen drives me crazy. You enter it by walking up stairs, but if your thumb is still anywhere near the direction pad when the new screen appears, you'll immediately step over the edge and plunge to your death.

Several continues are available along with a symbol-based password. This is a good Castlevania game for beginners, but it lacks the edge of Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis, 1994) or the theatrics of Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (T16, 1993). Still, when it comes to sheer playability, Super Castlevania IV makes it easy to get in the zone.

Originally posted 2023/10/28

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Genesis, 1993) was a serviceable platformer but this SNES edition is an utter abomination. I refuse to believe someone actually play-tested this steaming pile of donkey excrement. Unlike the Genesis version, you begin with a dagger instead of a sword, and it has a range of about a half inch. Stuck in a wooden lodge with rampaging wolves and spear-toting lesbians, you'll suffer plenty of damage before you'll even locate the sword. It doesn't help that every creature takes at least three hits to kill.

The stunning visuals of the movie have been replaced by lackluster stages rendered in muted brown tones. As you forge through cottages, forests, and castles you'll come across foes never seen in the movie like giant spiders and skeletons. For some reason every enemy explodes when you kill it - including a swarm of flies! That's just stupid. The number of cheap hits is outrageous. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to deal with those spear traps. On the Genesis I could sprint through them and sacrifice some life, but in this game you suffer too much damage and instantly die. Other cheap hazards include boulders and giant spiders that fall directly on your head without warning.

This game is so sloppy I actually encountered a knife-wielding thug on a bridge who was facing the wrong direction, stabbing away at thin air. Outside of Dracula and his maidens, the bosses are random and generic. The soundtrack reminds me of that old song "Take My Breath Away" (by Berlin) but the audio is marred by constant random grunting sounds. Who in the [expletive] is making those noises?! At least the Genesis version of Bram Stoker's Dracula was playable; this doesn't even feel like a finished product.

Originally posted 2014/10/30

Frankenstein's monster was one seriously miserable bastard, and thanks to this game, you can be one too! Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the most deplorable platformers I've had to endure. The first stage is set in a village during a rainstorm, which seems like a reasonable place for the monster to be on the prowl.

The problem is, the manner in which he limps around in that cloak makes him look like an old woman trying to catch a bus for crying out loud! And when he stoops down to smack kids in the ankles with his cane, it just looks pathetic. Considering his haggard walk, it's quite a revelation when he leaps about ten feet into the air! He's the Air Jordan of monsters!

Getting through the first level requires a degree of perseverance unknown to man. You'll aimlessly hop around window ledges, ride moving platforms, walk through empty hallways, and pull random switches. Due to poor jumping controls you tend to either over-jump or hit your head on something and fall short. And there is no rhyme or reason to these switches. Pulling one might trigger something in a different part of the stage, but who the [expletive] knows?! The effects seem to be on some kind of time delay so there's never any positive reinforcement.

I truly hate how defeated enemies disappear in a little puff of smoke - that looks so cheesy. The second level is set in a catacomb where you stumble around in near total darkness. This time you slide around blocks that cause ledges to randomly appear and disappear (*barf*). In the third stage you're running around the great outdoors experiencing the joy of getting caught in bear traps while being pummeled by birds.

The music is pretty good, but not in a scary way, and that's a problem! I noticed there were no FAQs available for the game, which doesn't surprise me. No human could withstand the pain of seeing this one through to the bitter end. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein may be God's cruelest mistake.

Originally posted 2014/10/30

I'm really amazed by how well Scooby Doo Mystery turned out! Not only does it look and sound just like the TV show, it even plays like the TV show! You control Scooby and Shaggy who move together as a team while gathering clues, encountering monsters, and making sandwiches. As you explore a pirate ship, carnival, or mansion (depending on the mystery), you'll often run into your friends Velma, Daphne, and Fred. Thelma explains the clues you find, Daffney supplies you with scooby snacks, and Fred offers hints on what to do next.

The stories are actually quite linear, with new areas that open up gradually. Most of the puzzles are pretty easy. You'll have your share of exciting run-ins with monsters, and also engage in entertaining mini-games. The graphics are cartoon quality, with excellent music lifted straight from the TV show. Not only are the controls responsive, but the interface for interacting with characters is also well designed.

I have a few minor complaints. First, touching certain objects like rats will drain your life, but since Scooby and Shaggy don't react at all, you don't even realize you're losing health. Next, at the beginning of the second mystery I became very stuck, and that was no fun at all!

Finally, since the mysteries always play the same, I suspect the game's replay value is pretty modest. At least a password feature is included so you don't have to replay old mysteries. All in all, Scooby Doo Mystery is a quality title that does a fine job of weaving a story into an entertaining game. And I probably would have given this an "A" if it wasn't for you snooping kids!!

Originally posted 1999/10/13

This medieval side-scroller is a complete remake of Ghouls 'N Ghosts (Genesis, 1989) with entirely new stages and monsters. New areas include a haunted pirate ship and a snow stage (who asked for that, by the way?). The graphics, special effects, and music are significantly better than the Genesis version, but the gameplay is about the same.

You control a knight running through a series of locations while destroying monsters and collecting power-ups. Although this game should have rated higher than its Genesis counterpart, it doesn't, due to a few major issues. First, the action tends to get slow (read: slow-motion) when the action gets hectic, and when you die, you're sent way back to the start of the stage.

At least the Genesis version let you continue fairly close to where you left off. Even unlimited continues don't help when you keep keeling over just before the end of a stage. Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts would have been a great game had it been more forgiving.

Originally posted 1999/10/12

This game should be right up my alley, considering my affinity for occult themes, and the fact that this is a spin-off of the excellent Ghouls and Ghosts series. I've also been advised that this game was preceded by two Gargoyle's Quest games for the GameBoy and NES. Demon's Crest was widely praised by the media, but I don't think it's all that. You control a red demon that can shoot fireballs and hover over the landscape. Later he acquires "crests" which endow him with additional powers, including the ability to slow time, fly high in the air, or swim.

The action begins with a boss encounter against a huge zombie dragon which makes a rather dramatic (and frightening) appearance. It certainly grabs your attention, but it's probably not the best way to start a game like this. Upon completing the initial graveyard stage, you glide freely over a pixelated countryside to select your next challenge. Demon's Crest excels in presentation, but its gameplay could be better.

Navigating through the graveyards and castles of the early stages is no problem, but too many advanced stages are covered with thorns that are hard to avoid. The controls are touchy, so trying to navigate spiked labyrinths is frustrating. Your demon's size makes it difficult to avoid incoming projectiles, and he can only shoot forward, often unable to hit objects in clear view. Switching crests (powers) can only be done from a menu screen. Why isn't there a button assigned to that? There's no pause button either, which is annoying for reviewers trying to take notes (curses!). In general, I found Demon's Crest too difficult.

Its production values are outstanding however, with well-defined graphics and stereo effects so realistic they caught me off-guard. Upon hearing the howl of a ghost, I actually looked around to make sure there wasn't someone else in the room with me! The creepy organ music is also very effective. Flickering torches give castle ruins an eerie glow, and graveyards are overgrown with twisted trees and shrouded in mist. A twelve-character password allows you to save your progress. Demon's Crest is certainly a feast for the eyes and ears, but is it enough to overcome the difficulty and frustration?

Originally posted 2007/10/12

Nosferatu tries to mimic the gameplay of a Castlevania title, but lacks style and seems generic in comparison. The word "Nosferatu" means vampire, and this platform adventure challenges you to save your girlfriend from the original bloodsucker himself, Vlad the Impaler (the real Dracula). Most levels are a maze of castle ledges and walkways, but bosses are fought outside where there's more room.

Your vampire hunter has plenty of fighting moves at his disposal, including a flying round-house, uppercut, and charge. There's a nice variety of monsters to beat up, ranging from the traditional movie monsters (Frankenstein, Mummy, etc) to some truly bizarre original creations. Inexplicably, the second boss is a pair of gorillas! The game lacks tension, although there are occasional surprises like falling corpses and hands that grab you from under the floor. Too many traps litter the later levels, and if you don't fall into a spiked pit on your own, you're likely to be pushed into one.

In terms of graphics, the creatures look great but the castle walls start to get boring after a few levels. The controls are less than responsive, making it difficult to enter certain doorways or get off a punch in time. The audio is weak, with sparse sound effects and music that's uneven in quality. A few of the tunes have an edgy Nine Inch Nails flavor, but others just sound goofy. Nosferatu is not a terrible game, but it fails to distinguish itself in any way, making it a thoroughly forgettable experience.

Originally posted 2000/10/22

As a longtime fan of this monster mish-mash, I'm happy to report that the game has aged beautifully. If a single title illustrates the graphic and audio superiority of the SNES over the Genesis, it's Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The Genesis version tries hard, but it can't match the razor-sharp visuals and audio range of the SNES. Zombies is a lighthearted shooter that effectively spoofs every classic horror flick you can think of - with style and good humor.

Playing the role of a boy or girl, you attempt to rescue innocent people from rampaging monsters in a series of whimsical scenarios. There are more than 50 overhead stages including a suburban neighborhood terrorized by zombies, a pyramid full of mummies, a school invaded by aliens, and a shopping mall infested with demonic dolls. The creatures are rendered with a wacky flair and the lush scenery is fun to explore.

Your default weapon is a water pistol, and there are plenty more unconventional weapons like exploding six-packs, popsicles, fire extinguishers, and even a weed-wacker. Certain weapons are pitifully weak, but at least you can cycle between them. A handy radar overlay indicates when a hapless victim is in the vicinity, and also tells you how many are remaining. Two players can cooperate, but sharing the screen is problematic so it's best to let one player lead the way.

The rollicking musical score sets the mood perfectly, alternating in tone between ominous and playful. I would absolutely love to own the soundtrack to this game! An easy-to-write-down password is provided every few stages, and there's also a high score screen. When your game ends purple goo drips down the screen, and it would obviously be red blood if not for Nintendo's overbearing anti-violence policy (RIP). Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a brilliant arcade romp that's practically mandatory for October gaming.

Originally posted 2010/10/9

Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Konami, 1993) is a timeless classic that embodies the Halloween spirit like few games can. There's a good chance however that you've never heard of its sequel, Ghoul Patrol. That's because it's not very good! It reprises the same free-roaming, top-down gameplay but lacks the playability and charm.

You play as a kid scouring each stage for innocents while collecting items and blasting wandering monsters. The characters are a bit larger this time, allowing for more detail. There are some semi-scary creatures like long-armed ghouls and half-body apparitions. Then you have random, goofy adversaries like giant snails, cherub-devils, and possessed automobiles.

The tone of the game is different. It's less classic Universal horror films and more Ghostbusters. Office areas come to life with possessed copy machines and books flying off the shelves. Stage themes include a bustling city, medieval times, pirates, and a haunted hotel. The stage designs are awful. Maze-like and repetitive, you always have to take the most round-about path to travel a short distance. And with so many locked doors, you'll need to collect keys like candy on Halloween.

You move slowly and tend to get caught up on every edge in sight. Even after you drink a potion and become a grim reaper you'll struggle to navigate doorways. This is one of those games where you find yourself pushing the directional pad harder, as though that will help. The new jump and slide moves work well, but who designed this new button layout? I have to press the select button to use an item?

Your default crossbow weapon sucks because you can only fire one shot at a time. The homing plasma gun would be great if it weren't so weak. The laser gun is decent, but is basically just comparable to the water gun in the first game. It takes forever to kill anything, and when you finally do it immediately respawns!

The radar display has been replaced with unsightly "help!" and "I'm here!" bubbles that float around the screen. Upon completing a stage you have to hunt the exit down which can be a hassle. Even the music is forgettable. Disappointing and occasionally off-putting, Ghoul Patrol is one sequel we can live without.

Originally posted 2022/10/29

Addams Family Values isn't anything to write home about, but at least it makes an effort to capture the spirit of the film, which is more than I can say for the first game. Playing as Uncle Fester, you explore forests, gardens, swamps, and dungeons on your quest to find Baby Pubert. You begin in a misty graveyard, and the enticing gothic visuals convey a nice Halloween vibe. The production values are terrific; even the menu screens sport eye-catching details and animations. The impressive audio delivers a brooding musical score and jarring sound effects. After cranking up my stereo, the sound of crashing thunder made me jump out of my chair!

Family Values is an overhead adventure in the spirit of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992). As you move between contiguous screens you'll collect items and enter perilous underground dungeons loaded with traps, puzzles, and prowling creatures. Other characters from the films wander the stages to offer clues, and their dialogue nicely conveys the demented humor of the film. Fester's default weapon is lightning that shoots from his fingers, which is narrow but effective. The problem is, it loses range as you take damage, making it progressively harder (and increasingly frustrating) to defend yourself.

Enemies include skeletons, trolls, and ravenous plants, but mostly irritating small creatures like floating eyeballs and hopping mushrooms. Since you can't aim with precision, these pesky creatures are annoyingly hard to hit, and Fester is a huge target for them. The overhead view is slightly tilted, so stone pillars and trees tend to obstruct your vision. It's not uncommon to incur damage from spikes or enemies totally hidden from sight!

The puzzles don't make a lot of sense, so pressing a button might open a gate in another area. The graveyard is well designed, but the swamp is just a boring maze of bogs. After using one of your unlimited continues, you're tossed back in the fray with a single ounce of life! That's frustrating - especially when you subsequently keel over after being touched by a moving bush (yes - a freakin' bush). There's a password feature, but you'll need to make a lot of progress to be issued one. I wanted to like Addams Family Values with its macabre atmosphere and Zelda-style gameplay, but I found it to be more aggravating than enjoyable.

Originally posted 2013/11/20

It's hard to believe an innocuous game like Night Trap once caused a national uproar. In 1992 Senators Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) and Herbert Kohl (Wisconsin) lashed out against this full-motion video (FMV) title for "inciting violence against women". Had they actually played the game, they'd know that the object was to save five girls at a slumber party. The "violence" is negligible. Critics enjoy bashing Night Trap for its cheesy acting and low-budget effects, but it's those B-movie qualities that make it such a treat.

Its premise is ingenious. Five bubbly teenage girls (and one younger brother) are invited to spend the night at a house by a lake, and it gradually becomes apparent that the hosts are a family of vampires. Complicating matters are zombie-like "augers" that lurk in unoccupied rooms and attempt to kidnap the guests. One of the girls is actually an informant, played by the late Dana Plato (of Diff'rent Strokes fame). Your job is to monitor eight locations around the house (via security cameras) and trigger traps to dispose of the goons.

It's fun to snoop around, and the game is logically designed so it's possible to follow characters between rooms. When you spot an auger (or two), wait until he's in the proper position (meter turns red) before springing the trap. The creeps are disposed of in a variety of interesting ways, and it's satisfying to watch them fall through trap doors or get catapulted off the roof. Multiple events occur around the house at the same time, so you never have a complete picture of what's going on. This adds replay value, since repeated plays are required to flesh out the story.

One valid knock on the game is its marginal video quality. In addition to being very grainy, the video area consumes less than half of the screen. The game is still fun despite a few design flaws. Periodically the house owners change the "trap code", and if you're not tuned in at the right times you can lose your ability to spring traps.

Night Trap contains multiple endings but even if you don't finish it's a challenge to see how many thugs you can bag. Unfortunately your "commanding officer" tends to pull the plug on your mission too early, bringing the game to an abrupt end. It could have been better, but even after all these years Night Trap remains a fascinating trip.

Originally posted 2012/9/23

If you own a Sega CD you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is not an "enhanced" version of the Genesis game. No, this is an entirely new game that does a fine job of showing off the power of the Sega CD. Its stages feature three dimensional scenery that actually rotates as you walk through it. It's the most amazing effect I've seen on the system, elevating an otherwise mediocre title to noteworthy status.

The game doesn't make a good first impression due to some of the worst FMV ever produced. Some Sega CD titles attempt to hide the system's meager color palette by limiting the video to a small window, or presenting it in black and white. Here the movie footage is presented full-screen with an alarming amount of pixelation and unsightly artifacts. It's hard to watch and even the audio is rough.

The game itself looks pretty amazing as John Harker (played by Keanu Reeves) trudges through the wilderness, graveyards, and castle chambers. Shadowy textures, spine-tingling sounds, and an ominous musical score convey an eerie, ominous atmosphere.

Apparently schooled in the martial arts, Harker unleashes his kung-fu fury upon... bats, rats, and spiders? You'd expect to deal with small pests like that in the early stages, but they never really let up! They would be easy to dispatch if they didn't tend to converge from all directions. Once one gets a hold of you they all tend to latch on, chipping away at your precious life bar. Your high kick is your best option, even if it looks like you're trying out for the Rocketts.

The monsters you encounter are pretty strange. Who is this tall dude who keeps clunking me over the head with a chalice? Stop that!! Then there are vomiting zombies that are easy to dispatch but tough to get within kicking distance. And what's the deal with defeating ethereal spirits with karate kicks? In doesn't make sense, especially when accompanied by that ker-pow sound.

Bram Stoker's Dracula feels cobbled together, with frequent audio/visual glitches. That said, I'm willing to cut this game a little slack because it's a legitimate CD title. It's fun to make steady progress and certain stages even branch at points. Though clearly flawed, Dracula is still a showcase title for the Sega CD.

Originally posted 2022/10/31

You'd expect a CD game based on a vampire-infested 1899 London to be pretty exciting, but Dracula Unleashed is basically a slow, plodding mystery. It's played by moving a cursor around the screen and clicking on objects or icons. The idea is to collect various items and take them to the right places at the specific times, causing the storyline to unfold in the form of live-action video sequences. Unfortunately, if you miss a key event, your game will end abruptly. Fortunately you can save at any time.

While Dracula Unleashed sometimes provides clues to keep you on track, the gameplay tends to be more "trial and error" than true detective work. The story isn't very suspenseful or compelling, and there's virtually no payoff until you get three-quarters through the game. The visuals consist of grainy video clips and well-drawn illustrations. I'd have to admit that the acting is respectable for a CD game, and the characters are likeable enough. I didn't recognize any actors in the cast.

The downtown scenery is convincing except for the graveyard which looks like some dirt in front of a stone wall - lame! If they would have used an actual, decrepit old graveyard, it would have raised the game's grade at least by one letter. Some of the special effects, such as the floating bodies, are very well done, but the flashing eyes look terribly fake. Dracula looks a lot like Dracula from the 1992 film, but you only see him near the end of the game.

There's some gore, but the Sega CD's trademark pixelation prevents it from being particularly explicit. The sound effects are terrific, especially when you ride in the carriage, and the music is well orchestrated and creepy. The user interface could be more streamlined, but it's acceptable once you learn a few shortcuts. Dracula Unleashed is a good-looking game, but only patient gamers will be able to deal with its slow pace.

Originally posted 2002/8/9

Based on the horrible film by the same name, this game begs the question, "who in the [expletive] thought this was a good idea?" Part adventure, part fighting game, and all bad, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an unholy amalgamation of genres. You begin play by guiding the monster around a cottage looking for ways to overcome contrived hazards like a pool of electric eels. The interface for manipulating items makes no sense so you start tapping buttons and hope for the best. Certain items allow you to avoid combat which is always in your best interest.

When the game shifts into a Street Fighter 2-style one-on-one fighter, it becomes a national embarrassment. To see the monster go from a limping corpse to a high-jumping kung-fu master is almost surreal. His human opponents (hailing from 19th century England) also happen to be experts in the martial arts. The fights are difficult until you realize you can dispatch most foes with a series of non-stop punches to the crotch. The exploration and puzzle-solving aspects of the game try to follow the King's Quest formula. Experimenting with items might hold your attention for a while, but interacting with the environment is awkward even when you know what to do.

The scenery is nicely detailed but it's hard to tell where you can and can't go. It's especially frustrating when you keep exiting an area by accident! No video or images from the film are used. Some grainy clips of computer-generated scenery are displayed between stages, but the lack of audio gives the game an unfinished quality. There is a handy save feature. I was willing to cut Mary Shelley's Frankenstein some slack based on ambition alone, but then I reached the forest stage. This incomprehensible maze of contiguous screens had me walking in circles until I thought I would lose my mind. Much like Frankenstein's monster, this game is powered by electricity but will only bring you pain and suffering.

Originally posted 2014/11/4

This game has a bizarre premise. A boy and girl find a butterfly in a field at night, and the girl says she wishes she were a butterfly. The next thing you know, the boy finds himself in a mysterious mansion, searching for his sister. Its rooms contain talking butterflies that used to be people. The boy's sister will soon be turned into one as well, unless you can find her before "the hunter" does. It sounds pretty silly, but Mansion of Hidden Souls gradually drew me in.

Gameplay consists of exploring rooms, finding items, and opening new areas. The first person view makes you feel like you're actually walking through the house. The controls are simple - just push the joypad in the direction you want to go. The graphics are smooth and detailed, and although the rooms don't look particularly dark or scary, eerie music and mysterious voices help convey a creepy atmosphere.

The layout of the house is actually quite similar to Resident Evil (Playstation). The story is interesting, and the puzzles are fair and never frustrating. Mansion of Hidden Souls has little replay value, but it's probably worth playing through once.

Originally posted 2000/9/21

I was willing to cut the Sega CD version of Corpse Killer a little slack due to its limited graphic capabilities, but what's the excuse for this pitiful 32X edition? Sure, the video quality benefits from the expanded color palette, but the video display is still modest in size, and the remainder of the screen is sparse. Corpse Killer is a series of shallow, rapid-fire shooting stages sandwiched between live-action cut-scenes.

You assume the role of a soldier sent to a remote island to rid it of zombies and the mad scientist producing them. The interesting stages include a destroyed airport, an overgrown graveyard, and a beach full of shipwrecks. Your goal is to mow down scores of zombies who look like a bunch of fraternity guys suspended on wires and superimposed over static backdrops. Every zombie I shoot makes the same grunt noise.

Aiming the cursor with the control pad is clumsy and inexact, and support for the Menacer light gun is so awful it shouldn't even be advertised. Not only is it not the least bit accurate, but the constant screen flashing and stuttering frame-rate is unbearable. Even with a control pad the video skips intermittently as the audio cuts in and out.

The cut-scenes feature some of the most awkward acting performances and embarrassing dialogue I've ever witnessed. Unfortunately, I also consider these to be the highlight of the game! I will admit that Vincent Schiavelli delivers a fun, over-the-top performance as the mad scientist. That hot blonde reporter is incapable of delivering a convincing line of dialog. Corpse Killer has a few endearing qualities, but rampant technical glitches render this 32X version the worst of the bunch.

Originally posted 2013/8/30

Corpse Killer can be described as a light gun game that doesn't work particularly well with one type of controller. As luck would have it, that particular type of controller would be a light gun. In the Sega CD and 32X versions of Corpse Killer the gun controls are deplorable, and the instruction book for this game doesn't even mention a gun! It's ironic when you consider that this 3DO version offers the best light gun support. Unfortunately, light guns for the 3DO are hard to come by.

Corpse Killer employs full motion-video (FMV) with real actors. Each stage pans across tropical scenery as fake-looking zombies appear from out of nowhere and float towards you. If you don't shoot them in time, you take damage. The light gun controls are surprisingly accurate, although to be honest guiding a crosshair around with a normal controller is probably just as good. There seem to be fewer enemies than the Sega CD version, but they move quicker here. In fact, some projectiles (skulls, knives) seem nearly impossible to avoid, and there are precious few opportunities to replenish your health. Oh well, at least the shooting stages don't exhibit the technical glitches that marred the 32X version.

The video area takes up most of the screen, allowing you to enjoy the cheesy cut-scenes in their full glory. Vincent Shiavelli is perfect as the mad scientist, and your Rastafarian guide Winston is believable enough. The stereotypical blonde reporter is a real hottie but her acting is unintentionally hilarious. Corpse Killer will never be mistaken for good, but if there's a place in your heart for FMV games, you'll appreciate this for its entertainment value.

Originally posted 2012/10/13

As a fan of Haunted Houses I found Monster Manor very appealing, despite the fact that it's really a thinly-veiled Doom clone. Your mission is to collect pieces of a Talisman scattered through an old house. This house is huge with each floor consisting of endless rooms and corridors. You'll find spooky items like coffins, statues, and hanging bodies, but for the most part the rooms are wide open and start looking the same after a while. You'll constantly need to consult your map to figure out where to go next. The semi-transparent ghosts are nicely rendered but they could have been scarier, having been modeled in clay. The controls are responsive. Your movements are fast and smooth with the shoulder buttons providing a handy strafe function.

But the best aspect of Monster Manor is the audio. Its background music is incredibly eerie and the gristly sound effects will send chills down your spine. You often get the impression that something terrible is waiting for you in the next room! One aspect I didn't like was how fast your life and ammo drains and constantly needs replenishing. In some areas you're practically tripping over supplies, while in others they are painfully rare. And boy did I get tired of picking up all those gems and coins which apparently only affect your score. Despite its flaws, Monster Manor is a pretty captivating experience, and one you won't find on any other console.

Originally posted 2001/9/22

Resident Evil (PS1, 1995) put the survival horror genre on the map, yet some trace the roots back to Alone in the Dark. Both share the same premise of exploring a mansion full of monsters while trying to solve puzzles. Both employ 3D graphics, pre-rendered scenery, and dramatic camera angles. Both allow you to choose between two characters, a woman and a man.

The cinematic opening sequence has an old-time car rounding a curve on a country road, much like the intro to Night of the Living Dead. The mansion looks ominous from a distance. As your character walks up the path, she is watched from the perspective of "something" in a high window. That's awesome.

Upon entering the house she automatically navigates to one of the upstairs rooms. I'm glad that part is automatic, because it would have taken me a while! She walks in slow motion, pausing every few seconds as the disc whirls and sputters.

Alone in the Dark's polygon graphics have aged poorly. The guy looks like Pinocchio and the lady looks like a freaking blow-up doll! The ornately decorated house interior looks good, although surprisingly well lit considering the title! Chilling sound effects and orchestrated background music convey a sense of danger and suspense.

The tank-like controls are stiff and awkward. A is your action button, B pulls up a menu, and C lets you run. Combat is counter-intuitive. The key is to hold down the A button while pressing various directions. I could forgive the awkward controls if they weren't so delayed. Making matters worse are poor camera angles that make it hard to tell what's happening at the far end of the room. Sometimes your character or the monster you're fighting is completely out of view!

In the first room a creature breaks through a window that looks like a cross between the Tasmanian Devil and a demented chicken. I was able to gun him down with a shotgun. The zombies are creepy but short in stature. I guess eating brains will stunt your growth. Ammo is hard to come by, but you can always punch and kick. Unfortunately it takes a good 10 blows to beat something to death.

It's easy to dismiss an antiquated title like Alone in the Dark but the game has its moments. When a trapdoor opens and a zombie rises from the floor, it's alarming. You can save your progress at any time. Casual fans won't last for five minutes, but those willing to make the commitment will experience the original survival horror adventure.

Originally posted 2022/11/13

Alone in the Dark (Interplay, 1994) was a groundbreaking survival horror game set in a haunted mansion. This sequel really opens things up, incorporating pirate intrigue on the high seas. The intro takes forever to unfold thanks to frequent disc access, slow animation, and interminable pauses. That said, that animated clown is pretty terrifying.

The first game didn't feel optimized for the 3DO, and this one runs even worse. If the first game was dog-slow, this is downright glacial! The fact that this game is more wide-open may exacerbate the situation. I can tell this was a lazy port of the PC game because the instructions refer to the space bar! The 3DO doesn't have one of those.

The first game began slowly but Alone in the Dark 2 throws you to the wolves from the start. In the first scene you're going toe-to-toe with a machine gun-toting gangster. You're throwing punches as he's shooting you at point blank range. The control lag is outrageous. How I survived this I have no idea.

Next, while walking up a path towards a house you encounter two more armed bad guys. The manual states "the key to victory is AIM". Problem is, the side-angle camera angle makes it really hard to tell what you're AIM-ing at. In order to get them in your line of fire, you need to get in their line of fire! I could barely get off a shot as they riddled me with bullets!

Looking at an FAQ, it turns out you can push a statue in the shootout location reveal an underground passage. I don't know how a first-time player would know that, but it doesn't matter because I got gunned down every time. [Expletive] this game.

Whenever you're about to die in Alone in the Dark 2 you see the message "I feel awful... really awful!" I can relate! When I can't get past the "five minute walk-thru", that's pretty pathetic. I'm always reluctant to characterize a game as unplayable but I'd say this one meets the criteria.

Originally posted 2022/11/13

Okay, I was terribly harsh in my initial review of this game, but as I often say to my wife, "I can explain!" It turns out that certain 3DO games run better on some systems than others. When I first reviewed this game a few years back, I played it on my Goldstar system, which thrashed and stuttered the whole way through. As you can imagine, the sporadic controls and fragmented music really tainted the experience. However, now that I've had a chance to play it on my Panasonic FZ-10, I can see Casper for what it really is - an engaging, easy-to-play adventure.

Despite its quirks, Casper is certainly more enjoyable than most of the 3DO titles I've inflicted upon myself. I will admit that the premise is somewhat disturbing. Casper is actually a dead kid trying to resurrect himself! And while the cartoon version of the Casper character looked "friendly" enough, this 3D incarnation looks somewhat creepy. Still, Interplay infused the subject matter with enough with whimsical style and good-natured humor to make it palatable to most gamers (including kids). Gameplay involves exploring a huge mansion, collecting items, pigging out on food, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and avoiding unfriendly ghosts. As it turns out, ghosts love to eat broccoli and tuna fish sandwiches! Who knew?

The game isn't the most logical in the world, so the ability to suspend disbelief is pre-requisite. For example, Casper can transform with a mist to navigate the ventilation system, but can't penetrate a barred door! One puzzle requires you to drop a lead weigh on a sparkly area to trigger a switch. That's hardly intuitive, but most of the game's puzzles are simple enough to hold your attention. Eventually, you'll open up so much of the mansion that it becomes confusing to navigate. A map screen would have been helpful. Still, the game is addictive, and I like how you can save you progress at any time. In terms of presentation, Casper rates extremely high. The house has a decrepit but elegant look, evocative of Disney's Haunted Mansion. The lavish orchestrated musical score tows the line between playful and ominous. This is a game that eventually grew on me. If your 3DO can handle it, Casper is a pleasant diversion.

Originally posted 2005/10/1

I was a big fan of this full-motion video extravaganza on the Sega CD and 32X, so I had high hopes for the 3DO version. Night Trap is a controversial title that lets you monitor eight rooms of a house, trying to capture "augers" out to kidnap girls at a slumber party. Some critics mocked its cheesy acting, but the low-budget scenes have a nostalgic, B-movie charm.

You begin the game with your "commander" briefing you on your mission, but while he's yapping away the story is already unfolding, so don't wait for him to finish. Beating the game requires a lot of trial and error - and luck. As you flip between cameras you'll catch bits and pieces of the story while keeping an eye out for creeping augers. You'll want to memorize (and write down) key events like trap code changes, as missing these will cut your mission short. The auger locations are randomized to a modest extent. I like how events occur concurrently in different rooms because it means you can see something new every time you play. I'm amazed at how the designers managed to orchestrate all of the scenes so well. The action really heats up if you can make it to disc two, but it's not an easy feat.

So how does this 3DO version stack up? Well, the video area is about the size of the 32X version, but the quality is better. The scenery looks less grainy but the frame-rate is slightly degraded. The best part about this 3DO edition is how you can quickly switch between cameras. There's a second or two of static when you switch cameras on the Sega CD or 32X, but in this version the transition is almost instantaneous. I also noticed that the audio is clearer than the Sega games. Night Trap isn't a perfect game, but it's highly original and a lot of fun if you give it a chance. With cleaner video and more responsive controls, this may be the definitive version of the game.

Originally posted 2012/10/13

I'm still trying to figure out why this slow, plodding mystery game was so popular on the PC in the early 90's. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the tepid gameplay. Perhaps it was the abundance of eye candy, effectively combining live acting with nicely rendered environments. 7th Guest places you in a mysterious mansion for a night with six other ghostly "guests".

As you explore the various rooms, you'll encounter ghosts played by live actors filling in parts of a very scripted storyline. In addition to watching video clips, you also need to solve a series of puzzles. While not particularly taxing, the fact that you don't get any directions makes the puzzles a bit more difficult and fun. Unfortunately the storyline is confusing and the snobby characters aren't particularly compelling.

What's most notable about 7th Guest is its biggest downfall: the general lack of atmosphere. Much like the early Alone in the Dark games, the developers failed to understand that bright, clean, colorful rooms just aren't very scary. Even the "surprise" animated clips that are supposed to be intense fall flat. 7th Guest is a novel concept, but despite its good looks, there's not much of a game here.

Originally posted 2004/10/3

JagZombies might have made a decent light gun shooter. Each stage is a digitized image of a desolate location like a dark alley, graveyard, train tracks, warehouse, or corn field. These creepy, atmospheric stages are the highlight of the game. Zombies and bats appear in the distance and slowly shamble and flutter towards the foreground. And when I say slow, you could drink a cup of coffee before they get within striking distance! The only legitimate threats are the zombies and occasional werewolves that pop up directly in front of you.

A jumpy red crosshair lets you aim your shotgun or flamethrower. Button C is used to reload and you'll press it constantly. There are digitized growling and screaming sounds, but they are messy and repetitive. The gameplay could be a lot tighter as well. The difficulty is so low it's quite possible to beat the game on your first try. As if to compensate for the choppy reticle movement, the collision detection is ludicrously forgiving. Sometimes zombies appear to be sucked into the cursor.

The graphics are glitchy with splashes of blood often appearing in the wrong spot. The nonstop shooting is tiresome, and it culminates with an exhausting battle against a "bat king" boss with 1000 hit points! JagZombies is a mildly amusing seasonal diversion but you're not likely to play it twice in a row - or twice ever! The good news is that Corpse Killer (Sega CD, 1994) is suddenly looking a lot more respectable.

Originally posted 2019/9/20

After my harsh critique of the first JagZombies (Wave 1, 2018) I was shocked to see a sequel - on a cartridge no less! Wave 1 Games literally upped their game, packaging JagZombies 2 in a glossy box with an overlay and high-quality stock instruction manual. I'll give them an A for effort, but in the end it's all about gameplay.

The original JagZombies (also included) was a rough first-person aim-and-shoot title with zombies converging from cornfields and dark alleys. JagZombies 2 builds upon the formula with mixed results. The opening stage has you staring at a blood red moon behind a silhouette of trees. As ghouls shamble in from the distance you can move slightly from side-to-side, resulting in some nice parallax scrolling. The innocent civilian that occasionally runs across the screen is none other than Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters fame. Probably.

Shooting zombies causes them to erupt into a fountain of blood, and blasting two at once is so satisfying it's almost worth it to wait for two to line up! But boy oh boy are these stages long! Brent asked who thought it was a good idea to put 300 enemies in the very first stage. It finally ends when the fuse at the top reaches the stick of dynamite, but that takes an eternity.

The second stage is set in an endless hotel hallway a la The Shining. This time you'll face ghostly apparitions and spiders with human heads. The problem is, unseen enemies tend to gnaw on you from the edges of the screen. You're almost forced to continuously vacillate from side-to-side. Where are the health packs? I've never even seen the third stage.

Other complaints include the fact you can only reload after running out of bullets. Alternate weapons like the flamethrower and grenades are of limited usefulness. The flamethrower can't even be aimed up or down, only sideways. The collision detection is forgiving at first, but goes out the window by the time you meet the wall-crawlers of level two. The game locked up on me once, and does not record high scores. The two player mode is a confusing mess.

For a homebrew JagZombies 2 is not bad and certainly playable. Its sound effects have a spine-tingling quality and there's a lot of creepy imagery like bloody arms tearing at you on the "game over" screen. The challenge, while unreasonable, might keep you coming back. And what other Jaguar game are you going to play on a spooky night in October?

Originally posted 2022/6/23

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