A
couple of years ago, when I was debating on whether to purchase a
Turbografx-16, a big factor in this decision was Splatterhouse. I
loved the look of this game and the premise of a horror movie in videogame
form. I approached the guru of games, one Joe Santulli, and asked him his
opinion on whether one game was reason enough to buy a whole system. He
said that even though Splatterhouse was a great game it wasn't enough
reason (there were other, better ones) to buy a Turbografx. I listened
to him but still wished Sega had this game in its cart library. Well, the
waid is over for us Genesis owners - Splatterhouse II is here and
it's worth the wait.
Splatterhouse II takes place a little after Rick, our hero from the Turbografx cart, had escaped almost certain doom. The cinema sequence in the beginning of this cart is tremendous, from Rick donning his horror mask to the thunderstorm crashing around the mansion, it's like a mini movie. Inside, the remasked and remuscled Rick is faced with another herd of wild monsters coming from all directions. The creatures vary and are way cool. Just like in the original you can punch, kick, and smash monsters into a puddle of slimy ooze. My favorite thing to kill them with is a leg bone conveniently planted in the middle of the second level. It kills monsters real good! Besides bashing these baddies, Rick must avoid slime pits, spikes coming up from the floor, and a variety of other obstacles.
Take note - the bosses at the end of each level are way tough. The boss on the second level, a sort of cloud creature, was one of the more aggravating bosses I have challenged in a long time. Besides worrying about the boss (who you must jump up and pummel in the facial area because it has no body), you must avoid the mini cloud creatures coming after you. This leads to my main complaint about this cart - maneuverability and control.
The control pad seems to almost have a lag time when you press the buttons to jump or hit an opposing creature. The movements are rather slow causing you to sometimes take a hit from a creature, which then caused me to lose more than my share of energy when I felt I should have avoided the damage entirely. This is a minor annoyance due to the real enjoyment I got from playing this game.
To sum it all up this cart has a lot to offer gamers new and old. The graphics are excellent, sound effects are real good, and most importantly it is a challenge to play once you compensate for the sluggish controls. If you like Splatterhouse, you'll love II. Please remember some of the younger gamers may be disturbed by the graphic nature of this game (kudos to Namco for stating this on the box for concerned parents). Plug it in and enjoy the carnage.
TIP: Play defensively against the bosses at first to learn their patterns. You can usually duck and hide for awhile to feel them out.
