Van Helsing

[Jeremy]

Or enter the contest and try to win it for free, and if you don't like it, trade it in for credit.

[Dolemite]

Here's a recap of IGN's review. Basically, they said it's a pretty decent, solid DMC clone.

As a game that's licensed from a movie, Van Helsing manages to do a capable job of providing lots of monsters to kill and enables players to live out some Transylvanian kicks by re-enacting movie moments, but there's still a lot missing. The camera needs work and after picking up the more powerful weapons the monsters become too easy, too quickly. While this is forgivable for most of the game, the boss fights become truly aggravating.

Playing through the game one time is a fun diversion for an afternoon, especially if you're down with the old-school monsters, but there's not enough gameplay to outlast the first time through. If anything, Van Helsing would be best experienced as a rental so that by the time you realize that there's nothing left, it's time to bring it back.

-- Ed Lewis


Ratings:

9.0 Presentation
The backdrop for the main menu screen shows a black and white screen from the current game and hitting continue turns it into color and starts it up right away. Slick.

7.0 Graphics
The strong visual style comes direct from the cinematic counterpart, but the dog of a camera almost saps all the energy away.

8.5 Sound
The soundtrack provides a solid atmosphere and the voices are nicely done for a change.

6.5 Gameplay
Pure bashing and shooting fun that provides plenty of arcade-style kicks for the few hours it takes to get through. The short gameplay and poor camera takes it down a notch, though.

3.0 Lasting Appeal
After getting through once, there's barely any reason to keep playing. Even the hard mode is pretty simple.

6.5 OVERALL

[Captain Vegetable]

I'd have to agree with them. I played it tonight at work, but opted out of the aforementioned rental only because I know I won't play it, what with Red Dead Revolver and La Pucelle eating up all my free time.

It's a solid DMC clone, right down to orb collection, and I absolutely love trecking through old Eastern European villiages, but the camera really, really, really sucks.

I'll probably end up buying it after I've finished with the two aforementioned games, and by that time it'll probably be cheaper, too.

[Captain Vegetable]

OK, so I ended up renting the damned thing. I've gotten to the Library so far, and it's all good. It's a decent game, and like I said above, trecking through Eastern European villiages is my bag, baby. It also helps that I found the movie entertaining.

So, anyway, there I am, in the Library, not knowing what the Hell to do, so I deced to read some books. I'll be damned if two of the coolest Easter Eggs I've ever seen weren't in there.

In one bookcase, there are books filled with the histories and lineages of ancient Transilvanian families. The one that catches your eye? "The Belmonts." That's freaking cool.

There's also another book shelf containing histories of the ancient world, and the one you fancy this time tells of ancient Egypt, and the murder of the Pharoah, Seti I, and the conviction, cursing, and embalming of his High Priest, Imhotep. That's freaking cool, too.

[Brand X]

I stopped into EB yesterday, and they had this game up and running. All I can say is Devil May Get Annoyed With the Camera. I found it a mix between Devil May Cry, Hunter: The Reckoning, and a game based around being annoyed with a camera (maybe a Sonic Adventure). Overall I was very underwhelmed, the graphics are decently pretty, but the gameplay did not catch my interest at all.

[Captain Vegetable]

I'm pretty far in, now (two stages away from completion, I think), and with the grapple gun, the combo system in this game is awesome. I've done some kick-ass combos, like begining a combo with the grapple gun to pull an enemy toward you, hitting them twice with the Tojos and popping them up into the air on the third, shooting them a few times, grapple gunning them back down to the ground, hitting them two more times and slamming them to the floor, then grapple gunning them back onto their feet, etc.

Really cool. I can't wait for this game to hit $20, because I'll definitely buy it then.

[Error]

Ya, this absolutely Monster May Cry. And I have no problems with that at all. I popped it in last night on a rental and stayed up into the WTF am i still doing up range. I didn't want to put it down. That's not to say its the best game ever or anything, but its enjoyable, and fairly intuitive. Dante could use the grappling gun, lets put it that way. Then again, of course, Van could use the demon mode.

[Captain Vegetable]

Or at least a Werewolf mode.

[Werewolf]

Or at least a Werewolf mode.

Now that I would like!