Constantine
- January 13, 2005 00:00 AM PST
After fifteen years of haunting the pages of the DC/Vertigo Hellblazer comic series, this chain-smoking ragamuffin is taking his crusade to theatres and game consoles.
John Constantine: occult detective, demon slayer, exorcist. After fifteen years of haunting the pages of the DC/Vertigo Hellblazer comic series, this chain-smoking ragamuffin is taking his crusade to theatres and game consoles. In his quest to foil Satan's plans for domination, Constantine fights demons tooth-and-nail in creepy abandoned morgues, dark alleyways, and even the very shores of Hell (where you'll find demons contentedly munching on screaming humans). The environments felt truly cinematic, complete with an unsettling depth-of-field camera effect. Despite the dark atmosphere, the Xbox version practically sparkled with promise. The weapons looked delightfully gruesome: crossbows, flamethrowers, revolvers, and a nail-spitting death-dealer called the Crucifier (and yes, you can scoop up used nails). And Constantine boasted a badass 180-degree spin move, which bestowed Bullet Time long enough for players to draw a bead on the foe behind them. Nice!In the preview version, the third-person shooting gameplay most closely resembled Max Payne. Constantine could cast arcane spells (like holy lightning or swarms of enemy-devouring maggots) and enter a Demon Vision mode, which enables you to see through the disguises of shape-shifting demons. Speaking of demons, Constantine faced foes such as possessed corpses (complete with wriggling demonic parasites) and venom-spitting hellspawn; it was especially amusing to watch him club foes into submission when he ran out of ammo. Constantine arrives on the PS2 and Xbox in February, just in time for the film. Don't write this one off just because it's a film tie-in, as it looks like tons of ghoulish fun.
