Grabbed by the Ghoulies
- October 22, 2003 11:54 AM PST
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Rare?s first Xbox title under the Microsoft roof is a ghoul?er, cool and colorful action/adventure game.
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Ghoulies revolves around a main character named Cooper, who, in typical video-game fashion, sees his girlfriend snatched up and pulled into a creepy mansion. To get her back, he has to work through the house?s many rooms, which are filled with all forms of eerie (yet goofy-looking) adversaries.
Har-de-Har-Horror
Rare has a history of taking the action/adventure genre in slightly new directions?blending the familiar with fresh twists to challenge the gamer. The presentation here is like that of many ?survival/horror? games, though far less serious, such as the scene in a ballroom with skeletons and zombies grooving to a turntable-scratching DJ mummy. It?s rather like playing through a colorful comic book?and the scenes that connect the playable sections actually display in animated frames across pages.
The gameplay is diverse, and it?s backed by strong graphics and audio. As Cooper battles through the nasties?using punches, kicks, and whatever items are lying around?he?ll occasionally get a big fright from something. In some cases, he can move away before becoming vulnerable, but others require matching a button sequence to keep him from fainting. Additionally, Cooper can earn bonus challenges, which, when completed, unlock extra content.
Knowing Fright from Wrong
The main downside is with the nontraditional controls: The left stick navigates Cooper, and the right stick directs his attack. While the learning curve is short and it enables moving and fighting in different directions, the slight delay between the stick move and his subsequent action can be frustrating when a quick reaction is required.
Ghoulies is one of those games that combines chuckles and chills in equal doses. You might call it a?Rare accomplishment.
