"Evil Dead: Hail to the King" For PSX Reviewed 93
An arrogant, kind of rough, everyman character kickin' undead arse with a shotgun and a chainsaw attached to his right arm!? Not to mention the scene where he cuts his OWN hand off when it becomes POSSESSED? I fell in love the first time I saw the movie. The limited edition of Evil Dead, 2 versions of ED2, and 3 versions of Army of Darkness later, I still watch at least one of the flicks probably weekly. When I heard that there was going to be a video game based on the movies, I damned near flipped.
On the 12th of December, I received my copy of "Evil Dead: Hail to the King" for Playstation in the mail at work. I couldn't even wait ... I took it right home on my lunch and blew my whole lunch hour on the game. So anyway, yes, I am reviewing the bugger, I just take a while to get there.
The opening cinematics are damned smooth for a PSX game. Right off the bat, you're greeted with Bruce Campbell's voice-over as our hero, Ashley J. Williams, giving you a nice introduction to the premise of the game.
The game is set 8 years after Army of Darkness, and Ash has settled back into life at S-Mart. However, he has had recurring nightmares revolving around his adventures. His new girlfriend, who works in the Arts and Crafts department at S-Mart, Jenny, recommends that he returns to the cabin in the center of all his trouble and face his fears. Needless to say, the Evil is re-awakened, Jenny is missing, (presumably taken by the Evil) and Ash is off again.
I'm going to mention my only complaint with this game so far, and that is that the gameplay is a bit awkward. It's very similar to Resident Evil, as has been stated in most previews, and sometimes it is very tough to aim Ash properly at the various Deadites.
With that out of the way, I can get down to the fanboy praise. The graphics are absolutely amazing for a PSX release. If I recall, this is the first PSX game to use 24-bit backgrounds, and it shows. The landscape and backgrounds are downright beautiful at times, and always shows the trademark eerieness and darkness that the series is known for. The characters are all 3D rendered, and look pretty good compared to those in many other titles out there.
Ash has in his extensive arsenal, of course, his trademark chainsaw (I wanted an unlimited supply of fuel, but that'd be too easy.), a pistol (a little weak), the trademark "boomstick" (a double-barreled shotgun), and a two-headed axe, among other weapons. A nice addition for us ED geeks is the ability to do a "finishing move" a la Mortal Kombat on some enemies. There is nothing more satisfying than hanging a Deadite on the chainsaw while Ash sticks the shotgun in their face and taunts them with "Swallow this," and blows their face off. Ah -- rampant violence.
That's right folks. THQ set aside a button on the controls whose sole purpose is to make Ash taunt his enemies. This features great Ash one-liners like: "Come get some!", "You wanna little?" and "Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Poetry.
But, I digress. The game is relatively challenging, forcing you to do the old "collect items and figure out where they go" routine, but it keeps you entertained with a nice pace and plenty of gore. (A nice little detail is blood dripping off the chainsaw after gutting an enemy.)
If I have to pick a rating for the game, I'd give it a 6 for gameplay, 10 for graphics, 8 for sound (as I think the score is lacking a bit. Couldn't THQ have licensed the score from Army of Darkness?), and a 10 for ED geek factor.
If you're an Evil Dead fan, not buying this game isn't even an option. If you're a fan of horror flicks, or Resident Evil, it'd be a good addition to your library, and if you're just looking for an entertaining game, give it a shot.
Hail to the king, baby.
Thanks for the review, PuppeteerJPV. Oh, and the babysitting job? I think we found someone closer, but thanks. -t.
pet peeves about gaming on console. (Score:2)
There has to be an easier way to do it
Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:1)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:2)
we need real good games that stick and never get boring. Final Fantasy has had 9 revisions. You play it till you win, and it is over. Boring.
Yes, this is IMHO but it is true. Would you rather watch a good looking show or one that was actually good on content (Waterworld comes to mind -- even though I personally liked the story, a lot of people did not and were not impressed by the pricetag of production)
Re:pet peeves about gaming on console. (Score:1)
In golden eye, you aim by holding down, IIRC, R1. This allows you to look around while keeping your fingers at the fire button. It works very well considering that you don't have a mouse / keyboard for the console. The only problem is that you can't move while aiming this way, but that's just one of the drawbacks of the single controller interface.
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:2)
Re:Just when I was sure ...: Someone is listening (Score:1)
you can customise what kind of stories you see, I on the other hand can't just block these. Comments. Check out the customise slashdot option it's pretty neat for both of us!
Frankly, I'm glad it's not that good (Score:5)
Children should be taught respect for the dead. Just a few hundred years ago, ancestor worship was prevalent across most of the civilized world (Europe wasn't civilized at the time). Today, people are confined to elderly homes before dying and are quickly forgotten. It's a darn shame. Someone should be working on this.
Horro Movies (Score:1)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:2)
Sorry, that's just the third time I've seen "here, here" in the past 24 hours, felt like I should say something.
sad but true... (Score:1)
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Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:1)
And an example... (Score:2)
I see your point... Dark City was much better than The Matrix, but the latter had leather-clad boobies and a techno soundtrack.
But to claim that a single game should entertain you for all eternity is silliness that transcends mere arrogance.
grendel drago
Good, Bad... (Score:4)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
FACT: I don't care (Score:2)
I do not post to be moderated, I post to enlighten or to be enlightend.
What you don't realize is that this stupid First Posting nonsense is exactly why there are moderators and exactly where there are people who "whore for karma." It's a catch-22. The only way to prevent abuse actually tends to promote it.
Of course, that could be attributed to the nature of the beast. You, your friends and every one of the losers that attempt to make a first post are contributing to the downfall of intelligence and freedom.
I just cannot understand where things started going wrong? What is funny about being a troll? What is funny about linking to goatse.cx? That is incredibly stupid an immature.
I am absolutely sure I am not alone in this belief. It's a pathetic world where the trolls outnumber and overrun the people actually interested in positive contribution.
I could have easily moderated that post down, but I thought it might be more worthwhile to express my anger. Obviously you completely missed the point.
Idiot.
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
You ought to be moderated down for unnecessary rudeness.
OoO
Yeah. (Score:1)
I forgot, though.
Oh yeah, thanks for the link.
You're already posting at -1, it doesn't seeem liketly that you're going to be able to go much lower than you currently are unless you really post a lot of garbage.
Why not just go troll on IRC? They can't shut you up permanently.
yeah.
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
no need for a mouse (Score:2)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
And, for your amusement, garcia *DID* moderate himself down by checking off the aforementioned button. Do you feel like an uninformed jackass yet?
The commercial is kinda cool. (Score:1)
Re:This is why PC Gaming is dying out (Score:2)
Re:pet peeves about gaming on console. (Score:1)
But it's all snowy and cold and sucks (Score:1)
Re:FACT: I don't care (Score:1)
Re:The commercial is kinda cool. (Score:1)
I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
Never mind, this evil dead game sounds awesome, but I think I'll stick with Q3 Arena for the moment.
Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:2)
Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:1)
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:1)
In any case, I don't see why people bother to get so bent out of shape about stories that don't interest them. Just skip the article... (I *do* understand why people get a bit miffed about story reposts, and stories that are based on links to FUD and/or flamebait articles, but this is different IMO).
Re:Good, Bad... (Score:1)
Re:FACT: I don't care (Score:1)
Is this becoming a Slashdot rallying cry or something? It's like the fifth time I've seen it today.
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"People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them"
Linux port.. (Score:1)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:2)
Re:I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
PS2 lets you plug in a USB mouse (Score:2)
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Re:I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
yer right (Score:1)
Re:I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
I think the original poster knew that is was a PSX he was talking about. He can't find a PSX let alone a PS2. Number 2 may or may not stand.
This game has already been made... (Score:2)
Hail to the King.
--Lenny
And their ad is top notch (Score:3)
And the commercial [adcritic.com] is not to be missed!
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Re:This game has already been made... (Score:1)
Duke Nukem came out in 1996; Army of Darkness, where such classic lines as "Hail to the king, baby." and "Gimme some sugar, baby." originated from, came out in 1993. This wouldn't be such a big deal if 3DRealms had actually given SOME credit to Raimi and company, instead of blatantly stealing their work and passing it off as their own.
Please remove foot from mouth in a timely fashion, thank you...
-AR
Personally... (Score:2)
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:1)
Because it is constant non-news that gets posted, and no real news sumbitted ever seems to make it.
Good lord - how many anti-MS articles, or RMS/GPL articles do we really need?
Then again, given the mentality some people on here exhibit, Bill Gates could personally cure cancer, and half the people would blast him and MS without reading (AND UNDERSTANDING) the article, and the other half would make lame jokes about paper-clips, blue screens, and Microsoft Bob.
Is it news for nerds, or political rallying for nerds?
It's also out for the Dreamcast as well. (Score:1)
Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:1)
True, although it's also referenced in the Evil Dead movies.
Re:Duke Nukem? (Score:1)
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Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:2)
And yes, I see the need for posts like this too.
Re:This game has already been made... (Score:1)
Um...I am well aware that Duke ripped off Army Of Darkness. That was the point of my post.
Thank you.
--Lenny
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:1)
Lesse, just scrolling through the front page right now, I see the following "news" articles to offset that which you term "non-news":
Now, whether or not you're interested in the contents of this article, by definition, it's certainly news.
If you don't like the subject matter here...why are you reading? Obviously something here catches your fancy. Is it some of the articles or just the chance to whine about something in front of a group? *shrug* The world may never know...
Re:"It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And (Score:1)
Nope, but it's a common mixup of the two movies with '80s wrestlers. Jesse "The Body" Ventura was in Predator, and Rowdy Roddy Piper said the line in "They Live." IIRC, the line is actually "I have come here to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And I'm all out of bubblegum."
Cheers,
Re:And their ad is top notch (Score:1)
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Re:no need for a mouse (Score:1)
Re:And an example... (Score:3)
Re:no need for a mouse (Score:1)
I can only assume that the game you're talking about is Namco's Time Crisis. In fact, Time Crisis (as well as Time Crisis 2 and pseudo-sequel Crisis Zone) do require a control in addition to the gun. One of the innovative concepts in the series is the ability to hide (but don't hide too long, you've got a time limit as the title suggests), which is controlled by a pedal in the arcade versions, although I'm not sure how this is done with the Namco GunCon controller on the PSX, but it's worth noting that the game does actually have a control in addition to the standard "point and shoot" interface.
One of my pet peeves... (Score:2)
This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to video games. I've seen THQ's game history [ign.com], and I'll just bet that Evil Dead: Hail To The King developer Heavy Iron is responsible for most of the design decisions in the game. People who don't understand that the publisher and developer are often completely separate companies shouldn't be doing game reviews (or at least not ones that get posted as articles on prominent websites).
Re:And an example... (Score:1)
Basically, any game where the players can have some control over their character's development is better, IMAO, then every game that has a static path to victory. Yeah, FFVIII was cool to play, but it basically required you to solve quest A, then quest B, and so on. Same with so very many other games.
MUDs, MUCKs, MUSHes, MOOs, and the like are the "game of the future" to paraphrase damn near every ad geek. Sure, sports games and 1st person shooters will probably always have fans, but more and more, RP style games are winning market share.
(That, and I can only play DiabloII for a couple hours before it gets boring... Evercrack, I mean Everquest, can keep me interested for a looong time.)
Just my 2 shekels.
Kierthos
Re:And their ad is top notch (Score:1)
That, and Brisco was campy. (Well, duh!) And campy, sad to say, doesn't appeal to as many people as a good government conspiracy/alien abduction/psychic powers/wierd-shit-o-meter just pegged show.
Anyway, X-Files, IMAO, is worthless without Duchovny, and was pretty bad for the last couple of seasons.
Kierthos
Re:One of my pet peeves... (Score:1)
Having said that, certain games can do fine without 'taunts'. Although I have to wonder what some character specific taunts would have been for FFVIII....
Kierthos
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
Hmm. What does moot mean, Mr. Webster?
moot adj 1: open to question, debatable
Aha.
If this is set after Army of Darkness... (Score:1)
PSX guns (Score:1)
Re:The commercial is kinda cool. (Score:1)
I wish some people [apple.com] weren't so stingy with their tech and some other people [adcritic.com] weren't so eager to lock out chunks of their audience when open formats exist, then I could see it again awake.
since you asked.... (SPOILER) (Score:1)
Then this hot clerk comes up and tells Ash that his story is kinda cute, just as a wind picks up in the store. She-Bitch pops up again, and Ash kicks her ass with a 22 that holds about 100 shots.
Thats about it. Should see it sometime, its good.
Re:pet peeves about gaming on console. (Score:1)
Why are you comparing this game to Quake and Quake II? And others here are comparing it to Duke Nukem. What is the relavence of a mouse to this game? Check out the PlayStation screenshots [evildeadgame.com] and you will see that this IS NOT a first person shooter. In the review he mentioned that it was like Resident Evil.
For the poor disadvantaged PC gamers out there that haven't seen the light of console gaming yet, there are many games, Resident Evil included, that ARE NOT first person shooters. I understand that this will come as a shock to you, but you have to be told, for your own good. That's right, there really are games that are not FPSes. Incredible, huh? Even more incredible, you might think, that although a few FPSes are sublime (Doom, Quake x, Half Life, Unreal, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark), the majority of the other thousands of PC FPSes suck. But if they are all you have every played, you might not realise this until you get a console.I'm always up for SOME ANTICS :) (Score:1)
Re:Just when I was sure ... (Score:1)
Also Available on Dreamcast and PC CD-ROM... (Score:1)
Then you can use whatever controller you want. Dreamcast version ships on the 24th according to sites like Outpost and Amazon. PC version is listed at January 16, 2001. It's too bad they couldn't beat the Christmas rush.
So, if you have a PSX and a PC, I'd say wait for the PC version. The graphics are usually better and you typically get more patches, cheats, cracks, upgrades, etc. for a PC game.
-Just my two cents...
Great lines (Score:1)
Re:Different versions of ED2 (Score:1)
The only real differences, (at least until there's a REAL Director's Cut out, is the various digital re-mastering, letterboxing, etc-type stuff.
AoD also has a couple diff. versions that i've found... There is a Director's Cut with the apocalyptic original ending only released in the UK, the regular old version, and I think somewhere inbetween there was a transitional re-mastered one. Strangely enough, i've also seen on USA network a full version with a whole bunch of extended scenes. (including a sex scene, of all things)
Oh, almost forgot. The neatest one to have if you can still find it, is the numbered limited-edition letter-boxed version of Evil Dead. They only made something like 20k of them, and it has one of those nifty cases that have the reversible covers.
BTW, if anyone can find that full copy of AoD, please let me know!
Hail to the King, Baby!
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:2)
Then don't read the damn site. Simple, huh?
This seems like a really hard concept for slashbots to grasp.
If you just want tech news go to The Register or C|Net...If you want trolls, flames and frippery, read slashdot.
And quit bitching. It annoys people much more than the stupid RMS/ESR/GPL articles.
--K
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Re:Great lines (Score:1)
Henry: I am Henry the Red, Duke of Shale, Lord of the Northlands and leader of its peoples.
Ash: Well hello Mr.Fancy-pants. I got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things right now. Jack and shit... and Jack left town.
From the script. [corky.net]Does anyone have a release date for the game? The web site isn't very helpful. [evildeadgame.com]
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:1)
I happen to think that lame jokes about paperclips, blue screens, and ESPECIALLY Microsoft Bob are damned funny!
As a matter of fact, I want to see MORE!
MORE jokes about the Atari 5200! MORE jokes about DOS 4.0! MORE shitlists! POST MORE email FORWARDS! They're ALWAYS funny!
Re:One of my pet peeves... (Score:1)
However, i've never professed to be an insane videogame freak, just an insane ED freak. I personally was very excited upon playing the game, thought it was something that was worthwhile to write about, figured I would share my enthusiasm, hoped I could be informative and helpful, and somehow decided to toss it to the flamepits here at
Anyway, I apologize once again, and would like to thank everyone who's posted constructive comments.
PS: I happen to like the taunt button. I didn't mention in the review, but sometimes when you taunt, it actually can scare Deadites off... kind of helpful when you're getting swamped.
Hail to the King, Baby!
Re:One of my pet peeves... (Score:1)
I generally don't blame the publisher if the game sucks. Late arriving, yes. I just wish that the game designers would actually listen to the fans when it comes time to build a sequel. God knows that they messed up FFVIII. FFVII and FFIX are both better games then 8. But will Squaresoft learn. Well, maybe this time they will. But don't count on it.
Eric Gearman
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Re: Clatoo, verata *couch* *cough*?!?!?! (Score:1)
> True, although it's also referenced in the Evil Dead movies.
You forgot the words! You are meant to quote: "Clatoo, verata, Nicto."
Now you've done it! The deadites will be set free and roam the earth for eternity. That is, unless, perhaps....
Re:And their ad is top notch (Score:1)
Anyway, X-Files, IMAO, is worthless without Duchovny
Amen.
Voice-Over (Score:1)
RE:(Hint, some zombies want your eyeballs) (Score:1)
The idea is to suck the soul out THROUGH the eyeballs. Two for one deal. Yuk.
It's coming... (Score:2)
If in-game tools existed to program 2D/3D action or RPG elements, you'd have a real winner.
This sounds like Neverwinter Nights [bioware.com]. Can't wait for this game to hit the stores.
Re:And an example... (Score:1)
Heheh... no kidding... I wonder how much time I spent on that game. Oh, and Metroid too.
Re:Different versions of ED2 (Score:1)
I personally lean towards "Good, bad..." It just has so much more style.
Hail to the king, baby!
Windows Port.. (Score:1)
Linux port if they know what's good for you and 4 other geeks. Not to be mean, that's just reality.
Re:WHY THE FUCK IS THIS ON SLASHDOT? (Score:1)
I mean, come on people, it's not difficult to flame someone, it's not even that difficult to do it well...but lets make the effort here, huh?
As it is, I can't imagine anyone being actually insulted by such an infantile attempt at a witticism. I actually find it rather pleasing...my logic is so airtight that you are forced into a pathetic personal attack rather than an attack on the logic upon which my post is based. Thank you
Re:This game has already been made... (Score:1)
thenerd.
Re:This is why PC Gaming is dying out (Score:1)
Re:I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
Re:pet peeves about gaming on console. (Score:2)
Sure, mouse+keyboard are better for First Person Shooters, but NEWSFLASH FPS is not the only kind of game. Great games like Virtua Tennis, Sonic Adventure, Bomberman, etc. control better with a console control pad.
The review mentions that the ED game is a little like Resident Evil. In the recent Resident Evil Code: Veronica game (PS2 and Dreamcast) Claire auto-aims at whatever enemies are closest to where you point her. No, this isn't cheating, because the game isn't a glorified duck-shoot -- but it does mean you don't need the twitch-to-an-absolute-position interface a mouse provides.
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Re:no need for a mouse (Score:2)
I have not played it, but I gather Resident Evil Gun Survivor combines character movement using a D-pad with lightgun-based shooting.
That said, "shooting people" and "cool"? First Person shooters are not my favourite genre, so I've not spent very much time with them, but with the PS2 coming out recently I've watched a couple of movies of Unreal Tournament and Time Splitters, and I have to say the constant barrage of gunfire and OTT howls of agony actually made me feel a little ill. Maybe I'm getting old
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Can't be true (Score:2)
No version of Quake is available for PS2 as yet. The only FPS for PS2 on general release is TimeSplitters. Unreal Tournament comes out soon, Quake 3 is further off in the future.
Maybe you're thinking of Quake 2 on PS1, or Quake 3 on Dreamcast. On DC Quake 3 you can split the screen horizontally or vertically AFAIK, as well as play online fullscreen.
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Re:One of my pet peeves... (Score:2)
You might consider blaming the publisher if the game is delivered on time, but sucks -- often the developers want extra time to make the game "just right", but the publishers insist on taking an inferior product in order to meet seasonal deadlines. A nice example is Metropolis Street Racer: it was over a year later than promised, but ask any journalist who saw the game around the time of its original deadline, and they'll say Sega did the right thing to give Bizarre Creations extra time. The result is a masterpiece (so people who like driving games tell me).
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Re:I just wish I had a PSX to play it on!! (Score:1)
A recent trip to France saw them stacked high in supermarkets.
Where were you looking?
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