Splatterhouse 2 review - Sega Megadrive

Splatterhouse II? You might well ask what happened to Splatterhouse I! The fact is, it was never released on the Megadrive - only on coin-op and PC Engine. So all of you who've never seen or heard of it better listen up!

When Rick stumbled across a hockey mask the last thing he expected was demonic possession. But before you could say "horror movie rip-off", Rick was hacking his way to death central. After miscellaneous dismemberments and more slime than a school canteen, Rick managed to rid himself of the evil spirit contained in the mask.

Now the mask is calling again, and this time Rick feels he must succumb to the madness it inspires if he is to save his girlfriend Jennifer. She has been kidnapped by a demon who is holding her captive on an island. So once again it's crash-bang-wallop, and slash-chop-stab as Rick tries to makes his way into the record books as the most unsuccessful pacifist since Attila the Hun.

Beginning in the cosy surrounds of a graveyard, our masked loony must break into the house, make his way to the sewer to save his beloved, and escape before the house caves in. Then the happy couple have to flee the island on a speed boat with an irate octopus in hot pursuit. Rick's mission isn't made any easier by the multitude of mutant zombies that haunt his every step, and the guardians lurking at the end of every level. Basically, it's a bloody nightmare!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

I was a big fan of the original coin-op and after the spiffing PC Engine conversion I was hoping for something really good on the Megadrive. Sadly, I must admit to being disappointed by this. The graphics are nice and gory, but unfortunately the game is marred by unresponsive controls and slow gameplay. The collision detection also leaves something to be desired. If Splatterhouse II was much faster and much more responsive, the poor animation and similarly between the levels could have been forgotten in the veritable slap-fest of gore-type proportions. As it stands, ardent fans of the original coin-op might find this fun, but I think that most beat 'em up fans will be disappointed.

Made in much the same style as slasher movies like The Evil Dead or Friday The 13th, Splatterhouse II boasts gory graphics, as the screen shots clearly show. But while the graphics are impressive, what the pictures can't convey is the standard of animation and playability in this game. Unfortunately it's very poor. Rick walks like he's wearing a pair of roller skates, and when he jumps it looks like he's being kicked up the rear by the invisible man! The joypad response is also naff, and it left me feeling I was never really in control of the game. Another criticism I'd throw at this is that although it's challenging, it's also frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a game that's tough, but in the case of Splatterhouse II the difficulty is all down to stupid programming. It ruins the flow of the game and leaves you with the desire to splatter your Megadrive! What had potential as a highly amusing slice 'em up is in fact a very disappointing game with little but great graphics in its favour.

Have your say about this review

Tris Wicks - 05 Nov 2008, 06:49 GMT

I liked the bit when you chainsaw the garroted babies. That could be a great mini game in a Puppy Spa Happy Love Horsey ResortTM game on Wii. Vrum!Vrum!

Dan - 08 Apr 2009, 14:06 GMT

Yup, amusing but ultimately not that good a game.

Aww man, did anyone sense the end of MM was only just around the corner? Small things were changing n all these new reviewers had suddenly established themselves. Times were a' changin, the end was nigh, our nackers were dropping, and soon we'd all have to trade in those long, sweaty, 8 hour days spent with 10 of our mates cramped inside a tiny, fart filled room and playin in a virtual realm for beer, designer cloths, young ripe teenage fanny, banging tunes and class A drugs...........Whooohooo!!! ;)

byron - 14 Jul 2009, 11:16 GMT

I've always loved splatterhouse 2 every since the day i rented it from blockbuster in the early 90's
its a game that's in a world of its own, i love the music too
i guess it might be because ive always like friday the 13th films :D
calssic game!!!

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