|
 Halloween
is just around the corner - and so is a convenient
store that's run by immigrants. Just try asking the
owners a question and you'll experience a nightmare
unlike anything Halloween can throw at you.
In
the spirit of Tim Burton, MediEvil Resurrection is
a campy, horror-inspired, hack and slash game that
incorporates elements of platforming, puzzles and
tons of combat with a cartoon-style cast. It's a great
looking game with top-shelf cutscenes, voiceacting
and writing. The gameplay itself is just slightly
above average but it's plenty challenging enough for
gamers of all levels.
Back
in the day, a great battle took place in which legend
has it that Sir Daniel Fortesque had slain the evil
sorcerer Zarok and paid for it with his life. Nothing
could be further from the truth as old Dan was just
a bumbling coward that was killed on the first attack
all those years ago. Now Zarok has returned from the
dead and in the process of resurrecting an army of
the undead he has unwittingly brought Dan back to
life. This would explain his macabre, skeletal appearance.
Given a second chance to live up to his undeserved
reputation, Dan takes up arms and vows to destroy
Zarok once and for all - unlike the first time.
This
game is an updated version of the original which appeared
on the PSX in 1998. The graphics are updated and upgraded,
as is evidenced in the cutscenes which are extremely
well produced. They maintain a consistent atmosphere
commensurate with the storyline and characters' appearances.
If I may be so bold to say (and who's going to stop
me?) the cutscenes are the best part of the game.
 Dan
isn't the easiest character to control and that's
a problem not so much with the game as it is with
the PSP control system. That little analog nub is
a pain in the ass as anyone with an IBM Thinkpad will
attest. It takes some getting used to but thankfully
you can use the D-pad to steer old Dan around with.
It's easier but it's not the optimum solution.
Hacking
and slashing is an activity that will hog most of
your time so it's very convenient that the game includes
a lock-on targeting system. A green dot will float
in front of Dan and will turn red when it settles
on an enemy. Push the shoulder button and you will
be locked on, allowing you to move around freely while
dodging projectiles and preparing for your next attack.
The
camera doesn't always give you the best perspectives
especially in later levels where the enemies are more
aggressive and prone to launch projectiles at you
from off-screen. I hate when that situation happens.
It then becomes more about luck than skill. All you
can do is try to outrun them and circumvent the enemy
and take him out. There are other times when the enemies
will be incredibly aggressive and rush at you in large
numbers. This isn't a fault with the camera but once
again your moves are limited to running away or using
your special spin attack in which you rotate like
a top with deadly blades sticking out. It's not the
most accurate way to destroy your enemies so you will
still have to rely on an element of luck.
 There
are some great mini-games offered that are just as
much fun to play as the main story mode. These games
aren't unique but they are presented in such a way
that they seem totally original. The two-player, wi-fi
mode consists of racing through previous levels to
see who can make it to the end first. Big deal, says
I. And you will probably too since I control your
every thought and every move and every whim and all
the bad things you say to your parents, teachers and
game programmers.
It's
unfortunate that the control system and the camera
erode the fun potential of what could have been the
best PSP game thus far. It's still one of the better
PSP games and should be looked over instead of overlooked.
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Everything
that was old is new again! Thanks to Nintendo's penchant
for using their handheld systems as a way to regurgitate
old games into slightly new carcasses, Sony feels
they can get away with the same nonsense. The first
MediEvil game wasn't that much to write home about
when it debuted on the PSone years ago, but since
the PSP is capable of PS2 level visuals it only makes
sense to reanimate these old characters onto the PSP
and hope that sparks some kind of interest in gamers.
Wait...that doesn't make any sense at all!! Meh. Such
is life in the game industry.
One
hundred years have passed since the evil Sorcerer
Zarok was defeated at the Battle of Gallowmere when
he was heroically cut down by a mortally wounded Sir
Daniel Fortesque. Or at least, that's what the people
were told; in fact, poor Sir Daniel Fortesque was
a bit of a coward, falling in the very first wave
of arrows. Now Zarok has returned, turning day into
night, and raising an undead army to conquer the land.
As a side effect, Sir Daniel Fortesque also has been
resurrected…now, he has the chance to defeat
Zarok and in death become the hero he never was in
life.
