 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Grabbed by the Ghoulies Review October 31, 2003 Marcus Yam |
|
 |
|
| |
Summary: On September 24, 2002, Microsoft confirmed rumors that had been flying around for months. Microsoft had bought itself exclusive development from Rare by buying out Nintendo’s stake in the UK developer. A year later, Rare’s first game for Xbox is now upon is. Touted as being from the creators of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, will Grabbed by the Ghoulies be next Rare classic or is it just an attempt to cash in on Halloween? Find out in our review!
 Rare’s debut on Xbox | Page:: ( 1 / 4 ) |
Rare had made quite a name for itself with the awesome Goldeneye N64 game, as well as numerous games based on Nintendo characters. While it was a given that the Xbox would not get to see any Nintendo character-based games, Microsoft was left with Rare’s self-made properties. We’re all waiting for a new Perfect Dark or Conker game, and we’re curious of just how Rare would announce itself on Microsoft’s big, black box.
[image]
| <% print_image("01"); %> | <% print_image("02"); %> | <% print_image("03"); %> |
Grabbed by the what?!
Rare’s first Xbox game is finally upon us: Grabbed by the Ghoulies – a simplistic beat ‘em up. Those expecting Rare to come in with a bang may be a little disappointed. Make no mistake, Rare’s Xbox debut is far from a face plant; but it’s hard not to have lofty expectations after Microsoft coughed up $375 million for this exclusive developer.
[image]
| <% print_image("04"); %> | <% print_image("05"); %> | <% print_image("06"); %> |
Purposefully released just in time for Halloween, Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a storybook (literally) tale of Cooper’s romp through a haunted mansion to save his girlfriend. Immediately apparent is the innovative presentation: the game opens up with a book filled with animated comic book panels. Think of it as CGI video, but instead of cuts to different camera angles, the camera just pans to another panel in the comic book. Essentially, it’s like seeing a comic book come to life.
SIDEBAR: The team behind Banjo-Kazooie are the ones mainly responsible for Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
| Save the princess? | Page:: ( 2 / 4 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("07"); %> | <% print_image("08"); %> | <% print_image("09"); %> |
Controls
The left thumbstick moves Cooper around, with all offensives launched by the right thumbstick. The face buttons serve mostly to pick-up and discard weapons, and the left and right trigger moves the camera.
Attacking only requires pointing and holding the right thumbstick in the direction you wish your punches, kicks, and weapon swings to go. The “Ghoulies” you’ll be facing range from small little imps and spiders to more traditional monsters such as skeletons, zombies and mummies. None of the Ghoulies will ever present much of a challenge to the conscious gamer. The only fiend to be afraid of is the Grim Reaper who is able kill you in a single death-touch (well, more accurately, you just faint and restart the level).
[image]
| <% print_image("10"); %> | <% print_image("11"); %> | <% print_image("12"); %> |
Fear the reaper
Playing though Grabbed by the Ghoulies involves simply moving from room to room and satisfying a certain criteria. Most of the time, it’s defeating all of the enemies. Occasionally, the game will twist things slightly to keep things fresh by being more specific about your short-term goal. Sometimes you’ll have to defeat a minimum number of creatures within a time limit, or clear all the enemies by using weapons only, etc. Failure to do so brings out the Grim Reaper, and he’s not here for a tea party.
SIDEBAR: The best Grim Reaper in cartoon land is Norm McDonald’s rendition in Family Guy.
| A gorgeous coat of paint | Page:: ( 3 / 4 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("13"); %> | <% print_image("14"); %> | <% print_image("15"); %> |
Graphics
Rare is known for its pleasing visuals in its games, and this one is no exception. At times, Grabbed by the Ghoulies looks like a three-dimensional cartoon, but it doesn’t present itself as cell-shaded. The art is extremely consistent and high in quality, showing that the art team at Rare were all on the same page. Those familiar with Rare’s history of games will find little surprises littered throughout Ghoulhaven Hall, such as a picture of Jetpac – a game for the Sinclair Spectrum, when Rare was still known as Ultimate.
[image]
| <% print_image("16"); %> | <% print_image("17"); %> | <% print_image("18"); %> |
Sound
The soundtrack to Ghoulies is appropriately composed of jingles that’ll remind you of Monster Mash. There’s not a lot of variety in the music, so after slogging through 100 rooms of mashing monsters, things can get a little repetitive. You and the characters you encounter never mutter a single line of dialog. Instead, grunts, groans, and moans accompany dialog cards – something Rare has done in its previous games.
SIDEBAR: (He did the mash)
He did the monster mash
(He did the mash)
It was a graveyard smash
(He did the mash)
It caught on in a flash
(He did the mash)
He did the monster mash
| Final verdict | Page:: ( 4 / 4 ) |