Evil Dead Regeneration Xbox Review

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October 13th, 2005 Jason Rybka Leave a comment Go to comments

If you have never heard of the Evil Dead movies, I am guessing that either you are not a horror fan or you were too young when the movies came out. The fact is that Evil Dead went on to become what many consider the finest horror movie of all time. This statement may be due to more about how the movies got started than the content but I happen to agree with it. You see back in 1979 a group of friends wanted to film a horror movie and no one knew back then the names of Bruce Campbell or Sam Raimi. It was up to the group to raise the money themselves and they managed to shoot the first movie on a budget of around $375,000.

As far as movies go even back then it was chump change but the talented group saved money by shooting the film on location at a small cabin in a wooded area of Tennessee. Low on cash and experience, they decided to cut corners with the special effects and when the movie was seen, it took the horror genre by storm. It is now a cult classic and has spawned three sequels and a large amount of reissued DVD editions of each movie. The best part is it etched Bruce Campbell’s name as a B rated actor and something he is very proud of. Of course Sam Raimi had another huge success with the Spiderman films.

Bruce is the kind of actor you either love or hate. I have never heard anyone say Bruce yea he is okay. When THQ released A Fistful of Boomsticks, the game was a hit among fans of the Evil Dead series. It also was a decent but campy game which was made that way on purpose. Bruce is back only this time with a new side kick in a whole new adventure. The question is will Evil Dead Regeneration appeal to Bruce Campbell fans and gamers?

Gameplay

I hate to ruin the story for those who have not had a chance to play it yet. I have to tell a bit so you understand and know a few of the references I will make that will revolve around the game. At the start players will find themselves back at the cabin on the fateful night when the book of Necronomicon was unleashed for the first time. Ash (Bruce) manages to escape and kill the evil deadites. He is the only one left alive and besides his hand missing, his story to the police seems to be missing a lot of facts.

You will play through the first few levels before the story unfolds in cut-scene format. These first levels look like the first game and movie, campy and not well drawn but this was on purpose. Ash tries to explain the book, the evil and the carnage, but he is blamed for the murders and things are not looking good for old Ash. He argues his innocence that much that he winds up in an insane asylum. Later on his attorney finds that Ash was telling the truth and his shrink has been taking out certain key notes in their therapy sessions. She tells Ash that she thinks something is about to happen to him and to stay safe until she can bring in the police to prove his innocence.

If you are a fan, I bet you know what is next, right? The shrink has the book and his half deadite and half human flunky are trying to tap into the evil of the Necronomicon book. As fate would have it, the shrink gets the words wrong just like Ash. Now the book kills Ash’s only proof and is running wild among the asylum turning everyone into the evil dead that Ash has had enough of. Ash must find a way to get out alive and this will involve a bunch of solving mazes and shooting lead into the evil deadites running around. Of course the game also features the dead on delivery of the wise cracks from Ash. Bruce not only supplied the voice but wrote most of the story and really this was his project.

The rest of the game involves meeting up with Sam the side kick which adds to the gameplay. Ash can kick Sam into a group of the deadites and allow him to kick butt. He has as many great one liners as Ash in the game. The game is loaded with things to find that will unlock the extras to watch later including interviews with Bruce and a few neat videos. While they did make a few of the hidden icons and bonus items hard to find, the game gives clues either by Ash’s comments or by the camera zooming in on something strange to help out the gamer.

I don’t want to ruin for those who want to play the game. The game is a lot like the first one, but this time they gave Ash more options, weapons and places to showcase the talents of Bruce. You will notice a new targeting system and the cut-scenes will offer visual clues as to what needs to be opened or activated to move on to the next level or chapter of the game.

It’s a solid game but will tend to get a few gamers frustrated having to restart from the save point you last used and the game does not have many of them around. I liked the challenge and the game is not that hard. Some of the levels are well designed. The hardest part may be learning when or what combos to use and that you have a targeting system. Thankfully the on-screen tips will remind you at certain times and the game is fun to play. I won’t ruin the whole story but it’s safe to say Ash and Sam will find themselves in plenty of places where it looks bad for the duo.

Control / Playability

The controls are easy to learn and will take most players about 30 minutes to get the hang of the main controls. You may find it necessary to adjust the brightness controls and the other video options since most of the key cues are given through the cinematic movies. Other than that the controls are laid out well and respond very well.

A few of the combos are based on timing and once you learn the right timing, it’s simple to pull off all of them. The new targeting system works fine and the game’s camera is decent although at times you will need to move the left analog stick to get the right angle. For a budget game, this one was well thought out and the controls are an improvement over the last game in the series.

Graphics / Presentation

The graphics are nothing that will overly impress anyone. Instead they make the game fit the early movies and help draw players into the game. Ash looks really good and just like his movie counter part. The deadite characters at times begin to look pretty much the same and I wish they would have added a bit more to each of them. Then again Ash blows them to bits so it fits. The cinematic intros are well done and all have that 70’s look to them. The graphics are decent and not meant to impress the player but set the mood of the game and they pulled that off well.

Audio

Bruce Campbell’s voice work makes the game plain and simple. Take away his smart one-liners and twisted comebacks and it’s just another horror adventure. Sam of course is a running gag between Bruce and Sam Raimi and even though it’s a punch line the little guy has some great lines of his own and is voiced by Ted Raimi. I am guessing either Sam was too busy or his brother has a better voice that fit the role.

For those who have never seen the movies, a few of the gags will fly over your head and that’s to be expected. They don’t over rely on the one-liners to carry the game but it sure helps for some very funny times even through the scariest parts of the game. It’s horror but it’s the old fun type and though a little disturbing nothing that will really scare you like some of the other games out there in this genre. The rest of the sound effects are done well and sound real enough to feel like you are in the game and have you feel like you are apart of the action instead of simply controlling it.

Replay Value

Die-hard fans will get the most out of this budget title but it’s a fun game to play. There is a ton of things to unlock in the way of interviews, trailers and other goodies in the game. A few are worth replaying until you find every one, although some players may decide finishing the game is enough for them. The amount of hidden content and the levels will make any fan of the game fun to play.

The added content also makes for a collectors item for fans of the Evil Dead series. You may even find out if the rumors about Bruce playing Ash one more time are true or not. It’s fun and at times a challenging game although a bit short but certainly a blast to play. Replay value on a title like this is hard to really determine. For the price alone makes it worth playing. The new side kick adds a new added element and provides for some very funny moments that really add to the overall gameplay and storyline.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 8.0/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

It was great to play as Ash once again and even reading through the game manual Bruce manages to plug his books and movies. You have to love a guy who is not ashamed to plug himself like that. The game is meant to be campy or cheesy to a degree and some of the levels do have a habit of looking basically the same. While a bit short the game is worth playing and just fun. This time of year it’s the perfect game to play. I would have liked to see a mode where you could have played certain levels Co-Op, one playing as Ash and one playing as Sam. Still fan of the movies or not, those who enjoy horror adventure games will find something to enjoy in this one.

XBox Solution