Splatterhouse

[soop]

I'm thinking this could have been way better.  It seems really paired down, and yet it's a really sought-after game.  And it's really cheap in some places too, like the mid-stage levels and their surprises.
So far I'm glad I didn't spend more than a fiver on it.

[SuperDeadite]

Big downgrade from the arcade (especially sound wise), but a decent port considering the
hardware differences.  The game itself is a great example of an 80's arcade game. 
It's hard enough to keep it challenging, but doesn't get frustrating.  Like most arcade games
of that era, memorization is key for the 1lc.  Great game, and far better then the MD only
sequels.

[pixeljunkie]

Considering the options at the time to  play Splatterhouse at home, it was amazing. It's easier now to look at it in retrospect and dissect it further. I was blown away by it when it came out. TG16 games at the time were upwards of $70+. I realize I am biased, both by my age and my love for Splatterhouse. But I understand newcomers looking at it with one eyebrow up and wondering "why all the fuss?"

I also am in the minority [usually] in my love for Splatterhouse 2. I thought it improved on the formula/gfx of the original and I remember getting it at release and playing it constantly.

I would say my thoughts on the series are:

Splatterhouse Arcade > Splatterhouse 2 > Splatterhouse PCE > poking hot pokers in my eyes > Splatterhouse 3

[Arkhan Asylum]

I think its a great game as long as you play the white masked PCE one!  The red masked turbob one annoys me.

And the sound may not be the overblown arcade sound... but its a damn nice PCE soundtrack.  It manages to keep all of the eerieness without a problem and at times the music is less "OUCH, MY EARS.  THIS IS TOO BLARING".

Namcot doned good.  Its still the best home version of spratterhouse. 

Even the arcade game is cheap/pain in the ass'd at times.    Its a brutal game.  Only the strong survive.

Like detroit. 

[FraGMarE]

As far as the actual gameplay and in-game graphics and sound, i think it's a really good conversion from the arcade.  Could it have been better?  Of course, but not by much.  Though the little cut scene before the game starts with the house and the lightning... the art is so bad on that screen on the TG16 version it hurts my soul.  And the red mask in the TG16 version?  WTF was that all about?

As far as the actual game itself, it's... ehhh... mediocre or slightly above mediocre.  The gameplay is a bit stiff and clunky and, yea, the game can be pretty cheap in spots.  You can make the most faithful and accurate arcade conversion you want, but if the original arcade game is only average, your end product will also be... average.  If you polish a turd, it's still a turd. 

[Arkhan Asylum]

And the red mask in the TG16 version?  WTF was that all about?

Too similar to Jason.  They didn't want to risk copyrightlolfringement.


The original arcade game is average at best.  If the game didnt have the theme it does, and was some like mean street back alley brawler, it would probably suck completely.

Its the horror/occult theme that really makes it badass.


I prefer the PCE over the aracde, mostly because I like the PCE chiptunes .   fanboyftwwww

[WoodyXP]

As far as the actual game itself, it's... ehhh... mediocre or slightly above mediocre.

When I was a kid I saw 'Splatterhouse' in the same light as 'Altered Beast'.  It was a crappy game that showcased the technical capabilities of the system.
Splatterhouse was a very impressive game when it came out, as was Altered Beast.

[TheClash603]

Splatterhouse, to me, was the must own game back in the day.  I am a kid that watched horror movies with my friends all the time, and the best the NES had to offer for horror gaming was Shadowgate or Friday the 13th.  The game hasn't aged too well, because it is a bit clunky, but it still provides some fun with the occasional run through.

[Tatsujin]

I think its a great game as long as you play the white masked PCE one!  The red masked turbob one annoys me.

And the sound may not be the overblown arcade sound... but its a damn nice PCE soundtrack.  It manages to keep all of the eerieness without a problem and at times the music is less "OUCH, MY EARS.  THIS IS TOO BLARING".

Namcot doned good.  Its still the best home version of spratterhouse. 

Even the arcade game is cheap/pain in the ass'd at times.    Its a brutal game.  Only the strong survive.

Like detroit. 

Agree wis you on almost everything written above, but don't forget the mighty marty port

[Mathius]

Final boss track rulz!

[Alt-Nintega]

I love that series to death.

[moonwhistle]

I love the series, I think it's the music that keeps me enthralled. I don't think part 3 is bad at all. It's very playable and the intro is so brilliant it might be even better than part 2's.

[turbogrfxfan]

yeah its a must have now and in the past.  I think its a pretty creepy game. like when you throw the rock at the hanging bodies and they split in half or those blobs with faces.  I remember how cool it was to see that in a video game back in the day.  

I still think its a fun game to play.

[Tatsujin]

Almost every port form the 16bit era could have been better in terms of BG details etc. IF you had some more memory available. The cd-rom had proven that quite well.

Considering that, most Arcade to PCE ports were done quite well, and sometimes they came very close to an arcade perfect translation.

[soop]

Almost every port form the 16bit era could have been better in terms of BG details etc. IF you had some more memory available. The cd-rom had proven that quite well.

Considering that, most Arcade to PCE ports were done quite well, and sometimes they came very close to an arcade perfect translation.

I think this is my problem - I look at what happened with Ghouls and Ghosts, and yes, I know it's a Super Grafx game, but everything is so... right.
But I'm sure the PCE could have done better.

And I would like to add, that I kept playing it after I posted this topic, and I was quite impressed by the variation. I got to level 4, with the mirror images, and the cross surrounded by floating heads.  Whatever criticism you aim at the game, it's hardly unimaginative.

I'll certainly be playing it again.  Time will tell.

[TurboXray]

I think this is my problem - I look at what happened with Ghouls and Ghosts, and yes, I know it's a Super Grafx game, but everything is so... right.
But I'm sure the PCE could have done better.

SGX GnG is an 8meg hucard. Splatterhouse is not (it's 4meg IIRC). Splatterhouse was an awesome port for the time. Nothing was ever arcade perfect BITD. But relative to the 8bit era; the Genesis, SNES, Turbo arcade ports were close enough conversions.

[soop]

When did splatterhouse come out?  I don't think there's any question that the PC Engine is capable of better - more colours, more animation, even neater graphics.  Not having played the Arcade game in about 20 years I can't draw conclusions between the two, but I'd say "could have done better".

[Tatsujin]

When did splatterhouse come out?  I don't think there's any question that the PC Engine is capable of better - more colours, more animation, even neater graphics. 

http://www.pcedaisakusen.net/2/28/248/1/Splatterhouse-jp.htm

And sure the PCE could have done better than that in like 1990. Nevertheless as I already said, it's still a great port.

[awack]

Like Bonkuts said, its only 4 megs, for a game with multiple routes and quite large sprites, thats not allot to work with...remember, SplatterHouse 2 is 8 megs, it definitely doesn't seem twice the meg count to me.

What Splatterhouse does better than most back then, is physics, swinging and splattering a zombie against a wall,or feel the recoil of the shotgun as you blow an enemy to pieces, fire the shotgun while jumping and you will be forced back by the recoil...sadly, splatterhouse 2 losses most of this.

[Arkhan Asylum]

its not like the original was exactly a graphical powerhouse.  Comparing the two, its pretty damn good.  It was a clunky, kinda muddy arcade game with alot of gore and scary nonsense.

The PCE one doned good.  It could have done better, if Splatterhouse in the arcade was better to begin with.

[Digi.k]

I think this is my problem - I look at what happened with Ghouls and Ghosts, and yes, I know it's a Super Grafx game, but everything is so... right.
But I'm sure the PCE could have done better.

And I would like to add, that I kept playing it after I posted this topic, and I was quite impressed by the variation. I got to level 4, with the mirror images, and the cross surrounded by floating heads.  Whatever criticism you aim at the game, it's hardly unimaginative.

I always felt namco never pushed the pc engine like konami or other 3rd party supporters.. I would have loved for them to have released 6mb and higher HuCard's later on the pc engines lifespan.

The music for splatterhouse seems tinny and weak to some but the stereo separation is fantastic and the gameplay is pretty tight.

[shubibiman]

I always felt namco never pushed the pc engine like konami or other 3rd party supporters..

Not right : Namco was the first ever 3rd party supporter for the PCE with Konami releasing its first PCE game in 1991 (Gradius).

[nat]

I think he meant "pushed" as in, "pushed the limitations of the system" not as in "supported the system."

[geise]

The question should be "Why do all the sequels suck with more to work with, when Splatterhouse PCE is such a good arcade port?" 

[Digi.k]

I think he meant "pushed" as in, "pushed the limitations of the system" not as in "supported the system."

^__^ hai

[Arkhan Asylum]

I think he meant "pushed" as in, "pushed the limitations of the system" not as in "supported the system."

^__^ hai

SUP! HOW ARE YOU.

Im bored.

[spenoza]

I think this is my problem - I look at what happened with Ghouls and Ghosts, and yes, I know it's a Super Grafx game, but everything is so... right.
But I'm sure the PCE could have done better.

And I would like to add, that I kept playing it after I posted this topic, and I was quite impressed by the variation. I got to level 4, with the mirror images, and the cross surrounded by floating heads.  Whatever criticism you aim at the game, it's hardly unimaginative.

I always felt namco never pushed the pc engine like konami or other 3rd party supporters.. I would have loved for them to have released 6mb and higher HuCard's later on the pc engines lifespan.

I concur. There are a couple Namco titles that are relatively impressive, but by and large their dev work on the PCE, and to an extent in the arcades as well, was rather blasé. The exceptions shine, but the rest just kinda mull around in "butt-average" territory.

And why the hell didn't we get the Rolling Thunder series on PCE? Seriously! Those were some awesome games and the PCE could have handled it quite well!

[Digi.k]

SUP! HOW ARE YOU.

Im bored.

haha you are bored?? Go play your pc engine I know I am right now while waiting for the garlic bread to cook in the oven..

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[Arkhan Asylum]

whatchu hookin yo PCE up to the TeeVee with?

I keep thinking about SGX on 55" TV and getting wood.  But I don't want to play Smears and Blurs, I want to play Ghouls and Ghosts

[nat]

Playing classic 4:3 video games stretched to 16:9 is sacrilege.

[CrackTiger]

Playing classic 4:3 video games stretched to 16:9 is sacrilege.

No more than playing them on anything but a crt.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Playing classic 4:3 video games stretched to 16:9 is sacrilege.

I was going to press the button thing to make it go 4:3 on bigTV. 

[spenoza]

Good luck finding any good CRTs any longer. The older ones are usually abused and the newer ones, what few there are, are of low quality manufacture.

[roflmao]

Good luck finding any good CRTs any longer. The older ones are usually abused and the newer ones, what few there are, are of low quality manufacture.

True, but even my unremarkable old 27" JVC tube tv plays pre-HD systems WAAAAY better than my 46" 1080p HD LCD screen.  The only pre-HD system I have hooked up to the big screen right now is the SNES only because it's in the living room and visitors tend to have fonder memories for that system than the rest of that era.  And the SNES could look so much better if it was hooked up to the 27"...  

Lots of good, cheap tube TVs can still be found on craigslist.  Last time I moved I had a hard time GIVING away my Sony 36" WEGA TV on craiglist just because I didn't want to move that behemoth again.

[spenoza]

Yeah, I have a decent JVC 27" (regular tube, not flat shadow mask/trinitron). It still looks pretty good, but it's developed quite a whine.

[roflmao]

Sorry to hear that.

Yeah, mine's nothing special; it's curved and one of the speakers no longer works so I have the audio going out to an old boom box which sounds better anyway...  But it LOOKS better than if it was hooked up to my big-ole-tv that cost way more. 

I learned something that day.

Anyway, sorry, apparently I've shifted the focus of this thread.  We can pick it up in a new thread if you'd like to discuss further.

[Mathius]

Sorry to hear that.

Yeah, mine's nothing special; it's curved and one of the speakers no longer works so I have the audio going out to an old boom box which sounds better anyway...  But it LOOKS better than if it was hooked up to my big-ole-tv that cost way more. 

I learned something that day.

Anyway, sorry, apparently I've shifted the focus of this thread.  We can pick it up in a new thread if you'd like to discuss further.

We have a thread somewhere, but as usual I am too lazy to look and link.

[Digi.k]

whatchu hookin yo PCE up to the TeeVee with?

I keep thinking about SGX on 55" TV and getting wood.  But I don't want to play Smears and Blurs, I want to play Ghouls and Ghosts

with an RGB scart conversion and a colour booster you will get wood!!

I only know of one uk company that does it but they are not cheap!


http://www.ravengames.co.uk/pcenginewhitecdinfo.htm



haha I'm used to the meshed effects and stretched images now..

It's just normal composite cables hooked up to a plasma tv

[nat]

haha I'm used to the meshed effects and stretched images now..

It's just normal composite cables hooked up to a plasma tv

I could never get used to that. For me, a huge part of the allure of video games (16-bit era in particular) is the beautiful pixel artwork and the time the artists took for precision detail. They intended their art to look a certain way.

Playing 4:3 games stretched to 16:9 on an LCD or plasma complete with artifacting and the whole 9 yards, in my opinion, is equivalent to removing every piece from an art museum and replacing them with TV screens simply showing an image of the piece of art. You can still see the paintings, right? They're just on an "up-to-date" screen, right? Wrong. The whole point is lost.

[Digi.k]

I could never get used to that. For me, a huge part of the allure of video games (16-bit era in particular) is the beautiful pixel artwork and the time the artists took for precision detail. They intended their art to look a certain way.

Playing 4:3 games stretched to 16:9 on an LCD or plasma complete with artifacting and the whole 9 yards, in my opinion, is equivalent to removing every piece from an art museum and replacing them with TV screens simply showing an image of the piece of art. You can still see the paintings, right? They're just on an "up-to-date" screen, right? Wrong. The whole point is lost.

You've never lived in the UK Nats..  where our games used to run to be 17.5% slower than NTSC  and borders at the top and bottom of the screen giving a squashed image so for many years us brits/europeans never could play the games how they originally intended to look.. I guess I gotten used to it all these years..

But still I've paid a lotta money in them days to enjoy games in RGB scart on a normal 4.3 crt screen for full speed and full screen, so playing them today stretched on a plasma with full pixellation don't detract me from enjoying the playability of the game..

I don't know maybe I'm just gotten tolerant of this kinda stuff..

I rather just make full use of the screen.  When i change the aspect ratio to 4:3 the side bits just seem empty.
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The konami sign is much plainer on the superfamicon and don't rotate like the pce's iirc
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BTW this boss sprite is not in the Superfamicom version if I recall.. her hair falls down on the pce.
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even on this stage when the lightning flashes. it is slightly different on the superfamicom iirc much more obtrusive on the pce.
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[spenoza]

haha I'm used to the meshed effects and stretched images now..

It's just normal composite cables hooked up to a plasma tv

I could never get used to that. For me, a huge part of the allure of video games (16-bit era in particular) is the beautiful pixel artwork and the time the artists took for precision detail. They intended their art to look a certain way.

Well, they didn't intend it to be stretched to 16x9, but they DID intend it to be smoothed and blurred via analog connection to the TV. That was the standard back then. They didn't intend them to be pixel clear via RGB signal or like you see things on an emulator. They rely on the blurring of a CRT display and analog signal to help smooth the colors and jaggy edges. It's a balance. You want the colors and lines and details to be clear, but you want some natural analog/CRT smoothing to help balance the image. If pixel art for games was designed, at the time, without this kind of effect in mind it was out of foolishness, because 95-99% of gamers were going to be getting those effects. You design for the 95%, not the 5%.

[nat]

haha I'm used to the meshed effects and stretched images now..

It's just normal composite cables hooked up to a plasma tv

I could never get used to that. For me, a huge part of the allure of video games (16-bit era in particular) is the beautiful pixel artwork and the time the artists took for precision detail. They intended their art to look a certain way.

Well, they didn't intend it to be stretched to 16x9, but they DID intend it to be smoothed and blurred via analog connection to the TV. That was the standard back then. They didn't intend them to be pixel clear via RGB signal or like you see things on an emulator. They rely on the blurring of a CRT display and analog signal to help smooth the colors and jaggy edges. It's a balance. You want the colors and lines and details to be clear, but you want some natural analog/CRT smoothing to help balance the image. If pixel art for games was designed, at the time, without this kind of effect in mind it was out of foolishness, because 95-99% of gamers were going to be getting those effects. You design for the 95%, not the 5%.

This is basically exactly what I was trying to say... You pretty much just made my entire point.

[CrackTiger]

Well, they didn't intend it to be stretched to 16x9, but they DID intend it to be smoothed and blurred via analog connection to the TV. That was the standard back then. They didn't intend them to be pixel clear via RGB signal or like you see things on an emulator. They rely on the blurring of a CRT display and analog signal to help smooth the colors and jaggy edges. It's a balance. You want the colors and lines and details to be clear, but you want some natural analog/CRT smoothing to help balance the image. If pixel art for games was designed, at the time, without this kind of effect in mind it was out of foolishness, because 95-99% of gamers were going to be getting those effects. You design for the 95%, not the 5%.

Except for arcade games like Splatterhouse, of which 100% would be played on an RGB screen.

I rather just make full use of the screen.  When i change the aspect ratio to 4:3 the side bits just seem empty.

It's just an illusion in your mind. The sides of the widescreen are still boarders of the image, but somehow your mind isn't bothered by the emptiness at the top and bottom of your screen, where the image should be stretching up and down to. It's the same difference, only the proper perspective only appears at 4:3.

[spenoza]

Oh, well, in that case, I'm OK with that.

[TurboXray]

haha I'm used to the meshed effects and stretched images now..

It's just normal composite cables hooked up to a plasma tv

I could never get used to that. For me, a huge part of the allure of video games (16-bit era in particular) is the beautiful pixel artwork and the time the artists took for precision detail. They intended their art to look a certain way.

Well, they didn't intend it to be stretched to 16x9, but they DID intend it to be smoothed and blurred via analog connection to the TV. That was the standard back then. They didn't intend them to be pixel clear via RGB signal or like you see things on an emulator. They rely on the blurring of a CRT display and analog signal to help smooth the colors and jaggy edges. It's a balance. You want the colors and lines and details to be clear, but you want some natural analog/CRT smoothing to help balance the image. If pixel art for games was designed, at the time, without this kind of effect in mind it was out of foolishness, because 95-99% of gamers were going to be getting those effects. You design for the 95%, not the 5%.

That's the case now, but Magweasel has a piece of info/interview stating that someone at NEC or Hudson wanted to make an RGB out adapter (like the booster) for the original system. It just never got released. Not that it matter too much. The SDTV's themselves might have some blurriness to them, but it's more to do with the tv SET rather than the PCE's composite signal - which is impressively crisp. The signal itself doesn't hide dithering the way the Genesis/MD composite output does on the CVBS out (regardless of the TV). But then again, the MD came stock with RGB amp out and on the port. You have a much tougher time arguing that MD games were meant only to be played on RF or CVBS than RGB for that system, than with the PCE/TG. And even then, not all RGB sets are created equal. The RGB monitors in the arcade weren't as super crisp as the VGA and SVGA monitors of the same period (very early 90's). No arcade setup looked like my super square edged crisp SVGA monitor in '92. Not even close.

[SamIAm]

I remember an interview with one of the American artists who worked on Sonic 2 where he described his workstation as having 3 monitors - one for zoomed-in pixel editing, one to show the image in its actual size, and one that was actually a TV showing the same thing as the second monitor through an RF connection. That was a custom Sega devkit, though.

[Dyna138]

I play my Duo on a Samsung 40" LCD through composite at 4:3 and I have no complaints, beautiful color and sharp detail. Looks very comparable to some games I have on Wii VC and I've got that running through Component. I even prefer it cause of that softening filter Hudson insists on forcing on their VC games. I'm thinking about getting my Duo S-Video modded in the near future though.

[nat]

I play my Dreamcast in 480p on an LCD using a VGA cable which is fine for DC games, but I have a minor issue playing SMS and Genesis games on it this way. Everything seems too blocky. It's a very crisp signal for sure, but I'm considering buying a scanline generator to put in between the DC and the TV.