Splatterhouse PCE - The Cleaver

CloudGamerX · 09/30/2016, 08:53 AM

Alright, so lately I have been playing alot of Splatterhouse on my PC Engine, and one thing that sticks out to me is that in the beginning of the first two levels, you get a 2x4 instead of the cleaver like in the arcade. I have heard someone say it's probably due to hardware limitations, but then I saw a hack where they implemented the cleaver in Stage 1, and the monsters actually get decapitated when you hit them with it. So was it actually censorship from NEC's part, or did someone just hack in new sprites with the cleaver replacement?

tbone3969 · 09/30/2016, 08:56 AM

I thought the PCE version was uncensored?

edamame · 09/30/2016, 09:05 AM

Basically the only difference in the PCE version is Rick's mask is white, stage 4's boss fight is against an upside down cross and it takes place in a church with an altar at the end.

Nazi NecroPhile · 09/30/2016, 09:28 AM

It's not censorship or a hardware limitation, it's just the standard simplifications made to fit a project within the budgeted schedule and rom size.

PukeSter · 09/30/2016, 09:36 AM

Quote from: NecroPhile on 09/30/2016, 09:28 AMIt's not censorship or a hardware limitation, it's just the standard simplifications made to fit a project within the budgeted schedule and rom size.

This. And there's a lot less gory background detail. And a bird enemy is missing.

Still a great port though. And Captain Mozarella <3

esteban · 09/30/2016, 03:34 PM

Because... why not?

https://www.tg-16.com/screenshot_comparisons_action.htm#Splatterhouse

NightWolve · 09/30/2016, 03:46 PM

PC Engine (PCE)	Mega Drive (MD, Genesis)

Hm, I like the blue clothes better, but green ain't bad either. PCE Jason Hockey mask is definitely better than MD Skull mask, but the latter better protected you from infringement concerns from the copyright holders of the Friday the 13th/Jason franchise (whatever risk there was). As it wouldn't have been too much trouble, I vote that color options should've been made available. Let the player decide how Jason should do his thang in style!

NE146 · 09/30/2016, 04:22 PM

Quote from: guest on 09/30/2016, 09:36 AM
Quote from: guest on 09/30/2016, 09:28 AMIt's not censorship or a hardware limitation, it's just the standard simplifications made to fit a project within the budgeted schedule and rom size.
This. And there's a lot less gory background detail. And a bird enemy is missing.

Still a great port though. And Captain Mozarella <3

I'll probably get boo'd for saying this, but I was relatively disappointed with TG16 Splatterhouse back in the day for exactly for that reason. I remember being excited bringing the port home, only to find it was much plainer than the arcade without details like the body parts in the foreground.. which to me kind of sucked the spirit of the game away. Because let's face it, the huge part of this game's uniqueness was the horror atmosphere and gory "splatter" graphics..

The gameplay was all there though, that is for sure.

exodus · 10/01/2016, 03:17 AM

the timing is a lot better and more precise on the turbo/pce version compared to the arcade. far and away my favorite version.

esteban · 10/01/2016, 05:11 AM

Honest question: how many folks here had Splatterhouse at a local arcade/deli/whatever back in the day?

Sadly, it simply wasn't in my area (and even worse, I have not found a cab in the intervening years, either).

One of these days I will play AN ACTUAL Splatterhouse cab....

Hopefully, the music will be MAXXED OUT:

_{► /Splatterhouse/splatterhouse_medley_arcade.mp3}

Although I really like the sound of the arcade tunes, I think the PCE Splatterhouse soundtrack is marvelous, too.

WoodyXP · 10/01/2016, 01:58 PM

Quote from: esteban on 10/01/2016, 05:11 AMHonest question: how many folks here had Splatterhouse at a local arcade/deli/whatever back in the day?

Never in my life have I seen a Splatterhouse cab.

johnnykonami · 10/01/2016, 02:16 PM

Same here - I would chalk it up to not seeming family friendly enough for the arcades I went to, but one of them definitely had a Chiller cab only years before so I dunno. There was certainly more news and hubbub about video game violence around the time it came out, so there's that also. Only 36 owners on KLOV, maybe it didn't have much presence in the USA until the TG-16 version released.

NE146 · 10/01/2016, 03:03 PM

I came across it infrequently. One was back home in Guam (in a bootleg cabinet I'm sure).. and the other was when I was in college in the Bay Area, in an arcade in Santa Clara, CA.. somewhere down Saratoga Ave.

o.pwuaioc · 10/01/2016, 03:39 PM

Quote from: esteban on 10/01/2016, 05:11 AMHonest question: how many folks here had Splatterhouse at a local arcade/deli/whatever back in the day?

Sadly, it simply wasn't in my area (and even worse, I have not found a cab in the intervening years, either).

I'm lucky that there's one down the street from me, although I generally just prefer the PCE version for home comfort.

TurboXray · 10/04/2016, 03:03 PM

Quote from: CloudGamerX on 09/30/2016, 08:53 AMAlright, so lately I have been playing alot of Splatterhouse on my PC Engine, and one thing that sticks out to me is that in the beginning of the first two levels, you get a 2x4 instead of the cleaver like in the arcade. I have heard someone say it's probably due to hardware limitations, but then I saw a hack where they implemented the cleaver in Stage 1, and the monsters actually get decapitated when you hit them with it. So was it actually censorship from NEC's part, or did someone just hack in new sprites with the cleaver replacement?

Did the hack add in the extra frames of animation for the decapitation or were they already in the rom?

I'm going to assume that the hack didn't add anything graphic-wise (pretty sure I know of the hack you're talking about). So I'd say it was a design related reason and obviously not a system limitation. Yeah, other details missing are memory limitation of the rom (and there are some other hardware limitations as well), but the cleaver in the first level doesn't appear to be one of them - according to your description of the hack.

HailingTheThings · 10/04/2016, 05:30 PM

Quote from: esteban on 10/01/2016, 05:11 AMHonest question: how many folks here had Splatterhouse at a local arcade/deli/whatever back in the day?

Had a small local arcade called "Nickelodeon" located inside an old, run down mall. I remember playing Splatterhouse, Time Killers and Battletoads there. Yay.

seieienbu · 10/09/2016, 08:01 PM

I played it once when I was about 8 or 9. An arcade named Games Galore in a shopping strip had it. Games Galore was a dark and smoke-y place. When I got to the boss of the first level my mother made me stop playing.

I've referred to that boss ever since as the "Brain Worms."

esteban · 10/10/2016, 12:02 AM

Quote from: seieienbu on 10/09/2016, 08:01 PMI played it once when I was about 8 or 9. An arcade named Games Galore in a shopping strip had it. Games Galore was a dark and smoke-y place. When I got to the boss of the first level my mother made me stop playing.

I've referred to that boss ever since as the "Brain Worms."

Ha!