Sometimes, not listening to my common sense actually proves to be a good thing, as was the case with me buying
Van Helsing for the
Xbox. I wasn t exactly blown away by the movie, and given the nature and reputation of Movie-Tie-in games (ie they usually suck),
Van Helsing wasn t exactly an obvious choice for a game I would own. However, upon seeing the game selling, brand new, for #5 I couldn t resist trying it out, and I m now glad I did, as it may not be revolutionary, or great in any way, but it s a fun little adventure game that wasted a few nights, and at that price, you can t really complain can you?
Now, if you want a rundown of the basic plot of the game, may I please redirect you to my review of the 2004 movie
Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman, on which this game is based. While the game does take some liberties with the plot, and how it is moved along, the basic gist of it, about Van Helsing, a monster hunter, going to Romania to kill Dracula, is the same, and as are the main characters outlined in my movie review. One thing I feel I should comment about the changes, which I m not sure if I like or not, is that the game never explains the secrets behind Van Helsing s amnesia, which gets cleared up in a pretty large revelation in the movie. While it s cool that playing the game won t ruin the movie, at the same time, if you didn t want to watch the movie, it leaves a pretty big hole in the plot.
So onto the game itself,
Van Helsing is a Third-Person 3D adventure game where you travel around a small Transylvanian village, taking on Dracula s undead hordes and trying to find the entrance into Castle Dracula. If it s comparison to another game you are looking for, I believe Capcom s
Devil May Cry played quite an influential role in the development of this title, with the Beat/Shoot em Up cross delivered via the Melee and Ranged weapons and the set-camera angles being very reminiscent of Capcom s uneven early
PS2 venture, although elements of Konami s 3D
Castlevania titles creep into the gameplay, as well as generally having a similar plot to the movie(something the game gives a nice little nod to at one point),the idea is simply, there are 12 missions, get to the end of each one, defeating all the demonic enemies thrown in your way, picking up power ups, solving the occasional puzzle and taking on boss characters such as Frankenstein s monster, a Werewolf and Dracula himself.
As I mentioned, the game utilises a 2-Weapon system, with X controlling ranged attacks, and Y using Melee strikes. Even then there are a variety of weapons for each one, from Van Helsing s trademark Tojo Blades to Lightning Guns and Gas-Powered Crossbows. All of the game s weapons also have powered up versions, which have a limited supply of ammunition or strikes, which can be built up by landing normal-strength attacks upon enemies. As well as his weapons, Van Helsing has various other items in his utility belt, from a Grappling Hook gun that is not only used to grapple and pull Van Helsing to hard-to-reach places, but also to reel in opponents for melee attacks, as well as Health, Ammo and Speed enhancing power ups.
You can also buy these power-ups, as well as new attacks, upon completion of a level in the game s armoury . To afford these, you must collect Green Glyphs which emerge from fallen enemies(Red Glyphs, which appear in the same way, refill your health) Glyphs can also be found within select, destructible pieces of scenery.
Learning to control the game is generally very easy, X and Y controlling your attacks, A jumping, B launching the grappling hook, L activating the Power-Up for weapons, R aiming, the White button bringing up a menu of weapons and Black used to throw a finisher bomb at enemies.
As well as aiming, when R is held down, pressing A makes Van Helsing roll. This was actually my only complaint with regards to the game s controls, because it doesn t always respond as you would want it to, and is the game s sole control flub for me. You see, this is your only defensive manoeuvre, so getting this right is pretty important, especially in latter boss battles, but sometimes Van Helsing will roll the wrong way, and soon it becomes clear that you can t roll sideways!
What makes this more frustrating, is that this aside, essentially everything about the game plays incredibly well, and the controls are far more responsive
and negotiable than those of
Devil May Cry.
You see, while it would be foolish to try and proclaim
Van Helsing is some form of revolutionary game, in terms of a cheap and cheery little action title, I think it s very good, and it even outdoes the Capcom title it is ripping off. I mean, apart from the control aspect,
Van Helsing just seems to move at a quicker pace, and while fixed Camera Angles are an evil I d rather not deal with, at least this game doesn t have any as useless as some of the ones found in
Devil May Cry. Given how fluidly
Van Helsing played, comparing the two titles, Capcom s well intentioned but flawed game only coming to mind just as I was finishing up
Van Helsing.
Aside from it s rather straightforward and unimaginative nature, which really doesn t bother me, given that they game is at least fun and enjoyable to play, but it is also pretty short, taking around 5 hours tops to complete. While you can play through the game again to collect more secrets, I really don t see many people doing so, it s a fun game, but not one I m in any rush to play again any time soon.
Graphically, the game is a bit of a mixed bag. While Van Helsing and Dracula look like actors Hugh Jackman and Richard Roxbourgh, Anna Valerious doesn t quite capture Kate Beckinsale(or her goddess-like figure) in all of it s glory, which is a shame, given that s what my eyes were glued to during the movie. The stages, on occasion, look spectacular, well created gothic Churches and castles, as well as snowy mountains. However, most of the time the stages look ok. I mean, I don t have any complaints with them, or any real factor of the graphics at all, but they also clearly don t even remotely push the
Xbox, or the
PS2 for that matter.
The sound is the same mixed bag for quality. While Jackman and Roxbourgh lend their voices to the project, sadly Beckinsale didn t follow suit. One bizarre note, I was only half-paying attention to the game s end credits, but I m positive I saw the name of Jessica Alba in the credits. What for I don t know, if anyone else has completed the game and noticed this, I d be interested to find out what she is credited for. Anyway, back to review, the music seems rather standard, spooky or heroic stuff, which
may come from the movie, it s been months since I last seen it, but I don t think so. Anyway, I guess the music does its job and fit s the game nicely enough, but it just lacks any oomph, nothing memorable.
When all is said and done, while it may not be a classic, I do have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by
Van Helsing, and I don t just mean in terms of how it played in comparison to it s price tag, I mean how it played in general. While I m not going to rave about it to my friends or anything, as far as (mostly)brainless Beat/Shoot em Ups go, I thought
Van Helsing was an above average little adventure that I certainly have no regrets playing through, and probably enjoyed more than the movie on which it was based.
Maybe 4/5 is being a little kind, but I feel it is fair, on the grounds of a tie-in game actually being better than it s source material deserving acknowledgement, if nothing else. I mean, it s a scraped 4, but what can I say, sometimes it s fun to control a monster hunter in a fedora, swinging on a grappling hook before jumping, guns blazing, into a room of werewolves. If you liked the movie, you ll love the game, and if mindless action is your thing, and you can get it as cheap as I did, it s a fun way to waste a weekend.
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