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Splatterhouse review: All guts, no glory
If there's one thing Splatterhouse isn't, it's precise. It seems to take pride in being sloppy as it revels in letting you lop off limbs, crush skulls, and tear ribcages from spines. Unfortunately, thanks to that same sloppy attitude, you might find yourself wishing the game could do the same to you, if only to end the suffering. %Gallery-96412%
New Splatterhouse screens -- now with more blood!
If you're anything like us, you've had the upcoming Splatterhouse remake fresh in your mind ever since this week's positively terrifying reveal of Splatterhouse shoes. Thankfully, Namco also released a handful of fresh screens of the game, riddled with various creature parts and – shock! – gallons of blood. Sure, the 13-year-old in us is just about as stoked for a new Splatterhouse game as one could be. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old in us still needs a lot of convincing that the franchise is worth revisiting before next year's Q3 release. %Gallery-79100%
Splatterhouse opens its doors in Q3 2010
Click to enter SplattergalleryWe had kind of forgotten that, despite the closure of developer BottleRocket, Namco Bandai's current-gen Splatterhouse revamp was still in the works. And even if we had remembered that, we would have assumed that the supposed 2010 release had been quietly canceled in the interim. However, October is the right time for horror games and Namco Bandai has decided to surprise us all by releasing the game five screenshots! These new screens look pretty different from what we've seen, seeming to show a little bit of a cel-shaded effect and, for some reason, reduced muscle definition on Rick. We didn't really expect Namco to be messing around with the basic look of the game, but there it is.The company also adjusted the previous "early 2010" release date we'd heard: now the game is slated for "Q3 2010." We're kind of hoping the extra time goes into the graphics. At least into getting them back to the state they were in last year.%Gallery-75433%
See 'The Flash' superhero game in action -- before it disappeared
We'll be the first to admit that the early gameplay footage for a canned The Flash game -- the one BottleRocket was rumored to be making for Brash -- looks a little rough, as you'll see right after the break. But considering how early the footage is (just six months into development), we can't help but think there's a little something there. We don't know if it's the animation, the sense of speed or maybe just the borrowed Danny Elfman score, but we're feeling like this canceled rendering of the Scarlet Speedster is a definite missed opportunity. [Via superannuation]
BottleRocket fizzles out of existence
BottleRocket Entertainment, the company that had worked on Splatterhouse and a game based on The Flash, has shut down. Studio founder Jay Beard confirmed the closure and noted in an email that he plans to make a new operation "from the ground up." According to Beard, BottleRocket had been in a precarious position "for the past six months," presumably ever since Namco Bandai pulled the Splatterhouse project from the studio citing "performance issues." The developer denied the accusation and members of BottleRocket were even put back on the Splatterhouse project after the full team was removed. Another contributing factor to the studio's passing was likely the halted Flash game that was allegedly in development until publisher Brash Entertainment's demise. Hopefully, Beard will have better luck with his next studio.
BottleRocket confirms work on Splatterhouse
A BottleRocket representative has confirmed an earlier report suggesting that members of the former Splatterhouse developer's team had been brought on by Namco Bandai to help finish the job. "Yes, that is true," commented the rep, who added the while the studio couldn't talk about how many employees had accepted Namco's offer, "It is my understanding that Namco only offered contracts, not full-time employment."BottleRocket was forcibly removed from developing Splatterhouse by Namco last February over an unspecified "performance issue", with the re-imagining instead rumored to now be in the hands of the team responsible for Afro Samurai.
Report: BottleRocket devs hired to finish Splatterhouse
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Namco had taken development of its Splatterhouse revival away from developer BottleRocket, opting to move the game to the internal studio behind Afro Samurai. Namco cited a "performance issue" as its reason for pulling development, a claim that BottleRocket later contested. Now, The Cut Scene is reporting that development has gone back to BottleRocket ... in a manner of speaking. A "source close to the project" claims that Namco has hired several members of the BottleRocket staff and assigned them to a new San Diego office to finish the game.As Variety notes, it would appear that the "performance issue" didn't apply to the people actually responsible for making the game. Either that, or finishing someone else's game turned out to be more difficult than expected.
BottleRocket responds to 'performance issue' claims
And the drama continues between publisher Namco Bandai and BottleRocket, with the former Splatterhouse developer responding this afternoon to claims last week that a "performance issue" was to blame for the project being yanked off the California studio's plate. Obviously miffed, the company noted deliberate choice of its words, writing "We too have to be careful of what we say since publishers have to worry about their "image" and will sue small, independent studios who bark back at them too loudly.""Game development contracts are put in place to protect the publisher and their interests," offered BottleRocket in a prepared statement. "Within these contracts are a series of defined game development objectives and goals called milestones. If a developer is under performing they tend to fail these milestones and have varying degrees of accountability placed upon them."The statement concluded: "Splatterhouse had been in development for over eighteen months and up to having the title taken away from us we had not missed any contractually defined milestones. So either there were no performance issues during that timeframe or Namco's management of the title was inept." So, Namco, what gives? Did BottleRocket run over your dog, or something?
Namco: BottleRocket 'performance issue' to blame for Splatterhouse flap
Namco Bandai has broken its silence: "So, basically, the only reason why publishers pull the project out from the developer is when the developer isn't really meeting the requirements," COO Makoto Iwai told Gamasutra, as he carefully began the first official explanation for the removal of BottleRocket Entertainment from Splatterhouse development. In what is best described as the delicate threeway between "evil publishers" (Namco, in this case), their properties, and the indie developers they employ to do said properties, Namco deemed BottleRocket incapable of delivering the climactic touch to Splatterhouse. In other words, "I just want to be 100 percent clear," Iwai asserted, "There was a performance issue." Gasp! Wow, Namco sure is brave for speaking out. It's such a taboo topic, after all -- no one wants to hear it was the developer's fault. "I have to be very careful so we don't make any direct comment on it because whatever we say, people will try to be on the developer side," Iwai observed. Whatever Namco, isn't there a pill or something you could have prescribed?
Sneak a peek at BottleRocket's Flash game
From the "Things That Might Have Been" file, early images from a game based on DC's The Flash (reportedly in development for now-defunct Brash) have popped up on personal sites of artists Bryan Johnson and Veronica Lynn Harper. Both sites say the work was being done for an unannounced 360 title being developed by BottleRocket. We've reached out to the company for comment.It's a shame, too. The Flash, we'd imagine, would be a tough license to nail and we're curious how BottleRocket would have handled it.[Via VG247 and superannuation]%Gallery-45058%
Ex Splatterhouse dev speaks out, confirms new project
BottleRocket, the now former developer of Namco's forthcoming Splatterhouse reboot, has officially commented on last week's unexpected parting of ways with the franchise. The move -- on Namco's part -- raised questions about the studio's fate, yet a statement we received today includes word of future plans."Namco canceled the development of Splatterhouse on February 6, 2009," the statement confirms, going on to say, "BottleRocket wishes Namco the best in completing their project." Thought not officially confirmed by Namco, it's believed that the internal studio responsible for Afro Samurai has taken on Splatterhouse.Meanwhile, BottleRocket appears to be forging ahead, stating that, "[The] development team is looking forward to turning their attention to a new project soon to be announced." As long as it's not called Hockey Mask Gorefest, we think the team will do alright.
Namco splits with Splatterhouse dev, game will be finished
Namco Bandai has confirmed that its upcoming next-gen reboot of Splatterhouse -- which we just saw at New York Comic Con -- is no longer in development at Bottlerocket Entertainment. Development of the game, which was the studio's only project, will be completed, although Namco isn't saying who will finish the work.When approached for comment on the situation, Bottlerocket told us that, "Last Friday, Namco showed up with a U-Haul truck, took all their assets (dev kits, etc.) and informed management that the title was being pulled from Bottlerocket." Namco would not discuss specifics of the move, saying only that, "Yes, we have decided to part ways with Bottlerocket Entertainment but we are committed to bringing Splatterhouse to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year. At this time, we are not ready to discuss specific development details about the game and wish Bottlerocket the best of luck in their future endeavors."The job of finishing Splatterhouse is rumored to have gone to the same in-house Namco Bandai team responsible for the recently-released Afro Samurai.
Rumor: Namco takes Splatterhouse From BottleRocket [update]
Namco Bandai has reportedly swiped the hockey mask out from under Splatterhouse developer BottleRocket Entertainment, giving the nearly-finished project to the publisher's internal Afro Samurai team instead. Sources close to the company say that Namco officials reclaimed all dev kits and Splatterhouse assets from BottleRocket last Friday, according to Kotaku, apparently leaving the California dev with nothing else to work on besides cleaning out its desks.If true, it's unclear why Namco would wait so long to pull the project from BottleRocket, with the gory PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action title set to go gold sometime in March. We've reached out to both Namco Bandai and BottleRocket for further comment, and will update once we hear more.Update: We've heard back from both developer BottleRocket and publisher Namco Bandai – read their responses here. If you know anything about the specifics of this most unfortunate situation, be sure to let us know!
Splatterhouse focuses on gore for 'a very messy good time'
1UP has pummeled new details out of Namco Bandai and The Mark of Kri devs at BottleRocket concerning the upcoming Splatterhouse remake, which will bloody up the Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime next year. Among the finer points spilled include a return of many of the series' weapons, including the 2-by-4 and meat cleaver, while Rick's arsenal has been expanded to include multiple weapon classes and "a few surprises."Speaking of the original, while Namco believes the source material's graphics are "best left to nostalgia," the team notes that they have tried to remain faithful to the series' 80s horror movie vibe. Even so, the devs admit that gore is what the game "is going to be all about," promising that players will have "a very messy good time." It's amazing what you can do with that little 'M' on the box. Still, we wonder if the title will come with a disclaimer warning kids that inevitably get hold of Spatterhouse that lumber is absolutely not to be used in this manner.
First wave of Criterion Blu-ray Discs to tout plain packaging, ship December 19th
The long wait for Criterion's break into the world of Blu is just about over, and we're assured that our patience will not have been in vain. According to Criterion technical director Lee Kline: "If our Blu-ray discs are going to come out, then they'd better look right." Presumably addressing the delays, he noted that "we had to make sure that the compression was right, that the audio encoding was up to par, and we had to make sure that the discs played on all players, particularly the older generation models, as well as [the] PlayStation 3." Possibly the most exciting news is that the first wave of releases will be available for purchase on December 19th. Also of note, each title will "not be housed in the traditional blue-colored Blu-ray boxes that the major studios have adopted, nor will they carry the Blu-ray Disc logo. Rather, the Criterion titles will carry a small credit on the back of the box indicating that the title is in the Blu-ray format, and there will be a blue sticker on the shrink wrap indicating the same." Way to go your own way, Criterion.
Criterion Blu-ray collection delayed again until at least December
We'd like to think that anything put out by Criterion would be worth the wait, but this is getting a wee bit annoying. After first announcing that a gaggle of Criterion Blu-ray Discs would be out by October, we were hit with the unfortunate news that things were being pushed back 'til November. Here we are in that very month, and now we're staring yet another month-long delay in the face. For reasons unknown, classics like Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, The Third Man, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Last Emperor have all been knocked back to December with the exception of the last film, which is being delayed until January of 2009. Bah, humbug![Via Sound & Vision, thanks Anthony]
Criterion Blu-ray debut delayed until November
Criterion's firmed up its release plans, backing off the initial October projections and announcing the first five flicks to get the C stamped on their Blu-ray case. Included are three classics already out on Criterion DVD due November 18 - The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Third Man and The Last Emperor. The following week Bottle Rocket and Chungking Express hit day and date with their DVD counterparts, all for the promised MSRP of $39.95 (tagged $31.96 in the Criterion store.) Original aspect ratios, BD-50 dual layer discs and the company's usual care and attention to detail, of course, are part of the package, the only question is whether you can wait one more long month.
Splatterhouse to feature regeneration mechanic, storyline by Gordon Rennie
Click for MOAR gorno! Namco Bandai made its Splatterhouse redo even more official today, revealing that Killzone scriptwriter Gordon Rennie (better known for Judge Dredd and Necronauts comics, among many others) has signed on to help retell the story of Rick, a college student who attempts to rescue his girlfriend from the evil depths of the sinister West Mansion, only to be transformed by his own inner demons when he dons the ... Terror Mask. Rennie's "original storyline" will deviate from the 1988 arcade game as Rick ventures "beyond the mansion" and into the Sega Genesis sequels to "the ends of the world." But let's be real, this sorta game lives and dies by its blood, guts and gore; not plot twists or character development. Enter: BottleRocket Entertainment.%Gallery-23980%
See the first character model from Splatterhouse
Like good bloggers, we masked our complete lack of excitement for a new Splatterhouse in a milky coating of sarcastic enthusiasm. But after seeing the above character model for the game's (we're betting anti-)hero Rick Taylor ... we kind of wish we'd laid it on a bit thicker. To remove our remaining layers of subtlety: We're saying it looks bad, or, at the very least, underwhelming.But there, in the distance, is that a ray of hope? Indeed it is, friends, because we also learned today that Splatterhouse is being created by bottleRocket, a developer founded by the team that made the excellent Mark of Kri and sequel Rise of the Kasai. We're still not crazy about the license, but we're definitely more intrigued than we were a few minutes ago.
First screen of new Splatterhouse emerges
The first screen of the recently revealed revival of Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse has been uncovered, thanks to 1Up. The new Splatterhouse is set to release in the middle of 2009 and is being developed by BottleRocket (Mark of Kri, Rise of the Kasai). Details surrounding the game are sparse at the moment, apart from the revelation that the game's protagonist, Rick (pictured above) will be making a return. More details -- and presumably many more images -- will be coming in the June issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
