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JXE Streams: 'Splatterhouse' makes a mess of Friday the 13th
Jason Vorhees' hockey mask in Friday the 13th was an accident. Special effects man Martin Jay Sadoff just happened to really like hockey and have a bag of old-school gear with him when the third movie was in production. As pop culture serendipity goes, the mask is a brilliant success: when Friday the 13th rolls around, it's impossible not to think of that chipped face guard. In turn, it's impossible not to think of pulpy horror and that infamous date when you see something that even sort of looks like the mask. No doubt that was the logic at Namco when it conceived Splatterhouse -- one of gaming's earliest gore-fests -- and its masked star. That's also why we're playing a whole lot of Splatterhouse for you on JXE Streams!
Namco Bandai iOS games on sale through Monday
For those looking to save a few bucks but want some new mobile games to play while waiting in check-out lines on Black Friday, Namco Bandai has you covered. The publisher recently put 20 of its apps on sale on the App Store, giving iPhone and iPad users through Monday, November 19 to cash in on games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition and SoulCalibur.A full list of the games included in the sale can be found after the break.
Namco Bandai climbs out of the red with pair of million-sellers
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, Namco Bandai's "Content" division -- which includes both home-console and arcade games, in addition to music and video products -- increased sales just enough to post a modest operating income of ¥3.09 billion ($38.5 million). In turn, the company turned around from the previous fiscal year's net loss to scrounge up ¥3.78 billion ($46.9 million) in profit. The publisher put out 88 games (including individual iterations of multiplatform titles) across six systems, selling roughly 20.9 million software units in the 12-month period. Its efforts were focused primarily on handheld releases, with 30 games on DS -- plus three more for the 3DS launch -- and 29 for PSP. The company's two bestselling titles during the fiscal year, however, were for home consoles: 2009's still-kicking Tekken 6 accounted for 1.15 million unit sales on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the US alone, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 sold 1.1M units worldwide on those same consoles, according to the company's financial highlights document [PDF]. While Naruto performed above initial expectations, Enslaved failed to muster numbers in line with even the revised sales forecast reset by Namco Bandai in November. Ninja Theory's action-adventure had to settle for 730,000 units sold across PS3 and 360, falling short of the hoped-for 800K mark. As for Splatterhouse and Majin, the publisher did not report their individual sales, as both titles' performances seemingly fell below 400K units (Namco Bandai's cutoff line for "Main Game Titles," as they appear in the financial highlights report). For the current fiscal year, which began April 1, Namco Bandai forecasts continued gains resulting in ¥8 billion in profit. The publisher has plans to release 90 games during the period, including 26 titles bound for PS3. Props to anyone that can name three of them! (No googling.)
Save on Castlevania, Naruto and more in Amazon's year-end sale
If you thought Amazon would stop holding ridiculous sales because the holiday season is winding down, you are a fool. A hypothetical fool. Amazon's year-end sale (which technically started on Dec. 24) is as good as any offer the retailer had for Black Friday or the pre-Christmas shopping season! The PS3 version of Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is over half off at $25.99, as is the PS3 limited edition of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow at $39.99. Enslaved is just $19.99 on either system, and Atlus hits Demon's Souls and 3D Dot Game Heroes can be picked up for just $16.99 and $14.99 respectively. FlingSmash on Wii is $39.99, which at that price is essentially a free game with a regular-price Wii Remote Plus. Amazon is also offering a 75% discount on a large selection of downloadable PC games, and an even larger selection of casual PC games for $2 each.
Splatterhouse 'Lost Islands' DLC available now, its one fan overjoyed
Hey there, Clyde. Yes, you, the biggest Splatterhouse fan that reads Joystiq. When we previewed the game, you were thrilled to see your favorite old title reborn. When we made fun of that screenshot, you chuckled along with us, but secretly thought it was awesome. And you, Clyde, didn't even bother to read our review -- you were already at home playing your pre-order. So it's for you -- and no one else -- that we report that the "Lost Islands" DLC for Splatterhouse is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 160 MS Points, or on PSN for $1.99. The pack includes a survival arena to fight through wave after wave of abominations that most of us think are disgusting and crass, but which you think are freaky great. Don't say we never did anything for you, Clyde. Now go ... go and download that DLC and love this game made just for you, because that's what gaming is really all about.
12 Days of Joyswag: Splatterhouse, Terror Mask statue, and weird collapsible speakers
To celebrate the holidays, we're having twelve straight days of giveaways up through Christmas day. And while we say it's to celebrate, really ... we're simply getting rid of some of the larger packages around the ol' office. Look, we're going to be honest with you ... it's day nine and we've got some less awesome stuff for you today. Want a copy of the not-so-great Splatterhouse on Xbox 360? Really? Well, how about a copy of Splatterhouse along with a cat-sized Terror Mask statue and a strange set of collapsible speakers? Well, if you insist – you can enter our giveaway by leaving a comment. Find the full rules after the break.%Gallery-111884%
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%
Enslaved underperforms for Namco, Naruto exceeds expectations
Namco Bandai may have suffered less terrible losses in the first half of its fiscal year compared to last, but several of the publisher's major titles aren't expected to hit sales goals. Andriasang has a list of comparing the company's hopes for its software to the harsh reality, with Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Cosmic Destruction and Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2 being the overachievers. Ben 10 is expected to have 800K sales -- 100K over forecast -- and Naruto may move a million copies, 300K more than planned. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is expected to sell about 800K units, which is still good, but the publisher expected it to sell a million. Other titles expected to underperform, according to the company, will be the as-yet unreleased Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom with 300K units (-700K below) and Splatterhouse at 350K (-650K below). Enslaved deserves better so, with some luck, hopefully Monkey and crew will have a longer tail than Namco expects.
New Splatterhouse screens are relatively clean
Don't read that the wrong way. These Splatterhouse screens are filthy, bloody and disgusting. That said, compared to the last batch of screens we got, these are worthy of a tasteful Martha Stewart picture frame. If only she knew a festive seasonal cocktail potent enough to make us forget ... %Gallery-104655%
Shot happens: Splatterhouse screen is the butt of our jokes
It's time for some straight talk. When we saw the above image – part of Namco's Splatterhouse Gamescom press blast today – we were simultaneously both grossed out and in stitches. We had a lot of gags (both because of and featuring) Rick and his monster pal but we couldn't settle on just one. So we're using this post to bring them all to you. Bon appétit!
Latest Splatterhouse trailer shows off retro roots, machetes them
The strangest concept for us about this fall's Splatterhouse re-imagining is the departure it takes from the series' 16-bit origins. Oddly, the latest trailer features a mashup of the original game with the new one, spliced with music from the original. We'll be honest -- it's pretty confusing. That, however, is significantly less of an issue than one of the screenshots Namco sent along with the new trailer. It's ... well, let's just say it's probably not the safest image for your boss to see. Or anyone, really. Actually, you know what? Maybe just stick with the trailer for now. Besides, you probably don't have enough Tide in your house to get out the stains left by this screen. We sure didn't.%Gallery-99731%
Splatterhouse producer talks blood, guts and paying homage
Controversy is not new to games, but few tend to attract it as eagerly as the upcoming Splatterhouse remake. Following our E3 preview of the game, we were unsure if Namco Bandai's effort would be little more than fodder for your local news looking to stir up viewers. I chatted with producer Dan Tovar at Comic-Con last week to find out if there's more to Splatterhouse than blood, guts and a sensational headline. "I was a huge fan of Splatterhouse since as far back as I could remember," Tovar told me. "Played the crap out of all three of the original games back in the '80s and '90s, and so when I came to Namco years ago, they were looking for concepts to get going in the next couple of years. I asked them, 'Are we going to be able to do old properties?' and they said yes. Splatterhouse was on the top of my list, so we just went to work trying to get a concept together, and it just snowballed from there." %Gallery-96412%
Preview: Splatterhouse
Most of the games games shown at E3 are not final retail versions; they're preview builds specifically developed to show at the industry's largest expo. Since this is the case, many developers will remind those playing its game or watching demos that what they're seeing is subject to change. "We still have to polish this," or "the animation over here isn't finished" are a few of the things you'll hear. It's expected. However, sometimes demos are nothing but a string of apologies and promises. Splatterhouse was one of those titles. During my demo, the game's executive producer assured me that the game was still in production at every pass and that nearly everything I saw and played would be "fixed," "changed" or "polished." You can't blame Namco Bandai for being hesitant to show the game, considering the development hell it has been through -- but it was a little extreme, especially when considering that I thought the game looked good (even great in some spots!) apart from the expected poor framerate for an early build. No, looks weren't an issue, but I did have a few others with the game during my short demo. %Gallery-23980%
Splatterhouse E3 trailer reminds us of 'The Mask'
If Jim Carrey's The Mask took a more macabre turn, we think it would look a little something like this. Namco Bandai's reimagined Splatterhouse tells the tale of the generically-named Rick Taylor that dons a haunted mask in an attempt to save his girlfriend's life. Proving R.L. Stine right, Taylor gets a lot more than he bargained for when he listens to the advice of a mystical, talking, obviously-evil mask.
Splatterhouse to bring the gore in time for Halloween
Gamespot reports that a Namco Bandai representative has informed the site that Splatterhouse is "due for a Halloween release," which is just about as appropriate as release dates get. What would you have preferred? Labor day? Veterans' Day? Those don't make any sense. We suppose a Día de los Muertos release might work, but let's not split hairs, okay? Let's just split zombies. With extreme force. Halloween actually falls on a Sunday this year, so we're not sure whether the Namco Bandai representative meant on Halloween or shortly before Halloween. We've contacted the developer to try and get a clarification. The new trailer above simply says "fall 2010."
Namco Bandai predicts sales for Dead to Rights, Splatterhouse
During a recent investor's presentation, Namco Bandai relayed some projections for a few of its top titles -- specifically, recent releases Clash of the Titans and Dead to Rights: Retribution and upcoming Splatterhouse and Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The presentation is available here, though due to the fact that it's in some foreign language (what are they speaking, Klingon?), we defer to Siliconera's translation. For Clash and DtR, Namco Bandai isn't expecting either to clear a million units: each is projected to sell around 700,000 copies. That's certainly nothing to scoff at. Namco Bandai has higher hopes for Splatterhouse and Majin, however, predicting sales of one million for each. Really? A million units? Sure, we've heard that "sex sells," but charmingly bumbling monsters and bloody, deformed hockey mask-garbed behemoths? People can't possibly be into either of those things, right? [Via Siliconera]
Splatterhouse trailer borders on tasteful
For those that have been following the bloody trail of Splatterhouse marketing thus far, the latest trailer is something of a departure. By that we mean to say that the first minute or so is essentially devoid of blood and gore; in fact, it's almost ... refined. But fear not, gore hounds: The last thirty seconds deliver the brutal (recently cel-shaded) mayhem we've come to expect.
Splatterhouse sends in the clown heads
Click to head into the gallery Namco Bandai has released some details about the weapon system in the long-delayed Splatterhouse reboot. Weapons are divided into categories like "edged," "bludgeon" and "extra brutal," which determine what kind of damage they do to enemies. This scant explanation is joined by a series of new screens that depict some of said weapons, which the super-huge Rick Taylor will employ on his quest to smash a house full of monsters. Included are such exciting implements as a board with nails in it, a pipe and ... a zombie clown head? What class of weapon is that? "Extra hilariously morbid?" %Gallery-89023%
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 shoes are like a Terror Mask for your feet
Namco Bandai may have trouble getting a next-gen update to Splatterhouse out the door, but the company seems to have had no problem developing a new iteration of the franchise for the your feet platform. Namco partnered with Globe Shoes to create these sneakers, purportedly based on those worn by Rick in the game. To be nitpicky, the real-world shoes don't feature the green accent found on the in-game versions -- and the Splatterhouse logo on the shoes would make for a really weird coincidence if Rick happened to be wearing them when he went into, you know, the Splatterhouse. Then again, the Globe version makes up for the inconsistency by coming with a T-shirt, which is something Rick could use. The shoes are available from Namco's shop in limited quantities for $79.99 a pair.
