PlayStation 2

Evil Dead: Regeneration

Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick was a pleasant surprise at a pleasant price. Twenty bucks got me the now-defunct Vis Entertainment’s video game rendition of the newest chapter of the greatest horror series ever and I was more than happy. That small investment proved to be a good one as I am rarely more impressed with a licensed game than I was with Fistful of Boomstick.

Evil Dead Regeneration delivers a solid action gaming experience that will easily appeal to the fans of the movies. The game very effectively captures and recreates the essence of the movies. Evil Dead Regeneration is full of excellent Bruce Campbell one-liners that will make the fans smile. The interaction between Ash and Sam throughout the game is very amusing and the voice work is excellent. Even gamers who have never seen the movies might appreciate over-the-top action. The graphics may not be the most fabulous you have seen, but they do get the job done. However, considerable technical problems take away from the experience. And even though the game is short, some of the repetitive elements might make you happy when it is finally over. If you are looking for an opportunity to slaughter a horde of zombies and like the Evil Dead setting, consider giving Evil Dead Regeneration a try. Just make sure you go in expecting to run into some issues.

Evil Dead: Regeneration won’t win any awards. Hell, you probably won’t be able to find it at major electronics stores in a year. But it is a fun little game that should not be overlooked if one is looking for a cheap yet satisfying game.

The dialog and voiceovers are the best features of the game. The developers acknowledge this by offering, as an unlockable, a behind-the-scenes documentary of Mr. Campbell performing his voiceovers for the game. At the very least you should rent this game for the laughs if nothing else. If you can think of a better way to celebrate the arrival of Halloween than you're probably dead already.

The Evil Dead movies were good almost in spite of themselves, but those creative talents sadly went on to bigger and better things, casting much doubt on the chances for any feature-length Evil Dead follow-ups. Luckily, THQ has seen fit to continue the series in video game form, to mixed results (A Fistful of Boomstick? No, thanks). The great news is that Evil Dead: Regeneration is easily the best Evil Dead game yet.

Bruce Campbell is back again...or is it Ash? At this point the two are indiscernible. Either way, the icon of B movies has returned, boomstick in hand, ready to rid the world of deadites once again. While the Evil Dead movies are bad in a spectacularly entertaining way, the Evil Dead games thus far have been just plain bad. Evil Dead: Regeneration is the latest game in the series, and it's a huge improvement over the last two games. Of course, that isn't saying much. Actually, Regeneration is a lot of fun to play, but it's marred by a host of bugs and an ugly presentation.

While the Evil Dead based games of the past have fizzled and flopped, Regeneration actually showed promise. After finishing the final copy of the game, we're happy to report improved framerates, polished cinematics, crisper sound effects, and superbly voiced characters. Underlying some of the game's polish, however, is a flawed combo system, repetitive level design, stale storyline, and a jarringly short play length that should ward off casual action fans and attract only those who consider themselves fans of the Evil Dead series.

What is something that's offensively dull? It's a sitcom that never wavers from the "my husband is such an idiot" and "my wife never wants to get frisky" jokes, or an action game so by-the-numbers that you snort sarcastically when the "Loading....Sewer Level" screen pops-up. In case you hadn't figured it out, Evil Dead: Regeneration is that predictable action game that isn't broken, but instead is so lacking in intensity and creativity that dullness is its biggest problem.

The Evil Dead films seem like they should make the transition to video games seamlessly and almost without effort. Two dismal attempts in the past have, however, revealed this to be far from the case. While the majority of gamers out there may be jaded and past caring at this point, the irony is that THQ and Cranky Pants Games have finally got it right. Their latest foray into the license, Evil Dead Regeneration, marries the film series' personality and humor with competent gameplay resulting in actual, bona-fide, gory and hilarious fun.

"Evil Dead: Regeneration" consegue, em parte, pagar uma dívida com seus fãs, pois os outros dois jogos foram extremamente fracos. Não se trata de nenhum título que tenha pretensão de se tornar um clássico, como a série de filmes que o originou, mas oferece diversão honesta, mesmo que por pouco tempo. Quem não é especialmente ligado no universo de "A Morte do Demônio" pode alugar o game, passar o fim-de-semana e nunca mais lembrar dele. Para os fãs, traz alguns momentos valorosos com Bruce e Ted falando de sua experiência na produção do game. Trata-se de 20 dólares muito bem aproveitados.

Overall, Regeneration isn’t a truly bad game, just a fairly generic one tied to a revered license. As much as I love the movies, some franchises simply weren’t meant to become games, and perhaps the Evil Dead series is among them.

The gaming gods haven't been kind to Bruce Campbell and his alter ego, Ash Williams, from the Evil Dead flicks. Until now, the most memorable Campbell performances in a game have been his stints as the narrator in the movie-based Spider-Man games. There's a good chance that's all about to change. Believe it or not, there's now an Evil Dead game that's actually worth playing.

THQ have tried and failed to produce a game that can adequately do the Evil Dead movies justice, previously with the abysmal Hail to the King and the disappointing A Fistful of Boomstick. Even though it’s ideal video game fodder, the Evil Dead series seems to be a tricky subject for developers to tackle. Whether it’s down to the pressure of the current gaming market, harsh development deadlines or just plain crap ideas, the games have improved, but each Evil Dead game seems to suffer from too many problems to be anything more than average, even if they’ve all had Bruce Campbell in them, acting like the B-movie God he is. Evil Dead Regeneration is still a crap video game, but for the first time there’s actually something experiencing here.

You have to credit Evil Dead: Regeneration for almost living up to its name by breathing some new life back into an abysmal video-game franchise. Still, this regeneration is a far-cry from a revolution and must be content with being familiar, satisfying, and diminutive. At any rate, Ash is again the champion of low-budget. All hail.

Regeneration's visuals are fair, but the camera is clumsy and the collision detection could be better. The cut-scenes are fairly elaborate, and many are rendered using the same distinct visual style as the films. The audio track is the highlight of the game, with Bruce Campbell once again lending his voice to supply Ash's clever wisecracks. Evil Dead Regeneration is pretty easy in terms of difficulty, thanks to a generous number of save points. The game doesn't really break new ground, but it's easily the best Evil Dead video game I've played.

"Well, it's not awful" - That's the thought that was running through my head for most of my time with Evil Dead: Regeneration. I have about the same opinion of the movies that this game is based (and extends) upon. If you're a die-hard fan you probably already bought it, along with all the previous Evil Dead games, no matter how poorly done they were, but for the rest of you, read on.

Evil Dead: Regeneration is the latest attempt at making an enjoyable game based on the cult B-movie horror classic staring Bruce Campbell. While the Evil Dead movies have never been applauded for their cinematic brilliance, they were fun entertainment at its best. The games have simply been rubbish, offering very little of the enjoyment that the movies deliver in spades. Regeneration is along the right tracks but suffers from too many problems to win over anyone other than the most hardened Evil Dead fans.

Encore une fois, c'est la déception pour les fans de Ash, qui voient leur héros déjanté évoluer dans un énième titre médiocre cumulant des défauts qui concourent tous au même résultat : l'ennui, total et absolu.