Hellboy: Dogs of the Night
[ All ] [ PlayStation ] [ Windows ]
Critic Reviews 47% add missing review
Jeuxvideo.com (14 out of 20) (70%)
Le jeu inspiré du comic book de Mike Mignola reste fidÚle à l'oeuvre originale dans son ambiance cauchemardesque et dans son histoire pleine de surprises. Les fans apprécieront mais l'action n'est pas trÚs soutenue et le gameplay souffre d'un manque d'ergonomie évident.
Dec 14th, 2000 · Windows · read reviewPC Games (Germany) (62 out of 100) (62%)
Sie spielen ein rothĂ€utiges Teufelswesen, das sich zusammen mit einigen Freunden auf die Jagd nach Zombies, Geistern und Monstern macht. Neben einer einigermaĂen akzeptablen Grafik zeichnet sich Hellboy vor allem durch eine vollkommen abstruse Hintergrundgeschichte, beknackte Dialoge und absolut lĂ€cherliche KĂ€mpfe aus.
Mar 7th, 2001 · Windows · read reviewMeristation (6 out of 10) (60%)
Hellboy es un juego que a pesar de estar medianamente bien, escasea mucho en varios puntos, cosa que puede defraudar a los jugadores mås expertos y con ganas de ver algo que realmente merezca la pena en PSOne. Pero esto no quiere decir que el juego no sea adictivo, solamente tienes que ser tolerante y soportar los pequeños fallos que iras encontrando a medida que vayas jugando.
Jan 16th, 2002 · PlayStation · read reviewActionTrip (60 out of 100) (60%)
Games that mix the adventure and action genre often fail to produce an interesting and lasting appeal as the adventure aspect longs for more puzzles, and the action part definitely requires more weapons and character moves. And I must say I expected much more from the first computer rendition of a famous comic character like Hellboy. All I can say is Hellboy: Dogs of the Night calls for more features and some graphic enhancements.
Jan 6th, 2001 · Windows · read reviewGĂ©nĂ©ration 4 (12 out of 20) (60%)
Hellboy pĂȘche surtout par une mauvaise jouabilitĂ©. Les fans de Mignolia trouveront peut-ĂȘtre leur compte. L'humour et l'ambiance Ă©trange sauvent le jeu.
Feb 2001 · Windows · read reviewPC Action (Germany) (59 out of 100) (59%)
Cryos Action-Adventure spielt sich ein wenig wie Alone in the Dark, weist aber nicht annÀhernd dieselbe Spieltiefe auf. Die Steuerung hat starke MÀngel, namentlich in den nicht sonderlich ansprechenden Kampfsequenzen.
Mar 29th, 2001 · Windows · read reviewPC Player (Germany) (53 out of 100) (53%)
Ich bin wohl zu verwöhnt. Oder warum mag ich mich hier genauso wenig wie bei der artverwandten
Just Adventure (C) (50%)
It is obvious from the above paragraphs that I wasn't very impressed with Hellboy. It could have been different if I was a fan of the comic but I'm not (which is not to say I have anything against it either - I just don't know the comic). Hellboy brings nothing new and the execution leaves something to be desired. My overall rating of this game is C only because I really liked the music. Hellboy is not outright bad - there are just too many better games.
Apr 4th, 2002 · Windows · read reviewPower Unlimited (4.5 out of 10) (45%)
Hellboy is nu een enorme loser geworden. Mocht dit spel in deze staat in de winkels terechtkomen, dan is hij alleen geschikt om een wiebelende tafel mee in balans te brengen.
Feb 2001 · WindowsJeuxVideoPC.com (8 out of 20) (40%)
Selon Mike Mignola, les anges gardiens existent peut-ĂȘtre. Mais ce qui est sĂ»r, c'est qu'il existe un dĂ©mon gardien. Et celui-ci a pour nom Hellboy. Ce gĂ©ant musculeux, rouge et presque cornu s'est Ă©vadĂ© des Enfers pour rendre service Ă l'humanitĂ©...
Apr 27th, 2006 · Windows · read reviewGameStar (Germany) (34 out of 100) (34%)
Selten zuvor landete ein so uninspiriertes Action-Adventure wie Hellboy auf meinem PC: Ein Spiel voller schmerzhaft schlichter Schalter-umleg-RĂ€tsel und mörderisch mĂŒder Monster. Vom öden Level-Design will ich gar nicht erst reden. Und noch ein nervtötender Patzer: Speichern darf der arme Höllenjunge nicht einfach, wo er will, sondern muss an unheilig flackernden Save-Stellen niederknien. Fazit: Höllische Langeweile droht â Finger weg!
Jan 2001 · WindowsPC Gamer UK (14 out of 100) (14%)
A sore, painful reminder of why not to feel too guilty about Cryo's timely demise.
Nov 2002 · WindowsGamekult (1 out of 10) (10%)
Mis à part les fous-rires qui se déclenchent spontanément autour de lui, on cherche encore un point positif à Hellboy. Réalisation bùclée, voix pathétiques, intrigue moyenne et maniabilité à brûler sont ses points forts. Une exploitation de licence qu'il faut observer avec humour et détachement... sans l'acheter bien sûr.
Dec 20th, 2000 · Windows · read reviewPlayer Reviews
The Good
Czechoslovakia, 1962
When Peter, an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, goes missing on a routine assignment, it's up to Hellboy and Sara to find him. Well⊠it's mostly up to Hellboy. Hellboy: Asylum Seeker nĂ©e Dogs of the Night, begins in a cemetery attached to the grounds of a mental institution, built on the ruins of an ancient monasteryâhow's that for atmosphere? Here a battle between two brothers takes place every 666 years, in which one prevents the other from opening a portal to Hell. As the dark power builds, the dead rise from their graves, evil twists the inhabitants of the asylum, and the Dogs of the Night return to the earth.
2003âs (2000âs really) Hellboy: Asylum Seeker plays out as a very bare-bones action/adventure game somewhere on the spectrum between 1992's Alone in the Dark and 1996's Resident Evil. HB explores his surroundings, collects inventory items and uses them to solve puzzles. Not puzzles, per say, but environmental obstacles like doors that need the correct key or level of water pressure to open. The majority of Asylum Seeker's puzzles are well thought out and presented. However, most of my playing time was spent figuring out what to do, not how to do it.
Asylum Seeker has a variety of locations and the levels are laid out well, especially the asylum/monastery. There are some really eerie areas, like a hallway crawling with frogs and a ghoulish gauntlet. At its best, Asylum Seeker can be very creepy. However its best graphics are the introductory screens for each of the six episodes comprising the game.
The Bad
Where to begin?
Action
Let's start off with HB himself. Any "superhero" game that doesn't let you experience the "superhero's" powers is a failure. Hellboy stands over 7ft tall, weighs at least 350lbs, and has an oversized right hand made out of a rock-hard substance. Modestly, it's known as the "Right Hand of Doom." If Hellboy lets loose with it, it should have an impact.
So let's talk about one combat experience. HB is fighting a nurse. I can press Square a few times and jab with my left, but I want Nurse Ratchet to experience the RHoD. So I hold down Square (the only way to do a left-left-right combo) and nail her. And the fight continues. HB's gun is pretty useless, which is inline with the comics, but I think the programmers expected the player to use it from time to time. Combat actually gets worse during boss battlesâHB and the enemy hopeless clip into each other, trapping HB and setting him up for extra, needless damage. Combat is simply appalling and is the one area where the game should be the strongest. HB isn't known as the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator for his amazing powers of ratiocination.
Adventure
When HB collects an inventory item there is no inventory display to deal with that item. So other than the brief description of the item HB gets when picking it up, and its representation in the HUD (you can quickly toggle through inventory items to get something ready), there's no real analysis or exploration of any object. The major drawback is that you can't reload your gun (except automatically in combat). But on a lesser scale, not being able to view or search your inventory lessens the immersive experience. For instance, HB finds a "box with a small key." Are the items attached, like a music box or are they part of a larger tool? Is the box significant? Can the key be removed from the box? All valid questions, but it's simply used to unlock a doorâlike every other key HB finds.
This game is actually worse when you look at the bigger picture. The smaller puzzles are usually innocuous, but when you realize you've just spent the last hour risking life and limb for a wrench, it's a little frustrating. That's the design concept though. Waste the player's time looking for a weapon which isn't that effective anyway. Send the player through a maze, because they're starting to realize that at the five hour mark, they are almost done with the game. Have the player wander aimlessly until they do the magic thing which triggers an event.
Graphics
I swear I'm not a graphics whore. I appreciate good graphics, but I think other elements are just as important. The graphics here are pigswill. I know the PSX isnât cutting edge, but parts of this are barely playable. Clipping is abysmal. Textures are severely lacking. Cut scenes are just embarrassing. Even back in its 2000 incarnation, this wouldn't have been acceptable.
Gameplay
For some reason, if HB gets near a staircase, he automatically walks up it. This is very frustrating in narrow corridors acting as Charybdis minus Scylla. There is usually one save point per level, which is fine in-game, but the game is sorely lacking an autosave at the end of each episode. Combat, mentioned above, means holding one button down while orienting HB in the correct direction and the auto-aim provided for the gun usually doesnât work.
Miscellany
- Does every book need to have a funny title?
- Do supernatural things need to happen every 666 years?
- Is Czechoslovakia a euphemism for generic setting?
- What does setting the game in 1962 accomplish?
- How exactly do Zombies choose their Champion?
The Bottom Line
Great games know what they want to do and they do it well. I don't think the designers knew what they wanted to do here (find Kuno Woudtâs excellent FAQ for some insight from the developer). I can't remember another game that took a well established character and made such little use of him. Lastly, Iâm not sure what is worse: DreamCatcher re-releasing this trash, or doing so with their branding, depriving Cryo of any âcredit.â
by Terrence Bosky (5375) on Aug 4th, 2006 · PlayStation
Contributors to this Entry
Critic reviews added by Jeanne, Xoleras, Scaryfun, Wizo, Alsy, Patrick Bregger, vedder, Emmanuel de Chezelles, Kabushi.