This Halloween the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation3 has three exclusive thrill packed games with genuine scares and endless action, which involve more than just one player.

Ju-On: The Grudge (XSeed)

Want an intense haunted house like experience? This Nintendo Wii exclusive haunted house simulator puts players in first person perspective with only a flashlight (using the Wii remote) to see the way into a frightening world based on the Japanese and U.S. adapted film series of the same name. If the sounds don’t scare, the visuals definitely will as players should definitely fasten on that wrist strap for some vividly spooky gameplay inside empty buildings and urban settings.

The basic heads on display include flashlight battery (don’t let it run out) in the lower left; action in the lower right and a key prompt for doors, cabinets and lockers in the upper left. Special elements that require interaction to advance flash plus players collect mystery items (recorded even when game ends, so don’t have to find them again). Keep a steady hand for navigation plus developers measure movements at specific times, which factors into your performance score. Automatic saves among three save files optimize the experience so players can fully engulf themselves into each level. The sound and brightness settings can be changed, but what fun would that be?

A second player can also join for some scares while even triggering some quick frights (with a minimum 15 second break among each one) as well. The flashlight (remote) shakes for each reset. This option works well in a situation where a novice plays while an experience vet who has already conquered all the levels and can create some well timed jolts. Real scares perfect for a Halloween experience (***1/2, rated M for blood and violence)

Dead Space Extraction (Electronic Arts)

This prequel story to the first Dead Space game (on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC) debuts on the Nintendo Wii for a frightening and visceral hands-on experience. The action packed scares are endless in this sci-fi space chase, which has an optional two player cooperative mode (using remote only). The first player uses the remote and nunchuk combination or put both in the Wii Zapper.

Players get story, challenge and co-op modes in the first person perspective as story chapters unlock challenge & bonus material. Performance rates range from 1 to 5 and include many bonuses. The survival type challenge mode prompts point accumulation while the co-op contains all stages. A second player can join at any time (+ button) and in any mode while having his or her own separate statistics. The weapons focused combat includes a melee option, mainly for temporary solutions that keep enemies off until players unleash the plasma cutter, flamethrower, ripper, line gun, contact beam and several others. Players can also rip enemies apart with the remote, so the physical action equals the high quality game experience (****, rated M for blood, gore, intense violence and strong language).

Demon’s Souls (Atlus)

Players take demons head on in this intensely challenging action role playing game. Incredible gameplay on all fronts make this epic title hard to put down. It’s even harder to put down the demon enemies as they overtake the lands of Boletaria. The group experience elements include online challenge duels, assistance hunts or targeted player hunts. The cooperative mode works well for battling major demons as a team – an ideal choice because the endless goals can overwhelm, but are definitely worth the effort.

Players can also leave hints and clues along the way and even give insight into failures, so next time players can avoid an ill timed death. The learning curve is considerable, due to an incredibly formidable AI system, yet very entertaining as strategy challenges as players learn from mistakes as well as other characters and the environment. High production values and quality voice talent anchor the amazing action and in-depth storyline, which includes mission based play or open exploration style. All these deep experience create a very high replay value ranging in triple digit hours. The large character customization options alone are an amazing experience (****, rated M for blood and violence).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 11:36 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Video games.
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