The Haunted Mansion (GCN, XBOX, PS2)
Publisher: TDK Mediactive Developer: High Voltage Software
*This review is based on the Nintendo GameCube version.
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Walt Disney World is one of the most popular attractions of all time. It's on everyone's favorite list, and it was only a matter of time before Disney turned it into a money making opportunity. A new movie was created, and from it spawned all sorts of products including this game. I, for one, was very excited about it. There just isn't enough haunted stuff anymore!
Disney's Haunted Mansion is just that. You're a man in a haunted mansion gone bad, and it's your job to rid the place of evil spirits. Sounds fun, huh?
Gameplay: 6
Well, the game has pretty simplistic controls. There's a fire button, a soul sucker button, a jump button, etc. The walking is a little sticky at times, but it's nothing that someone can't handle. I also had a few problems controlling the reversed camera, but I got through it. Perhaps the most annoying thing was the targeting control. Most games will target the closest enemy, even if it's behind you. Not Haunted Mansion, however. It'll target what you can see, while ghosts sneak up from behind. How nice!
The game plays pretty simply. You walk around in the dark in each room, attack a few ghosts, and find the light switch. Once the lights are on, you have to explore the room for shriveled souls, and suck them up with the soul catcher. It seems pretty standard for a "haunted" game, although the premise does seem awfully similar to Luigi's Mansion. Once you've finished everything in the room, some friendly ghosts appear to reclaim their home.
There's not really much more to the game than hunting, soul sucking and searching. You can collect parts of death certificates and return them to their rightful owners. Other than that, it's just a matter of taking in the spooky scenery.
Graphics: 8
The graphics are nicely detailed in the game. The ghosts look spooky, and there are cobwebs everywhere. It's exactly what I would expect the game to look like. It does seem like they took the time to make things look good. I definitely appreciate that.
Sound & Music: 8
The music was a nice spooky background music that seemed to get louder if things got scarier. If something really scary happened, the music and sound effects let you know right away. The voice-overs were nicely done as well.
Story: 8.5
There's something kind of fun about catching ghosts. I like the idea of removing evil ghosts from an otherwise friendly haunted house. It's a simple story, but very fun none the less.
Replay Value: 5
The game doesn't have a ton of replay value, but it might be fun to pick up and play again during the Halloween season, when spooky thing are on everyone's mind.
To buy or to rent?It's a fun rental, and as I said before, it might be fun to pick up and play every now and again. If you're a lover of all things spooky, however, then this is definitely a title worth buying.
Overall: 7.5
Overall, the game was pretty much what I figured it would be. It's an easy game, and was able to keep me entertained for a few hours. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a change from the ordinary.
Additional Information:
Genre: Action/Puzzle
Players: 1
Memory Required: 2 Blocks
Rating: E (for Everyone)
Extras: None
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