Van Helsing

"Unlike most movie-games, this one is actually good."

Intro:

Van Helsing was my favorite movie in the summer of 2004 and since I liked it a lot I purchased the game for both PS2 and GBA. While the GBA version wasn't that good,the console counter-part was exciting and will provide a few good hours of monster slashing fun. Van Helsing plays a lot like Devil May Cry so if you liked those games then you'll enjoy Van Helsing.

Story:

The story is the same from the film it's based on. You are Van Helsing, a monster hunter who was sent, by the Vatican, to Transylvania to help Princess Anna Valerious destroy Dracula so her family can enter the kingdom of Heaven. But Van Helsing and Dracula somehow have a past together, a past of betrayal and murder, and gets rather complicated.

Graphics:

The graphics are actually great in this game. Not as good as Final Fantasy X or Resident Evil 4 but still better than a lot of games for the PS2. The level of detail in both the scenery and the character models is amazing. The deep shadows and dim lighting in many of the scenes adds to the story's 18th century atmosphere. The various creatures and characters seem to be taken straight from the big screen. The amount of detail contained within each model is great. Van Helsing, Dracula, Mr. Hyde and the other main characters look just like their on-screen counter-part.

Gameplay:

Van Helsing is a pretty linear action adventure game. The game borrows pretty heavily from other action games, namely Capcom's Devil May Cry. Much like Capcom's hit, Van Helsing equips players with dual pistols and blades to begin with, both of which you can fire/swing about as fast as you can tap the buttons. Later in the game, you can acquire new weapons such as a crossbow, shotgun and twin scimitars. plus some hidden weapons. With these weapons, you can pull off some pretty awesome combos, such as knocking enemies into the air with your blades and finishing them off with your guns before they hit the ground or shoot your grappling gun at an enemy and jump on their back and start shooting. Van Helsing has a lot of amazing combos he can pull off. The controls are fairly responsive, and there always seems to be enough enemies on-screen to keep you more than occupied. To add some variety to the game, you are presented with a few easily solved puzzles, which make you want to explore a bit for the few hidden secrets found in the game. The levels are are perfect with this kind of gameplay and you'll be in areas that were in the movie. Like a few other movie-games, the levels have been changed to add more play time (I guess). Some fights in the game have been changed from the film and some characters from the film are absent from the game.

Sound:

The sound in Van Helsing isn't bad at all. The developers actually used the voice actors from the original Van Helsing movie. Hugh Jackman supplies the voice of Van Helsing, which is cool because it always sucks when games feature voices that tries to act like the original actors in the films in which the games are based on. I really like the detail that the developers put into the sound. One example is that you are traveling through a village and everybody is hiding in their homes and their taverns. If you walk up to the doors you can hear voices from within the buildings. The music of Van Helsing is also pretty damn awesome. It sounds very professionally done and it really adds mood and atmosphere to each level in the game. Van Helsing also supports In-Game Dolby Digital so you can hear all of the blood curdling screams and the kicking music at full force.

Conclusion:

Van Helsing is actually a pretty good game and a really solid effort. If you're a fan of Devil May Cry then you should check this game out and for fans of the movie and action/adventure, they'll really like this one. The game is only a few hours long but I had a fun time kicking Vampire, Wolf Mans and Frankenstein's ass all over Transylvania. As for replay there are multiple costumes and secret weapons and challenges to unlock by doing various things in the game. Van Helsing is a successful attempt at a game based on a movie. Unlike most movie-games, this one is very good.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/03/06