Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick

"Evil Dead: A Fistfull of Boomstick- My Two Cents"

Well well, a new Evil Dead games is out... and for hardcore fans and so-so fans alike, it's definetly a good thing. Indeed, the Evil Dead franchise has come a long way from it's humble beginnings, and like anything to do so, it's produced a whole slew of cash cows. Thank god...

For those of you new to the series, here's a little background information:
Evil Dead started off as a simple ''blood and guts'' film in the early 80s about a young man named Ashley (played by Bruce Campbell, the now known ''King'' of one-liners) who travels to a cabin in the woods with his girlfriend, sister, and two other friends. There they find the notes and tape diaries of Professor Knowby, the former owner... along with an odd book apparantly made of flesh and blood: the Necronomicon Ex Mortis; roughly translated, the Book of the Dead. This book releases horrible spirits, which possess the living to become ''Deadites... sort-of intelligent zombies who don't desire flesh, but only to kill and absorb human souls. Ash uses his instincts and some shotgun ammo to fight his way out... losing his hand in the process.

The game's story begins with Ash relaxing in a bar in Dearborn Michigan. He repeats his now ''legendary'' story to his best friend, the bar tender, for the 40th time. However, on the tv, something disturbing occurs: Trish, the local ''Occult TV'' host, has her guest, Professor of Occultism Eldridge, play a tape of Knowby's notes while they discuss his new book about the Necronomicon. The station's powerful signal opens a demonic portal, and the Deadites devour the souls of almost everyone in town... looks like Ash will have his hands full this time...

Graphics: 5/10
The graphics, next to the controls/combat system, may be the only weak features in the game. Evil Dead fails to seriously show flew the graphic muscles that we all know the PS2 has. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though... the graphics aren't ''bad''; in fact, they fit the game quite well. Ash looks like Ash, the deadites come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all look like the ''deadites'' we've come to know and love... and there's buckets and buckets full of blood! This is one of my favorite aspects... the game is VERY gory, so those who are squemish (and if you are, you should know better than to play an Evil Dead game) will be better off steering clear of this one. The action doesn't slow down a bit during ''pile-ups'' when armies (LITERALLY) of Deadites mob Ash. In some cases, it isn't un-common to be mobbed by 50 Deadites at one time. Gotta love that.

Sound: 9/10
The sound is one of the best parts of Evil Dead. The music is good and quite fitting... it's spooky and fits the ghost town quite well while you're just ''exploring''. When you're attacked, the music switches to a more appropriate fast paced (but still eerie) music. Bones break, blood splatters, chainsaws roar... shotgun blasts sound clean and all-together realistic. Deadites shout all manner of insults and taunts (along with the infamous ''I'll SWALLOW YOUR SOUL!''). And most importantly, Ash's legendary taunts are here. And he IS voiced by Bruce Campbell, making it ten times better. Ash says random catch phrases while doing battle, but even better: You have a taunt button! By pressing a button, you can make Ash spout off one of his trademark taunts. Now THAT'S quality entertainment.

Control: 5/10
The problem isn't necessarily lagging controls; in fact, it's far from it. Ash moves easily, and there's almost no reaction time between when you move and when Ash moves. That's swell. The trouble comes when you're being mauled and try to escape... Ash sometimes moves right into another deadite, or swings and misses... even worse, his chainsaw combos are extremely slow, and the ''lock-on'' feature doesn't cause him to face his opponents. This is forgiveable, however.

Combat: 8/10
The real meat and potatoes of any good Evil Dead game would obviously be the combat, and this game delivers it... in large severed bloody plates of it. Evil Dead has HUGE groups of Deadites attacking you at once, and Ash retorts with a huge arsenal of weapons and combos. Better yet, EVERY SINGLE weapon in the game is upgradeable... be it through better versions, different ammo, or simply replacing it with a similar weapon that is simply more powerful. Combat is also extremely easy: Hit Square, Ash attacks with his left hand... hit X, he attacks with his left. This makes for some great fighting. Better yet, try hacking away at a deadite with the chainsaw (a lefthand weapon) while another attempts to sneak up on you... just press the lock on button and hit square; Ash will calmly aim his shotgun backwards over his shoulder and blast the poor bugger right in the face! He can also impale opponents with his weapon and lift them into the air, allowing you to use your other hand to finish 'em off... this makes attacks differ depending on what weapons you have. Ash can also cast spells using his copy of the Necronomicon... hold down one button, press a quick combination of buttons (most averaging 3 presses) and he'll use the spell. Simple, yet effective.

Replay Value: 4/10
Well, it depends on how you look at it: Evil Dead does have unlockable features like still galleries and such, and it does have an ''arcade mode'' (where you attempt to kill an entire level of deadites in a certain amount of time with a certain amount of weaponry), but it IS tragically short. And once you're done, you're pretty well done... that is, unless you're a guy who can tolerate playing a game again and again... there's always the chance you missed an upgrade or a weapon or something... you never know right? Anyway... that's the bad part.

Fun: 8/10
It's EVIL DEAD man? What would you expect?

Anyway, this is a great game. It's fun, it's bloody, it's funny, and you cannot beat the price (you won't find too many new releases for 20 bones man...) Plus, if you're a hardcore Evil Dead fan, you gotta have it just for the nostalgic value. It's kinda like having a piece of memorabilia.
Well, that's my two cents... this game is definetly worth $20 to add to your collection... and if that isn't your bag, at least rent it. You'll have fun, I gurantee.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/03, Updated 06/23/03