Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick

"Not quite as good as it could be, but we're getting there..."

Movie-based video games quite possibly have the worst reputation among games. Not without good reason; all of those old Nintendo games that were based on movies, and more recently, the Batman games, are great examples of why not to trust them. And unfortunately, the first Evil Dead-based game, Hail to the King, was another. Sure, it had a great story and Bruce did the voice for Ash, but the frustrating gameplay was more than enough to turn even die-hard Evil Dead fans against it.

In an attempt to rectify this, THQ brings us A Fistful of Boomstick. And surprisingly, it not only succeeds in being an improvement compared to its brother, but actually ends up being a pretty good game in itself.

The story, while not compelling, is what you'd expect from Evil Dead. Ash is drowning himself in alcohol at the local bar when a guest on the TV show Mysteries of the Occult begins discussing the Necronomicon and Professor Raymond Knowby's study of it. A search of the cabin where he was last seen had uncovered a tape recorder of his notes, and they decide to play it on live TV. The evil is resurrected, and Ash must once again take on the undead and save the town of Dearborn.

Graphically, the game seems to receive some criticism. While it's true that there are many other games that are visually superior, you have to keep in mind that there may very well be twenty or thirty Deadites on screen at one time. Personally, I'll take fluent play and subpar graphics over slowdown and pretty buildings. Most of the Deadite character models are somewhat bland, with only four or five different models per level as well as unique enemies and bosses. On the other hand, Ash's character is very well designed and the cinematics are top of the line, so it's really a hit-and-miss in the graphics department.

As for sound, Bruce Campbell returns as the voice of Ash, which is really all I'd ask for from an Evil Dead game. However, like the graphics, the other characters' voices are a mixed bag. The background music does a great job of setting the mood, and the weapons, particularly the chainsaw, all sound great. Overall, no complaints about the sounds.

But alright; the sounds are good, the graphics are good, and the story's good. So was Hail to the King's, so when does Boomstick separate itself from the “lame movie-game” stereotype? Right now.

The gameplay is about as free-roaming as you can get. Ash is thrown into a level and is left to explore: finding keys, items, or characters that allow you to advance in the story, all while fighting off an endless army of Deadites and completing the various objectives given to you. Ash has a few different weapons to choose from, including but not limited to pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers, flame throwers, swords, Molotov cocktails, Gatling guns, the Exsanguinator -- a nifty weapon that sucks the blood out of Deadites and sprays it back at them, and of course, the chainsaw. The chainsaw in particular is pretty unique in that Ash can perform a number of combos with it, ranging from impaling a Deadite to a whirlwind attack. The chainsaw allows the player to get up close and personal to a group of enemies without having to worry about staying alive. And unlike in Hail to the King, the chainsaw doesn't need fuel to run, so you never need to worry about ammunition. The controls are easy enough to figure out: one button controls Ash's left hand while another controls the right. Each weapon can be used on a specific hand, so you can play around with a number of different combinations. This, along with the simple but effective targeting system makes for a much more relaxing atmosphere.

Ash also finds a spell book in the early stages of the game. The spells, which are found throughout the game, serve multiple purposes. While they can be used strictly offensively, the Possess Deadite spell and its variants open a few interesting gameplay possibilities.

The more compatible gameplay makes Boomstick a much easier game, which has both positive and negative effects. It's a game that you can sit down and play for an hour without having to really dedicate yourself to, which is great. The levels themselves are relatively long and unique, with time travel yet again playing a large role in the plot, but you can save your game at any time with save tokens that are found scattered throughout the game.

Unfortunately, there are only six levels total, and the three bosses you fight are pathetically easy. In other words, Boomstick is fun while it lasts. There's an arcade mode that you can play around with, but it gets old quickly.

But besides the difficulty and length, A Fistful of Boomstick improves upon Hail to the King in every way and successfully sticks with the Evil Dead theme. While not the best zombie game you can find, fans of the movies will love it; and even the casual zombie-gamer will probably get a kick out of it. And for twenty dollars or less, you really can't lose.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/06