Van Helsing

"Devil May Cry fans should look into this one."

Van Helsing is a game based on the movie of the same name. You play as Dr. Van Helsing who hunts monsters for the Vatican. These monsters include the Wolfman, Frankenstein, Dracula and other creepies. However, the really great thing about this game is that it's a Devil May Cry rip off, executed extremely well.

GRAPHICS 8/10: The graphics are nice in this game. The backgrounds range from gothic castles to snowy mountain tops. They are all well detailed and create the atmosphere perfectly.
The monsters themselves look average. There is nothing really that special about them. They appear and come after you.
The main character, Van Helsing, looks slightly above average and resembles the actor Hugh Jackman to a good amount. Same goes for the main monsters in the game. Surprisingly, most of the characters in the game look very much like the actors from the movie. The one exception is Ana (Kate Beckingsale), whom is much better looking then the portrail of her in this game. Everything flows smoothly with some slowdown and framedrop when things get crazy. However, the slowdown actually helps you navigate better.

SOUND 9/10: The soundtrack consists of dramatic orchestral pieces. It's actually very good. You will appreciate it even more if you have a good sound system. This game has excellent sound. You usually hear ambient sounds until enemies appear, then the music starts.
The voices were also done well. They sound just like the actors in the movie. The dialog is decent, decent as the plot will allow, but takes a back seat to the action. All the sound effects are great. Turn it up, you'll like it.

GAMEPLAY 9/10: If you have ever had the pleasure of playing Devil May Cry, you will love the gameplay in this game. Because it is almost completely the same. Van Helsing can go from swords to guns easily and allows him to charge his "ammo trigger". Turn on your ammo trigger and you basically slaughter everything in your path. Van Helsing handles almost exactly like Dante. If there is one thing I can say about this game; This plays more like the original Devil May Cry than anything else. You collect green orbs to buy moves or life items and red orbs to heal. The combat is fun and furious but sometimes cheap because if you get cornered, the enemies simply keep hitting you and kill you rather quickly. However, it just takes practice and you'll be slaying demons with the best of them in no time. You can switch weapons on the fly, and chain your attacks together for massive damage. you also get a cool grappling hook which is surprisingly handy at bringing you to the action and the enemies to you.
I really wish Devil May Cry 2 would have been this good.

FUNFACTOR 10/10: OK, so Van Helsing is not as cool as Dante, but this game is fun. I loved playing it. It starts out easy but you start dying in no time. There are plenty of cheats as well as some strange humor. Like reading the tombstones in the graveyard and getting extra points by finishing the level with your hat on. The combo system is smooth. There is not a huge amount of blood but the action is quite fierce. Overall, this game was a lot of fun and very rewarding. It has some flaws but delivers where it counts. I recommend it to anybody who like action/adventure games.

OVERALL 8/10: If you liked Devil May Cry, get this game. It's basically the same thing. I found it for $20 and it was the best surprise I have had this year. Most movie based games are barely enjoyable, but this game takes the best game ever made (Devil May Cry) and incorporates it into it's own beast. Great game. If you don't enjoy this, you must be dead from the neck up.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/04