Activision's sums up Nightmare
Creatures in its press release as, "a
terrifying immersive 3-D
action adventure game that takes
place in the Gothic world of
fog-shrouded, 19th century
London. Using combat moves, a
variety of weapons and magic
spells, players must eradicate
dozens of superbly rendered, high
polygon-count monsters as they
uncover dark secrets of an
underground cult." Surprise!
Surprise! Nightmare Creatures is
everything Activision claims and
more.
The story: Experiments by the
Brotherhood of Hectate have gone
awry. A horrible plague is infecting
the citizens of London transforming
them into an army of grotesque and
ravenous monsters. You must put
an end to this madness before the
human race is doomed.
Dim the lights, put on your headset
and prepare for some scary action.
This ghoulish adventure has 16
action packed and engrossing levels
which provides lots of shocking
fun. If the game doesn't scare you
and make you jump at least once,
then you must be dead. Each level
has a specific quest which you must
accomplish before reaching the
game's final and decisive level.
You play as one of two characters:
Father Ignatius Blackward or Nadia
F. Each character has special skills
and a unique fighting style. Ignatius
uses a staff whereas Nadia (a
gymnast) uses a sword. When
engaged in a fight there are 3 basic
moves (block, hit and kick) plus a
number of lethal combinations. In
addition, you also acquire 13
weapons, spells and power-ups.
These include: proximity mines,
repulsive smoke, freeze spell,
dynamite, flash, firebombs, gun,
multi-gun, bezerker, healing,
super-healing, chaos and heart.
You'll need all of the above when
you confront the 21 different
monsters which includes: zombies,
werewolves, demons, gargoyles,
hellhounds and other evil monsters.
Most objects can be kicked,
shoved or pushed. Often, when
objects such as crates break apart,
power-ups are revealed.
The hack and slash fights are very
graphic (hence the Mature rating)
with blood and body parts flying
everywhere. The action takes place
in alleys, sewers, cemeteries and
other macabre settings.
There is an Adrenaline Meter and a
Health Meter to monitor your
current physical condition. When
either meter is drained you die. The
Adrenaline Meter is frustrating
because it drains rather quickly if
you're wandering around and not
engaged in a fight. Its purpose is to
keep you moving along looking for
fights.
Activision has included outstanding
support for the analog controller.
The control of your character is
superb! Movement is precise and
accurate. Playing Nightmare
Creatures with Sony's Dual Analog
Pad was a remarkable and
thoroughly enjoyable experience.
The 3-D, Gouraud-shaded, fully
texture-mapped graphics are simply
beautiful. These include high
polygon-count monsters, dynamic
light sourcing and objects with
incredible detail. The weather
effects such as rain, transparent fog,
lightning, and snow are outstanding.
Other visual treats includes rats
scurrying about, leaves falling from
trees, or the splash of a sea
monster hitting the water after
you've killed it.
There is an "intelligent" camera view
which optimizes the third person
perspective used during the game.
The camera automatically keeps
track of the best viewing angle even
when you're engaged in a fight.
Overall, the "intelligent" camera
view worked better than expected.
The goose bump producing sound
effects are well done and contribute
to the game's spooky environment.
The soundtrack is more than
adequate and compliments the
chilling action.
On the surface it may appear that
there's not much replay value to
Nightmare Creatures. But there is.
The game can be replayed as the
other character or as a monster
(secret password required).
The Bottom Line: Once you start
playing you lose track of time and
have a hard time quitting. A
frightfully entertaining game with
plenty of kicks (pun intended).
Absolutely a lot of fun! Great
gameplay. A wonderful horror
action adventure game. Worth
buying.
Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 9.5
Learning Curve: Easy
Difficulty: Moderate
Control: 9.5
Replay Value: Moderate
FINAL SCORE: 95
