NIGHTMARE CREATURES

How it was in 1997?

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

NIGHTMARE CREATURES

Rated 4.4/5 based on 36 reviews