One day the official press release will be faster than the preview magazine cover, but until they develop some sort of magical network that spontaneously connects people all over the world our gaming news will come EGM cover first, then official release. Such is of course the case with Namco Bandai's revival of Splatterhouse, which we've known about for a couple of days now.

The press release does reveal that the game will feature the same characters from the original, including Terror Mask recipient Rick Taylor, his imperiled girlfriend Jennifer, and the iconic setting of West Manor, though a new story written by comic book writer Gordon Rennie (JUDGE DREDD!) will see Rick escaping the confines of the house, scouring the world to rescue his girl.

The promises brutal, combo-infused combat, a new leaping technique that adds a whole new element of explorations, and a regeneration mechanic that uses visible cues rather than a health meter to display Rick's status.

The game is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009. Hit the jump for the whole sticky mess.

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namco bandai

More Splatterhouse Details Bleed Out

Yesterday's news that Namco Bandai was reviving Splatterhouse for a next/now-gen release was met with greater enthusiasm than I'd expected. Suppose there's a reason why EGM opted to give the cover treatment. Thankfully, we have a tiny bit of new detail on the game, courtesy of 1UP.

The ZD gang reveals that Bottlerocket games—the folks behind the Mark of Kri games for PlayStation 2—are piloting the good ship Splatterhouse. And they even offer up a shot of the in-game model, bigger and bloodier than the wee thumbnail above. Squeal! I'm moving my bed next to the mail slot, for more instantaneous EGM gratification.

Previews: Splatterhouse [1UP]

wii

Splatterhouse Returns!

Splatterhouse is back! The next issue of EGM is said to have the exclusive first look at Namco Bandai's revival of the twenty year old sidescrolling hack and bludgeon classic that features a Jason Voorhees lookalike on the hunt for his missing girlfriend. In the arcade version, protagonist Rick Taylor uses the power of the Terror Mask and his expert ability to whack things into a bloody mess to track down the lovely Jennifer. The TurboGrafx 16 port is currently available via the Wii Virtual Console.

New-gen Splatterhouse details are non-existent, but EGM subscribers should start seeing their copies hit later this week.

EGM Heads to the Splatterhouse [1UP]

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Today On The Virtual Console

Well dammit, Nintendo didn't make with the press release this morning, and I was running too late to check myself, so this week's VC update is brought to you by BB over at 1P Start. Perhaps they decided there was nothing special enough being released this week to actually warrant a press release, seeing as all we are getting is Splatterhouse for the TurboGrafx 16 (600 Points) and Beyond Oasis for the Genesis (800 Points). More »

comics

Splatterhouse Comic Book Ad

An alert Kotakuite going by the name of Yardarm51 discovered an interesting ad while flipping through a back issue of an Alpha Flight comic book. Issue 90, to be exact...which was part four of the Building Blocks story arc that featured the return of Mac Hudson as Vindicator...not that I was paying any attention. The ad is for the hack n' slash classic, Splatterhouse for the TurboGrafx 16. Click for a larger, more readable version.

A fine example of art of generic comic book video game advertising that continues to this very day. The plot in this one is gripping. Monsters grab this poor man's girlfriend and for some reason cover his head with a mask that gives him the power to kill said monsters. It's almost Shakespearian. Michael Fahey More »