3RRDC Illbleed

It's time to bleed ladies and gentleman. And you're going to savor
every last second of it. Illbleed is a great survival horror game that
while it might not be too scary, it's really really funny with a twisted
sense of humor. This game is often times compared with resident evil,
but it is so shockingly different it might just change your outlook on
what a survival horror game should be.

Story: 10/10. All right the story is a bit cheesy, but given the game it's
in, it works just fine. Meet Michael Reynolds. Now Mr. Reynolds is kinda
like a cross between Wes Craven and Walt Disney. Reynolds has made
some of the most gory horror movies of all time, most of which have
been banned from theaters due to their explicit content. Now he has
made an amusement park based on all of them. That amusement park
is called ''ILLBLEED''. It is said that whoever can make it through the
park alive, will win a cool $100,000,000. Problem is, no one has ever
come out alive. Now then meet Eriko Christy, the head of her school's
horror club. Eriko was raised on horror movies and has grown
accustomed with them. Three of her friends go off to Illbleed to try and
win the money but they don't return. Reluctantly, Eriko goes to Illbleed
to find out what happened. What she finds will change her life forever.
And that's just the first level.

Graphics: 9/10. The graphics here are really good. Character models
are a mixed bag. Some are not as detailed as others. The environments
look so bloody good though, and it just really gets you into the game.
The problem is, that characters mouths don't move when they speak.
But that really shouldn't prevent you from playing because you can't
really take this game that seriously. Oh and the blood. There is a TON
of blood. It looks so good while it is just splashing everywhere! So
although some characters are not up to par with others, and their
mouths don't move, the graphics are wonderful. Probably most of the
most wonderful aspects is the creator's (crazy games) attention to
detail. The levels are all filled with so many excellent touches. One
level is a sick department store, and there are so many different
products that line the shelves it is amazing. The environments look
great.

Sound fx: 9/10. Ahhhh, aint nothing like the sound of blood spraying out
in every direction from a wound. The sound effects are excellent. From
the eerie music, to the voices it all just fits. The voices can be a little
cheesey though, but it fits the style of a cheap horror movie. The main
menu's theme with the booming thunder is a great piece of music. It all
just sounds great. The only gripe is the lack of subtitles. Some
characters sound a little funky and it is hard to make out what they
are trying to say.

Controls: 8/10. A lot of people have had problems with getting the
controls down, but I didn't really have a problem at all with them.
Moving the thumb pad lightly will cause Eriko to slowly walk, and
pushing the thumb pad all the way will make her run. Jumping in this
game can be a little hard but once you get used to it you'll do fine.

Gameplay: 10/10.

Ok first things first. You start out in an over world of sorts and then you
find a theater. Once inside it's time to really play the game. You are
first introduced to a list of conditions that must be met in order to win
money from that stage. The money is used in the over world to buy
supplies and level up your characters stats. Then somewhere in the
beginning of the level you'll find what's called a ''Horror monitor''. This
allows you to see traps or ''Shock events''. When you use the monitor it
will zoom in on something. Pressing the "a" button will warn you that
something may be there. Now walk over to where the monitor zoomed
in. Normally if you didn't have the monitor look at it a trap would have
occurred and you would have been hurt. BUT since you used the
monitor you evaded the trap. Sometimes nothing will be there. Using
the monitor requires you to use some of your adrenaline. If you run out
of adrenaline you can not use the monitor.

Also the senses play a huge role in this game. You have to watch your
sight, hearing, smell and ''sixth sense'' at the bottom of the screen. If
something is nearby one of the senses will go wild. That's when you
want to use the horror monitor. Your character also has certain
parameters. Pulse, adrenaline, Bleeding, and physical strength (hit
points). When your pulse and bleeding get too high you can faint, and
this would cause you to get a game over. If your adrenaline or hit
points get too low, this will also cause you to faint. Luckily there are
items you can buy to help keep these parameters in place.

In most levels there is one person you can save. If you do save them,
you can use them for the next level. Each character has different
parameters to keep the gameplay varied. Each level also has a weapon
you can equip, and trust me your going to need it.

Next are battles. Besides looking for shock events you have to fight
some bloody battles. Some battles are better left running away from,
but if you do decide to duke it out with the neighborhood zombies, you
are rewarded with adrenaline. Also of note, it is possible to select
different camera angles. Some work better then others though.

Replay/ fun factor: 10/10. To make you come back for more, there are 3
different endings depending on certain criteria. Also there is a hidden
mini game that can be unlocked. You'll also just want to replay it just
for the fun of it, to see what certain traps do, and to watch the very
funny cut scenes. Illbeed has a rater sick sense of humor and it fits so
well with the tone of this game. Also this game can be a bit hard at
first. Just give it some time too grow on you. You will get better and
you'll just want to keep playing to see the next level. Problem is with
only 6 levels it is a bit short, but every level except for the second one
which is a little short, are all perfectly designed for maximum horror
and fun. And of course who can forget that 3rd ending which gives you
a brand new final boss to fight and advances the story.

Conclusion: I urge everyone mature enough to play this game. Give it a
chance, and don't come in thinking it's going to be the next resident
evil. I mean c'mon. That's like comparing Wes Craven to Walt Disney.
An excellent game worth every penny. Now then go have a nice long
bleed....

Review by: Orochi Sonic