Evil Dead Regeneration (PS2)

It is difficult to tell whether this game is set after the events of Evil Dead 2 or the Fistful of Boomstick game, but either way it starts off in the infamous cabin (is it a hallucination? It features similar events to Evil Dead 2) and then jumps to the sanatorium, where a mad professor is attempting to create human/deadite hybrids, as well as technological hybrids. Obviously it is up to Ash to stop him, save the world and rescue the 'gal' as well (Ash's feisty lawyer).

When the game starts off the graphics are different to a Fistful of Boomstick, still excellent, but the cutscenes are very different to previous games (that's neither a good nor a bad thing), they just use a different quality of graphics, more cartoonish than the previous game. Ash looks a bit different to previous games and at the start of the game it doesn't sound like Bruce Campbell at first, but once the insults come thick and fast, you know it’s the main man himself.

The difficulty of these games is infamous in that alot of gamers find them taxing (check reviews to the Hail to the King game and Fistful of Boomstick for proof), that is still the case with this game. While it can be infuriating at times, dying just before you reach a save point, it is designed for the mature gamer, so it's not supposed to be a "walk in the park".

Some new improvements to the game include unlockable extras (excellent extras full of the fantastic Bruce Campbell in the recording studio and being interviewed) and the addition of Ash's sideKICK (pun intended, as you really do kick the character around), Sam, a Deadite/human hybrid who assists you in sniffing out inter-dimensional portals and annoying Ash (He looks remarkably like a Deadite version of Larry from the Leisure Suit Larry game). Sam is voiced by the excellent Ted Raimi and the comments he comes away with are hilarious, they never get boring. He spends alot of the game complaining and bitching with Ash - which is very funny. When I initially heard of the introduction of Sam's character to the game I was dubious as to whether it would be beneficial to the game or not and I am pleased to say it most certainly is, because he not only assists gameplay, but also adds alot of humour to an already hilarious game. It sounds like they must have had a great time recording the game. One of the other key features in this game is the ability to transform into Evil Ash at will to take on large numbers of opponents, as well as other powers that become available as you progress through the game.

This game really is fun; it's not designed to be a serious, gritty game, but rather a hilarious splatter-fest shock full of horror, violence and the excellent witty remarks from both Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi. It's great to see the game keeps such close ties to the film series (the fact that it has Sam Raimi's brother featured as a character aptly named Sam) and that they still use the talents of Bruce Campbell.

Fans of the film series may or may not like this game, fans of Bruce Campbell or Ted Raimi will not be disappointed. If you like horror games full of gore and zombies, then this is without a doubt the game for you.

Worth every penny, brings a new lease of life to an already excellent series of games.