TGS 2008: Splatterhouse Preshow Trailer Impressions

TOKYO--Namco Bandai will soon be asking gamers whether absence actually makes the heart grow fonder--and in this case, fonder of extreme violence--with the Japanese company resurrecting its almost-forgotten Splatterhouse franchise for current-gen consoles in 2009. While details and images of the updated action title have been light on the ground thus far, Namco Bandai did release a new trailer at its pre-TGS media briefing this week, and it looks like the company's not shying away from the gore which made the original game infamous.

The trailer was quite brief, starting off with shots of the interior of a real, dilapidated warehouse. Close-ups of various bloodstained sharp instruments lined up on a dirty work bench were shown one after another, with a female voice-over pleading for help and saying that was someone was out to kill her. As the camera slowly moves along the bench, it stops onto a large piece of 2x4 wood with several protruding nails, which fans of the Splatterhouse series will recognise as protagonist Rick's most oft-used tool of pain. We can also surmise that the female voice is that of the character of Jennifer, Rick's girlfriend, who was kidnapped in the original arcade game.

The next shot is that of the updated Rick, complete with the hockey-mask-like Terror Mask which has transformed him into a enormous, muscled brute. The very last shot of the trailer shows Rick squatted over an opponent, whose head he brutally rips off his shoulders in one smooth motion. Splatterhouse is due out on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2009, and is being developed by US-based BottleRocket. Check with GameSpot soon for more updates.