Grabbed By The Ghoulies: A Hauntingly Fun Experience

Today we're going to take a trip into a haunted mansion, no not the one at Disneyland!  I'm talking about Grabbed by the Ghoulies for the original Xbox.  This game was the first Rare title to be released after Microsoft purchased the studio, and one of the last good Rare games to be released before Microsoft ran them into the ground (but that's a story for another day).  Scattered throughout the game are various items that will give you Rare nostalgia, such as paintings of Banjo from Banjo-Kazooie.  In some rooms you explore, you will even hear a slightly modified version of the theme song from the Creepy Castle level in Donkey Kong 64.

The Setting

Ghoulies follows protagonist Cooper's adventure though a monster-infested mansion as he tries to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend from the mansion's owner.  Along the way, Cooper meets and befriends various members of the mansion staff, who assist him on his quest despite being on the mansion owner's payroll.  The most notable are the butler Crivens, who basically acts as the game's tutorial, and the groundskeeper Fiddlesworth, who provides Cooper with various weapons at certain points in the game.

Fiddlesworth the groundskeeper.

Fiddlesworth is one of the creepier characters in the game, due to some of the strange things he says.  Quite a few lines of dialog are clearly aimed for adult audiences, but will soar right over kids' heads.  One such example is when Fiddlesworth talks of his nephew Little Willy, who likes to play with a water pistol........at which point Fiddlesworth does actually equip you with a toy water pistol.  You can definitely tell this game was made by the same developer that created Conker's Bad Fur Day.

The Monsters

Throughout your journey through the mansion, you'll encounter the usual cast of baddies associated with haunted houses: skeletons, large spiders, zombies (even zombie pirates!).  Due to this being a game aimed at kids, all these enemies are fairly goofy in nature; skeletons for example will often go into a boxer's stance and dance around while taunting you.

Besides the previously mentioned monsters, there are plenty of other enemy types to encounter, some of which are extremely over the top.  Some notable mentions are haunted door and chairs (they sound dull but are actually quite humorous to witness, especially with the sounds they make).  Also, who would think that you could encounter a vampire chicken in a haunted house?

The way all these creatures interact with each other is also entertaining in itself.  Oftentimes, before they notice you are there, you might witness zombies trying to have a conversation with each other, skeletons playing poker, or undead pirates enjoying a feast.  My personal favorite is when you encounter a gigantic dance floor packed with grooving monsters, while the whole party is being managed by a record-scratching disc jockey mummy.

The Gameplay

Grabbed by the Ghoulies at first seems like a very simple game to play.  The whole game is based around beating down the monsters in the mansion, so you won't find any mind-numbing puzzles here.  Cooper has a set of moves limited only to punching and kicking, but he can also pick up various objects scattered throughout the rooms to use as weapons.  If you ever dreamed about killing a zombie by throwing a stack of plates at it, then this is your game.

Vases make for a smashing good time.

Various power-ups are also scattered in the rooms, with effects such as speed boosts, power punches that knock enemies down in one hit, and even a tiny clone of Cooper who will attack enemies for you.  Don't go blindly picking up power-ups though; the developers threw in a devious power-up that reverses the character's controls.

Unfortunately Ghoulies is a fairly repetitive game.  Each room has the same basic structure: you enter a room, you get locked into said room, and you must complete a challenge in order to exit.  The challenges start off very simple, such as killing X-amount of enemies.  However the difficulty ramps up very quickly, and before you know it you'll be faced with a challenge with multiple specifications, such as:

1. You have to kill enemies using only your fists (can't use objects in the room). 
2. You can't cause property damage (don't even think about knocking that zombie onto a coffee table)
3. You have to kill alternating types of enemies.  So for example, you can't kill two skeletons in a row or you're screwed.
4. This whole challenge has a time limit.

If you blow it on any of the previous mentioned challenge specs, the game will summon the Grim Reaper, who will hunt you down throughout the room.  It's still possible to complete the challenge and get out of there, but now you'll have to do so with a fast-closing reaper on your tail.

Final Thoughts

Despite the repetitiveness and the sometimes grueling difficulty level, Grabbed by the Ghoulies is still a blast to play.  It's a game where you can blow off some steam; pop in the game, play through a couple rooms, and have fun beating silly monsters into the ground.  It's too bad we don't see games with this distinctive Rare charm anymore.

To wrap up, have you guys played Grabbed by the Ghoulies?  And if so, did you find it entertaining, or too simple for your tastes?

Today we're going to take a trip into a haunted mansion, no not the one at Disneyland!  I'm talking about Grabbed by the Ghoulies for the original Xbox.  This game was the first Rare title to be released after Microsoft purchased the studio, and one of the last good Rare games to be released before Microsoft ran them into the ground (but that's a story for another day).  Scattered throughout the game are various items that will give you Rare nostalgia, such as paintings of Banjo from Banjo-Kazooie.  In some rooms you explore, you will even hear a slightly modified version of the theme song from the Creepy Castle level in Donkey Kong 64.

The Setting

Ghoulies follows protagonist Cooper's adventure though a monster-infested mansion as he tries to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend from the mansion's owner.  Along the way, Cooper meets and befriends various members of the mansion staff, who assist him on his quest despite being on the mansion owner's payroll.  The most notable are the butler Crivens, who basically acts as the game's tutorial, and the groundskeeper Fiddlesworth, who provides Cooper with various weapons at certain points in the game.

Fiddlesworth the groundskeeper.

Fiddlesworth is one of the creepier characters in the game, due to some of the strange things he says.  Quite a few lines of dialog are clearly aimed for adult audiences, but will soar right over kids' heads.  One such example is when Fiddlesworth talks of his nephew Little Willy, who likes to play with a water pistol........at which point Fiddlesworth does actually equip you with a toy water pistol.  You can definitely tell this game was made by the same developer that created Conker's Bad Fur Day.

The Monsters

Throughout your journey through the mansion, you'll encounter the usual cast of baddies associated with haunted houses: skeletons, large spiders, zombies (even zombie pirates!).  Due to this being a game aimed at kids, all these enemies are fairly goofy in nature; skeletons for example will often go into a boxer's stance and dance around while taunting you.

Besides the previously mentioned monsters, there are plenty of other enemy types to encounter, some of which are extremely over the top.  Some notable mentions are haunted door and chairs (they sound dull but are actually quite humorous to witness, especially with the sounds they make).  Also, who would think that you could encounter a vampire chicken in a haunted house?

The way all these creatures interact with each other is also entertaining in itself.  Oftentimes, before they notice you are there, you might witness zombies trying to have a conversation with each other, skeletons playing poker, or undead pirates enjoying a feast.  My personal favorite is when you encounter a gigantic dance floor packed with grooving monsters, while the whole party is being managed by a record-scratching disc jockey mummy.

The Gameplay

Grabbed by the Ghoulies at first seems like a very simple game to play.  The whole game is based around beating down the monsters in the mansion, so you won't find any mind-numbing puzzles here.  Cooper has a set of moves limited only to punching and kicking, but he can also pick up various objects scattered throughout the rooms to use as weapons.  If you ever dreamed about killing a zombie by throwing a stack of plates at it, then this is your game.

Vases make for a smashing good time.

Various power-ups are also scattered in the rooms, with effects such as speed boosts, power punches that knock enemies down in one hit, and even a tiny clone of Cooper who will attack enemies for you.  Don't go blindly picking up power-ups though; the developers threw in a devious power-up that reverses the character's controls.

Unfortunately Ghoulies is a fairly repetitive game.  Each room has the same basic structure: you enter a room, you get locked into said room, and you must complete a challenge in order to exit.  The challenges start off very simple, such as killing X-amount of enemies.  However the difficulty ramps up very quickly, and before you know it you'll be faced with a challenge with multiple specifications, such as:

1. You have to kill enemies using only your fists (can't use objects in the room). 
2. You can't cause property damage (don't even think about knocking that zombie onto a coffee table)
3. You have to kill alternating types of enemies.  So for example, you can't kill two skeletons in a row or you're screwed.
4. This whole challenge has a time limit.

If you blow it on any of the previous mentioned challenge specs, the game will summon the Grim Reaper, who will hunt you down throughout the room.  It's still possible to complete the challenge and get out of there, but now you'll have to do so with a fast-closing reaper on your tail.

Final Thoughts

Despite the repetitiveness and the sometimes grueling difficulty level, Grabbed by the Ghoulies is still a blast to play.  It's a game where you can blow off some steam; pop in the game, play through a couple rooms, and have fun beating silly monsters into the ground.  It's too bad we don't see games with this distinctive Rare charm anymore.

To wrap up, have you guys played Grabbed by the Ghoulies?  And if so, did you find it entertaining, or too simple for your tastes?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Devious Spiders in Minecraft

I hope you don't have arachnophobia guys, because today we're going to talk about the gigantic blocky spiders in Minecraft!  Spiders are just one of the many terrors that spawn during nighttime (or in dark caves) in the game world.  Though they may look relatively harmless when compared to, say, zombies or skeleton warriors, spiders are not to be underestimated.

You'll know there's a spider in the area when you hear its signature hissing sound.  By that point it is likely heading in your direction, so it's best to be on your guard unless you're already sitting in a secure location.  Once you see their glowing red eyes, it's usually too late to avoid a battle.  Spiders attack by jumping at you, and presumably biting with fangs that you'll have to use your imagination to see.

What makes spiders a huge threat when compared with a zombie or Creeper is their ability to climb.  These persistent buggers can scale almost anything in order to reach their prey.  Whereas a fence or short wall with stop a zombie in its tracks, a spider considers these to be only small speed-bumps on the path to an easy meal.  I can't count how many times I had been strolling at nighttime through my supposedly secure town, only to be ambushed by a spider that climbed over a perimeter wall and dropped 20 feet straight down in order to pursue me.  So when I said to be sitting in a secure location, that location better be fully enclosed.

Sometimes there's just no escape.

One odd feature of Minecraft spiders is that they will only attack you at night.  Once the sun comes out they will immediately turn into friendly creatures minding their own business.  I guess spiders lose their appetite fast once they see what they are actually eating (blocky people, gross!).

Do you guys consider spiders to be a relentless and annoying enemy?  Or do you welcome the battles with these lego-ish arachnids?

I hope you don't have arachnophobia guys, because today we're going to talk about the gigantic blocky spiders in Minecraft!  Spiders are just one of the many terrors that spawn during nighttime (or in dark caves) in the game world.  Though they may look relatively harmless when compared to, say, zombies or skeleton warriors, spiders are not to be underestimated.

You'll know there's a spider in the area when you hear its signature hissing sound.  By that point it is likely heading in your direction, so it's best to be on your guard unless you're already sitting in a secure location.  Once you see their glowing red eyes, it's usually too late to avoid a battle.  Spiders attack by jumping at you, and presumably biting with fangs that you'll have to use your imagination to see.

What makes spiders a huge threat when compared with a zombie or Creeper is their ability to climb.  These persistent buggers can scale almost anything in order to reach their prey.  Whereas a fence or short wall with stop a zombie in its tracks, a spider considers these to be only small speed-bumps on the path to an easy meal.  I can't count how many times I had been strolling at nighttime through my supposedly secure town, only to be ambushed by a spider that climbed over a perimeter wall and dropped 20 feet straight down in order to pursue me.  So when I said to be sitting in a secure location, that location better be fully enclosed.

Sometimes there's just no escape.

One odd feature of Minecraft spiders is that they will only attack you at night.  Once the sun comes out they will immediately turn into friendly creatures minding their own business.  I guess spiders lose their appetite fast once they see what they are actually eating (blocky people, gross!).

Do you guys consider spiders to be a relentless and annoying enemy?  Or do you welcome the battles with these lego-ish arachnids?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

A Visit to Ravenholm in Half-Life 2

A while back I wrote about zombies in Valve games, and part of that article covered the zombie-like creatures in Half-Life 2.  Since I've already talked about the zombies themselves, how about we take a trip to Half-Life 2's peaceful, scenic town of Ravenholm, where you'll find the largest concentration of horrors in the entire game.

Ravenholm used to be a mining town before the Combine invaded, and was later converted into a refuge for City 17 escapees.  It was connected to the main base of the human resistance (Black Mesa East) through a series of tunnels for convenient and secretive access.  Things were all peachy (well as peachy as they can get with alien overlords enslaving humanity and destroying everything) until the Combine discovered this town of refugees.  The Combine proceeded to "shell" Ravenholm, by bombarding it with capsules containing the zombie-creating creatures called Headcrabs (see my previous article about Valve zombies).

A skull-crunching Headcrab.

The result was that a large amount of Ravenholm refugees were converted into zombies, while the remaining population were wiped out by these terrors.  At some point after all this chaos, protagonist Gordon Freeman is forced to journey through Ravenholm (at night!), and we witness the destruction first-hand.

Signs of the zombie battles are everywhere, from barricaded doors, to blood-smeared rooms, to zombie and human corpses littered everywhere.  Zombies lie in wait in various buildings and alleyways, shuffling over to attack whenever you come near.  Needless to say there are some great jump-scare moments during your trip to Ravenholm.

As you continue your tour, you discover that not everyone was killed after the Headcrab shelling occurred; a lone survivor named Father Grigori somehow found a way to stay alive through makeshift zombie-traps.  You'll find car engine blocks which power spinning blades, cars suspended in the air by winches (which can then be dropped on zombie hordes), and even electrified chain link fences.  You can interact with all of these toys, making for an enjoyable way to dispatch enemies without using up your ammo.

It slices, it dices!

Ravenholm is one of the best levels in Half-Life 2, due to its immensely frightening atmosphere, as well as the fun-to-use zombie traps.  What did you guys think of this level?  Did you find it somewhat frightening, or have scarier games battle-hardened you to the point where this was nothing?

A while back I wrote about zombies in Valve games, and part of that article covered the zombie-like creatures in Half-Life 2.  Since I've already talked about the zombies themselves, how about we take a trip to Half-Life 2's peaceful, scenic town of Ravenholm, where you'll find the largest concentration of horrors in the entire game.

Ravenholm used to be a mining town before the Combine invaded, and was later converted into a refuge for City 17 escapees.  It was connected to the main base of the human resistance (Black Mesa East) through a series of tunnels for convenient and secretive access.  Things were all peachy (well as peachy as they can get with alien overlords enslaving humanity and destroying everything) until the Combine discovered this town of refugees.  The Combine proceeded to "shell" Ravenholm, by bombarding it with capsules containing the zombie-creating creatures called Headcrabs (see my previous article about Valve zombies).

A skull-crunching Headcrab.

The result was that a large amount of Ravenholm refugees were converted into zombies, while the remaining population were wiped out by these terrors.  At some point after all this chaos, protagonist Gordon Freeman is forced to journey through Ravenholm (at night!), and we witness the destruction first-hand.

Signs of the zombie battles are everywhere, from barricaded doors, to blood-smeared rooms, to zombie and human corpses littered everywhere.  Zombies lie in wait in various buildings and alleyways, shuffling over to attack whenever you come near.  Needless to say there are some great jump-scare moments during your trip to Ravenholm.

As you continue your tour, you discover that not everyone was killed after the Headcrab shelling occurred; a lone survivor named Father Grigori somehow found a way to stay alive through makeshift zombie-traps.  You'll find car engine blocks which power spinning blades, cars suspended in the air by winches (which can then be dropped on zombie hordes), and even electrified chain link fences.  You can interact with all of these toys, making for an enjoyable way to dispatch enemies without using up your ammo.

It slices, it dices!

Ravenholm is one of the best levels in Half-Life 2, due to its immensely frightening atmosphere, as well as the fun-to-use zombie traps.  What did you guys think of this level?  Did you find it somewhat frightening, or have scarier games battle-hardened you to the point where this was nothing?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Mutant Descendants in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

No one can deny the success of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.  Its large-scale levels, set mostly in ancient ruins full of hazards and treasures, feel like a throwback to the Tomb Raider games as well as the Indiana Jones movies.  And just like Lara Croft and Indy, Nathan Drake encounters some elements of the supernatural on his adventures.

Drake has no idea what he's in for.

About 80% of Uncharted consists of exploring ruins and gunning down rival treasure hunters.  For the most part, the ruined temples and other various structures look incredible, yet wildly implausible (I seriously doubt some of these giant structures could have been built without advanced technology).  Despite this, the game feels like it is grounded in the real world, and a few hours into Uncharted you'll think you've nailed what the atmosphere of the game will be like.

These illusions are shattered later on in the game, when we are introduced to mutant zombie-ish characters known as the Descendants.  It turns out that the main treasure Drake is looking for: El Dorado, a giant statue made out of gold, contains some sort of virus/curse/(insert your favorite magic voodoo here).  This curse has enough potency to rapidly turn a person into a mindless, vicious zombie.

Apparently a group of Spanish settlers who came into contact with El Dorado (and moved it to an island where the game later takes place) were all infected.  These mutants continued to breed for hundreds of years until Drake encounters them in their current horrifying forms.  While this does add some variation to the combat, I couldn't help but feel that adding zombies was out of place for this game (also, do we really need zombies in so many games?!).  To the game's credit though, there is one dark, spooky level involving the Descendants attacking Drake at different intervals, which is actually quite good.

What do you guys think? Should they have left zombies out of Uncharted, and kept it as a straight-up tomb raiding game?

No one can deny the success of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.  Its large-scale levels, set mostly in ancient ruins full of hazards and treasures, feel like a throwback to the Tomb Raider games as well as the Indiana Jones movies.  And just like Lara Croft and Indy, Nathan Drake encounters some elements of the supernatural on his adventures.

Drake has no idea what he's in for.

About 80% of Uncharted consists of exploring ruins and gunning down rival treasure hunters.  For the most part, the ruined temples and other various structures look incredible, yet wildly implausible (I seriously doubt some of these giant structures could have been built without advanced technology).  Despite this, the game feels like it is grounded in the real world, and a few hours into Uncharted you'll think you've nailed what the atmosphere of the game will be like.

These illusions are shattered later on in the game, when we are introduced to mutant zombie-ish characters known as the Descendants.  It turns out that the main treasure Drake is looking for: El Dorado, a giant statue made out of gold, contains some sort of virus/curse/(insert your favorite magic voodoo here).  This curse has enough potency to rapidly turn a person into a mindless, vicious zombie.

Apparently a group of Spanish settlers who came into contact with El Dorado (and moved it to an island where the game later takes place) were all infected.  These mutants continued to breed for hundreds of years until Drake encounters them in their current horrifying forms.  While this does add some variation to the combat, I couldn't help but feel that adding zombies was out of place for this game (also, do we really need zombies in so many games?!).  To the game's credit though, there is one dark, spooky level involving the Descendants attacking Drake at different intervals, which is actually quite good.

What do you guys think? Should they have left zombies out of Uncharted, and kept it as a straight-up tomb raiding game?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Ghostly Poes in Zelda: Ocarina of Time

What's Halloween without a good ghost story?  Well how about this: once upon a time in the land of Hyrule, a hero named Link encountered many ghosts on his journeys.  The ghosts are called Poes, and in this article we'll be looking at their appearances in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

In Ocarina of Time, you will encounter Poes all over Hyrule, but their main haunt is the Kakariko Village graveyard.  If Link is foolish enough to start disturbing the graves by pulling back their headstones, Poes will appear and begin patrolling the graveyard.  These ghosts are all pretty similar in appearance, wearing a hood which hides all facial features except for their glowing eyes, and carrying a lantern.

Expect to find a large concentration of ghosts here.

Poes will attack Link by charging at him while spinning their lantern around.  Trying to lock on to most Poes will cause them to go invisible, eliminating any easy slingshot/bow-and-arrow attacks.  Successfully defeating these ghosts will allow you to capture their spirit, which you can then drink (gross), or sell to a Poe collector.

There are various special Poes found throughout the game, such as Big Poes who appear at specific locations in Hyrule field, which fetch a high price at the Poe Collector.  Another example are four special Poes found in the Forest Temple, which must be defeated in order to advance to the temple's boss.

A Big Poe eludes capture.

While not very scary, these ghosts add a little bit of darkness to Ocarina of Time, and they are for the most part well-placed in areas of Hyrule that should be haunted (the land does have a bloody history after all).

What's Halloween without a good ghost story?  Well how about this: once upon a time in the land of Hyrule, a hero named Link encountered many ghosts on his journeys.  The ghosts are called Poes, and in this article we'll be looking at their appearances in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

In Ocarina of Time, you will encounter Poes all over Hyrule, but their main haunt is the Kakariko Village graveyard.  If Link is foolish enough to start disturbing the graves by pulling back their headstones, Poes will appear and begin patrolling the graveyard.  These ghosts are all pretty similar in appearance, wearing a hood which hides all facial features except for their glowing eyes, and carrying a lantern.

Expect to find a large concentration of ghosts here.

Poes will attack Link by charging at him while spinning their lantern around.  Trying to lock on to most Poes will cause them to go invisible, eliminating any easy slingshot/bow-and-arrow attacks.  Successfully defeating these ghosts will allow you to capture their spirit, which you can then drink (gross), or sell to a Poe collector.

There are various special Poes found throughout the game, such as Big Poes who appear at specific locations in Hyrule field, which fetch a high price at the Poe Collector.  Another example are four special Poes found in the Forest Temple, which must be defeated in order to advance to the temple's boss.

A Big Poe eludes capture.

While not very scary, these ghosts add a little bit of darkness to Ocarina of Time, and they are for the most part well-placed in areas of Hyrule that should be haunted (the land does have a bloody history after all).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Zombies in Minecraft: The Blocky Undead

Ah good old Minecraft, the addicting sandbox game where you can build anything, provided you're fine with using lego-style blocks.  The game includes a day/night time cycle, and whereas building a masterpiece in the morning can be a peaceful experience, nighttime is when the game decides to unleash its horrors upon you.  You wouldn't think that a game like this would include hordes of undead zombies, but it does....yes it does.

Appearance-wise, the zombies in Minecraft aren't too threatening (there's not too much a graphics artist can do with limited blocks), but once you run into one in the pitch black, you will be afraid.  You can usually tell when a zombie is around by their distinctive moaning sounds, at which point you should have your sword equipped for battle.  In terms of combat, zombies will attempt to melee you to death (sadly the graphics don't allow for detailed flesh-biting animations).

One entertaining/horrifying feature of zombies is that they will attack any doors they encounter, producing loud pounding sounds that are startling, and have you wondering if your block fortress is really all that safe.  On higher difficulty levels, zombies can actually break down doors, raising the terror level quite a bit.

Just when you thought you were safe...

In conclusion, when playing Minecraft, always wear armor, always carry a sword, and fortify your base as well as you can (place torches everywhere!).  If you prefer to ignore this advice, then at least make sure to avoid leaving your safe areas until the sun comes out, which will cause these undead terrors to burst into flame and die.

Ah good old Minecraft, the addicting sandbox game where you can build anything, provided you're fine with using lego-style blocks.  The game includes a day/night time cycle, and whereas building a masterpiece in the morning can be a peaceful experience, nighttime is when the game decides to unleash its horrors upon you.  You wouldn't think that a game like this would include hordes of undead zombies, but it does....yes it does.

Appearance-wise, the zombies in Minecraft aren't too threatening (there's not too much a graphics artist can do with limited blocks), but once you run into one in the pitch black, you will be afraid.  You can usually tell when a zombie is around by their distinctive moaning sounds, at which point you should have your sword equipped for battle.  In terms of combat, zombies will attempt to melee you to death (sadly the graphics don't allow for detailed flesh-biting animations).

One entertaining/horrifying feature of zombies is that they will attack any doors they encounter, producing loud pounding sounds that are startling, and have you wondering if your block fortress is really all that safe.  On higher difficulty levels, zombies can actually break down doors, raising the terror level quite a bit.

Just when you thought you were safe...

In conclusion, when playing Minecraft, always wear armor, always carry a sword, and fortify your base as well as you can (place torches everywhere!).  If you prefer to ignore this advice, then at least make sure to avoid leaving your safe areas until the sun comes out, which will cause these undead terrors to burst into flame and die.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gregg the Grim Reaper: A Funny Take on Death

Today let's continue our adventure into Halloween-ish gaming experiences by talking once again about Conker's Bad Fur Day.  Oddly enough, this game does have some elements that would fit in great with Halloween, despite being very humorous.

The first time you die in the game Conker is sent to the afterlife, where a gigantic hooded shadow slowly approaches him, speaking in a booming voice and claiming that Conker is dead.  However as this imposing figure steps into the light, we discover that he's a short little grim reaper speaking into a megaphone to produce the threatening voice.  The megaphone breaks as soon as the reaper becomes visible to Conker, revealing that the little guy has a hilarious squeaky voice.  And this is how we are introduced to Rare's version of Death: Gregg the Grim Reaper.

Death has never been this laughable.

Gregg's main purpose in the game is to explain how to collect extra lives, through the use of squirrel tails found throughout the levels.  According to him, as long as Conker has some tails in his inventory, he'll be "dead, but not quite" whenever he gets killed somewhere.

Besides being short (which Conker points out, but is shut up real fast thanks to a snappy reply from Gregg), another standout feature of Gregg is that he hates cats.  Multiple times he will go off on a tangent and start talking about why he can't stand them, and later on in the game Conker finds Gregg on a dock, attempting to kill (you guessed it) catfish.

Conker's conversations with Gregg are something that must be experienced, so for your enjoyment here are some videos of these encounters:

Gregg's introduction:


Gregg going fishing:


That wraps up our quick look at the non-scary grim reaper, Gregg!

Today let's continue our adventure into Halloween-ish gaming experiences by talking once again about Conker's Bad Fur Day.  Oddly enough, this game does have some elements that would fit in great with Halloween, despite being very humorous.

The first time you die in the game Conker is sent to the afterlife, where a gigantic hooded shadow slowly approaches him, speaking in a booming voice and claiming that Conker is dead.  However as this imposing figure steps into the light, we discover that he's a short little grim reaper speaking into a megaphone to produce the threatening voice.  The megaphone breaks as soon as the reaper becomes visible to Conker, revealing that the little guy has a hilarious squeaky voice.  And this is how we are introduced to Rare's version of Death: Gregg the Grim Reaper.

Death has never been this laughable.

Gregg's main purpose in the game is to explain how to collect extra lives, through the use of squirrel tails found throughout the levels.  According to him, as long as Conker has some tails in his inventory, he'll be "dead, but not quite" whenever he gets killed somewhere.

Besides being short (which Conker points out, but is shut up real fast thanks to a snappy reply from Gregg), another standout feature of Gregg is that he hates cats.  Multiple times he will go off on a tangent and start talking about why he can't stand them, and later on in the game Conker finds Gregg on a dock, attempting to kill (you guessed it) catfish.

Conker's conversations with Gregg are something that must be experienced, so for your enjoyment here are some videos of these encounters:

Gregg's introduction:


Gregg going fishing:


That wraps up our quick look at the non-scary grim reaper, Gregg!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad