BY CAPCOM, 2003

25 WORDS OR LESS:
Experience the Gregory House firsthand in this humorously horrific adventure.

Housal abuse

With marquee titles like Megaman and Resident Evil, Capcom gets a bad rap for being "milkers". And even though nary a year goes by without some sort of iteration of either, they still embrace the hardcore and make games such as the upcoming Viewtiful Joe or Killer 7; ones that the public weren’t exactly expecting, including Devil May Cry 2 (ha, bad joke there)! Gregory Horror Show is one of those games. Although based on a Japanese CG cartoon show, GHS makes itself known through its unique style and — more importantly — totally deranged take on adventure and survival horror games from the company that excels in making them. Or, well, making them in general.

The Gregory House is an ominous mansion-slash-hotel out there somewhere in the dark part of the world. A crotchety and sadistic mouse named Gregory is the owner and proprietor of the hotel and is joined by an equally if not more sadistic cast of characters such as Catherine the murderous nurse, the plodding Neko Zombie and the trigger-happy Cactus Gunman. Oh, and of course Toilet Baby! As you might guess, the Gregory House is more than a hotel. It’s actually a portal to another dimension, one that no one can escape from. Naturally, it’s a great property to turn into a video game.

Just as the show, the Gregory Horror game employs a simple blocky graphical style that all those hip trendy new games have these days. Pretty much all the characters have an inherently cute look to them, unless they have an axe permanently embedded in their head or are trying to slaughter you in some imaginative way. Otherwise they’re highly marketable and would make an excellent showpiece on your backpack or rearview mirror.

As mentioned, no one escapes the Gregory House, and the point of the game is to rescue those who have been kept there. It’s a favor to Death: release them and he’ll, in turn, release you. You play an unsuspecting young visitor (boy or girl) that wanders around until you learn more about the Gregory House and become embroiled in a quest to rescue the souls of the other kooky sorts that roam the halls of the mansion. Acquiring the apparations has a Luigi’s Mansion-type flair to it, as there will always be some strategy involved in meeting your goal. A few souls must be coaxed out, as some would inexplicably rather stay. Maybe they just like the atmosphere. Assorted characters in the mansion will also be happy to provide you with leads, provided you complete the little tasks they want you to do. Others simply need to be found by showing up at the right time: an in-game clock keeps track of the characters’ schedules so you can successfully snap up their souls.

On the flip side of things, most of the guests will go nuts once you take their souls and will try to mow you down in whatever way possible. There’s even the ol’ tactical espionage/Maniac Mansion-y element as you try and avoid the omnipresent Catherine and the girth of her oversized needle. She patrols the place regularly and if she spots you, you either have the chance to run for it or try to fight. Not unlike the Nemesis from RE3, Catherine is a force to be reckoned with. Keep your wits sharp and your legs straight and maybe you’ll make it out alive… MWAHAHAHA sorry.

Gregory Horror Show will be released pretty soon in Japan, with an American version in the works for the fall. Whaaa? American?! Apparently our previous know-it-all naysaying was wrong! Capcom USA displayed the game at the recent E3 expo, albeit with a blatant disclaimer that it had yet to be approved for release by Sony. Currently there’s no solid word that they’re going forward with it yet, but really, they don’t have much to be scared of. Except irate parents thinking they were buying their kid the equivalent of Luigi’s Mansion 2. —Ray Barnholt

Information

Gregory Horror Show official page
Milky Cartoon
Capcom