Countdown Vampires
Encyclopedia
Countdown Vampires is a survival horror game for the PlayStation
developed by K2 LLC and published by Bandai
. It distinguished itself from many of the horror games of its time by featuring vampires as the evil element rather than zombies.
-like "vampire
s") and then sprinkle "white water" in them to restore their humanity, instead of simply killing all enemies that approach the player (which can also be done). This encourages the player to use a wide variety of fighting techniques, that if he/she wants to "save" the enemies. As the game advances, more and more creatures appear (whose origins are not that well explained until late in the game), such as Giant Vampire Bats, Werewolf
-like creatures, giant humanoid Mantis
-like insects, Giant Frog Mutants (which are quite similar to the hunters of Resident Evil), and Purple Blob-things. The dart gun won't work in these ones.
It is possible to reload all guns and to switch between the dart gun and a lethal weapon in real-time without having to use the menu screen. It was also possible to reload in real-time before emptying a firearm's bullet count. There's an "e-mail" system in the item storage boxes which is mainly used to further explain and expand the backstory. It's also notable that there are minigames available in the first part of the game (set in a casino), like roulette
and slot machines; the money won in these games can be used to buy food and drinks, the in-game recovery items.
If the game is cleared with an S Ranking, a special story mode is unlocked which shows an altered version of the original story and includes additional characters not present in the first playthrough. This also gives the option to gather the 5 "Lucky coins"; if this is done a minigame called "Prince of Darkness" is unlocked. In this minigame, the player controls a vampire version of Keith which slays humans within a 20 minutes time limit. Game characters appear here as enemies, such as Mira, Sheck, and The Man in Black.
However, other reviews gave the game either average or poor reviews .
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
developed by K2 LLC and published by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
. It distinguished itself from many of the horror games of its time by featuring vampires as the evil element rather than zombies.
Gameplay
The gameplay is highly similar to the earlier games in the Resident Evil series, to the extent of being labelled a "clone" http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/countdownvampires/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review; although there are some additions like a dart gun as a secondary weapon, used to sedate most enemies (mainly, zombieZombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like "vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s") and then sprinkle "white water" in them to restore their humanity, instead of simply killing all enemies that approach the player (which can also be done). This encourages the player to use a wide variety of fighting techniques, that if he/she wants to "save" the enemies. As the game advances, more and more creatures appear (whose origins are not that well explained until late in the game), such as Giant Vampire Bats, Werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
-like creatures, giant humanoid Mantis
Mantis
Mantis is the common name of any insect in the order Mantodea, also commonly known as praying mantises. The word itself means "prophet" in Latin and Greek...
-like insects, Giant Frog Mutants (which are quite similar to the hunters of Resident Evil), and Purple Blob-things. The dart gun won't work in these ones.
It is possible to reload all guns and to switch between the dart gun and a lethal weapon in real-time without having to use the menu screen. It was also possible to reload in real-time before emptying a firearm's bullet count. There's an "e-mail" system in the item storage boxes which is mainly used to further explain and expand the backstory. It's also notable that there are minigames available in the first part of the game (set in a casino), like roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
and slot machines; the money won in these games can be used to buy food and drinks, the in-game recovery items.
If the game is cleared with an S Ranking, a special story mode is unlocked which shows an altered version of the original story and includes additional characters not present in the first playthrough. This also gives the option to gather the 5 "Lucky coins"; if this is done a minigame called "Prince of Darkness" is unlocked. In this minigame, the player controls a vampire version of Keith which slays humans within a 20 minutes time limit. Game characters appear here as enemies, such as Mira, Sheck, and The Man in Black.
Plot
Sea Rim City Police Homicide Detective Keith J. Snyder had a problem which involved his previous partner, Wesley Simmons, so he was assigned, as a disciplinary measure, to be a bodyguard for several VIPs who were key to the inauguration of a new horror-themed casino, the Desert Moon. The problems began when a fire broke out and a mysterious black liquid started to pour out of the fire sprinklers, turning the vast majority of the people into vampires that proceeded to devour the remaining survivors. Now Keith must find his way out of the casino and also try save the most people he can.Characters
- Keith J. Snyder: The game's protagonist, he's a police detective which was hired as a VIP bodyguard and found himself trapped between the chaos at the casino, His Tribal-Mark Tattoo is a possible reference or homage to the fictional character Seth GeckoSeth GeckoSeth Gecko is the main protagonist, an anti-hero in the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn and it's 2001 spin-off video game of the same name. He is portrayed by George Clooney in both the film and game.-Overview:...
from the 1996 Action/Horror film From Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
. - Misato Hayakawa: A waitress of the Desert Moon, Misato is a Japanese girl who has some significance to what is going on. She's somewhat attracted to Keith.
- The Man in Black: A mysterious shotgun-wielding person which appears form time to time. Its identity is revealed in the special story.
- Alicia S. Tiller: Chairman of a company related to the Desert Moon and also a scientist. Her role is further explored in the special story.
- Gells: A shadowy figure which is somewhat mysteriously related to Misato.
Special story exclusive characters
- Mira Swish: A detective from Plata Losa Police, also hired as a VIP bodyguard like Keith. She constantly looks for her lost sister Claudia, and seems obsessed with Gells and The Man in Black.
- Sheck Gardner: A Plata Losa SWAT team member which appeared as backup for both Keith and Mira.
- Jules Doors: Another SWAT team member assisting Sheck.
- Frederico Castero: Though he doesn't actually appear, he's the one who provides Keith with a lot of information via e-mail.
Reception
Countdown Vampires received mixed reviews. The game scored 55% at GameRankings based on 11 reviews, with 4 favourable reviews and 7 average or poor.- Game Vortex - 100/100 , saying : "Okay, I've seen this described as a Resident Evil take-off, but anyone who spends real time with Countdown Vampires will realize there's a game with many unique elements here."
- Games First! - 4/5 - saying : "Fortunately, I was able to sink my teeth into Countdown Vampires which shares similar features of RE but offers a different environment and a unique variation of the vampire hunt/kill zombie genre."
- PSX Nation - 76/100.
- Gamecenter - 7/10.
However, other reviews gave the game either average or poor reviews .
- Independent Gamer - 2.5/5.
- Hot Games - 2.5/10.
- IGN - 4.5/10.
- GameSpot - 3.3/10.
- Electric Playground - 3/10.
- Electronic Gaming Monthly - 4/10.
- Official PlayStation Magazine - 1.5/5.
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