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The Haunting (video game)
Encyclopedia
Haunting Starring Polterguy is a 1993
video game released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
by Electronic Arts
. It took advantage of Sega's Video Game Ratings Council to include various spooky themes, including blood. In August 2006, GameSpot
reported that Electronic Arts would be porting the game to the PlayStation Portable
as part of EA Replay
. It was released in the United States
on November 7, 2006.http://www.gamespot.com/news/6156902.html
family, the Sardinis, through an isometric
perspective. The player's task is to scare each family member out of the house by possessing various household objects. He then takes control of the object and frightens the member before possessing another until the family member is scared away. During gameplay Polterguy's "ecto" energy bar gradually depletes over time, which can be partially recovered after successfully frightening a family member out of a room. When it is gone he is sent down to the underworld.
There are twelve dungeon paths; once these have all been played they repeat.
When both players' turns are finished they play head-to-head simultaneously in the underworld stage and try to grab as much ecto as they can before the other player. The player that hits the "finish" spot at the end gets first turn back in the house.
If one player dies in the underworld, the other player continues single-player for the entire game.
s, and bouncing skulls.
Once all the members of the family have left the final house the dog moves to a square vacant room which has no objects the character may possess in it. At this point the dog transforms into a giant Ecto Beast, which Polterguy must defeat to complete the game.
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
video game released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. It took advantage of Sega's Video Game Ratings Council to include various spooky themes, including blood. In August 2006, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
reported that Electronic Arts would be porting the game to the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
as part of EA Replay
EA Replay
EA Replay is a retro-themed compilation for the PlayStation Portable comprising a number of classic games. It was released in the United States on November 14, 2006.A sequel, EA Replay 2, was planned, but it was cancelled.-Compiled games:...
. It was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 7, 2006.http://www.gamespot.com/news/6156902.html
Gameplay
In the single-player game the player controls a rebellious dead teenager, Polterguy, in a house occupied by a yuppieYuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
family, the Sardinis, through an isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
perspective. The player's task is to scare each family member out of the house by possessing various household objects. He then takes control of the object and frightens the member before possessing another until the family member is scared away. During gameplay Polterguy's "ecto" energy bar gradually depletes over time, which can be partially recovered after successfully frightening a family member out of a room. When it is gone he is sent down to the underworld.
Houses
There are four houses which Polterguy must drive the Sardini family from. Over the four houses Polterguy will encounter approximately 400 objects which he can possess and interact with. When Polterguy is in a house his ecto slowly decreases and can be further decreased by the barks of the family's dog, as well as by the ecto beasts.Underworld
The underworld is the only way in the game to receive a game-over sequence as it is the only place Polterguy may sustain damage. Polterguy's health in these stages is represented by a character portrait. Each time he sustains damage the portrait will shrink until only the eyes remain. To complete the stages all drops of ecto must be collected before the exit is revealed. When a drop of ecto is picked up another will drop from the roof and slowly shrink. There is an on-screen arrow that points to the next ecto drop or the exit, if the ecto or exit is off-screen. Once the exit is found Polterguy is returned to the house at the exact point where he left off. The dungeon is also the place where Polterguy may find special spells; these drop from the roof like ecto but disappear much faster.There are twelve dungeon paths; once these have all been played they repeat.
2-player mode
In this mode (which is started up by pressing the 2nd player's start button at the title screen), each player takes turns at scaring the family. Player one starts by default and continues until his ecto is depleted, where player two takes over.When both players' turns are finished they play head-to-head simultaneously in the underworld stage and try to grab as much ecto as they can before the other player. The player that hits the "finish" spot at the end gets first turn back in the house.
If one player dies in the underworld, the other player continues single-player for the entire game.
Dungeon Encounters
In the dungeon levels there are several hazards that may reduce the Polterguy's life portrait: these include steam vents, disembodied hands, batBat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s, and bouncing skulls.
Ecto beasts
The ecto beasts are attracted to the ecto that appears after Polterguy chases a family member out of a room. These will pick up the ecto dropped, stopping Polterguy from doing so, after which they will attack Polterguy and reduce his ecto meter. At later levels these appear more frequently.Family dog
The family dog is the only living creature in the game that can detect Polterguy in the house. When the dog barks at Polterguy the ecto meter substantially drops, and the fear levels of any family members in the room go down.Once all the members of the family have left the final house the dog moves to a square vacant room which has no objects the character may possess in it. At this point the dog transforms into a giant Ecto Beast, which Polterguy must defeat to complete the game.