Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002) (VG)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Writers:

Christopher Golden (dialogue)
Richard Hare (dialogue)

Release Date:

18 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Fantasy

Plot:

Buffy is helping Cordelia by joining the cheerleading squad; the power goes out and vampires attack the school...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Demon | Holy Water Gun | Stake | Curse

Cast

Giselle Loren	...	Buffy Summers (voice)
Nicholas Brendon	...	Xander Harris (voice)
Alyson Hannigan	...	Willow Rosenberg (voice)
Charisma Carpenter	...	Cordelia Chase (voice)
Anthony Head	...	Rupert Giles (voice) (as Anthony Stewart Head)
David Boreanaz	...	Angel (voice)
James Marsters	...	Spike (voice)
D.C. Douglas	...	The Master (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Menke	...	Brent
Scott L. Schwartz	...	Biker Vamp
Vladimir Tevlovski

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Collective Studios, The

Trivia:

In certain levels, there is a strange writing on the walls. It seems to be Devanâgarî, though the letters should be joined and they don't seem to spell anything.

Quotes:

The Master: What? No witty banter? Pity, I had built up so much nostalgia for our reunion.
Buffy: I need to hit that with something, and stunning how often I get to say that.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#28.13)" (2002)

Nice try...

Being that I've never sat through a full episode of the television series, I was apprehensive about buying this video game mainly because it didn't seem to have anything but a license going for it. I wish I had trusted that instinct and not the guy who told me I'd enjoy it more than the other choices, because I definitely wouldn't have bought the game if I had known what was in it.

The combat system and graphics are wonderfully done, making this one of the more pleasant games to start out with because it doesn't have a learning curve as such. Unfortunately, the camera system leaves a hell of a lot to be desired, often prompting me to scream that I want to be able to see what I am doing at the television. This is particularly problematic in one fight where you need to press buttons on a wall in order to open windows for sunlight, but cannot see where they are because the game will not allow the player to rotate the camera to see where they are.

Another sign of a bad video game is the old platform-jumping routine. For the first few levels, the game isn't actually all that bad, but then we are subjected to being made to jump between platforms in order to get to vital areas for forward progress. If, luck forbid, one misses a platform and dies, they have to start the entire level all over again. Being made to do the exact same thing twenty times over is not fun - it is annoying. It is even more annoying when one cannot see where they are meant to be landing because of the camera.

There are elements in the game that do work - the cutscenes that advance the story are nicely done, and the writing is worthy of any good television series. Unfortunately, the game that these scenes string together is tiring and repetitive. The array of weapons available is somewhat inventive in concept, but unfortunately they mostly do quite little to make the game fun. Especially in light of how suspect the aiming system is.

All in all, this game gets a three out of ten from me. The two elements that are fun are overwhelmed by those that aren't, sadly.