Neg
10-28-2007, 12:21 AM
I promised this thread a while back, and even if it only serves to satiate my need to pay tribute to it, it will have been worth it. This thread can be still-birthed and it wouldn't really matter to me :)
I hopelessly love Keanu Reeves, in general, and I absolutely adore Constantine, in specific. I know, initially, me saying that I identify with Constantine in many ways sounds literally ludicrous. But, in order to understand this you have to look beneath the manifest content of the movie. Constantine is an interesting human being who despite his claims to the contrary is looking for what so many (dare I say ALL) of us are looking for: redemption, salvation, companionship, love, and a way to transcend the tragic frailties of our very Existence and Being.
That being said, the game serves as an excellent companion piece. I know, on the surface, that it is simply a run-of-the-mill action game, that the graphics are already dated and that it isn't exactly challenging. So, what?
This is Constantine, as seen on PS2 and Xbox. Not half bad at any rate, right? The story veers pretty far from the plot of the movie, but still manages to incorporate many ideas, spells, and artifacts from it. The game delivers atmosphere in spades, and the wonky camera and controls actually manage to provide some level of fear (hey, how would you like soldier demons to come creeping up behind you? :p) as you are given the chance to further explore some of the movie environments in MUCH further depth.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3773/constantine001.jpghttp://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5048/sc001a.jpg
Above, you are looking at the library and the mortuary, both of which are rather large in scope. They are joined by John's apartment (and the attached bowling alley and clothing shop), Hell's Highway, Balthazar's Zymergy Registry, and Ravenscar Hospital, as well as several new environments that accomodate the altered story. You'll also notice that John is using the Holy Shotgun (which you must construct by collecting pieces over the first several levels), and Dragon's Breath (as a flamethrower).
He also has at his disposal the Exorcism spell. It is supplemented by a number of handy spells new to the game (like Storm Crow, directly above) and several that are hinted at, but never named in the movie. One such example is the Hunger spell, which is similar to the one that Balthazar uses to dispatch Beeman.
Another crucial spell is Gargoyle, which stops demons in their tracks. Getting to it provides what is quite literally the only genuine challenge of the game. Above, you can see the source of your frustration. You must light a ring of candles, whilst placing the rather large ones on points of the pentagram surrounding the altar. I've scoured the internet every time I have played through this game and have yet to find detailed instructions on how to complete it. I've also failed to take notes on how I have accomplished it, so I am no better, eh?
Outside of this one feat, there is a collection system. It is simple beyond belief but it captures my heart every time, nonetheless. You are charged with collecting 12 tarot cards in each level. Every time, I end up replaying levels because I am continually missing one or two :mad:. The cards unlock some pretty standard fare, including renders, storyboards, and artwork. The interviews with Max Baker and Gavin Rossdale are still entertaining to me. Gavin even pays tribute to Keanu (which, I think, is very smart of him :)) The point is, finding the cards makes you scour over every level, allowing you to take in the atmosphere systematically. For someone who relishes it so, it is a real boon.
Is the game perfect? No. It has plenty of faults, and it can be counted in the legions of stereotypical licensed products. However, for me, it is inseparable from the movie itself. The Constantine experience for me is not complete with the movie alone. You can still find this game (blacklabel originals, to boot) in certain stores for something on the order of $5-$10. This doesn't speak very highly of the game, but if you are a huge fan of the movie, you really don't have much to lose in the deal, and potentially quite a lot to gain :)
I hopelessly love Keanu Reeves, in general, and I absolutely adore Constantine, in specific. I know, initially, me saying that I identify with Constantine in many ways sounds literally ludicrous. But, in order to understand this you have to look beneath the manifest content of the movie. Constantine is an interesting human being who despite his claims to the contrary is looking for what so many (dare I say ALL) of us are looking for: redemption, salvation, companionship, love, and a way to transcend the tragic frailties of our very Existence and Being.
That being said, the game serves as an excellent companion piece. I know, on the surface, that it is simply a run-of-the-mill action game, that the graphics are already dated and that it isn't exactly challenging. So, what?
This is Constantine, as seen on PS2 and Xbox. Not half bad at any rate, right? The story veers pretty far from the plot of the movie, but still manages to incorporate many ideas, spells, and artifacts from it. The game delivers atmosphere in spades, and the wonky camera and controls actually manage to provide some level of fear (hey, how would you like soldier demons to come creeping up behind you? :p) as you are given the chance to further explore some of the movie environments in MUCH further depth.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3773/constantine001.jpghttp://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5048/sc001a.jpg
Above, you are looking at the library and the mortuary, both of which are rather large in scope. They are joined by John's apartment (and the attached bowling alley and clothing shop), Hell's Highway, Balthazar's Zymergy Registry, and Ravenscar Hospital, as well as several new environments that accomodate the altered story. You'll also notice that John is using the Holy Shotgun (which you must construct by collecting pieces over the first several levels), and Dragon's Breath (as a flamethrower).
He also has at his disposal the Exorcism spell. It is supplemented by a number of handy spells new to the game (like Storm Crow, directly above) and several that are hinted at, but never named in the movie. One such example is the Hunger spell, which is similar to the one that Balthazar uses to dispatch Beeman.
Another crucial spell is Gargoyle, which stops demons in their tracks. Getting to it provides what is quite literally the only genuine challenge of the game. Above, you can see the source of your frustration. You must light a ring of candles, whilst placing the rather large ones on points of the pentagram surrounding the altar. I've scoured the internet every time I have played through this game and have yet to find detailed instructions on how to complete it. I've also failed to take notes on how I have accomplished it, so I am no better, eh?
Outside of this one feat, there is a collection system. It is simple beyond belief but it captures my heart every time, nonetheless. You are charged with collecting 12 tarot cards in each level. Every time, I end up replaying levels because I am continually missing one or two :mad:. The cards unlock some pretty standard fare, including renders, storyboards, and artwork. The interviews with Max Baker and Gavin Rossdale are still entertaining to me. Gavin even pays tribute to Keanu (which, I think, is very smart of him :)) The point is, finding the cards makes you scour over every level, allowing you to take in the atmosphere systematically. For someone who relishes it so, it is a real boon.
Is the game perfect? No. It has plenty of faults, and it can be counted in the legions of stereotypical licensed products. However, for me, it is inseparable from the movie itself. The Constantine experience for me is not complete with the movie alone. You can still find this game (blacklabel originals, to boot) in certain stores for something on the order of $5-$10. This doesn't speak very highly of the game, but if you are a huge fan of the movie, you really don't have much to lose in the deal, and potentially quite a lot to gain :)
