Constantine – Hands On Preview

The Hellblazer graphic novels from DC/Vertigo have had a cult following in the past, but they are sure to break into the mainstream with the cinematic release of Constantine starring a post-Neo Keanu Reeves as supernatural investigator John Constantine. The movie is set for release next month with the game following in March, but luckily TVG managed to get hold of a preview of the game so we could experience what itâ??s like to go to Hell and back a few times â?“ and we donâ??t mean going to Grimsby on a rainy day in Januaryâ?¦

In the graphic novels, Constantine is an investigator of paranormal activity who roots out the demonic forces that are traversing planes of reality from Earth to Hell â?“ think of The Exorcist with and attitude and guns and youâ??re half way there. Exorcising demons and wiping out the forces of Hell is pretty much a day at the office for Constantine, whilst travelling on business generally means crossing the planes of reality to the flaming underworld of Hell itself.

UK developers Bits Studios are at the helm of the videogame adaptation, set for release on PS2 and Xbox, and have chosen to make the game a third-person shooter much in the same vein as Max Payne. But donâ??t think that this is a straightforward by-the-by action shooter because Bits have added depth to the game by using a variety of features that accumulates to make Constantine a solid and entertaining title â?“ so far at least.

The game (like the film) is set in a very moody, dark and depressive Los Angeles, and could have been the location of the movie Se7en such is the strong oppressive atmosphere. We wonâ??t give much of the storyline away, except to say that the demonic forces of Hell are starting to break a pact between Satan and God, and are now appearing on Earth. Unsurprisingly as the gameâ??s protagonist, itâ??s up to John Constantine to investigate and hold back the forces of Hell.

Superficially the game seems to be a run-of-the-mill affair, very much in the same vein as Max Payne. A third-person action/adventure, itâ??s a brutal and violent title, as you would expect from such a game, but dig a little deeper (but not quite to the walls of Hell itself), and youâ??ll see that the developers have really tried to make Constantine standout from all the other third person action/adventure titles that are currently washed up on our shores during the course of a year. For starters, there is no button designated to make Constantine jump â?“ instead, if he has to clamber over walls gamers will just have to walk into the object and he will climb up. It also means that jumping over gaps in the ground isnâ??t accomplished by pressing a button as Constantine will jump over them automatically as you run into them, which means that you are left to concentrate on killing the various hordes of Hell that have jumped the planes of reality.

Aside from the lack of a jump button, the control system in Constantine includes a quick turnaround button which when pressed will make the character turn around 180º and slow down the action â?“ very handy when you are about to be blindsided by a demonic force, although the lack of any radar or indicator that shows enemies are behind you does limit its use.

Gamers can also switch from the third-person perspective to first person by entering what is called â??True Vision.â? This feature essentially works in a similar fashion to night-vision goggles, and allows Constantine to see into the dark shadows, rooms, and corridors that litter the game. Supernatural elements illuminate when players access True Vision, so demons and the other evil entities light up like Christmas trees. True Vision also reveals hint symbols that are hidden in the normal viewpoint to the player and reveal disguised areas and possible solutions to puzzles.

Since this is an action/adventure game, Constantine has access to a range of guns and religiously linked armaments that help him to vanquish the array of enemies that heâ??ll encounter throughout the game. There are around 12 of these so-called â??artefactsâ?? in the game, and each has a story as to why they can be used again the forces of darkness.

During the course of the preview, we managed to unlock several artefacts including:

• Witches Curse â?“ Guns created from religious artefacts during the 19th Century. Constantine can dual wield these weapons, although they cannot be fird independently by the gamer
• Crucifier â?“ This is a quick-fire nail gun that uses 6-inch long nails pulled from he bodies of martyrs. After being fired the nails can be picked up again and reused.
• Holy Knuckledusters â?“ The gold knuckledusters are carved with religious symbols and were blessed by Bishop Ancott during the Crusades
• Amityville Screech Beetles â?“ These emit a screeching sound that stops demons in their tracks
• Holy Water Bombs â?“ These may sound like Holy Hand Grenades of Antioch, but in fact they can reveal a half-breed demons true form

Other â??artefactsâ?? hinted at through the preview were:

• Dragonâ??s Breath â?“ Flame Thrower
• Shroud of Moses
• Holy Shotgun

Throughout the game, Constantine will be able to learn around 9 spells that allow him to open up gateways to Hell through to exorcising demons from the possessed. When we played the game we were able to unlock:

• Gateway â?“ Used with a water portal to crossover to Hell
• True Sight â?“ Allows hidden clue symbols to be seen that reveal hidden areas
• Stormcrow â?“ Summons lightning bolts to strike multiple enemies
• Exorcism â?“ Forces Bile-Riz demons out of their hosts and kills them

In order to make Constantine activate the spells, players must press a series of buttons in the right order â?“ a technique that was recently utilised in MechAssault2: Lone Wolf. This feature means that players get away from something as straightforward as selecting a spell from the list and pressing an activate button, and makes you feel that a spell is actually being cast; itâ??s just another detail that helps make the same feel solid and thought out.

The weapons and spells that we were able to use all seem balanced, with the Crucifier our personal favourite. The spells are very handy to use, especially when you find yourself almost overwhelmed by enemies â?“ how the others handle will be interesting to see. Whilst the weapons are essentially slightly amended from arsenals found in other FPS titles, the fact that the developers have tried to provide almost a back-story to their origins at the very least lends credence to them.

Despite being heavily based around action, players are presented with a variety of puzzles throughout the game, which helps to break up the relentless action at the same time as well taxing your brain in ways that rival games, including the aforementioned Max Rayne, simply do not offer. As weâ??ve already said, the game does look really good, especially when itâ??s compared to some of its competitors. The character models are all of a high standard, with John Constantine passing more than just a resemblance to Reeves, and the production values are very high. The representation of Hell is sure to unnerve some people, especially those of a somewhat weak disposition, since once they start seeing people chased by demons in a fire-hazed twisted vision of a ruined Los Angeles and floating burnt out vehicles.

The game has a soundtrack that uses drum beats and bass together with choral â??Omenâ? style chants to create an unnerving ambience that helps to pull together the various strands in the game such as the religious imagery in both a modern day setting and the depths of Hell itself. Itâ??s precisely the sort of music that youâ??d expect to hear in Constantine, and whilst in someway the soundtrack is kind of predictable, the fact is that you canâ??t really imagine any other music that could complement the game any better.