Van Helsing is a fun, simple, single-player adventure with a nice pace and good visuals.
User Rating: 7 | Van Helsing XBOX
The Vivendi Universal picture Van Helsing seems to be a love it or hate it type of movie. I think the same could also be said for Van Helsing the console game. I recently purchased and began playing the XBOX version and have been engrossed ever since. If you were one of those who, like me, enjoyed the film, you will definitely appreciate this game as well. The feature of this game I like the most is that it closely follows the movie's plot and uses cut scenes and actual voices of actors from the film to move the game along. You actually get the impression that you are playing out the lead character's role in the film. The game play is simple and straight forward. It is basically a third person shooter with a variable camera view. In some games this type of camera/view system can be distraction or downright difficult to deal with, however Van Helsings environments are well desinged enough and rarely do you find Van Helsing becomming obscured by an obstacle. On the rare occasions you can't see him, it doesn't interfere with game play. The weapons are not plentiful however the amo powerups provide adequate variety. I also found the inventory/item use system to be extremely helpful. When in the heat of battle you can use the START button to open the options and then inventory screen. This pauses the action and allows you to select the appropriate inventory items such as life replenish or amo replenish. You don't risk taking shots while doing this and after a few battles with Dracula you will find this a very refreshing opportunity. Speaking of Dracula; the bosses in Van Helsing consist of Mr. Hyde, Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula. Unlike other games you won't see so much variety in boss characters however these characters will certainly have you pretty busy. Dracula uses a variety of powerful ranged attacks that will keep you on the move constantly. The others use brute force but each has his own special moves that will keep you on your toes. Van Helsing also has his own special moves and the make for powerful combination attacks and finishing moves. Most of the time I haven't found these special moves as helpful when fighting the many varied minons and minor monster but when it comes to the bosses these moves can be extremely helpful. I like this game som much that I can't say too much on the negative side however I do wish there was a two player cooperative mode to this game. It would be nice if the female character, who you encounter throughout the game via cut-scenes, could be played. This would make the game even that much better! Alas this game is solo so I will just be content to keep playing, searching for the easter eggs and busting baddies and having a great time doing it. 
