From DC Comics` Hellblazer to the big screen to the gaming world, Constantine tells the story of a mortal man, the struggle between heaven and hell, and what happens when you play them against each other.
In the game, the history of John Constantine is vague at best and is never really fully explained.
So here goes: Hellblazer is about John Constantine, who was born in 1953. He never knew his mother and was constantly tormented by his bitter one-armed father.
John eventually became obsessed with the occult, which his dad later found out about and destroyed all his books. John cursed his father, which caused his father to fall ill.
As a boy John could see demons and things normal people couldn`t. When he could no longer deal with this, he attempted to commit suicide, only to be saved by the Archangel Gabriel to exorcise demons and send them back to hell.
Now he does this in hopes that doing so will get him into heaven (seeing as taking your own life will only send your soul to the fires below).
Now on with the game.
The game is a collaboration of cut scenes putting you in the action of the movie.
The voice acting is at times believable, even if some of the lines are a little weak.
Nevertheless, as John Constantine, it`s your job to purify earth from demons, half-breeds and all evil things spawned in hell and being spewed on to Earth. To do this, you will gain a plethora of cleverly named instruments to use for evil`s destruction, each with a story about how it is fashioned from religious artefacts or used from dead martyrs` bodies.
Constantine also has his trusty flask, which is used to replenish his health and can be filled at one of the water coolers found throughout the game.
The controls are easy to use and movement is fluent, although the use of the crosshair is sometimes a little clumsy. Also, I`m not sure if I like the fact that you can`t control your jumps or climbing. I`d prefer to have a button to perform those actions other than moving close to a gate to climb it or walk close to a ledge to jump across.
He also has the ability of True Sight, which allows him to see when most humans are really demons in disguise, and also doubles as night vision. (This is a BIG plus, as most of the game is much too dark to tell what is what).
True Sight also sometimes shows you secret passages and where reusable ammo is lying.
Constantine can move between this world and hell by standing in a puddle of water and casting a spell. (This is sometimes needed to complete a task you can`t complete here on earth.)
As you progress, you will also acquire powerful spells to help along the way, as well as incantations that increase health.
Most of the demons aren`t that challenging and can be taken down with no loss of ammo at all, while others require you to hit a specific spot to cause damage. True Sight comes in handy here too as it shows were the demons` weak spots are.
Graphically the game is pretty decent. The model of Constantine looks pretty close to Keanu Reeves, but the backgrounds of Earth feel dull and lacking, especially if you compare it to the mood they COULD have created, like in the Silent Hill games.
I think it would have been better with that 'creepy` element thrown in for good measure. These are basically generic and not that interesting.
Hell on the other hand, with the blazing infernos, cars thrown across the sky and screams of torment make up for this - to an extent.
There is no actual soundtrack other than some of the score taken from the movie and some vocal noises made by nearby demons. Not forgetting the famous "Go to hell", which is thrown in by Constantine every so often.
In closing, I don`t think there`s much replay value to this game, although a bit more thought and hard work could have made it a real winner. But be sure to check it out as a rental and decide from there.
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