Haunting Ground

List Price: $39.99 Discount Price: $34.95

Features:

• ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
• Action/Adventure/Survival/Horror

Accessories:
PlayStation: The Official Magazine (1-year)	Electronic Gaming Monthly	Play	Tips & Tricks Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Haunting Ground [Posted on 2008-01-14]
I really like this game. It sorta reminds me of resident evil.I havent finished it yet. So far its captivating,good story,a few good scares. Its not real gory. Good puzzles too. Her,and the dogs movement is a little off,but ya dont really notice it after awhile playing it. I recommend this game to people that like puzzle based games solving how to get into next area, ectra. No weapons used not really violent. Enjoy

Haunting [Posted on 2008-02-16]
This game is alright. It is fustrating and yet exciting to. Its this i wish i could do more , yet glad you dont kind of game. The dude chasing is fustrating and makes one angry to rid the world of him . Yet the castle and walk around is pretty good. And the Dog attcking the enemy and using him to get things you cant reach is a great concept . Over all its pretty good . And its exciting at times .

ICO meets Resident Evil! MUST PLAY!!! [Posted on 2008-08-08]
One of the gaming mags I read a while back named this as the underrated games of the year and I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head. I believe it was originally slated to be a Clock Tower game thus I've heard similar to that series. I found the game to be very enjoyable with nice controls, good graphics, etc. I felt that the game gave off a heavy Resident Evil feel to it's atmosphere but I enjoyed the game because it reminded me a bit of the game ICO- but if you were playing as Yorda- which gave the game a very unique feel. Unlike the feeling of many games where you play the hero saving someone else- I felt as in this game you were instead playing the role of the person needing the saving. Fiona (the main character) is pretty worthless on her own but once you meet the dog (Hewie) that you really do bond with- work together to try to escape the castle- kinda reminiscent of the Ico/Yorda feel for fans of ICO.

The negative comments I've read are often really complaints of the fact the game is too realistic in it's gameplay. I've heard complaints of people saying that the character is pretty worthless as far as fighting(she is) or that the characters chasing the dog are beating the dog and it's disturbing. My response to those are they are both true- and they both enhance the game. Being so helpless in the game makes you come up with a better strategy to fight your opponents- being that as you bond with the dog you are able to use your character as bait while instructing Hewie to attack or to attack while you hide- basically figuring out the best way for the characters to leave you alone. Since you are only fighting 4 different people throughout the game- getting progressively harder you will have to change your strategy as you progress I found. Meaning that Debilitas (your first boss) is pretty easy and not smart so you can often outrun and hide from him fairly easily. Daniella was much quicker and if you continued to use the same hiding spots you would be discovered, until the final two guys you really couldn't hide from at all and you in return have to also take care of Hewie as he can be damaged- but again I feel that as much as you hate to hear him being hurt in the game- unless you mistreat him yourself you won't get a bad ending (there are 4) and I feel that the bond you form with the characters is enhanced by the fact they are working together to protect and take care of one another.

The other complaints I've heard about the game is that Hewie occasionally will not listen or one of the other reviews noted that the game would occasionally tell you the coast was clear when in reality the boss would be wandering around outside the door. I actually felt these two things were positive as well if you were looking for a REAL experience. For instance- if Fiona is hiding under a bed and Debilitas is chasing her- once he has left the area the coast does look clear because from your characters point of view the coast is clear- however if you actually go out the door the enemy just went through- he will still be out there- which I feel gives a realistic feel to the game- which I think to some gamers who don't realize that there is a strategy to getting the enemies to leave you alone for a longer period of time- like if Hewie attacks them to the point where they either collapse or retreat. As for Hewie not listening- (or Fiona for that matter when she has her panic attack moments) as irritating as it was I still found this to be true to life as well for anyone who has tried to get a pet to do something they don't want to do- yet again adding to the element of feeling like it's a real dog instead of just a video game dog programmed to do only a set list of actions.

I felt the game was pretty perfect in length being that I was still having fun during the final fight and I replayed it again even to get the different endings. By replaying it you will also get different costumes for Fiona and Hewie. and unlock extras including a minigame where if my memory serves me correctly you play as Hewie instead of Fiona. I would also like to point out that this is a game where I would advise not to judge by first impressions. As I noted from some of the other reviews that they didn't get a dog in the game- which is because often they quit playing the game before they actually get the dog. When I had initially tried the game I actually had done the same thing only going back to it at a much later time and discovering that it's easy to have a bad first impression of the game. Needless to say I was glad I went back to it because it's a truely fantastic game if you can appreciate it for a less hack and slash feel and approach to strategy from a different perspective. Although I haven't played most of the series- I've heard fans of Silent Hill, Clock Tower, and Fatal Frame will find in comparable.

Adictive and Entertaining [Posted on 2008-09-16]
I really enjoyed this game. I have actually replayed it several times to unlock secrets and because its just plain fun to play. It is very similar to playing a resident evil game as far as looks and controls go.

Great game--must have overlooked it.. [Posted on 2008-09-22]
I just rented this game by chance and have been hooked all week long! The concept and scenery are strange but also beautiful in it's own way. Another game based heavily on Alchemy, if you know the components of that and a few zodiac signs that's helpful to make the game easier.

Weird but interesting characters to say the least. This is the only game I've played where the normal game play looks better than the cut scenes.

Definitely worth your time to give this game a chance!

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