Literature abounds with stories about those who sold their lives to the devil, only to see the bargain sabotaged by the devil's devious machinations, and so the battle rages between the one manipulated and the powers of hell. When the Marvel comic book Ghost Rider first appeared in 1973, it was a bit different. It transformed the star, appropriately called Johnny Blaze (the character's trademark was a blazing skeleton skull), into a motorcycle stuntman fighting the powers of hell and exacting vengeance on Earth's wicked.
The game, which, by the way, comes out on the heels of the cinematic film, and although it aims to carve out its own niche in the gaming world, 2K's PS2 title ultimately seems like a rehash of other titles. Nonetheless, the graphics are adequate – but not excellent, with a variety of representations of demonic monsters. Johnny's typical melee attack is a chain-weapon attack a la God of War. However, once you destroy enough creatures and gain enough hearts, you will be able to level up and unleash more crippling area-of-effect attacks. And soul gathering functions similarly to accumulating experience points, which can then be spent to update abilities.
The fighting, which seems to be the game's primary focus, with the plot acting as a foil to push the action, is very tired at this stage, and even those who are unfamiliar with the title but have played other games will have no trouble jumping into this game. The plot, on the other hand, has enough suspense and a touch of terror to move it along, but it lacks the tension and touch of horror that the comic books had. Mephisto seems to want Johnny to kill those rogue spirits, otherwise, Johnny's girlfriend may have a very unpleasant holiday in hell.
The game starts with a demo in which Johnny, the blazing-skulled hero, wanders down a very linear road in his quest to escape the clutches of hell. Johnny employs a variety of light and hard strikes to deplete his opponents' life force, and if they are stunned, you will wrestle them for a WWE-style finishing move. Stand by fire to replenish your health, then proceed along the road to the next intersection, where a short cutscene and more demonic monsters await.
Both of the opponents have a shield that must be whittled away before you can do harm to them – this simply ensures that the fight lasts a little longer. You block, tumble/dodge, and strike – a never-ending cycle. The motorcycle parts, which were a big part of the comic book, remind me of an early Xbox game called Arctic Thunder. You fly, clear pitfalls, and protect yourself with chains cast to the left and right.
The ability to unlock items other than improved attacks is one of the game's most unique features. Unlocked and viewable content includes comic book pages, model art, and artist movies. But there's a catch: you may want to wait for these treats. The primary goal is to level up skills in order to progress through the game. As strange as it can seem, if you level up too quickly, the game will become a piece of cake.
The game mechanics are familiar, and the sound is adequate but plays a secondary role in the graphics. The game's graphics are mediocre. The edge that this game should have has vanished. Spawn was based on the Ghost Rider comics, and the game was a little edgier than this take on the classic Marvel series. Ghost Rider aficionados should avoid this title, although fans of ethereal or demonic-influenced adventure games can find it done better elsewhere.
