Haunting Ground

Essentially the umpteen-millionth Resident Evil clone that I've played, Haunting Ground tries to separate itself from the rest of the pack with some new gameplay elements. Bland graphics, so-so voice acting (big surprise there, what with this being a survival horror game), and ultimately some rather juvenile elements ultimately hurt this game.

Early in the game, you'll earn the friendship of a dog named Hewie, who can help protect your character, and whom you can interact with in a sort of limited friendship game sort of way. Fiona, your character, can also panic, at which time you'll lose control of the character as she runs around in a fright. She'll run somewhat uncontrollably, and if she runs into a wall she'll fall down, but for the most part, you'll get a little bit of a chance to react as Fiona loses her calm gradually, becoming more uncontrollable with every moment. Finally, you'll be able to run away from monsters and take advantage of various hiding spots to keep yourself safe.

That said, I found it relatively easy and yet frustrating to play. While making your way through the game puzzles and challenges are easy, it's also very easy to get stuck in a position where you're doomed to certain death, requiring regular reloads. Early on, you'll even be treated to having your young, beautiful, teenage female character being chased by a large, unintelligent, developmentally challenged thug that presumably wants to play with Fiona as if she were a doll. Given what it looks like when he manages to 'kill' her, I found this one of the least tasteful elements of the game.

Graphically, Haunting Ground is of average quality, but seems to have been designed by an adolescent game designer, given that the main character is ahem extremely well endowed, and clothed only in a sheet for the first few minutes of the game. As I noted earlier, there's nothing much in the way of good voice acting here, and in accompaniment, the plotline of the game is similarly lacking. In summary, I couldn't say I enjoyed this game, and it's relatively obvious why the game possesses its more titillating elements.