Evil Dead: Regeneration
Encyclopedia
Evil Dead: Regeneration is a video game for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
video game consoles and PC
. It is based on the movie trilogy The Evil Dead
and puts the character in similar environment, but with new weapons and traditions. It is unconnected to the previous game Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
: the game is a "What-If?" scenario that takes place in an alternate reality
from the original trilogy, depicting what would have happened if Ash didn't get sucked back in time at the end of Evil Dead II
.
is locked away in an asylum
for the criminally insane
, as a result of the events that took place in The Evil Dead
and Evil Dead II
. Convinced the world thinks he is crazy, the truth is much more nefarious. His doctor, Dr. Reinhard, somehow in possession of Professor Raymond Knowby's diary and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, plans on using the books to bring about his ascension to power. In the process he releases an army of Deadites on the unsuspecting world and it is Ash's job to stop the doctor and put the Deadites back where they belong.
The game begins in Sunny Meadows, the asylum Ash is committed to. Ash is briefly visited by his lawyer, Sally who mentions how she found Professor Knowby's diary and believes Ash's story about the Necronomicon and the cabin. Ash thanks Sally for her efforts and awkwardly flirts with her. Just after Sally leaves, Reinhard accidentally unleashes the dead through the Necronomicon. The evil also breaks Ash free in the process. Ash travels through the asylum killing deadites with a pistol he retrieved from a dead security guard. He eventually finds his clothing, his boomstick and his chainsaw in the process. As he goes through the asylum, Ash finds an electric deadite named Sparky. Ash kills Sparky and decapitates him. Ash briefly breaks the fourth wall
, telling us that "Ash is back in business", and throws Sparky's head away. Ash proceeds through the nearby cellar. However, just as he is about to leave the asylum, Professor Knowby's spirit appears to Ash, telling him that Reinhard's plan requires the closing of several portals and how Sally is in danger for having the diary. Ash teams up with a midget victim of Reinhard, a half-dead man named Sam who can return from any death (as he is half-Deadite, but isn't affected by the evil). His condition grants him many mystical skills.
Ash and Sam travel through to a cemetery and eventually find a portal in the nearby catacombs. However guarding the portal is a large deadite queen. Ash kills the queen with Sam's help and Sam closes the portal. The evil spirit inside the queen goes into Ash, briefly making him a deadite. However for some reason, Ash can now control when he can turn into "Evil Ash".
Ash and Sam go through the woods surrounding Sunny Meadows to find it infested with deadites as well. Ash finds a harpoon gun in a trash pile and modifies it onto his right hand. Ash and Sam, with the help of his harpoon gun, make their way into an abandoned mine where they find another portal. However, as soon as they get there a spirit possesses a miner. Ash and Sam kill the deadite miner and close the portal. Professor Knowby tells them that Reinhard has his diary finally and needs a human sacrifice. Ash believes that Sally is the one he intends to sacrifice. Ash and Sam follow a mine shaft towards nearby docks where another portal is believed to be located. Ash goes to another trash pile there and finds a high powered torpedo gun. The duo destroy a fish creature guarding the docks portal.
Ash and Sam make their way through a swamp, where they find a shack full of flammable materials and create a flamethrower
. Ash and Sam make their way through the swamp to a nearby town called Port Turnham which is infested with Deadites. They make their way through the destroyed city and in the process Ash replaces his chainsaw with a newer one with a titanium blade. Ash and Sam find a portal in a nearby courthouse. However, Sam succumbs to fatigue and yawns while he is saying the incantation. The portal, instead of closing, sucks both of them into it. Once they are inside the portal Ash and Sam find themselves in a hellish dimension. Professor Knowby shows up telling them the only way out is to defeat Reinhard and rescue Sally. However, he begins talking about how Ash must save the world in which Ash becomes very angry and says he is only out to save Sally and maybe Sam.
Ash and Sam face many obstacles in the Deadite temple, but after much struggle they make their way to Reinhard's lair where he is just about to sacrifice Sally. Reinhard says how impressed he is with Ash. However, he apologizes that they had to come a long way to die. Rienhard uses the Necronomicon to turn himself into a troll-like Deadite. Ash and Sam kill Reinhard and Sam closes the portal. In a very romantic scene Ash says he came a long way and overcame great odds to apologize to Sally on the fashion advice he gave her back at Sunny Meadows. Just as he is leaning to kiss Sally, a spirit possesses her. Ash, overcome with rage, kills the possessed Sally. However, just as he does this the portal reopens and sucks Ash and Sam into it along with the Necronomicon
possibly sending them back in time, thus ending the game.
In contrast with previous games, the game automatically gives the player unlimited ammunition for his weapons and unlimited gas to his chainsaw. A new gameplay element is rage mode. When the player kills enough enemies it fills up his rage meter. When the rage meter is filled up to a decent amount it allows Ash to go into "rage mode". Rage mode transforms Ash into a powerful deadite killing machine. It instantly doubles all of Ash's weapon damage and makes him lose health slower.
Other voice actors include Nolan North
and Chris Edgerly
as deadites.
. At Metacritic
the Xbox
version holds a 66/100 score, the PlayStation 2
version holds a 68/100 score and the Microsoft Windows
version holds a 69/100 score.
Despite the mixed reception, it was better received than its predecessors which were all universally panned.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
video game consoles and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. It is based on the movie trilogy The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
and puts the character in similar environment, but with new weapons and traditions. It is unconnected to the previous game Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game consoles. It is based on the movie trilogy The Evil Dead. It is set twenty years after the events of the trilogy, twelve years after Jenny, Ash's girlfriend from Evil Dead: Hail to the King, has been killed...
: the game is a "What-If?" scenario that takes place in an alternate reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
from the original trilogy, depicting what would have happened if Ash didn't get sucked back in time at the end of Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II, also known as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, is a 1987 horror comedy film directed by Sam Raimi. It is a retcon sequel to the 1981 film The Evil Dead. The film was written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel, produced by Rob Tapert and starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams...
.
Plot
Ash WilliamsAsh Williams
Ashley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
is locked away in an asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
for the criminally insane
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
, as a result of the events that took place in The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
and Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II, also known as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, is a 1987 horror comedy film directed by Sam Raimi. It is a retcon sequel to the 1981 film The Evil Dead. The film was written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel, produced by Rob Tapert and starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams...
. Convinced the world thinks he is crazy, the truth is much more nefarious. His doctor, Dr. Reinhard, somehow in possession of Professor Raymond Knowby's diary and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, plans on using the books to bring about his ascension to power. In the process he releases an army of Deadites on the unsuspecting world and it is Ash's job to stop the doctor and put the Deadites back where they belong.
The game begins in Sunny Meadows, the asylum Ash is committed to. Ash is briefly visited by his lawyer, Sally who mentions how she found Professor Knowby's diary and believes Ash's story about the Necronomicon and the cabin. Ash thanks Sally for her efforts and awkwardly flirts with her. Just after Sally leaves, Reinhard accidentally unleashes the dead through the Necronomicon. The evil also breaks Ash free in the process. Ash travels through the asylum killing deadites with a pistol he retrieved from a dead security guard. He eventually finds his clothing, his boomstick and his chainsaw in the process. As he goes through the asylum, Ash finds an electric deadite named Sparky. Ash kills Sparky and decapitates him. Ash briefly breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, telling us that "Ash is back in business", and throws Sparky's head away. Ash proceeds through the nearby cellar. However, just as he is about to leave the asylum, Professor Knowby's spirit appears to Ash, telling him that Reinhard's plan requires the closing of several portals and how Sally is in danger for having the diary. Ash teams up with a midget victim of Reinhard, a half-dead man named Sam who can return from any death (as he is half-Deadite, but isn't affected by the evil). His condition grants him many mystical skills.
Ash and Sam travel through to a cemetery and eventually find a portal in the nearby catacombs. However guarding the portal is a large deadite queen. Ash kills the queen with Sam's help and Sam closes the portal. The evil spirit inside the queen goes into Ash, briefly making him a deadite. However for some reason, Ash can now control when he can turn into "Evil Ash".
Ash and Sam go through the woods surrounding Sunny Meadows to find it infested with deadites as well. Ash finds a harpoon gun in a trash pile and modifies it onto his right hand. Ash and Sam, with the help of his harpoon gun, make their way into an abandoned mine where they find another portal. However, as soon as they get there a spirit possesses a miner. Ash and Sam kill the deadite miner and close the portal. Professor Knowby tells them that Reinhard has his diary finally and needs a human sacrifice. Ash believes that Sally is the one he intends to sacrifice. Ash and Sam follow a mine shaft towards nearby docks where another portal is believed to be located. Ash goes to another trash pile there and finds a high powered torpedo gun. The duo destroy a fish creature guarding the docks portal.
Ash and Sam make their way through a swamp, where they find a shack full of flammable materials and create a flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
. Ash and Sam make their way through the swamp to a nearby town called Port Turnham which is infested with Deadites. They make their way through the destroyed city and in the process Ash replaces his chainsaw with a newer one with a titanium blade. Ash and Sam find a portal in a nearby courthouse. However, Sam succumbs to fatigue and yawns while he is saying the incantation. The portal, instead of closing, sucks both of them into it. Once they are inside the portal Ash and Sam find themselves in a hellish dimension. Professor Knowby shows up telling them the only way out is to defeat Reinhard and rescue Sally. However, he begins talking about how Ash must save the world in which Ash becomes very angry and says he is only out to save Sally and maybe Sam.
Ash and Sam face many obstacles in the Deadite temple, but after much struggle they make their way to Reinhard's lair where he is just about to sacrifice Sally. Reinhard says how impressed he is with Ash. However, he apologizes that they had to come a long way to die. Rienhard uses the Necronomicon to turn himself into a troll-like Deadite. Ash and Sam kill Reinhard and Sam closes the portal. In a very romantic scene Ash says he came a long way and overcame great odds to apologize to Sally on the fashion advice he gave her back at Sunny Meadows. Just as he is leaning to kiss Sally, a spirit possesses her. Ash, overcome with rage, kills the possessed Sally. However, just as he does this the portal reopens and sucks Ash and Sam into it along with the Necronomicon
Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness, also known as Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness or simply Evil Dead III, is a 1992 horror comedy fantasy action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the third and final installment in The Evil Dead trilogy. The film was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, produced by Robert Tapert,...
possibly sending them back in time, thus ending the game.
Gameplay
The gameplay mostly consists of hack and slash with small conveniently placed puzzles. The player takes the role of Ash Williams as he fights off hordes of Deadites. The player can find different kinds of weapons in levels which find use in different situations. Early on in the game Ash receives his sidekick Sam who fights along with him in battle. Unlike other games where killing a friend ingame is taboo at best, Sam actually comically dies many times in the game. The player can kick Sam into openings to open doors or onto enemies to pop their heads off. The player can also possess Sam to get through small openings; the purpose is to open a door or a switch. At times, Sam is controlled by the computer and destroys adversaries without assistance. Sometimes enemies will need a 'finishing move' (pressing a specific button) in order to completely destroy them.In contrast with previous games, the game automatically gives the player unlimited ammunition for his weapons and unlimited gas to his chainsaw. A new gameplay element is rage mode. When the player kills enough enemies it fills up his rage meter. When the rage meter is filled up to a decent amount it allows Ash to go into "rage mode". Rage mode transforms Ash into a powerful deadite killing machine. It instantly doubles all of Ash's weapon damage and makes him lose health slower.
Cast
- Bruce CampbellBruce CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
reprises his role of Ash. - Ted RaimiTed RaimiTheodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
plays Sam - Jim WardJim Ward (voice actor)James Kevin "Jim" Ward is a voice actor who has contributed to a large number of video games and movies. He co-hosts The Stephanie Miller Show, a nationally-syndicated liberal radio talk show which features a number of his impersonations of political figures and other celebrities and newsmakers...
plays both Dr Vladimir Reinhardt and Professor Raymond Knowby
Other voice actors include Nolan North
Nolan North
Nolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
and Chris Edgerly
Chris Edgerly
Christopher "Chris" Edgerly is an American actor and voice actor.Edgerly was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, he moved to Savannah, Georgia at the age of two with his mother, and two brothers...
as deadites.
Reception
The game received a 6.9/10 rating from GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
version holds a 66/100 score, the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version holds a 68/100 score and the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version holds a 69/100 score.
Despite the mixed reception, it was better received than its predecessors which were all universally panned.