Corpse Party

If you fancy embarking on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs in the emotion department, this is certainly worth the asking price. It's a definite purchase for fans of horror games and/or visual novels, but I think that should you have a PSP and aren't against buying one of the top games I've had the pleasure of playing this year, you really should try it out.

Corpse Party proves that a minimalistic approach can get some of the best results when it comes to horror. If a little blood gets you weak in the knees, this game is not for you.

Let yourself be drawn into Corpse Party and you will find japanese horror in its purest form. A haunting, cruel and tragic ghost story for the connoisseur. Only rarely pixels this large haven been this disturbing.

While not fantastic in terms of gameplay, Corpse Party shines as a journey in surviving a world of disturbing horror.

Team GrisGris delivers a chilling experience that is not to be found on any other handheld, though its graphical appearance is outdated. Corpse Party is one of those games that you should own if you're looking for a different experience than former 'horror-stories' that we've tried so far on PSP.

Gamers with a weak stomach or lack of patience should stay away from the cursed grounds of Heavenly Host Elementary, but if you have an appreciation for gory splatterfests from the theaters, this is one forbidden ancient ritual that you should take part in.

While Team GrisGris clearly has a deficiency in game design, they should be commended for their ability to surprise and disgust with the most limited of assets.

Terrifying moments make Corpse Party a get-together worth attending.

Corpse Party has a lot in common with fully interactive point-and-click games. The tone, storytelling and characters make what could have been a plodding experience, truly memorable. It's wonderful that XSeed has brought this over and, hopefully, will do well enough to encourage more of these unique titles to make a North American appearance.

If you're going to spend the $20 on Corpse Party, it is very important to know what you're getting into. This is not a "game," but an interactive novel with video game elements that, for the most part, aren't very good. You will get frustrated and lost a few times, but if you stick with it and keep a cool head, Corpse Party will reward you with an unsettling story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The game doesn't shy away from violence so be prepared to sit through some really disturbing and uncomfortable moments.

Lamentations over wasted time come easily when you consider the unexpected deaths, but the powerful last words of the narrative reminded me of Corpse Party's chilling highlights. Instances of fear and melancholy occur with startling frequency.

Despite its minor issues, Corpse Party should be played by those looking for a unique, chilling experience – there's really nothing out there like it right now.

Corpse Party is good at setting an unnerving scene, which is even more impressive considering how silly it looks.

It's extremely rare that a game would be better with less gameplay. [Issue#118, p.113]

Corpse Party is often too rigid in its ways, requiring players to examine objects several times, occasionally in a very specific order – a problem exacerbated by a structure that locks out later chapters until the correct ending to the previous episode has been found. Some wrong (in every sense) endings are worth seeing once, but repeat plays of scenarios dilute the tension the studio takes such pains to build.

When you're following the narrow path the designers expect you to walk down, Corpse Party is one of the scariest portable games you can buy. Yet, failure to do so demands you re-play massive chunks of content you've already seen, significantly diminishing its appeal.