Games:
Clive Barker's Undying |

- Platform: IBM PC Compatible
- Release Date: February 21, 2001
- Similar Games: Hexen II (IBM PC Compatible), Half-Life (IBM PC Compatible), Quake III Arena (IBM PC Compatible)
Game Description
English born author Clive Barker, the master of the popular Hellraiser series of horror films, now turns his talents towards the gaming industry in Clive Barker's Undying. Coming to the project after initial development of the title had begun, Barker strove to add emotionally engaging storytelling elements to the game in the hopes of elevating it above the primarily reactive gameplay offered by other first-person shooters and survival horror titles.The story revolves around a young man who lives in the Irish countryside in the early 1920s. Protagonist
Roots & Influences
The author of horror and supernatural fiction lends his writing talents and name to the storyline and monster creations in Clive Barker's Undying. The Quake III Arena engine is used in the game. ~ Michael L. House, All Game GuideReview: Enjoyment
The genuinely scary atmosphere and fun shoot-'em-up gameplay is enjoyable, but the AI could have been tweaked to make some actions more believable. It's hard to imagine a gardener calmly walking up to talk with you about the bushes after nearly being slaughtered by a horrific creature from a nightmare realm. Some levels involve a great deal of running back and forth while wondering what to do or where to go, and combat is reasonable but not always consistent. The inability to skip extended death animation sequences is annoying. ~ Drew Hunt, All Game GuideProduction Credits
Lead Animator: Walt BatyckiAnimation Team: Lonnie Kraatz, Daniel P. Keller, Tim Goodwin
Art Director: Jeff Haynie
Lead Artist: Brian Horton
Technical Art Director: Kyle McKisic
Art: Jonathan Gregerson, Matt Hall, Christian Laursen, Omaha Perez, Rion Vernon
Lead Designer: Dellakamp Siefert
Design: Robert Berger, John Castro, Dave Nash, Jon Paquette
Lead Engineer: J. Scott Peter
Engineering: Rich Benson, Michael Goodwin, Kyle McKisic, Douglas Muir, Tom McDevitt
Producer: Brady Bell
Associate Producer: Jon Galvan
Lead Sound Designer: Erik Kraber
Assistant Sound Designer: Jack Grillo, Soundelux Design Music Group
Administration: Becky Allen, Jeff Eisner, Amanda Wyatt
Sound Effects: Bryan Celano
Music Composed by: Bill Brown
Music Conducted by: Bill Brown
Test Lead: Randy Kirby
Compatibility Tester: Charles Polanski
Tester: Jason Boles, Carlos Garcia-Shelton, Jeremy Hall, William Lee, Kevin Lewis, Keith Nakamura, Rene Nones, Darren Seghesio, Audry Taylor
Pro-Motions Production Co.: Lani Minella
Voice Talent: Clive Barker, Marc Biagi, Ryan Drummond, Victor Gagner, Jon St. John, Lani Minella, Kai Vilhelmsen
Lead Engineer, Console: Paul Keet
Engineering, Console: Steve Anderson, Jordan C. Johnson, David Pendergrast, Dan Porzio, Thomas R. Stanis
Producer, Console: Jon Paquette
Associate Producer, Console: Charles Polanski
Lead Test, Console: Damon Tripodi
Tester, Console: Caleb Sweazy
Company 1: Electronic Arts Los Angeles
Executive Producer: Rick Giolito
DWI General Manager: Glenn Entis
Production Coordinator: Amy Bennett
Administration: Noelani Weaver, David Howe
Finance: Tami Bauling, Michelle Sprague
IT Director: Steve Arnold
Network Administrator: Joe Aguilar
IT Support: Steve Rottman, Ray Robinson
Company 2: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores
Product Marketing: Jillian Goldberg, Lincoln Hershberger
Public Relations: Anne Marie Stein, Steve Groll
Package Designer: Hamagami/Carroll
Package Project Management: Adrienne Rogers
Package Illustration: Hamagami/Carroll
Photography: Hamagami/Carroll
Documentation: Greg Roensch, Anthony Lynch, Ede Clarke
Documentation Layout: Big Idea Group
International Development Director: Atsuko Matsumoto
Video Animation: Bob Rossman, Eric Kornblum, Jerry Newton
Online Producer: Jason Chein
Web Designer: Marlon McKenney
Web Art Director: Gerrit Velthoen
Project Supervisor: Ludon Lee
EA Test Lead: Justin McLeod
EA Assistant Test Lead: Brad Frazier
EA Tester: Alan Coe, Chris DeShazo, Jose Gonzales, Aaron Keppel
Customer Quality Control: Benjamin Smith, Tony Alexander, Anthony Barbagallo, Darryl Jenkins, Dave Kellum, Dave Knudson, Andrew Young ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Inspired by a story idea by Steven Spielberg and molded with critical input by renowned horror author Clive Barker, Clive Barker's Undying is a collaborative effort by various talents to sculpt a story-driven, horror-based first-person shooter. The game delivers on several fronts by providing an eerie atmosphere dripping with dark surprises, horrific monsters, and an intriguing story line, but fails to live up to its potential considering the high-profile names involved.Irish accents pervade the introductory animation, which sets the stage for upcoming events: a lone investigator gets more than he bargains for as he plumbs deeper into the realm of the supernatural, an unexplainable experience of WWI, and the unpleasant (but necessary) repayment of a favor to an old friend. With little to go on but these vague hints, you, as Patrick Galloway, are invited to your friend's manor in western Ireland.
Jeremiah Covenant's life has been full of strange paranormal experiences, but now that events have recently gotten out of hand, he's asked you to investigate the strange occurrences happening at his manor. People start dying, monsters come pouring out of the woodwork, and you're suddenly up to your neck in mayhem with sinister events spiraling out of control as you delve into dark mysteries.
In addition to the standard health bar and random selection of weapons found in most titles of the FPS horror genre, a mystical element has been added in the form of spells. At the start, you know only the "Scrye" spell, sort of a combination flashback/sixth sense, which provides an abundance of useful, fascinating, and horrifying information throughout the game. Eventually, you learn spells like hurling ectoplasm at enemies, raising the recently deceased, and disabling magic.
The reasonably diverse arsenal of weapons ranges from the standard pistol and shotgun, appropriately styled for the early-'20s setting, to unusual implements like a scythe, a Tibetan War Cannon, and everyone's favorite, the Molotov Cocktail. As for targets, the first mythological aberrations encountered are vaguely impish looking creatures with vile claws and a particularly unsettling scream. The second set of beasts are bigger versions of the first, which leads to the idea that perhaps the monsters roaming the main estate are none too diverse. Fortunately, the game drips with atmosphere, so the introduction of the second type of monster is actually worth remembering, and doesn't just convey a feeling of "finally, something else to kill."
The prevailing horror-suspense style is incredible, especially when moving through the manor. Not since Resident Evil has the feeling of opening each new door, or walking down a seemingly blank hallway, so filled the player with impending doom. While much of the game relies more on things jumping out at you and the suspense of what might be behind the next door, the actual physical manifestations of fear are conveyed through a rather attractive graphical environment.
The architecture and surrounding environs of the manor is admirable, with a great deal of attention given to all the trappings of an ancient Victorian-era mansion. The models, while not exactly the best ever seen in a FPS, are more than adequate and, at times, look quite good. The extremely well-designed main character is the direct product of Clive Barker, who completely reworked the original artist's concept. The musical score provides depth to the already stylish horror feel of the game, with effective ambient songs and creepy music cues popping up when least expected.
As with most games, Clive Barker's Undying has a few weak points, with some elements introduced later in the game that dampen enjoyment a bit. For example, a select few of the skeletal enemies decide not to die when you kill them, usually in the worst possible places. At times they stay down after being killed twice, but other times they don't, and when six or seven of them chase you down a hallway and you have no means of dispatching them, running away is the only good choice. As "undying" creatures, they certainly fill the bill, whether intentional or not on the part of the designers.
Other oddities seem excessive, such as the mysterious Arabic pirates that suddenly start attacking you during one of the earlier levels -- up to that point, any humans encountered were safe to approach. While the unexpected may keep you on your toes combat-wise, no explanation is given for the sudden appearance of evil turbaned individuals in the middle of an Irish countryside. Later in the game, though, the constantly evolving web of bizarre cults and evil pirates begins to make more sense.
Clive Barker's Undying is certainly a unique first-person shooter and despite the feeling that this particular variety of horror and suspense seems a tad contrived at times, gameplay is actually fresh and warrants a good look by fans of both first-person shooters and survival horror. ~ Drew Hunt, All Game Guide


