Lost Classics: Crypt Killer (PS1, Saturn, Arcade)

Before Sega’s House of the Dead, there was Konami’s Crypt Killer. While the most recent House of the Dead game takes its inspiration from Grindhouse Cinema, Crypt Killer seems to take inspiration from the B-movies of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. You know, the flicks that made guys like Lon Cheney, Boris Karloff, and Vincent Price into horror icons. They were quite scary at the time, but by today’s standards, they are actually a bit comical. After all, the dialogue was pretty cheesy and it was plainly obvious that the horrible ‘monster’ was actually a guy in a rubber suit. Crypt Killer does a perfect job of capturing that B-movie goofiness. Even if it isn’t the greatest game ever, it’s still fun while it lasts.

You (and a friend if playing co-op) travel throughout the world to find the Eyes of Judgment which will open the Doors of Fate, hopefully leading to treasure. You play the game by selecting two of six available stages, and each stage has players choosing one of two path in order to proceed, thus keeping the game fresh with each playthrough. You’ll blast everything from mermen and gorgons to mummies and giant spiders. You gain new weapons which can be used for a short amount of time, and there are multiple endings depending on which path you select. The game isn’t very deep, but games in this genre have never been known for their depth. Crypt Killer can be played with Konami’s Playstation Justifier (provided you can find one) or the Sega Saturn Virtua light gun. It’s doubtful we’ll be seeing this on the Playstation Network (and it wouldn’t work as well without a light gun anyway), so click the thumbnail to find a copy.