MediEvil (1998): Difference between revisions

{{vgrelease|NA=December 4 2006<ref>{{cite web|site=US PlayStation Store|title=MediEvil® (PS3™/PSP®/PS Vita)|url=https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/#!/en-us/games/medievil-(ps3-psp-ps-vita)/cid=UP9000-NPUI94227_00-COMBINED00000001}}</ref>}}

{{vgrelease|JP=November 28 2007<ref>http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/jp9000npji00027_000000000000000001.html</ref>}}

The game was followed by ''[[MediEvil 2]]'', released in 2000, and ''[[MediEvil: Resurrection]]'', a reimagining released in 2005 for the PSP. The game was made available for download for the PSP and PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation store in 2007. From August to September of 2010, the game was made available for free to European PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Development of ''MediEvil'' started in 1995 at independent developer {{w|Millennium Interactive}}. Chris Sorrell, previously known for the ''{{w|James Pond}}'' series, created the original concept for ''MediEvil'' and served as the game's creative director. Prior to the development of ''MediEvil'', Sorrell had endured a rather torrid time working on some edutainment products that Millennium Interactive had signed up to create. "Once these products were finally complete, I think management took pity on me and rewarded me with the chance of making my dream game" he recalls. According to Sorrell, the first design proposal for the game had the working title ‘''Dead Man Dan''’ and described a game that was a fusion of {{w|Capcom|Capcom's}} ''{{w|Ghosts 'n Goblins}}'' with the art style of {{w|Tim Burton}} – especially the look and feel of ''{{w|The Nightmare Before Christmas}}'', both of which were things that he was a huge fan of back in the mid ’90s. Lead artist and designer Jason Wilson shared his interest in dark, Gothic influenced artwork and they worked together to define the look and feel of the game. Wilson was particularly inspired by [[wikipedia:German Expressionism|German Expressionism]] from the 1920s and credits films such as ''[[wikipedia:The Golem (1915 film)|Der Golem]]'', ''[[wikipedia:The Cabinet of Dr Caligari|The Cabinet of Dr Caligari]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Nosferatu|Nosferatu]]'', ''[[wikipedia:Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:Sunrise (1926 film)|Sunrise]]'' as his main sources of inspiration.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/JayGunnArts/posts/587295241397225</ref> As development progressed, Wilson pushed the game into more of a ''Zelda''-like direction as opposed to the original arcade-style concept. Sorrell approved of the new direction and said that he would liked to have expanded more on it.

The original soundtrack of the game was made using electronic synthesizers to simulate an entire orchestra and organ. The tracks were composed by Paul Arnold and Andrew Barnabas. Chris Sorrell, the game's director, asked them to compose a Danny Elfman-style score, similar to those of ''Beetlejuice'', ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' and ''Batman Returns''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gsoundtracks.com/interviews/arnold.htm|title=Interview with composer Paul Arnold|author=Ittensohn, Oliver|site=GSoundtracks|retrieved=18 May, 2012}}</ref>

| GR = 80.40%<ref name="Game Rankings">http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197892-medievil/index.html</ref>

| AP        = 91%<ref>http://www.absolute-playstation.com/api_review/rmedi.htm</ref>

| GameRev  = A−<ref name="Game Revolution">http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/medievil</ref>

| GSpot    = 8.2/10<ref name="Gamespot">http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/medievil-review/1900-2548312/</ref>

| IGN      = 7.8/10<ref name="IGN">http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/23/medievil</ref>

| PSXE      = 6.9/10<ref>http://www.psxextreme.com/ps1-reviews/29.html</ref>