version, with several believing that the intact mansion in the second game is the West Mansion from the original Splatterhouse, when in fact the charred ruins that make up the first stage are what is left of West Mansion (these ruins can also be clearly seen in the opening of the game, before the screen scrolls over to reveal the other mansion, aka the "hidden house"). Reception Game Informer praised the game, saying that Splatterhouse 2 was "definitely one not to pass up." Abby Normal of GamePro stated: "If you've ever wanted to seek revenge on all those early childhood closet monsters, now's your chance to do it vicariously through Splatterhouse 2." Many were quick to point out that a great premise wasn't enough to carry a game. Sega Force called the controls "sluggish" and suggests the game gameplay "lets the whole game down." Video Games & Computer Entertainment agreed, arguing that "Splatterhouse 2 does nothing to advance the genre." Mean Machines Sega also noted the poor graphics and short single-player campaign. Mega Action gave an overall score of 88% calling the game a "Sick, Slick scrolling beat-‘em-up." The four reviewers of Mega Play gave positive reviews noting the blood and gore gameplay being one of the best points of the game and felt the game would appeal to horror movie fans. They criticized the game's controls, the lack of new features and repetitive gameplay. Upon reviewing the game for its Virtual Console release, Lucas Thomas of IGN noted that he was largely unimpressed with the game's lack of innovation, ultimately giving it a 5.5 out of 10. While he praised the game's continuation of its gory presentation, he wrote that "While Splatterhouse 2 is even more violent and replete with even more disturbing images, the shock value is largely gone. We've seen it all before". Notes References 1992 video games 1990s horror video games Namco beat 'em ups Now Production games Sega Genesis games Side-scrolling beat 'em ups Video game sequels Virtual Console games Video games developed in Japan Single-player video games