Released in 1988 by Namco, Splatterhouse was one of the most bloody, grotesque and violent coin-
op games ever made. Even by today's standards, it's primitive 2D graphic displays of blood and gore are enough to traumatize a 10 year old
child. The object of the game was to guide the bulky, hockey mask wearing,
hero, "Rick" through several levels of a horrid mansion in order to rescue his girlfriend Jennifer who mysteriously disappeared into it's hellish depths. The game play is similar to old beat'm ups like Kung-Fu and Vigilante. Although
never released outside of
Japan, a slightly edited console port did make it to the TurboGrafx-16. With it's intense horror theme, creepy music and fun beat'em up action, Splatterhouse's popularity lead to two sequels released for Sega's Megadrive/
Genesis consoles.