\'Hail to the King\' is D.O.A.

I'm stuck in a cabin. Not just any cabin mind you, but the cabin that started it all. After surviving the undead in the "Evil Dead" trilogy Ash is back, so hail to the king baby. \n"Evil Dead: Hail to the King" starts off pretty much where the final movie in the "Evil Dead" trilogy, "Army of Darkness", left off. You're Ash, the unlikely hero with a chainsaw arm. Along with your girlfriend Jenny, the assistant manager of arts and crafts at the store where she and Ash work, you return to the cabin from "Evil Dead" to face your fears. \nThe game play is set up like the preceding "Resident Evil" trilogy for the PlayStation One. Slots are used to determine how many weapons and items Ash can carry. Maps are also a key part of the options menu. Along with the chainsaw Ash can use his second arm to hold a weapon of your choice. You can attack with both arms simultaneously or alternately.\nOverall however, Ash is difficult to control. Running or walking, the movements are jerky and he is more likely to run straight into a wall than in a straight line. When I last left the game I was stuck in the cabin. I can see the door out. I can unload a round of bullets into the door out. But making Ash open the door with his own hands is about as hard as getting him to recite the incantation to the Necrocomicon correctly. In a nutshell this game is hard to play. \nThe game setup makes it hard for Ash to kill any of the dead-ites that come creeping his way. His basic weapons aren't very effective in killing the undead. In addition you run out of ammo faster than you can find it. The dead-ites have the ability to travel through the floor. They run away and then appear in a different place. It adds a whole new level of difficulty but sometimes you just want your target to stay within the same room as you. Prepare to be highly frustrated. \nThe game graphics are minimally good. It shows PlayStation has abandoned improving graphic quality for the PS1 and focused their attentions on the newer PS2. In comparison to other PS1 games the graphics are only average. Ash's likeness to Bruce Campbell, who played Ash in the "Evil Dead" movies and is the voice actor in the game, is uncanny. You can practically feel the stubble on Ash's face during the opening sequence.\nIt seems PlayStation is hoping to make good on "Evil Dead" in hopes that it is successful like the previous "Resident Evil" and "Parasite Eve" games of a similar genre. But it lacks the intrigue and plot set up.\nIf you're a big fan of the "Evil Dead" series or want to know what Ash is all about, go rent the movies. They will be more rewarding and a better buy for your money.