Grabbed by the Ghoulies They'll grab you in the end (Ghoulies 1985 Reference) And also can you do a What happened? Video on Maniac Mansion and day of the tentacles i would love to see that Great video.
This game damned near changed my life when I was 8. I got over my fear of monsters knowing I could just elbow drop them or hit them with a dining room chair. I love the hell out of this game
I was already in my teens when this landed, but I empathize with you on that -- I was always kind of a scaredy-cat, growing up, so the mix of silly humor and funky haunted house stuff was very welcome, haha.
I actually really liked Ghoulies as a kid. It's a nice complimentary Halloween game alongside Luigi's Mansion, which I no doubt think would have been received better on the GameCube with its audience at the time. It has a nice artstyle and a fun vibe to it.
I think it's kind of ironic that many of Rare's games made after they were acquired by MS would've probably sold better if they launched on Nintendo's systems
Had that person instead overheard the lesser known, but more offensive British schoolyard catchphrase of "bagged by the bollocks", we could have had a very different Rare these days...
I know, I mean Microsoft was just entering the home console business and they didn't have the same established reputation compared to Nintendo and Sony. I was around 6 or 7 when the Xbox launched, and while the console never officially arrived here in Argentina, I saw various games in some magazines from the time and while titles like Halo where aimed to a mature audience, they also had some family friendly looking games like this one and Blinx. Back in the day companies like Sony and Microsoft seemed to still try to capture the attention of younger gamers, but the Xbox seemed more for teens and adults, at least the PS2 was popular among children and have E-Rated games
Sorta reminds me of the PS1, they did so many different things just trying to see what stuck. Main difference is it feels like with the PS1 a bunch of niches stuck around for a while into the PS2 and are well remembered now. With Xbox, when they did it with decent games like this game or things like blinx for example it just feels like their main audiences just kinda rejected them and even a lot of out there good games didnt really take like on the PS1 or PS2. Its a bit odd, xboxs audience just wasnt there for that kinda stuff for what ever reason it feels like, at least to near the same degree as the PS was. Kinda say in a way honestly.
@@Primekillerboy it was complicated. I don't remember things very well, but it seems Nintendo was the only one that have any sort of official distribution and actually aired commercials on TV, but the GameCube and Game Boy Advance were expensive, and in the year 2001 we had a serious economic crisis, but there you could find GameCubes and play some demos in stores. The original PlayStation was a huge hit in the late 90s, mostly due to how easy was to pirate games for it, and while Sony didn't distribute it or the PS2 officially, it was easy to find it on the gray market and Sony finally brought the PS2... in the year 2008 or 2009. The original Xbox was very rare to see even on the gray market, honestly very few kids used to talk about it, most of my friends always talked about the PS2 and Nintendo, the Xbox brand has always had problems in Latin America, only the 360 had some degree of success because it was similar to the PS2 in regards to how easy was to pirate games. The Xbox brand, despite now having an official presence and distribution in many Latin America countries, I even saw Xbox Game Pass gift cards in a supermarket recently, is still not as popular as the PlayStation and Nintendo. The only Latin American country where the Xbox is successful is in Mexico, ever since the release of the original Xbox. It helps that Microsoft apparently manufactured the console there and that they were the first major developer that dubbed their games into Neutral Spanish
I remember this game getting savaged by critics back when it first came out. It being originally intended as a Gamecube release instead of Xbox makes alot more sense, they were expected an M rated dudebro shit instead of something aimed for kids
Wanna know how ignored this game is? I played it in the Rare collection the other day and got like 5 'rare' xbox achievements by doing things like reaching level 5, completing basic challenges and finishing the game, lol.
My first game I played on the original Xbox. My parents got me the Xbox and this game for Christmas as a child, because they thought it was Goosebumps.
One of my favorite games. I remember as a kid getting stuck at the Lab level in Chapter 3, avoiding the Reaper was a such pain lol. But by extreme luck I managed to beat that level and the game. Even after all these years I'll never forget it.
@@desgoyomama3274 Avoiding as in it spawns within the first minutes and I have to run from it the entire level 😅 (english isn't my first language, maybe I should have used another word)
Same, except I save it for Sunday after I get back in bed after taking my dog out…since Sunday is the one day of the week I can go alarmless. WH is a weekly treat to myself for me, too.
5:41: Man, seeing that presentation of Twisted Metal: Black makes me want a Wha Happun on that game just so I can really know what went down on it. Sadly, one of the few sources for any stories about "conflict" in that game's development is David Jaffe, and someone mildly disagreeing with his takes on Twitter is enough to get him to blow a gasket, so he's not very trustworthy.
Yeah someone released the original unedited version of the cutscenes on youtube way back. Hopefully other people who worked on that game are able to talk about it nowadays.
For the longest time, I thought "Grabbed by the Ghoulies" was just a phrase.... turns out IT IS! I find it funny this blonde haired kid, with a striped short sleeve shirt is just doing the hardest and strongest moves that a grown man can't do lol
Absolutely ADORED this game growing up! The music, sound design and charm was fantastic! I think it was ahead of its time! It really should have gotten a sequel or even a spiritual successor! Nice work Matt!
I’m so glad Rare Replay exists because I always wanted to play this, but never had an Xbox until recently. I was mostly a PS kid growing up. So it’s nice to go back and play a rare treasure like this
I'm an October baby, so "Spooky Haunted House" vibes are definetly my thing. I think critics of the time were being extra unfair to this game - it's a fun, straightforward beat em up in a kooky setting.
Man this was one of the first games I got after I got my xbox as a kid one christmas. I remember having like 100 bucks and spending it all on bloodwake, burnout 2, Defender, Splashdown, and grabbed by the ghoulies. Those along with the tetris/star wars clone wars game that came with the console. So many good memories with all of those. Games back then felt so different from each other. The variety was just insane. I wish we could go back to that.
I found Ghoulies thru the demos tab on the Project Gotham Racing 2!!! They had alternate versions of the billiard room and the dance hall to play thru and I played it over and over with my sister until my parents bought us the game. Holds a special place in my heart ♥️
Nintenso also often provided feedback and advice to studios which helped make their games even better. Xbox has never and still doesn’t have anyone in the likes of a Myamoto, with an understanding of game design and fun.
As one of those "younger fans" at the time of release, there was nothing comfortable or easy to remember about flicking the right stick to attack. In chaotic moments, I'd wind up forgetting that the right stick chose which direction I'd swing and wind up pushing the left stick in the direction of the enemy I wanted to hit like in EVERY OTHER BEAT 'EM UP. Eventually, I'd quit in frustration and go back to button mashing in DOA 3. It's a shame too, because I think I would have enjoyed the game without the gimmicky controls.
Believe it or not, Grabbed By The Ghoulies was the first game I had ever seen from Rare thanks to a trailer of the game found in a Scooby-Doo DVD way back when, so, the game always sort of lived rent free in the back of my mind for years. I actually covered the game in 2023 for its 20th anniversary, and, while frustrating in some parts, is an overall fun, quirky, and overall silly experience, and one of the few games from Rare I've been able to experience thus far.
This was my family's first XBOX game and we were instant fans. We still, to this day, talk about Grabbed by the Ghoulies with deep fondness, and wish we could play it again.
I do not like to think about hypothetical scenarios, but I wonder what would have happened if Nintendo decided to buy Rare in the early 2000s? Now I know that Rare was going through some changes, some of the older staff were planning on leaving the company, but Nintendo could have kept the rights to all of their characters, let the new team making some games, they'd have a traditional fighting game with Killer Instinct, an FPS with Perfect Dark, etc. It show how for most people, even after 20 years still tend to associate Rare more with Nintendo than Microsoft, especially after Banjo & Kazooie's inclusion on Smash Ultimate and how the original B-K game and Goldeneye 007 were added to the Switch Online service. I can imagine, after some of their recent actions, that Sea of Thieves and Rare Replay may arrive on the Switch's successor when it hopefully arrives next year
I wish Microsoft was more lenient regarding Rare's games, I can see this game getting somewhat of a cult following if it was released in more platforms like the Switch or maybe even on PC now that the Steam Deck is gaining more traction with indies and smaller games.
Seeing how the Switch got Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye, Blast Corps, Killer Instinct (the Super NES version), Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll and R.C. Pro-Am recently, it seems Microsoft is open to let Nintendo have some of Rare's games. I can see Microsoft porting Sea of Thieves and Rare Replay to the Switch's successor when it launches in the future
At first i didn't like this game through Rare Replay. Eventually I got into it, I'm glad I gave it another chance. It's not the best Rare game but a gem for sure. I actually gotten every achievement for it in that compilation. I wish Rare would do more games like this.
My childhood brain always confused this game with "Ghosts 'N Goblins," but my family owned neither an NES or an Xbox, so I only ever got to play the demo version, at the game store. Good memories, liked what I played; kinda wish this game had gotten more attention, at the time :P
I genuinely love Grabbed by the Ghoulies, it was so weird when I got to it a few years down the line knowing its reputation and finding out it's, like, one of the best beat-em-ups
Thank you Matt for making this video. This game is truly a hidden Gem. I was working at Software Etc. when it came out and we only got 4 copies my friend and I were the only ones who pre-ordered it so we only got the two extra copies. I still have the promo counter standee in my collection and play this game every October, which is even better now when I play it with my son. Thank you again for shinning a light on this awesome game, and I can't wait to see what you do with the "growing up" of the kids from Jet Force Gemini. Keep being awesome!
Yeah, Game Informer was always something you read for the up and coming new info, not the reviews. Probably the only good thing about the reviews were they were creative in their dialogue. One game I'd like to see you look into is the original version of Gauntlet Legends: Seven Sorrows. What they wanted to do and what we actually got were like night and day by comparison.
If it hasn't been recommended, a What Happun? episode covering the development and licensing/limbo hell of the Deadpool game would be very interesting. Thank you for another great episode and for the work you put in, it's appreciated!
It's unfortunate this never got a sequel, if only because it would have been hilarious for it to have a named like "Banged by the Boners" or "Dunked by the Dookies" or "Fluffed by the Furries"
I love this game so much and had quite a lot of great times with it. Something me and my bro would always do is to see how long we can last against the Grim Reaper - stuff like staying far away from him, baiting the Reaper to kill other enemies (if they are still around), or throw objects at the Reaper (to punch and knock him down, but we know we can't kill him).
I have really good memories of this game! When I was young, I watched my dad play it. We both enjoyed the goofy aspect of it, and it was a great way for us to bond!
I love Grabbed By the Ghoulies, it's very underrated. An arcade beat em up action game that doesn't take itself seriously and is a parody of horror movies is a unique concept I haven't seen before.
This seems like the type of game where multiplayer should have been considered absolutely mandatory. If they'd had the time to implement 2 player and add a variety of playable characters with unlockable incentives to go through the game more than once, its reception might have been very different.
AAAAAAA my childhood LIVES, thank you Matt. I remember being around 7 or so when I got this on Christmas morning with an OG xbox! love the bomb ass content you've made for us.
I had this game in the back of my head for the better part of over 15 years. I remember playing this as a LIL ONE. I never could find the name of the game because it was always "Beating up zombies in a house" game. What weird unlocked memories.
Thanks for covering this one. A very underrated game imo. It does get quite challenging in later rooms, actually is some depth there, and in terms of it's art design, still one of my favourite games of all time :)
Watching this brought back so many memories. An old friend of mine and I had fun playing this when we were kids. I remember us always picking it up now and then and struggling with the grim reaper. I always thought it was a fun time.
i need them to remake this game so bad, this was my childhood. i remember thinking that if i got up from the couch and looked through a door irl, i would actually be able to see around the corner
I remember doing the ballroom level a lot because you can take out the skeleton blocking the exit from the dancefloor by throwing bottles at him and then go up to the mummy, uppercut him onto the dancefloor with the rest of the still dancing ghoulies. By then breaking all audio equipment on the dj balcony you stop all music in the level and get to bare witness to a bunch of skeletons and zombies dancing to nothing while one angry mummy staring you down from bellow :) (In the demo version of the level you can do it also but the difference is that the mummy won't come to attack you unless you attack him, so by destroying the speakers you will have him scratch the record as the dj but with no music and everyone dancing)
I mean... Its not nearly as bad the critics acted like it was, but it seemed to lack the cohesive vision that had made Rare stand out in the past. And this was right as the rest of the industry had gotten itself together and being able to nail a sense of identity was now an expectation. This game either needed for them to go into a grunge/horror quasi-grindhouse aesthetic, or for them to lean into the cartoon look that they appeared to be using. Actually commit, with a stronger color sense, and more squash and stretch in the animations! It literally felt like they just didn't know what to do with themselves when they had tools newer than lazy vertecies and vertex painting, on the visual front. The character ages were weird, too. Its like they felt that human characters need thrm, but they didn't know hiw to deal with the baggage that it entailed- people expect different things from protagonists in different age ranges, and media with protagonists in said age range. Again, none of this was objectively wrong or anything, they just finally got in a game dev situation where they didn't have a perfect sense of mastery in this scenario. This can happen in any field- your vet can be the best in the region until you bring in a sugar glider peeing blood. And Microsoft was completely incapable of giving them the kind of support and guidance that maaaaaaybe could have gotten them through to a superior product.
15:10 people expecting a company to suddenly completely change what kind of games they make just because they're under a different publisher is really flipping absurd. Like expecting Aerosmith to do a ska album after they switched from Columbia to Geffen.
Underrated? Yes. Could it have been better? Also yes. Remains a classic, though! I bought a used original Xbox back in the day just for this, JSRF, and the Conker remake. The music was tons of fun, though, and I adored the art direction. Still a great one to boot up around Halloween for a few hours of frights n' fisticuffs. Great video, as always!
I think this is the game I was searching for for years, it's one I'd go over to my friend's house and always saw him playing it but never wanted to. I just couldn't remember it. Man, that was years ago.
One of those childhood fever dreams locked a few layers too deep. When I saw the thumbnail I had an out of body experience, remember renting this game from a Family Video and having lotsa fun. Gonna go ahead and setup Xemu and play through it again because of you, Thanks Matt!
Loved this game when I was younger. Played it again about 8 years ago with my 6 (now 14) year old. Still held up, still looks good and definitely deserved to be revisited!
I never owned an Xbox but I did play this game at a friends house, and I've always remembered it after all these years. (especially the trophy room scare part)
I never had an OG Xbox, but by the time I played this in Rare Replay on a Series S, I actually really liked it. The cartoon style gives it a timeless quality that other original Xbox games, with their “realism”, just don’t have.
I remember the title for the review from one of the extinct game review magazines for this game was "Kicked in the Ghoulies." Gave it a 1.5/5. GamePro I want to say?
Game critics and general "hardcore" gamers in 2002 - 2004 were pissant crybabies. Be real, these critics were the same people who got mad at Wind waker a year prior If it looked childish in that span of time odds were an adult man was filling his diaper over it on a forum
It’s really shows what kinda kid I was my favorite games as a kid were Luigi’s mansion and grabbed by the ghoulies. Nothing I love more than horror themed video games. Gbtg is a very underrated game in my opinion
Aside from the gameplay looking mediocre I think the artstyle is genuinely hideous. I don't see any reason to go to the trouble of finding a way to play it.
Grabed by the ghoulies and the scooby doo game for xbox were cheismast gifts for me and my brother got halo and wave racer plus the xbox. Glad rare was able to realese a game during the 2000's at my point in life were my memories are formed.
I'm a huge Rare fan and got to play this game for the first time through Rare Replay. It's honestly really fun, still has that Rare charm while trying something new.
had this game for the original xbox when i was a kid and it was my absolute favourite for a long time. ive actually been trying to find a copy so i could play it again. fantastic game.
I really enjoyed this as a kid, it was weird, and I can remember each room being so unique. Like, you only got so many attacks to kill at the enemies etc Only thing I can remember not enjoying was the comic book style cut scenes
Fun Fact: cooper made a cameo as a easter egg in Conker live and reloaded, at game 3 when the file is empty we can see him throwing up at the toilet meaning his gotten drunk from drinking.
Use my code MCMUSCLES to get $5 off your delicious, high protein Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: sponsr.is/magicspoon_mcmuscles_0324
Are you ever going to cover Travelers Tales?
As a diabetic on a low carb diet, this magic spoon shit seems awesome. We'll see what my lab work says.
Sadly they dont deliver here on Mexico :(
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
They'll grab you in the end
(Ghoulies 1985 Reference)
And also can you do a What happened? Video on Maniac Mansion and day of the tentacles i would love to see that Great video.
This game damned near changed my life when I was 8. I got over my fear of monsters knowing I could just elbow drop them or hit them with a dining room chair. I love the hell out of this game
Hell yea brother
It's a masterpiece. I beat it as a kid.
Same here brother
I am not too sure. The Grim Reaper still scares me to this day lol. The idea of this invincible, advancing threat always made me so stressed.
I was already in my teens when this landed, but I empathize with you on that -- I was always kind of a scaredy-cat, growing up, so the mix of silly humor and funky haunted house stuff was very welcome, haha.
"Wash my lettuce" sounds like something that would've been in a Konnan promo circa late era WCW, alongside "toss my salad and peel my potatoes"
I’m gonna start using “why don’t you wash my lettuce” as an insult and refuse to explain what it means.
Could be Konnan, Doctor Thuganomics John Cena or Jim Cornette reffering to a Indy Wrestler😂
"You like my lettuce? Wash it"
"Das enoughhhhhhhhh"
The amount of 90s wrestling fans in this topic that get this comment warms my soul.
I actually really liked Ghoulies as a kid. It's a nice complimentary Halloween game alongside Luigi's Mansion, which I no doubt think would have been received better on the GameCube with its audience at the time. It has a nice artstyle and a fun vibe to it.
I think it's kind of ironic that many of Rare's games made after they were acquired by MS would've probably sold better if they launched on Nintendo's systems
Fun fact: the self deprecating jokes about the poor reception actually showed up in Nuts & Bolts. Which is ironic in hindsight.
You’re right. It’s ironic that I enjoyed Grabbed by the Ghoulies a lot more than Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.
@@ShaneMurphyHendricksonme too! :D
@@OscarsBadFurDay 💚
Had that person instead overheard the lesser known, but more offensive British schoolyard catchphrase of "bagged by the bollocks", we could have had a very different Rare these days...
That sounds like it could've been a stage in a Conker's Bad Fur Day sequel.
Looking back, the start of the Xbox era of rare was pretty fascinating with the more experimental and weird titles they made.
I know, I mean Microsoft was just entering the home console business and they didn't have the same established reputation compared to Nintendo and Sony. I was around 6 or 7 when the Xbox launched, and while the console never officially arrived here in Argentina, I saw various games in some magazines from the time and while titles like Halo where aimed to a mature audience, they also had some family friendly looking games like this one and Blinx. Back in the day companies like Sony and Microsoft seemed to still try to capture the attention of younger gamers, but the Xbox seemed more for teens and adults, at least the PS2 was popular among children and have E-Rated games
Sorta reminds me of the PS1, they did so many different things just trying to see what stuck. Main difference is it feels like with the PS1 a bunch of niches stuck around for a while into the PS2 and are well remembered now. With Xbox, when they did it with decent games like this game or things like blinx for example it just feels like their main audiences just kinda rejected them and even a lot of out there good games didnt really take like on the PS1 or PS2. Its a bit odd, xboxs audience just wasnt there for that kinda stuff for what ever reason it feels like, at least to near the same degree as the PS was. Kinda say in a way honestly.
@@pablocasas5906you guys never got the OG XBOX in Argentina?? That’s interesting/you’d think that Microsoft would try to throw that MFer everywhere
@@Primekillerboy it was complicated. I don't remember things very well, but it seems Nintendo was the only one that have any sort of official distribution and actually aired commercials on TV, but the GameCube and Game Boy Advance were expensive, and in the year 2001 we had a serious economic crisis, but there you could find GameCubes and play some demos in stores. The original PlayStation was a huge hit in the late 90s, mostly due to how easy was to pirate games for it, and while Sony didn't distribute it or the PS2 officially, it was easy to find it on the gray market and Sony finally brought the PS2... in the year 2008 or 2009. The original Xbox was very rare to see even on the gray market, honestly very few kids used to talk about it, most of my friends always talked about the PS2 and Nintendo, the Xbox brand has always had problems in Latin America, only the 360 had some degree of success because it was similar to the PS2 in regards to how easy was to pirate games.
The Xbox brand, despite now having an official presence and distribution in many Latin America countries, I even saw Xbox Game Pass gift cards in a supermarket recently, is still not as popular as the PlayStation and Nintendo. The only Latin American country where the Xbox is successful is in Mexico, ever since the release of the original Xbox. It helps that Microsoft apparently manufactured the console there and that they were the first major developer that dubbed their games into Neutral Spanish
That's true
"...reviews that were - and I'm sorry for this- GHOULISH"
YOU'RE NOT SORRY AND I KNOW IT, SKELETON MAN!!
😂
Always good to see someone getting all Ghoulied up
If Ghoulies has 100 fans, i am one of them.
If Ghoulies has 1 fan, its me.
If Ghoulies has no fans, they grabbed me
I'm also a fan, so there's at least 2 for sure.
There's three actually. Me
Don't worry there's actually at least 4 of us!
Make that 5
Arg! Make that 6
I remember this game getting savaged by critics back when it first came out. It being originally intended as a Gamecube release instead of Xbox makes alot more sense, they were expected an M rated dudebro shit instead of something aimed for kids
I still have memories of game informer saying gtg was "like of someone downed a bottle of nyquil and flipped through all bazillion goosebumps books."
That sounds like a pretty good time.
@LammasuRex they weren't being nice on saying it but it was so long ago I think was one of their anniversary/milestone issues
Dashie: "Grabbed By The Ghoulies? Hol Up What they grabbing?!"
He got the joke xD
Dashie references always make me happy
I knew "Make sure to grab it when it goes live" meant something
Wanna know how ignored this game is? I played it in the Rare collection the other day and got like 5 'rare' xbox achievements by doing things like reaching level 5, completing basic challenges and finishing the game, lol.
Oh dang this is in the rare collection? I've been trying to find a way to play it (not very hard I guess lol)
It really is a snooze fest. Not garbage, but not really fun either. So much more interesting stuff in Rare Replay.
My first game I played on the original Xbox. My parents got me the Xbox and this game for Christmas as a child, because they thought it was Goosebumps.
There actually were a couple official Goosebumps games by that point, but they were both for the PC and basically point-and-click adventure games.
your parents made a great choice picking it out
Same lmao
This game was my childhood
@@MrDmoney156 that they did, it may not be Goosebumps, but it has all the trimmings of a kids horror attraction or something on the lines of that.
There was a Goosebumps game on the Wii. Mini game collection. Was pretty fun by shovelware standards
(It was also on ps2)
I’ve low key been waiting for this one, I actually played this game as a kid and loved it and it took a while for me to realize it didn’t review well
I remember buying this game in a bundle with a another game called Voodoo Vince.
I loved both of them so much.
One of my favorite games. I remember as a kid getting stuck at the Lab level in Chapter 3, avoiding the Reaper was a such pain lol. But by extreme luck I managed to beat that level and the game. Even after all these years I'll never forget it.
As a kid i had no idea how to beat that level 🤣
what do you mean avoid the reaper??? I thought you had to get the reaper to kill the Vampire in the coffin with the key, how did you get it?
@@desgoyomama3274 Avoiding as in it spawns within the first minutes and I have to run from it the entire level 😅 (english isn't my first language, maybe I should have used another word)
Man I swear, new Matt McMuscles every Saturday makes my whole day. Its so relaxing to make coffee at like 11am & watch the new WH episode.
Glad to hear it! That's always the vibe I strive for!
Same, except I save it for Sunday after I get back in bed after taking my dog out…since Sunday is the one day of the week I can go alarmless. WH is a weekly treat to myself for me, too.
5:41: Man, seeing that presentation of Twisted Metal: Black makes me want a Wha Happun on that game just so I can really know what went down on it. Sadly, one of the few sources for any stories about "conflict" in that game's development is David Jaffe, and someone mildly disagreeing with his takes on Twitter is enough to get him to blow a gasket, so he's not very trustworthy.
Yeah someone released the original unedited version of the cutscenes on youtube way back. Hopefully other people who worked on that game are able to talk about it nowadays.
For the longest time, I thought "Grabbed by the Ghoulies" was just a phrase.... turns out IT IS!
I find it funny this blonde haired kid, with a striped short sleeve shirt is just doing the hardest and strongest moves that a grown man can't do lol
It captures the essence of shitty action movies where the main character is a superhuman
Absolutely ADORED this game growing up! The music, sound design and charm was fantastic! I think it was ahead of its time! It really should have gotten a sequel or even a spiritual successor! Nice work Matt!
I’m so glad Rare Replay exists because I always wanted to play this, but never had an Xbox until recently. I was mostly a PS kid growing up. So it’s nice to go back and play a rare treasure like this
I'm an October baby, so "Spooky Haunted House" vibes are definetly my thing. I think critics of the time were being extra unfair to this game - it's a fun, straightforward beat em up in a kooky setting.
Also an October baby, never really thought that that's why I like spooky things but yeah totally makes sense lol
I'm also an October baby. Actually, I was born just a few days before Halloween. I like spooky stuff too and never made that connection before.
I was born on the day this game released. Crazzyyyy flex
Man this was one of the first games I got after I got my xbox as a kid one christmas. I remember having like 100 bucks and spending it all on bloodwake, burnout 2, Defender, Splashdown, and grabbed by the ghoulies. Those along with the tetris/star wars clone wars game that came with the console. So many good memories with all of those. Games back then felt so different from each other. The variety was just insane. I wish we could go back to that.
I found Ghoulies thru the demos tab on the Project Gotham Racing 2!!! They had alternate versions of the billiard room and the dance hall to play thru and I played it over and over with my sister until my parents bought us the game. Holds a special place in my heart ♥️
Nintenso also often provided feedback and advice to studios which helped make their games even better. Xbox has never and still doesn’t have anyone in the likes of a Myamoto, with an understanding of game design and fun.
As one of those "younger fans" at the time of release, there was nothing comfortable or easy to remember about flicking the right stick to attack. In chaotic moments, I'd wind up forgetting that the right stick chose which direction I'd swing and wind up pushing the left stick in the direction of the enemy I wanted to hit like in EVERY OTHER BEAT 'EM UP. Eventually, I'd quit in frustration and go back to button mashing in DOA 3. It's a shame too, because I think I would have enjoyed the game without the gimmicky controls.
Believe it or not, Grabbed By The Ghoulies was the first game I had ever seen from Rare thanks to a trailer of the game found in a Scooby-Doo DVD way back when, so, the game always sort of lived rent free in the back of my mind for years.
I actually covered the game in 2023 for its 20th anniversary, and, while frustrating in some parts, is an overall fun, quirky, and overall silly experience, and one of the few games from Rare I've been able to experience thus far.
Had this exact experience, just recently picked up an original Xbox copy and have been fulfilling the childhood fantasy
This was my family's first XBOX game and we were instant fans. We still, to this day, talk about Grabbed by the Ghoulies with deep fondness, and wish we could play it again.
Damn, Matt's just blazing through possible Halloween episodes.
Eh, there's tons more out there. Just movies alone.
As someone who's had Ghoulies since launch but never beaten it, seeing this game again seriously makes me want to finally sit down and finish it.
Mans, this was kinda neat. It ngl makes me think of the Splatterhouse reboot but if Scooby doo was the main art direction.
Seems like when Rare was bought, everything went to hell for that group altogether.
and sadly companies like Rockstar Games and many others dethrone them
I do not like to think about hypothetical scenarios, but I wonder what would have happened if Nintendo decided to buy Rare in the early 2000s? Now I know that Rare was going through some changes, some of the older staff were planning on leaving the company, but Nintendo could have kept the rights to all of their characters, let the new team making some games, they'd have a traditional fighting game with Killer Instinct, an FPS with Perfect Dark, etc.
It show how for most people, even after 20 years still tend to associate Rare more with Nintendo than Microsoft, especially after Banjo & Kazooie's inclusion on Smash Ultimate and how the original B-K game and Goldeneye 007 were added to the Switch Online service. I can imagine, after some of their recent actions, that Sea of Thieves and Rare Replay may arrive on the Switch's successor when it hopefully arrives next year
Basically couldn’t stay relevant past the N64 console.
@@DontKnowDontCare6.9 the bros left 5 years after the sale of the company
Sea of Thieves? Probably since is a live service multiplayer game. Rare Replay? Nah that is a Nightmare to port im pretty sure. @@pablocasas5906
I wish Microsoft was more lenient regarding Rare's games, I can see this game getting somewhat of a cult following if it was released in more platforms like the Switch or maybe even on PC now that the Steam Deck is gaining more traction with indies and smaller games.
Seeing how the Switch got Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye, Blast Corps, Killer Instinct (the Super NES version), Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll and R.C. Pro-Am recently, it seems Microsoft is open to let Nintendo have some of Rare's games. I can see Microsoft porting Sea of Thieves and Rare Replay to the Switch's successor when it launches in the future
At first i didn't like this game through Rare Replay. Eventually I got into it, I'm glad I gave it another chance. It's not the best Rare game but a gem for sure. I actually gotten every achievement for it in that compilation. I wish Rare would do more games like this.
My childhood brain always confused this game with "Ghosts 'N Goblins," but my family owned neither an NES or an Xbox, so I only ever got to play the demo version, at the game store. Good memories, liked what I played; kinda wish this game had gotten more attention, at the time :P
"Boo! Haunted House" is the best joke any youtube personality ever made, and Im so happy it got used in this video
I genuinely love Grabbed by the Ghoulies, it was so weird when I got to it a few years down the line knowing its reputation and finding out it's, like, one of the best beat-em-ups
Thank you Matt for making this video. This game is truly a hidden Gem. I was working at Software Etc. when it came out and we only got 4 copies my friend and I were the only ones who pre-ordered it so we only got the two extra copies. I still have the promo counter standee in my collection and play this game every October, which is even better now when I play it with my son. Thank you again for shinning a light on this awesome game, and I can't wait to see what you do with the "growing up" of the kids from Jet Force Gemini. Keep being awesome!
Me before watching the video: "Why does this name sound like a Euphemism?"
Me after watching: "Well damn, that's why"
I’m kind of in love with googly-eyed SkeleMatt, I look at him and just start giggling uncontrollably.
Yeah, Game Informer was always something you read for the up and coming new info, not the reviews. Probably the only good thing about the reviews were they were creative in their dialogue.
One game I'd like to see you look into is the original version of Gauntlet Legends: Seven Sorrows. What they wanted to do and what we actually got were like night and day by comparison.
If it hasn't been recommended, a What Happun? episode covering the development and licensing/limbo hell of the Deadpool game would be very interesting.
Thank you for another great episode and for the work you put in, it's appreciated!
It's unfortunate this never got a sequel, if only because it would have been hilarious for it to have a named like "Banged by the Boners" or "Dunked by the Dookies" or "Fluffed by the Furries"
"Fluffed by the Furries" sounds more like a spiritual successor fan project.
"wanked by the witches" " blown by the blobs" " licked by the lepercauns"
Phrasing
"fluffed by the furries" is just the subtitle for starfox adventures
@@DeinonychusCowboy I dunno, maybe that's more "Donged by the Dinos", or "Stuffed by the Scalies", or "Rawdogged by the Raptors".
Legit one of my favourite games from Rare. Never thought I'd see it here!
I love this game so much and had quite a lot of great times with it. Something me and my bro would always do is to see how long we can last against the Grim Reaper - stuff like staying far away from him, baiting the Reaper to kill other enemies (if they are still around), or throw objects at the Reaper (to punch and knock him down, but we know we can't kill him).
I have really good memories of this game! When I was young, I watched my dad play it. We both enjoyed the goofy aspect of it, and it was a great way for us to bond!
"This studio that makes family-friendly games made a family-friendly game! How dare they?! This is so dissapointing!"
I love Grabbed By the Ghoulies, it's very underrated. An arcade beat em up action game that doesn't take itself seriously and is a parody of horror movies is a unique concept I haven't seen before.
So, for me, as a kid, this game was a MAJOR obsession. I beat the 21st bonus challenge. I was that dedicated to this game.
This seems like the type of game where multiplayer should have been considered absolutely mandatory. If they'd had the time to implement 2 player and add a variety of playable characters with unlockable incentives to go through the game more than once, its reception might have been very different.
AAAAAAA my childhood LIVES, thank you Matt. I remember being around 7 or so when I got this on Christmas morning with an OG xbox! love the bomb ass content you've made for us.
I had this game in the back of my head for the better part of over 15 years. I remember playing this as a LIL ONE. I never could find the name of the game because it was always "Beating up zombies in a house" game. What weird unlocked memories.
Love seeing Ghoulies get some love every now and then! I absolutely adore it, myself, it deserves the praise!
You should do a What Happened for The Wolfman 2010. That movies development was a disaster.
Great suggestion!
Thanks for covering this one. A very underrated game imo. It does get quite challenging in later rooms, actually is some depth there, and in terms of it's art design, still one of my favourite games of all time :)
You can see Cooper throwing up in the toilet in conker live and reloaded.
Watching this brought back so many memories. An old friend of mine and I had fun playing this when we were kids. I remember us always picking it up now and then and struggling with the grim reaper. I always thought it was a fun time.
I remember my cousin and I playing this game so much. I never knew it was poorly received till now. I had so much fun with it and enjoyed the humor
i need them to remake this game so bad, this was my childhood. i remember thinking that if i got up from the couch and looked through a door irl, i would actually be able to see around the corner
I remember doing the ballroom level a lot because you can take out the skeleton blocking the exit from the dancefloor by throwing bottles at him and then go up to the mummy, uppercut him onto the dancefloor with the rest of the still dancing ghoulies.
By then breaking all audio equipment on the dj balcony you stop all music in the level and get to bare witness to a bunch of skeletons and zombies dancing to nothing while one angry mummy staring you down from bellow :)
(In the demo version of the level you can do it also but the difference is that the mummy won't come to attack you unless you attack him, so by destroying the speakers you will have him scratch the record as the dj but with no music and everyone dancing)
This was literally a dream video that's been rattling around in my skull for over 4-5 years, thank you so much for hitting up Grabbed by the Ghoulies!
I mean...
Its not nearly as bad the critics acted like it was, but it seemed to lack the cohesive vision that had made Rare stand out in the past.
And this was right as the rest of the industry had gotten itself together and being able to nail a sense of identity was now an expectation.
This game either needed for them to go into a grunge/horror quasi-grindhouse aesthetic, or for them to lean into the cartoon look that they appeared to be using. Actually commit, with a stronger color sense, and more squash and stretch in the animations!
It literally felt like they just didn't know what to do with themselves when they had tools newer than lazy vertecies and vertex painting, on the visual front.
The character ages were weird, too. Its like they felt that human characters need thrm, but they didn't know hiw to deal with the baggage that it entailed- people expect different things from protagonists in different age ranges, and media with protagonists in said age range.
Again, none of this was objectively wrong or anything, they just finally got in a game dev situation where they didn't have a perfect sense of mastery in this scenario.
This can happen in any field- your vet can be the best in the region until you bring in a sugar glider peeing blood.
And Microsoft was completely incapable of giving them the kind of support and guidance that maaaaaaybe could have gotten them through to a superior product.
15:10 people expecting a company to suddenly completely change what kind of games they make just because they're under a different publisher is really flipping absurd. Like expecting Aerosmith to do a ska album after they switched from Columbia to Geffen.
As someone with no real nostalgic connection to this game outside of watching the trailer a bunch of times, I really like this game
Underrated? Yes. Could it have been better? Also yes. Remains a classic, though! I bought a used original Xbox back in the day just for this, JSRF, and the Conker remake. The music was tons of fun, though, and I adored the art direction. Still a great one to boot up around Halloween for a few hours of frights n' fisticuffs. Great video, as always!
The music reminds me so much of a banjo kazooie, as well as the yooka laylee games, it makes me feel so nostalgic for a simpler time in my life!
Kirkhope is a maestro
I remember that in France, Grabbed by the ghoulies was the game that was the most featured on the Xbox commercial
I think this is the game I was searching for for years, it's one I'd go over to my friend's house and always saw him playing it but never wanted to. I just couldn't remember it. Man, that was years ago.
I've seen this game before, but I couldn't remember it for the life of me. Seeing it unlocked that memory, thank you for that man
One of those childhood fever dreams locked a few layers too deep. When I saw the thumbnail I had an out of body experience, remember renting this game from a Family Video and having lotsa fun. Gonna go ahead and setup Xemu and play through it again because of you, Thanks Matt!
Loved this game when I was younger. Played it again about 8 years ago with my 6 (now 14) year old. Still held up, still looks good and definitely deserved to be revisited!
I never owned an Xbox but I did play this game at a friends house, and I've always remembered it after all these years. (especially the trophy room scare part)
The song still lives rent free in my head when Halloween comes around
I never had an OG Xbox, but by the time I played this in Rare Replay on a Series S, I actually really liked it. The cartoon style gives it a timeless quality that other original Xbox games, with their “realism”, just don’t have.
I remember the title for the review from one of the extinct game review magazines for this game was "Kicked in the Ghoulies." Gave it a 1.5/5. GamePro I want to say?
This was fun. As was the 2019 Battletoads, but that's another story.
Just looking at this game makes me nostalgic. I hadn't even heard of it, I've just fallen head over heels for it!
Game critics and general "hardcore" gamers in 2002 - 2004 were pissant crybabies.
Be real, these critics were the same people who got mad at Wind waker a year prior
If it looked childish in that span of time odds were an adult man was filling his diaper over it on a forum
Always nice when devs answer questions directly. Kudos to them
It’s really shows what kinda kid I was my favorite games as a kid were Luigi’s mansion and grabbed by the ghoulies. Nothing I love more than horror themed video games. Gbtg is a very underrated game in my opinion
It just doesn't seem like a game that most people would want to play. Doesn't look bad but I wouldn't want to touch it
Aside from the gameplay looking mediocre I think the artstyle is genuinely hideous. I don't see any reason to go to the trouble of finding a way to play it.
I still have this game. It frustrated me quite a bit as kid. It setup a sequel at the end but I guess that was never gonna happen.
Grabed by the ghoulies and the scooby doo game for xbox were cheismast gifts for me and my brother got halo and wave racer plus the xbox. Glad rare was able to realese a game during the 2000's at my point in life were my memories are formed.
For some reason I had always heard this game was a spiritual successor to Zombies Ate My Neighbors but I never played it for myself to find out.
I remember being obsessed with this after i saw it on a ceral box 😂
Funny that this game didn't resonate with XBox users back in the day when Fable was such a hit. This always gave me Fable vibes.
I'm a huge Rare fan and got to play this game for the first time through Rare Replay. It's honestly really fun, still has that Rare charm while trying something new.
Kid delivers a Savage elbow drop to a skeleton lol! That’s pretty great.
Literally one of my favorite childhood games ever!! Wish a sequel happened but at the very least this game happened. Loved it so much and still do!
had this game for the original xbox when i was a kid and it was my absolute favourite for a long time. ive actually been trying to find a copy so i could play it again. fantastic game.
I really enjoyed this as a kid, it was weird, and I can remember each room being so unique. Like, you only got so many attacks to kill at the enemies etc
Only thing I can remember not enjoying was the comic book style cut scenes
Fun Fact: cooper made a cameo as a easter egg in Conker live and reloaded, at game 3 when the file is empty we can see him throwing up at the toilet meaning his gotten drunk from drinking.
Those little flying vampires they cut from the game are coming out of the eggs from Aliens.
I can't unsee Matt with googly eyes now thanks
I have memories of playing this on an Xbox kiosk at Walmart and LOVING it. I was like 8 and never played it again lol very excited to watch this
I fucking LOVE this game! I don't care what anyone says, this is Rare's best game under Microsoft! I wish it'd get a sequel.
I love this game. So many fun memories.