Call me cautiously optimistic about the new Splatterhouse, despite the developer switcheroo and year-long delay for the re-imagining of the arcade and Turbografx classic. New screens from Namco Bandai keep me cautiously optimistic.

Despite some of the character design choices—that Terror Mask isn’t doing anything for me and, Rick, please pull up your shorts—I’ve long been a fan of bloody beat ‘em ups. With the right mechanics, Splatterhouse may be the kind of disposable single-player experience I’m looking for.

Since the game’s not out until Q3 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Namco Bandai has plenty of time to convince me to get excited.