Welcome House for PSX/Saturn - Anyone heard of this game?

[Trevor Belmont]

Hey guys,

I was flipping through an old issue of Diehard Gamefan (I think it was a '96 issue) and it has a preview of a game called Welcome House for the PSX. I remember first seeing this game in '96 and thinking how crazy it looked, because, at the time, it was amazing that you were able to control a polygonal character and have him interact with a bunch of items in a bunch of crazy situations.

I guess the premise revolved around a nephew coming to visit his uncle. When he steps inside the uncle's house, the door bolts shut behind him. I guess the object of the game is to get out of the house in one piece.

Anyway, the game looks insane, and to this day, I was wondering if it ever came out, if anyone has actually played the game, and if it's actually available. I'm guessing yes on the first question, but no on the other two. I figure there has to be one person on these forums that has a clue as to what I'm talking about when it comes to this game.

Can anyone shed any light on this game for me?

Thanks!

[dj898]

it's out on saturn - not sure about ps1 - and the review of it is on this very same forum... :D

[pookninja]

yes,its also available for ps1(jap import),i have a copy.the game is very fun,and very funny in a slapstick humor kind of way.its easy to play without knowing how to read japanese,and i would recomend it if you can find it cheap.i know i got it complete for under 10 bucks.the house,which i believe your going to because either you are looking for someone,or you inheirted the house(i dont remember which).anyways,right when you get in front of the house,your car breaks down(as in completly falls apart)and your stuck with no place to go except for the house.once you enter the house,the front doors shut and then lock you in.if you try to open a window to get out,the windows will close down on your hands,while voices start laughing at you.you move around the house in a resident evil type of way,except you dont fight anything,your looking for ways to get out of this house,but along the way you start meeting ghost(sprits?)and getting keys and items to help you get thru the house.there is a lot of funny moments in the game,and while i never played completly thru the game,its worth the time to play if you can get it cheap.hope this helps you a little.

[CRV]

Here's a little review of the Saturn version from Segagaga Domain:

http://www.segagagadomain.com/saturn2/welcomehouse.htm

[Trevor Belmont]

Thanks for the input, guys. I didn't even realize there was a review on this very forum - guess I should pay more attention next time!

It sounds about as interesting as I figured it would be. Pook says it's worth getting if cheap, the guy at Segagaga says it's boring ... I suppose I'll look around to see if I can snag a cheap copy. The idea of the game sounds intriguing to me for some reason.

I think I'll try to find a copy on the Saturn ... I take it eBay's my best bet? If you don't mind me asking pook, where did you get your copy?

Thanks again everyone!

[UndeadKing]

If you do decide to pick it up, go for the Saturn version. The playstation version suffers from longer load times which can interupt the flow of the game. The Saturn version loads almost instantly.

I've played through both the Playstation and Saturn versions of the original game as well as the sequel Welcome House 2, which only saw release on Playstation. I am a fan of the series but can aknowledge it's faults. The control is a bit clunky, the game can be kind of slow and if you know what you are doing it is very short. Do yourself a favor and play it without the FAQ. It's not all that difficult anyway.

The language requirement is pretty small and you should be able to figure most of the game out with no problem at all. Should you run into a problem though, you could always hit up the FAQ over at Gamefaqs if you have to.

If you have any questions on the game, just ask. It's been a while, but I should be able to help. As for where to get it, I'm not sure. I got it for Playstation back when it was a new release and recently snagged the Saturn version from a friend in Japan.

[pookninja]

Thanks for the input, guys. I didn't even realize there was a review on this very forum - guess I should pay more attention next time!

It sounds about as interesting as I figured it would be. Pook says it's worth getting if cheap, the guy at Segagaga says it's boring ... I suppose I'll look around to see if I can snag a cheap copy. The idea of the game sounds intriguing to me for some reason.

I think I'll try to find a copy on the Saturn ... I take it eBay's my best bet? If you don't mind me asking pook, where did you get your copy?

Thanks again everyone!i got my copy from ebay.

[Steven]

Trevor, I wrote a small write up of WH in my "Obscure Saturn games Thread".

I got mine on eBay for $10 off Yamatoku about 8 months ago.

In 2 years I've only see it on Saturn on eBay twice...

[Trevor Belmont]

Undead, thanks for the mini-review there. If I can, I'll definitely seek out the Saturn version. I think that, despite the game's faults (i.e. clunky controls), it sounds interesting for one reason or another.

Steven, I'll be sure to check out your review on "Obscure Saturn games" thread. Thanks!

As for getting the game, I'm sure it could be a tough one to track down. I looked on eBay and came up with nothing. I figured that it was one of those games that nobody really paid attention to; one of those games that show up on eBay out of the blue every once in awhile. Looks like I wasn't too off-target in assuming that.

Thanks guys!

[Steven]

No problem and to repeat what Undeadking said, yeah it's a flawed game with its limitations, but it's worth getting just for the unique quirkiness that is Welcome House. It's just one of a kind so to speak. And I kind of liked its sedate pace. Not a game that will set your world on fire but one of those "ah that was a nice little game" experiences.