met Bruce Campbell a few months back when he toured Minneapolis to promote his autobiography. As he signed my copy, I inquired about Fistful of Boomstick and he openly told me, "It's actually a good game." I doubted him, assuming he was guided by expedience, but Fistful's quality proves his integrity and reminds me (again) of the error of hastily judging anyone.

Deviating from the disaster that was Hail to the King, VIS takes an action-oriented approach to gameplay, drawing inspiration from titles such as Devil May Cry. The rich combat usually pits Ash against a dozen or more Deadites, who he can pummel with a host of weapons, magic, and combos. Because different arms and spells permit unique attacks, and since Ash receives numerous weapons, the action element keeps you engaged.

When not decapitating and dismembering zombies, you'll be solving puzzles. While they are usually interesting, they tend to become a source of frustration, because of one glaring flaw in Fistful's design. The game often forgets to indicate clearly what your objectives are for any particular puzzle.

Nevertheless, FoB holds its own as action title. If you happen to be a fan of Evil Dead or Bruce Campbell, its faithfulness to the films' essence makes it a must-buy.  

ANDREW REINER   5.5 A Fistful of Boomstick…more like a Fistful of Crap! As you might gather, I absolutely despise this game. The shallow combat, slow pacing, and vile graphical details combine to create one of the most unsavory Xbox titles in recent memory. Much like Enter the Matrix, fans of Evil Dead will get a kick out of Bruce Campbell’s voiceovers and the ties it has to the films. The plot is definitely campy, and the Xbox hardware is pushed to the limit by the massive amounts of blood and severed limbs, but there’s no denying the fact that the gameplay induces instant narcolepsy. Yes, you play as the legendary Ash but I’m certain you’ll feel more like an Ass if you make the mistake of playing this game. There are better games to be had. There’s a reason why it’s only $20, people.