If there’s one thing that’s terrible about Jericho, it’s the design. The review has pointed that out very clearly. Yahtzee, the voice behind the motor mouth, heaped even more beef on top of the smoldering pile of complaints.

Chief among these is the supposedly drab color scheme, which reminded Yahtzee of Quake. Different shades of brown seem to drive him into a fit. I wonder what he thinks of Gears of War. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yahtzee’s reviews. I think they’re generally on the spot. Especially his bit about Halo 3. In fact, he does have a point about the color scheme. I just don’t think it’s as terrible.

However, the rest of the game is as bad as he suggests. Don’t believe me? Read my review.

Post from: EveryJoe

It’s not clear up to what extent was Clive Barker’s involvement in making Jericho, but you can see that the story is very much in the author’s domain. You’ll be treated to pseudo-historic plots, another creation supposedly made by God, and fantastic monsters that only Barker could conjure. And yes, the story is pretty interesting if you pay any attention.

Despite the game’s moniker, Jericho is not scary like Undying. You might freak out at how the enemies are designed, but the experience isn’t particularly frightening. One example: survival horror games tend to limit your ammo reserve, and you’ll get plenty of ammo here—and there’s a good reason for it: The enemies are very durable. Because of this durability, firefights are protracted. To complicate things, the onslaught of enemies seems endless at times. You might think this would make the battles suspenseful, but as Jericho wears on, this suspense is turned into tedium.

At first glance, the AI might look smart enough because your teammates get out of your way when you get close to any one of them. However, you’ll realize that they’re not so clever after all. Despite the option to let your squad advance or stay put, you’ll see that teammates would actually disobey your commands and walk into disadvantageous spots, which would result in everyone’s deaths. Even when you’re in a strategically-sound area, your teammates have a nasty tendency of getting themselves killed easily.

Thanks to the atrocious level design, this tendency of comrades getting slaughtered easily actually makes sense because there’s no space between you and your numerous exploding and/or unbelievably resilient enemies. Even the idea of having a sniper on the team can at times be useless because confrontations are usually up-close.

That’s not to say that Abigail Black, the sniper, won’t be of any use to your team. In fact, each squad member will have his or her time to shine. However, some of the members’ special abilities would be of use only when faced with a particular puzzle. Beyond these contrived teasers, you’ll be playing favorites for long stretches. At least until everyone gets killed and that rarely-used member is the only one left standing.

The retail version of Jericho performs surprisingly well compared to the demo. Visuals are smooth even on a year-old rig, but that’s probably because of the confined levels. Loading was considerably quick and installation size is pretty small for a new game. However, you’ll have to load succeeding levels every so often.

One of Jericho’s pillars of strength is its audio, which contributes greatly to the game’s atmosphere and freakiness factor. The music is particularly impressive—one level gives you a cacophony of wails as background, while another is a haunting solo that’s heard whenever a certain child appears. Voice acting is a mixed bag because while performances are generally good, the script delivers some genuine clunkers that would make Ed Wood, Jr. blush.

The game’s other strength is character design that screams Clive Barker. You’ll see a huge rogues’ gallery here: a cursed bishop, an army of dead children, a morbidly obese and formerly-human creature hung on meat hooks, undead centurions that tote riot police-sized shields, and many other strange sights. When you combine the bizarre character design with smooth visuals, Jericho is indeed a feast for the eyes.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing in the game that would keep you coming back beyond the story. Finish it once, and that’s the end of it. There’s no multiplayer to keep Jericho installed, no Easter eggs for you to find. The game may have higher difficulty settings, but considering its frustrating level design, you’re better off without an encore.

Jericho had a potential for greatness, but it was squandered with bad design decisions. You’ll love it for the atmosphere and production values, but hate it for its levels. The game’s short, eight-hour journey would give you mixed feelings. On one hand, you’re glad that you won’t have to go through any more bad levels. On the other, you’re still wishing for a redeeming factor, a deus ex machina that would come and make it all up. Your bowels might be moved, but not in the art-inducing way that Clive Barker was aiming for.

Rating: 6/10

Post from: EveryJoe

Something tells me this possession is Clive Barker’s way of justifying your ability to control multiple characters in his new FPS. They could have just opted of letting you control your teammates without it. Then again, there might be some valid explanation that could translate into interesting gameplay.

Or not. Let’s wait for the game, shall we?

Post from: EveryJoe

Among the members of this special ops team is Wilhelmina “Billie” Church, a sergeant that decides to combat hordes of undead in a skimpy outfit.

Did I mention she totes around a nodachi? Yes, you can use a pistol and swing a sword at the same time—according to the video, at least. This game is probably the first tactical shooter I’ve played that has nothing to do with modern military themes. Let’s see how it plays out when the game ships. Expect a review within the month.

Post from: EveryJoe

At least, that’s what GamePolitics said. It seems that the upcoming horror shooter from horror guru Clive Barker is refused classification by governing body USK (or Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle – if you don’t speak German, good luck pronouncing it). The group is Germany’s equivalent to the ESRB.

According to GP’s source, Sony and Microsoft won’t market a game without classification, making Jericho’s availability limited to the PC version. If you’re under 18, then you are out of luck because you can’t get it, unless your parents get it for you.

GP also pointed out that Gears of War received the same treatment from USK. However, that didn’t stop resourceful German gamers from snagging a copy in Austria, which is just next door.

Pwned.

Read

Post from: EveryJoe

When Jericho was announced, we were ecstatic. When a new gameplay trailer was released, we broke out the alcoholic beer. Who drinks non-alcoholic beer anyway?

As always, the offbeat enemies are present in Clive Barker’s Jericho. Will the game be any good? We sure hope so. Watch out for its release this Fall, and for goodness’ sake, buy it this time.

Post from: EveryJoe