SCEA ships Siren for the PS2

SCEA today announced the North American release of Siren, a survival-horror game first revealed at last year's PlayStation Experience event in London. Developed by SCEJ, Siren takes place in the fictional Japanese village of Hanuda, where the inhabitants are slowly transformed into shibito, or "living dead." The story and monsters are loosely drawn from Japanese mythology, and the game promises "a world of fear, mystery, and suspense that is focused on extreme background detail and storyline, rather than 'slasher-style' shocks traditionally found in horror entertainment."

Much like the storyline in Nintendo's Eternal Darkness, Siren's storyline is seen through the eyes of multiple characters. Players will get to know 10 different playable characters as they unravel the mysteries of Hanuda across 78 distinct missions. The events in Siren take place over three days, but the missions will not play out in chronological order, leaving gaps in the story that will need to be unraveled as the player progresses through the game.

The chief gameplay mechanic in Siren is the "sightjack" system, which allows players to literally see through the eyes of a nearby enemy using the L2 button. Once a player has tuned in to a particular enemy's vision, it can be mapped to a quick-touch button for easy recall.

Using the sightjack system effectively will be key to the player's survival, as the majority of enemies in the game will be hidden from sight by shadows or fog. You'll be able to see the area surrounding a given enemy, and creatures who have been mapped to a reference key will be revealed by an onscreen crosshair.

The sightjack system will also be used to advance the story, as players can observe what the various creatures and characters are doing throughout the game. Players are advised not to spend too much time looking through a vile creature's eyes, however, since "in this world of unspeakable evil and horrific visions, this extraordinary observational power could be more of a curse than a blessing."