Saw has a clunky combat system, but great gore and scary atmospheric environments make Saw an ideal purchase for fans.
The game takes place between the first and second Saw movies. It was a good addition to the story to see a missing chapter from the Saw storyline, even if it wasn't entirely necessary. You play as Detective Tapp, played by Danny Glover in the first Saw film. In the game, you traverse an insane asylum saving Jigsaw's victims from an assortment of traps. You do all of this while fighting for your life against insane inmates playing a game of their own, if they kill you, they win, and it's game over. I wouldn't exactly give two thumbs up to the story but fans of the movie series will know that the latest movies have not had a top notch story line to them. So if you can look ahead, and forget about the story, and all of it's primary, crazy objectives, then like me, you'll love this game to bits, for one strange reason. It's Saw, and nothing else. Don't buy this game and think your going to get a great Resident Evil 5 or Silent Hill type of structure, because your not, it's a fun way of experiencing Saw in a different state of mind. Above all, the game focuses on puzzle solving. So much that it almost becomes sometimes a little repetitive. You'll be all into finding a key or getting to the next location only to be stopped dead in your tracks by an annoying puzzle. I understand that Saw and puzzles go hand in hand but they could have been toned it down a bit and more emphasis could have been put on adventure gameplay. But, saying that, I found most of the puzzles really fresh. I got the feeling, when I first booted up the game, that the traps and puzzles will be re - cycled from the film series, but there are some awesome new additions, that I hope will make it into future Saw films, or any other games that may be released, containing this title. All the puzzles can be mastered, but it takes time and I found myself sleeping on a couple of them. I got stuck, more than once, but the whole point is to somehow get around them yourself, with no help, and an atmospheric atmosphere. The game takes a lot of patience and trial and error. A lot of the puzzles or challenges are timed so work well under pressure, and hopefully you won't get your head blown off. Like I mentioned before it felt like Saw. The environments, the atmosphere, it's Saw. Everything down to Tobin Bell's haunting voice acting. Fans of the series will see the game as a treat but those less familiar with it are likely to be less enthused. The environments are great. Mean, dark corridors, small packed rooms with menacing puzzles, ladders and other things to climb and inspect, and other little environmental additions that I found interesting, like the first room you are in, for instance. Now onto the voice acting. Anyone who loves the films will know that Tobin Bell has a menacing, creepy as hell voice, transformed into a being of evil, Billy the Puppet, which pops up here and there on TV screens. The voice acting is superb, the menacing cries of the enemies, charging at your with pipes and knives. Although the game's music isn't the strong point, it proves that good voice acting can be achieved. And well achieved. The combat system sucks, it's official. Throwing a punch is better than bashing someone over the head with a pipe, or sticking someone in the guts with a knife. The combat is flawed, but it what you would expect from a Saw game. The Saw films have never had full on fights, in any movie, so to make this game more interesting, the developers obviously tried to add some sort of combat system in there, to freshen it up a little. It worked in some parts, but sometimes it lacks freshness, or even enjoyment. That aside though, the game is gory, scary and atmospheric. The graphics are solid enough to make you enjoy yourself, but don't expect Uncharted 2's visuals.
Overall, the game isn't perfect, the combat physics are clunky, the puzzles can be frustrating as all hell, but Jigsaws endless supply of shotgun traps, gory action, atmospheric environments and menacing voice acting, Saw can be a great game for lovers of the film series, or anyone who likes a short, action packed, gory survival game. Jigsaw, I do want to play a game!