Clive Barker's genius, with great gameplay leaves me wondering- why the 6.5? Here's my 'second opinion'.
The "Bad"
"Horrifically confined level design leaves no room to maneuver"
Oh, I'm sorry clive didn't see fit to set Jericho in a wide open savannah! 'Gosh, this place sure is confined! Let's just go home, guys!' Yeah, that would have made a lot more sense. Whiner. Maybe you'd have complaned less if you could jump in this game. Then you could bunny hop your way to victory!
"Lame final boss caps a stupendously awful ending"
Ok, the final boss could have been better. But didn't you just get done fighting about a dozen other really awesome bosses? The journey was the reward, man, and as far as the ending goes - well, what did you want?? It's hardly a dealbreaker.
"Long animations and visual effects leave certain characters far too vulnerable in battle"
LOL! Yeah right! Look, you're very wrong here. This is like badmouthing a WWII FPS because you thought it took too long to reload your guns. Well guess what - in reality, these things can sometimes take more than one second. This is by far the lamest complaint in the Gamespot review.
LOOK FOLKS, this game is amazing. What the GS reviewer had failed to do is tell you, the reaser whether or not this game is really worth it. (They should know that most folks won't read beyond their "pros and cons" notes, and most won't even look further than the score.)
Let me assure you - this game IS worth it. 6.5 is not fair to it's merits, and clive Barker's imagination. The flaws in the gameplay are negligible, and the innovations are worth experiencing, as is the sheer gore and horror.
AN END NOTE ON ALL THE GORE:
Doom 3? Manhunt 2? Kid's games compared to this. We're talking literal rivers of blood. Half the structures in the game are made out of bloody flesh and corpses. There are people getting tortured and disembowed constantly. The blood spray, glistening gore, and violence are endless. This is exactly the kind of game that gets concerned parents all ban-happy - and I loved it. It's absolutely the most disgusting and wonderful visual experience I've had. This game is worth it for the graphics and environments alone.