An Adventure game featuring a great story with unique gameplay.
GAMEPLAY - This game retains some elements of classic adventure gaming, as your character can interact with objects that are approached. You still pick from a list of questions/responses when talking to other characters, though you are on a time limit to try to pick the best choice. The major gameplay feature comes from combat sequences. The first is a timing game that involves moving the two analog sticks in sequence with what you see on the screen. The second involves rapidly tapping the L1 and R1 buttons alternately, which can result in very cramped hands! There were times this became frustrating, but I never had to try a sequence more than a few times.
GRAPHICS - Not very impressive, though adequate. Game had a grainy, blocky look that reminded me of Silent Hill 2. There were not any CGI sequences. Though I know it contributed to the atmosphere, I felt there were times that the game looked too dark, and it was occasionally difficult to make out my surroundings. The game uses a cinematic approach, so there will be times when you can't see what's in front of you, though it generally did not cause a problem.
SOUND - The voice acting was top notch, and this was important since there are a lot of converstions. Sound effects were fine. Background music was above average, though I used the option to turn it down a bit because it was slightly drowning out the voices.
VALUE - I finished the game in approximately nine hours, not very long though I felt that the story was told well. Throughout the game bonus cards can be grabbed, which are then used to unlock movies, artwork, songs, etc. A nice feature is that the game is broken up into chapters, and you can go back and replay any chapter if you want to try out different actions or converations to see if it changes the story.
SUMMARY - What drives this game is the story, and it is excellant. Very dark, with a mixture of sci-fi and horror, this is definitely not for the kiddies. A unique feature is that you will at times control other characters besides the main protaganist, which gives the game more depth and gets you to care about what happens to them. This is a game you will keep playing, even if you do not care for the gameplay elements, because you will want to see what happens next. I recommend this to adventure fans, or to anyone that enjoys a great story.