Jericho Impressions

So aside from doing our very first 4-Player Podcast tonight, I had a chance to play the demo for the upcoming next gen title "Clive Barker's Jericho". I chose to play the PS3 Demo because that was the console I intended to pick it up on. The game is a new FPS/Horror adventure from the sick twisted world that exists in the mind of Clive Barker. First off, the main menu is a close up shot of rotting flesh complete with a swarm of flies.... awesome. Prior to playing this game, Touchdown Travis told me that he was not impressed with the game, Brad wasn't impressed and David of course has bashed it from the beginning. Needless to say, I was nervous going in. The main complaints that were mentioned concerned the confusing mechanics and the clunky character switching controls. After actually playing the game, I do somewhat agree with the these problems but I believe that these are problems that can be fixed for the most part with a little bit of time. Basically, what I'm saying is that this game will have a little bit of a learning curve. We have become so use to FPS's that have absolutely no learning curve that any curve seems unacceptable. So first of all, you basically play as 6 characters each with their own weapons and special abilities. After one of your team mates is killed, his ghost is able to inhabit the bodies of each character and control them so by using the d-pad, you can jump from body to body in the heat of battle in order achieve certain goals. The hard part comes in learning the intricacies of each characters and quickly adjusting to each character when you switch in the middle of a firefight. The thing that attacted me to this title is the unique, disturbing look and feel of this game. Everything in this world is outright disgusting but at the same time, it's beautiful. My main complaint is that the actual shooting controls can be a bit clunky but it is definately another solid FPS for the next gen consoles. As Brad watched me play, he acknowledged that there are things he didn't realize he could do and their were things that suddenly became clear. I admit that I am probably one of the few gamers who will give this game a chance which is a shame because it looks to be another sleeper hit. We'll see what happens after it's release next Wednesday.