saw II: Flesh & blood, twIsted lands: shadow town, mage: the awakenIng SAW II:
FLESH & BLOOD PS3, Xbox 360 Konami
While the movie fran-
chise may have finally worn out its welcome, the Saw games keep rolling right along – just
like one of Jigsaw’s well-oiled, maniacal machines of bodily destruction. Saw II: Flesh & Blood, the second outing in the tie-in
video game series, picks up directly after the events of the first game, and takes place between the storylines of the first and second feature films. You play Michael, the estranged son of Detective Tapp (Danny Glover in the original film), who sets out to investigate the mystery behind his father’s death and unwittingly finds himself the next subject in Jigsaw’s bizarre and brutally psycho- pathic tests of self-sacrifice. After waking up alone in his sinister labyrinth, you’ll quickly discover that a mod- ified bear trap has been attached to your head, which will snap shut unless you get it off before the timer runs out. The only way to survive is by using a scalpel to cut open your eyelid to retrieve the key that’ll unlock it so that you can move on to the next level; thus, the tone of the proceedings is set. Negotiating Jigsaw’s torture-dungeon workshop in
this third-person survival horror outing is a terrifying or- deal, especially since Flesh & Blood keeps gamers en- sconced in the world established by the films through the inclusion of unique and gruesome mechanical traps that ensnare non-player characters, often resulting in graphic deaths that are both thrilling and loathsome to watch. Throughout the game, you’ll attempt to avoid succumbing to your own dire fate, as you run the risk of having your body torn in half by an elevator, being per- forated by a lunatic wearing a helmet covered in deadly metal spikes or having your head pulverized by a hy- draulic press. “It’s still Jigsaw’s world,” warns Flesh & Blood pro-
ducer and designer John Williamson. “So there’s lots of danger around every corner. [But] it’s not just a gorefest or a hack-and-slash. There’s actually a deeper level to it.”
To that end, you’ll also have to collect audio tapes, case
files and even those creepy, swirly-cheeked Billy puppets, which are hidden on each level and provide clues on how to disarm some of the nefarious gadgets; they also help
you battle the other victims that are trapped along- side you. This brings us to the one major change from the
first game. Namely, the shift from the much-reviled hand-to-hand combat mechanics to a system in which players are forced to rely on their wits in- stead of their fists to beat their enemies. Williamson says the change was a conscious effort to improve on one of the first game’s shortcomings. “There’s more logic-based combat,” he ex-
plains. “Jigsaw will give you a hint on how to dispatch an enemy and then those puzzles get more complicated as the levels go through. So there’s a trick in the environment that you need to take and use to your advantage.” So prepare to be much more aware of your
surroundings and any items that you might come across during gameplay. There’s even a helpful
00000 HEADSHOTS: VERY SCARY, GOOD COMBAT SYSTEM, EXCELLENT GRAPHICS RM66 MISFIRES: SOME PUZZLES ARE TOO HARD OR COMPLETELY MUNDANE, EASY TO GET KILLED REPEATEDLY
new in-game checklist to assist you in collecting every clue possible in order to unlock extra achievements. (Some of which provide more background on ancillary characters from the films!) Though the low-lit graphics are impressively
realistic and thoroughly unsettling, it’s the dis- turbing audio soundscape that really amps up the fright factor, not to mention the return of franchise actor Tobin Bell to voice Jigsaw’s monologues. (Also, the developers have actually seen fit to include his likeness this time around – a very welcome addition to the game since he is one seriously freaky dude.) And if beating the game once wasn’t harrow-
ing enough, there are two different endings to experience, though that does mean replaying Flesh & Blood through a second time from the beginning. Yes, just when you thought it was over, the games have just begun...
ANDREW LEE
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