Clive Barker's Jericho
Review
An ageless horror threathens humanity
by Rook
reviewed on X360
Into the breach
Jericho takes the player through a gut wrenching, bone chilling view on a current day with no future or hope, with the exception of a single seven man team that has been sent to contain the situation. The player will assume the role of Devin Ross, a grizzled veteran who has a team of six special operatives at his disposal. The Jericho team is part of a top secret organization that works under the Department of Occult Warfare. Each member is not only trained in advanced combat and cutting edge technology, but are also students of some form of arcane art. Gone are the days when witches are the hunted. As Jericho-members, they are the hunters, and they are the world’s only hope against an unspeakable and generally unknown evil that is on the verge of erupting from the ancient Middle Eastern ruins of Al-Kali, in which the story begins.
As you progress through the ruins, you will experience time slips. Each slip will bring your team to a distinct era of time and plays an important role in the developing story. The time slips will bring you further and further back in history and only the success of your team will peel back the mysteries of the Firstborn. The origins of the Firstborn are controversial at best, as it was created by ‘God’ before man was conceived. The Firstborn was corrupt and with its great power, was locked away for all existence in the Abyss. Now, it wants out.
Ewww, it’s juicy!
Visually, Jericho is delightfully horrifying. The dark, photo-realistic rendering of the environment and characters, successfully draws the player into the hell that is enveloping the ruins around your team. If something in the shadows seems to move, it’s probably because there is really something there. Great detail can be seen in every aspect of Jericho, from the flickering of damaged overhead lighting to the juicy head popping explosions as weapons fire rips through a zombie skull.
Familiar voices
The audio score only adds to the already dark and apocalyptic mood that the visuals have set for the player the instant he entered the game. Most of the score stays soft as an eerie background, until of course all hell breaks loose around you.
The voice acting and scriptwriting for Jericho is superb. With voice actor expertise that specialize in anime and games, such as Kate Higgins (Naruto), Cindy Robinson (Naruto) and Steven Blum (Cowboy Bebop), the dialogue is involved and emotional. The characters aren’t simply talking –to- each other, they are speaking –with- each other, interacting. The impression of a long standing group chemistry of the Jericho team members can be seen through the emotional ties to each of the players, whether it is cracking jokes at the others’ expense, or a desperate sense of urgency of seeing a team mate fall during combat, it all helps portrait the detail of the characters and their story.
7.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
