Saw II: Flesh & Blood Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: PS3, X360	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Zombie Studios	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Konami	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 19, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Mature	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

There are cheap deaths lurking around every corner, and the checkpoint system can be hit-or-miss. There is an auto-save feature, and it can go a lengthy time without occurring. Regular save points are also in the game, but they are few and far between. Healing doesn't factor in much because there is hardly any middle ground when it comes to life and death. The only time your health gets low enough to be worrisome is when you are consistently failing at smaller-scale traps. Even after you succeed, you'll probably just die from a random explosion or pitfall anyway.

Saw II: Flesh & Blood screenshot

The game is rampant with poorly executed concepts and even the occasional game-breaking bug. There was a section where I found a gun as a weapon, and shortly after an enemy came to attack me. As soon as I executed the appropriate quick-time button presses, the main character and enemy AI were locked in some sort of pre-animation. They just stood their looking at each other like two idiots, and the game wasn't even "technically" frozen. I could still go into the game's menu, but the characters just couldn't move. Needless to say, I had to reload the checkpoint. I didn't realize it was game-breaking until I noticed the process kept repeating itself. Luckily, there was an unused weapon case I had previously passed in that area, so I grabbed a melee weapon instead in order to continue on.

There are so many things wrong with this game that even the poor graphics seem like a minor complaint. The textures, as well as the environments, look vapid and become repetitive. When you come across rain for the first time in the game, it looks as if you're walking through tall curtains of water running down a glass pane. It's horrible. It's a good thing the audio is decent; otherwise the presentation as a whole would have been a lost cause. Tobin Bell, the actor who portrays Jigsaw in the Saw movies, lends his voice talents for the game and does a great job.

My mother always told me that if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all. If I were to have stuck with that rule, this review would have been almost entirely blank. Zombie Studios made poor design choices when developing this game, and it clearly shows throughout. Even the die-hard fans are better off leaving this one on the shelf. Unfortunately, I can't "undo" the experience that I've had, but I'm going to do my best to pretend this game never existed. I strongly recommend that you do the same.

By James Trujillo
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

2.0

Graphics
Sadly, this was still one of the better aspects of the game.

1.0

Control
If this game had any more quick-time events, it could have played itself and saved me the heartache.

3.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voiceover work and sound effects were great, most notably the work of Tobin Bell. However, the music didn't really add much to help the horror setting's mood.

1.0

Play Value
The only thing of any value here is the story, and even then you're mostly just reading it in the menu screen. This game has nothing to offer anyone in terms of gameplay.

1.5

Overall Rating - Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Witness the gruesome mechanical traps of Jigsaw! Watch as his new series of gambits will force you to make life or death decisions that may destroy yourself and others.

Experience challenging puzzles that will test your wits, as you work quickly to advance through Jigsaw's deadly game.

Engage yourself in the all-new combat system! This visceral fighting mechanic requires precise timing to fend off Jigsaw's aggressive minions.

Behold a truly unique horror experience. With a blend of intense combat, mind-bending puzzles, and a twisted storyline, players will face the kind of terror that only Saw can deliver!