I nearly didn't buy this, thanks to one or two crappy reviews. Even though I liked the demo, I thought something must have gone horribly wrong.
The older I get, the more I realize that half of the so-called "critics" out there have no idea what they're talking about.
So I bought the game yesterday (360 version) and have played about four hours of it this afternoon. My opinion? Jericho is a good game. Sure, the premise of "commandos with witch powers" is a little goofy, and the opening screen with the poor voice actor delivering sub-par backstory is enough to send up a red flag right away. But get past that, and there's a lot to like here.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Anyone who says the graphics in Jericho are bad is either blind or pushing an agenda. This game looks spectacular. Upon playing the demo, I wrongly assumed this title was using the Unreal engine, so shiny was the team members' armor and convincing were the "wet" rock textures.
Now I understand that this is a proprietary engine, and technically, it's quite good. Perhaps even better is the Hellish art direction, which drips atmosphere and foreboding and really helps immerse the player into the game. Character models are detailed and the frame rate keeps up a peppy pace even when the air is filled with bullets and explosions.
I love the subtle depth-of-field effects on architecture in the distance as well as the slightly jittery light from the team's flashlights. The blood splashes look great and the game even features some very convincing weather effects (rain) in some locales.
I could go on about the excellent lighting and smoke effects and giant bosses, but let's just say this is one of the better-looking next-gen games I've played to date.
So how's the gameplay? Fast and furious. The gunplay here is loud and bombastic, and because you get to switch to other characters at will, you're sure to find several favorite weapons and abilities to use. I was surprised to see multiple configurations for weapons; for example, the Cole character, who carries grenades, can set them to explode at three seconds, five seconds, or when somebody comes in proximity. Likewise, guns can be set to fire single-shot, multi-shot, or automatic. I really enjoy using some of the special abilities, too, such as the psychic-guided sniper shots and especially the "slow-down-time" ability.
After reading reviews, I was afraid that my team would be uncontrollable, running headlong into battle only to get themselves killed instantly. Well, they're not always well behaved, but there IS an easy way to command them to stay in place. Press down on the D-pad and they'll stay where they are until you reach a critical stage in the game's advancement. You do have to stay on top of them, guiding them into position here and there and telling them to stop often, but it works pretty well and is not nearly the problem some reviews have made it out to be.
Yes, the writing and dialog are often straight out of a B-movie, but then again, that puts it on par with most games today, and honestly, there have been a couple of clever lines and laugh-out-loud exclamations that have taken me by surprise. Some of the ladies' lines are surprisingly profane, and I can't help but chuckle when I hear one of them take down a baddie and spit, "F***er," "Pussy!" "You just got your ass kicked by a girl," or whatever.
Which brings us to the fact that this is definitely a game for mature audiences, with its nightmarish imagery and rough language. I'm surprised how many reviews have scoffed about the game's lack of scares. Well, it is a video game and yes, if you're over the age of 8, you probably realize that you're safe from harm as you sit in the La-Z-Boy with controller in hand. But the game certainly creates an atmosphere of anxiety and dread, and does so in a way that's satisfying enough for me. No, I don't feel like my heart is going to explode like I did while playing Condemned, but I'm having a blast with the game regardless.
Are there problems? Sure. Most notably, it's difficult to switch characters in the heat of battle when all hell is breaking loose. I really wish the game 'paused' while the player takes possession of a different character, as all too often, you'll zap into somebody and be utterly disoriented, struggling to face the right direction and take cover as you're likely being riddled with projectiles. The enemies take a good pounding before they go down, so you need to stay on them or they'll be on top of you in short order. And when a tight cluster of your teammates goes down, it's tough to get to them and revive them one by one without going down yourself. Again, the character-swapping idea is much more enjoyable when you're changing at leisure than when the shit is really going down.
The game's taken criticism for its QTE segments, but honestly, I don't find them any more difficult than in God of War and they're certainly easier than in Heavenly Sword. They add variety to the gameplay and often give you a nice, up-close-and-personal look at the gloriously rendered monsters.
Some reviews have mentioned intolerable load times. Rubbish. Especially after enduring the 10-second waits for a single car to que up in Motorstorm. The loading times in between levels here are absolutely not a problem.
I know there are more things I wanted to say, but now that I've typed all of this, I'm anxious to get back to the game and continue playing. I've voiced my indignation at the people who have given this game lackluster scores and will finish by saying that if you were the least bit intrigued by this game's demo, you owe it to yourself--and to the developers--to give this game a rental at the very least.
I purchased the game and I am glad that I did, as it's beautiful, fun, creepy, and quite unlike anything else in my game library. Think Hellraiser with heavy weaponry and psychic powers, and just let yourself have fun.
Back to playing...
edit: The graphics in this game keep getting better and better. Dilapitated castle architecture, skinned corpses, rivers of blood... not to mention the ever-so-slightly jiggly female character. Yes, this game looks great.