Clive Barker’s Jericho is a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC video game that comes from the warped mind of none other than Clive Barker himself. He is notorious for his books and movies that are based around the horror genre. Now, he is attempting to make a successful transition into video games. The storyline in the game revolves around a city known as Al Khali and the Jericho team. Al Khalid is the location that uncanny and inexplicable events are an everyday occurrence. These ineffable supernatural reports are due to demons and fiends that inhabit Al Khalid.
The protagonist in the game is Captain Devin Ross, and he is the leader of team Jericho. The plot may seem like an unsolvable jigsaw puzzle, but I still appreciated it. It had twist and turns that will keep any gamer guessing until the bitter end. Speaking of bitter ending, the epilogue was a bit of a disappointment. In regards to the gameplay, the game plays like any other ordinary first person shooter with a emphasis on the word ordinary. You can issue commands to your other people in your group. The various people in your squad are Sergeant Delgado, Lieutenant Black, Church, and Jones. They all have their pros and cons; furthermore, each character has different attributes and weapons. For instance, Sergeant Delgado is equipped with a gun. Lieutenant Black is armed with a sniper rifle and a grenade launcher. Church possesses a sword and machine gun. Jones prefers to use a shotgun. In addition to the weapons, there are numerous abilities that you have at your disposal. For example, Captain Ross has the power to heal. The gameplay has its moments by keeping the style of the game fresh at certain moments. Lieutenant Black can use telekinesis, Jones can use mind control, and Church knows how to use magic.
The variety of the other characters is the only thing that makes this game different from other video games in the same genre. Just about every enemy in the game looks grotesque. They will have nails attached to their bodies and other sharp objects. If you have seen a horror movie before, then all of the frightening aspects of the game are foreseeable. Maybe I found it to be predictable because I already seen countless scary games. Moreover, there is nothing fancy in this game. The artificial intelligence across the board is imperfect. Your teammates will usually get mauled by a swarm of enemies without any resistance. I am not sure how that is even possible because the opponents themselves can be easily killed.
None of the levels are unique. For the most part, they are all the same rudimentary restricted surroundings. I felt like the game was unintentionally humorous for no apparent reason. Regrettably, there is absolutely no multiplayer in the game. The lack of a multiplayer is exacerbated by the fact that there is nothing done extraordinarily well in the game. Players will feel like the ambiance of the game has a mundane look. The gameplay will take the avid player approximately eleven hours to fourteen hours to complete from start to finish. Visually, there is nothing in the game that will make anyone have a “Wow, that looks incredible” moment. The full motion cut-scenes themselves are amazing, but the actual gameplay footage is banal. I would have appreciated better graphics from a next generation console like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The audio in the game is nothing to be elated about either. Yes, there is music and voice acting. However, there is really no point in having music and voice acting when they are both lackluster. Overall, Clive Barker’s Jericho is a video that is not for everyone. No, the game is not on par with BioShock. The game is not exemplary, but the game is not egregious. It is just plain average.
Final verdict: 7 out of 10