Jericho

Game:

In this squad-based fps, you play the part of part of Ross, CO of the elite paranormal swat team, Jericho Squad.
Well, for a little while anyway.
Later in the game you’ll find yourself a disembodied spirit, hopping into the corporeal forms of your companions as you battle the demonic minions of the Firstborn, humanity’s soulless precursor.

Comments:

'Jericho' is of course, Clive Barker's first foray into the world of gaming since the critically lauded 'Undying'. Let's be honest, this is why the game is considered lackluster by so many. (Nothing like simultaneously upstaging yourself while producing something no one played.) I'll certainly admit, 'Jericho' is far from perfect. I don't intend to champion the game as a slighted future-classic, but it's gotten a lot more negative press than it deserves.

The worst charge I would nail on 'Jericho' is the commonly cited confused gameplay. The game uses a squad-based combat system. Each character has unique talents and abilities, requiring you to jump from one to the other during battle. Firefights are hectic and brutal, unfortunately the play focuses more on managing your squad's revitalization than overcoming adversaries. If the squad system is slightly awkward at first, it does add complexity rather than the tedium or frustration it so easily could have. Your teammates are an extremely well balanced lot. There is no such thing as the best character in the game; everyone earns their place, but no one is the go-to guy. For example Black, the sniper, is a great for taking point, but she can be overwhelmed by rather quickly when things get sticky. Likewise, folks like Cole or Jones who seem rather vanilla at first pack a punch when used properly. While comp-controlled player AI is much better than years of suicidal sidekicks have conditioned us to expect, there are still a few 'wtf do you think you're doing' moments. Squadmates don't handle standing orders well, and tend to rush and be crushed by opponents even after multiple orders to fall back.
Much worse than minor command issues, the gameplay is hugely linear compared even to old-school fpses. (Fps'? Fps… i? Man, where's Bob the Angry Flower when you need him?) While not a rail shooter, the game funnels you towards each goal. Ammunition and health are replenished by the psychic powers of your teammates, and therefore there's really no point in level exploration. It's a shame that we aren't given more opportunity to get lost in a setting this delightfully eldritch, but if the game tends to discourage player improvisation, it does so only because the tightness of the narrative all but demands it.

Despite a somewhat cheesy opening monologue, 'Jericho's story stacks up nicely against 99.9% of the games out there. Well, it's only to be expected, Barker's writing has never fallen into the abyss of simple cliché. (Hey, you can say a lot of things about skinless sex devils, but they're not boring.) I won't attempt to recap such a twisty tale here, but Barker's writing brushes on everything from modern terrorism anxiety to pseudo-Gnostic apocrypha. The game manages to craft a complex yet coherent mythological universe with nothing more than a few pages in a game pamphlet and some in-game cutscenes, and that's a big damn point in its favor. Characters aren't hugely multi-faceted, but are at the very least well-drawn and become more developed as the game progresses.
You might at first glance count it a detriment that the gameplay is enclosed in a singular local, but the game makers find a sweet way to circumvent this. Each time the Firstborn is sealed away, he yanks a small sliver of reality back to Hell with him. The slice of time concept is a brilliant stroke. Since you're knocking about the cradle and crossroad of civilization, you can expect to encounter everything from terrifying ghosts from the children's crusades to ancient Sumerian Demons. It's not every game that let's you fight zombified Nazis, Knights Templer, and Roman Legionaries. (Imagine if Daikatana had been good! No, wait, I can't do it either.)
The narrative has but one substantial flaw, unfortunately a huge mess of substance it is. The ending… well that's the thing; there is no ending. After the ultimate battle, you emerge into the middle of the ocean just in time to see the credits roll over a real purty' sunset. I've heard some of my fellow nerds remark that you are playing the ending, and I can accept that as a fig leaf for what would otherwise seem to be unforgivable shoddiness. Still, rather a disappointing cap to such an original and engaging tale.

Fortunately game design is anything but a let down. Fans of Barker's twisted sadomasochistic milieu won't be disappointed. 'Jericho' is filled with tortured souls, sadistic villains, and enough self-mutilation to put a cenobite off his cheerios. Even better, Hell's got itself some production values. The voice actors, can act! Demons don't sound like an emo kid with a sore throat, and at no point do you brush against something and see through your own head. Graphics are a bit monochromatic, but quite atmospheric. While dried blood on sandstone may not be a visual banquet, but it sure as hell beats trudging through a g*damned office building! (Sorry, still bitter.) Sure, there are better looking 360/Ps3 games out there, but 'Jericho' does what it does extraordinarily.

Despite any flaws, I can't come down as hard on 'Jericho' as others have. It's got sick style to burn, but unlike other games its strength isn't limited to simple design. It's always refreshing to see an actual story in a video game, never mind one this historically literate and character driven. (It's not exactly on the level of 'Eternal Darkness', but then again, what is?) Other games may be an ounce more playable, but 'Jericho' gives you a lot more reason to keep going than just shooting monsters.

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