Score: 4 out of 5

Genre: Thriller / FPS

Polished graphics, better level design and greater depth in combat mechanics make this a worthy sequel.

Getting your hands dirty

Players will still be able to pick up anything they can to be used as a weapon. There is a larger variety of things that can be used as weapons such as locker doors. The items players pick as weapons will get broken at a faster pace and so players will find themselves relying on hand to hand combat.

One of the largest improvements the sequel makes is with the addition of hand to hand combat. The left and right triggers represent the left and right hand respectively. Holding both triggers together will have you blocking. Timing a block is important as it pushes back the enemy setting him to be hit hard. The right analogue stick is used to throw a kick. Used together these can be used to create some deadly combos. There are a lot of combos that are based on different strings of attacks. Players will want to maximize the use of combos as they have their damage multiplied. In addition the camera shakes as players punch and get punched. It has a sort of “Jason Bourne” feel to it.

Scenario Variations

Most of the game takes place in abandoned houses and other closed and dark environments just like the original. These locations will have you on the edge of your seats and paying particular attention to the sound due to the limited visibility. Fortunately the sound effects are done really well and will send shivers down the player’s spine as they hear creatures crawling around. This helps in creating a great horror theme for the game.

In addition the game has included other different locations that provide a bit of variety. One such major scene is a medieval museum where players will have access to axes, clubs swords and cross bows. In that level some of the bums will wear plate armour and come attacking you old school style.

Yet in another situation you will find yourself in chase sequences. These provide adrenaline rushes and will also have players on the edge of their seats as they make narrow escapes from a large bear that destroys everything in its path. The variations in scenarios are a warm welcome as they provide something different while still keeping players on the edge of the seats.

A bum like me

The story follows right after the first game. The story and the characters have become dirtier and grittier which is a good thing. This fits in well with the game environment. This time Ethan (the player) has quit the force and has become another bum on the streets. He has also become an alcoholic and needs regular doses of alcohol to keep his hands steady when aiming firearms.

The police force contacts Ethan to help them with another murder case where the major suspect is the person thought to have died in the first game. As the investigation goes on a plot of a secret society is under covered and Ethan finds himself being “the chosen one” (Massive cliché anyone?). Unfortunately the story does not feel as strong this time around as it takes a turn for sci-fi paranormal. What is worse is that the game ditches hand to hand combat and turns to a gun fight towards the end of the game. I really don’t understand why many games that are not shooters, become shooters by the end of the game. It should have stuck to its strengths, physical hand to hand combat.

Interactive Forensics

The game also improves upon its detective work. Instead of solving easy puzzles like the first one, this sequel has you finding evidence and rewards you for collecting items and analyzing evidence or specific scenes. The analysis takes the form of having Ethan best describing the scene or evidence from a choice of answers. The better players do here will have them being rewarded with better skills in the future levels. I personally never bothered to collect items and had the lowest skills and was still able to finish the game so they were not game changers.

Final Word: The game is better from its predecessor in almost every way and fans of horror games should not miss it.