I love the whole horror thing. Games, movies,
books, you name it, if it involves zombies, monsters, the undead, doing
unspeakable things to poor (but usually deserving) humans then I’m all for
it. But this affection towards this particular genre can sometimes get my ire
up. You see, just because I love horror it doesn’t mean I love all
things horror. I mean, it has to be decent horror, you know, original, well
written, cleverly plotted or maybe it’s a tried and true formula but just
executed well. I know, I might as well be using any genre, but since I’m such
a rabid fan of horror I guess I take it that much more seriously. All of this
adds up to one very disappointing video game.
books, you name it, if it involves zombies, monsters, the undead, doing
unspeakable things to poor (but usually deserving) humans then I’m all for
it. But this affection towards this particular genre can sometimes get my ire
up. You see, just because I love horror it doesn’t mean I love all
things horror. I mean, it has to be decent horror, you know, original, well
written, cleverly plotted or maybe it’s a tried and true formula but just
executed well. I know, I might as well be using any genre, but since I’m such
a rabid fan of horror I guess I take it that much more seriously. All of this
adds up to one very disappointing video game.
Curse The Eye of Isis is a survival horror game
that takes place in the late 1800’s where an Egyptian exhibit is about to open
in the Museum of Natural History in London. As the son of a famous
archeologist, Darien Dane arrives at the museum the night before the exhibit
is set to open. Strange thugs descend silently on the museum intent on
thievery and an evil mist begins seeping out of the highlight of the
exhibition; a statue of the Egyptian God, Isis. So OK, everything sounds good
so far. We’ve got an interesting location, a spooky era and the mystery of
ancient Egyptian artifacts. It’s about this time that the game begins to roll
downhill, which is sad because I thought the game had a good premise.
that takes place in the late 1800’s where an Egyptian exhibit is about to open
in the Museum of Natural History in London. As the son of a famous
archeologist, Darien Dane arrives at the museum the night before the exhibit
is set to open. Strange thugs descend silently on the museum intent on
thievery and an evil mist begins seeping out of the highlight of the
exhibition; a statue of the Egyptian God, Isis. So OK, everything sounds good
so far. We’ve got an interesting location, a spooky era and the mystery of
ancient Egyptian artifacts. It’s about this time that the game begins to roll
downhill, which is sad because I thought the game had a good premise.
The first major problem is the controls. The game
has a fixed camera look to it where as you control Darien Dane as he runs from
room to room. Players of the Resident Evil series will find this very
familiar. Where things go bad though is how the direction pad is used. If
you push up on the pad, Darien will always run that towards the top of the TV
screen, the same is said with all the directions, however when the camera
changes you are forced to reassess where he is facing and then push the
correct direction. If this sounds confusing then you are right it is.
has a fixed camera look to it where as you control Darien Dane as he runs from
room to room. Players of the Resident Evil series will find this very
familiar. Where things go bad though is how the direction pad is used. If
you push up on the pad, Darien will always run that towards the top of the TV
screen, the same is said with all the directions, however when the camera
changes you are forced to reassess where he is facing and then push the
correct direction. If this sounds confusing then you are right it is.
The second major problem is the game’s poor
graphics. I own this game on the PC and the rendered backgrounds were done
quite well. On the Xbox version I couldn’t believe how much worse they
looked. The gritty, scummy feel of seedy London that was present on the PC
version simply is not there now. The dirty bricks in the alley, the
disgusting sewer water and the overall ambience of the game has been replaced
by flat, uninspired, boring backgrounds. The characters are sometimes shakey as
they stand there and don’t have very realistic body movements. Graphically
this game just plain stinks.
graphics. I own this game on the PC and the rendered backgrounds were done
quite well. On the Xbox version I couldn’t believe how much worse they
looked. The gritty, scummy feel of seedy London that was present on the PC
version simply is not there now. The dirty bricks in the alley, the
disgusting sewer water and the overall ambience of the game has been replaced
by flat, uninspired, boring backgrounds. The characters are sometimes shakey as
they stand there and don’t have very realistic body movements. Graphically
this game just plain stinks.
The third and final major problem is the
gameplay. The game is pretty much a Resident Evil modeled game. Find the
key, open the door, find the crank, activate the puzzle. Nothing new or
exciting here, absolutely nothing. This might as well have been Resident Evil
lite or Alone in the Dark: The shelved idea. I stated above that I look at
the horror genre seriously because I am a fan, well, this game disappointed me
so much that I have been forced to watch my DVD of Day of the Dead and play a
bit of Eternal Darkness.
gameplay. The game is pretty much a Resident Evil modeled game. Find the
key, open the door, find the crank, activate the puzzle. Nothing new or
exciting here, absolutely nothing. This might as well have been Resident Evil
lite or Alone in the Dark: The shelved idea. I stated above that I look at
the horror genre seriously because I am a fan, well, this game disappointed me
so much that I have been forced to watch my DVD of Day of the Dead and play a
bit of Eternal Darkness.
Not all is horrible though, I must say that I
liked how they set up the shooting portion of the game, and the menu system
was easily navigated. But if these are the highlights of the game, then maybe
you should avoid this title.
liked how they set up the shooting portion of the game, and the menu system
was easily navigated. But if these are the highlights of the game, then maybe
you should avoid this title.
Gameplay: 5.2
Horrible, horrible, horrible, did I mention that
this game is horrible in regards to the control scheme. What were they
thinking making the fixed camera and the controls literally fight one
another. A game should be challenging based on the puzzles or the difficulty
in defeating the bad guys, not the controls being set up so poorly.
this game is horrible in regards to the control scheme. What were they
thinking making the fixed camera and the controls literally fight one
another. A game should be challenging based on the puzzles or the difficulty
in defeating the bad guys, not the controls being set up so poorly.
Graphics: 5.9
Dim poorly rendered backgrounds and shakey
character models coupled with poor looking zombie things.
character models coupled with poor looking zombie things.
Sound: 6.6
The game has average voice acting and acceptable background
music. I wanted it to sound better in order to hopefully elicit some
moodiness to the game, but it fell short in the end. I wanted better and
didn’t get it.
music. I wanted it to sound better in order to hopefully elicit some
moodiness to the game, but it fell short in the end. I wanted better and
didn’t get it.
Difficulty: Medium
The most difficult thing I found was trying to
play as I got further and further into the game. It just wasn’t much fun and
I found myself getting more and more disappointed as the game went on.
play as I got further and further into the game. It just wasn’t much fun and
I found myself getting more and more disappointed as the game went on.
Concept: 7.2
The whole idea of the game was spot-on, but the
execution fell through the basement. I liked the idea of a horror game in a
massive creepy museum and we all know how creepy Egyptian mythology can be, so
it just made it that much worse when the game didn’t effectively use these
strong base elements to make a better game. A good idea gone horribly awry.
execution fell through the basement. I liked the idea of a horror game in a
massive creepy museum and we all know how creepy Egyptian mythology can be, so
it just made it that much worse when the game didn’t effectively use these
strong base elements to make a better game. A good idea gone horribly awry.
Overall: 5.4
There isn’t much more that I can say that I
already haven’t. It was a bad gaming experience that should not have been.
already haven’t. It was a bad gaming experience that should not have been.
