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Saw II (Video Game) - Reading Between the Lines
SolidSnake
April 20, 2010
I think it came to a surprise to many that Saw: The Video Game is getting a sequel after all of the average and below average reviews. It may come as an even bigger surprise that they are turning the video game into a complete series! John Williamson called himself, "The producer and designer of the Saw video game franchise." Well, I'm sure there's more than one producer and designer for the game, but he is playing as he talks. More importantly, would they really call it a franchise for just two games? Besides, there has been a new Saw movie every year since 2004. I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same thing for the games.
I consider myself a huge Saw fan. I own all of the movies and in all of the formats: Blu-ray, Unrated DVD, and limited editions. That having been said, I was eager to pre-order Saw: The Video Game. I tried really hard to love it, but as a huge Saw fan, I could only consider it a decent game. I assume most people that haven't seen the movies must hate it.
However, as a Saw fan, I must get my hands on Saw II on day one. It has some promising features that I can't wait to check into for myself. For one thing, the combat is now considered strategical combat. The second thing is something I noticed on the demo, and it's big.
For those of you who have seen the first Saw film (the second best in the series after Saw II if you ask me) you know that *SPOILER ALERT* Dr. Gordon cuts off his own foot in order to free himself from his shackle and escape the bathroom he and Adam were imprisoned in. There have been many Gordon hints and references in the movies, and many have compiled these hints on the Internet. I must give props to Aniland of YouTube.com for his great string of Dr. Gordon is Alive videos. If you are a Saw fan, and haven't seen his videos, I suggest checking them out. Anyways, this was what I discovered in the demo for Saw II, in a document, or Case File that was in the Game. It reads and I quote, "I met the Jigsaw killer and I let him escape. His price was too high, and I was too weak."
"Jigsaw was holding Gordons (An error in the game? I think it should be Gordon's, but there was no apostrophe) family hostage at gunpoint. Shots were fired. And I ran over to respond. If I hadn't been in the next building, I don't know what wouldve (again, no apostrophe, come on producers, if you're going to take our money, do your jobs) happened. We had a shootout at Gordons (Okay, I give up) apartment, then Jigsaw escaped and I gave chase."
"Jigsaw was a short man with brown hair, large blue eyes. (Really, come on, I know I gave up but this is pathetic) Jigsaw was a short man with brown hair, large blue eyes. (I know what your thinking, stop interrupting the text! Well, this is the last typo we see) I gave a render to the officer that found me after I was released from the hellhole, Whitehurst. Jigsaw trapped me there he did horrible things. In the end, he made me--"
Unfortunately, John stopped reading there, and there was much left in the document. Perhaps it would have mentioned finding Gordon or something? Well, at least I can stop commenting about the typos.
Moving on from the document, we were also told that the game takes place in about five different environments. Also, the replay value has gone up. Scattered around the game are collectable Billy the Puppets. They are out of the way, and you have to work for them, but they are said to reward you. My guess as of right now is that they unlock special features, as well as trophies and achievements.
John also said that the game has multiple endings, but then said you must beat the game from start-to-finish twice to unlock both of them. So, is it two endings again, or more like multiple means?
Now for a little bonus: Trophies and Achievements: The gamerscore and titles are sure things, the descriptions are my 99.99% sure guesses.
Smooth criminal: 15G - Successfully pick one lock.
A Little Background: 15G - Read one Case File.
Although this is listed as N/A for the release date on some websites, others say Fall 2010, August 2010, and October 2010. In the demo, John says it will come out in October because of the movie's tagline, "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw." I think that that is definitely correct. I know it will be out in October, every movie in the series has been, as was the last game.
Well, how about we finish up strong? I found this Question and Answer on GameSpot.com. All credit for this interview goes to them.
Who's Making This Game: Zombie Studios, the same developer behind the first Saw game, released in October of last year.
What The Game Looks Like: In a word? Gruesome. Expect to see the same sort of unfortunate demises that the movies offer, complete with splattered blood and twisted booby traps. But on a technical level, Zombie has upgraded to the latest version of the Unreal Engine, meaning it has got some new tricks up its sleeve with the game's visuals. Characters and textures look noticeably better than in the first game, but more importantly, light and shadows are looking quite a bit more realistic and creepy. For a game that relies so heavily on unsettling the player, improving the creepiness of shadows seems like a big deal.
What There Is To Do: Saw 2 is a survival horror game that combines puzzles, minigames, and infrequent combat as you try to escape the twisted machinations of the villain Jigsaw. This time around, rather than escaping from one nondescript building, you'll make your way through multiple locales, including hotels, sewers, and factories.
We played the first 10 or so minutes of the game, facing off against a variety of puzzles and traps. The first had our character's head in an iron maiden, on a timer, which was set to snap shut and impale our head with dozens of spikes unless we could find a way out in a hurry. The solution was a grim one: we had to use a scalpel to dig out a key surgically planted beneath our eye. Welcome to Saw!
How The Game Is Played: At times, the game can feel like an adventure game (albeit a twisted one) as you move through the dark from one puzzle to another without much button-pressing in between. But there are occasional moments of combat when you have to defend yourself. For the sequel, Zombie has gone for a more defensive style of combat. At one point, we were placed in a sort of fighting arena against a lunatic man charging at us with his arms tied behind his back and spikes on his head. With no weapons to be found, we had to frantically find a way to deal with him using wits rather than brute force. It turns out that opening a door leading to an empty elevator shaft and letting the poor sap charge blindly into the abyss worked quit well.
What They Say: Konami's company line describes the game thusly: "With a blend of intense combat, mind-bending puzzles, and a twisted story players will face horror and terror that only SAW can deliver."
What We Say: Agreed. But whether or not you're up for the depravity that a Saw game is uniquely capable of delivering is another story entirely. If you are, expect to see the game released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this Fall.
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