Saw: The Video Game

Saw: The Videogame stars David Tapp, played by Danny Glover in the original film. The detective's obsession with catching Jigsaw has torn lives apart, leaving a trail of destruction in the search for justice. Consequently, Tapp becomes the latest pawn on the board. Waking in an asylum, he's given a chance at redemption, and the opportunity to catch Jigsaw. But first he must run a gauntlet of personal demons. To make matters worse, another game is running. Other people have been incarcerated in the asylum, and whilst unconscious, a key was sewn into Tapp's body. This is the only means of escape, so everyone is hunting the detective.

Saw's greatest achievement is capturing the feel of the movies. From the title music to the environments, it's an authentic experience. Subtle touches are everywhere; the fact Tapp is barefoot throughout, forced to walk over broken glass, is reminiscent of the films. Televisions switch on automatically when nearby, displaying that horrendous clown. As a source of illumination, Tapp can use a camera flash. The effect it creates is disorientating, and at times panic-inducing. It's lifted directly from the series, and proves an effective gameplay mechanic. There's also an element of fan service, as many popular traps feature. The bear trap is included, in addition to the Pendulum and Rack. There are some new ones, including an injection chair. Each stage requires the rescue of a different victim. Moral decisions are rarely used in survival horror titles, but it's a welcome addition.

Brain teasers are frequent, sometimes accompanied by a cryptic riddle. They include a lock picking minigame, a shape recognition game involving cogs, and getting electrical current to pass through a circuit board. More graphic puzzles involve searching for a key in a toliet of hypodermic syringes, or dipping a hand into a vat of acid. They are suitably nasty, but ultimately let down by repetition. The shock value is lost after the first encounter, and they do become repetitive.
However, combat sections are the most disappointing. The whole system is scrappy, with jerky animation and poor collision detection. Fights are usually won by whoever lands the first blow, which can be frustrating. A shotgun collar does force alternate tactics, and traps can be set to avoid direct confrontation. It's just a shame the actual fighting is so underdeveloped.

It's refreshing to see a movie licence make such good use of the source material. The experience isn't consistent enough to attract casual players, but for Saw fanatics, it doesen't get much better.

It was only a matter of time really. With Saw the ride and a new film every year someone was bound to make a game some point soon. Fortunately it's developers have made a decent job of making a game that at least entertains.
As Detective Tapp you are forced to face up to your mistakes from the Very First Saw film by wandering around an asylum solving puzzles, beating up almost everyone you meet and avoiding death traps.
There are no bosses at the end of the levels. Instead you have to save a different character to progress. This means more puzzle solving, except on a bigger scale where your mistakes make life, or rather death very unpleasant for the victim you have to save. You finally get to confront pighead towards the end (the closest thing the game does come to a boss)and will be asked to make one finally decisiobn
With some really good survival horror games out there already Saw is facing a tough crowd. Especially given that the fighting is pretty much mono en mono and so long as you get the first strikes, not too much of a challenge. Thankfully SAW the game does have a few advantages.
1. There is a bit of a hole between Dead Space/Resdient Evil and God of War 3 Dead Space 2 etc and SAW seems to fit quite nicely
2. Trophies flow as much as the blood. Kill one person with a shovel and get a trophy. kill the next guy with a baseball bat and another one is yours. Simply die and you get a trophy. Just playing the game through once gave me 80% of the full quota without breaking into a sweat
3. It's the first SAW game. You have 20 Star Wars games for each of the films and most of them suck which leads us to
4. SAW is actually quite good. Ok it's hardly Game of the year or even of it's genre. But it does satisfy those who've seen the films and like to think how much better they'd do in those situations (without being forced to stick their hand in acid or chop their feet off of course).
If you like Saw get the game. If you like gore get the game. If you're dying for something to do whilst waiting for the next resident evil/dead space etc. Get the game. Far from perfect but worth a few hours and an excellent way to earn tons of trophies

I wasn't sure how well a Saw video game would work, but it's surprisingly effective in making you sweat and wince, and sometimes jump in fright. You play as Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover in the first movie) who, after being rescued by Jigsaw from the catacombs outside the infamous bathroom is thrown into a gauntlet of his own in an abandoned asylum where he has to rescue a handful of people from gruesome deaths.

It reminded me a lot of Condemned 2 (PS3) but was nowhere near as terrifying, but it gets points for trying, as you stumble around in dark, decrepit buildings unsure of what is around the corner. It's a fairly easy game, with an easy-going learning curve. Common sense and memory tricks will see you through every trap safely, and it's good to see some closure on the story of Detective Tapp (apparently the game IS canon), but the twist at the end is lame and there's no 'Final Zepp'. Instead the game just offers generic muzak that's hardly as effective.

It's an easy Platinum, with many bronze and silvers given away like they were free. You won't be playing it for more than a week, but still worth it.

Graphics C+
Sound B-
Gameplay B
Lasting Appeal C+