Forbidden Siren Review

Those looking for a new experience in the tried-and-tested genre are in for some luck with â??Forbidden Sirenâ??; whilst itâ??s fair to say that the game makes heavy use of the genre conventions, the â??SightJackâ?? feature lends the game a certain sense of freshness.

Essentially allowing your character to get inside the heads of surrounding characters and enemies, you can witness the world from their viewpoint and also hear whatever theyâ??re currently thinking. Thanks to the over-use of white-noise during this sequence, the effect comes off as very chilling and adds a Cronenberg style of suspense to the whole proceedings.

The structure of the game is also vastly different to anything weâ??ve had before, as players take on the role of several different characters during a short time period. Structured more like a spreadsheet, your activities are recorded against this and give the game a suitable dynamic of â??being in the right place at the right timeâ??; itâ??s an intriguing concept that gives the game a degree of replayablility, but sadly can become a little too confusing at times.

Away from the new ideas, Forbidden Siren makes heavy use of what weâ??ve already seen before; so those expecting the next evolution in terms of control and combat will be disappointed â?“ familiar Silent Hill/Resident Evil systems here.

Finally special mention must be paid to the games presentation; featuring photo-realistic characters, the game comes across as spookily realistic in some areas, yet some poor environment textures let the side down. However itâ??s the atrocious voice-acting that provides the most enjoyment, which sounds as though everybody was put through English elocution lessons firstly or had a role in 'Just William'.