Forbidden Siren 2
Xbox360
SCEI


Set on an island off the coast of Japan, 'Forbidden Siren 2' tells the interconnecting story of a large, somewhat overwhelmingly so, ensemble of characters. Jumping to and from different people keeps the game and story fresh, but adds an extra layer of confusion to the already-complex plot. It seems the inhabitants of this island all disappeared in a freak accident 29 years ago and present day brings this cast of characters to the island for varying reasons - cue giant tsunami of red sea, special powers, zombies and spectral enemies afraid of the light and you got yourself 'Forbidden Siren 2'.

The special power granted to all the main players is that of 'sight jacking', seemingly granted by the island to anyone that happens upon it, with the press of L2 you can jump to the view of any enemy in your vicinity, crucial to your sneaking past them or giving yourself a combat advantage. Besides this ability, 'Forbidden Siren 2' doesn't offer anything terribly new to the genre, anyone that's played through the 'Silent Hill' series will feel well at home throughout. Granted everything it borrows from other games, it does well but it doesn't offer much in the way of enhancements to the tried and true, especially when it comes to the controls which are almost identical to 'Silent Hill'.

Occasionally you'll come across another human, one that doesn't instinctively want to eat your entrails, who ranges from your typical damsel in distress, "Please help me climb this two inch incline"-types to battle-hardened soldiers taking care of most of the walking dead for you. You're able to give them simple commands such as wait, come and so on, though they often have no qualms about standing in a doorway, watching expressionless as you try to nudge past them with a walking corpse nibbling his way through your backside.

The story, while not wholly original, does disturb and creep out as it should and it's easy to get into it and physically jump when a zombie spots you and the control pad jolts in time. This is helped in no small part by the lack of HUD - your sole indication of remaining health is your character's inability to walk straight and upright and on the odd occasion constantly grunt every few seconds that will cause concern to anyone walking by as to exactly what kind of game your playing.

For its few faults 'Forbidden Siren 2' is a no question buy for 'Silent Hill' fans but for those a little overwhelmed with jumping into a series like 'Resident Evil' or 'Silent Hill' with their extensive back catalogue, this offers a nice entry level horror game if you're wondering what all the fuss is about.

Lyndon Cullen-Reid