How this game could ever get lower than an 8 astounds me
I am a harsh critic of games, they really have to show some form of innovation to win me over, and Jericho is one of the most unique and entertaining experiences I have ever had.
Graphically, this thing is cutting edge, in particular the cinematic nature of the presentation - it really does feel as though you are INSIDE a movie. A few times I even felt motion sick with the way the camera bobs and moves as your character walks, reloads, etc.
The gameplay mechanics are innovative with the switching between squad members, and I can see how that might put some "traditionalists" off the core mechanic, but once you get the hang of it, it really shines and adds variety. You will probably get attached to the weapons/abilities of certain members more than others, but the beauty is that in order to defeat the bosses (and let me tell you the bossfights are GREAT) you have to understand every squad members powers.
For those who say "this isn't scary or a horror" - RUBBISH - you will simply not find a game out there that has this much blood, gore, creepy music, or horror themage. It's first class horror - and not having a Fear-style BANG moment that makes you crap your pants doesn't nullify that. The overall atmosphere oozes with demonic horror that is absolutely believable and enthralling.
Difficulty actually surprised me - I played it through on Normal and found my team dead on many occassions. This challenge was good though, but I'd be horrified as to how difficult it is on Hard.
2 minor negatives for me were:
1) Cheesy american script lines and humor. Really though, its prettymuch what you experience in any Hollywood blockbuster, and if you just focus on the plot instead of their silly side-comments, it won't be an issue.
2) Level design homogony. Granted they could have put a bit more variety in the levels, but how much variety can you give a broken down middle-eastern city in the middle of the desert? Of course most of it will look and feel the same, so to mark the game down too heavily just based on this is quite ignorant. It's like marking down Far Cry because "everything is just the same big jungle". I mean come on.
Music and sound - excellent too.
All in all, this game sticks in my head as being MEMORABLE, something that makes me smile when I think about it. It also makes me extremely glad to be a believer in the good spiritual forces that protect me from such sheer and utter evil.
Jericho, have an 8.5, you deserve it.