Certainly not a classic, but an enjoyable gore-festival none the less.
If you go into this game thinking that you've either rented or purchased a masterpiece, you are sorely mistaken. The production values in this game are good, but not great. The enemies look great, and have good animations, and while most of the enviornments look fine, some of them are lacking and look a bit bland. I will break this game down in point form.
Graphics - As I stated above, the enemies look great, as well as a good portion of the enviornments, but some of them are bland and unappealing. I didn't find anything awful about the graphics, but they certainly didn't push the envelope in any regard, and didn't achieve that "epic" look, or feeling. The main thing I feel the graphics have going for them is the fact that this is an M rated game, and from the mind of Clive Barker, so expect to see a ton of gore. Enemies explode and rain blood and body parts all over the enviornment. One boss in particular is repulsive, and many of the cutscenes are very gory. In my opinion all of the blood and gore is a positive, because I love violent and gory films, and video games.
Gameplay - In Jericho, you take control over an entire squad one person at a time. You can switch characters any time you like. This mechanic works out rather well, because every character has a gun or special move that you will want to use at one point. I didn't find any character useless. Many people will look at the name on the front of the box, and the visuals on the back and assume that Jericho is some sort of first person survival horror. It's not. While the vibe in the game is morbid, and at times creepy, there are no pop out scares. This game has less of a horror film vibe than a sci fi vibe. The game is challenging at times, but never becomes overly frustrating. As other reviews have stated, the enviornments in Jericho are rather claustrophobic. I didn't see this as a negative. This game wouldn't have worked in a more open setting in my opinion. The best moments in this game are the times when several enemies are closing in on you and you're backed up against a wall. Sure, it can be frustrating, but I enjoyed it.
Sound - There really isn't anything bad to say regarding the sound. I play all of my games in surround sound. The music always fits the tone, and the voice acting is good. Not great, but above average. I've heard some awful voice acting in video games, and Jericho is not one of them.
Story - I really wasn't expecting too much from this game in terms of storyline. I was actually pleasantly suprised. Before I proceed, I have to say that the ending is awful, and ends on one of the biggest cliffhangers I've ever seen in my life. If there is no sequel, this in inexcusable. This ending is one of those endings where you don't even believe it for a few minutes after the credits roll. You're left there saying to yourself, "that's it?" Apart from the worst ending I've encountered in many years, the storyline is above average, and the cutscenes potraying that storyline are done well.
Overall - There aren't alot of choices when it comes to M rated, over the top gore filled games on the Playstation 3. If you're like me, you're going to have to buy or atleast rent this game. If large amounts of gore don't appeal to you, then there are plenty of other, more polished first person shooters out there for you.