A good movie tie in game? That truely is Shock Horror!
How does the Saw video game exist then? you may ask well its simple, keeping the brilliant Saw franchise storyline intact and relying more on the puzzle aspect than the emotional toll. Saw the video game also relies on a sense of urgency when solving puzzles rather than the emotional heartache they brought in the films.
Squeezed in between the First and the Second film, ( In many critics opinions the best two films in the franchise) You play as Detective Tapp from the first film, ( albiet a younger detective due to the actor Danny Glover refusing to have his likeness and voice in the game). Jigsaw in his normal act of 'Kindness' has patched you up of your seemingly fatal bullet wound, and placed you within an asylum containing a whole host of traps, other 'game players' to kill and of course the victims you must save to learn your traditional Saw lesson.
So in brief this game revolves around solving a selection of mini puzzles, defeating the many minions scattered around and finally solving the final puzzle of each level to save the victim somehow related to Tapp. To keep the game from becoming a simple 'solve this - kill that' the creators have added a great storyline that fits snugly within the Saw timeline and even manages to stay canon within the Saw story arc, another factor that keeps the game playable is the well structured enviroments. The asylum itself has been presented in such a way that even though the Saw game doesn't rely heavily on scares and shocks still manages to if not scare you, it does indeed creep you out. The most crutial aspect that will keep players hook and most certainly fans of the franchise, is the little parts that link the game to the films the 60's style tv's, the camera being used to light up rooms, the return of certain characters and perhaps most importantly the voice of Jigsaw being played by none other that Tobin Bell himself.
All in all the game is a suprisingly good movie-tie in, with enough content and to keep fans and players alike entertained throughout its interesting but perhaps a little repetetive 10 hours of gaming...
(+)Pros - Great Atmostphere, Each final level trap is well designed, Toblin Bell playing the voice of Jigsaw, The ending, (in particular the truth ending)
(-)Cons - Poor combat, can become repetetive, Shotgun traps become an annoyance, no replay value
Game Rating - 7.5 out of 10
Gameplay - 7.5
Audio - 8 (Jigsaws voiceovers being a high factor in this score)
Graphics - 7
Presentation - 9