8.5

Obscure II

It's been awhile since the PlayStation 2 was graced with a decent survival horror title and Obscure II has come to the rescue of gamers who wishes to be genuinely scared while playing these creepy yet entertaining games of the genre. Obscure II is a true sequel and is set two years after the first title where our heroes, now at university discover that something is not quite right in the realm of man. Majestically choreographed by CGI cutscenes and in game graphics, Obscure II draws the gamer from the very first few minutes as you become part of the survival horror genre.

Features

Although the storyline is clichéd and does not offer the genre much in enhancements, Obscure II makes a valiant attempt at filling the void of survival horror games on the PlayStation with enough genuine scares to give most gamers a healthy dose of scare tactics.

As you progress through the title while your acquaintances are hunted down one at a time and then it's up to your characters to solve a variety of puzzles and become engaged with the enemies in the game that not only pays homage to games such as Resident Evil but also contains a healthy dose of action-adventure to keep you glued to your console.

The storyline of Obscure is broken into a variety of different chapters where the player must successfully use the skills of their characters in order to progress to the next area of the title. Needless to say, as you solve these puzzles, you need to be aware of all the dangers and creepy crawlies that wish to end your reign as hero. The beauty of Obscure II is that the gamer must use all the characters available to them to successfully complete the title as each have specific individual skills.

Fans of multiplayer games will be pleased to know that Obscure II supports two player co-op who can be summoned at any time in the game which makes for some definitely satisfying gameplay. The only drawback of the multiplayer option is that the title does not support any online play which would have been amazingly brilliant, especially for the genre of the title.

Graphically, Obscure II is a little dated when compared to other games on the market at the moment which are still pushing the PlayStation 2's graphical capabilities. The backgrounds of Obscure II are rather detailed as are the characters but unfortunately there is something lacking in the graphics but needless to say, it's still an impressive looking title. Musically, Obscure II contains  your standard survival genre soundtrack and a variety of sometimes over the top voice acting which ironically suits the storyline.

In conclusion, Obscure II is an apt game on the PlayStation 2 which contains some sturdy gameplay, entertaining yet sometimes over the top storyline and good old fashioned fun. As with the graphics, the control system is a little dated but there is still enough life in this title to really make you appreciate the experience and leave you wanting more quality made survival horror titles on the PlayStation 2. Oh... and the title has a RRP of $45.95!