Here's a game I was meaning to pick up for the past year and a bit, ever since I played the demo. I would have just downloaded the episodes as they came out but seeing as I'm only on a 40gb, space is already as issue. So yesterday, while in GameStop, I spotted it second hand for €22 and thought it was about time I got around to playing it. I'd be lying if watching the amazing Endurance Run of Deadly Premonition didn't have a influence on my purchase. Watching that really got me in the mood for a good, proper horror game so I knew now was the perfect time to pick it up. 
 
The game is split into 12 episodes, each containing a series of scenarios with different playable characters. I've only been playing for about 40 minutes and I'm already on Episode 3, so I can see this being a rather short lived experience. But a good one still. Through a combination of eerie music, a grainy camera filter effect and a dark and mysterious mountain village setting, the game certainly succeeds in creating a tense and disturbing atmosphere. The gameplay is mixture of stealth and action. When it comes to engaging enemies, jumping head first into an encounter will usually end badly. You need to either stealth action or use the environment to your advantage. One unique and interesting feature is the ability to 'sight jack' enemies and other AI characters. This lets you see things from their perspective and can be used to gain a tactial advantage. As far as the story goes, it seems to be fairly standard stuff so far. The voice acting and dialog is about what you'd expect from any horror movie. I haven't really gelled with any of the characters yet but there's still plenty of time for them to grow on me. I'm intrigued to uncover the mystery behind this demented village and see how our protagonists will escape, so I guess the story is at least succeeding in drawing me in. 
 
I'll continue playing an episode or two a day until the finale...maybe towards the end I'll have finally mustered up the courage to play in the dark with headphones on.