Sorry, PC gaming addicts: If you're busy biding your weeks waiting anxiously for Unreal Tournament III, don't expect rival first-person splat-'em-up Jericho to ease the burden in the meantime.

There's nothing particularly egregious about this shock-horror epic, which scores with its thrilling sense of momentum and sick, S & M-style aesthetic. But at the same time, there's nothing here, despite noted author and director Clive Barker's (Hellraiser, Imajica -- seriously, from young adult books to stark terror, we wish we had this guy's range) involvement, that'll turn many heads. And in a post-BioShock world, well -- unfortunately, that makes it awfully hard to justify a premium asking price (even if it curiously was developed by Mercury Steam, the same team behind the much-better-than-anticipated American McGee Presents Scrapland).

Call it a game of two halves. On the one hand, you've got the positives, e.g. gut-wrenching camera shifts and surprise assaults by enemies that result in furious hand-to-hand tussles, demanding that you mash specific buttons at timed intervals to survive Dragon's Lair-esque interactive action scenes (although these would be considerably more gripping if, say, you didn't instantly get to replay them, sans loading, should you accidentally screw up mid-stride and get your face bitten off or fall to your death). Taking obvious inspiration from Hollywood, expect lots of whispering voices, bodies that explode into swarms of flies, and dreamlike frolics with obsidian-skinned, asexual children who spout apocalyptic prophecy in synth-distorted tones.

What we're most impressed with, however? Ironically, what got us was merely the outing's dynamic sense of pacing and inventive use of the first-person viewpoint to give each new plot twist a more immersive and arresting sense of atmosphere. Even the tense opening sequence, where you are suddenly jarred from sleep at 3 a.m., then -- viewing the world through lead character Capt. Ross' eyes -- sit up and worriedly grab the phone, only to find an ancient evil has awakened (thereby proving there's still plenty of room to improve presentation-wise on traditional videogame cut scenes), does wonders to further the cause of virtual storytelling alone. (Although the canned and poorly acted pre-taped vignette that immediately follows does, for the record, suck some serious tushie...)

Nonetheless, it's right about the time when you start to get your bearings -- minutes in, thanks to an intuitive control scheme that works as well via keyboard and mouse as it does on console gamepads -- that you begin to realize 'bizarre' doesn't always equal 'good.' Meaning that while walls of pulsing, bloodied flesh; explosive enemies off which you have to carefully shoot blisters; mind-melting psychic Nazis; and gritty dialogue (love the references to telekinetic lesbian snipers...no, seriously) may be present, some of these gimmicks come off as more contrived than engrossing.

Likewise, the story itself never rises above dime-store-novel filler. The tale in a nutshell: Controlling paramilitary squad Jericho, consisting of dual pistol-wielding priests and chain-gun-packing pyromancers, enter the lost city of Al-Khali to stop the Firstborn, one of God's deranged creations that predates Adam and Eve, from annihilating humanity. To wit, for every step forward made (e.g. options to dynamically possess half a dozen teammates with multiple armaments and alt-fire modes, switching between bodies on the fly), the tale also takes two back (i.e. laughable voice acting, hit and movement animations that lack contemporaries like Gears of War's sense of weight and impact, or ammo restocks that suddenly and inexplicably materialize out of nowhere).

It's a shame, to be certain -- with swords, fire spirits and semiautomatic shotguns at one's disposal, the chance to splatter corpses clad in bondage gear with blades for hands, parchment-winged devils, and ghostly bosses proves eminently satisfying. Sheer intensity, of course, being one of the game's chief strengths, with wave after wave of baddies assaulting in rapid succession, makes the quest more satisfyingly thumb-numbing than shocking, despite its featured celebrity endorsement. But between the stop-and-start nature of play (go here; listen to this script interlude; repel that wave of invaders; run to next area; clear out difficult obstacle; move along; repeat), general cookie-cutter level design (sweet, another ill-lit corridor), and some truly laughable one-liners ('You just got your ass kicked by a girl'), this is clearly a game of both glorious highs and crushing lows.

Certainly, as a run-n-gun blaster fan, you'll find more than your fair share of frenzied combat here, with speedily moving or flying foes largely relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm. Highlighted visuals are pretty darn impressive too, with crackling flames, gloomy passages awash in shadows and fog, gooey blood spurts that splatter the screen, light-trailing bullet traces, and woozy blurring effects all part of the frantic danse macabre that combat quickly becomes (and hey, computer geeks do get to experience the title at the maximum possible resolution).

What's more, there's even a slight strategic element to the proceedings, with players granted the ability to order allies about (teams can be told to hold, retreat or advance) via a simple command system. (Though, honestly, whether individual groupings or your entire crew hunker down, assume defensive positions, or just come rushing along seldom seems to make a major difference on a skirmish's outcome.) In short, the game's designed to throw so much at you -- tapping the A button lets you resurrect fallen buddies on command (a favor they'll return when you croak, too) -- that it's hard not to be at least mildly amused by the button-mashing proceedings.

Then again, speaking as an experienced fan of horror movies/novels, the title simply lacks the literary depth and/or sheer catchiness of competing properties, i.e. BioShock or Quake IV. It doesn't help that the military-meets-paranormal plotline's been done to death, either. Nor does the featured cast of characters (including the Doc Holliday-voiced, vice-prone preacher; mile-a-minute-talking female 'reality hacker;' and Sumerian-speaking token ethnic stereotype) exactly heighten suspension of disbelief. And seriously, if you've seen the first few handfuls of enemies here, you've seen just about all the title's going to throw at you. (Extreme linearity, frequent scenario rehashes, and showdowns with too-similarly-designed foes number among the offering's most egregious sins.)

Leaping between themed historical eras -- for example, World War II and the Crusades -- and being subjected to occasional clever storytelling devices (killings viewed through the eyes of the slain, doomed encounters with former allies and loved ones) that help flesh out the plot does add impact. But really, what you get here is basically just an in-your-face -- but still mostly clich&eacure;d -- splat-'em-up with solid handling, a wide selection of weapons, a large gross-out factor and an interesting supporting gimmick. To put it in terms that even casual ambulance chasers can understand, it's more the interactive equivalent of author Dean Koontz's mildly amusing page-turner Phantoms than, say, a truly groundbreaking work like Stephen King's It.

Compared with recent stunners like a certain Ayn Rand-inspired undersea romp, the outing still fares surprisingly well -- a testament to the degree of polish and tender, loving care invested into the project by its creators. But even with several sweat-inducing moments and ever-present options to hop between frantically twitching bodies faster than an eager porn star, let's just say this: Jericho's amusing, true, but chances are you'll find it to be nowhere near the heart-stopping thriller we've all been waiting for.

This review was based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.