Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness didn't get the promotion or the acclaim it deserved when it came out, but don't let that fool you. It's still one of the best games on any of the current generation of consoles, hands down.

This game is all about mood. Play it at night with all the lights out. Everything from the lighting to the ambient sounds is designed to establish a creepy feeling, and it really hits home in several key parts, especially when your sanity meter is running low.

Ah, the sanity meter. Yes, it's every bit as crazy as you've read. One reviewer wrote that there are only 10 different insanity effects. He most likely avoided going insane most of the way through the game, because the truth is there are around 100 different effects, ranging from minor things you'll barely notice to "What the...?" I won't spoil them for you, as they're one of the best parts of the game.

It's got a compelling storyline and a mythos based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. You control 13 different playable characters who all exist at different points in history. Although there are really only 4 different stages, each of which is repeated a few times by different characters, the stages do change from one visit to the next, sometimes making them very different places from last time you saw them.

The gameplay itself involves navigating through the stages with one of the characters, encountering several types of creatures, and solving puzzles. The combat system gives each character several different weapons, including close-range, long-range and projectile combat. You can target different areas on a creature's body, some more effective than others. There is also a highly satisfying magic-casting system where you combine sets of runes to make new spells.

You may notice in other reviews that some claim the game is way too easy, while others say it's too hard. Some also said the game is too short. What happens is, at the beginning of the game there are three different branches you can take in the story, and these dictate the difficulty of your quest as well as the creatures you encounter, including a completely different mid-game boss creature in each branch. However, once you complete the game once, you can go back and start again with one of the other possible stories, and when you complete all three you are treated to a special ending.

If you're looking for a quick fix shoot-em-up scare-me bloodfest, don't bother. If you're looking for a disturbing and riveting game that will stay with you long after you turn off your GameCube, don't let this one pass you by!

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