A faithful, yet frustrating videogame adaptation of the Saw franchise.

The Saw franchise has seen its highs and lows. Many horror fans have left the series behind after Saw 3 complaining the story has become convoluted and confusing. Some left after part 5 as it was... well... just plain bad. For myself, I'll admit, 5 sucked big time, but it wasn't enough to allow me to not see the loose ends tied up in the story that has lasted 6 films thus far. In that aspect, I actually was excited, looked forward to, and had the pleasure of playing through Saw: The Videogame. Again, depending on your feelings about the series, will you answer the question, "Do you want to play a game?"

Saw: The Videogame has been in development hell for a couple of years now, and to actually be released just in time to coincide with Saw VI the movie, is a task I for one didn't think would happen. Originally to be published by Brash Entertainment and to be released along with Saw IV, fate shined upon Zombie and its creators when Konami, famous for a little survivor horror game called Silent Hill, took helm of financial responsibilities and even had some input on the game's final outcome. For Saw fans, this is all but good news as I couldn't imagine a Saw game financed by the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" publisher turning out this well.

Saw: The Videogame is mostly puzzles with sprinkles of action and suspense throughout the game. This is a very good thing, as I'll admit that the combat stinks worse than a rotting corpse left in a JigSaw trap for a month. It's sad that the developers took something as simple as hand to hand combat and made it slow to the point where you have to time your attacks far ahead to make impact, and even then, the collision detection of the Unreal Engine may have you miss your contact point completely. The result will make the combat/survival parts of this game very frustrating, but again, thankfully they are only roughly 20 percent of what the game does well, which is the puzzles and traps.

Of course this is not to say you won't be pulling out your hair or cursing wildly into the air with some of the puzzles in Saw: The Videogame either. While most of the puzzles are nice little head scratchers, you will encounter puzzles that will test your nerves and will to the point you question whether you want to finish the game or not. Of course it's not the puzzles themselves that are the entire challenge; it's completing them in the allotted time before death occurs. I guess, in the end, that's the point of JigSaw's little game, to challenge your will to survive. While this may be true, I questioned whether some of the traps may have been concocted by Amanda rather than JigSaw. (Fans will know what I mean by that)

This is a perfect segway to tell you that only Tobin Bell reprises his own voice for the franchise faithful. Which I guess is all that matters as the rest of the cast are just pawns in his little game anyway. It is disheartening that Tapp isn't voiced by Danny Glover, Amanda not by Shawnee Smith, but the good news for the videogame nerds is that both characters are aptly voiced by actors from Left for Dead, so all isn't completely crushed. The music is moody, and while not utilizing the score from the series, it does a good job recreating one that is pretty damn close.

The game should take you anywhere from 6 to 10 hours to complete, depending on your willingness to see every nook and cranny of the game. You also are privy to two endings in the game, and thankfully the game saves right before your final decision so you can witness both endings without necessarily taking another trip through the game. At 60 dollars, the price for a movie based game is a bit steep, and I can only say it is worth it for the hardcore audience. I also must mention my score is based upon the fact that I am a fan of the series, so knock it down a point if you are just familiar with the films. Lastly, because the game relies on your knowledge of the movie lore, I can't recommend this title to those who have never seen the films, as it will make no sense at all. In the end, depending on your love for the films, your bloodlust, and your nerves being made completely out of steel, will you answer the question of, "Do you want to play a game" with a resounding yes or no.