Obscure for Xbox Reviews & Ratings by IGN

If you had told me that a game starring characters named Stan, Kenny, and Mr. Garrison was supposed to be one of the most innovative horror games of 2005, I probably would have thought you were joking. But after playing through Dreamcatcher Interactive's tag-team terror known as Obscure, I'm definitely more inclined to believe it. You see, the players mentioned above aren't digital versions of the raunchy children from Comedy Central's popular South Park series, but rather, essential figures in a spooky supernatural thriller that boasts more interesting ideas than most others in the genre do.

Though the idea certainly isn't new, the heart of Obscure's innovation is its two-person co-op gameplay. But unlike past titles that have tried to benefit from a leapfrog system when approaching the concept of two-player survival, Obscure goes a more practical route by making everything simultaneous. In this adventure, Character A won't have to stand on the secret switch while Character B acquires the Sacred Gem of Amara -- they'll have to decide what to do together and just go out and do it. This simultaneous "one-screen system" works a bit like a buddy cop movie: with one protagonist providing backup and another one trying to complete an objective at the same time. The end result is a pretty fluid and fast-paced escapade that can quickly turn into a great two-person party game.

Of course the same nagging issue that's plagued most single-screen co-op games is a problem here too, which is that oft dreaded phenomenon known as companion misplacement. A bizarre circumstance that traps one character off-screen while the other one explores the game world, companion misplacement will likely be a problem with hotseat play no matter how many technological advancements we make. It's kind of like how modern medicine continually fails to eliminate the common cold, only we're left with flared tempers instead of flared nostrils.

Luckily the development team at Hydravision has discovered an interesting fix for this problem that may not be 100% foolproof, but does help the "lost buddy" problem rather effectively. This solution is a simple 'leader' command that allows players one and two the ability to switch designations as the camera's primary target. This means that if your lead character Kenny is running for his life around a pesky stack of boxes while leaving his balding comrade behind him off-camera, the guy controlling Dan can tap the leader button and immediately switch views so that he can catch up with Kenny before being eaten by something that would make even the guys from Iron Maiden feel handsome. As I said earlier, it's not always as effective as it should be (especially in rooms filled with junk and other obstacles), but it's a whole lot better than the typical loss of sight and movement affiliated with most co-op adventures.

Moreover, I'm also happy to report that the development team didn't just stick with the co-op as its sole differentiating feature. Some additional bits of gameplay have pushed the envelope as well. In a nod to DOOM 3 players that were begging for a feature just like it, for example, users can tape flashlights to their weapons so that they don't have to switch between illumination and firearm to see what they're killing before pulling the trigger. The dated and frustrating typewriter save system made popular by the Resident Evil series has been nixed too, in favor of a much handier 'save anywhere' system that's only limited to the number of discs that you find to use it. Other little details, like the more realistic recovery items (first aid kids, energy drinks) and an interesting light boost feature (a way to attack a swarming cloud of darkness with your flashlight to keep enemies away), add a distinctive flavor to the game that I haven't really seen anywhere else. There's even a handy quick-select menu system that allows players to bring up weapons and items independently on the fly (no need for sloppy menus anymore). When coupled with the cool co-op goodies mentioned above, you could see why Obscure could be a compelling pick-up for horror fans.

Unfortunately, Obscure runs into a couple of roadblocks that keep it from becoming reaching the classic status of a Silent Hill or Eternal Darkness. At the forefront of these issues is the character lineup. Totaling five in all, the teenage survivors hit every stereotype in the book -- from the shy but beautiful younger sister type to the well-meaning dopey stoner that comes complete with a dirty skullcap.

Because of these obvious typecast personalities, however, it makes caring about them extremely difficult. But in an effort to make them more compelling, Hydravision has provided each protagonist with a special ability not unlike those of Resident Evil Outbreak so that you'll have a reason to want to use them. Sadly, most of them rather useless because as long as you have a "hint" persona in your active roster (Josh, Shannon) alongside your lock-picker Stan, you'll have all you need to succeed for the remainder of the game.

The storyline is a little disappointing too. Taking place over a 36-hour period at the eerie Leafmore High School, Obscure starts off promisingly with a creepy exploration of a hidden basement found below a tool shed, and continues to build steam as the early investigation segments unfold. After a certain point in the tale brings all five characters together, however, the narrative loses steam and most of the suspense that was built up so well in the early going sails away. You can blame that on the fact that the last third of the game is essentially just you blasting away at whatever enemies get in your way. And while we're on the subject of enemies, why are there so many repeating boss and standard monster types? There can't be more than five or six creatures that'll you'll encounter the whole way through -- an expanded selection of foes would have helped things quite a bit.

Regardless of my complaints above, one prop that I do have to give Obscure is that it looks and sounds terrific. Despite the fact that the textures are rather low-res and the animations are sometimes stiff, the character models and lighting effects are really, really good. And just like 2001's Dreamcast survival title Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, Dreamcatcher's game captures the usefulness and practicality of a flashlight in the darkness with frightening realism. The sound effects and ambient music are the most powerful element of the presentation, though, and when combined with the mostly-black atmosphere and effective camera angles, keep the environments fairly spooky -- especially in the beginning stages of the game.

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