Saw II: Flesh & Blood for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I gave the first Saw a 7 rating. While not the greatest game ever, it was a decent combination of old-school survival horror and puzzles. Unfortunately, Saw II feels like a rushed sequel that doesn't match the fun and quality of the original.

Good:
- Music and sound effects put you in the Saw universe
- The actor who plays the villain Jigsaw in the movies reprises his role here (as in the first game), and does a good job
- Cutscenes, audio tapes, and written notes add to the overall Saw story
- The puzzles are fun the first time or two
- You can go back and replay any section

Bad:
- Puzzles get stale very fast. Most puzzle types are from the first game or other games, and the same types appear over and over again.
- Fighting is too simplified. The first game had some interesting elements to its combat, with traps, different weapon types, bolting doors, turning off your flashlight, etc. It didn't do a good job of using its ideas, but for the second game they've just given up and made combat into easy, predictable quick-time events that remove all tension and anxiety. It might have been better to just remove combat altogether.
- Repetitive environment that feels recycled from the first game.
- Too much backtracking and searching for keys. You'll think you're making progress and then realize you walked in a big circle just so you could collect a key.
- Bad writing for Jigsaw. The actor does what he can with the lines, but instead of speaking philosophically or giving gruesome hints, he seems to spend a lot of time explicitly telling you what your objectives are. They should have used text or your character's voice for that.
- The secondary characters are totally unlikable. You'll only care about saving them because you have to in order to beat the game.

All in all, I'd say rent this only if you're a big fan of the Saw movies, though keep your expectations low. I recommended the first game to Silent Hill fans, but I can't say the same thing for the sequel.