Review: Saw

DrunkWithPower

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Apr 17, 2009
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Should have went with Borderlands. Now that I have that out of the way, good review. I have only one true question, wouldn't it be easier to just blow everybody away then go through the game? In true aspects to the movies there should only be like 10 people in the building right? Either way, I like the idea that the game makes you think before you act, nice change from run and gun.
 

Byers

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Nov 21, 2008
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Any particular reason why you guys never tag the reviews with which platform the game is for, like every other site? Or are you working under the assumption that we all have every gaming platform available to us?
Because right now, if I see a review of a game that interests me on this site, I find myself going to a different website and reading their review, just because I can immediately find out what platform it's released for, and save myself the trouble if it's one I do not own.

Just wondering!
 

Tonimata

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Jul 21, 2008
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THIS! THIS THIS THIS IS WHAT MOVIE BASED GAMES HAVE TO BE LIKE, CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THE FILM BY ADAPTING A NEW GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE TO IT!

Seriously, this one looks like it could be worth a damn. Better than any of those Pixar games
 

Susan Arendt

Nerd Queen
Jan 9, 2007
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Byers said:
Any particular reason why you guys never tag the reviews with which platform the game is for, like every other site? Or are you working under the assumption that we all have every gaming platform available to us?
Because right now, if I see a review of a game that interests me on this site, I find myself going to a different website and reading their review, just because I can immediately find out what platform it's released for, and save myself the trouble if it's one I do not own.

Just wondering!
Ack, you are absolutely right. That's an oversight on my part. I shall update the review accordingly.

Apologies for not including such important information.
 

Distorted Stu

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Sep 22, 2009
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Im waiting for this to come out in Europe, looking forwards to a good puzzle game, be the first i will own on my xbox!
 

KazNecro

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Jun 1, 2009
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Susan Arendt said:
Bzzt BZZZZT!!! ...It's a saw. See what I did there? Yeah. Ok. Moving on.
Yeah... alright Susan. I got it... *Backs away slowly, looking for a blunt object to defend himself with*

OT: Seriously, it took them six movies (and quite frankly, they should have stopped at two) to come up with the idea to do a game for it? I love puzzle games, and one that's horror based does have a tendency to whet my appetite (the Silent Hill series is a prime example). Its a shame the controls suck, as you seem to allude to. I might rent this. Thanks for the review.
 

Vlane

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Sep 14, 2008
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Saw isn't based on horror movies since the Saw series isn't part of the horror genre and I will personally punch you in the face if you say otherwise.

So yeah I hate the movies so I will probably hate the game and I won't give it a chance to impress me.

But it's a nice review.
 

Susan Arendt

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Jan 9, 2007
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Vlane said:
Saw isn't based on horror movies since the Saw series isn't part of the horror genre and I will personally punch you in the face if you say otherwise.

So yeah I hate the movies so I will probably hate the game and I won't give it a chance to impress me.

But it's a nice review.
Oh, really? You're going to punch me in the face? Good to know.

No, if you hate of the movies -- which are horror, whether you like them or not -- you will almost assuredly hate this game, as it is drenched in the franchise's trappings.
 

k-ossuburb

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Jul 31, 2009
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"move-based games" Susan? I think you're missing an "i" there. We all make mistakes but I'm just letting you know. This looks more like a rental game, it's not quite Silent Hill but I'm a fan so I'll give it a go. Good review as always.
 

Gunner 51

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Jun 21, 2009
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Ooh, thanks for the review. I'll give it a rental if I can find it, though I find it heartening to hear of a good movie based game. (Man, I sounded camp in that first sentence.)
 

Vlane

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Susan Arendt said:
Oh, really? You're going to punch me in the face? Good to know.
Damn it. Why do you have to respond? I can't hurt you.

Susan Arendt said:
which are horror, whether you like them or not
No The Exorcist is a horror movie. The Saw series belongs to the torture porn genre or snuff movies. You watch a Saw movie to see the death scenes, which are good, but you don't watch them to get scared and I have no idea how you can get scared watching that.
 

AvsJoe

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May 28, 2009
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Love the review and the game looks good, but I've got a ton of other games ahead of this one on the list of games to play, so I doubt I'll ever get to it unless I find it in a cheap bin or a pawn shop somewhere... which sucks because I know I'd enjoy this title.
 

Susan Arendt

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Jan 9, 2007
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Vlane said:
Susan Arendt said:
Oh, really? You're going to punch me in the face? Good to know.
Damn it. Why do you have to respond? I can't hurt you.

Susan Arendt said:
which are horror, whether you like them or not
No The Exorcist is a horror movie. The Saw series belongs to the torture porn genre or snuff movies. You watch a Saw movie to see the death scenes, which are good, but you don't watch them to get scared and I have no idea how you can get scared watching that.
You seem to have a very specific view of what constitutes a horror movie. I certainly agree that The Exorcist is a horror movie, but the Saw films - gratuitous though they may be - certainly qualify, as well. (Especially the first one, which has a more sophisticated story than just "let's find creative ways to kill people.") Now, don't get me wrong, they're not good movies. The writing is a joke and the plots are threadbare excuses to set up the next kill. And yes, the Saw films did usher in the torture porn genre, in much the same way that the original Halloween (one of the best horror movies of all time, IMO), ushered in the 80s glut of slasher flicks. Horror films are cyclic - the popularity of The Ring created the PG-13 horror genre, leading to movies being cut specifically to fit that rating.
 

Alone Disciple

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Jun 10, 2008
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Well, I know reviews are subjective, and I usually judge games on aggregates and averages. I'm a bit surprised you commented on the puzzles as most all other reviewers say after you figured out the first few puzzles, you more or less figured them all out....Rinse and repeat...Did you notice that when you played?

GR gave it a 67%
Metacritic a 64%
And even OXM who usually gives ridiculously higher scores for once gave it a 4.5/10.
 

Lvl 64 Klutz

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Apr 8, 2008
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I'm going to have to disagree with you about saying it's not Survival Horror. As far as I'm aware, survival horror and puzzles usually go hand in hand.
 

KeyMaster45

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Jun 16, 2008
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The saw movies never appealed to me, I don't know why but the whole idea of them just never excited me. Yet for some reason I got very excited when I heard about this game during E3 and that it didn't suck. I'm wary though, I haven't rented a game in years; the last ones being the 2 Fullmetal Alchemist games for the ps2(awesome games for anyone who loves the series), but blockbuster may see me as a customer in the near future to try this one out.
 

AGNGoo

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Dec 26, 2008
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Vlane said:
Susan Arendt said:
Oh, really? You're going to punch me in the face? Good to know.
Damn it. Why do you have to respond? I can't hurt you.

Susan Arendt said:
which are horror, whether you like them or not
No The Exorcist is a horror movie. The Saw series belongs to the torture porn genre or snuff movies. You watch a Saw movie to see the death scenes, which are good, but you don't watch them to get scared and I have no idea how you can get scared watching that.
I think Stephen King's defense of the "torture porn" genre (albeit stated in response to criticism of the abysmal-for-reasons-not-relating-to-torture-porn-status Hostel Part II) applies here: "horror" is an evolving genre. What scared people years ago won't scare people as much now (Poltergeist was considered the scariest thing ever in the '70s. Now barely tingles a spine today). And what scares people today probably won't have as much impact twenty years from now. The "torture porn" genre does what it sets out to do: to get under the skin of the viewers and disturb them, even frighten them. Saw is, indeed, noteworthy for its elaborate deathtraps and gory death sequences, but as Susan mentioned in her review, it's also about Jigsaw, a villain who isn't like the slasher villains of yore, who delivers wonderfully chilling performances every time.

I'm not going to hold up the franchise as a bastion of amazing and coherent storytelling (as much as I love the movies and enjoyed the game, I'll be first to say the plots are laughable at best and incoherent and nonsensical at worst), but it sets out to be more psychological than other franchises. The villain honestly thinks he is doing good work and doing the world a favor with his sadistic games. More to the point, he thinks he's doing the victims a favor. It disturbs you by attempting (with varying success) to turn the good and evil dichotomy of horror upside down. The first movie was remarkable in its rather minimalist approach (other than the elaborate traps featured early in the movie and the reverse bear trap sequence, the majority of the story takes place in one room, with the main characters barely moving from their positions, and yet still manages to be unnerving and spooky).

As for the review, it was excellent. I agree with it wholeheartedly. It's definitely more of a rental if you're not a die-hard Saw fan, but it's also definitely worth at least giving a try if you're a fan of survival horror or puzzlers. (I played the 360 version of it myself, and yes, the controls are just as shoddy. I shudder to think what the PC version will be like, having played the PC version of Silent Hill: Homecoming.)