The awful pro reviews this game is getting are totally unfounded. I was expecting to hate this game and was prepared to spend at least 10 hours hating it before I would totally give up on it. I started the game with the intention of maybe spending an hour or less finding out how bad the camera and controls were, instead, inside of 5 minutes I knew this was a keeper. Three hours later I finally tore myself away. Now for the particulars.

GRAPHICS

This game has been said to look awful, I suggest not being on something when playing. The game looks wonderful, with no annoying problems like slowdown, etc.

SOUND 9/10 Usually I lump sound and music together, but in this case I must make an exception. The sounds in the game are terrific, just listen to the water and the sound of walking over the bridges, and all of this in Dolby Digital 5.1.

MUSIC

The music, what little there is of it, is not very good. This is one of those games where music plays a very minor role and is all but overshadowed at all times by the sound effects.

CONTROL/CAMERA

I am putting these two elements together because they work together, with the left stick controlling movement and the right stick the camera, while the right shoulder button centers the camera. These elements work together in perfect harmony and I can't understand why anyone would think otherwise. The only blemish on the controls is the jumping, which isn't really jumping, but rather floating.

GAMEPLAY

There are plenty of clues along the way to point you in the right direction without leading you by the hand. Yes it is true that the game requires a lot of back tracking, but I, for one, don't mind at all since all the other elements are so good and it just adds to the length of the overall experience. I have read that the game is boring in the beginning and doesn't pick up until about the eight hour, but I like it just fine and I've only been playing for three hours. The game requires a lot of exploration, probably a lot more than killing enemies, so if your expecting another Gauntlet, steer clear, since this game is much closer to Zelda. Someone even referred to this as a first person shooter with rpg elements. Huh? It is third person, and there is no shooting.

REPLAY

Once you finish the game you probably will never play it again, but finishing could be quite a daunting experience. The game is said to take over 75 hours. If you use a walk thru I suppose it would take less, but you'd only be cheating yourself. Yes you will get lost in this world, a lot, but it is all part of the experience, and if you are like me, this game could easily take over 100 hours.

BUY OR RENT

Only if you are not sure if this is the kind of game you are looking for should you rent it to find out. Once you start you won't want to stop, and considering the length, buying could be cheaper.

FINAL COMMENTS

Considering how short games have become lately, and how hard it is to find a deep satisfying game that can totally consume you, especially on the three newest consoles, this game is a must, and if you play it all the way through, a good bargain as well.