Whether your passion is FPS' or adventure games, this Autumn has much blood-soaked and 'gorerific' fare to offer. New releases include Indigo Prophecy, The Suffering 2 : The Ties that Bind, George Romero'sLand of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green and Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, . <Fatal Frame III: The Tormented and Trapt , which is a new franchise from the horror havens over at Tecmo, are two standouts with female lead characters.

With all of the earthquakes and storms that ravaged the planet this year even the most rational gamer might be entertaining thoughts of end-of- time predictions. Indigo Prophecy is the type of game whose time has come. If you like mysteries and urban legends, then this game has plenty of intrigue and twists to keep you interested.

Indigo Prophecy

Indigo Prophecy

It plays like a movie. Credits roll out over the scene in the beginning, and it sets the stage for a truly unique game. The scenes and trailers don't do this game justice. It has a certain touch to it that is all its own. The movie-like theme begins with the way the controls are handled; there is no button mashing. Even though you are controlling all the playable characters, the easy pass of the analogue stick makes it feel more like you are witnessing events that are happening to you. The camera adjusts to give you a variety of ways to view the events that unfold.

The game was acted by actors and then motion captured. The whole thing gives you the experience of being a movie director. Game-play is different because you play not only the unwitting murderer, but also the female police detective who is trying to solve the case. The music score is unexpectedly awesome as well as eerie and symphonic. The graphics are very cinematic and affecting. They aren't detailed so much as flowing. There are flashbacks of a hooded figure enchanting a circle of black magic encircled by candles, which is used to good effect.

Indigo Prophecy should make gamers that enjoyed Resident Evil and Siren happy. The title also explores the nascent game-as-movie crossover genre. Indigo Prophecy is certainly worth a rental at least.

Torque