Starring a group of high school kids who get trapped in a school, Obscure starts off slow but interesting.  You control a young basketball star around the court, shooting baskets if you desire.  The graphics look pretty bland at this point, but I like the seclusion of the atmosphere.  I like how the ball naturally rolls around the court as I run into it – a small but necessary touch in today's world of demands.

Shooting baskets gets old quick.  Assuming that's not really the reason why I'm here, I head for the nearest door.  It's not locked (apparently), but the game informs me that I'm not leaving without my stuff.  Okay, I'll buy that.  I wouldn't take off without my stuff in real life either (especially if a PSP was in my bag.  You couldn't get me to go anywhere without that!).  What to do?  Search for the bag and see what's inside, if anything. 

"Uhhh...hello?" 

All other doors are locked, except for the locker, which was intentionally left open.  I don't know it at the time, but a trap was being laid.  Like a mouse chasing after a piece of cheese, I fell for it.

There it is, my bag!  It's only there for us to see, of course.  Only us, the gamers (viewers) get to witness the bag being taken away but what appears to be a monstrous hand.  Rats, what now?

More walking and running and more door checking.  This one is locked.  This one is tightly shut, etc., etc.  If you heard it in Resident Evil or Silent Hill, chances are you'll hear an excuse that's just as lame, if not lamer, to explain why you can't enter.

Time passes, yawns follow, and eventually I make my way down to where the monster is hiding.  A scared citizen is located, and before I know it we're heading off into battle as a team.  We've got weapons (I found a gun along the way – what was it doing in a school?), and we're ready to take on any vicious beast that will attempt to lash its tongue at us!  Or so we thought.  The monster comes, we fight but die.  At least that's how it appears.  The "Obscure" logo appears, putting a Scream-like end to the game's interactive intro.  Great concept, but it would've been a lot more exciting if the characters moved faster and if the monster looked scarier. 

Red is the color of those we do not speak of. 

Just as an unrealistic monster prepares moviegoers for a scare-less experience, Obscure's intro does little to entice the player to continue.  You're curious to know what happens next.  We all are.  But that monster looked so lame.  Finding him wasn't fun.  The areas are too big and little explanation is given to guide you in whichever direction you're supposed to go.  Did I mention the frequent door checking?  As bad as the monsters look, there just aren't enough of them, nor are there enough real weapons to take them down.

Although I had high hopes for the scare-factor, the game never reaches a scary, or even a suspenseful, level.  Playing Obscure after playing other survival/horror games is like watching I Know What You Did Last Summer after watching The Ring.  There's no comparison between the two.  The Ring is scary.  I Know...isn't.

A game is only as scary as the amount of realism packed into the graphics engine, and this is another area where Obscure comes up short.  Clunky controls don't have to equal clunky animations, but they do in this game.  I was particularly disappointed by the backgrounds and the monster designs and animations.  Not only did the environments lack the realistic sense of fear and darkness present in, say, the first Silent Hill, but the game also lacks a collection of monsters, creatures or any type of adversary that has the power to strike fear in the player.

The computer animated scenes aren't that great either.  They remind me of the CG used for Beast Wars and other low-budget TV shows developed in the late 90s.  I thought games had gotten past that. 

We've got flashlights and we're NOT afraid to use them! 

I had high hopes for Obscure and its exciting concept of being trapped in a school, slowly killing off its cast like an episode of American Idol, but instead I got a game that was akin to the vocal performance of the last American Idol: scary for all the wrong reasons.

Gameplay: 6
Lacks excitement.  Lacks thrills.  Lacks scares and chills!  It takes the “horror” out of survival/horror and becomes a game of survival, one that isn’t even that hard to survive.  With lots of walking, door checking, and a poorly constructed story, Obscure becomes a game that, before too long, will be the definition that justifies its name.

Graphics: 6.9
We’re on the fast lane to the next generation of game consoles.  It’s at this time when all games released on the current generation should look their best.  It is also a time when we are reminded that, no matter how young or old a console is, there will always be games that look like they were made for a much older console.

Sound: 7.9
Surprisingly haunting for a game that isn’t very scary.  Good compositions, original-sounding, and much more entertaining than the game itself.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Survival/horror is supposed to be a game of surviving horrific scenarios.  Obscure doesn’t quite meet the requirement, having decent graphics, decent cut scenes and good music, but below-average gameplay.

Concept: 9
Excellent ideas presented.  Good use of camera; smart choice for characters; clever ideas for make-your-own weapon/device.  The execution of it all is where the game falls short.

Multiplayer: 6.5
Wanna share the love?  Then drag your friend over to the TV and make him pick up a controller.  Two-player co-op available…if you dare.

Overall: 6
All mechanical issues aside, the most important feature a survival/horror game can have is horror.  Can’t say “better luck next time” or “this game almost pulls it off” when it’s missing the thing that matters most.  It doesn’t even have those pop-out-and-say-boo moments that the first two Resident Evil games were famous for.  That, combined with clunky gameplay and lame monsters, make for one obscure game.