I'll tell you what, this game really had some potential. The voodoo background, the fact that you're already dead (killed on your wedding night), some moody music, and appropriate atmosphere. I really liked the characters, too, even though the hero was a bit overdone.

Unfortunately, the fact that this is a video game, not a movie, is a reality that once again rears its ugly head to destroy yet another stellar review.

It's the gameplay really. Akuji tends to slide around the landscape, and going in the direction you want is a chore at times due to some poor camera work. But I'll get to that in a minute. What I first want to mention is the jumping. Aside from the fact that you have trouble figuring out if he can make the jump (due in part to the sometimes arbitrary distance he is allowed to cross), he feels like a marionette that gets jerked up on its string but doesn't get high enough to untwist his legs.

His attack abilities are also atrocious, the collision requiring the enemy to be so close he's nearly behind you. You also are able to use spells as projectiles, but you need to switch to another screen to aim properly, and in that time, you've already been hit by the enemy. Not to mention the fact that you can never really tell how far your spells actually have traveled until they hit something. The perspective is bad.

Now to get to the camera. Controls are very much similar to Gex, or, if you haven't played that, Spyro. Shoulder buttons swing the camera, or you can hit the first-person-view button really quick to jump the camera behind you. This is the problem. The camera travels, but in a lazy, balloon-like manner. You will constantly find yourself battling the camera angle to attack or make a jump.

This is a very short review, but I couldn't force more of this on you. If the game was not enjoyable, then the review can't be much more fun. Don't buy this. If you must play it, or are related to the creators, go to Blockbuster and make peace with the waste of a few bucks.

Overall: 6

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