If ever there’s an underappreciated gaming genre, it’s got to be the survival horror fare. An odd reality, considering the popularity of ‘Resident Evil’ offerings (most recent ghastly effort aside), likewise the typically positive reviews for these titles. Factor in continuously well grossing, Hollywood horror flicks, and it’s a wonder survival horror doesn’t outnumber its overproduced, first person shooter (FPS) counterparts.

The small footprint of survival horror gaming, however, isn’t as surprising as it seems. Unlike first person shooters easily plucked from front page headlines and decades of ongoing war, survival horror requires custom and complex scripts, clever game design to capture its essence, last atmospherics that pay homage to the genre and those dedicated to it. In contrast, the astoundingly awful campaign modes of ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Battlefield’…yet record setting sales numbers…stand as testament that a well-playing, multiplayer friendly FPS is the one and only ticket expected of this gaming category.

I offer this comparison as ‘Silent Hill Downpour’ (SHD) for the PS3 confounds me. I could probably play the game for several months and remain uncertain on a proper review score. To explain, it’s a game that tries very hard to be exceptionally good…and clearly has a great deal of tender loving care behind it. It does so many things right, is refreshingly original and sophisticated, and well presented. The catch is, it’s a simultaneously flawed offering, ripe with gameplay and control offenses galore.

The dilemma, of course, is that a title’s merit – and any finished product – truly shouldn’t factor in effort. Does an independent publisher get a fairer shake than big budget simply due to financial handicap and subsequently lowered expectations? Conversely, should a high profile, legacy title be flogged for failing to live up to its own series standards? The more I played SHD, these questions evolved into legitimate conundrums.

To begin, the premise being SHD is that a morally just - albeit escaped convict - is in search of answers about himself and the crimes he served time for. From the get-go, the game thrusts you into psychological gymnastics, debating the merits of brutally murdering a protected witness, also saving a guard who but seconds earlier wanted to put a bullet through your brain.

Following a horrific but fortuitous bus accident, our protagonist – Murphy Pendleton – finds himself on the run, unsure of his bearings plus proper next steps. In perhaps the worst stroke of luck in GPS history, Pendleton escapes his surroundings, a demon possessed house, streets roaming with lunatic zombie women, bat people infested mines…to find himself in the Town of Silent Hill. As in previous titles, the obvious, next goal is to get the hell out of Silent Hill.

In terms of creep factor, SHD nails it to the nth degree. The game does an outstanding job of maintaining a constant sense of dread, isolation, and fear of what lurks just up ahead. Sound effects, music and voice acting, and character development are highest quality, constant reminders that Pendleton, while alone, is anything but at every given instance. Echoing ‘Bioshock,’ SHD incorporates radio broadcasts and accompanying songs to push eeriness levels even further. Warning: there’s a fair amount of cussing in this game.

SHD is also beautifully presented in 3D, with layers of fog, lighting differentials, and texture depth combining to create some sensational atmosphere. I can’t recall a single game on the PS3 where 3D was done this well…and so vital to the overall feel of a title. Dropping down to 2D does reduce the dread factor a little, but handsome graphics compensate nicely. The over the shoulder view of Pendleton never gets old, or the look of dread in his eyes which accompanies.

On the flipside,  whew.  Many an instance I wanted to hurl a controller in frustration at  poor level design, artificial emphasis on puzzle solving, and moronic combat mechanics. To elaborate and while certainly spooky, SHD levels are terribly laid out, and – even with maps in hand – Pendleton will wander aimlessly for no apparent rhyme or reason. The amazing irony of SHD is its persistent dedication in avoiding a linear story, but equally steadfast conviction of no advancement possible without finding location needles in haystacks.

If ever there was a game requiring a fixed heads up display (HUD), this is it. This becomes glaring as SHD lacks true save points and/or auto saves, meaning one can wander for eons to literally no end in sight. Lord help you if you die during these forgotten adventures in the Silent Hill bush. Back to the last artificial save location, minus any progression, items and/or defeated baddies in the interim. Not surprisingly but also disappointingly, I ended up on GameFAQs sooner than liked simply to avoid Job-like wandering.

Related, puzzle solving required to advance in said stages is reduced to, ‘find random object A requiring object B.’ Rinse, wash, repeat. Tonnes of useless backtracking, non-obvious paths are involved, where thankfully a resulting, cool cut scene is incentive to keep playing.

Die along the way, and forget all that you’ve known. SHD makes dying quite easy, as combat is an abomination of swinging wildly at predictable but impossible to hit opponents. Intermittent blocking pretends to insert some strategy to this experience, but fails miserably at it. Pendleton also moves like molasses, making these fight scenarios drag on longer than they ever should.

Perhaps my biggest pet peeve is the presence of items essential to progress, but impossible to find and/or know they’re either there or needed in the first place. Ditto on weapons required for progress past certain obstacles, but continuously destroyed in battling bad guys. Yes, they regenerate, but come on, people. Last and for chrissakes: stop taking accrued items from me. I didn’t lose ‘em, use ‘em, or drop ‘em. But they disappear at the worst of times from Pendleton’s inventory.

As a minor and final criticism, SHD is also strangely sluggish, tending to hiccup mid gameplay for no apparent reason. The game will occasionally slow to a processing crawl.

Thus I return to my original dilemma and questions. Silent Hill Downpour is a game that should be good, wants badly to be good, does things so right in so many ways. It also, however, falls over its own feet in the process, a champion horse that can’t run in ovals. Despite these hiccups, there’s something to be said about doing something different, about taking chances within a difficult gaming genre. With a little more polish, this game could be spectacular.