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Every single wimpy guy in the world has at one time or another dreamed of being big, buff, and irate and beating the snot out of everyone who called him "string bean," "Fresca-drinking freak," and "Adam, you suck." Well, fellow wimps of the world, now we have a video game hero. Dr. Jekyll of In Utero's Jekyll and Hyde is about as wimpy as they get (I mean, he's British!), but when he drinks some water and a funky purple potion, he becomes the butt-whooping Mr. Hyde. Sure, it's a cool concept for an action/adventure, but In Utero manages to spoil a grade-A idea with jumping puzzle after jumping puzzle after jumping puzzle (after jumping puzzle). Jekyll and Hyde is based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson (conveniently titled Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). While his daughter Laurie is visiting him at work (which just so happens to be a mental asylum), there's a good ol' fashioned loony riot (see why Take Your Kids to Work Day is a bad idea?), and Laurie is snatched away by a whacko named Burnwell. Blackmail ensues, and mysterious forces (an attorney) use the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll and his non-salad-fork-using alter ego Mr. Hyde to retrieve books and other such paraphernalia. Basically, the story is a thinly veiled excuse to knock people over their heads with a walking stick (which I lovingly call Mr. Bopswell). But what did you really expect from an action/adventure? There's one thing I can say about Jekyll and Hyde: it's got ambiance. A freaky ambiance, but ambiance nonetheless. Doors are skewed like those in a cheap horror movie. Character models look like figments of Tim Burton's nightmares. You couldn't ask for more creepiness; you could, however, ask for a bit more detail in the game. Characters' mouths don't move when they talk, and the in-game camera can make jumping puzzles a living hell. Jekyll and Hyde has done a good job with eliminating in-game clipping, but in cutscenes clipping is alive and well. The puzzles in Jekyll and Hyde never evolve above "put out fire with water," but the ability to use two protagonists, one smart, the other strong, provides some interesting head-scratchers. Mr. Hyde can jump almost twice the height of Dr. Jekyll, take inhuman amounts of punishment, and deal out loads of hurt, but he can't carry inventory items. The voice acting and music are also superb. You must be thinking now, "Gee, this game doesn't sound too bad. The reviewer must be a complete dolt!" Dolt I may be, but Jekyll and Hyde has got some serious problems. Throughout the game, there's one major obstacle: the jump. That's right, Dr. Jekyll spends most of his time in the air, his coattails trailing behind him (in my case, he spent most of his time plummeting to his death). The save feature is horrible. You would hope that you could save before attempting a risky situation (like jumping), but no, Jekyll and Hyde only lets you save at the beginning of the area. Die, and you're back at ground zero. All of this on top of lousy camera angles, and you've got yourself a stinker. If you love third-person action/adventures, there's a chance, however small, that you may like Jekyll and Hyde (if you can get over the fact that neither Dr. Jekyll nor Mr. Hyde are women and Dr. Jekyll at least does not have unusually large breasts). In a time where Tomb Raider clones are uber-trendy, Jekyll and Hyde has the scent of originality. But it also has the stench of tediousness. And that's a smell I just can't stomach. Final Grade: D If you liked Jekyll
and Hyde: PC System Requirements:
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