The Ring: Terror's Realm

"Brand New Low For Survival Horror"

PREMISE: 5/10
The premise of the 'The Ring' is frightfully similar to actually enduring the game itself. Based on Japanese horror movies of the same title, 'The Ring' is about a computer game of the same title which when played results in the player experiencing dizzy and fainting spells that eventually result in death. In reality 'The Ring,' as in the Dreamcast game, does much of the same. The strident music, uninspired visuals and putrid control are headache inducing and I'm positive that prolonged exposure to this title may result in bodily harm.

As far as the story is concerned, 'The Ring' seems like it could kicked some life into the increasingly tiring survival horror genre. The truth be told, despite the horrible FMV intro which is entirely farcical and flimsily animated, I was pumped to play 'The Ring.' That sensation 180'ed the instant the game loaded up....

GRAPHICS: 2/10
...There is no other way to put it; 'The Ring' is ugly. The animation is stiff and miles away from anything remotely resembling realism. The environments are barren of anything half-interesting to look at. Unless you have an abnormal fascination with desks, plants and cabinets, your jaw definitely will be nowhere near the floor. Also, the wall/floor visuals appear granular while the chairs and other objects look crisp. This juxtaposition mares any stab the developer may have been taking in regards to visual flare.

The main character is animated in a such a way that she constantly smiling. ''Your boyfriend just died!'' With a big smile, ''Oh no! I'm devastated!''

The alternative universe of 'The Ring' looks suspiciously like that of the Playstation fright-fest 'Silent Hill.' It's dark, grimy and a flashlight is needed to navigate properly. Despite some impressive real-time lighting, it's is not as foreboding and grotesque as the rustic hell found in 'Silent Hill.'

GAMEPLAY: 3/10
As far as gameplay is concerned 'The Ring' does nothing close to satisfactory. The controls are standard survival horror fare yet manage to be completely unresponsive. Your character moves ever so slowly and there is an unforgivable one-second delay when executing actions like running and drawing weapons. Wait till you attempt to aim your gun towards to ground, you'll be cussing like a maniac. On top of that, collision detection is spotty at best; opening cabinet and picking up items becomes taxing quickly. These downfalls result in a absolutely frustrating experience.

Plot progression is comparable to getting your teeth drilled. You must talk to the right characters, or pick up an obscure item just to move along then you are forced to play the absolutely uninteresting 'game.' 'The Ring' is as linear as linear can be. Furthermore the flow of the 'The Ring' feels routine and convoluted. From time to time I was eager to see what was next just to be disappointed by having to go into the 'game' again and look for more inconspicuous items in the dark and fight absolutely inept monsters.

Placement of weapons in ''The Ring'' is totally inept. You literally find all the powerful weapons in the last 15 mins of ''The Ring.'' Since these weapons are in the 'game' you are not allowed to use them in the real world. *SPOILER* Considering BOTH of the bosses are in the real world, the last few weapons are useless because most of the monsters in the 'game' can be dispatched with a few pistol shots!*SPOILER*

SOUND: 2/10
Musically, I can't imagine the 'The Ring' could get any shoddier. The score, if you want to call it that, is comparably to a high pitch shriek that loops indefinitely. This is the first game I ever had to mute for sanity sake. The voice acting is also next to unbearable. Some characters have decent vocalization, while others sound downright dreadful.

The monsters growls and movement noises are decent at best.

STABILITY 1/10
The only thing 'The Ring' does effortlessly is manages not to crash on a constant basis. Which really isn't saying a whole lot.

The load times are standard survival horror door-to-door fair. They don't feel overly long but definitely are not short.

'The Ring' loses stability points in regards to combat. Bullets tend to fly through monsters and without doing any damage. This isn't a isolated incident either, it happens regularly.

Later in the game in the 'game' you are allowed to turn on the lights. A room may be completely empty but when you hit the light switch a monster will magically appear in the room. There is no 'appearing animation' or anything.. they just load out of nowhere. Very, very lame.

Also *MINOR SPOILER* the last boss takes place in the 'real world' but the ending cinema makes it look like you fought the boss in the gritty confinements of 'the game.'*MINOR SPOILER*

Lastly, the translation is the worst I've ever seen in a video game. It's so bad that it's shocking

FINAL: 3/10
'The Ring' is barely bargain bin entertainment. There is nothing to justify the purchase of this title unless you are extremely desperate for a survival horror fix. My suggestion is to play through 'Resident Evil: Code Veronica' one more time.

AVOID IT at all costs.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/01, Updated 12/28/01