With 2007 being known as the Year of the Shooter it's difficult for newer experiences to crack the sales charts.  If it isn't named Halo, Call of Duty or Half-Life, chances are you might have skipped it.

One of the titles lost in the shuffle this year has been Clive Barker's Jericho and while the game isn't a triple-a marketing hype monster like Master Chief's latest adventure, it has some very interesting story ideas that might deserve your attention.

In today's world there are two core sides of most games.  Gameplay and story.  With a story penned by horror-master Clive Barker, Jericho has a compelling action/horror setting.  The game isn't scary, although it is dark, Jericho revolves around a Gothic atmosphere that is as well-designed as it is beautiful.

The trouble with Jericho is the gameplay isn't as consistent as the storyline is.  In fact, Jericho doesn't really become an entertaining experience until you've forced through the first hour.

The game begins as a covert CIA team known as the Jericho Squad is sent to investigate a spike in paranormal activity.  The story goes that when creating habitable beings, God didn't start with Adam and Eve - He created the asexual being named the First Born.  When that experiment went wrong the First Born was locked away in an alternative reality where it continuously attempts its escape.

You play as Commander Ross who, like the rest of your squad, relies on a mixture of modern weapons and ancient magic to fight paranormal evil.

After the first hour Ross is able to jump from one member of Jericho squad to another, which creates a much more entertaining experience for players.

When transferring between any of the six additional characters the experience can get frustrating trying to figure out what character can do what special ability, but the game does a good job of holding your hand through the introductions and it eventually becomes second nature.

Each of the playable characters posses a special ability.  While you may fall back on using one more then another (Cole's slow-motion ability is by far the most useful) each promises to come in handy throughout the game.

The controls will feel familiar to any console FPS-veteran, but a major complaint I have is the speed.  On default settings the walking pace is comparable to a twitch shooter like Quake, but strafing is extremely slow to the point of being frustrating.

As Ross you are given the ability to revive any downed member of your team and they seem to all realize how easy it is because your squad will constantly run into a frenzied fire-fight and die.  The A.I. is mediocre, but you might find yourself spending more time reviving your allies then shooting your enemies.

Jericho isn't a perfect shooter; but, if you can power through the first hour of the game you'll be introduced to a compelling storyline from horror-legend Clive Barker, interesting gameplay mechanics in body-switching and a gorgeous Gothic setting that may drive you to complete the quest of Jericho squad.

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