Games

Best of 2008 | 07 | 06 | 05
Advanced Search

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

SIREN: Blood Curse

EMAIL PRINT ps3

8.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 42 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: SCE Studios Japan

Genre(s): Adventure, Horror

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: June 5, 2008

Summary

[Playstation Network] Blood-splattered episodes of this Japanese Survival Horror are available as downloads, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the next episode arrives. The story follows a TV crew from America, who has journeyed to research and film an exposé on the urban myth of Hanuda, the Vanished Village. Frozen in the 1970s and surrounded by a red sea, it is said that an ancient curse has been set upon this town. The introduction of western characters to Siren Blood Curse brings a new dimension to the series and, in order to survive, they must defend themselves from the vicious Shibito, the living dead, and other terrifying monsters. Throughout the game you play each of the visitors to the village, while the game's unique Sight-Jack System enables you to switch seamlessly between the visions of the hunted and the hunters. As the plot thickens you discover you are stuck in a time loop in which events eternally repeat and change. [Sony]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

1UP

Despite the hoops you need to jump through prior to playing, Blood Curse more than makes up for it with some of the most intense and perfectly paced survival horror I've had the pleasure of being terrified by.

Read Full Review >

Gaming Age

Siren: Blood Curse is one of the first great survival horror games to come out of this new generation. Even those gamers who don't care for the genre may actually get drawn in thanks to the serialized, episodic pacing and well-presented mystery waiting to be solved.

Read Full Review >

Gamervision

Easily one of the best horror games on any next-gen console thus far. Never mind the fact it’s easily one of the best downloadable games on any console period.

Read Full Review >

AceGamez

Siren: Blood Curse is a triumphant remake of a sublimely brilliant survival horror game.

Read Full Review >

MEGamers

The game is short and it is a hefty download if you want to buy it off the PSN, but it is by far the best survival horror game you can find on the PS3 consoles.

Read Full Review >

Game Chronicles

Quite possibly the scariest and most unnerving game I’ve ever played.

Read Full Review >

WonderwallWeb

One of the scariest and most atmospheric games on the Playstation 3 yet.

Read Full Review >

GameFocus

Excellent audio.

Read Full Review >

Cheat Code Central

A pretty awesome horror game. The game's focus on story and substance rather than just shooting zombies really makes this one worth picking up if you are getting a little bored with your run-of-the-mill horror shooters.

Read Full Review >

Games Master UK

A hugely atmospheric horror experience that combines old cliches with a new perspective. [Oct 2008, p.70]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Even with new chapters set to join Blood Curse's current package further down the line, what's already here is a sophisticated re-imagining of the ethics the series was founded on, providing the PlayStation Network with a cash cow that delivers dividends of entertainment to anyone who is willing to take a punt.

Read Full Review >

PTGamers

Siren: Blood Curse is an irresistible treat for survival horror fans. Its flaws don't manage to ruin the experience, and the story is chilling, competent enough to make a few heads spin.

Read Full Review >

IGN

While the first few levels were somewhat clunky, it managed to come together with an increasingly suspenseful set of chapters and cutscenes, frightening jumps and gameplay sequences that could keep you on the edge of your seat for at least a good 12-16 hours.

Read Full Review >

Gamer 2.0

Siren: Blood Curse is a great game. Not just a great PlayStation Network game, but a solid game overall.

Read Full Review >

GameZone

SIREN: Blood Curse has a few problems with the gameplay, but is generally better than its predecessor and is a pretty chilling experience.

Read Full Review >

Thunderbolt

It packs enough scares to warrant having an extra set of underpants on standby; and the mixture of stealth and action keeps things interesting throughout.

Read Full Review >

Eurogamer

Not quite unparalleled excellence, then, but more than enough chills to keep horror adventure fans gibbering.

Read Full Review >

Playstation Official Magazine UK

It's genuinely unsettling. [Aug 2008, p.94]

GamePro

This is a title worthy of your money. If you're a huge fan of survival horror titles, Blood Curse won't disappoint.

Read Full Review >

PSM3 Magazine UK

Some episodes are a bit short, but Siren's tense horror is ace. [Sept 2008, p.70]

TheSixthAxis

If you’ve been craving for a new horror game, can stand some outlandish plot elements and have the HD space and patience to install it, then don’t hesitate and jump in. Even if it’s not perfect, the game has plenty of strong points that makes it a great game.

Read Full Review >

Edge Magazine

While the game remains focused on atmosphere and aesthetics, concessions have been made to a more dynamic style of play. [Sept 2008, p.86]

TotalPlayStation

Even still, it's a good, spooky horror adventure, and worth a look if you've got 10 hours and 40 bones to blow.

Read Full Review >

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Genuine Asian horror contains everything you'd expect from this genre: disgusting little girls, abominable monsters and incomprehensible cultural habits. The only flaw on this excellent genre-mixture game is a very short life span. [Sept 2008]

Playstation Universe

Ultimately, Siren: Blood Curse is a welcome nod back to the fundamentals of survival horror, and provides a captivating experience on the strength of a solid plot and atmospheric gameplay experience.

Read Full Review >

Gamer.nl

When a game can give you that unpleasant and creepy feeling you'll know that it's a decent horror title. And Siren: Blood Curse is just that. A very convincing Japanese horror game with a throat-grabbing atmosphere and the undead popping up more often than an economic crisis getting the front page of a newspaper.

Read Full Review >

Kikizo

Blood Curse may lurk within the shadows of convention, but those shadows have seldom seemed more oppressive. And damn good value for money, too.

Read Full Review >

NTSC-uk

Despite being a remake of a four year old PS2 game, the ideas and scope of the original still feel fresh and exciting. Thankfully, the developers have not simply given this remake a PS3 graphical update.

Read Full Review >

Destructoid

The story is still compelling and slowly spirals downwards into the more twisted and perverse, with several moments that leave you in shock. The game has a lot of room to grow, though, and can tighten up some of the aspects of combat and get rid of the damned grain filter.

Read Full Review >

GamingTrend

At $39.99 any fan of Silent Hill should enjoy Siren: Blood Curse.

Read Full Review >

games(TM)

The game’s faults intermittently make themselves known but are easy to ignore in such an engrossing and skilfully directed game. [Oct 2008, p.117]

Cynamite

Strong survival horror game, but the controls could do better.

Read Full Review >

NZGamer

Siren is nothing new but is a short, spooky distraction.

Read Full Review >

Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

In spite of its last-gen origins, these scares are 100-percent next-gen. [Nov 2008, p.89]

GameSpot

Despite some shortcomings, Siren: Blood Curse is an enjoyably creepy adventure with some interesting gameplay mechanics.

Read Full Review >

GameSpy

It's got some wonky controls that make fairly routine gameplay tasks unnecessarily laborious, especially the annoying checkpoint system and map checking that removes you from the terror quite often.

Read Full Review >

Variety

Mixing Japanese and more traditional, Western-style horror elements to eerie effect, Siren: Blood Curse delivers on its core promise to freak players out. But Sony's decision to deliver this game as a series of downloadable episodes is a frustrating head-scratcher, as the process of installing each of the 12 episodes on a Playstation 3 in two hour chunks -- even longer than it takes to play them -- is its own terror.

Read Full Review >

Play UK

Survival-horror fans will probably enjoy Blood Curse’s clumsy mechanics and clichéd setting, especially at this price, but we’re not prepared to excuse it. The flagship title of episodic gaming on the PSN ought to know better.

Read Full Review >

Gamestyle

The first half of the game is certainly an edge of your seat horror fest, it's only in the latter stages where the game starts to come undone with a plot that soon falls into Evil Dead 2 levels of hilarity.

Read Full Review >

DarkStation

Siren is a game that was an experiment of sorts in the realm of downloadable and episodic games. I would have to say on most accounts that the game failed.

Read Full Review >

G4 TV

For all its lack of innovation, there's an involving, if convoluted story here, and some commendably spooky moments.

Read Full Review >

Gaming Nexus

Siren: Blood Curse remains largely unchanged after four years time. If you avoided it then, avoid it now as well. This title is really only for the horror hardcore.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sergio P. gave it a9:
Great Graphics, Great Sound. A good game for PS3

wow lame gave it a0:
Wow...the play control is utterly horrid...do yourself a favor and play RE-4 until resident evil 5 comes out....waste of time this game is.

Aramis G. gave it an8:
Pretty awesome. I was a big fan of the original (except for the illogical puzzles and annoying snipers). In my books Siren is basically the true successor to the Silent Hill series. Encounters with the shibato are pretty intense. I would give it a ten, but I had to move my TV and PS3 across my house to reach an ethernet cable to download it. Too bad the PS3 doesn't have built in wifi like the Wii. It would make downloadable games a lot more accessible. Now lets see if they can make Siren 2 available stateside.

Alcades gave it a9:
As a fan of the original, it's nice to see a follow up/semi-remake since the original faired poorly in sales. It's too bad we never saw Siren 2 here in the states because of that. Gameplay for the most part is solid, a mixture of stealth and combat. As somebody who played the first Siren, it's a lot easier in Siren:BC to make it through the game either by stealth or force than in the first one. However what really shines in Siren:BC is the story and how it's presented from the different bite-sized perspectives of each character in a TV show fashion. Shows like "Lost" or "24" come to mind and I think this game may appeal to those fans. Each end of the episode are capped by a TV show like "Coming next week" movie and had me guessing where the story would go. To sum it up, at $40 to download Siren is a fun game for people who enjoyed the original or games like Silent Hill or Fatal Frame.

Steve G. gave it a7:
it has good potentialbut controls are awkward at best.cant aim gun either.i would play it just for something to do.

Cas F. gave it a10:
Superb game! The visuals are perfect for this and the tension created throughout the entire game (via the spooky graphics and sound) is fantastic. The levels are very well designed and the way the story keeps switching between characters is great. For me this jumps ahead of the likes of RE4 & Silent Hill 2 as king of the Survival horror genre.

Games

Sony

Microsoft

Nintendo

Other Platforms

Upcoming &Recent Releases

SIREN: Blood Curse

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases