Phantasmagoria 2:

A Puzzle of Flesh

(Sierra OnLine, 1996)

Yes, it had an option to cut down the gore; however, how stupid is that option, when gore is your only sales gimmick? Such are the mysteries behind Sierra's rushed-out (in merely one year) sequel to their original, controversial adventure, Phantasmagoria. This game, sub-titled "A Puzzle of Flesh," had almost as many mistakes as the first. "Horror" was not half as good as such classics as Lurking Horror and Alone in the Dark, and instead relied on nauseating, shock-value blood and gore. While other games were similarly excessive in blood and gore in later years --the Director's Cut of Resident Evil comes to mind-- this game wasn't half as involving, or even half as fun. So dull was the story without gore --and so nauseating with it kept in-- that either game version wasn't worth my time. In no time flat, the game was gladly uninstalled for the latest in next-generation entertainment that year (including, though not limited to, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, and Quake!). This is quite sad, when you realise that, at the company's peak, all Next-Generation games came from Sierra, before anyone else. By 1996, they were way behind the competition. How sad.

	Rating : Near Miss.
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