While the mechanics and the innovation in use of darkness and light is very cool as is the use of music for the current detection phase (which the soundtrack is really good btw), I can't really say I recommend this first entry that much.

The levels get way too repetitive, a lot of them have really icky design, game over if you knock out/kill a random unclear keypad guard, path to progress can be really hidden or obtuse, the game map is useless if it is even available, machine gun sentries are placed in unavoidable paths and many other problems.

The story only gets kinda interesting in the last 3 levels and there are some really garbage levels.

Despite what the only other review on this page says, Driver franchise already preceded the 3D GTA games.

What did happen is they added shooting mechanics to what should've been only a driving focused game (they added it to Parallel Lines and this game mostly just reuses assets and mechanics from that only downgraded for the PSP).

The shooting segments are really bad, but they are few and far between... that is if you avoid using the guns to easily destroy the cars chasing you.

I like the comic style cutscenes but the protagonist and his main friend are kinda unlikeable but overall it is a quite good open ended game for the PSP with a pretty nifty mission variety and some very ugly car customization that doesn't fit the era if you want to use that.

The most dogshit metroidvania of them all:

- Controls suck ass you have to double tap to run EVERY SINGLE TIME or install a fan patch
- Getting the cards skills you have to farm for 0.2% droprates or also install a fan patch (which doesn't quite fix the balance)
- Bosses have ridiculous amount of health, your protagonist does no damage unless you farm
- Worst castle layout possible, really bad dead ends in the map, some save rooms are really far away from bosses
- Ice Enemies and everything about them being absolute cancer and they make you want to wish to leave the area asap
- No shops
- The only useful subweapon is the boomerang, every single other is useless

If some of the issues were fixed, it's actually one of the GBA best action games because this game has great art, great music and some great art design.

While you can barely call this a Dead Rising with the removal of survivors mechanic, the timer is barely even present at all and has such a disjointed story and characters, it still is a fun game.

The combo on the go mechanic gives you a lot to experiment with weapons, the map does reward you for exploring, the tons the combo vehicles mechanic is also great!

The only major problems other than not really being a dead rising game, is that the difficulty feels overall unbalanced, the survivor side quests are pretty much terrible, that they all feel the same, lastly the skill system sucks ass, it worked much better in previous games being automated.

One last thing, be warned, the PC port sucks ass, and this game will probably give you motion sickness without a FOV patch.

A flawed misunderstood but still very good original game.

While the game suffers from lack of levels, odd sound design choices, worst controls than the 3 previous games and other inconvenient stuff, It's still a very good horror game, that will definitely scare you with its concept of Room 302 along with a very engaging interesting story.

Would definitely recommend every silent hill fan to give this game another shot if they dropped it.