Siren: New Translation -- Final Opinion.

I have completed Siren: New Translation with a time just over twenty hours. That's a lot of survival horror you might be saying. Not really, you could easily rip through the game if you weren't collecting every last archive. I collected all fifty weapon archive entries and all fifty story archive entries. To do so I had to play most chapters numerous times. One of the main questions to be answered is just what has Keiichiro Toyama done to Siren in the creation of Siren: New Translation. The answer to that is quite a lot. As a revision goes New Translation is heavily altered with new content that includes characters, scenarios, action set pieces, locations, and puzzles. They've also removed characters, scenarios, locations, and puzzles found in the original Siren. They've altered the overriding story in an effort to tighten up and clarify what's going on. It's hard for me to attempt to guess what someone would make of the story who hasn't played the original Siren. I have, and as a result I'm taking a little of this and a little of that and it helps me fill in the blanks. I feel I'm further able to understand what's going on in New Translation because I've played the original Siren. On the other hand having played the original also sort of messes with you as you play New Translation. You notice what's missing, what's changed, what's new in a way that takes you out of the game a bit. That's not the best thing going for a survival horror title that relies on the immersion of it all. The original Siren had controls that you had to get used to. They never truly reached intuitive. You were always aware of them throughout the game and New Translation is the exact same thing. They allow you to get the job done but you'll have to work for it a bit. The original Siren had you wandering about wondering just what it was you are supposed to be doing. It wasn't the clearest game when it came to objectives. New Translation fixes this flaw rather well. You're able to pull up a map with every location clearly labeled and goal way points displayed. You're also able to toggle them on and off within the map if you're a masochist. That's not to say there aren't any secrets to be had, as there are. They're just not as obscure this time around. You'll also be notified of what chapter your actions have just affected. Another aspect that was flawed in Siren was just how much they expected you to accomplish in one go. You were able to save between chapters. So if you messed up or were killed you needed to replay whole chapters. New Translation breaks the episodes down into further chapters and even employs checkpoints within the chapters. And once an archive has been added you'll never have to get it again. It's saved to the archive. This is great, but it comes with an unwanted side effect. It makes New Translation more accessible for sure, but it also lessens the overall scariness of the game. There isn't nearly as much tension when you're aware that the checkpoint is just back there. Siren wouldn't be considered a great looking game and even though New Translation is a big improvement it still only manages to feel graphically competent. You'll clearly feel that New Translation isn't pushing the PlayStation 3 in any way. The sound on the other hand is awesome. In both sound effects design and music. The score retains that Siren flavor while expanding without straying too far. No easy trick I'm sure, but they've pulled it off. The voice acting is very well done all around. Especially the effects put on the shibito voices, who you can now understand via subtitles this time around. Just like the original Siren, New Translation is more than the sum of its parts. It delivers great survival horror action with a still interesting and twisted story. I'm giving Siren: New Translation an 8.5. Hopefully this sells well enough to receive Siren 2: New Translation.