Hellraiser creator Clive Barker is emerging as an unlikely champion of gaming's artistic potential. Even so, the scariest part about his first-person blaster isn't its penchant for grotesqueries like pulsing flesh, screen-drenching blood-spatters and leering, leather-clad corpses. Rather, it's how horrifically unambitious the game feels compared to show-stopping contemporaries like Halo 3 and BioShock. While playable and intense, the game's greatest failings concern its over-reliance on hackneyed stage designs and crummy voice-overs...sub-par storytelling conventions that betray an otherwise solid concept.

Venturing into lost city Al-Khali to slay God's initial creation The Firstborn, you control half a dozen paranormal paramilitaries, like a dual pistol-packing reverend and chain gun-wielding bruiser with a pet fire demon. Pitted against winged devils, S&M gear-toting cadavers and pus-filled monstrosities off of which you literally have to shoot the blisters, the onslaught seldom lets up, with the game scoring top marks for atmospheric carnage. From brusque dialogue to the brutality of sudden ambushes that trigger vicious scenes requiring specially timed button presses, grittiness abounds. However, grade school-level humor (including clumsy jabs at colleagues like a lesbian sniper's sexuality) and hokey speech samples rob the experience of gravity. As comfortable as the control scheme is and as organic as the need to swap between allies feels, showdowns typically fall into the "go here, slay these beasts, pass that obstacle, rinse and repeat" category. Long load times also plague the tale, with certain waiting screen text briefings taking longer to display than stages do to boot.

For a weekend rental, the game's unnerving vibe and trigger-happy standoffs (so fierce that anyone can resurrect fallen allies at any time) make a great way to unwind. Frankly though, we expect something a little more shocking, given its obvious pedigree.