By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune

"SIREN: BLOOD CURSE"
For: Playstation 3 via Playstation Network
From: Sony
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood, intense violence, strong language)

It takes little imagination to understand why games like "Resident Evil 4" and "Condemned" are popular. They've injected the horror genre with the kind of pick-up-and-play gameplay normally reserved for shooters, and with fantastic results.

Problem is, accessibility isn't very scary. And until that somehow changes, there will always be a need for a game like "Siren: Blood Curse," which embraces uncompromising design with a suffocating, brilliant enthusiasm that should thrill those with the stomach to handle it.

Available by download only and pieced out like a television show ($15 for a four-episode pack or $40 for all 12 at once), "Curse" reboots the "Siren" series by revisiting the original PS2 game, sprucing it up, remixing the story and adding concessions (most notably, clearer objectives and a map that illustrates them) to make it somewhat more palatable to a wider audience.

Again, though, don't confuse that for accessibility. While "Curse" won't remind you of the original "Resident Evil" in terms of control setup, the loose controls it does incorporate, along with a camera that's far more hamstrung than most modern games allow, means you'll struggle with things you typically can take for granted. Your visibility options are further crippled by the game's extravagant use of darkness and fog _ an old trick, but one that still works if done right.

Some will argue that such devices are the product of sloppy programming rather than design. Frankly, it doesn't matter. "Curse's" bread and butter is a mix of stealth and horror, and the partial (but never total) helplessness these elements bring forth is what makes the game such an unnerving experience. Though many situations put you in a position to fight back, just as many force you to tread quietly and run like hell if you tip off your presence. During those scenarios, "Curse" is tense to the point of panic-inducing and genuinely scary. Stumbling through the grainy darkness with a sure-footed enemy on your tail as a checkpoint lingers mere yards away is what horror games used to always be about, and it's a sensation "Curse" recaptures with amazing conviction.

With those points in mind, "Curse" isn't for all. The episodic style makes it easy to digest the game in small bites and piece it out, but it also makes it easy to feel squeamish and head for the exit when one scary episode ends and another lingers. Enter at your own risk: Something very special lurks inside, but only the angelically patient and strong at heart need apply.