Fright, Camera, Action - Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason

There's a little bit of horror in all of us. Even if you wouldn't admit it to yourself - and especially not your mother - the dark side is always prevalent and eats away at you. You want - no, you need to shoot something! Disclaimer: Make sure you keep the guns aimed at the new action RPG Cryostasis and you'll be right as the rain.

Action RPGs like Cryostasis are to the classics what progressive, digital 5-reel slot machines are to the bulky one-armed bandits: a step above in every way possible. And while there are still plenty of traditionalists in game land, the shooting action of Cryostasis blasts them back to the Stone Age.

The suspense of the game draws you in, with a chilly atmosphere and a spooky design, and you're knee deep in the action before you realize you're playing. Of course, not every aspect of the game is a winner. The design is nice; the premise is what one would expect from a new-age action RPG; but its shortcomings are often too noticeable. For example, the gameplay can get a bit rough at times, and navigating through levels with repetitive action can be a bit tedious.

Cryostasis is a blend of an RPG and FPS, so is loses points from the hardcore role-playing crowd almost immediately. They're a particular bunch who want the Rambo-like games to rest in one corner of the universe while their games are left as-is.

What transforms this game from typical FPS and merges it with the RPG world is its storytelling medium. As Alexander Nesterov, a meteorologist, you find yourself abandoned on a Russian Icebreaker ship that has long frozen over. Your life status is essentially a heat bar. Get too cold and die. There are also some fantasy aspects of the game that will intrigue classic RPG players, such as the mental echo ability of the character that allows him to relive the last moments of dead characters.

You fight to save your soul in this RPG hybrid. And while it might not draw in the crowds that MMO or classical RPGs do, Cryostasis is definitely worth a test run. It wouldn't hurt to take a gamble here; you may come out a winner.