When Run Like Hell shipped for the PS2 last year, the game promised a newfound focus on the "action" part of the Action Horror moniker. With a plot reminiscent of Aliens and a game that took place in full 3D, it sounded like a much-needed change for the genre. When the PS2 game met mixed reviews, hopes were high that the Xbox version, which shipped in April, would help the game realize its potential.

In the end, RLH for Xbox falls short of that goal. Other reviews have been harsh, but from a gameplay standpoint, they’re somewhat justified. RLH for Xbox has a stereotypical plot, overly simplified "combat" and a knack for exposition over experience. Had the game been a movie, it would have been on par with every successful horror film of the 1980s. As a game, though, something that should be both interactive and challenging, it just doesn’t get the job done.

The plot in RLH is fantastically 1980s: your character, Nick Connor, has returned to his space station after mining moon rocks, only to find that nearly everyone on the station has been killed by aliens. Your job, of course, is to fight for survival while trying to determine the aliens’ reason for being at the station - and whether your girlfriend was among the victims.

Since it takes place on a space station in full 3D, RLH consists almost entirely of running through corridors and gunning aliens down using a machine gun with unlimited ammunition. At various points the running-and-gunning is interrupted by some lever-pulling and puzzle-solving elements, but with the game’s desire to deliver the "action" part of Action Horror, these elements are the exception rather than the rule.

Unlike a traditional third-person shooter, though, where some measure of skill is required to progress through the game, RLH uses a simple lock-and-unload scheme by which to kill aliens. By that I mean: no aiming required. All you need to do is lock on to the nearest enemy and fire willy-nilly in the direction of your target. The aliens eventually learn to block your fire, but by kicking them to the ground and then opening fire, you’ll kill them in no time. That’s it. Guaranteed victory. Space Marine 1, Aliens 0.

More frustrating than the simplistic action, though, is the game’s repeated exposition through video. Like the Metal Gear Solid franchise, which is often lambasted for its incessant movies, RLH provides at least as much time in cutscenes as it does in gameplay. The story development in these is on par with the most memorable 1980s horror films, though, so the frustration isn’t in their quality. Instead, it’s that the developers couldn’t seem to make up their minds about making a game or making an action-horror movie. Some of the game’s best moments, in fact, take place in cutscenes, which is a shame because they would have made good gameplay moments instead.

The last question, then, is "how’s the horror?" The trick with scaring anyone, be it in movie or game, is to immerse them in the story. The problem with RLH is that with its simplistic gameplay, you never feel connected with the main character’s need to survive. The frequent exposition also interrupts your immersion in the game, meaning you’re never truly horrified. Surprised at times, yes, particularly when aliens drop down behind you or jump from the walls. But scared or horrified? Not in the least.

With a game apparently inspired so much by Aliens, it should come as no surprise that the alien character models are derivative of the creatures in the movies. What is surprising, though, is that despite taking place almost entirely in similar-looking corridors, there’s not a single sign of a decent texture.

Nick Connor, on the other hand, looks great. Following the theme of a stereotypical action-horror film, he’s got a buzzcut to go with his gravelly voice, and the detail on his uniform and face looks good even up close. If only the NPCs looked as polished. Instead, they’re rather polygonal, particularly Nick’s girlfriend, who (speaking of horror) reminded me immediately of the stripper in Dead to Rights.

You can tell that the development team spent a lot of time implementing lighting effects, even with the slight illumination when your machine gun fires. At the end of the day, though, that development energy would have been better spent creating some more intriguing textures or varying environments. It’s hard to get too creative with corridors, but some varying decorations would’ve been welcome along the way.

If there’s any saving grace in RLH, it’s the outstanding audio. Any great horror film, er, game, has an environmental audio track that slowly builds your anticipation of something big. With the Dolby Digital support, RLH delivers on the immersive audio experience in a big, big way. The voice acting was done by well-known Hollywood talent, and the score is strong enough that Vivendi Universal wisely included the game’s impressive soundtrack CD in the package. But it’s still the environmental audio that sets the tone.

From aliens crying out in the distance to the creaks and pings of a run-down space station, RLH uses the rear speakers with such skill that it will make you walk through the halls on your digital tiptoes. I can recall more than one occasion where I jumped from my seat because a loud but random environmental sound suddenly burst from behind me. If only the gameplay were as suspenseful as the audio, this review would have changed entirely. My hat’s off to the audio department at Interplay, because they did a fantastic job.

As a single-player game, RLH starts off with seemingly insurmountable replay odds against it. Couple that with an unbranching storyline and even more linear gameplay, and the nail is almost in the replayability coffin. The game does have downloadable content via Xbox Live, but it comes in the form of four new skins, a shooting gallery and a survival mode called Arena Death. Basically, elements that just aren’t enough to keep you playing the game any longer than normal.

I’ve predicted on many occasions that the video game industry will eventually rival Hollywood both as the medium of choice for storytelling and as the entertainment vehicle by which people relax. To its credit, RLH seems to speed that process along, if by no other method than blurring the lines between posing as an action-horror game and an action-horror movie.

In the end, though, this blurring of lines muddies the experience for everyone involved. The exposition is solid but not consistent enough to consider RLH a movie. The gameplay takes place in a 3D environment with guns a blazing, but it isn’t engaging enough to consider RLH a fun game. If you’re looking for an experience that’s clearly one or the other, you’re better off renting a classic horror flick from the 1980s. Heck, maybe RLH will turn into a movie license. If it does, I’ll be the first in line. At the matinee, anyway.