This review will be a bit different than all the others. You won’t find any information about the technical side of the game. I also won’t give you any details regarding the plot, save for the general outline (maybe).
This will be a review from a Silent Hill fan’s perspective. The series was always special for me. The first Silent Hill on PSOne was a prelude to a distinctive chapter in my personal gaming history. This piece of code managed to devalue all games that I have played before and many that came after. I didn’t find a game that would possess my consciousness so strongly until the second Silent Hill was swallowed by my starving Playstation 2. Only the second game could surpass the original and to this day no game came even close. Metal Gear Solid 4 is on a strong third position, but it’s still too far to catch up on the Silent Hills.
I must admit that I was a bit disappointed with the third and fourth iteration. They were both good games, but they just were not on par with the first two. Silent Hill 3’s story was probably the weakest of them all and Silent Hill: The Room featured some questionable gameplay elements (and the fact that you had to drag Eileen through the entire second half of the game was just too much).
I won’t comment on Silent Hill Play Novel, because I consider it more of an experiment that an actual Silent Hill and let’s just let Silent Hill: Arcade rot in hell together with the person who came up with the idea to create it.
When I first heard about Origins, that it was not only an exclusive for the Playstation Portable (a system that I just can’t find a reason to buy) but also developed by Americans, I couldn’t “shed” a feeling that someone gave me a cold enema when I wasn’t looking. Still, it was Silent Hill. So for a brief moment I calculated how much of my liver I would have to sell to buy a PSP. But then someone decided it will be beneficial to port the game to Playstation 2 – my liver was saved.
I knew I would buy Origins no matter what, but I was still skeptical and my expectations were quite low. When the day came for my PS2 to change its interior to a rusted world filled with horror and suffering I was sure to face a disillusionment. But for some bizarre reason the disillusionment never came. For free days I took short vacations in Silent Hill and I was astonished that they were more fulfilling than the ones I had with Heather and Henry.
I couldn’t find the reason why. This Silent Hill was neither as big nor “pretty” as the last two and yet I felt a lot more like I belonged there. Then it struck me. I didn’t feel like I was on vacations in the town like I did during my trips with Heather and Henry, I felt I was home. And even though I felt more like I was coming just for a visit to a home I don’t live in any more it was the same home I have spend my best years in.
On my trip with Heather I felt like a customer in a big mall. There are so many interesting things in there, but after a while the mall becomes wearying. Similar with Henry – I felt we were spending too much time in our room just watching Silent Hill through the window than actually experiencing the town.
I decided to hitch-hike to Silent Hill this time. A trucker gave me a lift. I was in luck – he was going to Brahms so he would go through Silent Hill. I asked him to drop me off a mile or two before the town as I wanted to take a walk and see if anything was different. There were a few new billboards along the road, but apart from that not much changed. I couldn’t help to grin - as usual this time of year the town was covered with a thick mist. I didn’t mind though - it made the town feel even more calm and secluded and that is something I need during my time off. And it was just as I remembered it.
During my stay I decided that I want to revisit some old parts of the town, but I would also like to venture into those that I haven’t seen before. To be honest I never really noticed that there was an old theatre here. Maybe because there were never any plays staged, or maybe it was because I was never into this kind of entertainment. Sill, an old friend let me in and I could check out how the backstage looks. Interesting stuff. I would never think it’s all so complex.
Another friend was working at the local asylum, so I thought it would be nice to visit him, but it turned out that he was out of town; very unfortunate, but I’m sure I’ll get to see him another time. I wanted to ask if there were any news from James, but I guess I will just call his dad.
On my way back to the motel I figured I would go through some back alleys. I always do that when I’m here. You can’t even imagine how much strange stuff people loose here. I swear to God, Silent Hill must be home to the most unlucky people. Some things I find are real treasures.
The motel owner disappeared somewhere and since I left my key with him I couldn’t get into my room. That wasn’t a big problem; I just went for another walk. The owner left a note that he would be back soon, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I took a long stroll without a particular destination. Before I noticed it got dark and I had to get back. If you are new in Silent Hill the town at night can seem pretty intimidating - when it’s dark the town reveals its grim, colonial roots. It has a pretty violent and disturbing history, but right now it’s just a sleepy resort.
I think I’ll be ending this now, someone in the next room is making a terrible racket, giving me a thumping headache. I think it’s that doctor we met with Harry. Remember him? I always had a bad feeling about that guy.
Anyway, I just want you to know this town hasn’t changed that much. It’s still good old Silent Hill. Forget about the trips with Henry and Heather. When you come here in September just stay at the usual place, it’s still here.
No comments:
Post a Comment