Hi there gentlemen!
This is my first review on the forums, my first post actually so be gentle
I know this game came out a while ago in America-land but for the rest of us it's new so I hope you enjoy it
Just a quick note so that people can understand my scoring method:
Firstly, I must establish my game scoring technique. I review based solely on how the game makes me feel as I progress through it.
I must make it clear that my scores are based purely on enjoyment and emotion; I will try to justify the reason for a score where I have used one. The reason for this type of review is that it becomes more personal to me whilst still being useful to the consumer as it depicts interesting data and helps to determine peaks of enjoyment amongst other things.
When I review games I play them through completely and the review time intervals are as follows:
- Initial 10 minutes - First impressions are vital, in the first ten minutes of a game you really decide if you're going to continue with playing the game, it sets the tone for the progression of the entire game.
- First Hour, etc - I then proceed to go through the game, scoring it out of ten for each hour that passes. Reviewing in this way enables readers to get a view for potentially frustrating, boring or exciting parts of a game which is more insightful that a mere averaged score that comes from most reviews.
Once again, all time intervals are scored out of ten and I will try to record in my notes why I have given the score underneath the graph when I have a relevant comment.
I also give the game an average enjoyment score based on my ratings. I however exclude the initial ten minute score to give a more accurate score.
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill is a survival horror game that first graced the Sony Playstation 1 back in 1999. The original game received a strong critical reception and went on to generate multiple sequels on various platforms and even spawned a film adaption. The original game established some of the traits that Silent Hill is known for, such as; the disturbing atmosphere, visceral scares and terrifying atmospheric audio.
This edition of Silent Hill tells the story of Alex Shepherd, a recently discharged soldier who is returning to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen. Alex quickly discovers that all is not right when he returns to find that the town is desolate, people have been disappearing and nightmarish creatures lurk in the fog which has appeared in his town. Also, Alex has been having disturbing dreams, many of which include his brother Joshua. Upon return to his house Alex finds his mother appears to have gone insane, your brother (Joshua) and father have gone missing and it is up to our protagonist to unearth the dark secrets of Shepherd's Glen and therefore must travel to Silent Hill to investigate.
The story holds up pretty well and as is revealed through various dreams and dialogue from characters in the game. At times I did find small details of the story confusing but this is a very small problem I had with the story, most of the time this was not an issue. The story seems to exist in the same universe as previous titles in the series however, most of the series previous characters are not seen nor heard of. Long-time fans of the series will be pleased to know that Pyramid Head also makes a few cameos and looks great in the cut scenes. I believe that straying away from the history of Silent Hill is to mark the new era for the future of this series of gaming from the new Western developers, Double Helix.
Unfortunately the new developers fail to captivate the true disturbing horror laid down in the prior games and decides to go after 'jump tactics.' The placement of monsters is diminished in Homecoming and encounters become predictable as you may not have experienced any enemies for several minutes. It is because of this that you never become truly immersed and are more often than not, able to predict an enemy and be well prepared to take it out with your trusty lead pipe.
Another issue I have with the game is the useless torch. The developers have tried to create a more claustrophobic atmosphere by making the torch exceptionally weak. This doesn't create the desired effect and actually hinders gameplay making it frustrating when you miss important items or become stuck as you've missed something. This also takes away from the beautiful environments that are prevalent in this tale of despair.
Traditionally, Silent Hill also managed to create a sense of unease and terror because of the very basic combat system which meant that panic was heightened in a close encounter as the player frantically fumbled the controller to dispel the attacker. This resulted in fear inducing combat where it became a quick realisation that you played a weak civilian, who wasn't able to take on several monsters at once and emerge unscathed. However, this may no longer be the case.
Alex Shepherd marks the death of this style of combat and is regrettably far to capable in combat. Initially I enjoyed the new controls. The movement of Alex is extremely fluid and simple, and also keeps to the genre's well established third-person action. During the first encounter I was amazed by the ease of combat which consists of holding a trigger and either using a light attack or holding down a button for a heavy attack, these can be stringed together to establish powerful combos. My first response to this style of combat was that because this was the first encounter it was meant to ease the player into the combat style, as I progressed I discovered that Alex is far too overpowered. This unfortunately removes even more of the horror aspect from the game. Alex also has a dodge ability, meaning that many fights will go by without you suffering so much as a scratch. It is interesting to note that mechanics such as quick-turn do not exist - they haven't completely ruined the game yet then!
The melee weapons feel powerful to wield, the assortment of rifles, pistols and shotguns however feel far too overpowered and ammo is far to readily available. It is because of this that some longtime fans of the series may no be too happy about Alex or the new heavily action-orientated gameplay.
The game is rife with new button mashing mechanics where you will be unnecessarily forced to open a door by spamming a button. The environments are the saving grace of the game and visually Homecoming prevails. The textures are detailed, the graphics also show a good amount of contrast between light and shadow when the torch isn't necessary. The transition to Otherworld has been coined from the movie and looks beautiful as the room peels away into the sky to reveal the industrial atmosphere of dread that is - Otherworld. Otherworld creates a very dreary atmosphere, the screen is also covered with a nice film-grain effect which helps to embellish the horror setting. It is also a nice effect that enemies now display their wounds dealt to them by Alex via his extensive arsenal of weaponry. The monsters themselves looks exceptionally designed and still look grotesque. The majority of the graphics are smooth but I did notice a few frame rate drops which did ruin the experience for me slightly. Loading screens are few and far between and a few more drops of performance can be squeezed by installing the game to the hard drive.
The best aspect of Homecoming is the musical score. Composer and music director of the series, Akira Yamaoka has done an outstanding job. The music in Homecoming is the what creates all of the mood in the game. The music is well varied and helps to convey a host of different emotions, this is definitely the best soundtrack in any Silent Hill game. The atmospheric noise is also very well done and helps to add a level of realism which is especially noticeable in the Otherworld's industrial setting. Unfortunately, I feel that the music surpasses the game in quality so much that it doesn't suit the generic action feel of Homecoming. As the piano music swells during emotional scenes you are left feeling nothing as you aren't encouraged to form any attachment to Alex or other characters - this is a largely missed opportunity on Homecoming's part.
I had been looking forward to this game for a long time and after the delay releasing it in the UK I was craving it even more. I was hoping that Homecoming would continue the Silent Hill legacy with this, the first next-gen title in the series and I will admit, I feel slightly dissatisfied. The psychological gameplay has been reduced to cheap 'scare tactics' mixed with predictable encounters. The graphics engine has advanced well, and the game maintains the appropriate art-style true to the series also attention to detail has been taken into account regarding textures. Yamaoka has done an outstanding job but feel his music has gone to waste. This game has unfortunately left me fearful for the future of Silent Hill and I'm just hoping that the developers will take some of these criticisms into account for the next title.
- Initial 10 Minutes - So far i'm unsure about the game. The start has been slow. There's this sound of a crying baby on a loop and it's becoming really annoying... Also, i've noticed I can't close doors behind me - how annoying.
(Score 7)
- First Hour - The game hasn't gotten any more fun. The storyline is still slowly progressing and i'm not really sure what's going on. I've noticed a few framerate issues. To quote my notes exactly, 'Story progressing at a snails pace.'
(Score 6)
- Second Hour - I'm feeling frustrated as I missed an important item that I need to open a gate - this means I must backtrack and waste 10 minutes - great! I am however enjoying the creepy atmosphere and the setting I am in, even if it is extremely horror cliche. Story is finally beginning to pick up!
(Score 7)
- Third Hour - Just had another scene with Pyramid Head. I'm in Silent Hill at the moment and it's brilliant! Atmosphere and story are great. Also, i've had some interesting puzzles to solve, wish they were a bit more difficult.
(Score 8)
- Fifth Hour - I am extremely annoyed. I'm at a part in the game where I have to fight some lower minions then take on a boss. I've got no health left so I had to use my guns to kill the attackers. The boss then comes out of the shadows and all i've got to kill him is a fire axe. The game suffers from a glitch and I have to manually reload every time I die otherwise the enemies don't spawn and I can't progress. I had to reload earlier in the game to overcome this problem.
(Score 5)
Average Enjoyment Score (Excluding Initial 10 Minutes): 7.5/10
This is my first review on the forums, my first post actually so be gentle
I know this game came out a while ago in America-land but for the rest of us it's new so I hope you enjoy it
Just a quick note so that people can understand my scoring method:
Firstly, I must establish my game scoring technique. I review based solely on how the game makes me feel as I progress through it.
I must make it clear that my scores are based purely on enjoyment and emotion; I will try to justify the reason for a score where I have used one. The reason for this type of review is that it becomes more personal to me whilst still being useful to the consumer as it depicts interesting data and helps to determine peaks of enjoyment amongst other things.
When I review games I play them through completely and the review time intervals are as follows:
- Initial 10 minutes - First impressions are vital, in the first ten minutes of a game you really decide if you're going to continue with playing the game, it sets the tone for the progression of the entire game.
- First Hour, etc - I then proceed to go through the game, scoring it out of ten for each hour that passes. Reviewing in this way enables readers to get a view for potentially frustrating, boring or exciting parts of a game which is more insightful that a mere averaged score that comes from most reviews.
Once again, all time intervals are scored out of ten and I will try to record in my notes why I have given the score underneath the graph when I have a relevant comment.
I also give the game an average enjoyment score based on my ratings. I however exclude the initial ten minute score to give a more accurate score.
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill is a survival horror game that first graced the Sony Playstation 1 back in 1999. The original game received a strong critical reception and went on to generate multiple sequels on various platforms and even spawned a film adaption. The original game established some of the traits that Silent Hill is known for, such as; the disturbing atmosphere, visceral scares and terrifying atmospheric audio.
This edition of Silent Hill tells the story of Alex Shepherd, a recently discharged soldier who is returning to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen. Alex quickly discovers that all is not right when he returns to find that the town is desolate, people have been disappearing and nightmarish creatures lurk in the fog which has appeared in his town. Also, Alex has been having disturbing dreams, many of which include his brother Joshua. Upon return to his house Alex finds his mother appears to have gone insane, your brother (Joshua) and father have gone missing and it is up to our protagonist to unearth the dark secrets of Shepherd's Glen and therefore must travel to Silent Hill to investigate.
The story holds up pretty well and as is revealed through various dreams and dialogue from characters in the game. At times I did find small details of the story confusing but this is a very small problem I had with the story, most of the time this was not an issue. The story seems to exist in the same universe as previous titles in the series however, most of the series previous characters are not seen nor heard of. Long-time fans of the series will be pleased to know that Pyramid Head also makes a few cameos and looks great in the cut scenes. I believe that straying away from the history of Silent Hill is to mark the new era for the future of this series of gaming from the new Western developers, Double Helix.
Unfortunately the new developers fail to captivate the true disturbing horror laid down in the prior games and decides to go after 'jump tactics.' The placement of monsters is diminished in Homecoming and encounters become predictable as you may not have experienced any enemies for several minutes. It is because of this that you never become truly immersed and are more often than not, able to predict an enemy and be well prepared to take it out with your trusty lead pipe.
Another issue I have with the game is the useless torch. The developers have tried to create a more claustrophobic atmosphere by making the torch exceptionally weak. This doesn't create the desired effect and actually hinders gameplay making it frustrating when you miss important items or become stuck as you've missed something. This also takes away from the beautiful environments that are prevalent in this tale of despair.
Traditionally, Silent Hill also managed to create a sense of unease and terror because of the very basic combat system which meant that panic was heightened in a close encounter as the player frantically fumbled the controller to dispel the attacker. This resulted in fear inducing combat where it became a quick realisation that you played a weak civilian, who wasn't able to take on several monsters at once and emerge unscathed. However, this may no longer be the case.
Alex Shepherd marks the death of this style of combat and is regrettably far to capable in combat. Initially I enjoyed the new controls. The movement of Alex is extremely fluid and simple, and also keeps to the genre's well established third-person action. During the first encounter I was amazed by the ease of combat which consists of holding a trigger and either using a light attack or holding down a button for a heavy attack, these can be stringed together to establish powerful combos. My first response to this style of combat was that because this was the first encounter it was meant to ease the player into the combat style, as I progressed I discovered that Alex is far too overpowered. This unfortunately removes even more of the horror aspect from the game. Alex also has a dodge ability, meaning that many fights will go by without you suffering so much as a scratch. It is interesting to note that mechanics such as quick-turn do not exist - they haven't completely ruined the game yet then!
The melee weapons feel powerful to wield, the assortment of rifles, pistols and shotguns however feel far too overpowered and ammo is far to readily available. It is because of this that some longtime fans of the series may no be too happy about Alex or the new heavily action-orientated gameplay.
The game is rife with new button mashing mechanics where you will be unnecessarily forced to open a door by spamming a button. The environments are the saving grace of the game and visually Homecoming prevails. The textures are detailed, the graphics also show a good amount of contrast between light and shadow when the torch isn't necessary. The transition to Otherworld has been coined from the movie and looks beautiful as the room peels away into the sky to reveal the industrial atmosphere of dread that is - Otherworld. Otherworld creates a very dreary atmosphere, the screen is also covered with a nice film-grain effect which helps to embellish the horror setting. It is also a nice effect that enemies now display their wounds dealt to them by Alex via his extensive arsenal of weaponry. The monsters themselves looks exceptionally designed and still look grotesque. The majority of the graphics are smooth but I did notice a few frame rate drops which did ruin the experience for me slightly. Loading screens are few and far between and a few more drops of performance can be squeezed by installing the game to the hard drive.
The best aspect of Homecoming is the musical score. Composer and music director of the series, Akira Yamaoka has done an outstanding job. The music in Homecoming is the what creates all of the mood in the game. The music is well varied and helps to convey a host of different emotions, this is definitely the best soundtrack in any Silent Hill game. The atmospheric noise is also very well done and helps to add a level of realism which is especially noticeable in the Otherworld's industrial setting. Unfortunately, I feel that the music surpasses the game in quality so much that it doesn't suit the generic action feel of Homecoming. As the piano music swells during emotional scenes you are left feeling nothing as you aren't encouraged to form any attachment to Alex or other characters - this is a largely missed opportunity on Homecoming's part.
I had been looking forward to this game for a long time and after the delay releasing it in the UK I was craving it even more. I was hoping that Homecoming would continue the Silent Hill legacy with this, the first next-gen title in the series and I will admit, I feel slightly dissatisfied. The psychological gameplay has been reduced to cheap 'scare tactics' mixed with predictable encounters. The graphics engine has advanced well, and the game maintains the appropriate art-style true to the series also attention to detail has been taken into account regarding textures. Yamaoka has done an outstanding job but feel his music has gone to waste. This game has unfortunately left me fearful for the future of Silent Hill and I'm just hoping that the developers will take some of these criticisms into account for the next title.
- Initial 10 Minutes - So far i'm unsure about the game. The start has been slow. There's this sound of a crying baby on a loop and it's becoming really annoying... Also, i've noticed I can't close doors behind me - how annoying.
(Score 7)
- First Hour - The game hasn't gotten any more fun. The storyline is still slowly progressing and i'm not really sure what's going on. I've noticed a few framerate issues. To quote my notes exactly, 'Story progressing at a snails pace.'
(Score 6)
- Second Hour - I'm feeling frustrated as I missed an important item that I need to open a gate - this means I must backtrack and waste 10 minutes - great! I am however enjoying the creepy atmosphere and the setting I am in, even if it is extremely horror cliche. Story is finally beginning to pick up!
(Score 7)
- Third Hour - Just had another scene with Pyramid Head. I'm in Silent Hill at the moment and it's brilliant! Atmosphere and story are great. Also, i've had some interesting puzzles to solve, wish they were a bit more difficult.
(Score 8)
- Fifth Hour - I am extremely annoyed. I'm at a part in the game where I have to fight some lower minions then take on a boss. I've got no health left so I had to use my guns to kill the attackers. The boss then comes out of the shadows and all i've got to kill him is a fire axe. The game suffers from a glitch and I have to manually reload every time I die otherwise the enemies don't spawn and I can't progress. I had to reload earlier in the game to overcome this problem.
(Score 5)
Average Enjoyment Score (Excluding Initial 10 Minutes): 7.5/10
