Zero Punctuation: Silent Hill Homecoming

[Fuzzinator]

OMG SO FUNNY! do you reckon you could make a single clip of the end part with the cleaners i want it BAD!

Good job

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

YES! I agree completely that "fans" are the bane of all video gaming things. Yahtzee, you are my hero!

Irony Alert...

Professing Yahtzee as a grand prosecutor of the truth is fanboyism?

Yes...Yes it is...Denoting anyone with that sort of praise really is.

I hate the modern "fan" with an ire that burns hotter than hell itself. They're impossible to please, will ***** and moan and have a temper tantrum if they don't get exactly what they want - and subsequently accuse others of "ignorance" when their beliefs clash[/i] - ,

- Huge Rant -

That's enough, because in the last five paragraphs I've been venting I've come to the conclusion that your alleged irony accusation is false and unjustified. You don't know me and you probably revel in taking words out of context.

- More justification on why you're SO not a raving fan.

Slow down...look at how the bold text and the italic text match up. That's the irony.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Resident Evil has always used a more western style of horror, Yahtzee even highlighted that in the video.

But...so has Silent Hill.

 

[Woe Is You]

I must be tired, but the fans pun was hilarious.

 

[Doug]

cham-cham-cham-cham-chamaeleon.... Excellent review!

 

[maximara]

Something's been bugging me. Whenever a Silent Hill fan (and I am one, believe me) expressed fear that Homecoming would fail to live up to its predecessors (or claimed it failed, after its release), they seem to put forth this theory that Japanese horror is slow and psychological, while American horror is cliche-ridden and chainsaw-happy. I call shenanigans.

I agree. American Horror in the 30s, 40s, and even 50s was more slow and psychological becoming more in your face from the mid 70s on. Compare Mummy (1932), Them (1954), Monolith Monsters (1957), House on Haunted Hill (1959) and most horror films of that period to those being made today and you will see how much slower paced and psychological the horror was. Even British Hammer Film got pulled into the whole blood and boobs mindset around the early 1970s.

Of course the Japanese are not above slapping their culture views on something they borrow but for some reason they can pull it off (most of the time). So we are perfectly willing to accept the Japanese turning Stoker's Count Dracula into a modern gun toting psychopath ala Dirty Harry gone crackers with a fashion sense borrowed from the 30s Shadow (but with red as his favorite color) with a pseudonym borrowed straight from the American film "Son of Dracula" (1943) and a female sidekick whose assets are in the C+ range.

 

[Loderian]

looks to be a somewhat decent game. May give it a rent before buying.

Love how my local game crazy is handing out free copies of the SH movie on DVD w/ every reserve.

 

[Murrah]

Pyramid head reminds me of myself>>> "Will rape for food"

 

[risingphoenix]

These are the sort of reviews that I find most appealing - the reviews that are witty, funny, and slightly offensive while still containing excellent critiques of particular problems in the video game industry.

Video games tend to have too many love interests even though there shouldn't be any, like this game. I would guess because hot women in video games makes teenage boys ( the main demographic for most games) more likely to want to buy it.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Resident Evil has always used a more western style of horror, Yahtzee even highlighted that in the video.

But...so has Silent Hill.

Silent Hill borrows very heavily from SOME American sources, most notably Twin Peaks and Jacobs Ladder, but both of those are unique in the American Horror Film Scene. In fact both are more properly considered to be in the "Mystery" genre rather than Horror proper. I can't actively think of too many American horror films Silent Hills 1-4 borrow from except that they have a very American feel too them because of the intricately recreated small town setting. Personally I feel that Silent Hill creates it's own unique form of horror, with creepy S&M monsters, fog and some of the most psychologically crushing plot around.

Can anyone actually name any American Horror that Silent Hill references other than the two I mentioned? (I ask because if there is anything, I damn well want to watch it!)

EDIT: Also... of course Resident Evil uses American Horror, it's basically a homage/sendup of George Romero movies with Sam Raimi camera work (in the PS1 era games and Code Veronica)

 

[Indrid Cold]

Silent Hill borrows very heavily from SOME American sources, most notably Twin Peaks and Jacobs Ladder, but both of those are unique in the American Horror Film Scene. In fact both are more properly considered to be in the "Mystery" genre rather than Horror proper. I can't actively think of too many American horror films Silent Hills 1-4 borrow from except that they have a very American feel too them because of the intricately recreated small town setting. Personally I feel that Silent Hill creates it's own unique form of horror, with creepy S&M monsters, fog and some of the most psychologically crushing plot around.

Can anyone actually name any American Horror that Silent Hill references other than the two I mentioned? (I ask because if there is anything, I damn well want to watch it!)

EDIT: Also... of course Resident Evil uses American Horror, it's basically a homage/sendup of George Romero movies with Sam Raimi camera work (in the PS1 era games and Code Veronica)

Silent Hill has always reminded me of Clive Barker's work more than anything. Turning the vaguely or overtly sexual into the horrific, particularly the second game. No, there aren't that many specific films the series borrows from, lest it become a string of homages, but the atmosphere and tropes used therein are conventions seen more often in western horror (which is why Akira Yamaoka said he would be interested to see how Homecoming would shape up, being an American take on a Japanese take on American horror). The Mothman Prophecies reminded me strongly of Silent Hill, being a slow, brooding horror film heavy on atmosphere and light on cheap jump scares. Twin Peaks (David Lynch movies in general, really) and Jacob's Ladder may be the most prominent influences on the series, but the fact that they're successful efforts in post-1980s American horror doesn't make them any less part of the genre - that's like saying Blade Runner is worth watching, therefore it cannot possibly be a science fiction movie, we'll just call it a crime drama, just ignore the androids. I simply don't understand where this view of all American horror as cheap and gore-soaked comes from. There are good Japanese horror movies and bad. The same goes for American horror. I just get tired of fans and critics harping on Silent Hill: Homecoming for straying from J-horror roots it didn't have in the first place. If it's bad, it's bad because the development team screwed up, not because it isn't Japanese.

 

[Russian Redneck]

YES! I agree completely that "fans" are the bane of all video gaming things. Yahtzee, you are my hero!

Irony Alert...

Professing Yahtzee as a grand prosecutor of the truth is fanboyism?

Yes...Yes it is...Denoting anyone with that sort of praise really is.

I hate the modern "fan" with an ire that burns hotter than hell itself. They're impossible to please, will ***** and moan and have a temper tantrum if they don't get exactly what they want - and subsequently accuse others of "ignorance" when their beliefs clash[/i] - ,

- Huge Rant -

That's enough, because in the last five paragraphs I've been venting I've come to the conclusion that your alleged irony accusation is false and unjustified. You don't know me and you probably revel in taking words out of context.

- More justification on why you're SO not a raving fan.

Slow down...look at how the bold text and the italic text match up. That's the irony.

I'm NOT a "raving fan", but I do somewhat see the irony you've pointed out. Still, the context in which I ranted was out of disgust and loathing, not fanboyism.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I'm NOT a "raving fan", but I do somewhat see the irony you've pointed out. Still, the context in which I ranted was out of disgust and loathing, not fanboyism.

S'alright. But I'm sure you can see why someone might think you were a fan-boy. Sometimes it's hard to tell the fan and the FAN apart, and that's one of the things Yahtzee hit home on.

 

[Tony2077]

nice let westernize all horror game so they can all be boring gorefests with lousy ending last good one was either dino crisis 3 or rlh maybe breakdown not sure what that one is

 

[Tony2077]

dead space was good till the end but had to go and throw that last little timbit in

 

[mikekearn]

Ah, excellent. As some others mentioned, the bit at the end was great. I totally thought it was another advert and didn't watch it, until I noticed it was showing Heather. I'm glad I was paying attention!

 

[Kergahan]

Is it sad that this is the highlight of my week?

 

[yonsito]

Was that really a Lord British monster or was it my imagination?

 

[carter91]

yeh i think you should do dead space .... ive heard its pants wetingly scary .... i love you man.... will you marry me yahtzee :$

 

[Yahtzee Croshaw]

Why did they have to kill the best genre ever made.. ((((( *hugs Silent Hill 3 Case*

ROFL at the end btw