Zero Punctuation: Silent Hill Origins
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Weapon degradation is one of the reasons I couldn't play WoW. FFXI just seemed better designed in terms of equipment to me.
I love it how one of the Invader Zim people is actually a picture or himself. The other 3 look like a bunch of random people. Ah well. Great review as per usual. I enjoy every one. Pity I haven't played a Silent Hill game and unless they release them to the 360 I preobably never will either. A shame.
I really want to play the Silent Hill series, everyone says it's a horror movie in game form. I trust you more then my other sources because they all told me FEAR was scary as hell but it's a sissy game, saying allot because I freak out and get nervous very easily. Thanks for confirming. I'm alright with a bad story as long as I get chills down my spine and tolerable dialog. If this is just for the PSP I probably won't be getting the one you reviewed. I may be ok at quick timing since I read the ending message without pausing.
Personally I'd be one rich elven thief mage and pretty far into major quests if it wasn't for the fact that I have to do hundreds of silly things to pay for weapon repair, especially the ruddy magic ones. It does make the game fuller and more challenging, but really really irritating at times.GloatingSwine said:
I do very much agree that Dead Rising would be downright boring if the weapons never ran out. Definately the only game where weapon degradation is a good thing.
Well, the game was far from bad. There are bad things about it. Main problems was camera in fact. As for weapons. They should last longer, far longer.
Yes, it is quite a sidestep from a Silent Hill formula. On the other hand its more of a game. Controls actually work good this time (as they did in 4). Combat which is a MAJOR part of the game is hugely improved from his beloved second part. And story is as messed up as always. Now if they only put better puzzles in there while avoiding guess-o-matic system from previous games (now how would you guess that letting Walter keep his doll make him weaker as an endboss)
Yes, it is quite a sidestep from a Silent Hill formula. On the other hand its more of a game. Controls actually work good this time (as they did in 4). Combat which is a MAJOR part of the game is hugely improved from his beloved second part. And story is as messed up as always. Now if they only put better puzzles in there while avoiding guess-o-matic system from previous games (now how would you guess that letting Walter keep his doll make him weaker as an endboss)
I agreed with everything you said about the Silent Hill series except for what you said about Origins itself. For a fan of SH2 surely the many similarities origins shared with it were nostalgically good for you too, and some of the area designs were ingenious like the theater. I also liked the concept of the Butcher and how this game at least had blood in it. Also Travis tayed in the town 'cause the chasms wouldn't let him leave. Nice review nonetheless.
I agree with you that Silent Hill 4 had the best story, but personally I think Silent Hill 3 was the best in the series. Don't get me wrong, 2 was brilliant, but personally I liked Heathers character more than I did James.
Also I do have hopes for Silent Hill 5, though I am kind of nervous that the developers have no idea what there doing. But who knows, maybe 5 will be a nice surprise.
Also I do have hopes for Silent Hill 5, though I am kind of nervous that the developers have no idea what there doing. But who knows, maybe 5 will be a nice surprise.
I hear that in SH5 there is more inter-action with your environment. Like if you bump into stuff too much you attract monsters.
What? No it's not....I'm not TRAGICALLY emo..Chis said:
Pre-Kid A Radiohead should be thought of as a totally different band than post Kid A. I like both bands.
Yes, I am a Radiohead fanboy.
...........
The review was awesome. Good to see (hear, I guess) Yahtzee has regained the ability to mock games in a hilarious way at lightning speed. And the ending (involving the removal of spinal cords and feasting on ass) was hilarious. Now I feel stupid for admitting that. I've got such a sophomoric sense of humour.
That's the exception that proves the rule.Dark Shikari said:There has been a good game with weapon degradation--its called System Shock 2, Yahtzeeand I named it before the second was up, too!
Agreed with the rest of the review though.
Count me in as one who pans SH4's story along with the gameplay.
The problem for me was that the story seemed a bit too standard j-horror, sometimes even slasher flick-ian.
There are folks lining up to be butchered by this supernatural madman, whom conveniently just can't do the same so easy to some regular schmo, a.k.a. the hero, and his girlfriend. Silly madman.
Mr. Madman himself is interesting (sometimes the only character that is so) but his characterization ends up getting lost in the endless explanation for how he can do what he does (mystic mumbo jumbo no one cares about).
He is invariably undone by the goodies being told of loopholes to his mumbo jumbo as if it was all some tax code to be dodged, all thanks to that specter in the ceiling with all the exposition. Goodies win or not, depending on ending, and Pyramid Head shrugs and goes back to being cooler than the entire plot of SH4.
It all sounds too shoehorned into a horror series that was doing ok without all that rubbish. That's probably because SH4 was intended to be a unique horror title, not an SH game (the shift probably occured in anticipation to the possible negs the gameplay would get).
I also don't understand why Travis can be subjected to critical grief when the original King Random Berk of Silent Hill, Henry, gets off with with worse. He is often but one line in SH4: "What the hell...?". At least Travis dares boldly to don the Marty McFly jacket.
Could've also been the horrendous, at times stupid gameplay that affected the narrative too much for me to appreciate it. Why is silly Walter insisting on ignoring Henry and Eileen and going after flying bugs in, er, his own dreamscape? Priorities much? Do the bugs remind him of cockroaches in his cereal when he was young? I've an urge to look up YouTube videos of people knocking those burping corpses down flights of stairs again...
The problem for me was that the story seemed a bit too standard j-horror, sometimes even slasher flick-ian.
There are folks lining up to be butchered by this supernatural madman, whom conveniently just can't do the same so easy to some regular schmo, a.k.a. the hero, and his girlfriend. Silly madman.
Mr. Madman himself is interesting (sometimes the only character that is so) but his characterization ends up getting lost in the endless explanation for how he can do what he does (mystic mumbo jumbo no one cares about).
He is invariably undone by the goodies being told of loopholes to his mumbo jumbo as if it was all some tax code to be dodged, all thanks to that specter in the ceiling with all the exposition. Goodies win or not, depending on ending, and Pyramid Head shrugs and goes back to being cooler than the entire plot of SH4.
It all sounds too shoehorned into a horror series that was doing ok without all that rubbish. That's probably because SH4 was intended to be a unique horror title, not an SH game (the shift probably occured in anticipation to the possible negs the gameplay would get).
I also don't understand why Travis can be subjected to critical grief when the original King Random Berk of Silent Hill, Henry, gets off with with worse. He is often but one line in SH4: "What the hell...?". At least Travis dares boldly to don the Marty McFly jacket.
Could've also been the horrendous, at times stupid gameplay that affected the narrative too much for me to appreciate it. Why is silly Walter insisting on ignoring Henry and Eileen and going after flying bugs in, er, his own dreamscape? Priorities much? Do the bugs remind him of cockroaches in his cereal when he was young? I've an urge to look up YouTube videos of people knocking those burping corpses down flights of stairs again...
I as well think that SH games are dead now...
I understood it right after i've heard that the series will be taken over by those western developers, Climax and The Collective.
First, if you look at their prior games, youll see that most of those games are mediocre at best (except the few racing games by Climax).
Second, even if they've had only AAA games on their lists, i doubt that they would have managed to get the atmosphere, characters, design and the story right...
I believe its only possible for Japanese folks with their twisted minds/ideas and unlimited determination. ^_^
Most original and crazy ideas come from japan (MGS, SH, Fatal frame, Katamari, Okami & etc), while nowadays here in the West people are only good at creating FPS games(with very few exceptions)...
I understood it right after i've heard that the series will be taken over by those western developers, Climax and The Collective.
First, if you look at their prior games, youll see that most of those games are mediocre at best (except the few racing games by Climax).
Second, even if they've had only AAA games on their lists, i doubt that they would have managed to get the atmosphere, characters, design and the story right...
I believe its only possible for Japanese folks with their twisted minds/ideas and unlimited determination. ^_^
Most original and crazy ideas come from japan (MGS, SH, Fatal frame, Katamari, Okami & etc), while nowadays here in the West people are only good at creating FPS games(with very few exceptions)...
Honestly, I think I can say that this is my least favorite review. I cracked a smile at the end, but I don't want to think that you're going the route of Kippurbird, even though, from this route, it seems that you are. If I'm ever obligated to see these reviews, someone please shoot me.
Here, here! I can't shake the feeling Konami just rented a bunch of '90's-2000 era thriller movies and borrowed aspects from it and made an original drama off it; and as emotionally interesting as the whole child abondonment issue is in it, it doesn't help being able to note all of the game's movie references that are actually tied to the plot. Since when was Walter a hippy serial killer? I thought all he did was kill two kids and himself. And Henry is a total Bierficker.viciousmaniac said:
I have to admit though, I found myself liking Eileen the most of that two dimensional cast and besides her good looks: she seemed to be the only character with an understandable emotional out put and despite continuity she seemed to understand what was going on better than Henry despite him basically repeating everything Joseph told him verbatim and I appreciate a woman with maternal instincts that knows how to fight (or at least tries to).
How would he eat his own ass? That especially hard because it's recursive, as you would have to complete the digestive system somehow. Also, weapon degradation is good, if it's slow. If it's fast, and has no repair system, no. Just no. Slow AND repair item, then great.
The oblivion one was meaningless and so might as well not have been there. It wasn't like things could ever run out whilst you were using them since you had to go to a city every couple of seconds so it just you meant that you would have to get all your stuff repaired every time you were there rather than actually changing your decisions. It was like a tax for playing the game, except you were already hoarding all your money on offshore bank accounts so the small amount they could sting you for just highlighted how you could afford houses in every city and get that guy to pay for curing him over and over and over.
Silly PSP, Trix are for kids.
Why does it seem that most PSP games nowadays seem to be screaming "Please buy a PSP! We're begging you. I don't want to die!"? Every game seems to be a revival. Can't they just let the thing die on it's own. I mean, I'm no fanboy, but the PSP is dying faster than the Gamecube (yeah I said it) and I don't see the point in all these "no look it's still breathing kind of" games.
Anyway, it was a good review. Not my favourite, but I laughed.
Why does it seem that most PSP games nowadays seem to be screaming "Please buy a PSP! We're begging you. I don't want to die!"? Every game seems to be a revival. Can't they just let the thing die on it's own. I mean, I'm no fanboy, but the PSP is dying faster than the Gamecube (yeah I said it) and I don't see the point in all these "no look it's still breathing kind of" games.
Anyway, it was a good review. Not my favourite, but I laughed.