Silent Hill Origins
by Konami
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Product Summary
Brand: KonamiAudio: English (Unknown)
Published: 2008-03
Release Date: 2008-03-04
Platform: PlayStation2
Publisher: Konami
Product features:
- A dark story that explores the events prior to the original Silent Hill
- enhanced camera system to elevate sense of fear and horror
- updated control for more fluid combat and detailed exploration
- horrific new creatures and challenging puzzles
- Original soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka
Video Game Reviews of Silent Hill Origins
Customer Review: For both silent hill completists and fans of horror, a psp port of ps-2 quality!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've played every single Silent Hill. My first experience was the first game. Sadly I was not really able to appreciate its' deeper more profound symbolism when I was a younger age. Only reflecting later would I truly understand Cheryl and Alessa were the same person as well as the warped physics of the other-world. I finally realized just how brave Harry was and how much he had to lose. Truth be told Silent Hill was always more complex then Resident Evil. It focused more on the psychological and the occult then viruses and zombies.
The games that came after always either hit it big with me or had me give up. Alot of fans say "SH 2" was the best in the series. It was a good game but I could not really relate to a guy who killed his sick wife. (By now I'm sure EVERYONE knows about that. SH 2 has been out a LONG TIME.) However SH did introduce everyone's favorite geometric headed butcherer Pyramid-head as well as the possibility SH's energies are not only fueled by Alessa but rather by anyone who enters its' borders. SH 3 was a game I loved. Heather was one of my favorite protagonists and though people often critique her for being "too sassy" or "too whiney" I thought she was supposed to be a normal teenaged girl in the first place. Despite her short comings she was still brave and capable of caring for others. I get tired of people expecting their heroes to be perfect. If anything Silent Hill is about "imperfections" that come back to haunt us. SH 4 let me down completly. Once again some people thought it was awesome. I thought it was "good" for the genre yet something about it did not feel quite like "silent hill" to me. Henry was not "unlikeable" and being a bachelor I could relate to him finding comfort in solitude but all the back tracking and ending variables hinging on Eileen's health and exorcising spirits made the game more of a frusterating chore. Actually protecting Eileen would have been a reasonable task if not for those damned ghosts that can phase through walls to come after you. Walter Sullivan was one of the best antagonists in SH but the flawed gameplay broke the mold in a bad way.
Now we come up to origins. Honestly I was worried intially. Afterall I was buying a psp port to my ps-2. Would the game look like crap? Would it play like a dying mule? Would Climax seriously mess up some of my favorite characters in the SH canon? I'm happy to say "no" to each of those.
As you well know you are put in the shoes of Travis Grady, a stoic trucker who gets caught up in Alessa's life and tries to stop everyone's favorite crazies from seriously messing up conventional reality. There have already been complaints such as "Travis had no reason to be in SH." Hmmm. If you think you just clipped a little girl with your semi truck wouldn't you be just a tad concerned? If you say "no" to that question you likely need to talk to a therapist.
Anyway, Travis ends up following Alessa back to a burning house and saves her from a ritualistic sacrificial burning. After he passes out he awakes in Slent Hill. As you know once you're "in" silent hill it is hard to get out until you've conquered your inner demons. Not only does Travis stay around out of concern for Alessa but some of his own past memories are lurking the town's foggy streets. From this we are able to dispel the silly notion he has "no reason to be in silent hill."
Origins really sticks its' neck out to make new innovations. Some are great. Others are not so great. For example melee weapons break after a few uses and you can lug around tvs, toasters, and type writers to literally throw at oncoming nasties. To balance out the weapons issue Travis can go fistacuffs with opponents like a boxing champ. The only problem is when more then one monster is in the vacinity he'll often keep focusing on the baddie knocked down instead of facing the lurching one that is the bigger threat. Honestly though "Survival horror" is not about making combat perfect. If you could easily cream hordes of demons it would be more akin to an action plat-former. Travis though being the toughest protagonist is still in over his head. If you are a true SH fan you want it that way. Having a flashy pretty boy like "Dante" from DMC running around unstoppable on the streets of silent-hill with a big sword and infinite ammo would kill the atmospheric terror aspect quick.
One thing you should be aware of is this time around the creatures are faster and meaner. The first time I saw "the patient" monsters in the distance I thought I could easily out run them. Afterall the similar monsters in SH 2 were slow as a southern drawl right? Wrong. These "things" are unrelenting. They will shamble at you quickly and try to crush you with their legs or in the case of the nurses put a rusty syringe in your neck. That cannot be sanitary! This brings up another new combat mechanic. Travis can "shake off" assaults by tapping the x button really fast. I find overall this is a good feature because without it you would be even more screwed.
Instead of shifting to the other-world at random Travis acesses mirors to step between realities. Some say this kills the suspense but frankly so much is creepy about the game it is hard to say if it took the frantic edge off my nerves personally. Afterall I first encountered "the butcher" in the "normal fog world" cutting open a nurse creature with a huge cleaver. I didn't really feel safer in either dimension.
Moving along you will meet Dahlia, Kauffman, and Lisa. Though they look significally different their personalities are very much entact from the first game. Dahlia is as evil and creepy as ever so the designers did not try to make her a more sympathetic character like she was in the movie. This does stay in line with the first game though her movie counter-part had more layers. Likely that was one of the things Director Gans did well. For some reason Dahlia seems like Cruella Deville from 101 dalmations to me. Antagonists that are evil just to be evil work for cartoons but they do not do so well in a serious and frightening survival horror setting. If they portrayed Dahlia as at least having some guilt and remorse issues the end result would have been much better contrieved. What if for example you found her telling her confessions to a preacher in a church weeping? You would still not like her but she would come off as being alot more "human". Yeah she's crazy, but can't crazy people still love their children?
Kauffman is cold,aloft, cruel, and calculating living up to his usual "ice man doctor" arch type to a perfect T. Lisa is sweet, flirtatous, yet misguided which is refreshingly loyal to the ground work in the first game. For some reason people yammer about poor Lisa seeming like a "slut" but she does not seem to go about things differently in her interactions with Travis then she did with Harry. She flirted with Harry too and everyone knew she had an abusive relationship going with Kauffman. Does that coupled with being a nurse make her a tramp? For those few self annointed "elites" complaining I'd like to say "whatever prudes." You had no problem with her in the first game despite her drug addiction yet you do in origins? Bury the fan-baby angst already. It's not as if Climax tried making Lisa like Cynthia. (Not that Cynthia was a bad person either. Being a "hooker" does not make a woman automatically deserving of death or less of a person.)
Beyond this point you can guess the formula. Alessa needs your help and guides you through Silent Hill. Each time you defeat a boss you get pieces to the overall puzzle unlocking more info about the cult and your own difficult past. My only complaint is each completed area seems to get locked off. Yes, you can beat the game in 5 hours if you're good at navigation and have a faq handy to tell you where everything is but most likely if this if your first time playing it'll take you 8-10 hours.
Wrapping up I have to say this is my favorite SH game since 1 and 3. I'm surprised it looks so good on my PS-2 being that it is a psp port and equally delighted Climax handled each and every detail with loving care.
Pros
+ Loyal to the SH canon.
+ Alessa gets more love and a chance to let out more frustrations onto her tormentors.
+ Lisa is likable this time around too. I know some disagree with me over that fact but I found myself caring for her and feeling sorry for her just like I did in the first game.
+ Monsters are varied and vicious with new attacks though admittedly alot of their designs seem to be from the other games.
+ Great scares but you should play it in the dark for more jump out of your chair moments.
+Vivid and lucid sound-track.
+ Travis is a good guy. I found it easy to relate to him and liked how he took responsibility for his own actions.
Cons
- Character models were changed aesthetically a bit. I did not care so much but I know certain fans will.
- Camera angles can be really bad here and there.
- Alessa seems more "mischievous" and "dangerous" then "innocent" and "helpless". However I understand why she'd be driven insane and want to screw with people after being burnt alive. Poor kid.
-Combat can get frusterating especially when fighting multiple foes or the "biggy-beasts" in this installment. Word to the wise. Its' ok to run sometimes!
-Arguably the shortest SH if you know exactly what to do and where to go.
- The power to travel to the fog world and other-world at your own leisure may kill the suspense for you. It didn't for me though. Both places seemed equally twisted.
Description of Silent Hill Origins
The renowned Silent Hill survival horror series continues on the PS2 with a brand new adventure that reveals many of the series most hallowed secrets. Assuming the role of a lone truck driver who becomes trapped in Silent Hill, players must escape the city's horrific inhabitants and confront the strange hallucinations that have haunted him since childhood. Featuring enhanced graphics, sound and control, Silent Hill Origins sets a new standard for this survival horror classic.PlayStation2 Games
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