Silent Hill: Origins

"A Return To Silent Hill That Is Actually Worth The Time"

Presentation

The mirror idea was a nice change to how the normal and evil environments changed. Not better than how it was in the older games, just different. At least it wasn't a change that ruined the game, only made it unique. Plus it worked out for when you had to get something in the evil side, then had to go back to the normal area…adds to the length of the game (even though it is still short).

Maybe it's because I have played the first three Silent Hill games a lot, but this game wasn't that hard to complete. I had plenty of health left at the end, and was only a bit low during the Sanitarium level. After that I seemed to find plenty of health, and would have had more if I wasn't sloppy in some fights. If you are curious as to what my final stats were, look towards the bottom of this review. The camera got me a few times, and the controls also had me swearing a bit since it changes when the camera changes sometimes.

The story is hit and miss, since you learn some important things, and others are not mentioned. Maybe if the game was longer, it would have covered everything? The ending though is very cool since it links itself to the first Silent Hill quite well. I won't go into detail, since it would be mostly spoilers for the plot.

Silent Hill 1-3 had a very scary feel to them. The soundtracks, along with the disturbing environment and creatures would make the person feel on edge while playing. Especially if you played alone, in a dark room, and had the sound going through your stereo. I wish that Origins had the same feel, but it doesn't. Not once did I feel scared, or was worried about a creature killing me. It is probably because the game is fairly easy, and you know exactly where to go and what to do.

Most games that I have played encounter some sort of problem, or have bad programming that you need to deal with. This game falls into the problem category. On my first play through, the game froze up on me once (in the Motel, about 1/3 of the way through the level). I was pissed, and turned the game off and stopped since I didn't save any of the Motel progress for lack of save points. The second time was after I completed the game and made a new save. I went to load that save and the screen just stayed on the warning/loading text for several minutes. I did a quick sacrifice to the Silent Hill Gods and turned the PS2 off. When I turned it back on, the memory card was okay, and I was able to load my save with no freezing up.

Glitches are also seen with the audio not working (explained in Sound), or when you reload a gun. The image changes on that weapon for some reason. Don't know why it happens and I don't know HOW this was passed over when they tested the game. They did test this game right? Some of the problems seen in the game make you wonder if anyone played the game before saying “It's finished”. You also have your small glitches like an object going through a wall (Travis holds a hammer and stands near a wall, the head of the hammer can go through the wall), or when you try to open a door you sometimes have to move a little bit and then try again. Finally, there is a problem when you pick up certain items. When you grab them, instead of saying what the item is on the screen, it quickly acts like it did…making you have to look in your inventory to see just what it was (or if it's a letter, having to look at your notes to read it).

The levels are short, but this was a PSP game (that could be the excuse). I am amazed at how long the Grand Theft Auto games were that began on the PSP and ended up on the PS2, but the depth that those games had isn't even seen in this Silent Hill game. Sure you have the familiar Hospital to revisit, but it seems very small in the game. The Sanitarium is large, but that isn't a good thing since that part of the game was boring and went on way too long. The theater was good; also the Motel was the perfect length to play. The last level was short though and could have been longer. I did manage to get eight hours of game play in on my first completion, but I did take my time and I explored every bit of area that I could. I would imagine that my second completion will be in the 3-4 hour range, which to me is short. 8/10

Graphics

This game looks very clean, and nowhere near as dated/bad as the original Silent Hill looks. I'm not sure how the PSP version looks on their small screen, but on my large TV the PS2 version is very smooth and clear…with or without the grain filter on. When you can remove the grain filter, the images look extremely detailed and reminded me of how great Silent Hill 3 looked in the graphics department.

The smoke/fog continues to look awesome in the Silent Hill games. When you play on the last level, it will remind you of a certain part of the original Silent Hill game…only better looking. I wish that Konami would remake the first Silent Hill (like what was done for Resident Evil on the GameCube) and give it some better graphics. Maybe even some better voice actors too.

Not sure why the enemies had their rear ends look so…detailed…but it really sticks out in the game. Maybe it has some hidden meaning? Maybe the design team wanted to put some emphasis on the butt? Don't know, but it is weird to play the game and see such detail on creatures' behinds. Now, maybe some work could be done with the nurses' chest? ;)

The use of a flashlight really helps since the game is very dark (most of the time). Some parts don't require you to use the flashlight, but the graphics look very nice when you are looking in the dark with your light shining on objects. I also enjoyed the flashlight mod that you get once you complete the game. 9/10

Sound

Voice acting is hit and miss. Your main character Travis and some other small part characters are good. Then you have Lisa who is still bad at speaking aloud, but this is good since she was cheesy in the first Silent Hill game too. I was hoping that the original voice actors would have done the characters that are present in the game who were also in the first Silent Hill game, but maybe they were too busy? I won't say who else is in the game, but Lisa isn't the only familiar face.

The background music can be a bit too loud (I guess as a cheap scare?) or doesn't seem to fit the level very well. Sometimes the music just stops (music budget ran out?) but if you check the map or look at your inventory, once you return to the game the music returns as well. Even the music during the ending credits will glitch up and stop, or lag for a second. I don't know why, but the music just didn't have that Silent Hill feel. It sounded like Silent Hill music, but it didn't feel like it. I guess it could be compared to a piece of artwork. Someone could paint a picture and it speaks to you, while another artist can duplicate the image…but cannot duplicate the feel for it. Also, sound effects like a door opening or closing will sometimes not work when it should. The monsters sounded okay, but they don't talk too much. 8/10

Gameplay

This isn't your regular Silent Hill game, and the changes made take some getting used to. First of all is the camera. It stinks! You cannot change your view with the right analog stick like you should be able to (I don't know why any game made after 2005 would ignore such an important feature). Also, when you are walking the camera will keep a poor angle until you've walked (basically blind) enough to change it. This will really bother the gamer when there is an enemy nearby and you cannot see them until it is too late and they attack you.

You still use guns and other objects to attack with, only now the melee items break after usage and your bullets are in short supply. Luckily there are plenty of melee items to use, and some can be quite fun. I personally like to throw objects (TV's, typewriters, crates, bottles) into enemies and watch them drop. You can also just use your fists to fight/kill enemies, which is nice just in case you don't have any ammo/melee weapons to fight with.

Puzzles are a Silent Hill trademark of sorts, and the puzzles in this game can be fun and a bit challenging. I enjoyed figuring them out, and the last puzzle reminded me of that box used in “Hellraiser”.

Boss battles were a bit of a disappointment. Sure I saved my guns for each boss, but that was only because I wanted to keep my distance from them. One of the bosses could be very cheap if he grabs you, but other than that it is your basic “shoot from a distance” fight. I think the bosses from the first Silent Hill game were much harder to fight, and I used the same tactics as I did in this game.

Some parts that annoyed me were:

Monsters that respawn. It's been a while since I've played the older Silent Hill titles, but I don't remember them respawning, or if they did it was because you found an important item or the story progressed and that area now has more enemies. Near the beginning of the game (once you leave the Hospital), I was running down the long road exiting the Hospital and saw one of those spitting enemies so I tried something. I made it see me, and then went back to the Hospital. It followed, and then I ran back down the road only to see another spitting creature in the same spot! I then started back to the Hospital and the spitting creature that was there started to head back to its roaming spot.

So, if you are going to try and search the areas thoroughly, be careful with the creatures. Don't think that you can just kill all those that you see and you'll be fine (like with the first Silent Hill). All it takes is for you to leave a section of the town and come back to find another enemy for you to kill, or for them to annoy you. When you are inside a building, it is different. Enemies will only reappear when you find an important item, or when you go through a mirror.

Constant camera changes. I don't mind a few changes here and there, but when you are trying to search a small room, and the camera changes view, then if you don't adjust your movements on the controller…you just end up going back and forth almost. After a few seconds you just want to yell “Pick a ****ING view and stay there!” at your TV. I know that I did.

Group attacks. This is a 50/50 sort of deal. Sometimes when you are attacked by two or more enemies you are either hit a lot, or you can hit them and only be hit a few times back. One moment in the Sanitarium, I must have been lucky, since I had three nurses near me, but none of them landed a hit on me. I attacked one (with my fists) and as soon as it fell to the ground I did my finishing kick (remember kiddies, let go of R1). While the small animation did its thing, a nurse tried to attack but couldn't hit me. I then did the same thing as before and had the same results. I wouldn't try this all the time, but when I saw the first nurse, two others arrived and I said “**** it” and continued beating on the one.

Going back to the finishing kick/melee/gun move, I've noticed that towards the end of the game (Motel/Theater levels) the game would be very picky as to how the finisher would work. Sometimes you had to place yourself in the right spot. Other times, it didn't matter where you were, you couldn't finish the enemy. I must have killed about four enemies without a finisher since I could not make it work.

Now, when you are using a melee weapon…things can be cheap. If you wait too long to attack with it, the enemy will grab you and whatever you had it your hands is now gone. Or, if you do use the item it will break over them (you can hear the noise), but the animation for the struggle is still shown first, ignoring the damage that you did to that creature. After a while, you need to learn when to throw/attack a creature and distance it just right. Towards the end of the game, I had it down pat…but the first part of the game was my learning phase and I paid the price on several fights.

Not sure if this is how the game is supposed to be, or if it can be filed under glitches/bugs, but it sure made the game less fun. 7/10

Lasting Appeal

I didn't expect to have so many accolades from my first play through. I thought that my flashlight might have been on longer, or I didn't find enough items, or I didn't cover enough of the map…but I guess I did. Some of the accolades are going to be tough (especially the map one since I'm always looking at it).

Since you have plenty of accolades to unlock, you can see yourself playing through this game several times at least if you want them all. Besides that though, unless you a hardcore Silent Hill fan, maybe two times will be enough for you (If you are a fan of the series, then you definitely need to see the UFO ending since it has become a trademark for Silent Hill). The costumes are much better than what we were given in Silent Hill 3. You have a whole new outfit for Travis, not just some new shirt (boy was that lame!). The game has its good and bad moments, but hey…it isn't Silent Hill 4: The Room so I'm happy. 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/08

Game Release: Silent Hill: Origins (US, 03/04/08)