Silent Hill: Homecoming

"The next gen for Silent Hill fans"

Silent Hill Homecoming is the sixth game in the series, and the first for the next gen consoles. It's a survival horror game, there are plenty of deformed monsters and gore, so be aware of it if that's not what you're looking for. It's definitely not for children.

This game has you playing as Alex Shepard, a soldier in his early twenties who has returned home to Shepard's Glen looking for his little brother Josh. He finds his home town nearly abandoned and in disrepair, and the few residents that remain are strange to say the least. Alex has to solve several puzzles and fight off monsters as he searches Shepard's Glen and later Silent Hill for his brother. During this he pieces together the back story of his town, and even begins to question his past. It's done very well, when you finally learn the whole story you will probably want to go through the game again so you can catch everything.

If you've played any of the previous Silent Hill games then you'll notice that Alex is far more capable than the other characters in the series. Being a soldier, Alex is able to utilize light and heavy melee attacks in simple but effective combos, and he's also able to evade incoming attacks as well. Guns do play a role in the game, but emphasis is most definitely on hand to hand fighting. There are a few times when facing multiple enemies that they seem to wait their turn before attacking, and if you're fighting your way through a door and you rotate the camera the wrong way Alex's attacks may hit the environment and cause him to fall back. This won't happen very often but it is noticeable when it does.

The graphics are a mostly good, cut scene character models look and move alright, but some minor things will stand out such as when one of the characters is given a necklace with a ring on it the chain looks out of place. The monsters and the game play graphics are better, things look nice and flow well.

The music isn't something I noticed that much, mostly playing in cut scenes or when Alex is first wandering Shepard's Glen. Expect to hear a lot of nothing but footsteps until monsters show up. Of course you will soon notice that monsters can also hear your footsteps, and if they aren't aware of you it may be possible to sneak by them. You will also most likely hear enemies before you can see them, so having silence as a backdrop can be to your benefit.

All in all, I'd say this game has some flaws but they are few and far between. It's a good survival horror game with responsive controls and nice visuals that set up the atmosphere well and let you experience what it would be like to be lost in Silent Hill.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/08

Game Release: Silent Hill: Homecoming (US, 09/30/08)