Silent Hill: Homecoming (360, PS3, PC)

[Kadratis]

So who has picked it up so far? I got mine last night and have been playing it through pretty much all night (and still not finished!). I think I've come to the conclusion that the game is as good as I was hoping it would be. A couple things did bother me though:

• The gameplay mechanic heavily relies upon Resident Evil 4's. True, the previous Silent Hill gameplay mechanics weren't too great, but it's kind of sad that it has to lean agaisnt one of it's competitors to seem fresh. It's not something that bothers me too much though because there are some differences.
• The game has gone in the direction of the Silent Hill film rather than the previous games in the franchise. I pretty much saw this coming when I saw some gameplay and the trailers for it. But it's not all bad, though. I just haven't noticed that many references (besides Pyramid Head (aka the "Boogeyman")) to the previous titles. I haven't finished it yet, so maybe there will be some to come.
• Some pretty strange glitches and a difficult medium setting. The difficulty is something I really shouldn't complain about though, considering the previous games were kind of a cakewalk compared to this one. If you die, it just makes you come back for more and more.

And one final thought...

Spoiler: Homecoming's setting:

Why did the creators make Shepherd's Glen the new Silent Hill? I've got my head all warped around the fact and I still haven't got a clue why they "Silent Hill-afied" a different town instead of using the good ol' town... Like I've said, I've still got more to play, so maybe I'll figure out eventually...

 

[PKerr]

Not knowing anything about the franchise other than the movie I was still going to pick this up since I'm a fan of horror games.

I haven't yet.

I haven't really heard anything on this game, good or bad.
I've since thought about it and came to the conclusion that I'm going to pass on it (for now).
There are so many games coming out from now until the end of the year that I just can't justify spending $60.00 on a title I know very little about.
I'm sure it will be in a bargain bin (not insulting the game) soon enough and I'll get it then.

Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[Scout101]

No Wii version? I don't have a PS3 or 360, so am gonna have to wait or pass on this one. Reading the review and synopsis, though, I'm still of the opinion that SH:2 was far and away my favorite. Liked the setting, the background stories, and the trying to armchair psychoanalyze what was REALLY going on (ie. what really happened with the wife, did he kill her and have a psychotic break, is any of this real or did the guy just f'ing lose his mind, is he really just bound up in a padded room somewhere, etc). Great story with a lot of depth, especially for a horror/shooter genre. Plus the dark and the shadows, with noises in the background, plays a lot better than being rushed and attacked by zombies. Thinking back on it, there are very few bad guys, or even other characters, in the entire game. Mostly lets you creep YOURSELF out, with a few moments of bad guy-induced panic to keep it going, or a brief, frantic fight.

great series!

 

[firehawk12]

I'm not much of a survivor horror fetch the 5 pieces of the key kind of guy, so I probably won't grab this any time soon. I guess I'm mostly interested because of the fact that the developers are American and there's the whole "fear" that Americans can't get Silent Hill right.

 

[Mooch]

I LOVE Silent Hill 2 and I like SIlent Hill 3 (haven't played the others except for a bit of the PSP one). However IGN didn't think too much of this one so I'm a bit wary. I mostly play Silent Hill for the story and atmosphere, so as long as they are good I don't care about the combat. I'll probably play it on easy mode anyway.

 

[dragunzng]

I think I'm done with the Silent Hill franchise till there's a radical re-think.

 

[nx1701g]

I have a feeling they're going to go on to a more movie like storyline. I read online that they had originally planned for the next Silent Hill game (which became this one) to be a remake of the film.

 

[unimatrix7]

I think I'm done with the Silent Hill franchise till there's a radical re-think.

Agreed. Those first few games were incredible from a narrative perspective, and I loved the honest attempt to tell some truly original horror stories in the awesomely creepy setting of that god-forsaken town. The mythos of Silent Hill, its inhabitants, and the various individuals drawn to it was really something to get your teeth into. Then came The Room, and I just lost all interest...so much so that I've scarcely followed Homecoming at all, aside from the acknowledgement that the cover art is creepy awesome.

 

[Kadratis]

Okay, the game is now making sense now that I'm at the final boss. I've gotta admit, this one sure as Hell beats the forth game, and is even slightly a little better than the forth. It just takes toward the end of the game for things to slide into focus, or, as a proudful Silent Hill fan would say, for the fog to thin. Can't wait to see which ending I get, but I don't think I'll be replaying to get the alternate endings. I'll wait to see them when they're all on YouTube.

I'm not much of a survivor horror fetch the 5 pieces of the key kind of guy, so I probably won't grab this any time soon. I guess I'm mostly interested because of the fact that the developers are American and there's the whole "fear" that Americans can't get Silent Hill right.

Eh, I'll agree with you on that, but with this one, I feel as though more work into it than the previous one had. This one has the feeling most probably didn't get from TR, at least IMO.

I LOVE Silent Hill 2 and I like SIlent Hill 3 (haven't played the others except for a bit of the PSP one). However IGN didn't think too much of this one so I'm a bit wary. I mostly play Silent Hill for the story and atmosphere, so as long as they are good I don't care about the combat. I'll probably play it on easy mode anyway.

IGN wasn't too kind in their review, if you ask me. You can ask many fans of the series that this one certainly does capture the story and atmosphere as best as it could. But, just so you know, there is no Easy difficulty setting. Not one I've seen, anyway. And from the standpoint of somebody who doesn't play very many action games, the Medium setting is ridiculously hard for me.

I have a feeling they're going to go on to a more movie like storyline. I read online that they had originally planned for the next Silent Hill game (which became this one) to be a remake of the film.

I just hope the next one we'll eventually get will find the best of both worlds next time.

I think I'm done with the Silent Hill franchise till there's a radical re-think.

Agreed. Those first few games were incredible from a narrative perspective, and I loved the honest attempt to tell some truly original horror stories in the awesomely creepy setting of that god-forsaken town. The mythos of Silent Hill, its inhabitants, and the various individuals drawn to it was really something to get your teeth into. Then came The Room, and I just lost all interest...so much so that I've scarcely followed Homecoming at all, aside from the acknowledgement that the cover art is creepy awesome.

Eh, this one actually is pretty good from a narrative, but only as things come into focus. Otherwise, you're pretty confused and wondering where the Hell exactly you are and what you are doing besides looking for your brother, Joshua. TR shallows in comparison to this one, but then again, it's just my silly opinion.

 

[dark angel_707]

been following the game since it was announced and the developers missed the mark from the videos and unbiased views from gamers. I still hold the 2nd game as one of favourite ever games despite the flaws.

Yeah homecoming looks better than the dreadful 4th game but there is so many better games coming out I bet it will end up into the bargain bin pretty quick (not that its out in the UK or europe yet)