Silent Hill: HomecomingBy Locke on January 21st, 2010
One of my favorite games of all time is Silent Hill 2. I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions that SH2 was the game that taught me the impact a game’s plot could have in your thought process. It’s was also the first that had me think about it long after I watched the final credits. Silent Hill: Homecoming is the first console game to be produced outside of Team Silent. It starts with Alex Shepard, a soldier returning from a war overseas, arriving in his hometown, Shepard’s Glen. The story is great for fans of Silent Hill, but also good for newcomers to the series as well. While much of the story benefits from knowledge of the previous games, it stands out well as a solo title. The music is exactly what you would expect of the series, moody piano, industrial and ambient sounds, and brilliant vocal work bring this mystery to life. Akira Yamaoka, the composer of the series comes back, changing the musical style to fit the character and the story. The graphics are really nice, although I wish the character models could be a little better. I don’t mean to be picky, but, sometimes the characters faces look…dull. Frightened or surprised expressions don’t come off as such. SH2 pulled off great facial expressions without today’s technology. The environments are really well made, Double Helix did a great job capturing the look and feel of Otherworld. The game play is great, despite some issues with combat; its not that I don’t like the new system, I love it really. Its just that sometimes, fighting enemies without a block button gets tedious, especially since the block mechanic is integrated with the dodge button. I also really miss free exploration, walking the streets of the town was one of biggest factors of immersion in the game. I recommend this Silent Hill to all the fans, its a worthy entry to the series and really adds more to the lore of the games. To any gamer who is interested in starting this series, give this game a try. |
lol, i like the gryffon-like thing