Silent Hill

In preparation of the new Silent Hill movie (coming out sometime this month is all I know) I've been going back and playing all of the Silent Hill games. I wanted to have the stories fresh in my mind so I can go into the movie and either appreciate what they've done with it, or be ready to tear it a new asshole LOL.

Since I've been playing them so much lately, I decided I should come here and blog about them as I do them.

Silent Hill

Silent Hill for the PS1 is easily the scariest of the series. I really forgot how terrible it is. Between the uber creepy school and the hospital, it has you on the edge of your seat in terror for every second of the game. Yes, some of the enemies are kind of silly (like the remote control car sound you never really can figure out what is making) but that doesn't matter because the game really knocks it out of the park in every other respect.

I originally played Silent Hill back on my PS1, but I have now replayed it on the PS2. I must say that the smooth textures really make a big difference. Without them, the game is a bit too blocky for my tastes.

Silent Hill 2

SH2 for the PS2 is probably the best of the series. It has some of the single creepiest areas in the series, even though, pound for pound, it didn't scare me as badly as SH1. It also has the most terifying enemy: Pyramid Head. Holy shit I forgot how scary that asshole is! When you're running away from him under the Hospital and he kills Maria! GAH!

SH2 also has the best storyline in the series. All of the other games get a little bit hard to follow and wander a bit, but SH2's story is rock-solid. The gameplay is also the most balanced, with a decent mix of fighting and puzzles. I also felt in SH2 I had a lot of freedom with exploration even if I really was on a fixed track.

Silent Hill 3

I almost want to say that SH3 is the weakest of the series, but it's really hard to say that. I mean, you have some great moments in SH3. You have some really scary scenes (Heather's evil alter-ego in the room with the tub! AAAAAAGH!) some really memorable enemies (EVIL BUNNIES!) and even some humor! That's right, this SH3 actually has some very funny moments in it (the Haunted House ride was freaking hilarious!)

Of course, with everything there is to love about SH3, there's a lot to hate. The freedom of SH1 and SH2 is gone, and you can't go exploring the areas you're in. This makes each area feel very small and confined (and not in a good way). The adventure is really by the numbers, with a whole bunch of "Go to A to get item B which helps unlock area C, rinse and repeat". The puzzles are mostly lame and the action gets really repetative really fast.

SH3 also has a pretty strong emphasis on sprinkling boss battles throughout the game which makes it feel more like a video game and less immersive than the previous titles. Also, I never really felt much emotional ties with any of the characters in the game, mainly because the story was paper thin.

So, I guess SH3 is the weakest of the series. It's still a top-notch survival horror game, it just isn't as strong as the other SH titles.

Silent Hill 4

SH4 gets good again, but it isn't as good as SH1 or SH2. First of all, the premise is really awesome. You're some guy trapped in his room and can only get out to some strange alternate world through a hole in your bathroom wall (and later, your closet wall). This exposes a really interesting story involving ritualistic child abuse in the cult of Silent Hill. There's also some really awesome voyueristic overtones as you can peep through holes in your wall, your windows, and your door, at your neighbors and their involvement in this strange story.

There are some really unique and frightening enemies in this game, too. The ghosts are a new touch to the SH series and the fact that they can't be killed makes the truly horrifying. There's other new and varied enemies here including a return of the dogs from SH1. And when the ghosts start coming back to your appartment (the one safe haven now deadly!) the game really gets disturbing.

Unfortunately, the game has a few flaws that knock it down a notch or two. For one, you now have a very small inventory size which means you have to make frequent trips back to your appartment to drop stuff off or pick stuff up. This gets tedious and old quickly.

For another, the enemies and the areas become boring after a while. One of the great things about the earlier games was this uncertainty of what enemies may or may not be around the corner. In SH4 there are so many enemies you now just assume they are around every corner and come prepared. When you're expecting enemies, they just arent as scary after a while.

Also, the story is more confusing than the previous ones. Even though it is good, it can't hold a candle to the story in SH1 or SH2.