Silent Hill Thread

Twilightning

Searched for Silent Hill and found some of the most recent threads on Silent Hill were from 9 years ago! So I thought I'd start up a new one. I'm a huge fan of the first three games and I never managed to beat the fourth, stopped playing somewhere around 2004 as my save seems to suggest, so I thought I'd try again last and I immediately remembered why I'd stopped playing. However, I'm gonna slog it through until the end so I can actually say I finished it.

What's everyone else's thoughts on the Silent Hill universe?

thorbarry

First one was pretty solid back in the day. The second one was one of my favorite games when it came out. I played it for months, getting all the endings, secrets etc. The atmosphere in that game is amazing, and the sound amazing.

Unfortunately it was downhill from there. 3 was pretty good, but focused more on action. The room was ok, and the rest I haven't been bothered with.

I will keep an eye on the new one and hope that is is something good, but I wont hold my breath.

I will always have 2 tho

richymcdermott

Only ever played the first one , must of been 8 at the time , was too scared after the start. Might pick up the silent hill collection this year

Twilightning

richymcdermott wrote: »

Only ever played the first one , must of been 8 at the time , was too scared after the start. Might pick up the silent hill collection this year

Pick them up now on the cheap. If you didn't finish the first one, do, it won't be part of the collection. And as far as I know they're going to be doing new voiceovers for the collection (and assuming it goes down like The Twin Snakes remake of MGS1, it probably won't be anywhere near as good as the original).

deathrider

I drifted away from the Silent Hill games quite a few years ago. I still think the second one is the scariest game I've ever played, and is a masterpiece of atmospheric gaming. I remember giving Silent Hill 4: The Room a spin back in the day and really enjoying it. Unfortunately though, I'd only borrowed it, so I didn't get too many hours into it.

krudler

last one I played was 4, havent bothered with the series since, for some reasno I dont think it suits the HD look, I prefer the grainy ps2 graphics of 2 and 3, looks too polished now. SH 2 is amazing, still is to this day one of the scariest games ever, its not so much the jumps its the overpowering sense of dread no matter where you are, the sound design is incredible as well.

Twilightning

I just completed the 4th installment and all I can say is I'll probably never play it again. I got the worst ending of all of them but somehow that doesn't phase me too much. Two boss battles and one was essentially just an oversized puzzle.

Zero-Cool

I'm the same, last I played was 4: The Room. COOOOL concept but then half way through it was like ok take this gimp of a biitch back through all the levels :eek: awful game design.

SH 2 was so class, I got the

Water

ending where it turns out

you were the one that killed your wife to stop her sufferring and then drives into the water and kills himself

One of the most emotional endings I've ever witnessed to a game.

Not pushed on them any more though,they just lost their way I think. The new SH Downpour (i think thats what its called?) looks okay but just not grabbing me.

Pity an all, it was the one series where my gf would encourage me to play just so she could watch it. She pointed out SH Homecoming in HMV but I just wasn't pushed. Was Homecoming any good? It's going cheap now.

ShadowHearth

last one i played was 3. it was so ages ago, i think i played it on ps2. was good game.

i just walked away and newer looked back when american company took over, i knew it will be **** after this. dont know who did 3 thought.

still one of the most scariest games you can ever play. its a shame that RE and SH games went from horror survivalto **** it is now


i will be killed for this, but i thought sillent hill movie was very good. scary too.

Laisurg

Only ever played one and two, i was 10 when i played the first one and it scared the shít out of me :rolleyes: only played two recently and it was absolutely beast, series just went downhill from there though.

Fnz

I really enjoyed the movie. Think it may be the best film adaptation of a video game.

I like it for the nightmarishly grotesque scenes.

ShadowHearth

Fnz wrote: »

I really enjoyed the movie. Think it may be the best film adaptation of a video game.

I like it for the nightmarishly grotesque scenes.

i had such an itch to watch it tonight and i cant find it . i gave it to my sis by the looks of it... ffs

Mr. K

I've only played the first SH, back when it came out (1999, I believe). Great game, I look forward to playing the others in the collection. I'm kinda curious about that Wii remake of the first one too!

nevaeh-2die-4

check this out really interesting about the new remakes


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtrO-eSwVw

Zero-Cool

Ya, really crappy not have the original voice actor. as much as i loved SH 1 & 2, I would rather them leave it be then make this 'HD remake' with different voice actors. Shiitty move Konami. Then again, I hear they are doing the same with the MGS hd remakes.

jaykhunter

nevaeh-2die-4 wrote: »

check this out really interesting about the new remakes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtrO-eSwVw

That's so sad to hear about one of my favourite games ever. It sounds like Konami need to loosen the taut purse-strings of their bulging wallets and give the people what they're bloody owed. I'd no idea Konami suits were such bastards. I guess it's just business, and everyone screws you over.

Sounds like it'd be a better idea to completely remake 2 (and 3) much like Shattered Memories.

Quick thoughts on the SH movie; music and tone was perfect; but the plot was awful and featured far too many "hey look! i'm from a SH game!" moments; no reason for so many cameos. Just a terrible mess IMO. If they were going for "nonsensical nightmare" then they nailed it perfectly. I was just hoping they'd have a strong narrative, as SH games tend to have

Hell, just condense SH2 into a movie. That's one of my dream movies

Skerries

I played 1 and 2 back in the day and actually own 3 and 4 but never got round to playing them except a demo of 4 which didn't inspire me
how many more games proper were there on PS2?

jaykhunter

SH : Origins and Shattered Memories (SH1 remake) were the two other PS2 SH games released. tbh haven't heard much good about Origins; and SM uses a lot of flashlight and searching; i'd recommend it on Wii instead.

They've both been out for a while; should be cheap now. GT has some good reviews of both.

Fnz

jaykhunter wrote: »

Quick thoughts on the SH movie; music and tone was perfect; but the plot was awful and featured far too many "hey look! i'm from a SH game!" moments; no reason for so many cameos. Just a terrible mess IMO. If they were going for "nonsensical nightmare" then they nailed it perfectly. I was just hoping they'd have a strong narrative, as SH games tend to have

As someone who hasn't played anything beyond the first couple of hours of the original, I didn't notice anything particularly jarring in respect to superfluous moments. The plot was serviceable... but the film excels at horrifying and deserves a lot of credit for that.

'grabby hand' moment always makes me laugh though.

Chairman Meow

The first game was amazing when it came out. Genuinely scary in a way that didnt need to rely on jump scares. I remember in the nightmare school section, when i finally finished it and it became daytime and normal again, i was just like "oh thank christ".

2nd game is a horror game masterpiece. Great story, atmosphere through the roof, and graphics that are still impressive today.

3rd game, it was okay. I didnt think the story was up to much, and the ending was AWFUL. Absolutely abysmal. I remember just being like "what the fu*k *slams controller down* IS THIS ****".
I have no memories of that game really aside from the terrible ending. After that i gave up on the series, never played anything after that.

calex71

Chairman Meow wrote: »

The first game was amazing when it came out. Genuinely scary in a way that didnt need to rely on jump scares. I remember in the nightmare school section, when i finally finished it and it became daytime and normal again, i was just like "oh thank christ".

Yes this was why I loved it, there were so many bits where you even expected something to jump out at you because of the music and environments and nothing happened but you were constantly kept on edge.

Robert ninja

Silent Hill 2 is my fave but I think SH3 is very good, too. Never finished 4.

I was really excited to hear about the HD re-releases. Get to experience the games again after such trash as all the new SHs and the new 3D movie that is obviously going to suck? Ugh. But now they're changing the voices because they're so tight on money? What utter diks they really are. They don't care about the fans OR the people who make their games.

So now they can't even re-release the classics right! This has got to be the worst F up a game company could ever do. It's so easy to upgrade the games to run off PS3 hardware. Okay maybe not easy but not impossible and certainly cheap! They'd be making such a killing.

I dunno if I'm gonna buy the HD re-releases now...

I got a letter. The game on the envelope said... Silent Hill 2. That's my favourite game's name. Couldn't possibly be true. And old game can't be new. So why am I considering buying it? Do I think Konami won't suck balls?

Also, I have a badass Maria poster.

Twilightning

Let's not forget that the Silent Hill series is renown for its music and soundtracks also! I think I'll post a few good ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMvOkUMPZ0g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZmMD84XpCs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBYsdw4Vwx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WShknpNpHbY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paHEtKZii8A

ShadowHearth

sound tracks of 1-3 are just pure sex. thought it wouldnt be something i would listen on free time.

any good place where to get SH2? i newer played it .

i got old brick ps3, so i can play all ps1 ps2 and ps3.

johnny_ultimate

I'm playing through Shattered Memories, and quite like it. I enjoy that there's no combat, but while the running away instead is engaging at first it can get a bit confusing trying to find the exit. The psychology element is a bit ludicrous - worst psychiatrist ever! - but I hear it pays off at the end.

Twilightning

ShadowHearth wrote: »

sound tracks of 1-3 are just pure sex. thought it wouldnt be something i would listen on free time.

any good place where to get SH2? i newer played it .

i got old brick ps3, so i can play all ps1 ps2 and ps3.

Get the Director's Cut of Silent Hill 2 if you are gonna pick it up. It includes a subscenario 'Born From a Wish' where you control another character related to the story and opens up a bit more as to why she's there in the first place, to flesh out parts the main game didn't explain a lot.

Try eBay or see even if any Gamestops have it in their PS2 preowned sections, sometimes you can find some real gems. I picked up Resi 4, Resi Code Veronica and Zone of the Enders for less than €15 around the corner from me last year.

Am I one of the few people who actually enjoyed SH Homecoming?

Cleared them all apart from SH3, never released on xbox IIRC.

deathrider

nevaeh-2die-4 wrote: »

check this out really interesting about the new remakes


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtrO-eSwVw

Tight-arsed bastards! I really hate seeing this kinda stuff done. Personally, if I want to play through Silent Hill 1 or 2, I'll break out my old Playstations and play them instead of this whole HD fiasco that seems to be at every turn these days. I don't even own a HD TV, so...

LuckyFinigan

SH2 is an amazing game its the only silent hill game Ive properly played through. I remember playing it when it first came out, think i was about ten at the time and I had to turn it off when I got to the first monster I was so freaked out. A few years later I gave it another go and finished it. Probably one of my favourite games. Everthing in it was just done so well, the town itself, the atmosphere and the music. Still listen to the soundtrack ever now and then. I really wish I got a chance to play the first one. Hopefull they put it up on psn at some stage.

K.O.Kiki

sheehy83 wrote: »

Ya, really crappy not have the original voice actor. as much as i loved SH 1 & 2, I would rather them leave it be then make this 'HD remake' with different voice actors. Shiitty move Konami. Then again, I hear they are doing the same with the MGS hd remakes.

They want to CHANGE the voices of Metal Gear?

NO.
YOU DO NOT DO THAT.

jill_valentine

The first two are extraordinary. The third is decent, and the fourth, although a massive departure, has more imagination in its little finger than fifty of its ilk, even if it is a poor addition to the Silent Hill series. After that, nah, the series just lost it's way.

But man, there's something about the mythology that seized my imagination and never really let go, even all these years on. Since the day I got the demo, and a vague, strange little leaflet, along with Metal Gear Solid on the PS1, the series just got a hook in me. Even if all the comics and sequels and movie since kind of sucked, I still keep an eye out in case it comes back to form.

I had high hopes for the movie, because there's so much going on in those early games that it seemed to me impossible to wrest anything less than a decent experience out of it, but no such luck. The first half has moments of genuine excellence, and there's a lot of visual flair, but ultimately its too superficial a reading of the games to be a worthwhile exercise on its own.

The music, as noted, was extraordinary. Atmospheric, clever and really innovative soundscapes, with a terrific amount of range, from big industrial noises to the mariachi strums. Although the weakest of the "core" games, SH4 probably has the strongest standalone soundtrack of the series. I keep it on my MP3 right next to my LCD Soundsystems and my Arcade Fires, and aside from a few cringeworthy J Pop indulgences, it's a hell of a record. It just sounds like empty buildings.

Robert ninja

Deleted User wrote: »

Am I one of the few people who actually enjoyed SH Homecoming?

There's this one guy on another forum that I know and he says it's his fave game and that it's the best SH. He also happens to be one of the biggest douchebags I've ever talked to. So you and him, the only 2 people I know that liked it.

Skerries

still sends shivers down my spine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zeeq2fYbfGY

jaykhunter

If you're a huge fan of a series, even if it's an average game, you'll relatively think it's a A+ game.

Read a few reviews of SH Homecoming and i wasn't awe-struck so didn't bother. Can you share some cool moments in the game (In spoiler tags lol)

Fnz

jaykhunter wrote: »

If you're a huge fan of a series, even if it's an average game, you'll relatively think it's a A+ game.

Some of these fans also gain the ability to eat sh1t and make excuses. :pac:

padr81

I think homecoming is an ok game. 6 outta 10ish. Classic SH? No way, but decent. Has alot of simularities with SH2 as in it feels like they tried to steal alot of 2's ideas and cram them in to recapture its glory days but it feels a little forced. Its an interesting enough game even if the story is somewhat predictable.

Zero-Cool

So, ye think Downpour will be any good?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1eOeUXSLA

Twilightning

sheehy83 wrote: »

So, ye think Downpour will be any good?

Not going to hold my breath after looking at that video. I think it's nice they added some of the fixed cameras but a lot of the portion of that video looked like Alan Wake, something I don't really want to see in a Silent Hill game (And I liked Alan Wake). I also noticed the game uses checkpoints too, which I think is pretty detrimental to the whole concept of a survival horror game keeping you on edge. You can take as many stupid risks as you want now safe in the knowledge there was a checkpoint 10 seconds back. I'd quite prefer the old save system myself. As for the combat, jury's still out on that one, I'll have to see more. Not sure if the idea of picking up random chairs and bottles and throwing them at Silent Hill monsters really appeals to me.

The_Nipper_One

You only need to look as far as the trailers of the games to see how it is now-vs-how it used to be.

The old trailers were interesting mind-F***s in and of themselves. They inspired awe, mystery, and showcased the unique Silent Hill visual slant that the old installments used to take.

As far as I'm concerned, all the newer titles are just riding the coattails of the original 3, and to a lesser extent, 4.

I do love the originals though . They are great examples of the games which will probably be forgotten, but remain examples of what a game could be back when games were supposedly for children :}

Zero-Cool

Watching the Silent Hill 2 'Water' ending again, i'm gonna be depressed for the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA6rAU5DAoo

Roar

I've only ever played SH1+SH2 and loved them, but have never felt compelled to a)go back and play it again or b) go and play the rest of the series.

SH2 was just sheer perfection, so I think I didn't want my memory of that to be tainted by inferior additions to the series, if that makes sense. Which is probably why I don't want to play it again, as I'm sure the awkward controls would probably ruin the experience on me and again, taint my experience of the first play through.

Playing it at 18, pitch black room, sound turned way up, sh!tting every time the radio static noise came on... brilliant..

The_Nipper_One

sheehy83 wrote: »

Watching the Silent Hill 2 'Water' ending again, i'm gonna be depressed for the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA6rAU5DAoo

There there...

...

you know... That ending is probably the most likely outcome

The_Nipper_One

Roar wrote: »

I've only ever played SH1+SH2 and loved them, but have never felt compelled to a)go back and play it again or b) go and play the rest of the series.

SH2 was just sheer perfection, so I think I didn't want my memory of that to be tainted by inferior additions to the series, if that makes sense. Which is probably why I don't want to play it again, as I'm sure the awkward controls would probably ruin the experience on me and again, taint my experience of the first play through.

Playing it at 18, pitch black room, sound turned way up, sh!tting every time the radio static noise came on... brilliant..

Silent Hill is one of those series where the atmosphere overpowers the gameplay. I think you should replay if you want to

As for the rest of the series; you're safe enough going to Sh3

Zero-Cool

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

There there...

...

you know... That ending is probably the most likely outcome

Ya I watched all 7 endings and that definitely seems to be the most fitting. Althought the Dog ending could have easily happened as well :pac:
I love how the 'Happy' ending is still depressing as fuk haha. Good ol' Silent Hill.

Movie wise, I really liked the film. Ya, it wasn't perfect but at least it wasn't resident evil! The next movie is spose to be based around SH 3

jaykhunter

If you haven't seen it, Fungo has edited Silent Hill 2 into a ~90 minute film. A great idea of what it could be on the big screen. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsKVWs_9J0g

part 2 and 3 are also on youtube.

The King of Moo

I loved the first two games, played them through completely, got every ending, including the director's cut of SH2.

When I got the first game I was a big RE fan, and even though I knew SH was more psychological, I didn't think it'd be so different. But right from the start I was hooked by the creepy intro, which I'll always remember for a creepy shot of a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere that had nothing to do with the game, and of course the fantastic music. Absolutely loved the game.

Then came SH2 and I was blown away, not just by how scary it was (always played it alone in the dark at night too) but by the level of maturity and emotion of the story. It was easy in the first game to get sympathy for a lone father searching for his young daughter, but in the second game they really made the love between James and Mary believable. The first time I played I got the

Water

ending, which was

such a downer

but so appropriate. As someone else said, probably the most realistic of all the endings too. It's still one of my favourite games.

I enjoyed SH3, but I never really got into it. Maybe because it wasn't too different from SH2 in style, but also probably because the story was too convoluted and the ending was pretty crap. I also disliked how it related to the first game:

making one (maybe two) of its endings canonical, and removing the ambiguity of whether Harry was dying or whacked out on the town's local drug and the whole thing was in his head.

I got SH4 but never really enjoyed it. Unlike SH3, it went too much the other way and was too different from its predecessors. The structure was too clear cut, making it like a hub with clearly delineated levels, which ruined the sense of reality. I hated the way you couldn't really kill lots of enemies, as I recall, having to run past them RE-style or pin them down with that sword, which you never got enough of. Never bothered finishing it I'm sorry to say, and haven't played any SH games since.

Some favourite moments:

SH1:

The school in general, but especially the sound of the boy crying in the toilets.
When Laura the nurse starts to get covered in blood.
Watching the video of Alessa in the hospital without the interference.

SH2:

Too many to mention: The start with you alone heading into town, which just keeps going on!
Pyramid Head standing behind some bars in a corridor in the alternate apartment complex, just standing there doing nothing. Might be the first time you see him.
Walking round a corner in the hospital to see an overturned wheelchair with its wheel still spinning.
When James is talking with "Mary" after he and Maria got separated, and she suddenly switches to Maria.
The Silent Hill Historical Society, where you just keep going down and down and down, culminating in you jumping into your own grave!
Watching the video in the hotel room where you see what James did to Mary. I was completely shocked, and couldn't pick up the controller after a few minutes as I was so disgusted with James. It was so shocking. Playing the game again, I noticed that there were little hints about it throughout the game. For example, playing with subtitles on, in the scene where James finds the radio and can faintly hear her voice, the subtitles show she's saying: "James, __y _id _ou ki__ me?" = "James, why did you kill me?" :eek:

jill_valentine

I liked the little touches that made everything feel just a little bit off-kilter - a radio gameshow about murderers, or newspaper stories that don't make sense. The bit about there being a hole here, and it's gone now.

Robert ninja

Robert ninja wrote: »

There's this one guy on another forum that I know and he says it's his fave game and that it's the best SH. He also happens to be one of the biggest douchebags I've ever talked to. So you and him, the only 2 people I know that liked it.

Its not exactly my favourite game ever, or indeed even the best SH in my opinion.

But it would be a lie to say I didn't enjoy it.

jaykhunter

Watched that 90 minute mashup by Fungo there. Really needs more narrative; it's fairly strung together. Like i really think if they fleshed out the talkie scenes and the daughter thing came to a better conclusion it'd be a nice little side story. But the Eddie story didn't do anything for me tbh.

Still though, a fantastic story worth realising on celluloid

subway

Gonna dig out my cardboard sh2 and plAy it again.
Simply my favourite game ever

Thanks for the inspiration folks

Fnz

subway wrote: »

Gonna dig out my cardboard sh2 and plAy it again.

I also had a cardboard SH2.

It wooden work.