Since I finally got my SH5 copy, I decided to do a small little review to show how it holds up to the previous Silent Hill installments, in this case I'll refer mainly to 2, and 1.
Homecoming [5], to my knowledge, is the first Silent Hill that was not made by Team Silent, developers of the original series [1-4], so there's bound to be differences. This game was developed by Double Helix, an American team. There are very obvious differences in this game, the horror aspect isn't present anymore, in my opinion. I did tense up during some parts of the game, but there was no proper psychological fear like SH2 brought.The most obvious change, though, is the combat. It feels much more like an American game now, due to the over-the-shoulder gun system, and the melee-weapons have instant kill moves, along with the ability to combo. Team Silent originally had the attack system fairly awkward and slow, I guess this added effectively to the fear that the other games brought because you couldn't just decapitate an enemy with a combo. Another change is the movement system, although a welcome change, the dodging seems a bit extreme for an SH game. The new movement system is well done, because the older games had a very awkward camera and the old movement made it very difficult to maneuver your way through the game.The monsters, one of the few things I was looking forward to in this game. They're very well done, granted, they don't have the same type of grotesque feel the older ones had, and they aren't derived from Alex's mind, or fears, etcetera, but they're still very well done. There's a huge variety in them, it makes a nice change to try out the new combat system. Following a pattern, though, the monsters also have grapple attacks, which generally result in instant-death.The storyline was very well done, in my opinion. Alot of SH fans disregard it due to the fact it wasn't written by the original Team Silent, but I think it was quite well-written. The endings, and the progression really suited the game overall. Very cult-like with alot of religious references.—Movie ReferencesThere's a bit too much taken from the SH movie, the nurses, giant fans, and some of the hell-areas. It's acceptable, but since the movie was majorly based off Silent Hill 1 with Silent Hill 2 references, they should've changed things up a bit. One reference, though, that I did enjoy was the transition from the normal-world, to the alter world (hell).Pyramid Head (Aka "The Bogeyman" [FAIL])The penultimate figure from the Silent Hill series, Pyramid Head. First appearing in Sh2, this monster frightened the living shit out of me numerous times. He had a strong backstory of being James' (SH2's Protagonist) conscience, his guilt for
killing his wife
Idk, I didn't what to get SH Homecoming because the series just looks like spin offs of each other in an almost (not so bad) sonic like series.
i always thought Pyramid Head/Red Pyramid was the best name ever.
@Ferret: True, but the game is still enjoyable if you don't treat it as an SH game, as such. (imo)
@Hel: Yeah, same, naming him "The Bogeyman" ruined his character altogether, for me.You know, I've never played any of the Silent Hill games (I know, kill me now) - I think I shall now.
Homecoming sucked. I didn't beat it, but I played enough. It just didn't feel like Silent Hill to me. :/
@DF: I highly recommend you try Silent Hill 2, imo, it's the best of the series. Delivers a very unique psychological horror experience.
@Yaywalter: I can see where you're coming from, thing is, for me, before buying this game, I thought of it as some action-horror game, not an SH game, so that's why I enjoyed it. From the SH horror point of view, Homecoming is a very bad addition.Fallout 3 is amazing. But yeah, Zeta was the worst DLC in the pack :\ gaemurtagg
Zeta really is bad, imo. It feels so cheap, and I dislike the whole concept.
Don't use my 360 anymore, playing on PS3. [begin hate]Bah, Silent Hill was good because of its unique combat and sometimes scary scenes. They should of kept the game in house.
I've played all the Silent Hills, and I thought that Pyramid head showed up in either 3 or 4 at some point. I could be worng though.Disapointing, like the movie was. The really sad thing about the movie is they did everything else right, except messed with the story too much and kept the other parent alive, with stupid references back to the 'real world', omitting the fact that the main character in the game is always popping in and out between two worlds. At least Pyramid head was in it, being badass and all.Got a psn? :P