Silent Hill 5: Pros (What you like)

[Zerosignal]

Facial expressions. Especially Alex's eyes. he has the same look in his eyes that i've seen in other ex-military people's eyes.

The general atmosphere. It's perfect. It has a sort of sad feeling, somewhat depressing in a way, the town itself especially. It just seems, not just empty, but completely forgotten.

The flashbacks, like when you first get the flashlight. They seem realistic, the general annoyance in Alex's voice when he hands Josh the flashlight, you really get a sense of the characters' emotions.

The way the monsters move. It's creepy and smooth, they seem very alive

[19pack]

I did enjoy Silent Hill Homecoming enough to feel it necessitated a purchase. However I could not justify paying the full RRP at retail for the game. So I picked up a (relatively) cheap copy on eBay.

While I wasn't entirely satisfied with the execution of some of the things I'm listing as 'pros', I still think their main ideas are great and deserve praise.

PROs

The 'basic' story - I really enjoyed the conspiratorial intrigue of it all, and the fact that the four main bosses were linked directly to the plot (No random moths on top of a post office here!).
Since completion I've done a bit of internet digging and I'm liking some of the analogies and theories thrown up by the plot as it progresses, and about whether any or all of it is or has actually happened to Alex. Also some creepy or aesthetic little touches that set this story apart from past Silent Hill plots, like time stopping at 2:06, Shepherd's Glen's unique relationship with Silent Hill. Also, the (potential) curve-balls offered by asides about Douglas Cartland and Cybil Bennet - how they managed to keep them just about subtle enough not to be annoying or too obvious to veteran fans.

Some parts of the levels - I liked the general layout of the Grand Hotel, the unconventional method of exploration and the fact that despite being 5 floors high wasn't as overblown as it could have been. Also, the creepy 'extra rooms that shouldn't be possible according to this map' bits, like the room that Alex has to draw onto the map himself since in reality that space would be outside the hotel. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't explore much, if any of it in the Otherworld.

I also liked how just before the Grand Hotel, we were able to actually climb down one of the destroyed, cliff edge streets. It would have been more effective if they didn't blow this little nugget in the pre-release demonstration videos. In a future Silent Hill games where they include the street-chasms again, perhaps we could climb down a little bit more than just waist high?

Inevitably, I also liked the Hell Descent in Doc Fitch's Office. Possibly, the best part of the whole game for me. It was also, sadly, the only area of the game that even hinted at giving me that 'Silent Hill' tingly feeling of dread, but it was never fully realised. It wouldn't have worked at all if it didn't have the gradually more aggressive hospital signs either.

The plot or character relevant puzzles - I did enjoy the macabre connections to characters from the main plot, as well as those mentioned in memos. Despite the puzzles themselves being either banal 'place item it in the slot' or fiddly Happy Meal toy ones like the slider puzzles. I didn't have too much to complain about, especially after the piss poor 'puzzles' on offer in Silent Hill 4.
I think the only puzzle that I felt measured up to the once-lauded cryptic brain-teaser legacy of past Silent Hill games was the 'reach in the hole' column puzzle in the Prison Otherworld just before the fight with Asphysxia. It felt sufficiently byzantine and twisted. However the massive downside to that puzzle was of course the 'fight the spawned needler if you fail' idea. It rendered it incredibly annoying eventually which was a shame.

Some of the more action/exploration elements/controls - But only SOME. I like how there's more crawling through holes or squeezing through gaps. Some small jumps. Any game can get boring if it's going from door to door all the time.
However jumping across gaps is hardly new to the series but the way it was executed in Silent Hill Homecoming, made it feel like a cross between Uncharted and an RPG. I don't like being told via a big PRESS X TO JUMP prompt where I can or cannot hop across a ledge. It was ironic that they cited Zelda as an influence as it is Zelda's current jumping system which very well may work best in a Silent Hill environment, an unprompted, automatic jump from any ledge. We nearly had it in Silent Hill 3 with Heather's balancing over the edge of holes. Not to suggest that we should be able to run and jump in bounding leaps automatically off every single ledge, but where possible and necessary, movements such as this should flow naturally.

[Pentelikon]

Inevitably, I also liked the Hell Descent in Doc Fitch's Office. Possibly, the best part of the whole game for me. It was also, sadly, the only area of the game that even hinted at giving me that 'Silent Hill' tingly feeling of dread, but it was never fully realised. It wouldn't have worked at all if it didn't have the gradually more aggressive hospital signs either.

Great post 19pack,but I'll stay on this paragraph,because I agree a 100%.The 'Hell Descent' part wasn't only the best part in SHH for me,but also one of the best and most atmospheric places from all the games of the series.

Although,I have to say i'm surprised you didn't add the effects part in the pros.Am I the only one who was overexcited by the way the enviroment was changing in real time,and astonished by the sound score all together?

[19pack]

Inevitably, I also liked the Hell Descent in Doc Fitch's Office. Possibly, the best part of the whole game for me. It was also, sadly, the only area of the game that even hinted at giving me that 'Silent Hill' tingly feeling of dread, but it was never fully realised. It wouldn't have worked at all if it didn't have the gradually more aggressive hospital signs either.

Great post 19pack,but I'll stay on this paragraph,because I agree a 100%.The 'Hell Descent' part wasn't only the best part in SHH for me,but also one of the best and most atmospheric places from all the games of the series.

Although,I have to say i'm surprised you didn't add the effects part in the pros.Am I the only one who was overexcited by the way the enviroment was changing in real time,and astonished by the sound score all together?

No, you're quite right! The music definitely needs mentioning., but there is a good reason why I didn't include it in my main list of 'Pros' - because despite the soundtracks inherent quality it's inclusion and implementation in the game felt most of the time like a strange juxtaposition, and didn't quite gel with the atmosphere.

Nevertheless...

More PROs (but with more hopefully constructive criticism again)

Akira Yamaoka's Score - He knocks it out of the park yet again with some of the best piano pieces I think he has ever done for the series. However there are some tracks such as 'Witchcraft' which while superb (and now one of my all time top 5 Silent Hill tracks), with its delicate and ethereal and saddening effects - it's just USED TOO OFTEN. At least three times that I can remember. Ruined it a little for me. Can you imagine if after every Lisa cut scene in Silent Hill 1 they kept playing her death music? Or if

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Maria's solitary piano track after she dies for the first time in Brookhaven's basement

was played again and again like a musical cue from a TV show?
Also some tracks from the soundtrack, as far as I could hear were absent from the main game. Please somebody correct if I'm wrong but I didn't hear 'Wintry Mist' once. I was fully expecting that track to play once we returned to the streets of Silent Hill itself. It had a great 'welcome home' almost, Christmassy vibe about it, while also being suitably haunting.

The Real-time Otherworld transitions/Effects Yes, they were (for the most part) technically impressive but also something 'borrowed' from the movie that on the whole I felt contributed more to the game's detriment than to its merit. Not because of its inclusion per se, but more HOW it was included. It wasn't enigmatic, slow-burning or gradual. It was a max-strength cumshot of Otherworld IN YOUR FACE within the first 18 seconds. So as a result everything that came afterwards was either less effective or just the same.
I personally feel that real-time Otherworld transitions just aren't scary, or have only been scary precisely ONCE in the whole series, when it first happened to Harry near the end of Silent Hill 1. That was because beforehand Harry actively made comments about it to another character and they didn't know what he was talking about, which helped build up the eerie tension about just what this 'Other world' was exactly. A few times Harry would wake up and have an inner monologue, worrying that he had lost his mind and was in a hospital bed somewhere. It made the obvious 'fact' of the Otherworld even more scary and 'unknown'.
However with Alex, the transition just 'happens' and he seemed completely unafraid and/or disaffected - he just seems to accept that it just happened and carries on regardless.

The new 'blood spatter' and 'film scratch' overlay/filters - Yes they looked good, but again these were things I felt pulled me out of the game's atmosphere every time. I feel the reason why the traditional noise effect works is because it isn't as intrusive.

EDIT: Fixed for spoiler

[Returbuliz]

I actually liked the plot very much, & the role of Adam which has become one of my fav. SH supporting characters.

The boss fights were more challenging & not just shooting loads of bullets like previous games.

I liked the whole Shepherd home stage, both normal & otherworld versions.

Also

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The idea of PH (or boogyman) being Adam's nemesis seemed cool to me, & the boogyman ending in which Alex becomes one, was more confirming the theory that the PH in SH2 was in fact a manifestation of James & his act of murder.

[SHACKled89451]

>>Or if Maria's solitary piano track after she...... <<

Next time, please use the spoiler curtain.. believe it or not, there are still people reading threads in the SHH section who haven't yet played SH2

I agree with you about Akira's music being very well composed, (as usual) but questionably placed in SHH. And I think the hell descent is one of the best environments in the entire series...

Great post, very detailed..

[Deathbywoodenplank]

Soundtrack. Akira Yamaoka is a musical genius : D

Minor plot connections!

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I felt an instant sense of glee when I found Douglas' journal in the police station. Also liked how they put an aged Travis in the beginning, although I'm not sure why he went anywhere NEAR Silent Hill after his ordeal 30 years ago

Creatures/Bosses. Very well designed, except for the Smog. It's just a burning lying figure WTF? I have to say Scarlett is the scariest boss in the franchise. I had to pause so many times because she scared the bejeeeeeeeeeezus out of me. Took me forever just to get near enough to attack.

Lighting and Graphics : D

Also,

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Alex getting drilled in the face when you eff up that quick time event! I screwed up the first few times because I wanted to see if they would actually show it and THEY DID. IT WAS AMAZING

*EDIT* sorry meant to put the "underground" not the police station : ( thanks for pointing it out

[Klimat]

Deathbywoodenplank

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Douglas' journal in the police station? I can only recall the newspaper about other Douglas (murderer who was executed) in the kid's playground and a book with Douglas Cartland mentioned in the cult's catacombs. Am I missing something?

[l33tspaniard]

Travis actually left Silent Hill happy, or at least happier than most.

And the journal is in the underground section at the end, I think.

[shadow85]

like the scare factor, definatly the most scariest game I have ever played. Great that they kept to the survival horror kind of genre, unlike RE series where they r heading into more action than scary'ness. Awsome how every battle is like a death defying battle. They say Dead space is scary but its not really because of all the weapons/armor and ammo available to you, your weapons are so powerful you dont have to be scared of anything. Where as in SH5 Alex best weapon is prolly the knife, lol. (dont get much ammo for shotty).

[Arachnid1]

One of my new favourite Silent Hill moments happened in this game.

SPOILERS for those who have yet to get to the Doctor's office:

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There's a part during the descent to hell where you walk up to a wall with a doll sitting in front of it. You inspect the doll and it whispers 'behind you', as you wheel around to of course find some shambling beastie. It just worked really, really well in my opinion.

Haha. That part was awesome. Honestly though, if they used a different monster, it would have had a lot more impact. The smogs just don't do it for me.

If I turned around to face a Schism or a Siam, I would have shit bricks.

First of all I am getting a bit ticked at people calling this SH 5 Because isn't it really 6 let me list these things out in order of release

1. Silent Hill
2. Silent Hill 2
3. Silent Hill 3
4. Silent Hill 4
5. Silent Hill Origens (if you haven't played this one you need to)
6. Silent Hill Homecoming

Silent Hill Origins is considered Silent Hill 0 since its a prequel to SH1. Its actual name in Japan is Silent Hill Zero. In other words, Homecoming is indeed Silent Hill 5.

Anyways, the pros...

I loved the atmosphere, I loved the monsters (besides the Lying Figu-- I mean Smogs), I loved the characters (especially the protagonist. I like this guy as much as I liked James), the story was awesome, and the majority of the game for me was great. Sure, it had a few cons, but this isn't the place to bring them up I suppose.

[Zerosignal]

I've already posted once, but after recently completing the game, i want to add more.

Bosses - The bosses really had a point, a reason to exist in this one, similar to everyone's beloved SH2. The catapillar one seemed a little silly to be honest, but all the others were perfect. The first boss was the best imo, he was surreal and scary as Hell.

Combat - Yes, after completing the game, i now understand and like the combat. The dodge doesn't always work the way i'd like it to, but that's life i guess. Even the most experienced fighters sometimes dodge right into an attack. (ever watch boxing or UFC fighting? It happens all the time.)

Story - Wow. My favorite story of the series. I didn't see the end coming from a mile away like i did in some of the other SH's.

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I totally expected to have to FIGHT Alex's mother and father, so having to decide whether or not to forgive them was a total mindfuck. And of all people, i never expected to have to fight Josh or whatever the Hell that thing is supposed to represent. It obviously has at least something to do with him, since it's similar to Josh's favorite arachnid.

Otherworld - I loved the Hell's Descent level. LOVED it. No other level has ever scared me as much as that place. And there were only like 3 monsters in there, yet it still scared the crap out of me.

And, my god, the part right before the church. *Shudders* I had to pause for a moment to soak it all in, my jaw dropped. Sadly, i spent the least time there because i was just trying to get to the end. I want to fully explore it on this second playthrough.

Hell House - Whoa. It was like SH4 The Room, the way it sorta destroyed the one place that seemed less tainted than everywhere else. This was another spot where i had to just stop and look around for a while, since i had fully explored the house itself several times already, this part scared me quite a bit, seeing it transform the way it did.


Homecoming - Indeed, the game as a whole. Everything that i didn't like at first made sense either halfway through the game or after beating it. The end almost made me cry. Any story that has an actual emotional impact on ME must be good. Most guys wouldn't normally admit this, but when

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Alex finds out what he's done, I could barely see the screen because of the tears in my eyes. Poor Alex... This was the first SH game to have that effect on me. And i don't even HAVE a younger brother to directly relate to or anything, my parents are dead and i have an older half brother that i rarely see, so you'd think if anything i'd relate more to Travis who happens to be my second favorite character/story of the bunch.

[antianara]

I still haven't finished the game, but because I accidentally stumbled across an unmarked spoiler (not on this board, don't worry) I already know the plot. Because of that, I decided to watch an youtube walkthrough of everything I haven't completed yet, because I suuccckkk at this extreme combat and wanted to make it easier by knowing what's coming. It's already made the game better for me and I'm pretty close to the end now.

Annyyway, I remember reading before the game came out here (and living in Aus, it took a hell of a long time for us to get it) that people were disappointed by the atmosphere and didn't think it matched previous games. I have to say I completely disagree. I haven't been this creeped out playing a SH game since the first one. I almost wanted to cry in the hotel section. And that's a good thing. It was dark and miserable and I swore the whole thing would come crashing down around my head at any moment.

I also loved the

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Scarlet boss fight. Well, loved it and hated it. It took me 2 attempts to get through it, but the monster design and the music in that scene were absolutely brilliant, so it made up for my initial irritation. Hell descent was just awesome in general.

Edit: I forgot! I loved the

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otherworld house too. Everything about it. The way it looked, the various puzzles, the whole attic sequence with random hidden schisms. So much fun to play.

[kideatsu]

The fact that it was surprising and at time not so predictable as some SH games have been.

[BloodRedScarlet]

Facial expressions. Especially Alex's eyes. he has the same look in his eyes that i've seen in other ex-military people's eyes.

You talking about the artwork or in-game? I agree with you. He looks so dead inside...


I have to admit that I liked every thing about this game. At first, I was a bit angry at how difficult it was compared to the rest of the SH's but after I got the hang of it...it was plain awesome. And I could never just 'rest'. I ALWAYS had to be on my toes, ready to strike. Even now, on my third playthrough, I can't take it easy. But anyway...

Characters: For me, Alex really made this game. I could so easily relate to him with having a young brother and how the youngest sibling is the favourite. After examining certain objects, you really get to know him and what kind of person he is. I adored him. And he's bad ass. The rest of the cast was okay, but I guess you normally form a special bond with the protagonist. Well, I did.

Voice Acting: Was brilliant. I really FELT the emotion in their voices. From Alex, specifically near the end. I love Alex so much, I can't get enough of his voice. *listens to voice clips over and over*

Animation: I have to say the animation was well done. When you go from the normal world to the Otherworld...seeing it happen is just priceless. Makes you go WTFOHNOOOO NOT NOW D;
And the mouth movements during certain scenes was well done. When Alex meets Curtis, the way Alex was animated is incredible. Gave me goosebumps. (although, when you can choose what to say, the lip movements became very very awkward.)

Battle System: I loved how skilled Alex was but if you didn't utilize them properly, they were pretty useless. You had to really think when you were fighting. DODGE SLASH DODGE ROLL DUCK.
Weilding fire-arms was scary. The way the camera shifts to -almost- first person mode, it feels like you're RIGHT THERE; like they're coming towards YOU. It was terrifying firing at a monster and it's just coming towards me...and then I need to stop and reload...=/

Music: The music, since it's done by Akira Yamaoka, was naturally beautiful. Haunting and quiet at all the right times. When my brother was watching me play, during a certain area in the game where the music disappears and it's DEAD quiet, he commented: "...this is what you meant when you said it wasn't the monsters that made it super scary, right?"

I enjoyed it a lot. I can't decide if Homecoming is my favourite or Silent Hill 2.

[kideatsu]

I liked the Judge's character too. Especially at the end. She turned out to be a really {spoilers} good antagonist!

[KageReneko]

Judge Holloway is really hot!! I had several dirty thoughts when I was alone with her at her office...

[kideatsu]

LOL! Wow that's awesome. I felt the same with Alex and (wait I'm gonna shut up.)
But yeah Alex was my Judge Halloway if you know what I mean.

Oh yeah! I also find a pro in this game being that the main guy character, again, was pretty attractive, which I expected from a Silent Hill game. Some games have pretty ugly protagonists, but SH has never failed me...

[KageReneko]

Alex must be gay for don't try to score with Judge Holloway...

Look at me Judge!! I'm a man now... Screw your lame daughter, let's play with my "Iron Pipe"

[kideatsu]

lmao And who says SH can't be funny.