At the time of release it felt almost revolutionary, especially when playing the opening section on the free demo that came with Metal Gear Solid and not knowing what the hell to expect. But naturally, being a PS1 title, it's shown significant signs of age, and has been surpassed by the sequel in every facet; particularly by moving away from all that cult nonsense and interpreting the town in an entirely new way.
Silent Hill 2 will be remembered for being the best game in the franchise and for being one of the best survival-horrors full stop. Silent Hill will be remembered for starting it all.
I was unfortunate to not play the original until after having played the second game, and this was only couple of years ago. The game does what it does quite well, but I can't help wanting to see it received the REmake treatment to fix the voice acting.
Don't get me wrong, I think that the campy voice acting is part of what makes it so memorable, but it really detracts from the atmosphere of the game more than it compliments it.
Some really memorable and iconic scenes/locations, but I will always hate that sewer area, haha.
Personally, I really liked just exploring the foggy streets of the town and the hospital the most. I might have liked the lighthouse more, if it wasn't for the fact that you just run across the docks to it and immediately leave.
I love how the core of the story is still about a father's love for his daughter, though, and not focusing on the cult stuff. I don't think it would have been nearly as endearing had they done it the other way around, and I applaud them for keeping it the heart of the work.
Harry Mason is one determined dad, that's for sure.
Really love this game, and I wish I would have played it first when getting into the SH series. Something really charming about how they execute the grungy, decaying visuals with the tech they were running it on, and the voice acting/writing is super quotable.
It was foretold by gyromancy!
edit:
Adam Prime said:
shame that this game isn't being included in the HD Remix package. I'd prefer to see the first game again than SH 2 and 3.
I know it's not the HD update like you probably mean, but SH1 is in the PSN store. Just be aware that many people have severe issues with the game's audio.
I know it's not the HD update like you probably mean, but SH1 is in the PSN store. Just be aware that many people have severe issues with the game's audio.
Well it's definitely one of the best horror games in existence I'll give you that. It really scared me the first time. I was 12 then, but I also replayed it when I was around 16-17 and it still scared me. I usually don't get scared of horror games like that.
I kinda wish they just included a download coupon, instead of a HD remake. I think part of the appeal of SH1 is how they used the existing tech (limited draw distance, necessitating use of fog) to establish the feel of the town. I think if they updated the graphics they'd run the risk of taking something away from the feel of the game.
Still, SH1 has aged really well compared to a lot of PS1 games, and people who have the option should play it before they get into SH2/3 when the HD collection comes out. I'm currently marathoning RE0-3 (I've actually never played any RE before 4, so it's nice to catch up) before the Revival Selection comes out, then I'll probably re-play SH1 in preparation of the SH HD Collection as well.
Whaaaa?
Geez, every time I think konami can't get any worse at handling their properties online...
These air-screamers scared the crap out of me because they would just fly into screen out of nowhere, attack you a few times, and fly away after you shot them a whole lot. Wasted so many bullets... Not to mention how freaky it was the first time they just started walking on the ground at you.
Haha so did I. I only played SH1 again after finishing SH2 years later. That beginning where you are killed was just... Too much for me as a kid, especially with all that noise at the same time.
This game is scarier than most so-called survival horror games like RE4-5. A true masterpiece deserving a true HD remake, not a "re-imagination" as there's nothing to re-imagine with this game.
This game is scarier than most so-called survival horror games like RE4-5. A true masterpiece deserving a true HD remake, not a "re-imagination" as there's nothing to re-imagine with this game.
I thought it was amazing. It's pretty short but it took me ages to get thru it. By the time I played SH2 I was too old to really be scared of it, SH1 will stay with me for that I'm sure.
Does that mean it has a non-retarded 3D directional movement option like Restless Dreams? I stopped playing games with tank controls once the last decade rolled around.
I didn't actually play Silent Hill 1 (or the rest of the series, for that matter) until about 2005 while I was in college. Despite its age, SH1 scared the shit out of me.
Definitely one of the best games ever. No question.
This game is scarier than most so-called survival horror games like RE4-5. A true masterpiece deserving a true HD remake, not a "re-imagination" as there's nothing to re-imagine with this game.
My friend and I rented this on a whim back when it first came out. Neither of us were survival horror fans, nor had we played Resident Evil.
Holy shit, the opening scene set the tone. We were scared beyond belief, and it only got worse for us. The soundtrack is bar none the best in survival horror, and we made it to the school before we had to return the game. I bought it about a year later, played through the rest, and loved every minute.
Truly, the finest game in its genre, and one of the greatest games outright.
Silent Hill was and is a masterpiece. For a first-time effort its remarkably fully-realized as a creative effort. I mean its a full-on, deadly serious attempt at making a (psychologically) scary game, with its own unique mythos, look, sound, and feel, and they nailed it!
Just think there is a whole generation of gamers out there for whom the name Silent Hill is evocative of a series of middling games made by that company that only makes middling games outsourced to middling overseas developers.
How mysterious it is that a single series can come off as being complete polar opposites for different generation of gamers. The newer generation would kick themselves if they knew how their generation got served the stinky end of the stick on this series, but they'll never know because this medium only looks forward, never back.
Those HD releases don't count either, they are just nostalgic cash grabs which will only be bought by previous fans while passing right over the head of the younger players who are only interested in newer games, not older ones rendered in HD, and boy, if they only knew what downpour of shit is in store for them with that attitude.
The first Silent Hill is my favourite in the series, and one of only two games to ever actually scare me, and I say this as someone who is obsessive over the series and even the genre. From an atmospheric standpoint, it's absolutely flawless and remains unmatched for me.
It's also the only game I can think of where every aspect of the game come together to complement each other so perfectly. The art, graphics, music, character and creature design is all just steamrolling toward the most shockingly oppressive world. Silent Hill 2 does this too, but I don't think it meshed in the same way that Silent Hill was able to.
And for my money, I believe it has possibly the best game soundtrack ever. It might not be as listenable on its own like many others, but the soundtrack is such a key element to why that game is so unnerving that taken in the context of the game, it's absolutely perfect.
Oh, and I hate when people praise Silent Hill 2 for having a world influenced by a characters warped mind but seem to gloss over Silent Hill doing the same thing. The world design and creatures all came from Alessa in a beautifully twisted way.
My friend and I rented this on a whim back when it first came out. Neither of us were survival horror fans, nor had we played Resident Evil.
Holy shit, the opening scene set the tone. We were scared beyond belief, and it only got worse for us. The soundtrack is bar none the best in survival horror, and we made it to the school before we had to return the game. I bought it about a year later, played through the rest, and loved every minute.
Truly, the finest game in its genre, and one of the greatest games outright.
