Mmm, the sanitarium has been CLASSIC SH so far. First, the music. Yamaoka...one of the most brilliant composers out there. Second, the constant mirror hopping. Third, dear god I think I am piecing the story together.
The main character's last name is Grady or O'Grady? I get the impression that it's O'Grady, but if it was Grady, I have one hell of a story written up.
my version:
helen grady is his wife, he puts her in there and blocks it out of his memory, she freaks out and misses the kid, writes BRING ME MY SON on the floor in blood
I was told that it's coming on the 13th. It's like Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles all over again... We got it a week later than the US due to the French manuals and packaging.
Don't reviewers typically give Silent Hill games not-so-outstanding scores? I would say that if they review this entry at about the same score as the other entries in the series, that should say something positive about bring it to the PSP.
For the Torontonians here, Game Center had it at about 12:30 today, priced at $29.99. HMV and probably EB will have it at the same price, but I assume they won't have it until about Tuesday (that's when HMV had Castlevania when that debacle happened).
some of these camera angles are killin' me, man... literally.
One in particular, in the Sanitarium, when you leave the Patient Belonging's Room and two of those freaky dog/cow things just raped my asshole off. I could hear my radio, but couldn't adjust my camera to see where the hell they were. I just ran... and literally one second later I had the misfortune of running right where they could both do their 'charge' attack at me. Ugh.
Believe me, I love when you can't see around a corner or something like that mostly for the tension factor, but when your character SHOULD have an open view in-front of him, the camera should be adjusted accordingly. This problem tends to happen a lot when you enter a new hallway, too... and is especially frustrating when you know you have two nurses or patient demons just waiting on the other side of the door because you've already escaped them once. An easy way for the enemy to get cheap shots on you... and when every hit counts, it's just a pain in my cock.
Cheap camera angles are inexcusable for such a good game... and add to the already (almost) unforgiving difficulty.
Man, this game makes me want to pick up a PSP Slim and a component cable so that I could enjoy this on my CRT. The LCD black levels are awful and really take away from the experience. The hallways should be black, not washed out gray. Even the lowest backlight setting isn't enough. Modern display technology has killed horror gaming for me.
Aside from that, however, the game is pretty awesome.
some of these camera angles are killin' me, man... literally.
One in particular, in the Sanitarium, when you leave the Patient Belonging's Room and two of those freaky dog/cow things just raped my asshole off. I could hear my radio, but couldn't adjust my camera to see where the hell they were. I just ran... and literally one second later I had the misfortune of running right where they could both do their 'charge' attack at me. Ugh.
Believe me, I love when you can't see around a corner or something like that mostly for the tension factor, but when your character SHOULD have an open view in-front of him, the camera should be adjusted accordingly. This problem tends to happen a lot when you enter a new hallway, too... and is especially frustrating when you know you have two nurses or patient demons just waiting on the other side of the door because you've already escaped them once. An easy way for the enemy to get cheap shots on you... and when every hit counts, it's just a pain in my cock.
Cheap camera angles are inexcusable for such a good game... and add to the already (almost) unforgiving difficulty.
I've run around in circles a few times because of the static camera angles L button sometimes helps, but not always.
I wish I could be playing this right now as I have the day off, but I tried playing it and even with the shades down it's no good. Need to wait until it gets dark
ok, so the documents you find with the names blocked out- I'm guessing this is like SH2, where you get to see the names after multiple playthroughs or something?
the reports about the mom in the sanitarium are pretty tragic.
ok, so the documents you find with the names blocked out- I'm guessing this is like SH2, where you get to see the names after multiple playthroughs or something?
the reports about the mom in the sanitarium are pretty tragic.
Origins would probably be scarier on something other than an LCD, though. I feel that a lot of modern display technology can kill scare factor. I remember when I bought Siren 2 last year and played through half of it on my CRT. It was a scary ass game. Then, I "upgraded" to a Toshiba plasma (which glowed rather brightly) and suddenly the horror was gone. It made such a huge impact. My current plasma is so much better than that Toshiba, but it still isn't quite as dark as a CRT and, as such, is unable to produce the same terrifying experience.
Damn you are obsessive with your LCD/Horror hate. It's the strangest thing in the world. Personally I have zero problems being scared out of my wits when playing SH:Origins on the PSP or any horror game on my Aquos at home. Scary is scary, dark is dark, and when some vomit-spewing, uncircumsized penis looking thing comes after you the last thing you'll note is how the shadows just aren't "true black".
The reason I gave it an 8.5 was that I simply could not accept the ability to travel back and forth between the worlds. Storyline wise, events happen that completely explain this element in relation to the storyline, but it was still a concept that, as a longtime and hardcore SH fan, I just could not accept.
I think some people will see it as a small change, but I saw it as a drastic change to one of the fundamental elements that makes Silent Hill Silent Hill. I loved almost everything about the game otherwise (including Travis, who I was so sure I was going to hate), and think it is far more deserving of the "Silent Hill" name than the game that preceded it. I just really, really, really wish they had not taken the route that they did with travel between the two worlds.
Just finished the theater. That level was considerably easier than the sanitarium I thought.
Bebpo, what assets have they reused? The PS1 assets weren't good enough and the PS2 assets were too good. Like, even the Otherworld...it's all green and rusty and not brown and rusty.
Just finished the theater. That level was considerably easier than the sanitarium I thought.
Bebpo, what assets have they reused? The PS1 assets weren't good enough and the PS2 assets were too good. Like, even the Otherworld...it's all green and rusty and not brown and rusty.
Hmmm...I thought most of the textures like meaty walls in the hell realm and stuff were pulled from SH2 or 3. I'm sure they can downsample PS2 textures to lower resolutions if they wanted to use them.
They might be all original textures, but if they are then they flew over the artist from Team Silent because some areas look almost identical to previous SH areas.
I'm at the Sanitarium and the fact that enemies respawn is really bugging me.
What I liked about the previous in the series is that I cleared every room, then explored and once in a while BAM! one or two respawned making me shit my pants! But now, the fact that they respawn forces me to run around them every time since it's not worth fighting them.
. I've explored everywhere, picked up a note about Cleopatra and the Washing Machine....found a vice. Found a locker Room 500 in Alternate Silent Hill.
There's just no where else to go. Is there something I"m supposed to do in the room filled with shoes or the room with nothing in it but a straightjacket man?
Anyone got any hints on how to get to the "other side" where the different suites are?
Well, just finished it. I'm a huge SH fan and it was pretty good. Maybe my least favorite, but it's a great addition to the series plus it's the first to be made by an Occidental team. So, I have a lot of fate in The Collective for SH5.
Well, just finished it. I'm a huge SH fan and it was pretty good. Maybe my least favorite, but it's a great addition to the series plus it's the first to be made by an Occidental team. So, I have a lot of fate in The Collective for SH5.
I need to get back to this, still at the start of the 3rd dungeon. This whole "I won't play except when it's dark" thing has sorta not been the most convenient for finding time to play it. I wish I had a darker room
Are there
6
dungeons total with an item at the end of each? I think somewhere in the game at the start something mentioned the number
Just finished it myself also. It ties in very nicely with the whole leading into Silent Hill 1 element. Very happy with this, thought it might be crap considering it wasn't made by Team Silent. I'd even go as far as to say it is the game that scared me the most, though that's probably because I used headphones in the dark.
Hearing that
Dahlia and Kauffman case a summoning spell
seemed a bit tacky to me though, though I guess with the whole occult theme of the game, it did work OK.
This is how I feel about the Silent Hill games so far.....
1.) Silent Hill 2
2.) Silent Hill 3
3.) Silent Hill
4.) Silent Hill Origins
5.) Silent Hill 4: The Room
So yeah, it's my second least favourite, but it's still a damn good game. It definitely creeped me out a few times. I don't seem to understand the relevance of the butcher - and the whole context of the enemies was never really explained (like how in SH2, the enemies were explained to be manifestations of James' guilt).
Regardless, absolutely loved it and to be quite honest I have a bit more faith that Team Silent know what they're doing handing Silent Hill 5 to another western team.
Well done Climax! You made an awesome game.
I'd like to see what becomes of Travis though, since we never really hear from him again or ANY reference to him in the other games, and he seems psychologically stable considering what happened.....but I can't quite tell.
OH and my final game stats....a bit embarassing I think =/
Code:
*Total enemies killed using melee weapons: 8
*Total enemies killed using firearms: 12
*Total enemies killed using fist: 0
*Total items collected: 278
*Number of map views: 448
*Number of saves: 21
*Distance walked: 21.02 Km
*Total game time: 3:07:39
*Total flashlight use time: 2:13:21
*Number of Games completions: 1
*% of enemies killed with melee weapons: 40
*% of enemies killed with firearms" 60
*% of enemies killed with fist:
Savior accolade achieved!
Explorer accolade achieved!
My only concern is the length, though the game felt MUCH longer than 3 hours.....MUCH longer. =/
I need to get back to this, still at the start of the 3rd dungeon. This whole "I won't play except when it's dark" thing has sorta not been the most convenient for finding time to play it. I wish I had a darker room
Are there
6
dungeons total with an item at the end of each? I think somewhere in the game at the start something mentioned the number
though some are much longer than the others, in particular the second and fourth ones felt VERY long. There's an EXTREMELY small "dungeon" near the end that merely acts as a connector to the final battle.
Just finished the game as well. I thought it was nice, though I'm not sure whats up with their internal clock. It says I got way lower than I really did. Real-time was about 6:30. Maybe they don't count cutscenes?
Stats:
I really have no desire to play the game again. Though that always seems to be the case with Silent Hill games for me, I always dread going back to that world. It's really clashing with my "must collect everything" personality :lol
I'll be encoding the story scenes soon, so if anyone here wants to see a specific scene let me know.
Concerning the bosses:
I was pretty disappointed. I was given loads of ammunition and loads of melee weapons, I pretty much used fists for a while and then used guns. I never ran out of ammo and bosses were SUPER easy thanks to this. All I did was unload my AK into them and never ran out.
I was pretty disappointed. I was given loads of ammunition and loads of melee weapons, I pretty much used fists for a while and then used guns. I never ran out of ammo and bosses were SUPER easy thanks to this. All I did was unload my AK into them and never ran out.
I'm pretty much the same. I also felt that the enemies were lacking in design, there were only about three enemies and they didn't have any symbolic meaning, like in previous games.
Wow, that's way shorter than I thought. I'm at the end of the
theater
(which is totally awesome. Great music/art. Enemies kinda suck with walk in a door ZOMG DOLL IS GRABBING ME and small hallways with respawning horsedog.). I guess I'll finish it tomorrow or monday.
One small complaint I have is that sometimes a music track will start playing in a room (usually after a cutscene) and then 10 seconds later when you open a door it stops. These are like 2-4 mins songs also. Really should carry over until the next track comes in.
For 3 hours of gametime, 448 map views. That sounds about what I'm doing. I really hate to say it, but my god SH would benefit A LOT from dual-screen. Though I think it would lose all the fear factor on DS so maybe PSP2 with dual-screens?
It sucks that I can't be playing along with you guys as I have no PSP yet, or the game for that matter, but I will have it for sure week after next when I have the money. Glad to see everyone is enjoying it for the most part.
Finished the third dungeon. This game scares the shit out of me. I'm like "I really, really don't want to touch that mirror/open that door ".
The graphics are incredible though. It's not just the graphics, it's the camera angles and visual style. I think it's better than SH1-4 in that respect. Like the fixed angles in the OP credits with the bioshock-style 20s signs with clouds passing by. And then in the 3rd dungeon the
I stayed up the entire night working on a video. Its all of the story scenes from Origins back to back. Cutscenes, FMV etc. I'll be posting it on Stage 6 later today, so if you aren't planning on getting the game and want to know the story then this will be your chance. Its around 30 minutes long
You'll still need to read up on the story (mostly the files) but this should give you a clear picture of whats going on in the game.
Just finished it myself also. It ties in very nicely with the whole leading into Silent Hill 1 element. Very happy with this, thought it might be crap considering it wasn't made by Team Silent. I'd even go as far as to say it is the game that scared me the most, though that's probably because I used headphones in the dark.
Hearing that
Dahlia and Kauffman case a summoning spell
seemed a bit tacky to me though, though I guess with the whole occult theme of the game, it did work OK.
This is how I feel about the Silent Hill games so far.....
1.) Silent Hill 2
2.) Silent Hill 3
3.) Silent Hill
4.) Silent Hill Origins
5.) Silent Hill 4: The Room
So yeah, it's my second least favourite, but it's still a damn good game. It definitely creeped me out a few times. I don't seem to understand the relevance of the butcher - and the whole context of the enemies was never really explained (like how in SH2, the enemies were explained to be manifestations of James' guilt).
Regardless, absolutely loved it and to be quite honest I have a bit more faith that Team Silent know what they're doing handing Silent Hill 5 to another western team.
Well done Climax! You made an awesome game.
I'd like to see what becomes of Travis though, since we never really hear from him again or ANY reference to him in the other games, and he seems psychologically stable considering what happened.....but I can't quite tell.
OH and my final game stats....a bit embarassing I think =/
Code:
*Total enemies killed using melee weapons: 8
*Total enemies killed using firearms: 12
*Total enemies killed using fist: 0
*Total items collected: 278
*Number of map views: 448
*Number of saves: 21
*Distance walked: 21.02 Km
*Total game time: 3:07:39
*Total flashlight use time: 2:13:21
*Number of Games completions: 1
*% of enemies killed with melee weapons: 40
*% of enemies killed with firearms" 60
*% of enemies killed with fist:
Savior accolade achieved!
Explorer accolade achieved!
My only concern is the length, though the game felt MUCH longer than 3 hours.....MUCH longer. =/
Well, let's see....
Hospital
Sanitarium
Theatre
Motel
There's only about
4
though some are much longer than the others, in particular the second and fourth ones felt VERY long. There's an EXTREMELY small "dungeon" near the end that merely acts as a connector to the final battle.
you only killed 20 enemies? that's pretty hilarious.
i'm at the
theatre
at the moment. updated my firmware yesterday to play with the improved remote play on the ps3, and tried to play last night only to be told ALL my saves were corrupt. went back to the firmware i was on before today (THANK YOU PANDORA) and they all work just fine. so fucking relieved.
i'm evidently a decent way through the game... unless something drastic happens i have a new favourite in the series.
1 > Origins > 3 > 2 >>>>>> 4
i value how scary they are above most everything else, so i don't think that ordering will be too confusing for people. 2 is great don't get me wrong, but i just didn't care about James and his stupid dead wife. in 1, you're trying to save your daughter and unravelling this horrible mystery of what happened in the town... i felt like stuff was at stake beyond my life.
in origins, you're getting some extra backstory on the events of 1... and it sure is scary. loved revisiting the hospital from one as well. i'm not immune to fan service!
see, that's a lot of what i don't like about 2. i just didn't find the enemies scary. fighting them was, for me, rather boring for the most part. they may as well have just been breakable barriers that blocked tight corridors and took far too many hits to break.
pyramid head was awesome though naturally.
feeling fragile is something i missed from the first silent hill, and it's back in force here. the breakable weapons add to the tension. i know not everyone likes the mechanic, but it makes the combat feel... desperate.
in silent hill 2, i just used my board with a nail in it (or whatever) on the bipedal enemies. they were so none threatenting that shooting them seemed like a waste of ammo.
here the melee combat feels like a desperate last resort. if i can spare the ammo on certain enemies i'm taking them on from a safe distance and praying i can put them down before they get close. which is just how it should be imho.
and I'm going to need someone to summerize the story for me when I'm done. I don't remember SH1's plot much because it's been a ton of years, so all the references and build up to SH1 make little sense to me.
Also I find some of the enemies less scary because they are just generic flesh. I think actual monsterish things would have worked better at a few parts,
for instance the boss of the theater. You have this creepy creepy shaman puppet thing hanging down and you're like 'oh crap, I don't want to go in the cave" and then you go in and it's just some flesh and bones boss and not really scary. If it was some SHish shaman or something it'd be a lot freakier
L button sometimes helps, but not always.
