The Worst Silent Hill Game?
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- This week I take a deeper look into one of the more hated entries in the silent hill franchise and where the hate is rooted from.
After Konami outsourced the Silent Hill IP to western developers, there was a significant difference in quality in maintaining the Silent Hill experience. Now that western developers are once again in charge of building Silent Hill back up, can we expect them to learn from past mistakes?
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Who Pyramid Head Is (Video): • Who Pyramid Head Is - ...
#silenthill #konami
I believe there was an interview with Tomm Hulett where he admitted that Pyramid Head's inclusion was a Konami mandate that they tried to fight against. He seemed to understand how poorly recieved it was going to be but the higher ups consistantly showed a lack of care for the audience and just wanted to push out SH games as quickly and cheaply as possible.
They wanted Homecoming to be as much as the Silent Hill movie possible, and you can see that a lot
its always konami fault.
So it’s Konamj ruining their own product basically.
My headcanon for symbolic enemies showing up in following silent hill games is that its like the imprint of the previous visitor to silent hill. I guess I've never checked if the timeline would work out that way. But that's just my two cents
The key of this is, that in Japan, PH is very popular, almost like an icon, Gamingmuse did a great homework about this, and discovered the obsession of the company with PH, basically PH is the mascot of the game. Even they gonna put him in Origins, and Downpour, but the studios fought back against this. Double Helix at least could apply that Adam was an executioner of the order of Valtiel, that could be the main link with PH in the game. So indeed PH is Adam in this game. Even more if we think that he is already gone in the events of the game, since Halloway ended his life, soon he got into the town, the man in the church isn't him anymore, he was already gone by that moment.
The funny thing about the western/eastern devs argument is that apparently japanese silent hill fandom loves silent hill more for its' aesthethic and iconography and cult aspects rather than the psychological horror themes and emotional story telling
Usually how an IP starts is how the fanbase goes with in Japan. It is very visual and especially if it has the occult, they eat it up. Horror games are niche in Japan and explains why Resident Evil is popular, because it has action elements to it. Most times they gain cult followings or become respected by other developers for their narrative approach, but seldom does it sell UNLESS it deals with modern/urban legends. Those are very popular compared to any other kind of horror there. I think that touches on generational differences too in some respect.
Nothing weird really, we are attracted to something new, just look at how much success korean media is having in the west now or how much western media is famous in India
Don't we all? Other than about james and angela orosco, I rarely see anyone talking about silent hill's story, everyone talks about the cool aesthetic of an empty street with fog
@@ebygz4755 yeah i defenitely like that stuff too but the point is that The western sulent hill games get often accused of being dumbed down for the western audience even though the japanese audience tends to like them more
They are purists rather than judging each game on its own merits.
I also want to remind everyone about the horrible and tragic treatment of Tomm Hulett. He didn't deserve the hate he got. He just wore the brunt of the hate because he was the one who marketed the games and the face most people saw with the western developed Silent Hill games. He tried to do what he felt was right for the series and Konami often got in the way (like he tried to stop Pyramid Head in Homecoming but wasn't allowed to contribute to Homecoming in specific ways as a result of his opposition). He deserved better treatment from fans and Konami
I agree that Tomm Hulett was unfairly treated, including by myself, and I do regret some of the things I said about him back when I was younger and less mature. But I also can't really blame most fans for their vitriolic reaction to him. He (and for a while Devin Shatskey) were always put forward as the face of the franchise. I remember Tomm claiming in interviews to be a walking-talking Silent Hill Bible and that every creative decision went through him. In retrospect, it appears that he didn't have nearly as much creative control as was implied. But young, naive fans with no understanding of corporate politics (such as myself at the time) didn't now that. We just saw this one guy constantly saying he was in creative control, and we didn't know that he was likely just being thrown under the bus by Konami execs. Honestly, it wasn't until Konami's mistreatment of Hideo Kojima and the developers of MGSV that I really went back and reconsidered how unfairly Konami was probably treating Tomm.
Tomm Hulett talked a lot of shit, people merely took him by his words.
Twin Perfect was also responsible for fueling the fire and honestly contributing to most of the toxic aspects of the community for a while. I know they turned my disappointment in him into rage.
@@SnarkyLesbian He did, people here are making it seem like he has no fault of his own. He was supposed to be the "great mind" behind those shitty games, why wouldn't people think he was a hack? The guy sold himself high as a SH expert that truly could deliver... but delivered very subpar results at the end of the day.
And we still dont really know what really happened behind the scenes btw, theres only people saying what they want to say online and folk just believing whatever they want. But that really doesnt matter, we can never know who did what for real.
With Pyramid Head in Homecoming, they should have made a similar creature that captures the unavoidable horrors after serving. The "essence" of the horrors of war. That's kind of what I thought they went with as soon as I saw his sword looks a lot like a military knife.Imo a Pyramid Head type monster based on bloodlust, Ptsd, the inhumane conditions, etc would have been really cool. Give him a crazy ass head (maybe a tank turret like one?), make his tattered rags Olive drab stained with blood, let him keep the knofe swordCould have had combat medic styled creatures instead of the nurses, too. Maybe a set of faceless creatures in fatigues that try to give you a tracheostomy with a knife instead of a scalpel.
Alex was never actually in a war though
He was in a a mental institution, not a war. The "military" thing was a coping mechanism to be what his dad wanted him to be.
@@corykujo8176 holy shit i was real tired tho lol
It could have been based off of the punishments or executions for stolen valor.
I was about to suggest the same thing but also mix in medical imagery, hint that what's going on is more complicated than what we initially see.
I appreciate the shoutout to TGM. Its a great channel, a must subscribe for anyone who enjoys Silent Hill analysis.
The only thing anyone who enjoys Silent Hill analysis is Twin Perfect. They don't excuse ANY-THING that is worse then the original games. And we need more of that kind of strong opinionated view on the shit Western Silent Hill games are. No excuses, no justifications. Execute and toss it out if it's not up to standards. Love that.
@@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253Ehhhh… even Twin Perfect got things wrong. Their opinions were that: their opinions. And they were incorrect about many of the lore aspects that have been dismantled online by Yamaoka and Ito.
@@maxrevive592 Too bad, because they made the most sense of it and in the most delightful way, up to the point where the original devs failed to realize the actual potential of what they've made. Like that idiotic "Yeah, Marry is in the backseat of the car." WHAT ?! Seriously ? James is so delusional he got her out of the grave, put her in the car, drove through the country to Silent Hill and then kept looking at the blank piece of paper thinking there is something written on it instead of realizing he not only murdered, but literally drove a carcass of a woman he claimed to love to a resort town ?
Where's the subtelty in that ? Idiotic !
THE GAMING MUSE IS A HER. NOT HIS. HE SAID HIS VIDEO, THE OWNER OF THAT CHANNEL IS A WOMAN THAT DOES DOCUMENTARY VIDEO ABOUT CLASSIC HORROR PS2 ERA GAMES.
@@I_AM_DARTH_VADER-f2v
Thanks, Captain Capslock, but I know.
It could easily have been a mistake in reading off the script that made its way into the video. But you'd have to ask Max about that one.
I'll give Homecoming massive credit for one thing. Their designs for the enemies, especially the bosses, are pretty good. They're just as creepy as your monsters from the first three SH games. Those monsters deserve to be reused in a better SH game 😭
I've always praised Homecoming for the enemy design even way back when it was universally hated as THE shitty western SH.
Absolutely agree with this. The scarlet boss fight terrified me.
First 4 SH games
Don’t sleep on the room 🐐
It's a real travesty that Masahiro Ito has to see his work bastardized because it's recognizable and might squeeze a little bit more money out of fans. You can tell by the way he'd rather kill Pyramid Head off than misuse him that he really cares about the meaning of the character
Lol I feel like it's cuz he hates the toxic Fandom than caring about his creation. His tweets remind me of an angry teenager than a man of his age.
It's mostly because this leads to a complete misunderstanding of what Pyramid Head is. He's not an executioner- he only takes the form of one. He's trying to kill James' denial and his delusions, which is why he kills the monsters. He's trying to strip James of everything that is holding him back. Hence why he is no longer needed during the Twin Pyramid boss fight.
*One thing worth highlighting is that this is the SH where you dive the most into the universe of the protagonist: where he was born and raised, the people who surrounded him (his influences). The origin of his ancestors, Alex's background (childhood until he became a young adult) at least in other games, the protagonists are purely supporting the big star that is city. But in this one, the big star of the game is the character himself (ultimately the player\viewer) It's really cool how things orbit around Alex's nightmare and how he balances the themes in relation to other families, like this point of view is more emanant compared to the transcendence of the originals. It's still a peculiar optic!*
*At least it gives the feeling that Alex is some kind of distant relative, maybe a nice guy who left without us knowing. Or a person who wanted to do the right thing but didn't have a voice, a friendship that didn't stand a chance...*
*If you disagree, pay attention to the details hidden in the scenarios (use the camera in first person) as incredible as it may seem, there are many things suggested by the toys scattered throughout the landscapes (such as Alex being locked up and sleeping alone in the attic of the house) or the layers of his personality represented by fog (sadness) and coming from the other world (hatred
esentment), how he feels at every moment depending on what is discovered
evealed.*
This game is introspective as f00k! more than it seems..
But it's introspection with no real pay off. What became of him in the story? I had a similar thought when I first play through (in no small part because I really wanted to like it.) Homecoming is a game that I think with just a little better writing could have been quite memorable, but it just missed too many notes for me to justify caring about it long term. That said, the Scarlet fight is one of my favorite encounters across the whole series as it was very rewarding in music, story, and even mechanics (at least for me.)
I actually prefer it when the story doesn't revolve around the protagonist(some examples include BR2049, Dark Souls, Berserk, and SH2 has nothing to do with the Order, just some weirdos with traumatic pasts). It feels more human and intimate when the insignificance of the main character is put on display.
Say what you will about Homecoming, but the soundtrack, just like the previous entries, is so damn good. My favourite in Homecoming’s soundtrack being "Soldiers Orders" aka "Alex’s Theme". I’d even go as far as to saying that its my favourite song in the entire franchise..
Better than Room of Angel? Or Hometown?
No, no, no.....
Mine is Elle's theme. I just love that song with all my soul.
@@FreeOpenTruthpeople have different taste.
one more soul to the call is perfection
Pyramid head and the nurses definitely needed to be replaced. I think it was a perceived fan favorite that pushed them in. There are some many threads they could have pulled to create unique manifestations that took on those roles.
Question is did the devs include them not fully understanding the concept of Silent Hill or did Konami insist they include them for the fan service?
EDIT - now finished the video and know now it was the devs that made the decision, not Konami. Finally 😅
Don't have problem with nurses as rhey are just trade marked but lore wise nurses should've only been a sh1 thing because of alessa constantly being taken care of by nurse like nisas,no reason for nurses to be in silent hill 2 as james never even mentions any of them he knew personally that took care of his wife it just made more sense to add them in that ganevthen it does with homecoming unless they were psychoward nurses that took care of him in the mental facility
It's very clear that the western devs, either by their own choice or because of studio pressure, leaned way more heavily on the movie than the actual games. Once you look at it that way, so many design decisions make sense.
I have a soft spot for Homecoming. In terms of tone and enemy danger, it was about where I wanted Dead Space to go after the first game.
The dead space franchise did start to take after Resident Evil in more ways than one didn't it.
@@alexwhite6554 Honestly, I'm in the camp that found even Dead Space 1 to be more fun than it was scary, but that's kind of it: the action was good enough, it needed to double down on the psychological aspect. Seeing enemies come at you claws-first through that fog, knowing you're going to have to use some of your ridiculously scant resources because the dodge only gives you a chance? Homecoming was GREAT at making you anxious about fights.
Me too, although I liked Homecoming for the whole splinter cult of the Order and the boss battles.
@@ClarkKentaiit absolutely doesn't need to double down on the psychological to be effective. I'm sick of every horror fan thinking it needs more psychological shit in it to be effective. The first Dead Space understood the homework assignment better than Resident Evil 4 which is where they got the ideas to change a couple of things. Dead Space checks all the boxes of a good horror game, fantastic sound, backtracking, resource management, not feeling like you are playing a walking simulator like so many indie horror games. Adding more psychological bullshit isn't gonna enhance the experience if it is going for a b movie horror vibe, which is fine. The core game is better than alot of other developers efforts.
Excuse it more.
I would have loved to see the first game get a full remake. I doubt it will happen, as I honestly doubt they'll remake any other game in the series outside of maybe 3.
I love 1-4 for all of their own reasons, and the later games have some really good ideas and setpieces as a whole, even the dungeon crawlers. They just don't *feel* like silent hill in comparison. Just games that used the idea and assets.
Also CONGRATS on almost 400k subs! You deserve them! I remember watching you at like 20k subs and wondering how the channel was so small. I bet you'll hit a million before you know it! Especially after these new games get released.
there is an art to the blocking and dodging. you have really pay attention to the enemy and hit the button just as the attack is about to hit you. if you just spam the button you wont block anything and just get stunned locked to death.
Silent Hill Homecoming was originally being created by The Collective when the game was announced in 2004ish. I think the studio had almost completed the game when the merger of The Collective and Shiny Entertainment occured which created Double Helix Games. This caused a change in the vision of the game becoming more "action oriented". This is why the game was released in 2008 which was over 4 years in development and 2 years after the Silent Hill film.
Homecoming wasn’t even dreamt of yet in 2004.
@@bouncingbluesoul5270 - "Chief designer of Silent Hill: Homecoming, Masashi Tsuboyama, announced the game's development in a 2004 interview with Eurogamer,"
@@FreeOpenTruthSilent Hill V, more likely
Damn…. I never knew that
Yep I remember this game being a lot better sounding during this time to what we actually got. It took way too long for it to be released
In hindsight, Alex doesn't react to monsters like a normal person would, so my head cannon was like "shit, these monsters have always been here and Alex grew up in this hell...no wonder he's not surprised at all."
My interpretation at the start was "yeah, he's a war vet with extreme ptsd who probably saw his comrades blow up in mines and shit, he literally knows hell, he has the military training and stoicism and desensitation to deal with it immediately with violence". Ofc immediately broke apart when they went the laziest route with his military background.
I've always enjoyed that idea. They were raised to accept these monsters as angels
There is posibility that konami forced double helix´s hand to put monsters from SH2 just as a marketing decision. But who knows
it was more a tie in with the movie
I'm glad you said the creature design is just as symbolic at the older games. I've heard this notion over the years that Homecoming lacks any symbolism or depth, and that's just not true.
It's overshadowed by the appearance of pyramid head and the nurses.
@@Indi_51 fans look at 2 bad monsters and then write off every other monster and all the top-notch bosses. Shame.
@@Indi_51 I also think they should have created something new, but there are facets of the pyramid such as the real pyramid involving judges, doctors, politicians and police forces (dynastic families) as if everything happened in our world and not just in a nightmare..
The piramid could also represent the collective fear about an urban legend of S.Glen regarding toluca lake, by an alleged man who threw himself in the lake years ago (that's why the dock gate is sealed) this story was told to scare the local children (is illustrated in the drawings) this results in the manifestation of an executioner.
When alex is in the lake, james is still decomposed down there in the depths and across the lake is an abandoned car with a corpse in the backseat, the woman belongs to the same family tree as alex: the Shepherds. but they are not blood related, alex's mother was raised together with james' wife and in dargento cemetery there is an empty tomb with the description "someone's wife".
There were pre-launch promotional diaries that covered things like alex describing nurses as well dressed to cheer up wounded soldiers (his meds cut off his libido so he started fantasizing about the institution's nurses).
The only thing I can say regarding Pyramid Head's inclusion in Homecoming is that at least his role is somewhat consistant. He's a punisher of repressed guilt.
the atmosphere of this game is incredible (for a title from that era)
Each place has its own energy, that inexplicable funereal thing... a 2000s vibe.
Like, the depression that invades alex's house (mostly because of Akira) the anxiety of the hotel (you hear and feel the presence of the piramid in that place falling apart) the claustrophobia of the prison and also the climate of regret that the church brings..
IMO it's the last breath of the franchise, this game makes downpour look like a little poodle..
honestly, playing this as a teen, the game *still* scared the piss outta me and I felt that constant tension. I actually felt *less* in older entries to the franchise.
I enjoy both western and eastern horror, and I always just took homecoming's combative edge as a part of alex's psyche-- the CPTSD he suffered manifesting as an extreme combative/ taking fight over flight reaction to his memory.
like its interesting when you start examining it from his trauma perspective and the idea that the demons of SH are not always focal on whoever enters. that there can be 'leftovers' of the psyche imprints of others who passed through SH before, such as harry and the bubble head nurses.
as a matter in fact, going through the game youre constantly fighting the demons of others-- thats the main bosses. furthermore, you also can sort of construe this as part of alex's own complex; running away from his own demons to fight others' is often the far easier thing to do-- and it could be thought that SH is indulging this in a means to entice him deeper and deeper into itself.
theres honestly a lot of other moving pieces in the background as well, but yea. people do not give this game its due, doubly so with the studio pedigree.
a small addendum; PH is a different demon altogether. its mirroring PH in 2, but its purely a creature born of alex's guilt for killing his kid brother. its his CPTSD triggering an animal, violent and hateful wrathful state, a creature that scares him. very much his deep black jungian shadow.
also; this game is also working of the extended lore created by the commissioned Silent Hill comics published by IDW which go to elaborate a lot on Otherworld and some of the weirdness it can get up to, hence echoes and creatures that are leftover forms from other people taken in.
For what little it is worth, homecoming always gave me the sense that double helix had a genuine love and respect for the series and wanted to do right by it. They weren't able to, but I don't think it's for lack of trying. I do think they were off base with what they did and how they approached it, but I don't have much Rancor for them on the whole. I'm not sure I'd say A for effort, a B minus maybe? At the very least they tried, which is more than I'm willing to say for Origins...
Honestly, I do sort of wish that homecoming could actually cash its checks. The idea of making a silent hill action game isn't completely without Merit, and I think the backstory established for the lead and his position in the world was actually a good starting point for that kind of thing. The problem is that making such a game would require moving in a significantly different direction on the whole. The fact that the game did ultimately just rehash a bunch of Silent Hill 2 is to its own detriment. The fact of the matter is that Alex isn't James, their backstories are different in very important ways, the framing of the narrative is leagues apart, and the setting is full of dangling details. Everything in Silent Hill 2 was pointing towards where Silent Hill 2 ended, meanwhile homecoming is full of stuff unique to homecoming and then it tried to end like Silent Hill 2. With all due respect to double helix, writing doesn't work like that.
As for the negative Buzz about the upcoming Silent Hill games for me it is less about them being developed by Western Studios and more a combination of Konami burning bridges everywhere and being shockingly incompetent with their IPs, the miserable Silent Hill HD remasters, the mediocre offerings the last time they tried it, and Bloober Team's own established limitations and the deeply troubling messages in their games, especially with regards to mental health issues. Silent Hill 2 is a dearly beloved game and I don't think modern day Konami or their chosen collaborators are capable of doing it justice. As for the rest of the upcoming slate? Who knows. I'd love to be proven wrong about Silent Hill 2, and I'd love to believe the other games will be good, but I'm certainly not going to put money on it after Metal Gear survive and Contra Rogue Corps and the first time they outsourced Silent Hill and got middling results.
One I got over the presence of Pyramid Head and the nurses. I was actually able to enjoy Homecoming. I actually recommend the game for newcomers. The linear progression and combat make it the easiest entry point.
Also, about the boogeyman appearence as Pyramid Head, in silent hill 2's historical society it's stated that he always was an executioner in the town, so my guess is that the form represents the town's history since the founding fathers escaped the cult but were still tied to it by the sacrifices of the children.
Happy you missed the bug I hit which soft locked the game. In Alex's home, there is a puzzle where you find service pins and put them on a uniform. If you save and then have to reload the game, all the pins are gone and you are locked in the house! And you might have explained my trouble with the game - it clearly intended for you to learn to dodge but it was never consistently successful. I don't remember if I was even thinking about positioning at the time since I never played a dark souls game before. I just bought it because I missed Silent Hill. Got my fix with Shattered Memories.
Liked Homecoming mostly because it was the first i played avd was cheap, i think its a good entry point game for the franchise which can largely be played in any order.
I think it is worth noting that Homecoming was announced in 2004, the movie came out in 2006, E3 of 2007 held several sneak peeks and didn't include many of the concepts originally talked about in the announcement, and was finally released in 2008 3rd quarter(according to the games wiki 7/1/23). I think that some executive or high level developer at Double Helix saw the movie and thought that the gas mask folk, ash dissolving world, the sexy bubble head nurses, and Pyramid Head should be directly added to the game, even if they had to scrape already made content. Those four elements, in this video, almost match exactly the art design of the 2006 movie.
The biggest thing I can attribute to Homecoming is that most of my friends got into Silent Hill due to it. The combat is more accessible and the story is pretty up front, in that all of my friends who played it beat it and became more interested in the world. Though deliberate, the clunky combat of previous games isn't very beginner-friendly. Homecoming was perfect for being like, "Ok imagine this story and atmosphere and symbolism done MUCH better, but you gotta sacrifice some combat." Almost universally that was enough of a catch to get them into it. And honestly, on its own, I enjoyed it.
That's a very interesting approach since this is a story about brotherhood. The story of IT is very deep because of that, a story about two brothers, Bill and George, if you rememeber the intro of the movie, Georgie asked Bill if they are going to see paper boats float, Bill refused to do that and lost his broither. This explained that even if a family is about a mother, a father, and kids. Those kids has a more deep relationship that even with their parents, something that Homecoming explained very well. Alex said Josh a lot, because he was his broither, but also his friend.
My biggest problem with homecoming is the tone...
In the original trilogy i feel as if the entire town is infested by a feel if nostalgia, it's like the very world is depressed or insane. It's an unpredictable environment sometimes.
In homecoming i feel like i'm playing a very formulaic hollywood movie.
The biggest problem with Homecoming is that it exists.
Iriginal? How did your phone let you type that?
I never really looked into any of the Silent Hill games past 4. You certainly right about Homecoming looking great! I was loving the aesthetics and monster designs the whole time you were criticizing it XD
I ultimately thought Homecoming was…interesting-due to the impression it left on me. I thought the lore was misunderstood and the combat frustrated me a few times. But, it ultimately had some good psychological horror and told a compelling story I wanted to see through to the end.
That being said, there is a reason the UFO ending is an unlockable extra in the other games. I was barreling towards a potentially devastating scenario at the end that genuinely had me hooked. Only, I somehow met the conditions, entirely by accident, to get the UFO ending my first play through. I did not play it again.
Also, if you want to win every encounter in the game, use the knife. There's an infinite knife combo in homecoming, not sure if they have patched it yet, but it makes every enemy encounter pointless.
Patched it yet ?))) You think this piece of shit would get patched for anything ?))) How coy:)
I liked the axe best personally
Those axe head guys in the police station are the actual worst. I needed like 11 tries to get through them.
Can’t remember who pointed this out but;
‘PT’ was another Japanese ‘Silent Hill’ game this time by Hideo Kojima. But the demo for ‘Silent Hills’ had a load of western horror tropes even some garbage like “…look behind you.” It was a Hideo Kojima game with ‘Silent Hill’ packaging, you could easily see PT being part of a ‘Metal Gear’ game as a dream sequence or something. Moreover games that Akira Yamaoka has been involved with hasn’t been in line with the original series, ‘Living in Fear’ is still one of his best SH tracks though.
‘Home Coming’ and ‘Shattered Memories’ would have been great games had they had nothing to do with ‘Silent Hill’. It’s a shame because I like both the games if you switch off your brain and see them as Hollywood horror games influenced by Silent Hill. But they didn’t do that.
I feel the nurses being sexy could also be a form or repressed sexuality because Alex was in a mental ward for quite a lot of his life and probably never had sex, therefore the nurses would likely be the only female contact he really had.
More like he was a kid on mind, this explain why the other sacrifices are kids unlike him, this also explain the topic of Alice in Wonderland, like a Peter Pan state. This is the most sad protagonist, because you believe he is a hero, but indeed he is an abusive kid by his own family.
Homecoming was the first SH I not only beat, but completed 100%. It's by no means perfect, but I still really enjoy it.
Also, according to the graphic novels, every creature encountered by every person that traverses Silent Hill stays there. The nurses, for instance, were not only left over from James' time in SH, but let's keep in mind that Alex spent YEARS in a mental hospital. Most, if not all, hospitals contain nurses.
Yeah that's a good point. There's also this cockroach-like creature that James runs into from time to time, and from what I've read, those creatures were left over from Alessa's nightmares rather than being an actual product of James's.
I don't know if I would take the graphic novel's word as gospel, but monsters sticking around is shown in Silent Hill 3, with something like the Closer being the same monster as the Mandarin from 2. However, while they might be the same core monster, they change in design and behaviour due to the psyche of whoever sees them influencing them. The power of Silent Hill creates the base of the monster, while the individual alters that base to suit their subconscious.
So there is a basis for enemies from one game to carry over to another, though, in the case of the Homecoming Nurses, I would have liked to see more differences in design or behaviour to make them seem more individualized for Alex rather than just being the SH2 Nurses again (for the third time once you include Origins).
@@joshuareesor1756 the nurses definitely looked a little more provocative in Homecoming, but Alex was a teenager when he was committed. When I was peak boner, I was prone to over sexualizing women. And some of this is my own head canon, and I even acknowledge a lot of things were phoned in (I'll never complain about fan service, but reusing pyramid head was low hanging fruit. Also, QTEs in survival horror should have been crushed with RE4), but all things considered, I think a lot of the hate Homecoming gets is a bit misguided.
@joshuareesor1756 agreed, nurses are a Silent Hill staple at this point...no problem with them being here in Homecoming but they could have changed their design to make them unique to Alex same way they were unique to Alessa, James and Heather in their games. And Pyramid Head? The devs specifically said only James should encounter Pyramid Head, so they really should have come up with a new monster for Alex's need to find the truth/face up to his actions.
i really like the lighting effects in homecoming. Like a lot. when i think about this game, i remember those split-hammerhead monsters attacking the police station and how the light hit them as they busted in through a wall, or the orange glow in that doll maze, or even how the flashlight illuminated the nurses’ chests 😂
idk what effect i’m responding to, but i know i’ve never seen it anywhere else, and the comparatively dull and flat lighting of Downpour disappointed me greatly
edit: i honestly always sort of enjoyed the idea of the manifested horrors of james, alessa, walter etc remaining after their summoners’ had passed on, lurching around and getting roped into the machinations of various cults
Definitely agree, personally enjoyed this game. The ending was messed up
@@e.a3992 depends on which one you got, haha, my friend accidentally got the ufo ending first which was wack for him.
i was raised in a cult so i really resonated with the themes of neglect and parents being cruel to their kids for the good of their insular community, and that a parent not wanting to sacrifice their kid was causing the underlying horror to become visible and their world to destabilize. Yeah they could have been more original and not aped the movie so much but tbh i think they did a good job and i liked that pyramid head and the nurses were present but slightly altered, it felt like maybe the same archetypal forms but summoned under slightly different circumstances, like that weird looking xeno emerging from the black goo at the end of Prometheus.
I believe this has to do with culture more than it does specific location on the planet lol I really appreciate your work and thank you
I just want you to know I recently bought silent hill 2 and 3 because of your content and I love playing them
Just curious, how much did you pay for them?
@hollyhastings not sure how much they paid for them but when I bought them a few years ago 2 was about $100 and 3 was $130
Well it was the pack that was released on Xbox 360 and it was on sale for just 10$
@davidcostello4187 and those have been good so far? I haven't played the HD collection but have only heard terrible things about them so curious if people were just overplaying some of the flaws
I would really dig you doing a video on Fear and Hunger 2: Termina! The monster designs and symbolism are incredible.
Funny thing that the whole "tortured man seeking for redemption" story that EVERY western silent hill used as a main theme... wasn't actually there in original 4 games. I have no idea why people think this way about Silent Hill series. Only Silent Hill 2 had this theme and the game had fuck all with the silent hill lore in the first place - it used lore and setting as a backdrop. Other game don't gave a flying fuck about psychological aspects of characters, the Silent Hill series was all about evil cult, ancient gods and human sacrifices. Yeah, as bland as it sounds. The reason why Silent Hill is remembered so fondly is not because of WHAT it was, but because of HOW it was. The same reason why people love Dead Space - the WHAT is the blandest copypaste of overused scifi tropes, but the HOW is why the game is so unique and fresh.
I love all SH games, including Homecoming and Downpour. Of course i like the "Team Silent" titles more, but i still find Homecoming and Downpour`s stories enjoyable and memorable. Homecoming has an awesome soundtrack and boss fights too. Downpour has more "open world" feel and lots of side quests.
I have a similar take to you. I appreciate the later titles for what they offer while also keeping in mind that they aren't as good as the originals that came before...and that's fine.
Homecoming is far from the worst. Downpour takes that prize.
Dunno why but watching the footage of Homecoming I thought of an argument of why over the shoulder camera for horror games isn't good anymore: Every game looks, works and feels samey. There's no more alley camera from SH1, that wheelchair shot of SH3... removing camera control of the dev and possibility of making good cinematic shots in favor of over the shoulder, it kinda kills the personality and charm horror games can achieve.
No idea if it's a good or bad take, just thought of it and wanted to write it.
I think Downpour was the worst. It didn't feel like Silent Hill for 90% of the game.
It's funny how people call the non-team silent games "Western" when majority of them aren't even western.
I remember falling asleep in the cemetery area, the game just did not reach me at all.
10:14 "peace be upon him" I am sorry but what?.
I like how the SH2 remake also has free aim guns and dodging but its more well implemented and tense proving that double helix COULD have made this game play style work for survival horror but some how screwed the pooch.
The Pyramid Head thing is interesting to experience as a very intuitive person. I am often unsure why and how I pick up on themes that are not apparent in games like this, though I guess my subconscious signals me via the usual foggy unease and unexpected amazement about a pattern it found.
This monster's prescence in Homecoming always felt very out fo place. As if it was more of a cameo than anything. Thank you for recommending thegamingmuse's video. I will watch that shortly, being curious of what led to all this behind the scenes.
And nice work as always Max, thanks for your hard work! Your videos are always a joy to watch!
Ofc it's a cameo. Smog, nurse and pyramid head are from the movie, the otherworld transition resembles the movie, it's clear this game absolutely got crippled by exec mandates.
The truth is, the first 3 games were puzzle driven. The 4th game was flawed action. Origins was puzzle driven, but flawed. The other titles were very focused on combat. (No combat for SHSM.)
If I wanted to play action, or combat heavy games I would play a game like call of duty or Resident Evil.
What made Silent Hill unique was at any point, a player could choose to run away. In the later titles, combat => progression. This is the key difference, in my opinion.
Silent Hill Homecoming was also a buggy mess on day one.
Also, I feel Homecoming was based more on the lore of the Movie than the games.
I’m not discounting the SH2 remake just because it’s in the hands of western devs. I’m fine with that, as long as it’s just a scaled up version of SH2 and not a “reimagining” like Konami likes to do…
I’m reluctant about it SPECIFICALLY because it’s bloober. And given the themes of SH2 and bloober’s track history, I don’t want another rehash of The Medium where we’re hit over the head with ideas like “um, but, pedophiles are good sometimes, actually” and “suicide is your ONLY way out, have fun babes, here’s a gun”
If I’m wrong about it, I’ll eat the crow. But as of right now, with the facts we’ve been given, all I can say is “caw caw” 🤷♂️🤷♂️
I had so much fun playing Homecoming, one of my favorite games. I enjoyed the story and characters, i didn't mind the nurses, or Pyramid-head. I wanted that silent hill experience, and i felt it. That porcelain doll 😬😱
I really enjoyed this video as usual, I'm a big fan lol your concise and thoughtful approach on Silent Hill is always a pleasure to listen to. I think you hit the nail on the head explaining the differences between western and eastern horror and their influences. Looking forward to the next video!
I really like downpour and shattered memories. I thought homecoming was ok but had way too much combo bullshit
One thing that I find curious is that I remember back in the day it was said that silent hill 4 was not made by team silent and was actually being developed as an unrelated game, but was modified to be marketed as a Silent Hill sequel. Now I do not find information about that.
Also the commentary that nurses are James' monster conveniently forgets they were there since the first silent hill.
i have the same information, that actually did happen.
@@GreenSabre187 yup, I just cannot find it in recently article or videos
They were there since the beginning indeed, Its the way they appeared as the buxom, bubble-headed variants that was specific to James. Not the nurses themselves.
I didn't know that shattered memories was a main line entry.. And I don't think it is cause it changes the main line story too much and it doesn't make sense (even if it is a very good game)
(!!!SPOILERS!!!)
11:14 :)
The way i think about it is that the reason why Alex does the melee combos, dodge rolls and has ADS is because he thinks he was in the military/has military experience, and aside from fan service, Pyrimad Head is there to remind Alex what he might become if he keeps making bad decisions, granted none of what i said is cannon (probably), its still a great way to view the game on your second playthrough, (personally) it would bring a (somewhat) new meaning to psychological horror knowing that the things the player can do is because Alex THINKS he could due to his made-up past from what he did to Joshua...
Finally a shout out to the gaming muse. He's basically the new source for SH info
Isn’t he female?
@@CYAN_TOP_HAT he's a trans-masc person, and their pronouns are he/him/they/them
Gaming Muse is a western Silent Hill apologist and the title "there was no Team Silent" is a fucking click bait title. There absolutely was a Team Silent. I dont give a shit what they say.
@@foottothenutsI mean yeah it’s like saying there was no kojima productions or any dev team for whatever franchise you can bring up. I know the roster of employees at TS was different for nearly every installment they put out but there were not only consistent players in most of them but it’s also very insulting to insinuate that anyone who worked on sh4 for example weren’t actually part of team silent. Like yeah I guess their involvement in sh2’s development was just nonexistent because they went on to be part of the B team. There was genuine talent and effort put into every single one of the games that team silent put out, B team or no. I admittedly hate the western games but I also am not against the idea of them being made by western teams, we just consistently got bad ones, and I’d like to put out that I am a defender of shattered memories. I just feel like there’s a bit of a disregard and lack of respect for team silent considering they made such good products that it influenced so much of the modern horror landscape today. You don’t have to act like your above the idea of team silents existence because your scared of being seen as pretentious or something.
@@foottothenuts I find this an extremely hilarious reaction 😂
For Silent hill: Zero/Origins: Are you playing the PSP or the PS2 port? I just tried pcsx2x64-avx2, and it work perfectly.
You got the game wrong, like probably a lot of people. The main inspiration of this game is Donnie Darko not Jacob's Ladder. Akira Yamaoka explained the game very well in Alex's Theme. Basically this is how goes, the game is splited in two gameplays. Therefore the 1st game is a vision, all that happen in this vision, finished in the real ending "Drowning" Alex embraced the sacrifice, and ended his life in that bathtub (I drink your sacred water), but there is a good reason for this, by that, Josh will be alive, but also Alex will finally going deep into the mystery, since in the 2nd gameplay he will get back to life, like the song said (I'm back, again), this time he returned like a soldier (my training is perfect), and his mision is now exorcism the soul of the children (your power is over, I come to change the order), so the game is in fact a ritual.
To recover the lost one, the soldier needs to embrace the sacrifice, returned one more time, to release the innocent from sin.
Alex isn't surprise to the monsters, bc he already saw them in this dream, therefore the first game play is a dream, or a vision, just like Donnie Darko, the main goal is embrace the sacrifice, in the second game play, he is getting back to life by the powers of the town, to exorcism the souls of the kids, but also getting the proof that Josh is alive, and that happen with the quest of Polaroid Photos, which also help Alex to understand more about his mission (my mission is holy). That's the whole plot explained very well in the song of Akira.
Pros of the game. Donnie Darko concept, broitherhood game, Supernatural series influence on the characters, very original concept of two gameplays to discover the complete truth, very dark real plot in the background, great bosses, great weapons especially the sacred knife. Interesting link in the hotel with the woman of the door like Ernest Baldwin, give us a clue that Alex was like Maria, which is true, since Alex the soldier is his return to life, in a holy mission. Multiple endings that showed the path of the soldier, and how he can missed the way. Interesting other world inspirated in the movie of 2006. Great replay of the game with the laser videogame pistol.
Cons of the game: monsters should be inspired more military like, doesn't care if he is a soldier or not, since he watched a lot of movies, PH shouldn't be here, Robbie the rabbit should be more relevant, animation of the cgi scenes was meh admited by Double Helix, the main animator said he tried to fixed all, but the time wasn't enough. Meh locations like the hotel, should be change for a high school, since we need to understand why Alex is a soldier, was a soldier, or want to be one. Strange outfit of Alex, military jacket and dog tags, he should just change in a full military gear in his house, since the town was already doom, so he was ready to war, this also was a mistake on alt outfits, not full military suit. Plot needs to be more polish, more info about rebirth ritual, more info about Donnie Darko stuff, like books or articles about time travel, more elaborate puzzles. Come clear with military status, he should be a military, but just a private, he spent in war a few weeks, or a few months, then sent to a hospital controlled by the cult, and he will find out the truth in a second visit to the hospital now in SH, his own father betrayed him, and sent him into the claws of the cult, he was lying about Alex wasn't a soldier. Accident should be less direct, like a car crash, or a robbery of the ring that end in tragedy, like Josh tried to protect his brother, and took the gun shot, or not presence at all, they can even apply that Alex wasn't there while Joss had an accident in the lake with other kids. So the remorse of runaway, and left his brother behind, that's his sin. The devs forgot to add the tank controls as an option for gamers of the classic games. They regreted that, this was a mistake of the beta testers, since nobody asked for that option.
The game had a lot of issues, but the main concept of Alex embraced his fate in the bathtub, that gave him a big status as a hero, and even as a soldier, if he wasn't one, bc he had big cojones to do that.
I didn’t understand the whole pact. Wouldnt killing joshua fill the role? They said once every 50 years. Is it fifty on the dot? Is it on a certain day? Is it bound to a certain kid? What if the whole family suddenly died?
As for the nurses. Supposely its from alexs memories of being in the hospital and how he remembers or thinks he remebers the nures looking like. Atleast what i heard
People always talk about story, immersion and gameplay. But what counts a lot's whether the game's fun, whether the mechanics work well or not.. Like U have the room which has an interesting story and a remarkable intro but the gameplay's one of the worst in the series.. what's the point?
HC has one of the most fluid gameplays of the franchise, a very semi-open world vibe (despite a certain linearity u're faced with small paths to pick up a new weapon or map\collectible) sometimes the game surprises you: U can go back to certain places to investigate something secret (while in the old ones the places're being discarded, U rarely came back). The 2 worlds that're interconnected're very organic and "alive" if the player bumps into objects or makes a mess of the rooms, then when U go back to the place the objects're in the same position U left them... it's a realism that was missing in the saga! it looks more like a journey, U know.
I've always thought that if the game isn't "round" in practice it's not convincing (it may have the best script, best soundtrack) the business's mobility too! the way U advance in the game.. U have to have some kind of satisfaction (whether in fights or level design) and HC has plenty of that!
*What saves this game for me's the subtle connection it has with the rest of the franchise: there's a timeline of Alex's childhood that takes place simultaneously in the same time as the 2nd game (this's implied by the gates of the docks being sealed, for some old event in the lake) there was some kind of interdiction in the toluca lake (for a supposed man who threw himself there..) the wife of that suicide's part of the same family tree as Alex: the Shepherds. In the case that alex's mother's Mary's foster relative (Mary's dress's very similar to the clothes his mother sewed, the mannequin is identical) there's a note about alex asking "if mary was your relative" in his diary (released in the euro-gamer magazine in 2007) but what confirms this thesis's that the mausoleum of the shepherd family's not found in S.Glen (only the other 3 families) but in the cemetery of dargento in SH there's an abandoned mausoleum with a mysterious tomb and the description "somebody's wife" clearly this tomb was never used.. the person was sick with scheduled burial but she just disappeared. After E3 2007 There was a beta version with promotional background suggesting that alex's mother was invited to a funeral in SH of a childhood friend but for some reason the funeral didn't take place. The Relics, vintage cars and public assets're compatible with the first 3 games (as if S.Glen were a satellite town next to Brahms station in toluca county).*
At least I like the feeling that HC is a retrospective of places where other protagonists have gone before, there's always a sense of de'javu or clues in the setting of some group (order) just passed there.. There's a lot of stuff from team-silent hidden in this game, the trivia's bigger than it looks! there're games that have to be platinum regardless of whether U like it or not.
Thank you for your videos max, you always have a way to sound so relaxed and yet focused and precise with your words. Every analysis video you make is remarkable intriging, deep and enjoyable.
I bought it on steam, it’s impossible to play on modern laptops… buggy, unresponsive and it closes way too often
Since you are a Silent Hill guy, what do you think the "Fear of Blood" quote from the beginning cutscene of SH1 means?
I recently thought about it and did a google search and no one really knows for sure. And I don't think anyone from Team Silent has ever commented on it.
*The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.*
I’m quite sensitive when it comes to blood and injuries in real life. (Not in video games.) So if I ever get even a glimpse of it, it sends shivers through my entire body. Almost like my own flesh shudders of the idea that it could potentially happen to me.
I am not a gamer. I am an artist and a writer. I generally consider playing games a waste of time. The first SILENT HILL inspired me, however. I have played every SH game since. HOMECOMING, for all its flaws, would have been my very favorite. It was the game insisting you murder your mother to have the "happy" ending that uninspired me. As for the Nurses and Pyramid Head: This game designed them better than all others, by far. Not only their looks were best, but the sounds they made and their mannerisms. This game did right to have them if for that reason alone.
Cool design is great and all but without the symbolic and emotional resonance behind it it amounts to empty window dressing. I would also argue that the designs IMO are heavy handed and lacking in subtlety.
The Nurses are more relevant in HOMECOMING than the Closers, Numb Bodies and Insane Cancers are in SILENT HILL 3. The Hotel and Doctor's Office levels gave the Nurses context. The Closers, Numb Bodies and Insane Cancers were freaky just to be freaky. As for the heavy-handedness of the Nurses and Pyramid Head in HOMECOMING: Clearly fan-service, of course.@@treesurgeon2441
4:09 oh my god, this is awesome!!!!! we have developer retrospectives on Homecoming!!! it's so amazing to be a gamer post ~2020, with developers not relying on possibly maligned journalists and an uninterested public to interview them. 90s gamers could never dream of such a miracle.
4:50 TY for the recommendation.
I enjoyed the in-depth nuanced look which didn't deny flaws. It seems that there's more information available for this than The Room.
The worst is Downpoor. It even lacks a good soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka.
Thank you for another great video!
In my opinion, the biggest reason the Western Silent Hill games fall flat is the source material they try to emulate. Team Silent was originally just given the task of “make a Western-appealing horror game” with little direction, and they did a great job because of how many different and unrelated sources they took inspiration from to make an original story. They made some pretty massive shoes to fill with Silent Hill 2, so development after Team Silent has always tried to chase that success/same feel without the variety in source. You can’t set the bar so high and expect to make a classic by trying to copy, yet alter slightly, whilst filling with fan service, because that’s not what Team Silent did and that’s why we got some great original stories. I look forward to what’s next, especially since some Team Silent members are involved again, I just hope they try something new and learn the big key points of personal experience dread that make us love the games so much.
I don’t think Homecoming is the worst Silent Hill game, but it’s certainly no team Silent. If we pretend it’s not a Silent Hill game, it’s pretty enjoyable- aside from the abysmal endings.
There are only two involved. Ito a consultant role, so not really on the game and of course we know who is doing the music. So in reality, there are no Silent Hill members on the team, especially not those that did the planning or writing.
Is that Thumbnail tactical? 😅
Controversial opinion I like Shattered Memories more than SH4
And honestly Homecoming and Down Pour are so mediocre they blend together in my memory
You're a gift to humanity Max
1:48 "Best Silent Hill-esque game since 3."
I haven't played Signalis yet, but I will side you on the notion that Silent Hill 4 is not as good as 3.
Personally, I don't consider 4 good at all. I hate that game. It still has some artistic merit thanks to still having some of that Team Silent polish, but it has so much wrong with it. I don't think the story is interesting, I don't like characters, and I especially cannot stand Henry at all.
SH4 is boring and tedious and so repetitive and it really drags its heels the whole time and I can't stand escort missions with bad AI -- which you have to do for nearly the entire second half of the game -- and the limited inventory forcing you to go back to the room all the time and items/ammo that doesn't stack, just makes it a frustrating gaming experience.
I honestly enjoyed Homecoming. I appreciated the tone and some of the enemy designs. The levels were nice and not overly frustrating. I also didn't really have any problem with the combat. I heard one comment was they added it because of the military background and that it wouldn't make sense to have a completely helpless character. The dodge was fairly easy to master but that did make it so you could cheese certain monsters by dodging forward with the axe and then give an upward swing. Luckily this didn't break too many enemies. Also there's no way Homecoming was worse than Downpour...
I will keep the nurses, but they need a lot of changes to fit in Homecoming. As for Pyramid Head either create a Pyramid head like monster like how Downpour & Origins did or remove all together.
Well. There are still nurses in the original 4 games. They just don't have to look sexy, like in part 2..
So I day-one'd Silent Hill in '99 but only recently tried Homecoming (and still haven't played Downpour). I wanted to go into HC with low expectations and try to just enjoy it for whatever it was. I got so frustrated with the hotel section that I gave up. I feel like they went extremely stingy on resources, and as you pointed out, did not make an avoidance system tight enough to accommodate for this. Disappointing, because up to that point in the game I was really enjoying it.
Should you disregard the new SH games because they're made by western devs? No, don't be a weeaboo.
Should you disregard the SH2 remake because it's being made by Bloober, a dev that has proved time and time again they don't understand subtlety in horror? Absolutely.
Silent hill is very overt and western inspired. It has less to do with western teams vs eastern teams making silent hill and more that the post team silent games were made by inexperienced and shovelwear devs.
Where’s my Silent Hill Origins bros at?!! Whoot
The reason the combat was such crap was because they made it where only certain weapons can be used on certain creatures, if you used any other weapons it would be useless. But fun fact Alex is a blood relative to Mary.
Actually Mary is part of alex's family tree: the shepherds but they're not blood relatives. It's implied that Alex's mother was Mary's foster relative, there's even the possibility that Alex's mother is the woman in the confessional in the 3rd game (there's her room with the letters L.S when she was still part of the SH order). At that time she still had contact with Mary in the chapel (3 promotional diaries were released in which they claim that Lillian was invited to a funeral of a childhood friend but this funeral never took place) the person was sick but simply disappeared.. there's a mysterious tomb in dargento cemetery in SH with the description "someone's wife" but this tomb was never used.. What reinforces this thesis is that the mausoleum of the shepherds are not found in S.Glen (only the other families that are found)
*There're unofficial connections between the games: the protagonist of 3 is the daughter of the protagonist of 1, james' father is a building manager for the character of the 4th game, Travis is after heather's mother in origins, the villain of the 4th game it is an orphaned child in the 2nd game.. they're easter-eggs that you find within the game itself.*
Great video as always, and appreciate the shoutout to thegamingmuse. If you do get your hands on Origins someday, I'd love to see a video on it!
Where you get that jacket from?
Hey Max love the content, I have 2 game recommendation for you: Fear & Hunger and Fear & Hunger 2: Termina. There very obscure games that are just coming out of obscurity. I especially want you to play Termina due to borrowing some inspiration from Aeon of all things. I won't spoil much but if you love RPG's, Survival Horror, and Immersive Sims you will love this game. I would love to see you take a crack at the lore of this game.
P.S. Both games are lauded as being a cruel game both in its setting and to its gameplay, if you ever play these game's remember to experiment with items and tactics, and if the going gets tough, know that running is an option. Don't play this game like your average RPG, play it like a Survival Horror Game.
This game was on track to be my favorite. I was overseas with the military so it really hit home for me. It was like seeing my worst nightmares of homesickness put into video game form.
And then that twist happened.
I have never felt so angry and betrayed at a videogame.
Imagine combining Dark souls combat with the horror of silent hill.
Bloodborne is close.
6:27 Jesus, Max! That was scarier than anything in these games.
the beep?
It’s crazy to me that of the homecoming is frequently called the worst of the western developed games. I feel like it did the best of the later games, mainly because of scarlet. That scene was classic silent hill imo.
I too have a soft spot for homecoming. While I liked silent hill 1 and 2, there were certain things that kept me from trying the games beyond a rental period. It put me off the series till I watched a friend play through silent hill 4. I liked the atmosphere and the kind of environmental story telling (and the fact you could actually SEE shit 90% of the time unlike in most of 1 and 2) So I picked up homecoming and kind of got absorbed into the game and story. I DO think the game kind of falls off around the end, and the requirements to get the different endings don't always make the most sense (too easy to get the UFO ending) but it and 4 tend to be my favorite silent hill games while recognizing 1 and 2 for how good they are even if I didn't like them at the time.
Thank you for mentioning the youtuber gaming muse, they are so underated & they have a lot of silent hill analysis that is really well researched & analysed
Yup, sounds about right. I remember being so happy for an HD modern silent hill, seeing the 'dog arena' teaser in magazines only made me more hyped... When I finally got my hands on the game.. I enjoyed it, but I felt the cheapness compounded with the obvious fanservice thanks to the movie. Still, that otherworld transition was badass in Downcoming.
Say what you will about 4, but I think the music to that game is just as good as the music in the first three games.
the ironic thing about Double Helix was when they actually made solid titles like Strider and Killer Instinct, Amazon bought them
New World is their latest project
Some people would be mad about this statement, I would argue the best "western" silent hill is Alan Wake. Both games are proper survival horror, heavy with psycho horror, based in rural americana, inspired by old weird horror movies/shows, & both MCs have massive connections in supernatural, spiritual, & psyche aspects with the villains. The only thing that missing is the occultism aspects, but it could be argued that Alan Wake do have some hidden occult elements with the perspectives of as above, so below, coupled with the concept of microcosm & macrocosm.
12:45 seconds of good video until he starts praising Dark Souls
There is not a single Silent Hill that I have not liked, and finished.
Sure, there are differences in the first and last four Silent Hill games, but, those differences are not only complimentary, they are like seeing the same concepts but in a different angle.
First four games are like a troubled mind trying hard to cope with the common world, while the last four are like a common mind trying to deal with unspeakable external troubles.
I felt like analyzing the mind of someone, in the first four games, like if I was a psychologist that had to crack the twisted mind of a patient, by "playing a game" with him where I would wrap my "NPCs" in concepts that I wanted him to confront and come to terms with.
While the last four games I felt as if I was the one being analyzed by the patient, who tried to throw at me every twisted thing that his mind could conjure up to scare and intimidate me.
I get that people want to conserve things in their same formula, because, well, they work, but then, most of those who complain about things straying from the "original formula" are the same one that complain when it does not change at all and become "repetitive" or "beaten" or "boring".
Maybe I am a crazy bastard.
That is the first video of yours, Max, that I disagree with by a lot.
Who's here a year later Happy with SH2 Remake? I am.
I like all the Silent Hill games in some way tbh but 1-4 still the best. Shattered Memories and Origins are good though.
It just occurred to me that the most recent piece of media that the West has released that's more related to Silent Hill than everyone thinks...is the Puss in Boots 2 movie.
Puss is haunted because he can't accept what he needs to in order for his demon (Death) to stop haunting him, and Death cannot be killed by others (ala Pyramid Head).
Wait! When did Akira Yamaoka die?
His Wikipedia page doesn't mention anything related to that.
Unclear. Bloober Team must have used the old White Chrism, Book of Lost Memories, Crimson Ceremony and Obsidian Goblet combo.
Even though Pyramid Head was initially "created for James", I view him as an entity that stands outside his psychological projections. The portraits of the old executioners that you find throughout the game, suggest to me that they are a kind of precursor to Pyramid head's manifestation. For this reason, his appearance in Homecoming and the first film doesn't bother or pose a contradiction for me. The nurses of Homecoming and the film, on the other hand, do more to infringe on what was intended to be specific to James. There are nurses throughout the series; in SH1 & SH3. So really, it is only this sexualized aspect of the nurses for Alex and in the films that feels out of place. I really love the music, atmosphere, and monster design of Homecoming, which managed to capture the "lucid dream" feel of Silent Silent Hill for me, more so than the other entries after SH4. I even enjoy his character and the story, despite it not having the depth of characters like James. And in all earnestness, I found the combat aspect was pretty fun, even if it wasn't executed perfectly. So, I'm easily able to overlook a few of its minor flaws for what I consider the best Silent Hill game since SH3. That's probably controversial, but there's no accounting for taste. Just wanted to say that Homecoming does have fans, even among those who have played them on release since SH1 as a kid.
Thanks for the great video