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Help get me started on Silent Hill
Gilder
Aw snapMacaroni PartyRegistered User regular
Aw snapMacaroni PartyRegistered User regular
So I decided to stop being such a coward and try out a survival horror game, specifically Silent Hill. I just started playing Silent Hill 1 but if I finish it I'm not sure on what to do next. Silent Hill 2 was on Xbox and PS2 and I'm not sure which version was "better". I know that the greatest hits edition of the PS2 version has the added Xbox stuff but was there anything else? Does either version have more? PS2 games look like total ass on my TV but Xbox games not as much. I also know that Silent Hill 3 has at least one bonus scene for having a SH2 save and SH3 is PS2 only. Is there anything more than that to be worth buying the PS2 version?
Speaking of SH3, is it even worth playing? Since I never played the series I know nothing aside from the very tiny amount I saw my friend play years ago. He recommends it though. Keep in mind that a big part of why I'm playing these is I like seeing the disturbing things the creators come up with. It's fascinating to me to try and figure out what thought process went into creating such monsters, areas, and other things like that. The story seems pretty cool too.
SH4 and beyond is where I have no idea on anything. My friend hated SH4, Origins (It does look pretty shitty), and he liked Homecoming. Any information on these is greatly appreciated. So come PA, come and help me become too paranoid to be able to hear static on a radio without looking around for evil dogs or open a door in fear of seeing some Pyramid Head sex. This is going to be a long mission but I think I can do it.
Speaking of SH3, is it even worth playing? Since I never played the series I know nothing aside from the very tiny amount I saw my friend play years ago. He recommends it though. Keep in mind that a big part of why I'm playing these is I like seeing the disturbing things the creators come up with. It's fascinating to me to try and figure out what thought process went into creating such monsters, areas, and other things like that. The story seems pretty cool too.
SH4 and beyond is where I have no idea on anything. My friend hated SH4, Origins (It does look pretty shitty), and he liked Homecoming. Any information on these is greatly appreciated. So come PA, come and help me become too paranoid to be able to hear static on a radio without looking around for evil dogs or open a door in fear of seeing some Pyramid Head sex. This is going to be a long mission but I think I can do it.
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If I could I would beat SH2, but I don't have the time to do rudimentary puzzles. If I were you, I would purchase it for the XBox because the lighting I believe is much better.
T-Nation blog
SH1 is excellent, but the look hasn't aged too well. It's well worth playing though, and there's more optional stuff in SH1 than there is in any other of the games.
SH2 is generally the one most people consider to be 'the best'. Rather than continue where SH1 left off, it's more 'here's a story about this guy and some other guys and that creepy town', and while you do learn something of the town's history (but not much about the previous game), it's more about James and his journey and his reasons for being there. It's very good. The extra mini-scenario you get in the X-Box and PS2-Special Edition is something that you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT PLAY until you've completed the main game. MAJOR fucking spoilers in there.
SH3 continues the story in SH1, sorta. In that it's more about the history of the town and less about some dude or girl that ended up there, if that makes sense. I enjoyed it quite a lot, personally.
SH4 is where things get divided. Some fans like it, some don't. It wasn't originally going to be a SH game, but they really did make it work with the story. But it -is- different and it -plays- different, but I found the gameplay changes to be a benefit in the main. SH4 is to SH2 what SH3 is to SH1 - it's a continuation of -that- story and those characters, but to say any more would be to spoil it. I will say that SH4 is the only one of the series to make me pause the game, put the controller down, and WALK AWAY after some of the creepier stuff in it. The others I tended to pause, think about it, and continue. SH4, I needed to take a break and go out in the sunshine. But it was the middle of the night.
SH:Origins is worth playing through if you have a PSP, or if you can borrow someone's. It's not that long, and it does add -something- to the experience, but some people (me included) weren't too happy with the personalities given to certain established characters. I can see the argument for why they fit, but they didn't sit well with me. Still, I played through the game, and I' glad I did.
Silent Hill 5: Homecoming... well. I bought it on release day. I've not finished it. I didn't even get that far. I do intend to complete it, someday, but there are things about it that I don't like, and the feel of the game isn't right. It doesn't seem claustrophobic and oppressive enough, it feels too open and sandboxy, at least at the start. I got to Silent Hill and things picked up a bit, but not enough to make me want to play through it in a weekend or two. I really should do that, though. I played all the other SH games continuously until I was done.
I'd go for SH2 on whichever system you prefer (sounds like XBox) as you can always youtube the extra scene in SH3 when you're finished.
My personal opinions:
SH1 Truly fantastic genesis to the series, but PS1 graphics age badly and it has a truly awful sewer section.
SH2 Fantastic story, however the element of danger from the monsters is utterly gone.
SH3 (Playing now), business as usual but the enemy fear is back! Loving it.
My main suggestion would be not to rush through them, things don't massively evolve gameplay or setting-wise and if you cannon them back to back you'll probably get fed up with running down 'grim rusty corridor filled with locked doors #388' and give up half way through. By spacing them out you can appreciate them more and won't numb yourself to the fear.
SH4 has many flaws, but has enough atmosphere and story to at least be worth giving a try.
A lot of people didn't like SH4, and I can kind of see why, but I loved it. It was interesting to see the out-and-out horror the series is known for with something which is somehow even more surreal. The Otherworld is gone, but what replaces it is somehow even more eerie; it's like you're wandering through the world after everyone in it has been dead for a thousand years. The ghosts were pretty creepy, too.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Thankyou so much for reminding me
Of course, the European-only release of Siren 2 will hamper quite a few people.
Which is a big shame because Siren 2 was fantastic and noticeably better than the first one (which is also fantastic albeit insanely hard). If I ever become rich, I want to import a PAL PS2, any adapters I need to get the PAL PS2 to work & Siren 2 and play it in English (I've only played the Chinese version).
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
We even got it with japanese language options, too.
SH 1 was great (I played it after SH2). While it graphically hasn't aged well, it is still scary, and just plain good fun.
SH 2 was the best IMO. The story and ending are fantastic, it still looks good, and it introduced us to Pyramid Head, which everybody loves. This title is stand alone, you don't need to play SH1 at all to understand anything.
SH 3 is a direct sequel to SH3, and ties things up nicely I think. SH2 is the better game overall, but if you liked the story elements from SH1 more, then this continues that.
I own SH4 and SH:H, but have yet to play them.
I have SH Origins on the PSP (It's also available on PS2), despite was everyone says, I really enjoyed this one. It is short, then again so are all the other games. It does have a rip off of Pyramid Head, and some of the plot elements you can see from a mile away. But I think it's a great prequel and fleshes things out more.
I'm playing through Siren: Blood Curse right now, and it's great. You can definitely tell the people who made Silent Hill worked on this game (terrifying enemies: check, hospital: check, dark: check, rust & grunge: check, fantastic sound design: check).
Can it be obtained on Ebay?
Yes, there are a couple copies on eBay right now for around $30-$40. Be warned, however, that the vast majority of traditional ways of getting import games to work don't work with Siren 2 (which is why I mentioned importing a PAL PS2).
They pretty much did away with the instant kill long range snipers in the sequel. Besides the instant kill snipers were the developers not so subtle way of telling you that you were going the wrong direction.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
SH3 is a great game and very impressive for the PS2. It's a sequel to SH1, so there weren't as many surprises, but it's well worth playing.
SH4 is a good, but very different game than anything else in the series. I felt the central hub room controlled awkwardly, but outside of that, I thought it was well done. If you skip it, though, you won't really be missing anything.
Homecoming is a mixed bag. Combat has been improved, but the monster designs aren't quite as ... disturbing. They seem a bit silly, really. And it's dark. Real dark. Much, much, much too dark than is reasonable. I expect this kind of draw distance from a PS1 game, not a PS3/360. I liked the story, though, and it's worth a play.
Origins is good, too, but not great. It's very short, though, so it won't take to long to complete and it does give you some more backstory if you're interested in the universe.
Anyway, 1, 2, and 3, I think are essential. 4, Homecoming, and Origins are all right, but they aren't as good as an experience as the other games.
Siren? Only if you plan on playing the PS3 version. Personally, I don't like stealth games and that's basically what Siren on PS2 is.
I didn't play part 2, I only watched my brother play bits of it here and there, but it kinda has its own tangent. Like, "Hey, lots of other people go through different shit in Silent Hill." Which is cool and all, I guess. But I always favor continuity.
Edit - Though, to be fair about SH2... PYRAMID HEAD.
The monsters in 5 are also pretty uninspired.
2 is definitely more about the narrative than anything else, there are entire sequences where you don't face anything, you're just left alone to consider your role, its definitely an example of games as art IMO.
These are both for the PC too, if you like that option.
3 is my favorite in the series, but 2's still good, just for different reasons.
Want to be scared to death but am looking for a good story line to keep me hooked. I have all systems but prefer mostly Xbox or Playstation ...
Suggestions ...
LIZ: Different.
VOICE-OVER: It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
It has a system where the more the main character loses her cool, the atmosphere starts going crazy.
Every game has something important to contribute to the overall mythology of the series, even if it isn't that apparent at first. Plus, you get rewarded with little references in future games that help tie everything together. They're ALL worth it, they ALL have moments that transcend their medium. Play ALL of them.
I've never wanted to play this until now.
I think the reason Silent Hill 1 scares me so much is because it was establishing the atmosphere for the entire series, and it does a damn good job of it. So yeah, it probably hasn't aged well in a lot of regards, but getting that important first dose is always best. First experiencing the siren noises, the opening sequence and seeing the direction they wanted to go when walking down that alley with the camera turning over and back again... There's no better horror hook out there in gaming, says I.
I know there's people who have played one of the later games and then played the first and thought, "Wow that was so bad."
They're the definitive versions, especially 2, since it's the 'Director's Cut'. Extra gameplay options and unlockables, notably a Millenia costume from Deception 2.
OMG. Awesome UFO Ending.
Ah yeah Silent Hill. I'll echo the statements about 1-4 (loved it but it's not everyone's cup of tea).
SH:HC really is a mixed bag. Combat is good (when it works...), enemies actually can kill you (upping the tension) but it really lacks in atmosphere. Monster desing, puzzles and areas to be precise. Dear God, are the areas uninspired.
I couldn't stand RE1 or 2. SH2 is awesome go play it.
4 is the same case as 2 with it being I should just play it on whichever system I prefer right? No version has some amazing backstory or extra stuff that the other doesn't?
Funnily enough I do actually own Siren but I'm not good enough to play it. I may give it a try someday but I've seen videos of it online. I do find it extra creepy that Siren was where I first heard that siren noise and SH uses it as well. The first time I heard it in SH1 I got really freaked out because I started expecting some horrible catastrophe to hit.
My local Mom and Pop has it on hold for me for the oXbox. And only 3 more hours of work to go ...
LIZ: Different.
VOICE-OVER: It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
Yes, but as stated in the OP, so does the greatest hits PS2 version :P
Edit: beaten