DAY 158 / GAME 158 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

 DAY 158 / GAME 158

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

      Another offshoot from the main series that was released on the Wii and then later the PSP and PS2, Shattered Memories is actually a retelling of the very first game.  Developed by Climax studios who had previously created the Silent Hill prequel for the PSP, Shattered Memories takes a new look at the series.  
        Climax definitely created something different with Shattered Memories.  Where some Silent Hill games have tried to do something new with the narrative or by updating some of the gameplay, instead here the American team has completely rethought major elements.  They changed a number of the characters involved in the original story, added a profiling element, switched the falling ash for snow and even went so far as completely removing combat.

          Shattered Memories follows the same Harry Mason who is, as he was originally, searching for his lost daughter Cheryl.  That's pretty much where the similarities end however.  The rest of the story is almost completely different.  As you continue your search you get dragged into a hellish frozen nightmare where you are chased by a number of horrifying monsters.  You also go between the regular third-person elements and a new first-person portion where you are in a chair talking to a counsellor at a clinic.  The idea is that apparently how you play the game and what kind of answers you provide during these clinic sessions changes the playstyle of the game.  Then again, I never got around to playing the game more than once in order to really see any differences.

         As I mentioned earlier, Climax completely eliminated combat in this game.  Silent Hill games have always put you at a serious disadvantage in your fights.  I remember in Silent Hill 2 feeling like a god when I discovered a wooden plank with a nail in it.  Much more dangerous than the regular stick I was defending myself with.  But in Shattered Memories all you can do is run.  Combat is not an option.  So when you're being chased down frozen corridors by screaming demons it becomes a little unnerving.  There were a few times I was playing this on the train and was genuinely freaked out.  The only downside to this is that aside from the frozen nightmare sequences, you don't encounter any enemies.  So although there are some unnerving levels, you can pretty much relax for the majority of the game.

         With that in mind, the game is set with some great puzzle elements. A big portion of the game relies on the idea that you own a modern cell phone.  Your phone uses GPS for the in game maps, you records notes and photos to the phone as well as contact info.  Some puzzles require you to photograph odd looking settings which ends up revealing important information you wouldn't see with your bare eyes.  The best part though, is the phone number puzzles.  As you investigate the areas, you keep your eye out for phone numbers since there are a number of puzzles that require you to dial for a response.  Sometimes it's a radio playing an ad, graffiti on the walls or a note you find, but it's always super rewarding when you figure it out.

          Silent Hill: Shattered Memories may not have been my favorite Silent Hill game, but it was definitely successful in what it tried to put forth.  Scored as usual by Akira Yamaoka and still great and rousing a fright.  Apparently the best platform for this game was on the Wii since it was geared to that system's control setup, but I only ever played this on the PSP.  Maybe one day I'll stumble across this cheap used for the Wii so I can see how different it is.

DAY 157 / GAME 157 Silent Hill 0: Origins

 DAY 157 / GAME 157

Silent Hill 0: Origins


      Since Silent Hill: Origins was actually released first, I was going to post this before Silent Hill 5, but I just really had Homecoming in mind, so I figured I'd let it out first.  Released a year or so before Silent Hill 5 and about a year or so after the move adaptation was released; Silent Hill Origins takes place before the events of first game, making it a prequel of sorts.  One of the only two directly linked stories, Origins tells the tale of a trucker Travis Grady as he stumbles into the very beginnings of the terrifying town's creation.  Released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, Origins, like Homecoming, was also developed by an American company instead of Konami; in this case Climax Studios.  Still, not unlike Homecoming, Climax was watched over tightly to ensure Origins stuck tight to the Silent Hill formula and as usual, included a fantastic new soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka.

       Silent Hill Origins starts out as you first encounter a house fire in the small town of Silent Hill.  You run inside and discover a horribly burnt child.  The girl is of course, Cheryl (Alessa) from Silent Hill 1 and 3.  You pass out after retrieving the girl from the burning wreck and wake up in a hospital.  You then spend the rest of the game traversing Silent Hill looking for this girl and digging up her history; how the town burned her to produce a pure hate so they could use her to birth a God.  Eventually, you fight you way through and retrieve the girl's pure soul as a newly born child.  One whom you rescue from the town and place under adoption at what point it is presumed that Harry Mason, the protagonist from Silent Hill 1, then takes in as his own.  

          For a portable system, this game looked pretty great.  With the PSP pumping out a similar amount of horsepower as the original PlayStation, only with a lot less graphical glitches and issues, Origins looked as if it at least matched what we've seen on the PS2 graphically.  For the most part.  
           Creature designs were pretty neat.  Unique from the rest of the series, which is always an important factor, but some of them did seem to fall flat.  Of all the games, this one seems to be lacking in comparison, with the exception of Shattered Memories, also on the PSP.  In an attempt to show that this game was an prequel, Climax tried to explain each of the creatures' origin as the town engulfed the residents.  Best example is how there exists The Butcher which looks enough like the Pyramid Head demon to bridge the concept that it was a man who worked at a butcher shop; wielding an oversized cleaver and a mask that is clearly on it's way to growing into a larger pyramid shape.  At first I thought this was really clever and an interesting take on the whole Pyramid Head demon mythology.  But then I realized how much it takes away from the immensity of that demon's weight on the series and kind of treads on the mythology put forward by the original writings and even the mythological comic included in the Silent Hill Zero soundtrack CD.

    Still, Silent Hill: Origins was a strong original title that may not have the strength of the primary series but is great on it's own.  It stayed pretty much inline with a lot of the Silent Hill formula and luckily dodged some of the combat heavy ideals that were originally put forward in the initial build.  More than anything though, Silent Hill: Origins contains what I feel is one of the best soundtracks created in the series to date.  Akira Yamaoka produced some top-notch tracks that feel new and original and yet on par with the rest of the series.   Even if you've never played this game, or don't plan to, if you liked the rest of the soundtracks, be sure to get a hold of this one.

DAY 156 / GAME 156 Silent Hill 5: Homecoming

 DAY 156 / GAME 156

Silent Hill 5: Homecoming


      Silent Hill 3 and 4 were released within a year of each other, so when nothing was announced right away concerning a 5th game in the series, my hopes started to dwindle.  During this period a live action adaptation of the first game made it's way into theaters and although this was no replacement for a new game, the reinvested visuals at least presented some passion from a different group of creative individuals.  Shortly after, it was announced that two western developers (as opposed to Konami in Japan) were working separately on a PlayStation Portable prequel and more importantly, a new Silent Hill game on the Xbox 360.
         Although most people were weary of the fact that it was now an American team working on a beloved Japanese series, everything I read suggested it was going to be handled with care.  The American team, Double Helix, was essentially led by producer and songwriter for the series Akira Yamaoka.  Who both created a fantastic new soundtrack for this game and kept the team on style with the series.

         As far as I was concerned, he did his job well and Homecoming turned out scary as ever.  The only real complaint some people had was that the whole game was a little too combat oriented.  And the real fear in Silent Hill is that you really can't kill everything that comes at you, you should be running, not forced to fight waves of tough creatures.   
        But alas, Silent Hill 5 did a lot of things very right.  The recent release of the feature film and it's new take on some of the visuals really rubbed off on the developers and they made sure to include as much of this as they could in Homecoming.  When the world goes from light to dark and the air raid sirens roll on, the paint starts to peel from the walls, floating up in the air like ash and a horrifying skeletal and rusty world beneath reveals itself.  The graphical prowess of the new consoles now allowed for much more detailed perks like this that really help sell the incredibly frightening world of Silent Hill.

          Double Helix not only took visual effects elements from the film, they also seemed to have drawn from the new canon set forth.  In Homecoming you encounter the same gas-mask wearing cult the Order introduced in the movie.  But it worked well, not quite as horrifying a narrative as previous games, but it was neat to see and Homecoming found many other ways to balance the scary.

         A lot of this is found in the absolutely incredible monster design.  As always, Silent Hill manages to feature some horrifying creatures and this is no exception.  Pretty much all of the enemies are based off of humans, only twisted beyond most recognition.  The hulking Siam features jaws that resemble human fingers, the Schism has a human bottom half and a hammerhead top that splits down the middle, riddled with teeth.  The Needler appears as if a contortionist tied giant knives to his appendages and crawls around on them, upside-down like a spider.  The list continues.  Homecoming did unfortunately bring back Pyramid Head and the Nurses, as in the movie, even though the concept behind the creatures is that they are supposed to reflect memories from the protagonist.  Nevertheless..

          In the end, although it did have a tinge of American feel to it, I was very happy with this new addition to the series.  It was scary as hell, featured some incredible moments, a decent narrative and some brilliant designs.  This was another one of those games that I really couldn't play for more than an hour at a time or risk having a heart attack.  It was almost a bit of a drawback since I couldn't complete it at any regular pacing since it was too scary to play for any length of time.  I once asked a friend who was over to hang out for an extra hour so that I could get to the next save point.  

         I never did beat it, I got stuck at the very end with no ammo and no health.  I've been meaning to go back and replay it from the beginning.  Maybe I'll go out of my way to finish it this Halloween night.  As per tradition.

DAY 155 / GAME 155 Silent Hill 4: The Room

 DAY 155 / GAME 155

Silent Hill 4: The Room


      For most people, Silent Hill 4 was the turning point for the series.  The point where it started to lose steam and some of the original drive and focus of the first three games.
       I never even felt a hint of that though.  For me, Silent Hill 4 was a fresh new narrative that followed the path of Silent Hill 2, showing you just what the town is capable of when it decides to torture the protagonist with unspeakable horrors.  Another launch on the PlayStation 2, Silent Hill 4: The Room pushes the system even further for some rich, disturbing graphics as the system was nearing the end of it's life.  

            Silent Hill 4 follows Henry Townshend who becomes trapped inside his apartment by some supernatural force.  His apartment isn't actually within the town of Silent Hill, but I believe he became either linked to other victims of the town, or finds himself travelling via strange holes in his home to areas of Silent Hill.  
          There are two main sections to this game.  There are the levels you find yourself travelling, or waking up within and then there is your safe haven and prison which is your apartment.  The time spent in your apartment is viewed in first person, which is probably the best choice for a tight area, giving you a good view of everything within.  The rest of the game is spent in the standard third-person perspective you'd find in any other Silent Hill game.  

       The time spent within your apartment really makes this game stand out from the rest of the series.  It gives you a chance to catch your breath, think about everything that's happened thus far, store some items for later and restore your health back to full.  
      Your Room really creates this calm and frightening horror of being trapped in a nightmare all the while being able to see the outside world, going on about it's business in safe daylight.  You peek out your window as people walk by, wait for the bus or make their way into the subway.  People knock on your door and you watch them through the peep-hole, but they can't hear you call for help.  There are also a couple moments where you can for some reason peek into neighbouring apartments, getting a glimpse of other victims.

           The Room is as horrifying as any other Silent Hill game before it.  The monster designs are unique from the previous titles and so is the primary antagonist.  Not only do you find yourself fighting strange creatures, but as the game goes on, your safe haven that is your apartment starts to turn on you and becomes dangerous to stay in for any length of time.  You eventually discover that the room itself is actually possessed (for lack of a better term) by a serial killer's mother.  Or something like that.  I can't remember precisely.  It was an interesting story, I promise.  

           And of course, Silent Hill 4 also contained an absolutely new soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka who also helped produce and direct a ton of the series.  Yamaoka seems to evolve his works each time, creating new and more fantastic tracks that advance as if only ever held back by the same technical limitations as the rest of the game.  Easily a 50/50 split between what makes a Silent Hill game a Silent Hill game.

          Silent Hill 4 just created this fantastic feel that I didn't get in any of the other games.  The Room felt about as real as possible, I don't think I've ever felt so connected to a place in a videogame quite so much as Townshend's apartment.  I even felt compelled to write my own narrative within Konami's creation.  The only fiction I've ever written since I was a kid, I typed out a short piece about the room and it's inhabitant before anything went wrong.   
            I'm pretty surprised that this wasn't included in the HD re-release of the PS2 Silent Hill titles.  But in some aspects, it wasn't necessary, since it pushed the PS2's graphical prowess as far as possible.  Still, since there was 3 titles on the system, it would have been nice to have them all in a single package.  Personally, I would LOVE to see this one, of all of them, rebuild ground-up as a new game for the current generation of consoles.  I would just live in it, I swear.

DAY 154 / GAME 154 Silent Hill 3

 DAY 154 / GAME 154

Silent Hill 3


      Continuing with the Silent Hill trend, I'm now moving onto the next part in the series, Silent Hill 3.  As I mentioned previously, I don't really have a favorite among the group; but the truth is Silent Hill 3 will always stick with me the most.  
      Although the whole idea with the series is that you get to see how the town reflects each of the protagonists differently and therefore there are no direct sequels, just new stories, Silent Hill 3 sidesteps that theme.  
        In this one, you (spoiler alert, simply because it's the best part of the story in my opinion.) unknowingly control the young girl you are trying to save in the first game.  It isn't revealed until you go home to see your father and as a player discover his name; Harry Mason.

       Silent Hill 3 stood out above part 2 for me for the story, which I enjoyed personally since it focused on a father-daughter relationship rather than the husband-wife relationship.  Something that sits completely different for myself and draws deeper emotional parallels.  The connection to the first game was also nice and slightly subtle.  But it also stood out simply because it was the second generation of Silent Hill games produced on the PlayStation 2 and managed to get even better use out of it's power; producing a more polished looking game with walls that looked like they were dripping, peeling paint and just an incredible otherworldly feel.

       On the topic of throwbacks, Silent Hill 3 also had this fantastic moment that brought me very close to needing new underwear.  The game itself is frightening enough as it is, but for players who had taken part in Silent Hill 2 it was even better.  At once point, you walk into a supply closet or some other kind of storage room that is filled with mannequins.  Now, previously you found yourself fighting against these horrifying mannequin monsters as James Sunderland.  So naturally you are expecting them to turn around and attack you at any moment, when you suddenly hear a noise and you're about ready to loose it only to discover one of the heads fell off and they really are just plain old mannequins.

Also, those freaky bunnies..

         I also always love a good game that follows a female protagonist over a male one.  Simply because there are so many games that focus only on a male character making a girl lead feel more fresh and unique.  Silent Hill 3 was the only one that did that unfortunately, but at least it did it and for me that also makes it stand out as my favorite of the lot.  Konami did release an HD remake of the two games (Silent Hill 2 and 3) and I'm surprised I've yet to pick it up.  They are the two strongest of the series and I really should pick them back up and enjoy them again.  
         
        A funny note as well about the Silent Hill series.  Since I picked up SH2 late into it's release, and because parts 3 and 4 were produced simultaneously and released within a year of each other I managed to find myself starting and completing a new Silent Hill game a year for 3 years.   The best part was that I kept unintentionally completing each game on Halloween Night.  I'd either started that month without really thinking anything of it, or in the case of SH4 I had put it down for a while and then picked it back up a couple weeks before October 31st.  Each time, I unknowingly ended up at the final boss on Halloween night.  It was like, some kind of horrific fated event.  But also charmingly perfect.

DAY 153 / GAME 153 Silent Hill 2

 DAY 153 / GAME 153

Silent Hill 2


      The Silent Hill series contains some of my favorite games of all time.  I've always had a soft spot for real horror video games.  There's something about the immersive environment that makes the horror narrative that much more complete in comparison to a horror film.  I mean, I've been scared good by the odd scary movie or two, but Silent Hill and Dead Space have had my nerves so shot with tension that I've had to shut the game off after no more than an hour's worth of play.  
      With that in mind, I've decided to do a retrospective of the entire series as one run, instead of dotting them through the year.  Now, I've already done a post for Silent Hill 1, which you can find here; now to move onto part 2.

       Silent Hill 2 was launched on the PlayStation 2 console.  Which meant that as great as Silent HIll 1 was, we now got to see what Konami could really do with a much more powerful system.  By the time I had picked up a PS2 a number of early games were now available at a much lower price.  At the time I had been mainly paying attention to my Dreamcast and GameCube and so there were a number of titles I didn't really know were out there until I had gotten started.  
       So having finally bought the PS2, walking into EB games was like Christmas what with about a ton of titles to choose from that were now Greatest Hits and available under 30$ or so.  And since the PS1 started up some of my favorite franchises, I discovered that a ton of them had made it to the new system.  Wipeout, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo and of course, Silent Hill.  

       I loved the first Silent Hill game on the PlayStation, but truth be told it was one of those games that was mainly played by my brother while I watched on.  I never got a good grasp of the full story and probably missed out on a few major parts.  But when I finally got the PS2 and a copy of Silent Hill 2, my brother had moved out and I had it all to myself.  
         Silent Hill 2 wasn't easy.  One of the things I found about it that got changed (thankfully) in part 3 was the ambiguity of the areas you explore.  When you're wandering around multiple floors of an abandoned apartment building, hospital and school you completely forget which generic room you need to return to, which one had each piece of the puzzle you need or which one had the cryptic rusty hole you need to crawl through.  To make matters worse as soon as the air raid siren blares and you find yourself in the dark world the layout becomes completely different.

         As with previous Silent Hill games, Silent Hill 2 is about a protagonist who is called to the town of Silent Hill by his or her own inner demons.  In this case James Sunderland received a letter from his dead wife, telling him to go and meet him in Silent Hill.  James, who assisted in his ailing wife's suicide, still deals with the pain and regret of his choice and now finds himself battling it in the form of the horrifying town.  The entire town has changed from Part 1, reflecting James' inner horrors and experiences both at home and his time at war.  Apparently each of the monsters can be linked to different elements of his past.  This includes a number of mutilated fleshy figures, the standard nurses, and the famous Pyramid Head creature covered in fleshy rags who drags a gigantic knife across the ground.

             Silent Hill 2 took what was amazing about the first part and fleshed it out.  (No pun intended.)  It featured better textures, higher quality graphics overall, improved controls and possibly the best soundtrack of the series.  It was horrifying and thought provoking, really pushing the boundaries of what a horror game really meant at the time.  For most people, Silent Hill 2 was the best of the series, I can't say I disagree completely, because I simply enjoy each of them in their own way.

             Tomorrow I'll post on the sequel, Silent Hill 3.

DAY 152 / GAME 152 Mass Effect 2

 DAY 152 / GAME 152

Mass Effect 2


      The Mass Effect trilogy has the benefit of being a story told in three parts.  More often than not, sequels in the gaming world are created in order to either continue the profits driven from the first iterations, or to expand the game into a more updated console and take it new places.  But lately, as is the case with Mass Effect, developers have taken the fantastic -however risky- route of planning a game with a story in 3 parts.  Risky of course, because if the game doesn't take off after it's introduced, then the rest of the story will go untold.

        Luckily, Mass Effect took off, allowing for the full plot to unfold.  Which is great because the Mass Effect trilogy may be one of the greatest science fiction stories ever told in a gaming platform.  Arguably, the best part of the series was the second part; Mass Effect 2.

           For those who have played part 1, Mass Effect 2 was exceptionally good.  There are a number of situations you are placed in that require you to make some hard calls.  A lot of those calls mean you essentially choose who lives and dies on the battlefield.  When you load up Mass Effect 2, save game information from Mass Effect 1 carry over and those decision you make now play out.  It's always a fantastic feeling when you find the personalized story you've experienced now carries over into the rest of the trilogy, now making the entire story all your own. 

      Mass Effect 2 cleaned up everything that was either somewhat unpolished including controls, load times, visuals and (thank god) the inventory system.  It introduced new characters, ones that were exciting and even more interesting than the previous installment.  Bioware also went out of their way to really push the personalities of the crew you were working with.  Making it a point to create a variety that you have strong feelings towards, whether it be good or bad.  In fact, most people you'll talk to really do hate some crew members and love others.  This really goes a long way to help personalise the story as well.  Since you're more likely to pick a crew for missions that you really enjoy, giving each person's gameplay and story slightly different.

     Mass Effect 2 has so much incredible content I couldn't possibly sum it up in one post.  Not only is it one of the most amazing sci-fi stories ever told, it contains some incredible characters, absolutely fantastic alien designs and an expansive encyclopedia of information Bioware created to back up and solidify the whole game.  It's solid, encouraged multiple playthroughs and absolutely begs to be expanded on.  I'm very excited to hear that Bioware will be creating another Mass Effect game, seperate of the trilogy's story, allowing us to enjoy more of the world without diluting the already amazing and complete 3-part narrative.