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Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3)

• Developer: Konami
• Publisher: Konami
• Genre: Action
• Official Website: http://www.konami.com
• Score: 4 of 5: Niche

For the sixth installment of the Silent Hill franchise, new mechanics on new platforms help reinvigorate the series while maintaining a solid feel of the previous games. Everything you have come to love about Silent Hill is still here, so for those who adore the series, they will be pleased with the updates, but for those who don’t, there may not be enough of a difference to warrant giving it a spin.

Alex Shepherd is a recently discharged army veteran who is suffering from nightmares about his younger brother. When he returns to Shepherd’s Glen he discovers a town in a perpetual fog and nasties lurking around each corner, and upon returning home his Mother tells him of the disappearance of his Father and Brother. Determined to find them, he must unravel the mystery that links his family to the horror that is Silent Hill.

The single biggest difference in this title is the combat. Long gone are the weak protagonists that don’t know the working end of a gun, in Alex you have a capable fighter who effectively takes the worry out of combat. This will work for or against certain gamers as some will say it takes an edge off of dealing with the enemies, but for me I welcome the increased accent on fighting as the game seemed to balance this with an increased amount of baddies. Fighting now has the option of light and heavy attacks that can be strung together for combos, or dodging and rolling out of harm's way to avoid the previously unavoidable enemy attacks. And with a simple flick of the analog stick, you can quickly switch targets ensuring multiple enemies are not a problem to deal with. Firearms are similarly in capable hands with Alex, as aiming is more precise and deadly, although the game once again balances this with scarce ammunition through the early stages.

The camera has been revamped as well, giving control to the player in a manner similar to the PSP release Silent Hills Origins. Here it is worlds better than previous Silent Hill entries with their fixed camera angles, but it still could have used some tweaking to get it closer to perfection. Instead, you end up fighting with the camera a little as it invariably zooms too close to you as you fight, neglecting to show that faceless enemy about to bite you from behind. The menu system was updated to allow for easier access to guns, ammunition, puzzle pieces and health items, by holding the L1 or R1 you can quickly swap out items in the heat of battle with little to no worries. And finally, the addition of a health bar on the left side of the screen is heaven sent. Why did it take them so long to add that?

For those familiar with the series, the rest of the gameplay follows the standard formula: walk around, get scared, find a puzzle, find solution to puzzle, continue. This wash and repeat formula may get old for some, but it is the atmosphere and ambiance that make it all worthwhile. Sound is just plain excellent in setting the tone, leaving you on the edge of your seat as you are constantly anticipating the next shock which may or may not happen around the corner.

Graphically the game does okay. I was a little disappointed in the overall quality, as secondary characters and environments seemed washed out in the constant darkness, fog and otherworld scratchy film effects. Alex himself and the enemies are particularly well done, giving good emotional responses in the form of Alex, and surprisingly disturbing images in the form of skinless dogs, faceless nurses and other amalgamations I can’t even begin to describe. 

Fans of the Silent Hill series will generally agree that Homecoming is a move in the right direction. Double Helix solved my biggest complaints about the series with the better camera and especially the improved combat, but if you already found the rinse repeat gameplay formula annoying, there isn’t much here that will convince you to come back to it.

ESRB: M for Mature, dead bodies, gross bad guys, seriously disgusting fights

Plays Like: Updated Silent Hill with more robust combat

PROS: Everything Silent Hill is famous for plus improved combat, loading and camera

CONS: Everything Silent Hill is famous for, if you don’t like SH, you won’t like this

Oct 30, 2008 | 0 comments
Paul Bishop