New Silent Hill Announced

[Ash]

"SH1 is still far far inferior to any classic RE game in terms of mechanics and satisfying challenge."

Very true. But SH2 is even worse in that regard, to the point of absolute boredom, only ever really engaging with its puzzles. SH1 just about bordered the line of acceptable, barely, and its secondary elements (horror, mystery, tension, atmosphere) were just better. But yeah, I'd be more accepting of 2 if tards didn't go around claiming it is the best horror game ever when it's anything but. As a game, it is bland and boring. As a horror, it's not that scary compared to SH1. But, which you played first does factor in too. e.g SH2 hospital was really boring and not scary for me, which is partly because I played SH1 hospital first, but also partly cause it's just less scary.
The game dealt its finishing blow/I draw line at the town gameplay being redundant and lame in SH2 though, that was the last straw for me, when navigating town of SH1 was a genuine challenge and a fucking horrific nightmare in SH1, and even had well done side content, and overall really added to the game.

For me, SH1 is a janky gem as a game, acceptable but not super fun or engaging. However was a perfect storm of horror, utilizing darkness very well, playing in to tech limitations of the PS1 (limited draw distance making things extra spooky and surreal, and also using snowstorm to make it believable), the way characters talk is just creepy asf, the insane imagery and heavy presence of the otherworld which is stuff of nightmares, the town gameplay and its collapsed roadways making you think there's no escape, even the texture warping of the PS1 worked in the game's favor. The music is intense asf too, adding to the horror and tension, something not present in 2. And the opening sequence with the bloody alleyways, camera that pans and sways intentionally fucking with the player, bomb raid sirens, otherworld begins to take over, the music kicks in really setting the tone for this hellscape, and you're forced to get eaten alive while still in control. Just masterful.
I beat Resident Evil 1 as a 10 y/o kid without much issue. It was scary for sure, but Silent Hill 1 was the only game to ever genuinely terrify me and make me apprehensive to play. Still beat it though. Also one more thing to note is the enemies were actually a threat, flying demons and rabid dogs. Fast enemies, unlike the pathetic zombie-only roster of SH2.

 

[Morenatsu.]

SH1 just about bordered the line of acceptable, barely, and its secondary elements (horror, mystery, tension, atmosphere) were just better.

Those were the primary elements. Silent Hill is the thinking man's survival horror, SH2 especially.

 

[Wunderbar]

The most elaborate SH game in terms of mechanics and challenge is The Room.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

For me, the best part of these games were the story, and I preferred SH2's story so I like it more. SH1 has a great story too but James is a more interesting protagonist than Harry for me, and it's not just because "lol he killed his wife muh guilt". The part where James casts off his desire for punishment and confronts pyramid head is so cool, and I love his interactions with Angela and Eddie. SH2 has tons of memorable scenes, to the point where I don't even need to bother to list them because they've been discussed so much and it'd be trite to talk about it even more (my personal favorite is Angela going into the fire, though). The only SH1 scenes that were as memorable for me were the introductory sequence and Lisa's death.

 

[Ash]

But SH1 has gameplay and environmental storytellings scenes. I can hardly say the same for SH2 by comparison. Where you're lost, scared, in darkness with just your flashlight, wondering what lurks in the darkness beyond, praying that damn radio doesn't start crackling, praying for the next save point, but instead you get another cursed blood-soaked puzzle with satanic imagery. Enemies being walking dildos or whatever in SH2 does not impress me by comparison. Sure it's a nice detail, but has no actual impact until after you beat the game as a "aha! nice one devs. That's kind of deep" kind of moment, if you even notice it at all.

SH1 gameplay is better
SH1 horror/atmosphere/immersion/mystery/tension is better
SH1 story is still arguably better overall when you factor in gameplay & environmental-based storytelling as described above, sorry. And I just can't take SH2 story seriously anyways.

SH2 story being arguably better does not beat all that. Nice jazz music though

Bonus: SH1 was more believable. SH1 was more original, even if occultism was a very common theme and it was also kind of a Twin Peaks rip off.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Another fantastic classic canceled by an inferior remake.

 

[Ash]

Yup. don't even like the game nor respect it very much but it is still its own original effort with some soul and creativity behind it that I'll pick up a pitchfork and join you, because it's just another case of talentless hacks rehashing as usual and cancelling out the original version of the game. The modern industry is surely a manifestation of the otherworld, it's that depraved and evil.

 

[Squidhead]

What a revoltin development.

 

[Zlaja]

The game dealt its finishing blow/I draw line at the town gameplay being redundant and lame in SH2 though, that was the last straw for me, when navigating town of SH1 was a genuine challenge and a fucking horrific nightmare in SH1, and even had well done side content, and overall really added to the game

What I find really boring in SH2 are those appartment complex parts. Replaying those is a real chore. Overall, I find the first game to be much more replayable.

 

[HereticGuy]

Seems there will be a Remake of Silent Hill 2, a trailer to Return to Silent Hill movie and a new game titled Silent Hill: Ascension. PlayStation and Steam appear in the tags so we can say that at least those will be the platforms for the projects.

48 minutes of nothing, bravo. It's a video about fucking game, show game footage. If you don't have a product that you can show, don't show anything. I don't understand how and why can these guys takes them so seriously and make a short documentery about a product that doesn't exist yet. And why would I want to see Bloober Team for 40 minutes, they are nobodies, who gives a shit about them?

Look at that history; is this the best development team that they can give Silent Hill? Fuck you Konami!

 

[Reever]

And why would I want to see Bloober Team for 40 minutes, they are nobodies, who gives a shit about them?

Observer is honestly not that bad in terms of atmosphere and story while also being carried heavily by Rutger Hauer. Unfortunately their horror games (the ones that I played at least) suffer from the same problem as most modern horror games in that there's very little to no gameplay and are pretty much just theme park rides where you go from one scary set piece to the next.
At most, I think they will treat the source material with a little bit more respect than what we've seen from all these studios Konami handed their IP in the past like the ones that made Homecoming, Downpour and HD collection.
I'm more afraid of the team that's working on Silent Hill f being the developers that are STILL working on Re:verse. A game that was supposed to come with RE Village's release and is still in development a year and a half later.

 

[Zombra]

2016 Layers of Fear
2019 Layers of Fear 2
2023 Layers of Fears
2027 Layyers of Fearses

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Where you're lost, scared, in darkness with just your flashlight, wondering what lurks in the darkness beyond, praying that damn radio doesn't start crackling, praying for the next save point, but instead you get another cursed blood-soaked puzzle with satanic imagery.

I never had this experience with any SH game just because I don't really find them scary at all.

Enemies being walking dildos or whatever in SH2 does not impress me by comparison. Sure it's a nice detail, but has no actual impact until after you beat the game as a "aha! nice one devs. That's kind of deep" kind of moment, if you even notice it at all.

I don't really value this highly either, and frankly I think some of it is headcanon. It is true that there are monsters in SH2 that are tied to each character (nobody else sees Pyramid Head, and Angela has her own monsters in her area) but a lot is read into them. The mannequin monsters for example don't seem to represent anything. The nurses are pretty clear in their meaning, especially since they are most prominent in the area where the player is escorting Maria, who is promiscuous and teasing, so the whole theme of sexual frustration is easy to spot but people play it up too much and act like the monsters being representative of James's fears/desires is the whole point of the game. Also, SH3 didn't have these "symbolic" monsters, despite the monsters in that game also being projected from Heather/Alessa in the plot - SH3 just tries to have cool, disturbing-looking monsters, and SH2fags have to jump through a lot of hoops to try and apply meaning to all of them. SH1 has the nurses and schoolchildren which are almost certainly intended to stem from Alessa's experiences (being a young child who had to live in a hospital)* but then there's the flying demons, dogs, and giant worm (the typical excuse is that they're the "fears of a child" - seems like a stretch to me).

That's why I didn't bring this element up when discussing what I like the story; it's something you may come across upon reflection of the game after the fact, but what makes a story really good is making a strong impression on the very first playthrough. SH2 has a simpler and more direct story than SH1. SH1's events can be entirely misunderstood or not understood at all if you miss certain notes or don't try and puzzle it together after the fact.

In fact, the following note:

"Investigation stalled. "PTV" dealers still at large. Suspicious deaths continue. First the anti-drug Mayor, now a narcotics officer dies of a sudden heart failure of unknown cause. Fire broken out in town. 6 homes destroyed. Charred body of Alessa Gillespie (7) found in aftermath. Cause of fire currently under investigation. Investigations show source as basement of Gillespie home. Blaze now believed caused by malfunction of antiqued boiler."

...was completely cut from the North American release for unknown reasons. And this is a pretty important note. It's hard enough to piece together the events on a first playthrough with this information, let alone without it.

So this is why I prefer SH2: it has an easy to follow main plot with big climactic sequences and dramatic moments that can be understood and resonate with the player on a first playthrough. SH1 has them too, but they're not as cool as SH2's in my opinion.


** I just thought about how the nurses in the SH1 hospital were not projections of Alessa, but actual nurses who were warped by Alessa, as can be seen from Lisa's "death" cutscene... so maybe the schoolchildren were similarly not projections, but actual children who were deformed and mutated. That'd definitely make SH1 way darker but I don't know if this is what they were actually going for. If it was, then the symbolic projection shtick can't even be applied to SH1.

 

[Sunri]

Where you're lost, scared, in darkness with just your flashlight, wondering what lurks in the darkness beyond, praying that damn radio doesn't start crackling, praying for the next save point, but instead you get another cursed blood-soaked puzzle with satanic imagery.

I never had this experience with any SH game just because I don't really find them scary at all.

Enemies being walking dildos or whatever in SH2 does not impress me by comparison. Sure it's a nice detail, but has no actual impact until after you beat the game as a "aha! nice one devs. That's kind of deep" kind of moment, if you even notice it at all.

I don't really value this highly either, and frankly I think some of it is headcanon. It is true that there are monsters in SH2 that are tied to each character (nobody else sees Pyramid Head, and Angela has her own monsters in her area) but a lot is read into them. The mannequin monsters for example don't seem to represent anything. The nurses are pretty clear in their meaning, especially since they are most prominent in the area where the player is escorting Maria, who is promiscuous and teasing, so the whole theme of sexual frustration is easy to spot but people play it up too much and act like the monsters being representative of James's fears/desires is the whole point of the game. Also, SH3 didn't have these "symbolic" monsters, despite the monsters in that game also being projected from Heather/Alessa in the plot - SH3 just tries to have cool, disturbing-looking monsters, and SH2fags have to jump through a lot of hoops to try and apply meaning to all of them. SH1 has the nurses and schoolchildren which are almost certainly intended to stem from Alessa's experiences (being a young child who had to live in a hospital)* but then there's the flying demons, dogs, and giant worm (the typical excuse is that they're the "fears of a child" - seems like a stretch to me).

That's why I didn't bring this element up when discussing what I like the story; it's something you may come across upon reflection of the game after the fact, but what makes a story really good is making a strong impression on the very first playthrough. SH2 has a simpler and more direct story than SH1. SH1's events can be entirely misunderstood or not understood at all if you miss certain notes or don't try and puzzle it together after the fact.

In fact, the following note:

"Investigation stalled. "PTV" dealers still at large. Suspicious deaths continue. First the anti-drug Mayor, now a narcotics officer dies of a sudden heart failure of unknown cause. Fire broken out in town. 6 homes destroyed. Charred body of Alessa Gillespie (7) found in aftermath. Cause of fire currently under investigation. Investigations show source as basement of Gillespie home. Blaze now believed caused by malfunction of antiqued boiler."

...was completely cut from the North American release for unknown reasons. And this is a pretty important note. It's hard enough to piece together the events on a first playthrough with this information, let alone without it.

So this is why I prefer SH2: it has an easy to follow main plot with big climactic sequences and dramatic moments that can be understood and resonate with the player on a first playthrough. SH1 has them too, but they're not as cool as SH2's in my opinion.


** I just thought about how the nurses in the SH1 hospital were not projections of Alessa, but actual nurses who were warped by Alessa, as can be seen from Lisa's "death" cutscene... so maybe the schoolchildren were similarly not projections, but actual children who were deformed and mutated. That'd definitely make SH1 way darker but I don't know if this is what they were actually going for. If it was, then the symbolic projection shtick can't even be applied to SH1.

They have some symbolism, https://mysilenthill.wordpress.com/silent-hill-3-monsters/ if u go deep enough.

 

[Zlaja]

symbolism

 

[Roguey]

I don't really value this highly either, and frankly I think some of it is headcanon. It is true that there are monsters in SH2 that are tied to each character (nobody else sees Pyramid Head, and Angela has her own monsters in her area) but a lot is read into them. The mannequin monsters for example don't seem to represent anything.

We have actual developer commentary explaining what the mannequins mean https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/scans_en/pics/048-049_sh2_creature_commentary.jpg

 

[Derringer]

Horror games just aren't that scary past the novelty of being a kid playing a M rated horror game.

There's nothing especially deep about Silent Hill, eldritch demons re-arranged to fit the scenarios. The first three games and about half of 4 are well designed enough, everything past that is just shit. The first four games are still fun though.

 

[schru]

Enemies being walking dildos or whatever in SH2 does not impress me by comparison. Sure it's a nice detail, but has no actual impact until after you beat the game as a "aha! nice one devs. That's kind of deep" kind of moment, if you even notice it at all.

I don't really value this highly either, and frankly I think some of it is headcanon. It is true that there are monsters in SH2 that are tied to each character (nobody else sees Pyramid Head, and Angela has her own monsters in her area) but a lot is read into them. The mannequin monsters for example don't seem to represent anything.

A lot of the ‘symbolism’ written about on fan sites certainly seems like a stretch, but there are some definite running themes and suggestions.

The nurses are pretty clear in their meaning, especially since they are most prominent in the area where the player is escorting Maria, who is promiscuous and teasing, so the whole theme of sexual frustration is easy to spot but people play it up too much and act like the monsters being representative of James's fears/desires is the whole point of the game.

We're only really left with the Lying Figures and Mandarins, as the Creepers seem to have been meant to go back to the first game. The Lying Figure appears to be tied in a strait waistcoat that merges with its skin; the figure is feminine and has boots on raised soles and a zip on its face, which is perhaps meant to bring erotic bondage type of stuff to mind. The spitting of noxious substance is probably supposed to be suggestive of illness. The Mandarins are trapped below chain-link floors, hanging onto them with their arms while being suspended over black abyss; the ends of the arms have mouths with tongues coming out of them, somewhat like animals trying to get at something through a fence.

I don't think that this kind of symbolism or evocative imagery is supposed to be straightforward and in each case express only one specific thing or another, but it's fair to say that there are consistent psychological themes at play.

Also, SH3 didn't have these "symbolic" monsters, despite the monsters in that game also being projected from Heather/Alessa in the plot - SH3 just tries to have cool, disturbing-looking monsters, and SH2fags have to jump through a lot of hoops to try and apply meaning to all of them. SH1 has the nurses and schoolchildren which are almost certainly intended to stem from Alessa's experiences (being a young child who had to live in a hospital)* but then there's the flying demons, dogs, and giant worm (the typical excuse is that they're the "fears of a child" - seems like a stretch to me).

This seems to be the case with most monsters in SH3, apart from the fact that they're more generally meant to be intimidating in ways that match the current location or the over-all themes. Still, enemies like dogs, bugs, moths, threatening children, or something crawling on the floor that's ready to pounce on the protagonist are all based on the simpler idea that Alessa as a child was afraid of such things or had encountered them in some way. In her room at the end of the first game there's a case with some moths and a copy of The Lost World, where the Air Screams seem to have come from. I don't think it exactly matters whether the doctors and the nurses were real people transmuted by the demonic influence or just projects of a sort, but their significance for the story remains either way.

I wouldn't really describe this as symbolism, but rather interestingly thought-out parts of the manifested psychological landscape across the whole of the games.

 

[Reever]

Where you're lost, scared, in darkness with just your flashlight, wondering what lurks in the darkness beyond, praying that damn radio doesn't start crackling, praying for the next save point, but instead you get another cursed blood-soaked puzzle with satanic imagery.

I never had this experience with any SH game just because I don't really find them scary at all.

Enemies being walking dildos or whatever in SH2 does not impress me by comparison. Sure it's a nice detail, but has no actual impact until after you beat the game as a "aha! nice one devs. That's kind of deep" kind of moment, if you even notice it at all.

I don't really value this highly either, and frankly I think some of it is headcanon. It is true that there are monsters in SH2 that are tied to each character (nobody else sees Pyramid Head, and Angela has her own monsters in her area) but a lot is read into them. The mannequin monsters for example don't seem to represent anything. The nurses are pretty clear in their meaning, especially since they are most prominent in the area where the player is escorting Maria, who is promiscuous and teasing, so the whole theme of sexual frustration is easy to spot but people play it up too much and act like the monsters being representative of James's fears/desires is the whole point of the game. Also, SH3 didn't have these "symbolic" monsters, despite the monsters in that game also being projected from Heather/Alessa in the plot - SH3 just tries to have cool, disturbing-looking monsters, and SH2fags have to jump through a lot of hoops to try and apply meaning to all of them. SH1 has the nurses and schoolchildren which are almost certainly intended to stem from Alessa's experiences (being a young child who had to live in a hospital)* but then there's the flying demons, dogs, and giant worm (the typical excuse is that they're the "fears of a child" - seems like a stretch to me).

That's why I didn't bring this element up when discussing what I like the story; it's something you may come across upon reflection of the game after the fact, but what makes a story really good is making a strong impression on the very first playthrough. SH2 has a simpler and more direct story than SH1. SH1's events can be entirely misunderstood or not understood at all if you miss certain notes or don't try and puzzle it together after the fact.

In fact, the following note:

"Investigation stalled. "PTV" dealers still at large. Suspicious deaths continue. First the anti-drug Mayor, now a narcotics officer dies of a sudden heart failure of unknown cause. Fire broken out in town. 6 homes destroyed. Charred body of Alessa Gillespie (7) found in aftermath. Cause of fire currently under investigation. Investigations show source as basement of Gillespie home. Blaze now believed caused by malfunction of antiqued boiler."

...was completely cut from the North American release for unknown reasons. And this is a pretty important note. It's hard enough to piece together the events on a first playthrough with this information, let alone without it.

So this is why I prefer SH2: it has an easy to follow main plot with big climactic sequences and dramatic moments that can be understood and resonate with the player on a first playthrough. SH1 has them too, but they're not as cool as SH2's in my opinion.


** I just thought about how the nurses in the SH1 hospital were not projections of Alessa, but actual nurses who were warped by Alessa, as can be seen from Lisa's "death" cutscene... so maybe the schoolchildren were similarly not projections, but actual children who were deformed and mutated. That'd definitely make SH1 way darker but I don't know if this is what they were actually going for. If it was, then the symbolic projection shtick can't even be applied to SH1.

All monsters are tied to their respective game. In SH1 monsters are based of Alessa since it's her nightmare that is projecting them. In SH2 it is because of the Cult's experiments that the town draws people and manifests creatures based on their inner demons. It's why you find out (after you defeat PH iirc) that the letter from mary is just an empty piece of paper that was meant to draw James and why Laura doesn't see any monsters since she's an innocent child. In SH3 they are manifested by the God that is nurturing inside Heather. It's why most of the time they are generic monsters but also a bit related to Heather/Alessa at times.
It is the shitty sequels like Homecoming or Downpour that propagated this idea that every game in the series has monsters based on the MC's inner demons.

 

[Venser]

They're whoring the shit out of the franchise.

 

[Morenatsu.]

In fact, the following note:

"Investigation stalled. "PTV" dealers still at large. Suspicious deaths continue. First the anti-drug Mayor, now a narcotics officer dies of a sudden heart failure of unknown cause. Fire broken out in town. 6 homes destroyed. Charred body of Alessa Gillespie (7) found in aftermath. Cause of fire currently under investigation. Investigations show source as basement of Gillespie home. Blaze now believed caused by malfunction of antiqued boiler."

...was completely cut from the North American release for unknown reasons. And this is a pretty important note. It's hard enough to piece together the events on a first playthrough with this information, let alone without it.

The North American release is the original, and the data for it is even on the disc, so I'm assuming it's just some kind of mistake. If it weren't for that one thing, that version would be fully superior to the others, with its lack of censorship.

 

[S.torch]

I have said it and will say it again: Videogames aesthetics peaked in the time of the PlayStation 2. The original composition, feel and style is one a hundred times better than the second image, no matter how "high definition" the second looks.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

- A walking simulator with "Life is strange"-tier story about suicide, fatshaming, cancel culture and racism.

Postal 2?

 

[Zlaja]

It is the shitty sequels like Homecoming or Downpour that propagated this idea that every game in the series has monsters based on the MC's inner demons

This never would have happened if more people had good taste and preferred the first game over the second one.

 

[Roguey]

Zombra it's https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/translated_scans_en.htm site seems to be particularly slow though. The book also contains commentary on the creatures in 1 and 3.