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Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3) | 
| From: Konami
Category: Video Games
List Price: £49.99
Buy New: £39.14
You Save: £10.85 (22%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1970
Platform: Playstation 3
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Media: Video Game
Operating System: Playstation 3
EAN: 4012927050743
ASIN: B001DHJICK
Release Date: December 26, 2008 (In 21 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Fog! Cemeterys! Horrid monsters! It must be......... November 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
SILENT HILL....
Like others, I could not wait for the UK release date and ordered it (from the UK mind). I have just finished the game and have a mixed response and perhaps a few no-spoiler tips. Bad bits first:
My first gripe is that it is a bit short (but I have played it rather intensely over the past week!). Needed another big fat level to really do it justice.
Too linear. I didn't get lost once and I like to get lost! The game guides you by the hand and forces you down one path. Too many locked doors and not enough free roaming. If you don't want tips then shut your eyes during loading and don't press box on the map screen. It tells you what to do.
The graphics were good but not spectacular. I have paid a lot of money for my console and games and when I am treated to high end PS2 graphics I feel a bit let down. Lip syncing is a bit poor and far too many teeth in characters' mouths! Also when you come across a gnarly tree root Alex walks through it! Very poor! Water effect not great either.
Controls are too light. I used up a lot of extra life by accidentally selecting my super boosting syringe which annoyed me.
Too dark! Yes, dark is good but they have gone overboard!
Good bits:
Maps are very good but it's not like you could get lost anyway!
Levels vary in design from high action, gut toting button bashing to creepy intense puzzle solving with fewer monsters.
I found shooting and general combat hard at first because they have changed the controls and incorporated a dodge button however once I got the hang of it I was fine and quite enjoyed the challenge and 'final blow' death scenes.
I have heard complaints that this game is not spooky enough but I didn't find that to be a problem. Only SH2 was truly spooky and you can't top the best! Resident Evil 4 was not spooky but that didn't stop it being one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played many times! There are some very nice cemetery levels and one can stop and read the graves which I enjoyed immensely. Take your time strolling through these areas and be thorough in your searching.
I thought the story line was a little predictable but good and made more sense than SH3!
Save locations can be hit and miss but the game uses check points (although it doesn't tell you where) and when you die you will often start from the last cut scene and also it will give you a chunk of health to play with. Handy if you are very low on life.
No grading option at the end so save and continue until your heart's desire. There are several different endings available and these are obtained by the choices you make during dialogue. Try them all but there is one in particular you should go for on your first play through. Do this and your next game will become far easier, especially if you choose hard mode.
The game can be tough and some monsters can kill in one hit. No easy setting but go for normal instead of hard on your first go and run when you can instead of fighting.
Ammo is very scarce and Alex can only carry a very small amount. Use it wisely and save your shotgun for the monsters with giant blades on their heads! They are mean.........
I finished the game with tons of life but I horded it, although later on health items become more available due to the difficulty of certain enemies. Boss No. 2 is the hardest - kill her and you will have no problems with the rest. Most bosses are best battled using melee weapons (or so I found)so no need to panic about having little for them. Do save some high power shots for the last boss though.
On the whole a jolly good game but I think Team Silent Hill would have done a better job. Music as ever is excellent although it's too creepy for the game to be honest! Next time I would like to see more exploration and secret items and a bit more light would be nice. Oh, and too many regenerating monsters spoil your fun on the streets of SH and also Shepherd's Glen. Not too far off from five stars but Double Helix must remember that Silent Hill fans like to use their brains more and shoot less! Give us bigger levels too with more doors..... I love doors and rummaging around. If you are not sure this game is for you but like all the other games, give it a try but don't judge it against your favourite SH game because you will feel let down. Think of it as Silent Hill mark II. Also allow plenty of time to get used to combat and practice a lot with melee weapons.
Not as good as it should have been November 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Silent Hill Homecoming is the second game in the series to be developed by an American software company. Origins was a disaster in my opinion and pales in comparison to the superb Silent Hill 2. The good news about Homecoming is that it is better than Origins but regretably falls short of the mark set by Team Silent in the terrifying Silent Hill 2 (see my previous review).
Double Helix have tried to create a game that sticks to the psychological roots of the second game and to an extent they succeed. Without giving the plot away, they are a bit heavy handed with things and not as subtle in the way that they develop the player's empathy with the characters plight.
Unlike in previous games you don't get to do too much exploring of the town. Most of the action, in fact, takes place in Shepherd's Glen. The protagonist Alex is returning from Hospital (an injured soldier) and he is looking for his missing brother. Persuit(of a family member/loved one) is, of course a familiar theme from Silent Hill and the later film.
With regard to the film, the game does borrow a lot from some of the imagery and special effects. For example, the otherworld transitions where the textures peel away and rise up to create a hellish environment. Also, the dubious appearance of Pyramid Head on 2 occasions in the game. Many enthusiasts of Silent Hill folklore queried his appearance in the film and doubtless they will in the game.
The story itself is engaging but not as satisfying as Silent Hill 2. The ending, in particular, being very disappointing. The interactions with weird characters are all there but this time you can choose questions, seemingly influencing the direction of conversation. However, the outcome of the conversations is ultimately the same. You do get to make moral choices in the game and these do impact on the ending.
Gameplay is rewarding and the ability of Alex to defend, counter and use strong or fast attacks gives the combat a much needed overhaul. The ability to control the camera angle is also useful and makes combat and exploring far easier. Credit should be given for this improvement in the game's mechanics.
Graphically, the game falls short of next generation standards. Some of the environments - particularly in the Chapter where you are exploring an abandoned hotel were very last generation. I found the textures very bland and a little lazy in places. Walking through several rooms with the same furniture becomes tedious after a while. However, there were some examples of excellence: The chapter 'Hell Descent' had some very effective graphics and effects.
Silent Hill would not be complete without monsters. The monsters are actually quite well done and many are very imaginative - particularly some of the end of level bosses. However they are more grotesque than frightening and reminded me of Doom 3 - particularly the spider like creatures walking with razor bladed legs. During combat, monsters show injuries when struck by weapons which was quite a good touch on the part of the developers.
The music was composed by the famed composer of Team Silent but regretably you get a sense that his heart was not in it. I imagine him sitting in a room alone composing often haunting melodies but I don't get the sense that he was as immersed as he was in earlier projects with his friends from the original Konmami team. Sound effects are very good and create a strong and often unsettling atmosphere.
Overall the game is enjoyable and is closer to Silent Hill than Origins but it is not the game it could have been or indeed should have been. The way that previous games succeeded was through an understanding of what makes us feel unsettled as human beings. James'plight was far more believable, far more terrifying and far more tragic. The grotesque creatures in Silent Hill 2 were disturbing in a subtle way but in this game they are far more apparently shocking and don't have a connection (through imagery) with the charcter. What I mean is that in Silent Hill 2, pyramid Head by way of example is a manifestation of James' guilt. In Homecoming the monsters are just there.
As the game reaches its conclusion, the developers take things down a more conventional modern day film horror root (think Saw) and at this point, I think they really lost track of what Silent Hill is all about. The game degenerates into a bit of gore fest and I would imagine that this has lead to the substantial delay in the UK release
In summary, Homecoming is a good effort by the American Developers but they have a lot to learn about psychological horror. I'm not sure why Team Silent were not given the title but it was a big mistake on the part of Konami - especially with the arrival of Resident Evil 5 in 2009. Silent Hill was more of a thinker's game and in this respect Double Helix missed the point.
Silent Hill Homecoming is a good game and enjoyable to play but it won't live up to the expectaions of the fans. It won't make many new fans and it certainly won't steal Capcom's thunder!
 Resi not Silent Hill November 3, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've got the game as an import and there's good news and bad news. The game is fine - looks good, plays well but, and here's the but, it is NOT a Silent Hill game. This is a third-person action/shooter with a horror theme not the suspenseful, Joe-off-the street-finds-himself-in-nightmare game I certainly was expecting. From the resi-style camera and frequent gun-play to the constant waves of monsters that you simply cannot avoid the entire game-feel has changed.
For me, it has changed for the worse. I feared what would happen when they moved the development away from Team Silent and my fears have been realized. Mind you, I'm sure a lot of gun-totting, action players will find a game that meets their needs rather well.
So resi fans - you're in for a treat. Silent Hill aficionados like myself may find themselves a little disappointed however.....
 Welcome home to a different type of terror... October 24, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I imported this from the states as I couldn't wait to play it and I have to say, whilst I have a few reservations with the game play, the overall game is great.
Not sure what the UK version will look like as I believe the developers are having to tame it down for a gerneal release over here, but this version is whacked - like really sick. Think Saw meets Hostel and you'll be close.
Double Helix - the developers - have gone for a more direct terror than the psychologically disturbing games of the past. That's not too say it isn't creepy - you'll be thinking there's a freaky monster right behind you thanks to the music and sound effets when there is really nothing there - this keeps you on your toes and your heart rate well and truly elevated, but veteran Silent Hill fans will definitely notice a more direct horror.
I won't include any spoilers in here, but prepare yourselves for some shocks!
You play Alex Shepherd - returning veteran and all round wholesome american - apparently....
He comes home after a brief stay in hospital concerned from the nightmares he has been having about his younger brother Joshua.
The opening sequence is scary man - strapped to a hospital guerney seeing glimpses of messed up surgery going on in the rooms I pass - hearing screams and shouts for help and Alex's continued shouts of: "Where am I" and "What's going on".
Alex gets wheeled into a surgery room and then - tapping X like a mad man - he breaks his bonds; free to now explore this messed up place.
First level is a bit pedestrian and has numerous rip-offs from Silent Hill 2 (which keep occurring throughout the game) but believe me, it gets a whole lot worse - by which of course I mean better...
So, how does it look? Initially I wasn't too impressed with the grpahics - same obscuring fog and darkness and all that, but the more I played the more I began to appreciate just how good looking (in a messed up way) this game is. There isn't anything quite as disturbing as say the Church or Hospital in Silent Hill 3 (I shudder to remember the walls pulsating red darkness and a brief glimpse of a monster up close and personal before everything went black) but it is unsettling.
It feels very, hellish? Yea, that's the right word - the alternate versions of the game (which transition with the peeling effect from the film - looks great!) are seething with heat, giant fans and pulsating magma rock. Seriously feels like you are somewhere you really do not want to be - oh, and particular attention should be directed to the alternate Shepherd Home - it's just - messed up!!!
It's a mix between SH2 and 3 (darkness only slightly alleviated by flashlight) and SH4 (static-hazy light effects).
The characters looked good - lip-syncing is a bit off at times - but they do look good.
Lighting is excellent with dynamic shadows haunting every corner going - and the noise effect is there which lends the game a very dirty and unpolished look - exactly the way Silent Hill should look.
Like the 4th game there isn't much Silent Hill in this installment. Most of the action takes place in or around Alex's hometown of Shepherd's Glen. This I found regrettable as I do miss feeling like I'm in Silent hill - you know how games 1 and 2 made you feel running around the streets and walking into buildings - there's a bit of that toward the latter part of the game but not enough. However, it by no means ruins the game - I just miss it, that's all.
The reason I didn't give this game 5 stars for fun is because of the difficulty level. Even on Normal if you don't pay attention to what you're doing you will die - again and again.
My first play though I gave up trying NOT to use Continues (only to find at the end of the game that there's no stats!!!!) and ended up with hardly any ammo and no health items! There are more than enough health items there - just make sure you find them all.
Ammos is limited to each gun which can sometimes be annoying and I guarantee that everytime you hear a Needler you'll groan - just remember to dodge and swing! Oh - and look out for the cool red-gashes you inflict on the monsters - nice touch!
The boss fights are excellent and the design of them is amazing - real messed up stuff. The second one you fight - Scarlet - is really creepy - easy to kill providing you know when to dodge and the scene before the fight is classic Silent Hill stuff.
It all wraps itself up suitably (and with an extra scene at the end if you find all the photos and kids drawings) depending on the choices you make in the second half of the game - these determine the ending you get. That is providing you make it to the ending - a word of advise - make sure you have full ammo for the last boss fight - phew!!!!!
Overall a real worthy Silent Hill game; made of the stuff of sheer terror - self-mutilation and torture on top of all the other stuff) with an unwitting hero that might not be all he appears...
Oh, almost forgot - Pyramid Head turns up to the party as well - you can't fight him unfortunately, but both scenes with him - whilst brief - are great...
roll on Silent Hill 666....
yet another Screw up of "Amazonian" Proportions October 23, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whilst I haven't had the privilage of playing this game yet, I certainly hope to come the 31ST OCTOBER, aka the offical UK release date! Get your dates right amazon! Certainly won't be ordering it from here!
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