Published by:
Konami.
Developed by:
The Collective / Konami..
Available only on:
Xbox 360,
PlayStation 3, PC
INTRO: So here we are again, with
yet another entry into the Silent Hill series, this one is called Silent
Hill: Homecoming. Here you assume the role of Alex Shepard, a discharged
soldier who's looking for some family members. If I spoil any more, then you
won't be pleased. I've been a mild fan of the SH series throughout its long
history, and this franchise has seemingly been around forever, and this game
is officially the sixth entry into the fray. Now my main gripe with the
franchise is simply this: the combat is repetitive, the camera angles are
forced and the controls haven't really been innovated in almost a decade.
The story is always convoluted, well-written and terrifying. Will Silent
Hill: Homecoming break the mold for its next-gen debut? Read on, loyal
readers.
GAMEPLAY: Luckily you can pretty much jump right into this series. That's always
been a strength of the SH franchise- for the most part, the series remains
loose and undefined and any game can be a jump-in point. The town is scary
and lots of nastiness can go on at any time. So let's talk gameplay- yes,
Silent Hill: Homecoming has some better fight controls! You'll be stringing
together combos with strong attacks and weak attacks like no one's business.
You can even dodge. This system is a breath of fresh air although it
isn't really perfect. I thought that it was well and good for one or two
enemies at a time but when a bunch sneak up on you, you will mash buttons
and curse at the screen. You can still get by though. Don't worry though
because you can still run like hell. You won't always find a lot of items
lying around, so running won't be a bad idea. Guns are way easier to use
than other weapons too, and they're almost too easy. Save your bullets for
bosses and they'll go down in no time. You can upgrade a fair amount of
stuff too.
You'll also be going through lots of scary rooms where your life depends
on context-sensitive button presses. Good stuff here and the deaths you can
encounter (and WILL encounter) are wicked, wicked brutal. There are lots of
other things going on in this one here. Puzzles are plentiful as always and
range from easy to maddening. You're equipped with a terrible flashlight and
you can get some pretty sweet weapons too. Enemies are awesome, and yes-
you'll find evil-ass Pyramid Head, skinless dogs and creepy nurses, plenty
of nods to the awful movie from a few summers back too.
GRAPHICS: I thought the graphics in Silent Hill: Homecoming were pretty damn good.
Most enemies show specific texture damage, the lighting is good, and the
environments are sharp. The signature animations are almost perfect and I
really liked the way things seemed to shift at different times.
AUDIO: Sound is a bit of a mixed bag. The music is just fantastic, the
characteristic evil music composed by Yamaoka Akira is here, and truly makes
the game. Silent Hill has always depended on its music, and this is no
disappointment. The voice acting is a little bit off though, as it always
has been in this series. It's not awful by any stretch, but still it could
be better. Josh's character sounded terrible, but Alex's is pretty decent.
FINAL VERDICT: Ultimately, Homecoming was what I wanted it to be but I couldn't help but
feel as if the game was a bit more homogenized than I'd care for it to be.
These games have been around for so long because of their strong stories and
although this one's tale isn't awful, it's the most linear of the bunch.
Also, the game just felt like another entry into the series that won't
likely go down in history as a groundbreaker. The new controls are good, and
the scares are pretty abundant but I just felt like this one was another SH
game for a new system. Still though, you owe it to yourself to play it- it's
not a cash in. If you're a fan, you already have this and love it, and
there's nothing wrong with that either.
Silent Hill Homecoming PC system requirements
Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Pentium 4 @ 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista)
Memory: 1 GB
Hard Drive: 10 GB Free
Video Memory: 256 MB (nVidia GeForce 7800 GT/ATI Radeon X1950)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard & Mouse
Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Pentium 4 @ 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista)
Memory: 2 GB
Hard Drive: 10 GB Free
Video Memory: 512 MB (nVidia GeForce 8800 GT/ATI HD2900)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c or 10
Keyboard & Mouse
