E for All 2007 Preview
Konami’s Silent Hill series has been a huge
key to the publisher’s success on consoles, spawning several sequels across a
few different systems and even a feature film. Now, the series is readying to
release on yet another console with its first entry on Sony’s PSP handheld.
However, those expecting little more than a scaled-down title will be pleasantly
surprised, as Silent Hill Origins will present an original story with a new lead
character and plenty of thrills and chills.
Of course, the storylines in Silent Hill
games are intentionally scant, but Silent Hill Origins puts you in control of a
redneck-type complete with a vest, long-sleeve flannel shirt and a trucker hat
as he gets thrust between two worlds in that familiarly unfamiliar town, Silent
Hill. You explore the world and find little clues as to why you’re there or who
happens to be there with you, and you’ll occasionally encounter some nasty
enemies and deformed creatures throughout the area.
One interesting element is the ability to
switch between worlds. By touching a mirror, you can go back and forth between
the real world and a hellishly evil dimension. In our brief demo, we didn’t get
to see much of the benefits of being able to switch between them aside from
finding new items, but all that will be revealed once the game launches.
Graphically, the game looks extraordinary on
the PSP’s screen, with a variety of bells and whistles that made the console
versions look so great. The film grain quality has returned (though it’s a
little difficult to see on the PSP unless you hook it up to a TV). The character
models look great and very well-detailed, and the lighting and shadow effects
are some of the best I’ve seen in a PSP game. Not to mention that the art
direction is still phenomenally creepy and could scare the pants off of you at
times.
Silent Hill Origins is turning out to be a
very exciting and frightening PSP title that packs a lot of punch in a tight,
portable package. Look for it next month.
