October 29, 2008
Still Alive After All These
Horrific Years: Silent Hill
By
Louis Bedigian
Silent Hill (1999)
While hyping the revival of Metal
Gear with the first “Solid” game in the series, Konami gave us a new reason to
be frightened: Silent Hill. This wasn’t merely a dark and creepy game. It was an
experience that played with our senses, forcing players to not only consider but
live with the fact that they weren’t alone in this hellish, poorly lit world.
Death was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before something would catch
up with you. Leading up to your death, the sound of a radio – and a horrific and
mesmerizing soundtrack – were all you could hear, plus the occasional sound of a
monster ready to feast on its next victim.
Silent Hill
Silent Hill 2 (2001)
One of the most beloved creep-fests
ever conceived, Silent Hill 2 was deep, shocking and often horrific. It wasn’t
as scary or as difficult as the first game, but that didn’t keep players from
becoming immersed in the environments, which were insanely realistic. The
monster designs were out of this world, as were the jaw-dropping light and
shadow effects, which added an extra layer of eeriness. For better or worse,
Silent Hill 2’s story was the kind that hung with players. Its haunting
conclusions – there were multiple endings, just like the first game – were
cherished by some, bothersome to others, and remembered by all who experienced
them firsthand.
Shortly after its PS2 release,
Silent Hill 2 was ported to Xbox in the form of Restless Dreams, an upgraded
version that featured a bonus game where you could play as another character.
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3 (2003)
The first Silent Hill dealt with the
story of a man searching for his missing daughter. The sequel revolved around a
man and his mysterious (almost ghostly) wife. Silent Hill 3 was the first and
only game in the series whose main protagonist was female. But don’t let her
innocent appearance fool you: when the monsters get tough, Heather (SH3’s
heroine) doesn’t simply run away.
With a creepy premise, uber-disturbing
sequences, and some of the most horrific creatures known to man, Silent Hill 3
proved to be another hit. The score was particularly memorable, a point Konami
must have agreed with, as they included a bonus music CD with early copies of
the game.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)
Imagine yourself trapped inside an
apartment. It’s small and, upon examining the walls and other things, you
discover a connection with this apartment and the town of Silent Hill. If you’ve
been to Silent Hill before, this is one of the most eerie and intriguing
feelings a gamer can have. You’re in this place and, no matter what you do,
cannot escape. The only way out is through a hole in the apartment that leads to
a demonic world.
While not exactly the scariest
horror game (remember: we’re desensitized), Silent Hill 4 was a brilliant
journey to new survival/horror territory. It played like the others but was
delivered with such an amazing premise and contained such an eerie and clever
presentation that you didn’t care.
Silent Hill 4: The Room
The Silent Hill Experience (2006)
Before Silent Hill Origins and
around the time of the Silent Hill movie, Konami released a special UMD known as
The Silent Hill Experience. This PSP exclusive combined a digital version of the
Silent Hill-inspired comic books with a cool music player (allowing you to hear
several selections from the series), as well as video interviews with Christophe
Gans, the director of the Silent Hill movie.
Silent Hill (the movie, 2006)
This underappreciated film is loved
by many horror fans – just not gamers. Silent Hill is a slow movie that tackles
horror from a different angle. The director, Christophe Gans, likely hoped the
pace would match that of the game – which it did. But most gamers don’t think of
Silent Hill as being “slow.” They think of it as being scary and intense.
Therefore, when they paid $9 to see the movie, they apparently wanted an
experience that was not as much like the game as Gans anticipated. I personally
loved it, and have enjoyed it even more on repeat viewings. The sights and
sounds are perfect and Radha Mitchell (who played Rose) is truly superb. She is
deep, emotional and believable, as if the horror she was experiencing was real.
In reality, she did most everything in front of a green screen.
Many moviegoers agree. But when
these same people were asked if they had played the game before (or even heard
of it), 100% responded, “No.” This could create a difficult situation for the
writers and director of Silent Hill 2, who are aiming to appease the
disappointed game players but also wish to retain fans of the original movie.
Last fall’s writer’s strike may have changed everything, but if the original
reports are true, Christophe Gans will not be back for Silent Hill 2 due to
other commitments. As much as I want to see the movie, I’d rather wait another
five years (or more) to have him at the helm.
Silent Hill Origins (2007)
One of the PSP’s best action games
(and only true survival/horror release), Silent Hill Origins is an excellent
entry into a world we’ve visited many times before. Amazingly, the gameplay
mirrors that of the PSone and PS2 offerings. Equally as impressive is how the
game looks – you wouldn’t guess this was made for PlayStation Portable, as its
visuals are much closer to that of a PS2 game. Other than God of War: Chains of
Olympus, you just don’t see high-quality titles like this on PSP.
Silent Hill Origins
Silent Hill Homecoming (2008)
Nightmares come in all shapes and
sizes. For Alex Shepherd, the biggest nightmare may be linked to his hometown of
Shepherd Glen and the always creepy, always mysterious town of Silent Hill.
Developed by Double Helix (a first for the series; the first four games were
developed internally by Konami), Homecoming’s gameplay is a re-creation of
Silent Hill 2 and 3. If you’ve played those games – or any in the series,
actually – then you know exactly what to expect. That said, the story is quite
chilling, the monsters are still cool and grotesque, and though the gameplay
formula may be in need of something new, Homecoming is a decent game.
Silent Hill Homecoming
The Next Silent Hill
Given that Silent Hill Homecoming
has just been released this fall, no one except Konami knows where the series
will go next. Hopefully it involves a very dark place, a more twisted story, and
a revival of the past. One thing that people love about Silent Hill (myself
included) is how each game has subtle connections to the original story. If they
were to merge those connections and revelations with inspiration from the TV
series Lost – a show that, when it first began, reminded me of Silent Hill’s
trapped-in-hell concept – they could create a sequel that would shock, surprise
and enthrall everyone, most of all those who have been with the series from the
beginning and know the characters very well.
A
Look at the Resident Evil Series
Be sure to
check out our first Halloween Feature:
Horror through the Years: A Look at Some Pivotal Titles in the Horror Genre
– From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Dead Space, the Horror Genre has seen some
change for the better over the decades.
