Konami's 1st venture into the horror genre gives fan's the side of the genre
untouched by Resident Evil, and shows Capcom that it can also make killer horror games.
At first look, the game might appear too close to Resident Evil, but has enough
features to stand on its own. The game starts with a beautiful CG of Harry Mason
driving with his seven-year-old daughter, Cheryl. As the two make their way to the
resort town of Silent Hill, a young girl appears in front of the car, forcing Harry to
swerve out of control and crash. After Harry regains consciousness in the driver's
seat of his car, he notices that his daughter is missing. You mission, if you dare
to accept it is to find Cheryl. Welcome to Silent Hill, rookie!
Silent Hill plays like an adventure game instead of an Action game, with more emphasis
on character and storyline than Resident Evil.
Graphics:
The game starts off with a beautiful CG sequence, possibly one of the best seen on the
Playstation. The characters in the CG are beautifully designed complete with their
own facial expressions. During the game, the player is treated to eye-pleasing CG
sequences that will make you ooh and aah. But, unfortunately thats where the sweet
graphics end. The in-game graphics are above average at most,although they are
generated real-time as opposed to the pre-rendered backgrounds used in RE. The
grainy characters could have been better, but apparantly are not, falling to Resident Evil
in that category. Perhaps one of the best parts of the game, graphics wise, is the
lighting. The lighting effects are brilliantly done by Konami, and stand out as you
progress through the game.
Sound:
This is one of the categories in which Silent Hill really shines. Featuring an
ambient sound track, the game's sound effects will have the master RE veteran shaking in
their pants. You hear every thing from the sobbing of an unseen child to the sounds
of boots walking on shaky floorboards, to the sounds of a certain something walking under
you as you walk on top of a grate. The game's sounds keep the game's
unpredicatability factor very high. The music is absolutely bone chilling and always
plays when you least expect it, keeping you on your toes all the time.
Gameplay Value:
This is where Silent Hill breaks away from RE. Perhaps the scariest part of the game
is the fact that your field of vision is so restricted that you can't see past a few feet
in front of you. When you are in the town, your vision is restricted by the dense
fog and snow. But what really keeps you on your toes is the "dark" Silent
Hill, where darkness consumes all around you. Your only light source is a little
flashlight placed near your chest. This keeps you on your toes, as you walk slowly
to see whats in front of you. What really tops the gameplay is the radio that emits
static whenever there are monsters near you. Combine this with the flasshlight and
you got a "piss in your pants" game. There is nothing like hearing loud
static, not being able to see past your arm's length and the dramatic music playing in the
background, and using a long pipe because you ran out of ammo. The sheer thrill and
suspense of that alone makes you sit on the edge of your seat. However, the game
does have its flaws. First, the control is pretty clumsy even with the aid of the
analog. It becomes a little difficult to control Harry through some of the tough
parts of the game, and to dodge some enemies in narrow hallways in the game.
Replay Value:
Any place in the game is virtually explorable, wanting you to come back for more.
Add to that 4, thats right count em' folks, 4 different endings, you'll want to come back
for more chills and thrills.
I highly recommend this game for any playstation owner, and definitely for the fans of
the genre. Konami took RE to the next level and adds a psychological elements to it
(I don't want to reveal anymore), along with real-time backgrounds, killer sound and a
solid storyline. But, for maximum satisfaction I recommend playing at night with
lights off and the sound and high, if you dare...
Reviewed by KC.
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