User Reviews (1 - 11 of 34)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Not quite worth it

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 23
Date: March 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

So I saw this in the store and the cashier says, "yeah they ported it over form PSP." I should have known there would be issues.

Good:
It keeps with the scary, dark theme, although a little too dark for my tastes.
Yes, I agree, being able to finally use your fists is cool.
Graphics - not bad, gruesome and creepy, just how we like it.
That's where the good stuff ends.

Bad:
Camera controls - Are so bad and frustrating that you'll want to drop the controller 1 hour into the game.

Health and stamina - Don't pick up a health or stamina drink unless you NEED it. They aren't stored even though you can store tons of huge items. Once you pick it up, it's used. They're pointless anyway because my health meter never changed once even though I found 2 health drinks in a row.

Weapons - Yeah they break. Usually while you're still using it and then trying to change weapons has a delay which means you get hit if you try to equip another. If you have a large weapon in your hand and they attack first, you lose that weapon. You don't DROP it, you lose it forever.
If you're a diehard fan, you'll get used to this game and play it thru.
Buy at your own risk.

Good but not exactly groundbreaking

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Fans of the series or those who have seen the movie should really get into this game. You meet Alessa, a younger Dahlia, and other characters from the first game (no spoiler, this is explained right in the booklet). Some connections and explanations are also offered which were pretty vague before. Lights and sounds also seem to draw monsters far more than other games (didn't seem to make much difference in the other games). The mirror idea was pretty cool too although it seemed to give you some controll over this horrific world.

The downside...
I was disappointed by the "new features" in this game. One is the use of fixed camera angles which I actually liked in resident evil. They could've worked here too but weren't handled as well as the RE games. At times a monster may be 2' in front of you but its off screen so you don't know until you either walk into it or shoot blindly. A couple times you walk down an aisle and disappear until you walk out- who knows if anything was there to pick up or examine. In other SH games camera angles may be used but at least you can hit a button and look around.

New combat features include punching... which makes sense (always thought it odd in SH& RE games that your options are basically run or shoot- noone can kick, etc). But on the other hand, I restarted this game and it takes something out of the "scare" when you can just walk up to the monsters and punch them into submission. Another combat feature is the ability to pick up assorted items for striking. At the end of the game however, I had a truck load of appliances and items which I never used. How many TVs, crates, etc did I have in my pockets?

As for the "scare", well there really wasnt one. This is more of an action game with horror elements that a disturbing horror tale. This is the only SH game that I made it all the way through without EVER getting killed. (I did run more than usual, but still, even the bosses were pretty easy).

There are also some movement differences and they couldve given you clearer reasons for going from one place to the next (If I hadn't looked at the map after leaving the hospital I wouldnt have known where I was supposed to go next). Still, overall I gave it 4 stars for fun, but just 3 overall because it was a step back in many ways from previous games.

Doesn't rank up there with the other games

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I know, this review is quite different from the others claiming this game is awsome. Well, sorry to say this, but I would have to disagree. Don't get me wrong, I love the Silent Hill series! I was super excited when this game came to PS2. I bought it right away, and started playing it. At first it was cool, but then I realized that the melee weapons always broke! I frankly, do not like that one bit. No longer did I have a trusty weapon with me.

At first that didn't seem to bad, there were plently of weapons lying around. Then I ventured outside. I was praying for a decent weapon as I explored the town. The combat system is terrible with some creatures! I was getting jumped on before I could even defend myself! Health is scarce, so I found myself running through the town rather the fighting. I wanted so bad to have the old combat system back. Ya, it wasn't the greatest combat system, but it was better then in this game.

I quit about halfway through this game, frustrated.

I suppose there are a few pros in the game. The graphics are really good, and it has a creepy feel to it. Plus the story line seems good. I wouldn't recomend the game to newbies, go get Silent Hill 2 if you want an awsome game. However, for die hard fans I would suggest it if you have to have it. Just be prepaired for disapointment.

Harder than it looks

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was led to believe this game would be like the others. Its not. The graphics are like SH2 and the game play is rough at best, the "fixed" camera is tricky to work with and you stand a minimal chance against creatures as a result of it. I died a few times from those stupid acid vomit creatures.

There is no difficulty setting in the game so that will make it difficult for first timers and interesting for people used to change the setting incrementally as they work their way through the game.

Anyway, I would say it is not as good as the 4 leading up to it

My Silent Hill Origins Review

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I would like to start by saying I have been a huge fan of this series since the first game in the late 90s for the Play Station. However with each new game they release I always feel a little more let down in some ways.

This game was originally realeased for the PSP; the problem with this is that the PSP is a gamble, and a large number of gammers, some being former fans of the Silent Hill series hated the PSP. So they decided later that they would rerelease this title for the Playstation 2. When I first heard about this I was pretty hyped up about it. When I first saw it in stores, I bought it without a second thought.

It didn't take me too long to find something very screwed up about this game.

Simply put; SHADOWS... They screwed up the the shadow graphics very badly... When you shine your flashlight on an object, you get a strange jig-saw pattern that is suppost to be the objects shadow, and it's distracting and annoying. Next to that, the game is too freaking dark, and I don't mean that in a good way, I mean you can't see any further than a couple feet away from your character, even with the flashlight on. Because of this it becomes difficult to avoid enemies that are too close to you, and you may often miss important items that you run past unless you pay very close attention. The darkness facter in this game seems more geared towards eye-strain than trying to increase the fear-factor of the game as a whole.

Also it seems that since this was originally a PSP game, they got pretty simple with the level design sometimes, a lot of rooms in this game there were absolutely no need for... Very often you will open a door to an empty room with absolutely nothing in it... No monsters... No items... Not even a picture on a wall... Just an empty room... How exciting. And lets not forget the glitches with the inventory system. In the firearms menu for example, as soon as you change or reload a weapon, the picture of the weapon you are toying with will change to the next weapon to it... Why is it that your handgun suddenly turns into your shotgun?

Overall I did enjoy this game and I loved many of the ideas behind it. I loved the new combat system. I found the temporary melee weapons interesting, as well as a little annoying sometimes. I loved the new monsters they introduced. And most of all, I loved the fact that this game was a prelude to the first game, I enjoyed learning more about the story history behind what caused the first games' story to be.

This game had a lot of promise, but I just felt let down because it feels like the makers didn't care enough to test play it a few times before releasing it again. There are just too many glitches and errors that I felt that if they would have taken a little time to test it first that they may have been able to fix them before releasing the game.

Sanitised and unoriginal, Silent Hill for beginners

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was so delighted when this PS2 port was announced, it saved me from having to invest in a PSP solely for this one game: I would have, I have every other Silent Hill game and play them repeatedly, I wasn't about to let Origins pass me by on a relatively small technicality like a different platform.

And I was encouraged by the screenshots on various gaming websites; the graphics, while nowhere near the standards of SH3 or SH4, certainly looked to have been heavily enhanced... ...and the reports of faithful SH-style gameplay and plot development left me with great hopes for this title. But now that I've finished it I find I am nonplussed... ...read on.

GRAPHICS: 3/5

The renders are beautiful, the lighting is very Silent Hill, and the upgrades over the PSP version are great - but SH: Origins still takes a backseat to the seven year-old Silent Hill 2 in terms of detail and character animation. Travis moves like he's wearing a spinal brace of some sort, but the creatures in SH move as fluidly as they ever did - if somewhat less scary, which is a shame considering their design is excellent. Human character design is blocky and basic, with Lisa Garland and Michael Kauffmann sharing more with their PS1 counterparts than anything else. Travis, Dahlia and Alessa are clearly designed and well-textured, but also somewhat flat and boring-looking. Level design is clever, and there are some lovely effects here and there (particularly the Artaud Theatre and Hotel levels), but SH: Origins has none of those ultra-creepy background vignettes (think Valtiel in SH3 or the giant Eileen head from SH4) to unsettle the player, and ultimately winds up looking a little generic.

Visually, SH: Origins is a very mixed bag, but by no means unplayable or flat: the overall visual impact lacks the same melancholic punch as former PS2 releases though, and this is a real shame. But for a PSP port it's a great effort - just more of a sanitised Silent Hill than we're used to.

SOUND: 3/5

Again, not very creepy and not very engaging: the kindest thing one could say about the game's music is that it closely resembles other, better tracks from other, better Silent Hill games. The opening sequence is very engaging, with the title song playing as the player controls Travis' initial run into Silent Hill, but other than that there's no memorable tracks or noises to raise the player's hackles. Voice acting is so-so; it was more effective in SH 1.

PLAYABILITY: 3/5

Gameplay does indeed follow that tried-and-loved Silent Hill method of enter area/find clues/solve puzzle/leave area, and the controls themselves are responsive and clear. The Resident Evil-style grappling system is a nice diversion, and Travis' relatively low levels of stamina (he can't sprint for very long and often slows down to a panting crawl) adds greatly to the tension you feel when out and about on Silent Hill's monster-populated streets. Breakable weapons are a distraction: there's plenty of guns and ammo dotted about SH and the sheer volume of melee weapons left in your inventory by the game's end will make you wonder "why?". The difficulty curve is slightly easier than the latter half of SH4, so it's no pushover but certainly no Devil May Cry, either.

The major downsides of gameplay come from the camera angles (as with all games of this nature, there are times when it's incredibly poorly-implemented) and a sluggish response time when you try to load the map or inventory screen during battle. But overall, SH: Origins is fun to play: deeply unoriginal but who cares about that?

OVERALL: 2.5/5

Even if this had come out on PS1 after Silent Hill 1 it would only be a solid 3-star effort: the story is not engaging enough and the gameplay too basic to make this a firm recommendation. For Silent Hill fans it's a nice addition to the canon but not really competition for any other game in the series: it's too generic. Still, it's not a bad game, not by any manner of means - if you can get it cheaply then definitely do so.

Solid prequel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: March 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Another PSP to PS2 conversion, Silent Hill Origins is a prequel to Konami's original Silent Hill game, and fans of the long running survival horror series will happy to know that this installment retains the series' penchant for the unbelievably creepy. You play as a trucker named Travis, who has just stumbled into the town of Silent Hill, and naturally, it isn't too long before some very, very, bad things start happening. Fans of the series will see some familiar faces and surroundings, and the game also manages to provide some ultra-creepy environments and events, as well as a spectacular musical score that perfectly underlines the frightening proceedings. The game has been slightly visually enhanced in its transition from the PSP to the PS2, although things still look more grainy then they should. The only downsides to Silent Hill Origins is that the game's camera doesn't always work the way you'd think it would, and the game's length may leave more to be desired. Flaws aside though, Silent Hill Origins is still a scary blast, and there's enough extra content (like different endings) to find and comb through to justify picking it up. If you already played through the PSP version of the game, there really isn't any reason to play it again, but if you didn't and you're a fan of the series or of survival horror in general, take a trip to Silent Hill.

THIS IS THE PS2 VERSION!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: March 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

For those of you who don't know, SH0 was released as a PSP game first, and was later created for the PS2 so that a wider audience could play. This is the PS2 version so if you're looking for the PSP game you're on the wrong page. A great game but not much difference than the PSP version. If you own the PSP version there's no real reason to buy it except for collector reasons.

A great chapter, though porting could've been better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Silent Hill: Origins is essentially a prequel to the orginal Silent Hill game. I'll attempt to speak in vague enough terms so those who haven't played a single installment won't have the experience ruined. You play Travis, a truck driver with a vaguely trouble past, who makes the mistake of chasing a girl he believes he hit with his truck into the titular town of Silent Hill, where he rescues a girl who nearly burned to death in a fire. Following the girl to a nearby hospital, he is suddenly plunged into a world of cult rituals and demonic forces.

Graphics: think Silent Hill 1. As this game was based on the PSP, the gameplay graphics a rather blocky, but still manage to create a feeling of unease and general creepiness. I'm a hard sell on this though. I haven't seen anything so far as skin crawling as the general setup of the original. The cutscenes are much better, and were scaled up well, but don't expect anything earth shattering. The combat graphics are also well done, though they can get a touch annoying. The screen darkens and begins to spot out like a very old movie reel.

The only downside is brightness, which you cannot control in game. While the game is supposed to be dark, not being able to see you hand in front of your face defeats some of the purpose.

Sound: The sound is overblown during the combat scenes, but the death metal is definitely in line with what you'd expect, though the score wasn't expanded much in the port, and could've been redone for the PS2 version with relative ease. While annoying in the extreme, it isn't bad, but nothing stands out as being overly good either.

Gameplay: The puzzles so far have reached a happy medium. They aren't spelled out for you, but neither do you need a doctorate degree or be an expert riddler to solve them either. The beginning ones are find and place items, but several are information hunting for combinations and the like, and have a good chunk of general horror.

Combat finally begins to make sense. Not only do you have the ability to block some attacks, but you have fists! I never knew you could you those in self-defense! What a concept! In all seriousness, that's been a grip for me from the beginning. Stomping on monsters to kill them though is infuriating, and nearly impossible for a relatively simple command. Weapons finally break, and are inventive, like toaster ovens and TV's, though many weapons do not do a realistic amount of damage given their one shot nature.

Story: The character is belivable and well played, though the story needed to be expanded significantly for the PS2, and wasn't. Theres no comments on the fact taht the town is essentially abandonded and overrun with monsters, not to mention the classic clefts in the roadways blocking the easy route from point A to B.

All told, this is a nice addition, and barely warrants a 4th star, as it does have some nice creepy added in, but should've been worked more before it was released.

And so the siren sounds

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It's that time again, once more we get an opportunity to traverse into the sick-twisted dimension known as Silent Hill. A place that one could argue doesn't really exist, only manifest itself on the psychological state-of-being of the person who dares enter it.

Let me start off by saying that Silent Hill: Origins is the first of two Silent Hill installments that is not developed by Team Silent. For those that don't know, Origins was developed by Climax and the upcoming Silent Hill V is being developed by The Collective.

We start the game off with a trucker with a shadowy past by the name of Travis Grady who is doing his regular job as any trucker would do in the good old US of A. While driving through the harsh rain he slams on his brakes as a figure runs across the road in front of his truck while on his path into Silent Hill. Once he gets out of his vehicle to investigate, a mysterious girl steps into view then quickly runs off. Travis follows her to see if she is ok as she runs toward the town of Silent Hill and thereby starts a journey in which Travis must face his own personal demons much like other personas have before him.

Origins takes place before the original Silent Hill game (As we take it as the name implies) and tells the tale of how the town was consumed in darkness. Travis interacts with many characters from the original Silent Hill throughout the game's cut-scenes while dealing with his own dark past. Once more the town is decorated in total fogginess and there is a Otherworld (the Dark World) version that still looks just as grim as it always does in every Silent Hill game.

This time, the protagonist has control over which world he is in. By touching a mirror, Travis can travel in between the normal world and Otherworld. This leads to many challenges where one will have to switch between both worlds in order to get to a certain destination to solve a puzzle or unlock a door that was previously locked. This gives the game an almost Chrono Cross like effect and actually works well for the series.

It's very hard to believe that at one point this game was a PSP game as it has some amazing lighting effects and super detailed backgrounds. The flashlight produces shadows that stretch along walls and floors and enemies have a shiny appearance from up close that helps to make their grotesque form even more horrific. I'd say the only complaint graphically I have is that are a few jagged edges can be noticed on each character while they move. Thank goodness for that filter effect though as more often than not it hides away the flaws.

The camera angles focus in on particular portions of the environment to build tension just like in other games in the series line. With the Silent Hill 4 control scheme that this game carries, some of the camera angle switches can lead to some control issues. Run toward a certain area and the camera will suddenly change and you'll be heading in the wrong direction. Problems like this can get annoying while running from a group of enemies on the streets of Silent Hill or in one particular boss fight you have later. I also had a few problems with the camera not showing me what was in front of my character which lead to some unwanted damage. A player can press the L button to center the camera behind Travis, but while Travis is up against a wall or door, the camera will remain fixed in whatever direction it is currently in which again can lead to being hit when you don't want to.

Silent Hill has always been about sound being a key factor in delivering rich ambience. The soundtrack helps to immerse a player into its horrific world and Origins does not disappoint at all in that aspect. The soundtrack is almost absolutely perfect!

While the soundtrack is a thing of utter beauty I feel like the sound effects though have taken a step back. I hate walking on the street and the pavement sounds like the wooden floor of your grandma's house. Also a lot of the monster noises and general sound effects like those of the weapons and items have been recycled from previous games. Some original bits we have not heard before would have been nice!

One thing you will notice is the complete abundance of weapons, you'll use everything and the kitchen sink literally to kill off these minions of Hell. Too bad the same can't be said about health drinks and other healing items, as they are not scattered as much.

The game clocks in at about 6-9 hours from beginning to end depending on how well your brain is working to solve all the puzzles and how much you stay and fight. This isn't that long for a first time through a survival horror especially a Silent Hill which take on average about 15-20 hours (Except for Silent Hill 3 which was easily the shortest in the series). The game has many unlockables and a few extra endings so it does have its share of replay value to keep the experience lively - some extras can only be obtained on a second playthrough.

I am slightly letdown with the story, considering this is called "Origins" I would've expected the game to explain in greater detail about how the town and it's monsters truly came to be. Yes we see Dahlia Gillespie and hear how bad she treated her daughter Alessa which could've caused the town to be formed but there is still some empty spaces not marked in. At times I felt like Konami had released this game as a filler point until Silent Hill V comes along.

Though it isn't perfect in all aspects, Silent Hill Origins is a good game overall. The sound and graphics alone are truly a site to behold and shows we are on the last legs of the PS2. There isn't much character development and story is wishy-washy, no doubt there are some really terrifying moments in this game and it will keep you glued to your TV set for the whole duration.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 Next 

Actions