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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.

some pretty killer filler

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: April 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

When it comes to the Silent Hill franchise, I'm a pretty dedicated fanboy. I could probably dedicate several chapters worth of pages to each and every one of the installments, from the masterpieces to the mediocre. In the name of dignity, however, I'll keep my opinion on Origins, like the game itself, fairly brief. And the brief here is that Origins doesn't quite capture the same charm as any of the straight-to-console releases; it does, however, maintain the trademark feel and standards of the franchise, and it even adds a couple cool new things to the mix, making it a completely worthy addition to what is hands down the best survival horror series around.

Probably the most important challenge facing the developers behind Origins was the necessity to prove to fans that they could harness the very distinct feel created and maintained by Team Silent, the original group, throughout the four previous titles. It couldn't have been an easy task. One of the things that makes these games so successful is the incredible atmosphere. The horror found in Silent Hill is often psychological and always enigmatic, and there's a really deeply disturbing sense of pathos that elevates the terror from strictly visceral to a very emotional level. The original composer was on board, so the famously spooky music and audio effects were there to help bolster the effect, but the rest was up to the new guys. Well, they delivered. Origins feels absolutely genuine; the foggy streets, the shambling, crippled monsters, the radio, the peeling paint and the layers of rust and blood - every motif within the series is reproduced with meticulous care, and it just feels right. The gameplay is still the same, with the one addition of breakable weapons (a potential inconveniance offset by the sheer abundance of weapons lying around). This, then, might be Origins greatest accomplishment in relation the series as a whole - proving that an American team can take the creative child of a very tight, very Japanese team and do it justice by finding its roots, all of which bodes well for the upcoming Shiny-developed PS3 release of Silent Hill 5.

Of course, there can't be enough said for innovation, and Origins' incredible conformity to the series formula has the aforementioned downside of robbing it of that certain individual charm that holds up the other titles, even the controversial black sheep entry SH4. For the most part it plays as a great homage to the other games. It even attempts to cover the two overarching themes that have up til now mostly been handled seperatly - that is, the malevolent cult that resides within the town and its mythology (SH1 and SH3), and the physical manifestion of personal torment (SH2 and SH4). These two themes have done a good job of keeping the town itself suitably mysterious by begging the question whether the forces behind Silent Hill are driven by the demons worshipped by the cult or a more vague force that projects the subconcious of its victim into its twisted Otherworld. In trying to work both sides, however, Origins becomes somewhat muddied and the benfits of both themes are diminished. The focus on the protagonists dark past seem to be the intended focal point, but it comes off a a little bit of an afterthought. This point is perfectly illustrated by the Butcher, Travis's own version of Pyramid Head, who in Silent Hill 2 was meant to be a reflection of a particularly dark element of our hero's psyche. The developers attempt to recreate this with the Butcher, but the monster unfortunately lacks the development and plot integration of Pyramid Head and ends up looking like a weak imitation. Likewise, the cult aspects we're shown, which lead directly to the occurences of SH1, are extremely shallow.

On that note don't be fooled by the title: Origins is a prequel to the storyline covered in SH1 and SH3, nothing more. It doesn't attempt to explain the origins of the actual evil residing in Silent Hill, which is probably a good thing. The mystery is part of what keeps the town frightening. Plus, I think if any installment were to take a whack at a real origins story, a PSP title wouldn't be the one to do it. The scope is necessarily too limited to tackle such an important issue.

What Origins lacks, then, in forward momentum, it gains in a few nice additions to gameplay. The most noteable of these is the fact that, unlike all previous installments, the player has control over when the foggy world will switch to the nightmarish Otherworld. This is achieved by travelling through mirrors which display a reflection of the parallel world, which is a pretty savvy callback to Travis's story and one example of the psychological themes being handled effectivly. I wouldn't want to see this in any of the future titles, mind you, as nothing quite compares to being suddenly thrown unknowingly into a nightmare realm from which there's no short escape, but it does add a whole new element to the horror in Origins; the really ominous necessity to willingly throw yourself into Hell's open jaws. In fact, while playing the game I really tried to do everything I could to stay in the foggy realm as long as possible and make my stay in the Otherworld very brief. My really visceral reaction to having to enter the Otherworld really surprised me as to how good the game is at creating genuine fear.

Another gift Origins gives to the series is the addition of probably one of the very best environments in the whole series - the theatre. One thing that tends to plague the other games is typical of all survival horror, and that's very linear environments. Halls upon halls, all boasting rows and rows of locked doors, can get tired really fast. The theatre really avoids this problem and its wonderful for it. One part in particular, which involves a puzzle utilizing stage props from the foggy realm transformed into real locales in the Otherworld, is brilliant and probably the highlight of the entire game. Even the enemies here are great - dummies that at first seem innocently inanimate that eventually come alive to attack Travis by crawling along the ceiling - very creepy.

All in all Origins is a pretty small addition to the Silent Hill franchise, but a worthy addition nonetheless. It maintains the core qualities of the series while adding a few cool new things of its own. And while its additions to the cult storyline aren't really substantial or even essential, they do feel very organic and real, which is pretty impressive. If you're new to the series, definitely start with one of the other games - as I said, Origins' beautiful imitation cripples it from attaining the same immersive charm - but if you're already a fan, what are you waiting for? Get this!

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.

Silent Hill Origins (Zero)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have played all the Silent Hill games. Each one is unique, but still has the atmosphere that only Silent Hill can provide. Silent Hill Origins is no different, only this time we get to see how the whole thing started.

As is the case with all of the Silent Hill games there is a variety of weapons, and some new twists. Now you can throw an item to stun or knock down an enemy. Also, there are reaction commands. If a particular monster grabs hold of you, you are required to hit a button to block its attack. This adds to the intensity of the game.

Multiple endings... bonus items for completing the game with various stats... solving puzzles (this time not so difficult as the other games)... finding your way through both the real world and the "nightmarish" Other World to discover how Silent Hill came under Allesa Gillespie's spell... All the standard stuff is here.

The game is the shortest of them all so far but the quality makes up for that, in my opinion. I have done everything in the game, playing it through six times to get every possible bonus, and I find that it is my favorite game in the series - right up there with the second game.

And if you enjoyed the second game of the series, play Silent Hill Origins through twice for a special surprise!

All in all, this feels, looks, sounds, and plays like the other Silent Hill games. If you are new to the series, this is a great place to start.

One of the better installments of the Silent Hill series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

SH: Origins contains one of the more compelling plots of the SH series. I've enjoyed playing it - the enemies are reminiscent of SH:2, and Travis' character is a little deeper than SH:4 (whatever that guy's name was). This one starts with a bang (and one of those cheesy SH-original songs)- I won't give away details, but you're going to find yourself weighing heavily into the original SH plot involving the Gillespies. It slows down during the first two levels, however the plot really picks up again when we start to learn of Travis' own troubled past (and it is pretty damn troubled!).

The combat is much more satisfying than the last installment - there is a plethora of melee weapons at your disposal, but the guns are quite effective. I did find lots of ammo throughout, so don't expect to be using much melee throughout the course of the game, unless that's your style.

The otherworld/mirror feature can be really neat - it certainly makes a sense of space very prominent in this game. However, at times this feature can make the puzzles seem twice as long, especially when they are less than obvious - running between worlds can get frustrating, and there was more than one time that I felt like putting down the game out of frustration (the Sanitarium is easily the weakest part of the game).

Again, the monsters are top notch. No more "ghosts" flying around. Their humanoid appearance is sickening, and its really satisfying to smash their heads in.

All in all, I'd give it 4 stars. Its definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of the series. If you aren't, you probably won't enjoy it as much. Otherwise, prepare to delve back into the horror of Silent Hill!

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.

A great addition to the Silent Hill series!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is an absolute must for any Silent Hill fan as it sheds so much more light on the events surrounding SH. I also have this for the PSP, but for me it was much more enjoyable on a tv. The only thing I can honestly complain about is the "disposable weapons" and how quickly they fall apart, and i'm still not a huge fan of the "charge system" either. Easily looking past that, it has great camera angles, a huge variety of weapons, new monsters, excellent soundtrack (Akira Yamaoka and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, it doesn't get any better than that), that great tension - it's all there for me.

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.

Excellent Title in the Series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm not going to harp or banter on anything anyone else has said. I really enjoyed Silent Hill Origins. Yeah, the camera was kid of annoying, but after about an hour of playing, I got used to it and never thought of it again. I found this game the most difficult because of the fact that most weapons can break, which makes it more challenging. Also, there are fewer health items than normal, and ammo is scarce as well.

I thought the back story was great and helped answer questions many had after playing the original Silent Hill. The bosses were challenging, especially the last two major ones. Monsters are all over the place, with there being some of the biggest monsters to appear in Silent Hill games yet, some almost the width of a street! I'm glad they kept the traditional UFO ending there, as well as there being other endings, plus objectives one can clear in the game that were also in Silent Hill 3.

The music was amazing. Akira Yamaoka's music gets better and better as each game is released. The vocal tracks from Mary Elizabeth McGlynn were top-notch, some of the best vocal tracks yet from her.

In summery, don't take your impression of a game based solely on the negatives. Yeah, the game was short, taking me five hours the first time through, but the game came initially from a console system. Second, the camera is annoying at first, but you get used to it. Third, broken weapons, as well as the use of your fists, makes the game more difficult because you can't rely on the same weapon as you could have in earlier games. Give this one a try. I'm sure you will enjoy it for what it has added to the world of Silent Hill. Can't wait for Silent Hill V.

FOR SH HARD CORE FANS !!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I LOVE SH games, this one is a GREAT GAME !!! Yes true few thing could have been done better, but overall it is still what SH is all about, HORROR !!! I can't wait for more of SH games to come out in the near future, this just has awaken my appetite. Any SH fan will enjoy this game, it takes you back to the first SH for PSone with those awful graphics, but the origin's graphics are very nice, & the landscape was kept very original, it almost makes me fill like I am playing a new version of the fist SH game, but upgraded.
Thank you

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