Silent Hill : Origins

Well I finally picked up a copy of my favourite franchise. Ever since I found about it being ported over to the Ps2, I knew that I would have to get it to experience its fantastic gameplay (in which I expected because of the previous games). Anyway, it retains its level a creepiness to an extent. I love it! Personally, at first I thought it was a bit awkward. The game controls were a bit new, and slightly different than that of the other Playstation ones, but quickly I got a hang of it.

It utilises a new way of playing. In previous games you would only be allowed to enter "Nightmare Silent Hill" only via the means of a strange "siren" like sound. Now, you simply have to touch a mirror anywhere and you are automatically transported into the blood-filled, monster contained world. Although I must admit that this new way to get into the alternate world was strange, and kind of hard to get used to. Even as I approached the end of the game I still found it to be weird.

It introduces a new character by the name of Travis Grady. He's a truck driver and is on his way to Brahms for a quick stop. But he decides to cut through Silent Hill to save time, but finds himself pushing on the brakes as a young girl in a blue outfit walking out in front of his semi. He gets out of the truck and decides to follow the little girl through the weaving roads, and eventually finds a house amongst the fog. The house is on fire, and you hear a scream come from within it. So, the game starts with that, you enter the house and... Well, if you want to know PICK UP THE GAME!

Overall I'd give this one a 8/10. Sure it was a good game, it even brought back Pyramid Head. I have to admit though it was too easy. Strategy Guides and walkthroughs online labeled most of the bosses as "difficult", and for that reason I found myself saving a total of 15 times. The bosses were actually relatively easy. Even the final boss was a cinch, although I thought I was going to die because of the lack of ammo, but because this game allows you to use your fists (different than the others) you can attack when you are completely out of ammunition. It was also too short, when compared to the other Silent Hills. I wasn't dissapointed though. It still retains some of the same flavour as the other Silent Hill games. The puzzles were just as complicated, but they gave more hints on how to complete them. The game brings you to some new areas like a Theatre, a Sanitarium, and a Motel. But it brings back old places like the Achimilla Hospital.

I look forward to playing it again and again just to unlock everything that it has. One thing I don't get it as that it doesn't let you choose a difficulty. I would've looked forward to playing through it again on the Extreme Modes like Silent Hill 3. Hopefully though it does let you choose Hard, because when I think about it, the game was pretty easy.