Developer – Double Helix Games
Publisher - Konami

Features

Players: 1
756KB to Save Game
HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p
In Game Dolby Digital

One of the games to catch my attention at this year’s E3 in LA was Konami’s Silent Hill: Homecoming. The debut trailer to the game was at their E3 press event and needless to say the game looked creepy and impressive. Following the press event we had a chance to go behind the scenes with Konami and get an exclusive hands-on look at the game. What I saw made the hairs on the back of my neck stand and it gave me that disturbing Silent Hill feeling all over again. After spending about 15 minutes with the game at E3, it was clear that it showed some serious promise and was shaping into a solid addition to the franchise. Fast forward a couple of months later and the sixth instalment in the Silent Hill series finally arrives on next-generation consoles. I was fortunate enough to review the Xbox 360 version of the game. After spending some time with Silent Hill: Homecoming it is clear fans of the franchise will be pleased. That being said, the game is far from perfect as it still has many areas where it can be vastly improved.

Graphics

Overall, Silent Hill: Homecoming is top notch in the graphics department. Granted you do not get Metal Gear Solid 4 or Gears of War-like detailed visuals however it does a wonderful job at creating a dark, disturbing, and creepy atmosphere. I found myself unsettled the majority of the time while playing and a big part of this unnerving feeling is due to the games visuals. Homecoming stays very true to other games in the franchise with its overall look including the real world and demonic world environments that previous game before it are well known for. Much of the game is dark, grey and foggy, which is a staple for the franchise. For instance, Shepherd’s Glen, where the majority of the story takes place, is a dark and dreary town where I found myself begging for more light. I just wanted that claustrophobic feeling to go away. The developers did a wonderful job creating freaky environments and an overall next-gen look which stays true to other games in the series.

On the flipside, the game’s characters look decent, however we have seen so much better at this juncture of the life of next generation consoles. Simply put, the characters are not as detailed as I would have liked. The main character, Alex, is dressed in some military vet garb, looks the part and moves very smoothly within the game. But if you put Alex side by side with Snake from Metal Gear Solid 4 and you will know exactly what I am getting at in terms of my disappointment. Konami has already showed us how high they can raise the bar with MGS4 and with this comparison in mind Homecoming doesn’t quite cut-it in the character animation department.

The creatures on the other hand look fantastic and more strangely messed up than ever. Silent Hill has always been renowned for its spooky creatures with limbs hanging out from all sides and Homecoming is no exception. The game does not feature as many creatures and zombie-like figures as the previous instalments however they still deliver in the ‘shock and awe’ department. Everyone from the demented nurses, the blood soaked demon dogs, to the Lurkers who inhabit the waters and jump out and scare bejeebers out of you; all the enemy characters provide lots of gore and look as demented as ever.

The games cut scenes are also well done telling a captivating story which makes much more sense and is easier to follow this time around. What I especially enjoyed was the transition from cut-scene to in-game play which is very smooth and not much is lost with respect to the visuals in the transition. On some occasions I did notice some lip-synching issues however these concerns really did not take much away from the gameplay.

One last area I would like to touch on is the bang-up job the developers did with the games textures, lighting and shadow effects. The way shadows grow larger and shrink as you walk past them is impressive. Additionally, the effect of the light hitting the fog and dispersing only a few feet away from you is also pretty darn cool. Your flashlight can be pretty weak at times and you wish the damn thing could illuminate certain rooms better. However the game does allow you to adjust your brightness which helps in some of those really dark locations. All-in-all, it is quite clear Homecoming is the best looking game in the franchise.

Sound

As with the visuals, the sound in Homecoming is very good and was certainly much better than expected. For starters the in-game music is terrific and Silent Hill fans will easily recognize Akira Yamaoka’s musical score. Granted it does become repetitive far too often but the music is perfectly suited for the game in a creepy melodic way. As you play you will find that it manages to ‘amp up’ as the action becomes more intense. I had no concerns with the soundtrack and felt it was one of the better horror game musical scores I have heard in some time. I am now very curious to see if EA’s Dead Space will be able to match Homecoming’s fantastic score.

The voice-over work found in the game is not that bad. That being said, it is not as compelling or believable as I would have liked, nor did I ever become emotionally attached or really care for the characters at any time. Nevertheless, the characters did speak clearly and did a decent in the dialogue department.

The in-game sound effects also lend to that unnerving feeling which rarely went away. I would be skulking around an old hospital or house where every little noise in the environment was amplified. The sounds of babies crying, dogs barking from a distance and footsteps from the attic are all great examples of how the game tries to freak you out with spooky sound effects. Even subtle things like bumping into a drawer would startle me and would pause the game for second as I collected myself. It does become a tad annoying after awhile as Alex can be fairly clumsy with all those empty bottles he ends up kicking around in the game. Nevertheless, the overall in-game sound effects should please any horror fan.

Gameplay

Alex Shepherd is an ex-military veteran recently discharged for unknown reasons. After having a horrific dream where he is searching for his brother in a ghoulish hospital, Alex arrives in his hometown of Shepherd's Glen. The town is not as he remembered. He quickly learns many people from the town have disappeared, buildings are abandoned and unruly creatures lurk in the fog. When he arrives home his mother is catatonic and his father has disappeared. On top of all this his brother, just as he feared, is missing and Alex is unable to make sense of anything. Searching for his brother and father, Alex embarks on a journey through hell to make sense of his life and discover the mystery behind his brother and father’s disappearance.

Silent Hill games have always freaked me out and Homecoming is no different. Much of the gameplay will be familiar to Silent Hill fans as there are plenty of dark hall ways to walk with deformed creatures leaping out from every which way. The difference this time around is two fold. First, I find there is much more action and combat in Homecoming. This is opposed to running away from creatures and searching for an endless stream of characters. Secondly, it appears that the story this time around seems to make more sense. I have always found Silent Hill games to be a tad confusing, symbolic and difficult to follow. This is not the case this time around.

Overall, I found the story to be a captivating one and quite enjoyed the games twists and turns. As mentioned this Silent Hill game makes much more sense this time around and I found myself able to understand what was going on every step of the way. At the same time the game hooked me as I desperately wanted to find out what happened to Alex’s family. There are times where Homecoming felt like it was dragging-on as many of the levels offer up puzzle-like sequences where you need to find a certain item in order to progress to the next area. Sometimes it felt like I was running through a maze searching for an exit or a certain item. Similar to past Silent Hill entries there is an abundance of exploration in the game where Alex explores the various buildings, graveyards and freaky houses. I played at a particularly slow pace as I really didn’t want to miss anything in the levels such as pictures, health drinks, weapons, etc.

New to the series is the ability to dictate the outcome of the game as you are met with certain points where you have to select a response when engaging in dialogue with other characters. The course of dialogue you choose affects the results of the game. I like the direction the developers took as it gave the game some added strategy. Without giving much away, I now question some of the choices I took considering the outcome of the game. Homecoming has several different endings which are based on the choices you make during the game.

As mentioned earlier, there is much more action this time around and a big part of that is the amount of combat your player engages in throughout the game. Alex is a military vet and the game seemingly takes that into account. The controls are simple and the game initially guides you through the use of light and heavy attacks. There is also a pop-up tutorial that teaches you how to perform combinations of the different attacks. It is very basic and does not take long to pick-up. In addition to basic attacks, Alex can dodge enemies, lock-on his target and perform counter-attacks. Silent Hill: Homecoming also features a variety of weapons ranging from pipes, pistols, rifles and shotguns. All firearms can be upgraded to stronger versions later in the game. There are two different difficulty levels in the game: normal and hard. Fighting monsters in the normal mode was somewhat of a breeze and not that much of a challenge. I would recommend experienced gamers play the game on hard for more of a challenge.

One of my major concerns with the game is the save system. Simply put, it is outdated and frustrating as hell for those who want to end their game whenever they want. There are no checkpoints or autosaves in Homecoming. Instead, there are glowing red symbols located throughout the game. Approach one and press the A button to activate the symbol which pulls up the save menu. Many are easy to find however others take some serious exploring. That is fine if you have all night to play the game but for those looking to shut down the game early, you will find yourself frantically wandering around searching for a save point.

Unfortunately, Silent Hill: Homecoming does not offer up any multiplayer component. It would have been interesting to see what they could have done with some online play. Even a co-op mode would have been cool. To be able to progress and spook the snot out of each other would have been highly entertaining.