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Happy 19th Birthday Silent Hill! Masahiro Ito shares some non-PS1 Midwich School Environments
- Thread starter Dusk Golem
- Start date
Silent Hill's real good.
One of the first things that comes to mind for me was how much the FMV characters were designed to be pretty inelegant, which was a departure from things like final fantasy FMVs or endings in Tekken or Resident Evil on my playstation: Harry looks disheveled and tired, Dahlia looks insane, both her and Lisa show tics in their character. Very ugly stuff (in a good way!).
One of the first things that comes to mind for me was how much the FMV characters were designed to be pretty inelegant, which was a departure from things like final fantasy FMVs or endings in Tekken or Resident Evil on my playstation: Harry looks disheveled and tired, Dahlia looks insane, both her and Lisa show tics in their character. Very ugly stuff (in a good way!).
Absolutely! One played on the psychological aspect, making your mind wander, raising your anxiety levels sucking you into the world.
The other more B-rated horror movie, with the 'jump scares' but not any psychological thrills.
Both great games, but both very different approaches to the 'survival horror' theme.
It is like Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm Street vs. Hellraiser/Jacob's Ladder.
Its a shame I never got into this series. I've only played the one on the Wii, Shattered Memories and it was terrifying. Are there some legit ways to play them right now?
There was nothing quite like it. My first time playing this was amazing.
The atmosphere, the weirdness, the alley andGAAA WHAT ARE THOSE? HOW CAN I FIGHT? OH SHIT GOTTA RU... Oh *dead* WTF?!
Oh.
OOOOOOOoooooooh I love this game.
The atmosphere, the weirdness, the alley andGAAA WHAT ARE THOSE? HOW CAN I FIGHT? OH SHIT GOTTA RU... Oh *dead* WTF?!
Oh.
OOOOOOOoooooooh I love this game.
Got around to watching this video. It's really cool have many references they managed to litter through the entire game.
I was playing SH3 over the weekend, and there are so many similar posters and references in the environment. I wish someone did a similar analysis of SH3.
I'd love a long video detailing all the easter eggs.
Also, this is mostly just a coincidence in terms of P.T., as many of those involved in SH1-4 simply were not affiliated with the teaser (although much of the team was sucked into Kojima Productions during MGS4 and subsequent releases)
You know, if you think about it, had Silent Hills not been cancelled, it would totally make a 20th anniversary release date next year.
That is so awesome! I always heard it was a photo of some town from Japan, but it's from England of all places! Sweet!
There have been some great things in this thread. Ahhh the nostalgia. I remember first seeing some screenshots of this game in a magazine, and I knew I would have to pick it up when it came out as a Resident Evil fan.
Nothing compares to the feeling I got during that opening sequence. Genuine fear. I still think back about how hard my heart was racing that first time playing. Probably my favorite moment in any game.
Nothing compares to the feeling I got during that opening sequence. Genuine fear. I still think back about how hard my heart was racing that first time playing. Probably my favorite moment in any game.
I'll never forget my first contact with this game.
It was through a rental and I never heard anything about it.
When I saw the cd case in the shelf it was just a map of the city with the name "Silent Hill" imprinted on it. I thought it was a simcity clone or whatever.
When I put that motherfucker on my playstation for the first time and I "died" on that very first corridor of the game... boy, oh boy.
I wasn't just scared shitless, I completely fell in love with the series.
I have so many great memories with silent hill 1, 2 and 3...
It was through a rental and I never heard anything about it.
When I saw the cd case in the shelf it was just a map of the city with the name "Silent Hill" imprinted on it. I thought it was a simcity clone or whatever.
When I put that motherfucker on my playstation for the first time and I "died" on that very first corridor of the game... boy, oh boy.
I wasn't just scared shitless, I completely fell in love with the series.
I have so many great memories with silent hill 1, 2 and 3...
Tried to play SH1 a couple times back when I was a kid, maybe 8-9 years old. I could already play through the PS1 REs with no problems whatsoever. Every time I got to Midwich I couldn't play anymore. The atmosphere there was just unlike anything else I'd ever experienced, despite already loving horror across multiple mediums. The fog effect using to hide the draw distance in the previous section of town was creepy but entirely manageable. The absolutely darkness used in the same way on the street leading up to the school just cranks the game into overdrive, and once you step into the school, it steadily ramps up in sheer terror until you complete the area. Walking through a door, hearing radio static, and peering into the void across from you, knowing a monster stands beyond it is a feeling I've never experienced since in games (From footage I've seen of Hell Night, it seems to be the only game that comes even close to this). It wasn't until several years later, after playing through SH2 and 3 that I could go back to it and get past Midwich. SH3 must've been like ripping off a band-aid, as I still hold that to be the scariest entry in the series, besides some really freaky scenes in The Room.
SH1-3 are all masterworks, and should really be used more as instruction in how to create atmosphere in horror games, let alone other aspects they excel at like SH2's story. Maybe we'll see a resurgence of truly oppressive horror titles eventually, but it seems to be a ways off for now. The abyss section of SOMA had it going for a short while, and made me hungry for more. That, combined with Frictional's track record, makes me quite excited for their next horror entry.
SH1-3 are all masterworks, and should really be used more as instruction in how to create atmosphere in horror games, let alone other aspects they excel at like SH2's story. Maybe we'll see a resurgence of truly oppressive horror titles eventually, but it seems to be a ways off for now. The abyss section of SOMA had it going for a short while, and made me hungry for more. That, combined with Frictional's track record, makes me quite excited for their next horror entry.
That's ridiculous. Lots of people liked 4 and homecoming. You could have stopped at 3 on your own,
not exactly related to SH1, but I think this would be interesting to SH fans:
hmm A new red pryiamd head sculpt ? i wasnt a Fan of the first Version being that he may have been based off the film ? tho i did pick up the SH3 figure for a Price Recently
anything else they are working on ?
I don't know, I personally think the 4th floor button appearing out of nowhere in the hospital elevator is a pretty memorable moment. It gets even better if you know what the number 4 represents in Japan.
I thought of the elevator 4th floor moments after posting. You're absolutely right (what does the number 4 represent?)
In Japanese, "four" is pronounced as "shi", which also means death. You see, in Japan, hospitals don't have a fourth floor because it's believed to be a bad omen to have a "death" floor. Even if they have more than three floors, they skip the number 4 and go straight to 5.
Wow, that would definitely make the moment more impactful if I'd known!
Played through the original Silent Hill in one sitting with a buddy on the day of release. What an epic horror adventure and still arguably my favorite game of all time. Played the demo that came with MGS1 some many months before (which included a more sinister although repetive baby monster) and we finished all the various endings for the full game. A landmark title.
Toyama directing this as a 19-20year old person is pretty remarkable.
Toyama directing this as a 19-20year old person is pretty remarkable.
Silent Hill Origins and Homecoming were developed by Brits and Downpour was developed in the Czech Republic. There has yet to be an American-developed mainline Silent Hill game.
It seems like book of memories was the only one made by americans.
I don't know. That's only one thing what they announced so far.
hmm are Gecoo doing much these days ?
you are all forgetting shattered memories ? still these studios do have US branch's ...
Happy birthday Silent Hill, may we someday be fortuitous enough for a team with a similar vision and drive to be put together
Silent Hill 1 is still the scariest game I have ever played. RE is fun and makes me jump but SH scared me to my core. I will never forget that intro, as it went darker and darker, more bloody every step of the way to the end when you see the corpse and demon children stab you to death. Holy shit, I was freaked out.
So many memorable moments. The first time you go to the school basement and hear those horrible noises. When you reemerge and you are now in the hell version of the school, I was dying with every step. The hospital getting a mysterious 4th floor. The damn sewers from hell. Also much praise needs to be given to the puzzles and the way this game handled endings, it created a great sense of mystery and replayability.
The first game is still the best one. SH2 was a huge let down to for me, I found it very boring and the lack of hell version of SH made the entire game dull. SH3 was a nice bounce back but nothing can match the first go into SH.
So many memorable moments. The first time you go to the school basement and hear those horrible noises. When you reemerge and you are now in the hell version of the school, I was dying with every step. The hospital getting a mysterious 4th floor. The damn sewers from hell. Also much praise needs to be given to the puzzles and the way this game handled endings, it created a great sense of mystery and replayability.
The first game is still the best one. SH2 was a huge let down to for me, I found it very boring and the lack of hell version of SH made the entire game dull. SH3 was a nice bounce back but nothing can match the first go into SH.
Late to the party, but I will say that I VIVIDLY remember my first experience with Silent Hill.
My local game rental store had a copy of Silent Hill 1. I had already beasted games like Resident Evil 1 and 3, Parasite Eve, Dino Crisis, and Clock Tower. I thought I "knew" survival horror games at this point, so I was eager to try a new one.
The very first second was promising.
The opening FMV grabbed me instantly. Akira Yamaoka's music is permanently lodged in my brain. The tone is set, and apart from being impressed by the FMV quality, the game's atmosphere is keenly unlike any survival horror game I've played thus far.
Then the game begins proper. Harry wakes up, surrounded by fog. Now, I had grown to detest fog as a graphical limitation in games like Turok and Nightmare Creatures, so I immediately felt this was just a limitation of the PS1.
But I soon started getting that claustrophobic feeling as my surroundings were obscured and I realized much of the fog was used intentionally. At any rate, I move forward and see Cheryl and begin to give chase. At this point, I fully believed most of the game was going to take place in the streets, in the gray fog. I start forward down the alleyway, past the fence with the "beware of dog" sign. "Great," I say, "zombie dogs, like Resident Evil. How original."
And then...
Geez. Okay, nothing has attacked me, and that dog is clearly not coming back. Some shocking gore and violence at the start, nothing out of the ordinary. I continue...
A siren blares in the distance. The gray fog fades, shrouding the alley in a thick, permeating darkness barely illuminated by Harry's road flare. I creep forward...
Things seem "off". The noises are unsettling. I hear clanging and pounding metal. The siren still blaring, the music starting to grow in intensity...
Soon, I start coming across bodies, drenched in blood, rusty metal fencing and grates, demonic howls filling the air. I'm still chasing after my little girl, but the whole world seems to be shifting out of reality into a horrific nightmare. I move down the maze-like passageway, which defies logic and sense, until...
Flayed bodies skewered with razor wire, maggots crawling across the floor, rain pouring down from a blackened sky over red metal and dripping meat... and then they come for me.
Dozens of them, slashing madly at me. I'm defenseless, no weapon or gun to fend them off. I panic and run, retracing my steps to the exit only to discover the way back is now blocked. "There has to be another way out!" I tell myself, frantically heading back down the alley as the malformed creatures lunge at me. There isn't. I'm soon overwhelmed, trapped in a corner, as they wash over me and kill me. "Well THAT was a quick game over..." I say to myself.
And then Harry wakes up.
I'm in a diner. Things seem normal-ish. The town is still empty, but Officer Cybil introduces herself and says she's stranded here too and that something strange is going on. I'm still trying to figure out if it was ALL a dream or what as she departs, handing me a gun that makes me feel empowered (for a brief moment). She takes her leave to help me locate my daughter. I take a breath. Okay, the game is going to obviously have more monsters, but I have a gun now, and for the moment I'm safe in this foggy version of the town, INDOORS, where it's safe and sound and...
Huh? Radio. What's going on with that radio? I'd better just...
... And at that moment, I became a Silent Hill fan for life.
My local game rental store had a copy of Silent Hill 1. I had already beasted games like Resident Evil 1 and 3, Parasite Eve, Dino Crisis, and Clock Tower. I thought I "knew" survival horror games at this point, so I was eager to try a new one.
The very first second was promising.
The opening FMV grabbed me instantly. Akira Yamaoka's music is permanently lodged in my brain. The tone is set, and apart from being impressed by the FMV quality, the game's atmosphere is keenly unlike any survival horror game I've played thus far.
Then the game begins proper. Harry wakes up, surrounded by fog. Now, I had grown to detest fog as a graphical limitation in games like Turok and Nightmare Creatures, so I immediately felt this was just a limitation of the PS1.
But I soon started getting that claustrophobic feeling as my surroundings were obscured and I realized much of the fog was used intentionally. At any rate, I move forward and see Cheryl and begin to give chase. At this point, I fully believed most of the game was going to take place in the streets, in the gray fog. I start forward down the alleyway, past the fence with the "beware of dog" sign. "Great," I say, "zombie dogs, like Resident Evil. How original."
And then...
Geez. Okay, nothing has attacked me, and that dog is clearly not coming back. Some shocking gore and violence at the start, nothing out of the ordinary. I continue...
A siren blares in the distance. The gray fog fades, shrouding the alley in a thick, permeating darkness barely illuminated by Harry's road flare. I creep forward...
Things seem "off". The noises are unsettling. I hear clanging and pounding metal. The siren still blaring, the music starting to grow in intensity...
Soon, I start coming across bodies, drenched in blood, rusty metal fencing and grates, demonic howls filling the air. I'm still chasing after my little girl, but the whole world seems to be shifting out of reality into a horrific nightmare. I move down the maze-like passageway, which defies logic and sense, until...
Flayed bodies skewered with razor wire, maggots crawling across the floor, rain pouring down from a blackened sky over red metal and dripping meat... and then they come for me.
Dozens of them, slashing madly at me. I'm defenseless, no weapon or gun to fend them off. I panic and run, retracing my steps to the exit only to discover the way back is now blocked. "There has to be another way out!" I tell myself, frantically heading back down the alley as the malformed creatures lunge at me. There isn't. I'm soon overwhelmed, trapped in a corner, as they wash over me and kill me. "Well THAT was a quick game over..." I say to myself.
And then Harry wakes up.
I'm in a diner. Things seem normal-ish. The town is still empty, but Officer Cybil introduces herself and says she's stranded here too and that something strange is going on. I'm still trying to figure out if it was ALL a dream or what as she departs, handing me a gun that makes me feel empowered (for a brief moment). She takes her leave to help me locate my daughter. I take a breath. Okay, the game is going to obviously have more monsters, but I have a gun now, and for the moment I'm safe in this foggy version of the town, INDOORS, where it's safe and sound and...
Huh? Radio. What's going on with that radio? I'd better just...
... And at that moment, I became a Silent Hill fan for life.
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I know Silent Hill 1 extremely well but I still find it terrifying. I've given up so many replays while in the school, I have to be in the right state of mind or be with someone else otherwise I find it too stressful.
Homecoming was made by Americans. Double Helix or the Collective as they were called back then are US-based in Orange Country.
Climax UK made Origins (picking up the pieces from the US branch of Climax) and also Shattered Memories.
Homecoming was made by Double Helix, an American studio based in California. And Origins started development at Climax's US based studio before being switched over to their UK one.
