noahtimesdos
absolutely without a doubt the worst mainline silent hill game. where homecoming's issues were easily quantifiable as the same types of issues as most notable "bad" games have, downpour's issues are absolutely fucking incomprehensible. every single decision from the core gameplay loop to the art direction to the main narrative is a baffling waterslide of nonsense that seemingly exists solely to subvert expectations on the established formula.
where homecoming fundamentally misunderstands what silent hill is in its attempts to emulate it, downpour seemingly DESPISES the series and only pulls from superficial nonsense in a supposed homage to the series. even areas in which homecoming, against all odds, excelled, like its soundtrack and occasional solid creature designs, downpour completely fucking falls short. this feels like a universal studios silent hill theme park ride, not a silent hill game. fucking horrendous. raising my rating of homecoming one point.
where homecoming fundamentally misunderstands what silent hill is in its attempts to emulate it, downpour seemingly DESPISES the series and only pulls from superficial nonsense in a supposed homage to the series. even areas in which homecoming, against all odds, excelled, like its soundtrack and occasional solid creature designs, downpour completely fucking falls short. this feels like a universal studios silent hill theme park ride, not a silent hill game. fucking horrendous. raising my rating of homecoming one point.
2018
This review contains spoilers
love can take a lot of different shapes and forms. it's interesting because love is a universally understood word yet it's meaning can be unclear depending on who you talk to. you don't just feel one type of love, you feel all sorts of types of love.
life is strange 1 focuses on a love between the truest friends you could possibly find, sometimes blossoming into something more real, more tangible. and it deals in all the heartbreak and pain that such a love can bring.
before the storm focuses on a lover's affection. two people, troubled in different ways, drawn together by the ebb and flow of the universe, and feeling this heart pounding, stomach churning, head dizzying adoration for one another, and having that love burn the whole place to the ground.
but life is strange 2 focuses on a much different kind of love, the bond between brothers. family tied together by something so much greater than the individuals, and not just the consequences and pitfalls of that love, but the power it gives you.
daniel discovers his power from loss of a loved one, sean discovers his inner strength and willpower from the desperation to keep a loved one safe, karen finally discovers who she truly is by throwing away her life to save a loved one. it bleeds in every part of the narrative. and yeah, that love causes sean and daniel to make some missteps and mistakes, fall apart at the seams, and maybe just hate each other a bit.
but it also inspires their courage, their independence, their worldview, their art. everything in the game stems from that one single thing, sean's devotion to daniel, and daniel's admiration for sean. there's something inherent to feeling this kind of love and being, not just a human being, but a living, breathing creature on this planet. it's a feeling created by nature itself, forged in the fires of creation, and no amount of bigotry or fear or whatever else could tear it down.
i think some things are handled a bit clunkily, i think the pacing is all over the place, the music is less prominent and less powerful than the last 2 games, and not everyone is bringing their A game voice performance wise, but this is undoubtedly a really great story being told with some absolutely stunning visuals, and definitely an experience i would recommend.
life is strange 1 focuses on a love between the truest friends you could possibly find, sometimes blossoming into something more real, more tangible. and it deals in all the heartbreak and pain that such a love can bring.
before the storm focuses on a lover's affection. two people, troubled in different ways, drawn together by the ebb and flow of the universe, and feeling this heart pounding, stomach churning, head dizzying adoration for one another, and having that love burn the whole place to the ground.
but life is strange 2 focuses on a much different kind of love, the bond between brothers. family tied together by something so much greater than the individuals, and not just the consequences and pitfalls of that love, but the power it gives you.
daniel discovers his power from loss of a loved one, sean discovers his inner strength and willpower from the desperation to keep a loved one safe, karen finally discovers who she truly is by throwing away her life to save a loved one. it bleeds in every part of the narrative. and yeah, that love causes sean and daniel to make some missteps and mistakes, fall apart at the seams, and maybe just hate each other a bit.
but it also inspires their courage, their independence, their worldview, their art. everything in the game stems from that one single thing, sean's devotion to daniel, and daniel's admiration for sean. there's something inherent to feeling this kind of love and being, not just a human being, but a living, breathing creature on this planet. it's a feeling created by nature itself, forged in the fires of creation, and no amount of bigotry or fear or whatever else could tear it down.
i think some things are handled a bit clunkily, i think the pacing is all over the place, the music is less prominent and less powerful than the last 2 games, and not everyone is bringing their A game voice performance wise, but this is undoubtedly a really great story being told with some absolutely stunning visuals, and definitely an experience i would recommend.
This review contains spoilers
my daniel became such a violent little murder man in this episode jeez louise
This review contains spoilers
you know what they say, if an episode starts with a cougar imploding and dying instantly its gotta end with a small child getting hit by a car going 80mph
2003
did a quick speedrun while i was drunk last night, 49m2s on the IGT, not my best run but pretty solid i think. i always notice something new about this game every playthrough, even when i'm speedrunning. great time had by all (me)
minecraft is mentioned a notably larger number than one time in this episode
get this kid in a room with max so they can talk about dinosaurs together (they have autism)
2020
This review contains spoilers
"i just want the world to know i was here, that i mattered."
it's imperfect. it's messy. the game doesn't run very well, the gameplay can feel hollow for the first few hours, crashes and bugs are frequent, the 8th generation versions can feel barebones in some places, and the crunch culture behind the scenes at CDPR is nothing short of unacceptable.
but i just can't find it in my heart to care about all that. cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most beautiful games i've ever played, maybe not graphically, but certainly in its soul. every character feels so realized and alive, every storybeat feels so creative and fascinating, every music track, bit of worldbuilding, visual design, just oozes with this insane creative vision that some very talented and tragically underpaid people put all of their love into.
2077 is a story about a lot of things, it's about anger, it's about fear, it's about being shoveled shit by the whole world and lashing out against it in fiery anguish. but that anguish exists as love, a passionate burning love, so hot it scorches the earth around it. more importantly than all of that, cyberpunk 2077 is about life itself. it's about life being preserved at all costs.
it's a story that tells you that in a world where everything and everyone is so devoid of soul and purpose, the greatest act of rebellion, the truest act of defiance, is to live. not just to fight to survive, but to pursue your dreams, to give everything you have for the ones you love, to put away petty selfish desires and focus on what's right, what's been right all along. live, god, in spite of everything, just fucking live. no matter what it costs, be a person, be a soul, be a life.
V's journey is so resonant to me, it's so beautiful and personal, and cherami leigh brings her to life in this beautiful and heartbreaking way. so much pain behind every word, so much hurt behind her voice, but she pushes all of that down to be what her jackie wanted for her and himself. to become a legend. to leave your mark on a city of heroes and villains. she ensures that he lives in her actions, and even though she can barely drag herself out of bed in the morning, she lives on. because if she doesn't, then he won't either.
here's to dreams. to love. to those lost along the way, and those who lost themselves. here's to life. here's to you, night city. may you burn in a love like fire.
"goodbye, V. and never stop fightin'."
it's imperfect. it's messy. the game doesn't run very well, the gameplay can feel hollow for the first few hours, crashes and bugs are frequent, the 8th generation versions can feel barebones in some places, and the crunch culture behind the scenes at CDPR is nothing short of unacceptable.
but i just can't find it in my heart to care about all that. cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most beautiful games i've ever played, maybe not graphically, but certainly in its soul. every character feels so realized and alive, every storybeat feels so creative and fascinating, every music track, bit of worldbuilding, visual design, just oozes with this insane creative vision that some very talented and tragically underpaid people put all of their love into.
2077 is a story about a lot of things, it's about anger, it's about fear, it's about being shoveled shit by the whole world and lashing out against it in fiery anguish. but that anguish exists as love, a passionate burning love, so hot it scorches the earth around it. more importantly than all of that, cyberpunk 2077 is about life itself. it's about life being preserved at all costs.
it's a story that tells you that in a world where everything and everyone is so devoid of soul and purpose, the greatest act of rebellion, the truest act of defiance, is to live. not just to fight to survive, but to pursue your dreams, to give everything you have for the ones you love, to put away petty selfish desires and focus on what's right, what's been right all along. live, god, in spite of everything, just fucking live. no matter what it costs, be a person, be a soul, be a life.
V's journey is so resonant to me, it's so beautiful and personal, and cherami leigh brings her to life in this beautiful and heartbreaking way. so much pain behind every word, so much hurt behind her voice, but she pushes all of that down to be what her jackie wanted for her and himself. to become a legend. to leave your mark on a city of heroes and villains. she ensures that he lives in her actions, and even though she can barely drag herself out of bed in the morning, she lives on. because if she doesn't, then he won't either.
here's to dreams. to love. to those lost along the way, and those who lost themselves. here's to life. here's to you, night city. may you burn in a love like fire.
"goodbye, V. and never stop fightin'."
This review contains spoilers
this one is definitely interesting. i'd like to read some analysis' of the story and hear what other people think about it, but I'm forming a few ideas in my head of the story being told here.
i think the game is maybe a little too blunt and disrespectful with some of its sexual content, and the characters are notably weaker than some other entries, but the story here is solid. music and sound design are great as usual, visually this is an absolutely drop dead gorgeous game, all the voice actors do a solid job, and the therapy sessions were a neat idea.
i really love how this is a game that seems to take a warped approach of retelling the first game. rather than the story taking place in a world born from alessa's mind, the story itself is a fictitious retelling from cheryl's mind. its a cool little swap.
another fun detail i noticed is that "Acceptance", which is the track that plays during the Good ending (in which Cheryl accepts Harry was a normal guy and dead the whole time) had a similar melody to "She", which plays in the Bad- ending from Silent Hill 1, in which Harry was dead the whole time. little musical parallel there hmmm?
yeah! good video game! wish climax got to make more of these!
i think the game is maybe a little too blunt and disrespectful with some of its sexual content, and the characters are notably weaker than some other entries, but the story here is solid. music and sound design are great as usual, visually this is an absolutely drop dead gorgeous game, all the voice actors do a solid job, and the therapy sessions were a neat idea.
i really love how this is a game that seems to take a warped approach of retelling the first game. rather than the story taking place in a world born from alessa's mind, the story itself is a fictitious retelling from cheryl's mind. its a cool little swap.
another fun detail i noticed is that "Acceptance", which is the track that plays during the Good ending (in which Cheryl accepts Harry was a normal guy and dead the whole time) had a similar melody to "She", which plays in the Bad- ending from Silent Hill 1, in which Harry was dead the whole time. little musical parallel there hmmm?
yeah! good video game! wish climax got to make more of these!
i don't even know where to start. on a basic level this game, while it is quite buggy, tells such a beautiful story with some gorgeous music and art direction, and the story it tells strengthens the original game so much. as a prequel this is everything you could possibly hope for. it meaningfully adds to the mythos of what came before it, vastly improves characterization for almost everybody, and explains away nagging issues that may have been in your head during the original story.
but what's more important to me is that while life is strange is a story about loss and living in the face of it, before the storm... isn't. it's a story about love. it's a story about so many different kinds of love. the good, and the bad, and the really bad. love doesn't just make your heart flutter and make your body lighter, love can also poison you and make you sick. love can make you hurt the ones you love under the foolish notion you're protecting them. love can drive you crazy, and you either inflict that craziness on yourself, or you inflict it on other people.
love can make you take hits you didn't think you could take, it could make you mature when you thought you were childish, it could make you do some really, really stupid shit just to make someone else happy. but more importantly, love can make you happy. love can free you, it can change you, it can save your life, it can save other lives.
the core of before the storm's love lies in rachel amber, a girl with so, so much love to give the world, in a world that refuses to see her love as anything but aloof recklessness. but chloe is isolated from this world, too. love has been violently ripped away from her more times than she can count, and the only love in her life is a love she views as wrong and evil. she has emptied her heart of love, until she meets rachel. then suddenly, without warning, all of this love comes flooding back into her life, the color returns to her face, the days seem a little brighter, she's just suddenly surrounded by it, and like a lost puppy, she falls hopelessly in love with the source
and it's reciprocated by rachel, who finally feels seen. she finally feels like somebody understands her and doesn't think she acts without reason or thought. finally somebody gets it, gets what it's like, and with chloe her love for the world deepens because she's experiencing a rage and fury like she's never felt before. a fire in her soul awoken turns to a fire inflicted on the world around her, a fire that lashes out and burns those who try to tame it, but a fire all her own, which is what she truly hopes for. a fire that chloe allows to envelop her in it's warm embrace, and one she intends to stoke for as long as she can.
finally, after this love is explored to it's breaking point, you are introduced to "farewell", the bonus episode that details the last time max and chloe spend together before the main game, and in a beautiful decision, "farewell" shows us this raging, unconditional love that max holds in her heart for chloe, the same love that rachel held, and the entire episode, every word out of max's mouth is in dedication to how chloe would feel, and this fear that she could hurt her. max isn't perfect and as we see she does fail as a friend, but that love is so real. and suddenly, all at once, that love is ripped away and replaced with loss. the theme of the prequel fades as the theme of the original story returns. it's genuinely perfect storytelling. it's beautiful. i just fucking, god i really love these characters. i love this game. all of this love in my heart.
and i am in such grief knowing these characters are about to exit my life. just as with the games, my love turns to loss. but exactly like the games, my loss will blossom back to love. i am super normal. i am sooo normal.
but what's more important to me is that while life is strange is a story about loss and living in the face of it, before the storm... isn't. it's a story about love. it's a story about so many different kinds of love. the good, and the bad, and the really bad. love doesn't just make your heart flutter and make your body lighter, love can also poison you and make you sick. love can make you hurt the ones you love under the foolish notion you're protecting them. love can drive you crazy, and you either inflict that craziness on yourself, or you inflict it on other people.
love can make you take hits you didn't think you could take, it could make you mature when you thought you were childish, it could make you do some really, really stupid shit just to make someone else happy. but more importantly, love can make you happy. love can free you, it can change you, it can save your life, it can save other lives.
the core of before the storm's love lies in rachel amber, a girl with so, so much love to give the world, in a world that refuses to see her love as anything but aloof recklessness. but chloe is isolated from this world, too. love has been violently ripped away from her more times than she can count, and the only love in her life is a love she views as wrong and evil. she has emptied her heart of love, until she meets rachel. then suddenly, without warning, all of this love comes flooding back into her life, the color returns to her face, the days seem a little brighter, she's just suddenly surrounded by it, and like a lost puppy, she falls hopelessly in love with the source
and it's reciprocated by rachel, who finally feels seen. she finally feels like somebody understands her and doesn't think she acts without reason or thought. finally somebody gets it, gets what it's like, and with chloe her love for the world deepens because she's experiencing a rage and fury like she's never felt before. a fire in her soul awoken turns to a fire inflicted on the world around her, a fire that lashes out and burns those who try to tame it, but a fire all her own, which is what she truly hopes for. a fire that chloe allows to envelop her in it's warm embrace, and one she intends to stoke for as long as she can.
finally, after this love is explored to it's breaking point, you are introduced to "farewell", the bonus episode that details the last time max and chloe spend together before the main game, and in a beautiful decision, "farewell" shows us this raging, unconditional love that max holds in her heart for chloe, the same love that rachel held, and the entire episode, every word out of max's mouth is in dedication to how chloe would feel, and this fear that she could hurt her. max isn't perfect and as we see she does fail as a friend, but that love is so real. and suddenly, all at once, that love is ripped away and replaced with loss. the theme of the prequel fades as the theme of the original story returns. it's genuinely perfect storytelling. it's beautiful. i just fucking, god i really love these characters. i love this game. all of this love in my heart.
and i am in such grief knowing these characters are about to exit my life. just as with the games, my love turns to loss. but exactly like the games, my loss will blossom back to love. i am super normal. i am sooo normal.
im so fucking heartbroken, man.
what a fucking dreadful game. ugly as sin, awful voice performances, worse technical performance than the fucking psp game with constant framedrops and glitches, music is good but is used so poorly it might as well not be there. story is completely incomprehensible dogshit that is just trying to rip off silent hill 2, half the creature designs are just stolen from the first 3 games and the other half are so bland and uninspired you'd think they were leftovers from an xbox live indies title.
it completely misunderstands the spirit and purpose of this series and isn't even remotely playable. evil terrible game. god will not have mercy on double helix.
it completely misunderstands the spirit and purpose of this series and isn't even remotely playable. evil terrible game. god will not have mercy on double helix.
2007
i definitely don't think origins is a "bad" game per say, just not a very good one either. you can really tell that this is the west's first stab at a silent hill game, what with the lack of subtlety, focus on combat, and most bizarre of all its insistence to "explain" all of the cool mysteries from the first game. at times it feels like a prequel to the silent hill movie rather than the game.
however, for a first attempt at a silent hill game, AND for being on a PSP? this game is honestly pretty solid. the music is fantastic as usual but what really elevates it this time around is its usage. much like silent hill 3, the music is tweaked from the standard franchise's sound to fit the specific aesthetic of this game. the soundtrack sounds more folksy and old school rock n roll which is a really cool choice for the specific story and vibe this game has.
i would say fits the game's protagonist, but travis doesn't really have anything going on as a character. his specific trauma is really fascinating and very different from the other series' protagonists, but what's done with that is very limited because the game is so focused on being a silent hill prequel, which is sadly it's biggest drawback.
the core gameplay loop is great and it controls well, it is a silent hill game after all. the creature designs are freaky and cool, it is a silent hill game. visually it's pretty strong (especially for a PSP game), just like the other 4 silent hill games. but the issue is that origins is kinda... just another silent hill game. i complained about SH4 pushing way too far with its changes to where it feels alienating, but at least SH4 feels like something new and interesting. this just feels like... hey! it's silent hill on the PSP! which is cool and all, but i'm looking for a nice sweet spot between a classic solid SH experience AND a huge shakeup to the formula.
so if narratively, you can't help but compare it to SH1, and gameplay wise, you can't help but compare it to SH1-3, and the protagonist doesn't even stand out, then what identity does this game even really have other than being the PSP silent hill? not very much to be honest with you. which cuts right into the core issue this game faces: it's kinda boring?
it's good! it's enjoyable! but after a while your eyes just kinda glaze over. it is just a bland, generic, basic silent hill game. i don't really see myself ever replaying this unless it's with a friend. sorry climax studios, at least your next effort is a lot stronger!
however, for a first attempt at a silent hill game, AND for being on a PSP? this game is honestly pretty solid. the music is fantastic as usual but what really elevates it this time around is its usage. much like silent hill 3, the music is tweaked from the standard franchise's sound to fit the specific aesthetic of this game. the soundtrack sounds more folksy and old school rock n roll which is a really cool choice for the specific story and vibe this game has.
i would say fits the game's protagonist, but travis doesn't really have anything going on as a character. his specific trauma is really fascinating and very different from the other series' protagonists, but what's done with that is very limited because the game is so focused on being a silent hill prequel, which is sadly it's biggest drawback.
the core gameplay loop is great and it controls well, it is a silent hill game after all. the creature designs are freaky and cool, it is a silent hill game. visually it's pretty strong (especially for a PSP game), just like the other 4 silent hill games. but the issue is that origins is kinda... just another silent hill game. i complained about SH4 pushing way too far with its changes to where it feels alienating, but at least SH4 feels like something new and interesting. this just feels like... hey! it's silent hill on the PSP! which is cool and all, but i'm looking for a nice sweet spot between a classic solid SH experience AND a huge shakeup to the formula.
so if narratively, you can't help but compare it to SH1, and gameplay wise, you can't help but compare it to SH1-3, and the protagonist doesn't even stand out, then what identity does this game even really have other than being the PSP silent hill? not very much to be honest with you. which cuts right into the core issue this game faces: it's kinda boring?
it's good! it's enjoyable! but after a while your eyes just kinda glaze over. it is just a bland, generic, basic silent hill game. i don't really see myself ever replaying this unless it's with a friend. sorry climax studios, at least your next effort is a lot stronger!
I really wish I could sing higher praises of this game, but unfortunately it is living deep within the shadow of the first 3 games. A lot of people will claim the Team SILENT quadrilogy has "purposefully bad gameplay and controls" to make things more tense, but those first 3 games do indeed have a really good and tight gameplay loop. Silent Hill 4 does not have that.
It is constantly throwing new shit at the wall non-stop until the game ends. New mechanics, new ideas, new enemies, and normally this would rock, but these things don't particularly mesh well in all honesty, especially not with this game's absolutely ridiculous new control scheme. In a game where the camera shifts SO MUCH I don't think anything BUT tank controls will work. I also don't think a Silent Hill game needs to have half of its runtime be a bad escort mission with the worst AI ever where the quality of your escorting ties into the game's ending.
Some positives, this is easily one of the best sounding games of its generation. Great music, great sound design, its solid. The story, while a little confusing and hard to follow at first, is really strong here. The inventory management actually adds a fun level of depth to these games that prior entries didn't have. The creature designs are absolutely killer. And before Eileen joins you the core gameplay loop is conceptually good.
But like I said, this game is sadly living in the shadow of 3 way way way better games. Wish I had more kindness to give it, but this was just frustrating for a lot of its runtime. BUT its still a Team SILENT game so it is of course better than 80% of games that released the same year as it. This game IS good, I just wish it were MORE good.
It is constantly throwing new shit at the wall non-stop until the game ends. New mechanics, new ideas, new enemies, and normally this would rock, but these things don't particularly mesh well in all honesty, especially not with this game's absolutely ridiculous new control scheme. In a game where the camera shifts SO MUCH I don't think anything BUT tank controls will work. I also don't think a Silent Hill game needs to have half of its runtime be a bad escort mission with the worst AI ever where the quality of your escorting ties into the game's ending.
Some positives, this is easily one of the best sounding games of its generation. Great music, great sound design, its solid. The story, while a little confusing and hard to follow at first, is really strong here. The inventory management actually adds a fun level of depth to these games that prior entries didn't have. The creature designs are absolutely killer. And before Eileen joins you the core gameplay loop is conceptually good.
But like I said, this game is sadly living in the shadow of 3 way way way better games. Wish I had more kindness to give it, but this was just frustrating for a lot of its runtime. BUT its still a Team SILENT game so it is of course better than 80% of games that released the same year as it. This game IS good, I just wish it were MORE good.
to whoever put the dark room post credits scene in this, just know that you ruined my day. i am miserable.