The Negatives of Silent Hill Homecoming

[Meltdown]

I just really think that homecoming is the WORST SH game ever.
the story, the gameplay, the atmophere. everything is just bad. sometimes it even reminds me of Hostel
(You know, with the torture chamber thing)
Also that the game really is a lot like the movie, you know, with all the mining shit.
The only good thing is that Akira Yamaoka is still making the soundtrack.
I really miss being scared from playing Silent Hill :'(
The thing is: It's all gone wrong ever since american developers have starting making the games.
TEAM SILENT WE NEED YOU BACK!

Frankly, I think Team Silent's work on the Silent Hill franchise has been becoming consistently worse since the original installments. I mean, come on, they even pretty much admitted they might as well not do any more damage to the series by pawning off the SH legacy to other developers. Although I like all the Silent Hill installments, I think SH4 was the most lackluster in comparison to the originals, Origins, and Homecoming. Team Silent could have kept going, but they didn't.

Honestly I haven't really been scared of any of the games since SH1.

[WebZombie]

I really miss being scared from playing Silent Hill :'(
The thing is: It's all gone wrong ever since american developers have starting making the games.
TEAM SILENT WE NEED YOU BACK!

I'm sorry but I am so sick of people blaming the American developers for the 'downfall' of the series. It seems most people hate the American produced games simply because they're not done by Team Silent. Some people do dislike the games because they find them dull, unscary or whatever but I haven't found a Silent Hill game overly scary since SH2. SH3 and 4 had their moments but they weren't terrifying. I think people expect every SH game to match that of SH2 which isn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon.

Also that the game really is a lot like the movie, you know, with all the mining shit.

I don't have a problem with people hating Homecoming but the reasons often given for the hate are stupid. Taking aspects from the movie isn't a good reason to hate an entire game, it may be one aspect of dislike but to assume it's the downfall of a game is silly. The only things similar to the movie were the otherworld transitions and the mining town backstory. Not really a big deal. I have to agree with Meltdown, SH hasn't been scary in a long time. All games have their moments but the only games I personally still find scary are SH1 and 2. SH4 was the beginning of the decline for Team Silent and I think if they had carried it on they would have run out of ideas and the games would have become worse and worse. The new creators may have vastly different approaches to the series but I think they're still passionate adout what they do whereas I think Team Silent were starting to lose interest by SH4.

[tokyocowboy]

i think the game was to much like the movie for my liking. the way paint falls upward, the locations, the enemies and even part of the storyline. i think the americans watched the film instead of playing the series before idea time.

[Meltdown]

i think the game was to much like the movie for my liking. the way paint falls upward, the locations, the enemies and even part of the storyline. i think the americans watched the film instead of playing the series before idea time.

Maybe that is why I like both Homecoming and the movie. I watched the movie first, then played SH1.

[WebZombie]

i think the game was to much like the movie for my liking. the way paint falls upward, the locations, the enemies and even part of the storyline. i think the americans watched the film instead of playing the series before idea time.

I dunno, I thought it was much more entertaining watching the paint fall rather than having a character faint and wake up every time there was an otherworld shift. I wouldn't say the locations are similar, Rose never visits a hospital or a cemetery or a prison. The only location I found similar was the hotel.

[starscream]

Finally got my hands on a copy (thanks to my Wife) after all this time

The only negatives I found popped up in Origins as well:

The lack of memorable ambient music

Both Silent Hill 2 & 3 had very memorable ambient tracks that were unreleased but I found Homecoming to be very quiet in terms of backgound music. For me, the BGM in 1, 2 & 3 really helped set up the very disturbing atmosphere but the atmosphere in Homecoming suffered as a result of the less disturbing music, very dissappointing .


The heavy reliance on the film

STOP IT NOW!!! The transition to the otherworld was actually quite good (even if the sirens sounded stupid). But as soon as I saw the Order guys in boiler suits run in, my 360 pad hit the floor in disgust . And STOP USING PYRAMID HEAD!!! He belongs to James and SH2.

[tokyocowboy]

i think we all agree that the reliance on the movies was a major flaw in this game butoverall i think it was a good games and i really enjoyed it. thats suprised me most!

[Sunchaser]

I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first 3 Silent Hill games. Something was lost, but something was back.

[Rapid Vengeance]

only thing i didnt like was the ammo shortage plus only being able to hold a certain ammount of ammo its like there trying to make the game more scary by lack of items and ammo

[HenryTownshend]

Homecoming doesn't really likes me, for various reasons and although I get quite critical to respect, I'll tell the points that bother me.

1º The graphs are'nt to the height of a SH of third generation, they are hardly of a second generation, because they can't be compared in anything with the graphs of SH3.

2º The game lacks of symbolism, not about the history, in comparison with SH4 that we're not directly in SH, contribute more to the saga with information than Homecoming, considering that in this game we return to the town.

3º Thousands of things were copied directly from the film to fill in their lack of creativity. From SH saga they were inspired to make a movie, but from the movie they were "inspired" to make new a game?

4º When I played with Alex, I felt that I was touring Sheperd's Glen with León from RE4 (the one with physical skills). Since when in a game of SH is necessary to put the X when we come closer to a door, don't we'll do it anyway?. And the other commands that were obviously copied from the same game.

5º The music itself lacks of inspiration, but I don't blame Yamaoka, I know that among the reasons that he's not with Team SH anymore and this SH game inspires little confidence as SH, at the end, Akira must be tired of many years of dedication to the music in the game. But I guess it's like that, who knows.


Sorry if I exaggerated, but that's what the game left me.

[princessheart93]

Homecoming doesn't really likes me, for various reasons and although I get quite critical to respect, I'll tell the points that bother me.

1º The graphs are'nt to the height of a SH of third generation, they are hardly of a second generation, because they can't be compared in anything with the graphs of SH3.

2º The game lacks of symbolism, not about the history, in comparison with SH4 that we're not directly in SH, contribute more to the saga with information than Homecoming, considering that in this game we return to the town.

3º Thousands of things were copied directly from the film to fill in their lack of creativity. From SH saga they were inspired to make a movie, but from the movie they were "inspired" to make new a game?

4º When I played with Alex, I felt that I was touring Sheperd's Glen with León from RE4 (the one with physical skills). Since when in a game of SH is necessary to put the X when we come closer to a door, don't we'll do it anyway?. And the other commands that were obviously copied from the same game.

5º The music itself lacks of inspiration, but I don't blame Yamaoka, I know that among the reasons that he's not with Team SH anymore and this SH game inspires little confidence as SH, at the end, Akira must be tired of many years of dedication to the music in the game. But I guess it's like that, who knows.


Sorry if I exaggerated, but that's what the game left me.

1) yeah completely agree... my first thought was @THIS is an XBOX 360 game? I wasn't happy with them at all. and myy bf said I should have bought it on PS3 lol but then again, graphics aren't everything to me in a game but still was a slight dissapointment compared to number 3

2) It does lack symobolism in the sense of the games... but alot of the references and symbolic shit came straight from the film... which nearly everyone has said was a crap thing.

4) I got that feeling too (sorry but I lol'd when you said playing with Alex XD yeah I am THAT childish XP) it is a bit of an insult to the gamer that they need to be told when to duck and when to squeeze through a gap... but I suppose someone must like it if they keep adding it into the games

5) Music? Big Fat DISSAGREEMENT there - I thought the small amount of it they had was epic! Like totally - I mean 'one more soul to the call' is bordering on the best of SH themes (with lyrics of course) it's just fantastic even though it pretty much tells you the whole story of the game through the lyrics. I'm pretty sure Yamoaka and Mary Elizabeth Mcgylnn are still with the team too. The music is one of the best parts of the game for me I listened to that trailer thing that plays on the main menu after a while hundreds of times XD

Another thing I will add is that this game was stupidly easy - and I mean insultingly easy! The first time I played I thought I would be daring and pressed 'hard mode' and my bf was like "you'll never do it" but in a way I wished he'd be right because I found it WAY too easy and finished in about 5 hours which for a first runthrough is ridiculous!!

lol anyway that's all the ranting I have in me atm lol no offence to HenryTownsend because you have some very good and fair points about the game :)

[Sandrew]

To be honest D8 I hated silent hill: homecoming, except for alex. <3 He was awesome X3
I hated that the music were NOTHING like sh 2 or 3!! Or even SH4. They were awesome. So awesome . . and now we are stuck with something terrible D8 It sound like can music >_< It's terrible! The only song that I really like is Witchcraft, Cold Blood and One More Soul to the Call. All the other songs, GAH!

Also, it's TO much like the movie, which wasn't that good. I mean wtf! DX I am upset now, I have to leave this behind me =_= I will go and play some silent hill 2.

[tokyocowboy]

the main reason i didn't completely hate silent hill homecoming and not buy it, was because i had been told i look like Alex shepard. this made me buy it to see if i did. after playing it the game grow on me.

And for the record i actually do look alot like alex shepard (weird its a sign , lol)

[Purramid_Head]

The fact the designers wasted time on making another story rather than expand upon all the sects, loose ends, and cult activity we had. This really irked me. There was so much they could have expanded on from 4 with the 3 sects, but no let's make a unoriginal new story.

[Datenshi92]

I'm sorry if anyone else said this, but the main negative aspect of it, its probably because its a bit of a "clone" of SH2. I mean, there are many ideas to make horror games, we don't need to copy+paste ideas around, that is sooo cheap...
The music... only a few actually interested me, Akira is loosing a bit of interest. But, after all, even I would get a bit tired after years of dedication. I think Akira is needing more inspiration, wich is a bad thing, most of the SH musics seem to come from a deep sorrow, pain and fear, state of spirit.
Also it was an american team that made it, I have absolutly nothing against this, but honestly if they wanted to prove their talents they should have started something original.
The developers just need to do an in depth search of the societies to understand more about its "inner demons" so they can use it in the game.
Or the religion it self, we all know that even some priests aren't as holy as they show. SH its a game that critics the society behind a veil of horror and twisted minds, and there is still a lot to critic...

Its just me, or SH and Pyramid Head are actually passing judgment on our societies like they do to characters?

[EzTerix]

Off the top of my head...

- Story was horrendous
- Some characters looked really bad (the monsters and Alex looked good though)
- The atmosphere was missing fear or something like that

[Purramid_Head]

Yeah I hated how the characters' hair stuck to their faces.

[PersistantGuilt]

The graphics! At one point it looks like Alex has fricking bells Palsy the way his face was wigging out, and that one ninny that goes into fetal position IN THE WATER, WHILE monsters attack her.... the idiot D<

[HellFrozenJames]

My biggest two biggest problems with the graphics is, like I said in another post, the doors that you can't open don't have physical door knobs, but rather drawn on the texture. Now, I'm a 3D modeler, and I know that sometimes it's important to cut back on geometry and use a texture instead. But it's the 360/PS3! A door knob shouldn't be an issue.
My second gripe is with Alex's coat. Like I said, this generation, they should've given the pockets some geometry, especially since Heather in SH3, and I'm pretty sure even James in SH2 had geometry to his pockets. I dunno of they were lazy or just cheap.

Other than that, I also had a problem with the sound, and I don't see many people mentioning it, but it was just buggy. Sometimes I'd swing for an enemy and hit them, but it would play no sound, and I'd be like, "Did I hit them or no?" And sometimes an enemy would be really close by they'd be a lot more quiet than they should be, like the volume on the sound was down. Their sound programmers need a boot in the ass for that one. Especially since sound has always played a major role in Silent Hill games.

[AlderranCity]

I just didn't like how Silent Hill look unattractive in the game. Yes I know its been several years since we seen Central Silent Hill in Origins and SH1, but still it felt I was walkin through a damn landfill