Do you prefer a Stand alone SH or a Cult Focused SH?

[OneFreeMan]

Lets say hypothetically you could create your own Silent Hill Game.

Would you chose to make the story Stand alone like SH2 & Downpour?

Or would to have the story driven and focused on Cult like the rest of the series?


I personally would have it be stand alone because I'm much more interested in a character being confronted my there deep personal issues like James and Murphy.

But what about you?

[Augophthalmoses]

I don't have anything against the idea of bringing back the cult in some fashion in a future game, but I wouldn't want it right now. Nor would I want it to be another attempt at summoning their god. I'd prefer a stand alone game, but one that doesn't wade through the same mental blockade, guilt focus, or protagonist with a dark past ideas that have been used over and over.

Make it more like The Suffering in that you explore a certain tragic past in the town's history that somehow connects to the present.

[what]

You will not find a louder proponent of never seeing the cult again except as a snippet of random backstory. I wasn't interested in it from the beginning and the later games' expansion (and forced inclusion) was a huge turnoff.

Cults and gods and demons just don't resonate with me at all. I like a game in which I can feel a deep connection and empathy with the people and events, and the cult elements are (in my own personal opinion) fantastic nonsense which has only ever been an obstacle to that.

I will freely admit there's a large bias at work here, but I don't apologize for it. : )

[keeps]

I like the archaic cult - the impression made by it on the town's energy is cool and Silent Hill is certainly the place for people having organized in occult practice. I like it as backstory snippet alone too though. I'd probably wanna do something surreal and fairytale dreamystate consistently without much dialogue or only very simple memos if I was making one myself so it would be more standalone in atmosphere I guess.

[NarooN]

Whether people like it or not, the cult is the backbone of SH and the mythos in general.

That being said, I had no problem with the cult being featured in the games, but I quite like the idea of trying new things with SH. Stand-alone games are nice, and since the cult's credibility got annihilated by Douglas post-SH3, they don't need to be come back right now.

[WalterisHere]

I would say a stand alone, mostly because I would have more freedom in creating the game. Story wise anyways.

[nur_ein_tier]

I don't like too much emphasis on the cult, I think it only works if it's understated and mysterious.

[schlaufuchsMIKE]

The cult is dead, and should stay that way. It was a device for exposition, and since that ship has sailed and landed, we don't need it any more. It was never that interesting to me, anyways, except for in the case of Silent Hill 4.

[Purramid_Head]

The reasons stand alone don't work out all the time is because it ends up being dry and stale. I played Silent Hill 2 over and over and over and over and over again and that game's story has almost no impact on me whatsoever anymore. Over time stand alone things loose power. I like the cult and unlike most with religious hang ups I see the psychology in it. Religion = bunch of ideas. I'm also ok with gods and demons, magic, the supernatural. Some may consider it silly, um all religion is "silly".

Whether people like it or not, the cult is the backbone of SH and the mythos in general.

That's the biggest problem I have with the fandom in general is they cannot seem to get this. It's always "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", I swear to the god that it's so goddamn annoying it's not even funny and it's is a curse for the series. Hint: There will never be another Silent Hill 2. Also, I am not even remotely scared of 2 anymore, I am still scared of 3 after all these years. 2 just doesn't hold water like people think it does and after all these years of playing it, I'm tired of it. Anyone who claims it's so great, is probably remembering it and hasn't played it as much as I have.

[voodoohandbag]

I like to see connections between games, but I prefer them to be subtle. In fact, I looooove subtle references to other games within a series. If they are a direct sequel, like 1 and 3, fair enough, they should contain similar themes. But a stand-alone story has the power to be judged by itself.

I also love stories that feature religious aspects - just a weird thing of mine. I suppose I'd be happy either way - as long as if they made a connection, it made sense, like 1 and 3. But I still prefer stand alone, featuring small references only fans would get - that way, everybody is happy. New players don't 'need' to play other games to understand what's happening, but older fans can appreciate the little details

[Wooden Plank]

I think I'd like it more if it was kind of like an anthology. I like the cult and the idea of it. But I'd prefer it if most of the games are standalone.

References to previous games are still good.

[what]

That's the biggest problem I have with the fandom in general is they cannot seem to get this. It's always "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", "we want a game like Silent Hill 2!", I swear to the god that it's so goddamn annoying it's not even funny and it's is a curse for the series. Hint: There will never be another Silent Hill 2. Also, I am not even remotely scared of 2 anymore, I am still scared of 3 after all these years. 2 just doesn't hold water like people think it does and after all these years of playing it, I'm tired of it. Anyone who claims it's so great, is probably remembering it and hasn't played it as much as I have.

I'm certain I've played it several dozen times and have researched it as exhaustively as anyone. I also spent a year novelizing it, which left me so tired of looking at it that I didn't play it for years after.

And I still think it's one of the best games ever.

So there. :p

Besides, the cult was not the backbone until the third game because the cult was barely explained or elaborated upon in the first game and never even referenced in the second. It was reasonable to believe, before the third game, that we might not ever see much, or any, more of it. Then the third game came along and made the cult into a big deal to the point where future games shoehorned the cult into the stories whether or not there was a real purpose behind it (Travis' story had absolutely nothing to do with the cult but they have to be there because there has to be an origins story because Resident Evil had one).

Gotta admit that a large part of why I find the cult to be such a distraction is because the series never attempts to treat them objectively. We don't know if James is a good guy or not, but there are only two kinds of Cultist: The cliched mustache twirling bad guy type, and the completely self-centered amoral type. If I see a cultist I know they'll be my antagonist. If the religion wasn't such a blatantly evil organization, I'd have less issue with the religious aspect of the series. As it stands, I can only connect with characters who are in some way relateable. That's why the second game fascinates me and the third game is just fun and scary and full of characters I can't stand.

[Augophthalmoses]

I really don't see how standalone games can become repetitive as long as they don't emulate one specific title and try to do something different.

[Shadedarkan]

I agree with Xuchilbara in that the cult is the backbone for why Silent Hill is the way it is. Without the cult the powers present in the Silent Hill area wouldn't cause the problems they do. That being said, I feel that the cult's story is done here.
While I enjoy the originality that standalone stories can bring to the series I fear how much they can bring the series down, as we have seen already. I will admit that it is time to explore the side effects that the cult's tampering has caused for other residents of the area. Dare I say, without references to previous games in the series? That would be the nicest thing, no Easter eggs, no homage, just a fresh, complex and plausible story to explore that carves its own creepy place into the series.

[what]

I agree with Xuchilbara in that the cult is the backbone for why Silent Hill is the way it is. Without the cult the powers present in the Silent Hill area wouldn't cause the problems they do.

That is a logical fallacy. The story have been written without any mention of a cult and the effects could be explained by whatever other means the writers liked.

It bears repeating: The cult was rarely mentioned and hardly explained at all until the third game. In the first game, all we know is that it exists and that it operates a drug ring. We learn nothing about its members, structure or theology until the third game (which retroactively adopted unaffiliated elements from the second game into the Order's official belief system, as well as adding a lot itself).

Until the third game, the first two were both standalone titles. There has been so much reconning of them regarding the cult between the third and sixth games that we think it was like this since the beginning. It wasn't. It was not the backbone of anything, and I don't think every Silent Hill game should be compelled to integrate those elements into a story which otherwise has nothing to do with the occult in general or The Order in particular. Hi, Travis!

[Purramid_Head]

I agree with Xuchilbara in that the cult is the backbone for why Silent Hill is the way it is. Without the cult the powers present in the Silent Hill area wouldn't cause the problems they do.

That is a logical fallacy. The story have been written without any mention of a cult and the effects could be explained by whatever other means the writers liked.

It bears repeating: The cult was rarely mentioned and hardly explained at all until the third game. In the first game, all we know is that it exists and that it operates a drug ring. We learn nothing about its members, structure or theology until the third game (which retroactively adopted unaffiliated elements from the second game into the Order's official belief system, as well as adding a lot itself).

Until the third game, the first two were both standalone titles. There has been so much reconning of them regarding the cult between the third and sixth games that we think it was like this since the beginning. It wasn't. It was not the backbone of anything, and I don't think every Silent Hill game should be compelled to integrate those elements into a story which otherwise has nothing to do with the occult in general or The Order in particular. Hi, Travis!

Actually there is memos and stuff in the Play Novel that does give more background on the cult. In fact it seems to hint at 4. The cult references are also in Silent Hill 2 and even influences one of the endings, not including Restless Dream. If it weren't for the cult and Alessa's experiences, there would be no Silent Hill 2. Even Alessa's bugs appear in 2. The main difference is 2's references to the occult and cult happen to be more vague than 3's. Then you have the fact that Xuchilbara's name is on SoM in 1 and a corrupted form of it appears in Silent Hill 2. So they were always there, just not obvious. I won't even go into the fact that the English script made the cult more vague than the Japanese script did in 1. (Everyone know 1 had a faulty translation, amirite?)

Downplaying the cult, is downplaying Silent Hill and it's history. Don't like the cult? Then only call yourself a SM and 2 fan, rather than a Silent Hill fan.

[Shadedarkan]

I have some decently extensive knowledge in various belief systems of the world and shortly into playing SH1 I could tell how deeply the cult was integrated into the town and the storyline as well as its importance in the area. If one doesn't try to draw parallels, but simply takes notice of all the references SH1 has to classic and obscure occult ideas you can see this. That is one of the reasons the developers chose the archetypal imagery that they did without explaining what it exact purpose was.
But then, the story could have been written different. If SH2's story had come before SH1 what other things would have happened. As it works out the history unfolded as it did.
I think the main thing to understand here is that the cult may have warped and further empowered the mysterious energies of Silent Hill, but that energy has become its own entity now. It doesn't need the cult to persist and effect the lives of the people coexisting with it.

[what]

If it weren't for the cult and Alessa's experiences, there would be no Silent Hill 2.

That's the same fallacy I pointed out in the previous post. Silent Hill 2 would not be different in any important way if the events were said to have absolutely nothing to do with Alessa. She, and her saga, have no direct relationship with anything which happens in the second game, even if she is the reason all of it is possible.

It's also a fallacy to judge a person's fanhood based on their feelings about an element you believe to be vital when I clearly don't. You consider the cult to be vital to the entire series, I consider it to be just one element of many, and far from the most important of them. I can enjoy the games in which the cult is a factor because I don't have to care about the religion to enjoy them; there are other elements, most of which mean more to me.

I'd have thought you'd be above that, anyway. :/

[Purramid_Head]

If it weren't for the cult and Alessa's experiences, there would be no Silent Hill 2.

That's the same fallacy I pointed out in the previous post. Silent Hill 2 would not be different in any important way if the events were said to have absolutely nothing to do with Alessa. She, and her saga, have no direct relationship with anything which happens in the second game, even if she is the reason all of it is possible.

Lost Memories contradicts your statements, What. Alessa is the reason the town is messed up. I'm not saying that 2 cannot stand alone, it can, I agree. I am saying that the cult aspect though, is still there when we include the entire series and it's canon.

It's also a fallacy to judge a person's fanhood based on their feelings about an element you believe to be vital when I clearly don't. You consider the cult to be vital to the entire series, I consider it to be just one element of many, and far from the most important of them. I can enjoy the games in which the cult is a factor because I don't have to care about the religion to enjoy them; there are other elements, most of which mean more to me.

I'd have thought you'd be above that, anyway. :/

I wasn't accusing you. Did I specify? In general what I've seen among fans is they either only love Silent Hill 2 and all pales in comparison, or both 2 and SM are the only real worthy Silent Hill titles. Yes, the games have much more than just the cult to them, I agree. But what I don't think many realize is religion leads to philosophy which leads to science. All of these concepts are interrelated, whether you believe in literal demons in the context of the games or not. All religion is, is ideas. Ideas by themselves don't threaten people. I feel a lot of SH fans hate the cult because of the Christian stuff. Tbh, I'm more interested in DP than 4, but I appreciate 4's story. That's because Murphy is an interesting character.

[NarooN]

I pretty much agree with Xuchil here. Alessa was one of the most powerful individuals in SH's history, and she's the reason why the Otherworld is as prevalent as it is. There were obviously reports of crazy **** happening before Alessa popped up, but it wasn't as crazy as it was when she actually did show up. To deny the cult's influence is basically denying SH itself.