Silent Hill Homecoming (Good or Bad Purchase)?

[ZombieKillerXXX]

As I write this I have SHH downloading on my xbox 360. It was the only installment in the series available for download on xbox's market place. I've never played this game and have seen that the reviews are generally not very good. Which brings me to the question: was this a "good or bad" purchase? I'm a big silent hill fan but I never got my hands on this game for some strange reason, so I figured it was time. I've been sitting here telling myself that, sense I'm a fan there should be something I like about this game even if it isn't the greatest SH game out there. I'm new to the community so I was thinking this would be a good way to meet some of you, and in the process find out what all of you thinking about SHH. Feel free to share your likes, dislikes, and opinions in general on this installment of SH.

Thanks Mike

[WhiteClaudia]

As a game, I personally liked it. I mean, there we're some things about it I disliked. I don't know why, but when I played it just didn't.... "feel" SH to me, but I think that's because it's more action oriented (or that's how it felt to me)
. But overall, I DID like the storyline and was a good game in itself.

[ZombieKillerXXX]

As a game, I personally liked it. I mean, there we're some things about it I disliked. I don't know why, but when I played it just didn't.... "feel" SH to me, but I think that's because it's more action oriented (or that's how it felt to me)
. But overall, I DID like the storyline and was a good game in itself.

I downloaded it last night but was too tired to start playing it. I fired it up this morning when I got up and have been playing it now for about an hour. I just got to Alex's house in Shepherd's Glen, and so far it has been pretty good. I see what your saying about it being more "action" oriented with the 2 different attacks (fast & strong) thus being able to put together combo hits on enemy's. Plus you can dodge out of the way now by rolling front or back and side to side. The attacks and dodging doesn't seem too bad but it is a little different than what I'm use to seeing in a SH game.(especially sense I have been playing a lot of SH1 lately) I went into the game with kind of low expectations do to the lack of positive reviews and I think that has help make the game actually seem pretty good so far. Thanks for your response WhiteClaudiax and I'll be looking forward to hearing from some other people from the SH community.

Thanks again Mike

[Axiomatic]

I bought the game used before, and it suffers from a few hiccups. There were times, unless I was standing in exactly the right spot, the door wouldn't open.

The game is action oriented, and this removes a lot of the tension and fear I can experience in the game. That's not to say there were no scary portions.

REVEAL SPOILER

the otherworld reminds me of the Silent Hill movie otherworld

The combat is a bit strange. Sometimes I would get hit despite dodging correctly.

I found it difficult to get through the game but, if you get through it, it has a relatively interesting story. As WhiteClaudia pointed out, it doesn't feel like a Silent Hill game. It strikes me as more of a spin off.

[WhiteClaudia]

REVEAL SPOILER

Agreed. I definitely saw a lot of influence in this game from the movie, such as the Otherworld and Pyramid Head for instance. It was more of a game based from the movie, than the series itself.

But as I said, in my opinion, it didn't take away from the aspect of it being a good game and storyline.

[Axiomatic]

REVEAL SPOILER

Agreed. I definitely saw a lot of influence in this game from the movie, such as the Otherworld and Pyramid Head for instance. It was more of a game based from the movie, than the series itself.

But as I said, in my opinion, it didn't take away from the aspect of it being a good game and storyline.

It did have a good storyline. Most of my issues with it come from technical issues. I'm just more of a stickler with this sort of thing I suppose. I noticed the technical problems were jarring and removed me from being immersed in the game.

[Princess Lea]

I'd say it's a good purchase. Replaying it might seem like a pain in the arse compared to the other titles though.

REVEAL SPOILER

And I bet you get the UFO ending on your first play through!

[rollerfan222]

it's a great game, nobody said it was perfect, it does have its flaws, but its worthy of the silent hill title, and most importantly you should not pay attention to reviewers (specially fans of the series), cause at the end of the day what matters is if YOU like it or not.

As for the "movie influences", they're just visual cues, it no big deal and it looks great, its called marketing.

many people HATE IT for stupid reasons.. but i love it, i hope you like it as well, you could post a review when you're done!.

the main problem with the reception of this game by the fans is that they let the "bad things" the game has overshadow all the depth and symbolism that lies within it.

it's my favorite along with 3. hope you have fun playing it.

[schlaufuchsMIKE]

I just finished my first playthrough tonight, and yeah, it's a pretty good game. There are a few things I dislike about it, but for the most part, it was an unnerving experience for me. The otherworld segments are just freaky, in my opinion.

REVEAL SPOILER

The final stage was a bit lame.

[ZombieKillerXXX]

it's a great game, nobody said it was perfect, it does have its flaws, but its worthy of the silent hill title, and most importantly you should not pay attention to reviewers (specially fans of the series), cause at the end of the day what matters is if YOU like it or not.

As for the "movie influences", they're just visual cues, it no big deal and it looks great, its called marketing.

many people HATE IT for stupid reasons.. but i love it, i hope you like it as well, you could post a review when you're done!.

the main problem with the reception of this game by the fans is that they let the "bad things" the game has overshadow all the depth and symbolism that lies within it.

it's my favorite along with 3. hope you have fun playing it.

I agree totally. I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the reviews, but it did seem like more people disliked the game than liked it. As for me, I find the game fun and interesting to play. I'm not much further along than I was in my last post. I've been really busy and just haven't had the time to sit down and play. I think I was at Alex's house in my last post and now I'm getting ready to leave the junk yard. Anyway, I don't let reviews persuade my decision to play a game or not. If that was the case I wouldn't have payed $19.99 for it on the xbox marketplace (when I could have got it cheaper elsewhere). The reason for posting this was mainly to get to know some of you sense I am new to the community. Plus with so many people out there either loving or hating this game I figured it would make for some interesting responses. Well I'm going to start playing some more of it right now, I can't wait to get all the way through it. Thanks again for all the responses and I will make sure to keep everyone updated on my progress. Until next time.

Mike

[rollerfan222]

it's a great game, nobody said it was perfect, it does have its flaws, but its worthy of the silent hill title, and most importantly you should not pay attention to reviewers (specially fans of the series), cause at the end of the day what matters is if YOU like it or not.

As for the "movie influences", they're just visual cues, it no big deal and it looks great, its called marketing.

many people HATE IT for stupid reasons.. but i love it, i hope you like it as well, you could post a review when you're done!.

the main problem with the reception of this game by the fans is that they let the "bad things" the game has overshadow all the depth and symbolism that lies within it.

it's my favorite along with 3. hope you have fun playing it.

I agree totally. I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention to the reviews, but it did seem like more people disliked the game than liked it. As for me, I find the game fun and interesting to play. I'm not much further along than I was in my last post. I've been really busy and just haven't had the time to sit down and play. I think I was at Alex's house in my last post and now I'm getting ready to leave the junk yard. Anyway, I don't let reviews persuade my decision to play a game or not. If that was the case I wouldn't have payed $19.99 for it on the xbox marketplace (when I could have got it cheaper elsewhere). The reason for posting this was mainly to get to know some of you sense I am new to the community. Plus with so many people out there either loving or hating this game I figured it would make for some interesting responses. Well I'm going to start playing some more of it right now, I can't wait to get all the way through it. Thanks again for all the responses and I will make sure to keep everyone updated on my progress. Until next time.

Mike

Well hope you have fun, if you have any doubts as to what certain things mean in the game feel free to ask me, since a lot of people havent payed full attention to the symbolism in the game. I can explain if possible!, i have played it many times and discovered hidden symbolism and references to other sh games in homecoming.

[ZombieKillerXXX]

Well hope you have fun, if you have any doubts as to what certain things mean in the game feel free to ask me, since a lot of people havent payed full attention to the symbolism in the game. I can explain if possible!, i have played it many times and discovered hidden symbolism and references to other sh games in homecoming.

Thanks, I am having a good time playing it. I actually (my opinion) think that this is one of the better SH games that I have played so far. At first it took some time to get use to but now everything is flowing along great. I will keep that in mind as far is the "symbolism" is concerned, if I'd like to learn more. I know you mentioned "not to let other people persuade you from playing it because they didn't like it" and that isn't the case at all. The main reason for mentioning the reviews at all was because of all the hype and negativity towards the game. I'm actually really glad that the game is pretty bad a$$ and I'm really enjoying it so far. Once I'm finished with the game I'll have to hit you up on some of the symbolism of the game, and some other SH titles for that matter. Thanks again.

Mike

Had to add something....those "fog" enemy's are pretty dam scary. The scariest I've come across so far, yiks!!!

[Princess Lea]

Had to add something....those "fog" enemy's are pretty dam scary. The scariest I've come across so far, yiks!!!

HAHAHAHA! I know which are coming next!... I predict will be your emotional journey with dealing with them. Glad your enjoying the game and keep us updated!

[ZombieKillerXXX]

I thought I would post a quick little update on my progress through SHH. I just got done fighting the 2nd boss Scarlet, so I've actually made it pretty far. When I posted my last post I believe I was at the junkyard, so I've been through the police station, hotel, sewers, and hell. In my previous post I was saying how the "fog" enemy's were really scary, (which they still are) but now the top spot for scariest enemy has to go to either the "needler's" and "schism's". Between those 2 it's hard to pick one over the other as far as being the scariest cause they both creep me out. I'd just like to add that I'm having a great time playing this game. I didn't want to stop playing it last night but need to get some sleep, especially when the sun is starting to come up. You know it's late when that happens . It did take a little while to get use to this game but now that I am comfortable with the controls this game is awesome. I know I haven't even beat it once yet but I can already tell that I will be playing through again (it has good replay ability). There is only a couple things that are kind of a pain in the butt, 1.) you have to be standing just in the right place to open doors, and 2.) sometimes when I have my pistol equipped I'll start to shoot and I'll get off my 1st shot but the 2nd shot doesn't want to shoot (this does not happen all the time, maybe 50% of the time). At least until I hit the fire button a few times then it fires. This sucks cause I'll get 1 shot off, then while I'm trying to get the 2nd shot off I'm getting my a$$ handed to me by some enemy. Those are really the only things I found that need improvement Every once in awhile the graphics can get kind of glitchy especially when the game is loading something or transitioning to a cut scene, but that is getting nit picky and doesn't even bother me. Overall so far the game is just awesome and I can't wait to continue playing. Seeing as it is the 4th of July today, I'm going to put down the game for now and go to a BBQ. Once I get further along I'll post an update, but so far so good.

Happy 4th of July,
Mike

No one has posted anything new on here in awhile so I just thought I would give a short update to where I am in the game. I just got done with the prison and I'm now in the church. I'm still really enjoying the game and have become very good at fighting with melee weapons. I got the whole dodge and attack down, so I hardly take any damage when facing most enemy's. It definitely makes the game play more fun when your not getting your ass kicked all the time. If there is anything else someone would like to add feel free so I don't have to keep adding to this post to keep you all updated. Thanks. 7/10/12

Mike

Sorry I have to keep adding to this, I just wanted to say that I finished the game. I beat it about 4 days ago, and ended up getting the UFO ending. That's what I was going for anyways cause I wanted the Laser Pistol on my next time through. All in all I thought it was a good game, and will more than likely play through it again in the near future. For now I'm playing SH3, what a contrast that is compared to play SHH. SH3 feels like a "true" SH game where SHH seemed more of like it's own survival horror game. Well that's about it, in the last couple of days I've made it pretty far into SH3. I'm just now in the "nightmare" hilltop center, and I haven't played this game in about 6-7 years so I don't really remember any of it. It's like playing it for the first time, and I'm having a blast. Just want to say thanks for everyone's comments and input, I appreciate it. 7/17/12

Mike

[jacobia]

Glad you enjoyed the game, I haven't played it in a while and might pick myself up another copy of it. I love all the Silent Hill games but I think Homecoming's combat mechanics are my favourite

[ZombieKillerXXX]

Glad you enjoyed the game, I haven't played it in a while and might pick myself up another copy of it. I love all the Silent Hill games but I think Homecoming's combat mechanics are my favourite

That is what I really liked about the game, the combat. I wasn't sure if I'd like it at first but once I got the hang of dodging and attacking, the whole game experience got a lot better. You should definitely go out and buy another copy so you can play it again. I'm sure you could fine one nice and cheap, or you could just download it. That is what I did, I don't know if you have a Xbox 360 or a PS3 but I downloaded it on my 360. They have it on the marketplace for $19.99 which you could probably find it cheaper else where. I downloaded it because it saved me a trip to the game store and I didn't want to wait. I wanted to play it right then. Anyways if you have a PS3, I'm not sure if they have it available for download or not. I'm sure they do if the Xbox 360 does on there marketplace. Well Jacobia hopefully you'll get a copy and get to experience it all again sometime soon.

Mike

[jacobia]

Luckily I have both a PS3 and an Xbox360, but it isn't on neither's online store here in the EU. I may go to my local game store and forage for a pre-owned copy at the weekend

[DamienS]

hello people

silent hill homecoming is on steam for 10 euro's (that deal ends the 23rd). yay or nay? or get it for a console instead

Thank you in advance,
Damien

[NarooN]

Glad you're enjoying the game. I haven't played it in around two years, but it was a great game to me. Definitely a "Silent Hill" game in every sense of the word.

As for it being more action-oriented, well, SH3 & 4 got progressively action-oriented as well when they came out. SH3 featured a lot less wandering around in the streets and more indoor narrow-hallway action with hardly any breathing room. It featured more melee weapons, an overhauled combat system with the ability to parry attacks, and even had an item dedicated to attracting enemies to you. SH4 introduced a standard health bar with the ability to charge attacks for more powerful swings... Etc. etc.

Not to mention Origins with its average of twenty melee weapons in each room. It was just natural progression, really.

As for it being "inspired by the film", I don't really agree with that. It took a few visual cues from the film, but other than that it was nothing like the film at all. Since those were just visual cues, they didn't really matter at all.

[ZombieKillerXXX]

Glad you're enjoying the game. I haven't played it in around two years, but it was a great game to me. Definitely a "Silent Hill" game in every sense of the word.

As for it being more action-oriented, well, SH3 & 4 got progressively action-oriented as well when they came out. SH3 featured a lot less wandering around in the streets and more indoor narrow-hallway action with hardly any breathing room. It featured more melee weapons, an overhauled combat system with the ability to parry attacks, and even had an item dedicated to attracting enemies to you. SH4 introduced a standard health bar with the ability to charge attacks for more powerful swings... Etc. etc.

Not to mention Origins with its average of twenty melee weapons in each room. It was just natural progression, really.

As for it being "inspired by the film", I don't really agree with that. It took a few visual cues from the film, but other than that it was nothing like the film at all. Since those were just visual cues, they didn't really matter at all.

Yeah I actually really enjoyed it, so much for all those "bad reviews". I try not to listen to other people's opinions too much when it comes to stuff like that. Cause for every bad review there is a good one. Anyways if you haven't played it in a couple years you should pick it back up and give it another shot.

As far as SH3 goes, your totally right about it being full of "narrow-hallway" action. It definitely has a lot of that. After I beat Homecoming I started playing SH3 again. It's been about 6 years sense I've played it, so it's basically like playing a bran new game. I had to get use to the pace of SH3 compared to Homecoming because the pace of these games are totally different. SHH kind of eases you into the game where SH3 kind of throws you in head first.

I only saw the film once, and didn't really care for it so I didn't pick up on any of the similarity's from the movie while playing SHH.

Well I'm going to go play some SH3 now, I'm in the nightmare hilltop center right now and shit is hitting the fan. Oh one last thing if you haven't played the "free downloadable game" Slender, check it out if you want a good scare. The game is really simple but effective. Talk to ya later.

Mike