Taking a Vacay to “Silent Hill” (But the Childhood Memories Were Better)

by Michael J. Gonsiorek Jr.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago “Silent Hill” was first released for the Playstation. I was 12-years-old, and I can say that t first I was not super-impressed with the concept. You see, I was a Resident Evil fanboy, (at that point the series was up to “Resident Evil 2”) and I felt that Konami was ripping off Capcom.

I’d seen previews in video game magazines, but ignored it. The first time I gave it the time of day was when I saw game footage tacked onto a demo disk. Seeing as it required no reading, I figured I would see what it was all about.

My mind was blown.

Each time I reviewed the movie intensified my urge to get my young hands on the game. Fortunately for me, I talked a friend into going halfsies with me on the purchase. It was also lucky for me that the little cell phone and beeper (before everyone and their children had a cell phone) shop that sold video games did not care that a couple of 12-13 year olds were buying a game recommended for 17 and older.

At the time, I had never seen anything like it. The town was so atmospheric; it’s no wonder that it became a character itself. In the light of the day, the player can clearly see that this is a small town down on its luck. Or at least it appears that way since one can never be sure if they are seeing the “true” Silent Hill. The game suffered from what many games at the time did, which was “draw”. Draw is when a game cannot compute fast enough, so sometimes the surrounding area of a character appears blank and the foreground will pop up. The developers used this to their advantage thus the birthing of its trademark fog. When it switched to night or the “otherworld”, it became even more rundown. Streets disappeared and were replaced with rusty chain link grating that seemed to be hovering over a very long drop. There was no fog but the dark was just as thick. While running around at night, it was quite jarring to stumble into a monster. You might poop yourself.


Can you say "anti-aliasing"? Oh, you can't? Shucks...

Unfortunately, the enemy design in this game was sort of disappointing, but I think this only applies because of what the series has brought to the table since then. The enemies worked in this game because what they represented, but they come across as a bit generic. Skinless dogs, a large caterpillar boss, and nurses? Again, let me emphasize that these work for this game because of what they were to represent, but I think the limited graphics didn't lend themselves to the full effect. The later installments showcase a ton of unique, disturbing designs.


Yup, you just dropped a load in your britches. I can smell it!
The thing that made this game so unique and original was that you were an everyday man, and not some beefed up soldier going up against some corporation with a twisted sense of morals. Silent Hill wasn’t even the destination; you crashed along the highway and awoke in the town to find your daughter missing. From there things got strange; which is the least I can say about it. What I found interesting about the story is that it was almost a jab at religion. I don’t think that was the intention, but it does play along the lines of how far some people will go for what they believe. I don’t want to say too much more as to ruin the story. It can be kind of silly, some parts are downright pointless in order to get the best ending in the game, and there were some fairly large plot holes, but there was nothing like it at the time it came out. I cannot stress that enough.

Even though I am hard on it, I think “Silent Hill” deserves a shot. The major gripe I have is that it does not seem to have aged so well. I also feel that the comparisons to its other siblings are unfair, since they have better controls and visuals. I don’t know how they are altering the story, but the re-imagining of “Silent Hill” will be out later this year with the subtitle “Shattered Memories”. Some of the charm will likely be gone, but I hope some of my issues are cleared up.

Writer’s Notes: “Silent Hill” is now available on the Playstation Store, at the cost of $5.99 plus tax. The game can be played on your Playstation 3 or PSP. If you already have a copy of the game, I would not suggest playing it in a Playstation 3 as it causes a high pitch audio squeal whenever you encounter an enemy.

On a related note, there was a movie made based off this game. I won’t divulge too much as it doesn’t fit on this site, and I plan on covering it on my personal blog as I go along with the rest of the “Silent Hill” series. The general consensus is that the movie is out and out terrible. I, on the other hand, beg to differ. I think it is one of the better if not best video game-to-movie adaptations. Again, that is not saying much, but even though the story got a tad messed up (unnecessary sex changes were given to the main character, and enemies from “Silent Hill 2” that do not belong in this universe make appearances) there is no question about it: the look and feel of it was pretty damn accurate. If you are wary of playing “Silent Hill”, suggesting the movie might be a bad move to make but I advise to check it out. It will give you a feel for how the stories are to a degree. It follows the first game, but changes were made. Harry is now a woman, Cheryl’s name is changed to Sharon for some reason, and characters roles are flipped around. It’s so disappointing because there was so much potential there with the scenery, but halfway through the story kind of falls apart.