There was rarely a computer game (or a series) that has been as underrated as Silent Hill. In last few years many excellent videogames were made, mostly because of ever increased processor and other hardware/software power, and the goals are clear: to generate animated objects and whole experience on (for now) screens as real and similar to our perception of reality as possible. We didn't perfect it yet, but some products are very close. Certainly the best and most promising of them is the game Silent Hill.
Most computer games were focused on shooting or searching or some similar repetitive activity with almost no or very obscure storyline, and besides many did a poor job at graphics and programming. If you want to imitate reality (or maybe a movie, with ability to interact) you immediately face some great problems, as how to generate and operate with such an enormous amount of (mostly random) data, for example, to make a human skin or a forest or water.
The team that produced Silent Hill did a revolution in computer game industry. They didn't just manage to make an excellent graphic imitation of 'real' world (in my opinion, by now the best), they, for the very first time, tried to come as close as possible to the term 'interactive movie'. Playing Silent Hill with such cinematic feelings goes beyond every 'normal', non-interactive movie: all the time you have the feeling that YOU participate in the game; that you are not just observer, but you PLAY a 'REAL' character.
It is interesting that everything started with the horror genre. There are only a few horror videogames on the market, among thousands of others. I think it's because fear produces one of the most prominent, or extreme, mental feelings. In movie industry horror genre is very specific; especially if you add 'psychological'. In Japan they also did a great job with movies like Ringu (Ring), in 1999. It is the same year the first Silent Hill (SH1) was produced - also a work of a team from Japan. It was very good game and it still is. Only graphic (it was made for playstation 1) was a little poor, although still excellent.
With a sequel, Silent Hill 2, two years later, the (same) team made an enormous leap. At the first look, greatest difference was made at graphic part. Characters look unbeliveable real, even in gameplay, and surroundings are sometimes rendered with such details almost as a real world, not to mention light effects and shadows. And the whole game you play either in total darkness with (or without) flashlight attached, or in a thick fog. If you add work of a music genius (Akira Yamaoka), who makes extremely effective pace with gorgeous music/sound effects, which go from gentle ambient music to loud industrial-mechanical grinding noise. And of course, there is a genius mark - SILENCE. Yamaoka claims that the silence is also a sound, just its opposite part, and how right he is!
Silent Hill 2 is not just psychological-horror game. It is in fact a very weird, underrated, hard to understand and also one of the most beautiful love stories ever made. It is built from very simple elements; they are so simple they are very easy to miss, and there is a unique combination of them: fear, love, life, death, chaos, supported by some twists that make all thing somehow complicated. As you play it, all the time new secrets and mysteries appear, and only a few can be explained. But another mark of genius in the game is the fact that the story reveals just a little bit of useful information. You are mostly afraid of the things you DON'T know or see or understand; and that is also an attractive part. It makes you THINK; you interact with the story! Thus, there are alternative endings: certain ending depends on HOW you will play the game. There is only one unreached step left ahead: to get YOUR OWN ending.
I won't tell you anything about the story! And I STRONGLY recommend that you play it slowly, at night with lights off, and play it without a guide or a walkthrough. It will spoil everything, believe me.
It is also unnecessary to tell you anything special about characters, enemies, secrets, weapons, storyline, drama, scenario or anything else: everything is just GREAT. See it on your own. Yes, the team made everything almost perfect. There is no need and no right to criticize anything in this game, because for now it is the one and only. No need to talk about other games; they don't reach SH by far. So my advice for everyone who wants unique cinematic/game fear/love experience is this: go to the shop (or rent it), take your time and play it. Ah, the package: you get (mostly, I think, I am sure for a PS2 version) beautiful double DVD digi-pack, which is on its own a work of art. On second DVD you get tons of great documentary how the game was made and also some explanations. But warning: use that DVD AFTER you finished the game. Otherwise it is a spoiler.
Silent Hill 2 is still relatively far from perfect imitation of reality; heck, even Final Fantasy (the Movie) didn't reach it. But it is enormous and rich psychological/visual experience. At the time I played it I just couldn't watch movies - it was so boring not to interact with characters, and a few times I took a joypad in my hands by mistake...
I just wonder if someone will ever make a SH movie!! But I'm almost afraid of that. If someone will it'll have to be a revolution. With an exception of some David Lynch almost every other Hollywood director would make something like mix between Night of the Living Dead and Matrix. But let's hope it'll avoid Hollywood and stay on its own ground ...
With Silent Hill, 50 people worked on the game for about 2 years, usually more than production time of a HW movie. But it is not far away a moment when you will insert a 'movie', make some presets, start to play it (with joypad or something) ... and move, for example, 'real' Keanu Reeves or Jack Nicholson around the screen...
So Silent Hill will certainly not remain 'silent'.
10/10 (deserves at least 17).
Mary? Can you really be in this town ...
Most computer games were focused on shooting or searching or some similar repetitive activity with almost no or very obscure storyline, and besides many did a poor job at graphics and programming. If you want to imitate reality (or maybe a movie, with ability to interact) you immediately face some great problems, as how to generate and operate with such an enormous amount of (mostly random) data, for example, to make a human skin or a forest or water.
The team that produced Silent Hill did a revolution in computer game industry. They didn't just manage to make an excellent graphic imitation of 'real' world (in my opinion, by now the best), they, for the very first time, tried to come as close as possible to the term 'interactive movie'. Playing Silent Hill with such cinematic feelings goes beyond every 'normal', non-interactive movie: all the time you have the feeling that YOU participate in the game; that you are not just observer, but you PLAY a 'REAL' character.
It is interesting that everything started with the horror genre. There are only a few horror videogames on the market, among thousands of others. I think it's because fear produces one of the most prominent, or extreme, mental feelings. In movie industry horror genre is very specific; especially if you add 'psychological'. In Japan they also did a great job with movies like Ringu (Ring), in 1999. It is the same year the first Silent Hill (SH1) was produced - also a work of a team from Japan. It was very good game and it still is. Only graphic (it was made for playstation 1) was a little poor, although still excellent.
With a sequel, Silent Hill 2, two years later, the (same) team made an enormous leap. At the first look, greatest difference was made at graphic part. Characters look unbeliveable real, even in gameplay, and surroundings are sometimes rendered with such details almost as a real world, not to mention light effects and shadows. And the whole game you play either in total darkness with (or without) flashlight attached, or in a thick fog. If you add work of a music genius (Akira Yamaoka), who makes extremely effective pace with gorgeous music/sound effects, which go from gentle ambient music to loud industrial-mechanical grinding noise. And of course, there is a genius mark - SILENCE. Yamaoka claims that the silence is also a sound, just its opposite part, and how right he is!
Silent Hill 2 is not just psychological-horror game. It is in fact a very weird, underrated, hard to understand and also one of the most beautiful love stories ever made. It is built from very simple elements; they are so simple they are very easy to miss, and there is a unique combination of them: fear, love, life, death, chaos, supported by some twists that make all thing somehow complicated. As you play it, all the time new secrets and mysteries appear, and only a few can be explained. But another mark of genius in the game is the fact that the story reveals just a little bit of useful information. You are mostly afraid of the things you DON'T know or see or understand; and that is also an attractive part. It makes you THINK; you interact with the story! Thus, there are alternative endings: certain ending depends on HOW you will play the game. There is only one unreached step left ahead: to get YOUR OWN ending.
I won't tell you anything about the story! And I STRONGLY recommend that you play it slowly, at night with lights off, and play it without a guide or a walkthrough. It will spoil everything, believe me.
It is also unnecessary to tell you anything special about characters, enemies, secrets, weapons, storyline, drama, scenario or anything else: everything is just GREAT. See it on your own. Yes, the team made everything almost perfect. There is no need and no right to criticize anything in this game, because for now it is the one and only. No need to talk about other games; they don't reach SH by far. So my advice for everyone who wants unique cinematic/game fear/love experience is this: go to the shop (or rent it), take your time and play it. Ah, the package: you get (mostly, I think, I am sure for a PS2 version) beautiful double DVD digi-pack, which is on its own a work of art. On second DVD you get tons of great documentary how the game was made and also some explanations. But warning: use that DVD AFTER you finished the game. Otherwise it is a spoiler.
Silent Hill 2 is still relatively far from perfect imitation of reality; heck, even Final Fantasy (the Movie) didn't reach it. But it is enormous and rich psychological/visual experience. At the time I played it I just couldn't watch movies - it was so boring not to interact with characters, and a few times I took a joypad in my hands by mistake...
I just wonder if someone will ever make a SH movie!! But I'm almost afraid of that. If someone will it'll have to be a revolution. With an exception of some David Lynch almost every other Hollywood director would make something like mix between Night of the Living Dead and Matrix. But let's hope it'll avoid Hollywood and stay on its own ground ...
With Silent Hill, 50 people worked on the game for about 2 years, usually more than production time of a HW movie. But it is not far away a moment when you will insert a 'movie', make some presets, start to play it (with joypad or something) ... and move, for example, 'real' Keanu Reeves or Jack Nicholson around the screen...
So Silent Hill will certainly not remain 'silent'.
10/10 (deserves at least 17).
Mary? Can you really be in this town ...