Summer Games Challenge 2016

[Michi]

Loved the post, Ack. Never have I been more entertained by a gaming write-up.

[Ack]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the kind words. I admit I dropped a few things because I was concerned about the lack of brevity. Still, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

Amazing. I'll have to read this sometime soon. Hopefully you have a more technical breakdown of the game and experience as that is what I was hoping for.
(as someone who played it new in 2014, it was such an impressive experience)

I find both the battles with Cybil and Eddie to be some of the most disturbing fights in all of gaming. Which is probably exactly what they were going for. There is no guilt in bashing away at indescribable monstrosities, but suddenly when you're pitted against another human being, another one of the very rare other humans in the claustrophobic nightmarish town... words can't describe the strong sense of dread here.

I tried to incorporate a variety of info, so you may get some breakdown of monster designs and tactics, the shapes of Silent Hill, puzzle info, unlockables, and such, though there is a lot about aesthetic design and some personal anecdotes as well. It's sort of a hodgepodge of info with a step-by-step approach. There are even a few things now that I look back on and realize I was probably incorrect about, so please keep in mind that much of it is composed of personal musings.

I find the fight with Cybil to be considerably more disturbing than Eddie personally, but that's because by the time you get there, Eddie has been established as a monster who frankly deserves to be there. Cybil though...it's just wrong place, wrong time for her. If you end up killing her, I find her death cinematic particularly nasty too.

[Ack]

Well, here we go. I'm at 6/10 beaten for the Summer Challenge, and I'm pretty sure of what I'll be playing for the rest of these, so I'm dropping the selection pool thing. Certain games just really stood out and appealed to me, and as things wind down, I figured I wanted to focus on them. Up next, I'll be playing the point-and-click horror adventure Sanitarium.

NOW PLAYING:

Sanitarium

6/10 BEATEN:

Alone in the Dark
Call of Duty 2
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra
Silent Hill
Thief Gold
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

[Exhuminator]

So Ack, since you've beaten most of the Silent Hills, which do you consider your ultimate favorite? And do these games need to be played in sequence to make sense?

[Ack]

Hmm, tough question. I admit I have a soft spot for Silent Hill 3, since I used to speed run it. I've beaten that game a few dozen times. 2 is generally considered the best, though I'd be comfortable with folks declaring any of the first three being the top one.

As for what order you approach them, well, it probably would be easiest to do this in release order. SH3 really does require some knowledge of SH1's plot since it's a direct continuation, while Silent Hill Origins serves as the prequel to SH1 but incorporates some ideas from SH2. SH2 is pretty standalone, but there are some interesting quirks, like a newspaper article you find about a serial killer who commits suicide; that guy becomes the primary antagonist of SH4. Once you get post SH4, many of them pull from SH2's monster design, particularly Pyramid Head and how the zombie nurses were handled.

So yeah, I'd say like this:

SH1-SH3-SH0
SH Shattered Memories is a radical remake of SH1
SH2 can be played in any order
SH4 can be played in any order, though after SH2 might be preferable
SH Homecoming and SH Downpour should probably be played later on. I'd end with Downpour, since I've heard it's one of the best of the post-Team Silent SH games.

While there are other games in the franchise, they're more like spin offs than actual entries.

[Exhuminator]

Thanks for the info, good stuff.

I had no idea Shattered Memories was a remake of the original Silent Hill. I've got it on Wii.

[Ack]

Yeah, it has a very different vibe to it though. I would still stick with SH1 if possible. Shattered Memories is very different from the rest of the series.

[Exhuminator]

I'm strongly considering making OG Silent Hill my next game (after L.A. Noire).

Do you have any experience with the Echo Night series?

[Michi]

I remember reading a bit about Shattered Memories around when it was released. Silent Hill sans combat always intrigued me.

[Ack]

I'm strongly considering making OG Silent Hill my next game (after L.A. Noire).

Do you have any experience with the Echo Night series?

Absolutely. I played through Echo Night: Beyond almost a decade ago and was blown away by it. It's one of the first recommendations I make for horror games. It's just a shame it's gotten so expensive. If I were to collect much in the way of PlayStation 1 games again, Echo Night would be one of the first titles I would seek, along with the likes of Overblood.