Silent Hill: Origins for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

This game is good, but far from perfect. The new systems are interesting, though a bit flawed. The "new camera angle" system was a joke, as it only worked about half the time, the rest of the time the camera angles are set, and, like most Survival games of this era, creepy and sometimes a bit annoying.

The biggest complaint I honestly had with the game was that their video loading code was flawed, often freezing the game or forcing you to skip a sequence, which could be VERY frustrating.

The Second biggest complaint is that there is no way to tell on the fly how much damage you can do with your current weapon before it snaps. While I didn't mind the Breaking Weapon system, going into a battle with only the slightest inkling of how much you can deal before your board splits is challenging at best. An onscreen indicator that didn't involve going into a sub-menu would have been nice, that or a more through indicator in those menus.

Those being said, the game does what it set out to do, explain some of the holes in the Silent Hill plot line, and be really creepy while doing it. Silent Hill is still one of the few games you can hack the heck out of and cheat and STILL get a good scare going. Origins continues this track record, though if your looking for a new style, look elsewhere. Personally, this game was all I expected, no more and no worse.

This game isn't perfect, but no game is. Like most Survival/Horror games, it is a slim crowd that the game focuses on, but it does it well. If you can stand the flaws it has, the game does offer a very nice, creepy experience. Just make sure to keep the lights on.

It pains me to say it, but it's true--Silent Hill is dead. After playing Origins, I can finally understand why the original dev. team disintegrated. Silent Hill hasn't evolved in an entire decade! Whether they didn't know where to take the series, or didn't want to upset all the crazy fanboys, we're looking at stagnation at its purest. Origins could've easily been done on the PS1, as could any of the other SH games.

Yes, this is coming from a longtime SH nut. I've been with the series since its inception. It didn't dawn on me that I was playing rehashes until Origins though. And why? Atmosphere. Origins lacks atmosphere. The developers took a few classic SH locations, slightly altered them, turned down the brightness, and threw in some fodder for the lead character's two-by-four. It's not interesting and it's not scary.

Because of the lack of atmosphere, each and every gameplay flaw inherent with the SH franchise becomes that much more noticeable and that much more annoying. I commend the new developers for trying to spice things up with a new combat system, but it just doesn't work. I can't recommend Origins to anyone except obsessive fans who feel the need to own every SH game, no matter how horrible. I can't say I have any hope left for the series.

Major positives:
+ It has Silent Hill in the title...?

Major negatives:
- Static camera
- Poor graphics
- Boring gameplay
- Bare-bones storyline