Silent Hill: Origins for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

Silent Hill. A town of many mysteries, horrors that can be found no place else... save your mind.

Enter Travis, a trucker with an annoying affliction, his total inability to get rid of the nightmares that wrack his sleep. One night, as he makes up for lost time by taking a shortcut near a certain town, he stops his truck when someone runs in front of him. Getting out to see a little girl, he follows her to a burning house. With one thing leading to another, he eventually finds himself in the town of Silent Hill, where monsters litter the streets, and he has to face many obstacles in his path... things straight out of nightmares.

Silent Hill: Origins is a port of the PSP version, and indeed doesn't let fans down. The same creepy atmosphere, tension as a door opens, the horrifying foes that creep along every corridor, they are all certainly there. However, it just doesn't manage to bring anything new to the table. The monsters are indeed creepy, but you basically fight the same four or five monsters over and over again. After the hundredth Carrion attacks you, you know just how to deal with it, or how to avoid it. A pity, seeing as they had so much potential.

The graphics are nothing special. The game is a port of a handheld, making it so that the graphics aren't given as much power as most may expect from the PS2's capability, though the graphics being rather grainy do add to the atmosphere.

The combat is better than it had been in previous Silent Hill installments. Basically, you pick up items and hit enemies with them, but with a catch! Melee weapons have durability and break quickly, reducing your offensive capabilities. There are also one-time use weapons, such as portable TVs and weight stands that you can throw to deal damage from afar.

Overall, though there's nothing special in the game to make it stand out from others that have been released recently, Silent Hill: Origins can definitely soothe the horror craving until Silent Hill 4.