I feel 0rigins is underrated, especially because of its development hell and the absolutely delightful Artaud Theatre. The theatre is probably one of the best areas in the entire series.
Perhaps overly hated, but not underrated. The game is a bland clone of the japanese SHs. The things they changed are all changes for the worse. Travis being a James clone is boring and making the start of the story a copy paste of the first SH is just so incredibly weak and uninspired. It's like Konami or whomever told the devs to just repeat whatever people liked about the original games and then make weapons breakable because that was the popular trend at the time, so now lame-ass Travis gets to carry 3 CRT TVs and 10 different blunt weapons in his pockets.
I feel like having tons of health drinks is not a valid complaint. Especially in Silent Hill 2, I also found myself with about 20 health drinks and med kits for the majority of the game.
I like Henry much more than Travis. Henry actually has a dark background, he is depressed lonely hermit and now he is trapped inside his apartment. That is brilliant
What I like about origins’s monsters (partially due to the engine), is how sickly, half-formed & almost “unfinished” they look. It’s like the town’s darkness is just waking up, only barely managing what i could describe as “living afterbirth”.
I think Travis is actually an interesting character, not every character has to be a traumatized guy that killed his wife. That diversity of stories is what I think that makes a Silent Hill game good. Harry was just an innocent guy that adopted a cursed child. Henry was just in the wrong department.
I actually forget Silent Hill Origins exists a lot of the time sadly. A shame, too, because Akira Yamaoka's soundtrack for it is fantastic. I also really liked a few sections of the game, too. The movie theater area/puzzle was genuinely creative. As is, though, it's the one I've played the least.
Let's be real though... Akira is the GOAT. No matter what game he is attached to, he produces nothing but beauty. And yes, I agree with you. The theater was a fantastic level.
Akira's into riff is legendary. It's an underrated silent hill game and it has a lot of replayability because of the multiple endings, cool and unlockable costumes, and best weapons of the series. I mean a full auto kalishnikov in silent hill? Come on..like why wasn't this done earlier. Heathers uzi is fun tho. Unfortunately it's not very accessible being only PS2 and psp. I suppose I will pick it up for PS2 some day
Silent Hill Origins is one of the best games mechanically/technically. It also has some of the more intersting villians like the caged shadow. Multiple endings were a nice touch. 100% on the puzzles, it was the best implementation. Did feel like a half-finished game (you could tell the developers wanted to add so much more to it) & that they didn't have enough time to balance the game (like with the melee weapons). Would love to see a director's cut of the game.
I agree, one of my favorite......I also think Origins is meant to be played on PSP....its hard to explain why, but I believe its the best experience with the game.
@@ryankphd Totally, the game came with messages stating to play it with headphones for the best audio experience. It was designed solely for that platform & - like many PSP exclusives - ended up getting ported to the PS2.
There's an actual canon prequel of the first Silent Hill, a digital manga titled Cage Of Cradle by Hiroyuki Owaku and Masahiro Ito. It portrays the relationship between Lisa and Alessa before the events of the game and provides the necessary context for it. Sadly it was only released in 2006 in Japan and it's no longer available. It would be possible to re-release it together with Silent Hill Townfall, but we're talking about Konami's use of intellectual property...
Regarding “…there is nothing in Origins that suggests his (Travis) past is causing him significant distress…” Doesn’t the game literally open with a cutscene of Travis talking to a fellow trucker over CB radio about how he has problems sleeping and is always talking about his mother?
Besides one ending also suggests that Travis was the butcher so, I think it is also a very interesting theory in itself that Travis got over his trauma a long time ago
I liked Origins much more than Homecoming, never played Downpour though. The puzzles and monster fighting was more interesting and not as frustrating/"action" oriented aa with Alex in Homecoming. It's been a LONG time since I played any SH titles so I am just going by memories but I love your nuanced commentary on this title 😁
I liked Origins a lot. I think it has a real big bad boss of a problem: they shoehorned Alessa's and the Cult's story into it. Travis's story is deep and interesting enough to hold the game by itself. Forcing his and Alessa's stories to reflect each other as parallels was a mistake, and it diminished both Alessa's and Travis's stories. There is second problem, and this is mechanical. The removal of tank controls. It kind of makes sense, since Travis is a more active protagonist than Harry or James, so his more dexterous movements needed to be reflected, but that could have been achieve with tank control. I mean, Heather has tank controls and she's almost an action hero with her agility and skills. I still think a lot about some moments, specially the Artaud Theatre/The Tempest scene, and its symbolical implications to Travis's story. Concerning your video, I don't want to contradict your own personal experience, it's just that I don't believe you liked it now because you were starving, you liked it now because it's a good game and your negative bias must have weakened. Instead, you didn't like it back then because of the negative Zeitgeist concerning Western Silent Hill games. I was not aware of that when the game was released, and I had already played 1, 2 and 3 (with 2 and 3 being my favorite games of all time along with Dark Souls 1 and 2), and I enjoyed it, as well as Shattered Memories (a lot less than Origins, to be honest). I never played Downpour or Homecoming because I never owned a PS3 era console, or The Room because I never found a copy. Does that mean I am not a hardcore fan and therefore I liked Origins the year it was released?
I wish devs could understand that fix camera angle games are kind of important to build immersion in horror games. When you can freely pan the camera around, if effectively deletes the sense of uncertainty and dread of what's just outside your view, that forces devs to offset the lack of suspense by adding "gotcha" jumpscares that are so cheap yet pervasive in today's horror media.
Boomer take. Plenty of the best horror games don't have fixed camera. Unless your definition of a "horror game" is absurdly narrow, you'd know that fixed angles are a tool, not a must, for good horror. And if all you can do for atmosphere is just have enemies outside of your PoV hitting you like a Bandersnatch in RE:CV or the fear of that... you just suck as a horror director. Cuz the medium long since grew past you.
When I was a teenager, my friend and I were talking about girls and dating. My friend told me, "Up until I was 15, I thought the G Spot was that place where all the cool kids hung out after school." My friend was playing Silent Hill Origins when he said this, and the two will now forever be conflated in my memory. And I laugh every fucking time.
Travis is one of my favourite Silent Hill protagonists because he's the only one willing to throw down and punch monsters in the face with his bare hands. I appreciate him very much for that. The story isn't the best, but it's a fun game and I also love the silly costumes and weapons you can unlock.
@@iammaxlovinI think a part of it might be because the developers just didn't have enough time to implement everything properly as they wanted but they still made a solid game
Pure hive mind. Back at release, it somehow became popular to dump on 4, and then everyone just stopped thinking for themselves. This channel included. 4 is a very good game, and Origins, while not perfect, is an _extremely_ competent and faithful Silent Hill experience.
I think the room had the right idea of trying to get away from Silent Hill proper - I think the town has had the stories you could really tell about it all done with. With each new game they try to return to form in this way, they just dilute the horror factor of it.
Origins is underated in my opinion, it has good atmosphere and music and I love the more "agressive" melee combat, it feels different. Also, to be honest that theory of "just liking something because you are desperate for the lack of it" it doesn't apply for me so I dont get it: if you like something, is good, simple.
This is the first silent hill game I played, and I did not know back then it was not by the original team. For that reason, I was not biased in my playthrough, always comparing it to the previous four games. I agree with a lot of the criticism. The huge inventory, completely unrealistic (How can you have two tvs, a file cabinet and four toasters in your pockets?). The fact that you can avoid the monsters never bothered me much, but I understand the place you are coming from. I also understand the problems with continuity between this entry and Silent Hill 1. But I think a lot of nitpicking is present in your analysis of the monsters and the main character's story and background. Many things that are question of personal taste or a lack of identification, are criticized as if being inferior to the four previous games. - For instance, Travis past is filled with deep traumatic experiences: a mother who tried to kill him because voices in the mirror told her to; a father who committed suicide. All those traumatic experiences made him split his identity, repressing his feelings and thoughts into the shadows. A lot of references are made in the game towards this dissociated identity, fragmented self. And it is reasonable he would live a relatively normal life when all those memories are repressed and under control. As he walks through silent hill, the memories of his past catch up and become overwhelming. I don't think this plot and background makes the game inferior to SH2, but a completely different idea, with different motives, which still explores the impact of traumatic experiences to the psyche. In my opinion, the depth and symbolism are on par to previous games. - As for the monsters, indeed some of them appear again, but the story makes it clear why they appear to Travis (his mother was hospitalized and then put in an asylum). But all the other monsters mirror his story and symbolize his fragmented identity. Some monsters are taken from The Tempest, a play Travis watched as a kid, and they represent how he felt monstrous and manipulated by his narcissistic and sick mother. For me, the thought and research behind some of them are much more thoughtful than many previous enemy entries in the franchise. - The symbolism of the game is also, in my view, on par with previous ones, but more directed on opposites, to reinforce Travis' fragmented self. There are even theories that the butcher is not merely his persecutor-self symbol, but his other self, acting as a serial killer whenever Travis becomes what Jung called 'possessed by his shadow'. So, in my opinion, much nitpicking is done by the community towards this game. Many things that are criticized also apply in relation to the previous games but are dismissed when those are analysed. My take is: it is obviously not perfect, but a very strong entry in the Silent Hill franchise. I think a deeper, more mindful reading of the game and its subtleties in relation to CPTSD, dissociative fragmentation of the self, the shadow and shadow possession is essential when analyzing this specific game.
I consider Origins as a DLC for the original "Silent Hill", but without the story. Origins reminded me why the first Silent Hill game released in 1999 has such a brilliant gameplay. Your playable character is clunky, combat is tedious and yet rewarding, item management is stressful. It’s a traversal puzzle, but this time, you can move between realities at will. The traversal puzzle is now twice as big. Origins has much weaker characters and story than the 1st game, but improved combat, gameplay and graphics. When I finished it, I felt I completed a challenge. I wasn’t bored, not even a second. To me personally, it’s a gem.
*spoilers in this comment* OG PSP version let's goooo!!! This is a great video, it feels more fair than other reviews I've seen. I disagree with Origins adding nothing interesting to the canon, imo it adds one of the more interesting revelations about the cult in the series. SH1 establishes that Samael isn't a real demon believed by the cult, but rather it's a red herring to fool heretics or others against the cult. But Origins says no actually, Samael IS a real demon. The idea of Dahlia unknowingly using a real demon, one she thought was false, to trick Harry in SH1 is such an interesting revelation.
Recently I decided to replay 1-4 and then Origins, and I was very surprised with Origins, even in the context of the classic 4 - I think it holds up pretty well. I'm not a big fan of the theater level but other than that, pretty solid game, and I think it duly respects the original franchise. Also, sneaking (11:32) is something you could do in Silent Hill 1 too, and I missed being able to do it as well in SH2 and SH3 (you can still do it in those, but it's much harder). I once did a playthrough of SH1 without killing a single enemy besides the bosses, just by going around like that - sneaking with radio and flashlight off. Often times, doing that and praying enemies don't see you or bump into you is much scarier. So props to Origins for bringing that back, and in a way that is pretty faithful to the original.
Origins is far from being the best Silent Hill, but it was a huge step in the right direction. Those developers were the ones that most closely understood the assignment.
I'd say homecoming or the new ascension game takes most boring. Most of homecomings gameplay is just stun locking enemies with the same knife combo until they die.
Lord can my boy Henry stop catching strays 😭. Interesting video, seeing the switch ups years later for the western silent hill games has been an experience.
No, Downpour is the most boring one. I could easily finish Origins, it does have it's memorable moments. but finishing Downpour is a dreadful task that no human should be subjected to. It's a very mediocre game and the worst in the series, it lacks everything that makes a game interesting. The gameplay reminded me a little bit of Alan Wake, it tries to be cinematic, but I did not care about anything that was going on. I mindlessly tried to get through the game as quickly as I could just to get it over with, but the game just kept on going. It went on until I could not bare playing it any more, I've never finished it and I don't want to. Yet, I got every ending in Homecoming, because that game is short and fun with a bonkers combat system.
Origins is sorta special for me because I remember watching my older brothers play the first 2 growing up (I was a definitely well-adjusted child), and then many many years later, Origins is the first Silent Hill game I bought and played for myself. I felt like it captured that childhood dread really damn well, partially due to rose-colored glasses and an absence of SH content as I didn't have a PS2 after my brothers moved out. I bet, though, that those who recently experienced the masterpieces of 2 and 3 will be underwhelmed by Origins, and to those who recently played 1, Origins will feel really strangely familiar.
Really well made video :) Origins surprisingly has so much more than you expect and it's a delight to find new people getting into it, no doubt because of no silent hill 2 remake news this year : )
I always remember watching TRSHE over and over by twin perfect back in the day and they bring up a great point that Origins doesn’t work when you think that the nightmare being projected onto the town In silent hill 1 only occurs when the other half of alessas soul returns to silent hill when Harry takes her there so all the nightmare visions and monsters etc in origins shouldn’t exist as of yet because alessa had never done this or had this ability before the return of Cheryl etc
I remember playing this on the PSP way back when it first came out, then replayed it a bit later on the PS2. I enjoyed it, but in hindsight I think I enjoyed it because it aped so many of the threadbare tropes of the Silent Hill games, and I really liked the mirror-switching-to-otherworld mechanic. I've tried going back to it recently through emulation and yeeeeahhh, I dunno. I might dive back in if I get bored. Still, it's probably the one I'd prefer to play again besides the original four (and now the SH2 remake, of course). Edit: the piano puzzle is awesome! That might be a bit of nostalgia talking, but I've always loved it. :p
I had the same experience with Origins, it was kinda just nice to "be back", with Akira Yamaoka's music and all. Also I appreciate that they brought back the town exploration, I missed that from SH3 and 4.
You're saying, that past of Travis doesn't influence him, meanwhile he is a literal serial killer... It's hinted multiple times throughout the game and it's openly declared in one of the endings
13:07 this is a promise: even if they would have done what you suggested, you would find negatives, because you are this kind of SH fans that is never happy. More, you are a youtuber who understood that making negative comments and writing negative title about silent hill in his videos is rewarded by the algorithm.
I mean yes and no. SH2 remake is looking really good in my opinion. Even though it's 3rd person I don't think games need to be fixed camera and in fact fixed camera and bad voice acting are just of that time. It wasn't on purpose
OMG I thought I was the only one who thought this was the most boring Silent Hill game. Only team silent knew what SH really meant, these western companies came and just spoiled everything...
I remember playing this game long ago, back when my PSP was the only thing keeping me sane in my long-ass bus trips to college. I liked it well enough but it never really ended up being much more than "just another game" I played then to pass the time.
What stood out to me in this game was the comedy of pulling items out of my pocket, from a jar to a TV, missing only the kitchen sink, and smashing it on the enemy's head while they're down lol
I do think Origins was a solid game that was fun. Note, *fun*. The unlockables made it very replayable and offered interesting challenges but also fun gameplay. I don't remember when I've exactly played it, whether before certain original games or not. I kind of had a different opinion from you regarding encounters. While they can be avoided, I'm of the opinion that most of them are nonthreatening and easy. Fists were actually very powerful in this game and I found myself punching everything to death. It doesn't really require skill at all and is really only limited by bigger enemies, the big reason to its power being the stun after each hit. Kind of hard to feel afraid when youre confident you can defend yourself very effectively without a weapon. If you are to do this in your playthroughs, this only exacerbates the melee problems you bring up. It captures Silent Hill gameplay and energy very well, however it doesn't do it the best and the combat is easily exploitable making encounters nonthreatening for a horror game. I liked the puzzles in the game and the idea of traversing between the worlds. When compared to other american silent hills, its probably the second best. Best being Shattered Memories in my opinion, though I'm biased due to it being my first Silent Hill overall. I think even in retrospect it tries to do its own thing things to the point where really it could function as its own game, its very different. One commenter suggests they preferred Henry over Travis. To each their own, but I wouldn't understand that, I think Travis is probably the second best protagonist out of all the American Silent Hills. I find his backstory sympathetic. Hot take, but I think people are more favorable toward Henry because its from a pretty good silent hill game, and the last of the originals. Henry functionally feels more like a blank slate the audience is meant to insert into than a character. This isn't bad, but in turn makes him lack depth compared to other protagonists outside of speculation and theories. Soundtrack is also good, but I mostly ignore this for Silent Hill games given they mostly have the same composer. Very replayable and fun. I unlocked everything and found it enjoyable to do so, but its not the best at the aspects of silent hill it tries to capture. You could say every silent hill is replayable, but this is probably the only one where I wanted to play the game again and again.
Gonna be honest the realization we really haven't gotten any Silent Hill content game wise since 2014 killed me. I know PT was a teaser but it was definitely promising.
I personally love ORIGINS. Even after day-one'in the OG Silent Hill in '99, Origins has absolutely gotten the most replays from me over the years. Storywise it doesn't hold a candle to the Team Silent era, but I can seperate that a bit.
Say Max I have a question related to silent hill IP: How come Konami hasn't done a game before set in the 1600s? Of the conflict between native americans and settlers. Of the corruption/pollution of a sacred site of spirituality that would later become the town of silent hill? I ask as based on the game's own lore, we know that there was native americans who lived prior to the settlers. That the otherworld wasn't always psychological horror, and instead was once a place of healing, communion, and knowledge. That of the denizens in the otherworld, the one worshiped by the tribe was raven, a trickster deity. As it seems ripe with untapped potential for storytelling, at least to me.
Konami isn't doing games anymore, if some studio want to do that game, they sent the story to Konami, and they will give the green light or not. That's what happen with SH2R, SHF, and Townfall. And that's why Ascension is a disaster. For example the guy from Abandoned could contact Konami and sent his story, and Konami will see if this is worthy as a SH game.
great video, I like that you give the due appreciation to what positives the developers managed to include in the game despite konami's interferance. tho I will say, I think Travis' personal story in the game is pretty good, just very underdeveloped as a story, since most of the game needed to be a prequel, most of the cutscenes mean nothing and Travis' involvement in his own story ends up feeling superficial. I think it could've been great, if this hadnt been a prequel, even if still probably not as good as the original 4
Really interesting perspective. Loved the effort youve applied to your silent hill content. I couldnt stand the later silent hill games, I've played them ALL many times. I always hoped that would boost my appreciation of the later games, but it seems to further divide them apart in regards to quality. I always wished to enjoy them, but even as a young man I could feel the differences in atmosphere. Downpour and such are such a disappointment, they SCREAM that they have no confidence in their abilities to scare you and they often dont.
I remember I watched the Silent Hill movie, and kinda liked it. Then I saw "Silent Hill Origins" in the local Cafe House (when those were still a thing), and went "Oh, so the movie is based on a videogame?". I played it and liked it a lot, so much so I went out and played EVERY GAME of the series. Of course, after that I realised that Origins wasn't as good as the others, with Silent Hill 2 to this day being my favorite game of all time. Still, Origins will forever hold a spot in my heart for being the first game to introduce me to the series.
My issue with Origins is that could have more scenarios, but the locations were at spot on, a giant mad house, a theather, a motel. Like I always said Homecoming and Downpour will get less hate, if they were produced by Climax, this group understand better the assigment, they even avoid to put PH in this game, which was the plan of Konami. The enemies of Climax were also great, Hellen, Caliban, Richard, The butcher. Travis is also a great character, going with fists with these monsters, that's a proof of his own nature. If I only can pick one game from Western, I will pick Origins, I'm a big fan of Homecoming, but Climax will make a better game than Double Helix or Vatra, they really has that spark of Team Silent.
It's been a while, but I think Origins has to be understood in the context that it was developed with the PSP in mind and I think some of the game mechanics, pacing, problems, etc... came from it's portable nature as much as anything. Also, one thing to understand is that "Origins" has a trap in it, that trap is that the ease of collecting weapons and killing enemies is supposed to encourage you to do exactly what your not supposed to in this game. If you get into the habit of killing enemies, that is the path to the "bad" ending which comes from killing too many enemies. Thus I think the problem with the game giving too many weapons, too much ammo, too much health, etc... is entirely intentional and meant as a trick for the unsuspecting player who tries to kill everything. I have heard it suggested that the bad ending is intended to be the first one the player gains, and that in this case perhaps both major endings are simultaneously canonical, where he sets up the events of the other games, but also is supposed to be killed via injection. The idea is that Travis is a blank slate to sort of allow this, where some have argued that Travis is a serial killer. Despite doing what he needs to in order to survive Silent Hill, and not being willing to kill children, he is "The Butcher" as opposed to it being a psychological manifestation in the usual sense. The idea being that he does rescue Cheryl with his skills, but sometimes afterwards is captured and lethally injected by the cult, and then becomes the boss monster he was facing in the story, time not lining up in a linear sense in Silent Hill, this is why your seeing the scenes of "The Burtcher" super imposed over Travis during the bad ending, showing what he's going to become.
The only points I'd add to this (for me anyway) is that in the earl 00s the West did their take on Asian horror, ring, the grudge, the eye, a tale of two sisters, pulse, etc. Silent Hill was like the antithesis of that, it seemed like Japans' take on Western horror. So when the the games after 4 were made it always felt like it was missing that subtle Japanese undertone and influence in them. Also wasn't a fan of the QTEs, or how formulaic it got. Got to place, do boss, get flarous piece, Traivs faints. Go to place, do boss, get flarous piece, Travis faint. Go to place ... and so on, it got really stale. Also his reason for staying in his situation. SH1 - Stays to find his daughter SH2 - Stays to find out if his wife is really there SH3 - Can't escape it while trying to get home, then goes there to get revenge SH4 - Unable to leave his apartment and can only go though the hole, believing it would end the nightmare This one, to find out if the girl he saved was okay, but after that he doesn't go back to his truck, or find the road obliterated, meaning he can't leave, he keeps going to different places rather than try to leave. Maybe I'm forgetting something and he does try, or explains, why he's so set on staying in the town, but if there is, I can't recall.
12:00 that complaint about an abundance of health items and ammo goes for ALL games except SH4. Let's not pretened Origins was the anomaly here By the time I reached the end boss of SH2 for example, I had 300+ handgun bullets, 120+ shotgun shells and about 50 rifles rounds. That is insane And the thing with the melee weapons is almost the same as the old games, though in old games you had 3-4 melee weapons that never broke, and here they spam you with them. The result is the same, the player always has melee weapons...
I will say, though it might be reaching or inconclusive, RagnarRox did an excellent analysis of the butcher in Origins, and how it and a lot of environmental choices seem to imply that Travis is a serial killer. And while it reaches in certain aspects, it really did change my mind on Travis being as bland as I previously thought.
I do really like RagnarRox analysis, the main issue with the Butcher is that he gets so little screen time that he never gets an opportunity to make a presence for himself. He would have been much more effective as an evil side to overcome if we got to consistently see that evil both in cutscenes and in gameplay.
Omg you're so right about "if you're sensitive to horror then you might think this is a good game." When there's combat like this I get really panicked so I thought it was really scary 😂 I'm better at Fatal Frame because it's ranged combat.
i think a prequel could work for silent hill because of some of the cult business and questions that some people might have like how did alessa get powers the whole walter sullivan killing spree and were there more kids growing up to do the same how did the order learn of the whole god baby spell And much more i think that can fit into a prequel
sadly i feel some times being a intelectual gamer is a path of pain. mainly because you can find companies that have good gameplay consistently (even this goes bad alot) but finding a interesting meaning or message from a art team in a game that sticks with you is so caotic to find. mainly i blame the investors (and i dont blame them) because they just go to the safer investments making most modern entretantment suffer i call it the mcdonallification of media.
You know what was the good and best formula of Silent Hill 1, 2 and 3? The abstract figures, monsters and places. The way Japanese people thinks about horror is just amazing. Disgusting but "sexy" at the same time. The symbolism. And what did they do with SH Origins, Homecoming and Dounpour? Make creepy monsters that don't look abstract. They just said "ooooh okay. So it's scary spooky monster with wide mouth." No. There's more to it than just creepy monsters that have faces, toes, and they look like Hellraiser monsters. Masahiro Ito has that essence of making monsters something disgusting, abstract, and combined with metal and meat, latex...
I wont lie, I hear SH Origins as a comedy game inspired by scrubs being a prequel to SH1 and it makes me think...that sounds thematically perfect. Chef's kiss perfection grade A+. A world that, to those familiar with it, has eccentricities in its acting and presentation so thick you could drink it like a milkshake. A silly and comedic world with dogs that manage the events of the story like a wacky stage play, but the Silent Hill we know, on both a meta and in world level, is an incomprehensible and abnormal thing of unimaginable horror. Sure the "secretly this cute goofy world was actually scary and evillll" is overused (to put it lightly) in the year of our lord 2023...but if all that changed in that development shift was the game slowly peeling off the skin of a goofy wacky action 3rd person shooter to reveal the Silent Hill we all know and love (even if only the simple framework that was managed in tbe real Origins), it could have been something truly incredible.
Ooohhh Downpour.... it had it's moments. Being stalked by a Mad Max looking police car was kind of cool alsoit was the first Silent Hill game I actually never had enough ammo. The enemies respond ed in the same place waaaay too often.
I feel like if they remade Silent Hill 4 with the PT team, or miraculously, Team Silent, it would revive the series. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely believe that. That game was my first of the 4 and it scared the hell out of me.
I don't wanna be negative buuuuuut this is the only Silent Hill game I can't bring myself to complete. Just as your title says I just find it boring. It's one of those games that makes me appreciate the earlier games in a way I didn't know I would. A similar case is going from a true dark souls game to a soulsborne game from a different dev. I end up asking "where's the world building? Where's the tone? Where's the difficulty/balance? Where's the lore?" A lot of stuff that I never thought about and often didn't even think I cared about but once it's missing you REALLY notice it. This game works and it feels like it fits in with the old Silent Hill games to an extent but to me it just ends up feeling like an imitation. I would probably say it's "technically" better than homecoming and downpour however I feel those games actually did unique things even if they were somewhat not great. However I'm gonna try this again soon I really wanna see the good in it. There's a lot of people in the comments that seem to enjoy this game y'all have to be on to something i think lol
I put Origins in the same category as other titles that were made on the PSP (i know it was also on PS2 but still), that it was portable. "It's Silent Hill on the go!". Pretty much amounts to my experience with this and other games from that platform. Not bad, but not super extrodinary.
The problems with the inventory, melee, and guns in this game makes me appreciate SH4 so much more. You dont get to bring a million items with you, you have to make a choice on what to bring in, what to put away and plan out your move with the items you have.
No wonder i thought sh origin and sh3 are the easiest, and sh 1 is the hardest (i finished it on my 3-4th attempt). Sh origin, as you said, i can miss those creatures just by turning off my light, and the environment aren't that dark either so i don't rlly used it. But travis's story is kinda good imo
Next silent hill game you do, you should do a pre recorded playthrough, no chat, just your pure thoughts and reactions, id watch if it was an hour or two long, i do it with Vinny Vinesauce's SH playthroughs
A theater location in Silent Hill is simply inspired. Surprised it was never a location in Team Silent title. And a monster being huge in scale is also wonderful.
I loved origins personally. There's just some unique charm about it. Although it was my first silent hill experience I think part of what makes it so great is the games protagonist Travis Grady. It's refreshing to see a tough blue collar guy with some grit take the helm. James and Heather were great but Travis had some weapons experience and knew how to fight much like Alex Shepard.
I will play this game all day, against Downpour, or Homecoming, in fact these two will be better beneath the wing of Climax. I'm very sure about that. Origins is a great game.
Konami would first have to give a shit what their customers want for them to put any thought to it. They're much more interested in branding and marketing than actual artistic merit.
I forgot this game existed. I finished it and the only memory I had for this game is with the final boss. I horded so much guns and bullets saving it for difficult bosses (which is sadly none). I used it on the final boss, end up killing him in mere seconds with my machine gun (not sure, but it looks like an AK47). lol
I feel 0rigins is underrated, especially because of its development hell and the absolutely delightful Artaud Theatre. The theatre is probably one of the best areas in the entire series.
Underrated masterpiece
@@KaliU-ix2kf now now, I understand this was your first SH, but masterpiece? No.
People forget that it was a psp focused game and was then ported to the ps2.
Perhaps overly hated, but not underrated. The game is a bland clone of the japanese SHs. The things they changed are all changes for the worse. Travis being a James clone is boring and making the start of the story a copy paste of the first SH is just so incredibly weak and uninspired. It's like Konami or whomever told the devs to just repeat whatever people liked about the original games and then make weapons breakable because that was the popular trend at the time, so now lame-ass Travis gets to carry 3 CRT TVs and 10 different blunt weapons in his pockets.
It's true
I feel like having tons of health drinks is not a valid complaint. Especially in Silent Hill 2, I also found myself with about 20 health drinks and med kits for the majority of the game.
And it also doesn't help that Silent Hill 2 is considered the easiest Silent Hill game in the Team Silent Era.
I like Henry much more than Travis. Henry actually has a dark background, he is depressed lonely hermit and now he is trapped inside his apartment. That is brilliant
It's the game where you play as the average Silent Hill enjoyer, yes.
HE'S LITERALLY ME. CHILLS DOWN MY SPINE.
But Travis's past is darker too...
Don’t the events of The Room happen shortly after Henry moves in, so he’s not really a hermit just a dude that got sucked into supernatural rituals.
@@FromBeyondTheGrave1yeah he wasn’t locked up for long less then 2 days his day job was as a photographer.
What I like about origins’s monsters (partially due to the engine), is how sickly, half-formed & almost “unfinished” they look. It’s like the town’s darkness is just waking up, only barely managing what i could describe as “living afterbirth”.
Well said. They all have that primordial appearance that makes you feel grimy just looking at them.
I think Travis is actually an interesting character, not every character has to be a traumatized guy that killed his wife. That diversity of stories is what I think that makes a Silent Hill game good. Harry was just an innocent guy that adopted a cursed child. Henry was just in the wrong department.
I actually forget Silent Hill Origins exists a lot of the time sadly. A shame, too, because Akira Yamaoka's soundtrack for it is fantastic. I also really liked a few sections of the game, too. The movie theater area/puzzle was genuinely creative. As is, though, it's the one I've played the least.
Same, I regularly replay it once a year :)
Let's be real though... Akira is the GOAT. No matter what game he is attached to, he produces nothing but beauty. And yes, I agree with you. The theater was a fantastic level.
@@maxderrat shadows of the damned is a game, iirc that he did the ost for.
Addendum: read his Wikipedia and yes he did the music.
I loved that section including the apartments!
Akira's into riff is legendary. It's an underrated silent hill game and it has a lot of replayability because of the multiple endings, cool and unlockable costumes, and best weapons of the series.
I mean a full auto kalishnikov in silent hill? Come on..like why wasn't this done earlier. Heathers uzi is fun tho.
Unfortunately it's not very accessible being only PS2 and psp. I suppose I will pick it up for PS2 some day
Silent Hill Origins is one of the best games mechanically/technically.
It also has some of the more intersting villians like the caged shadow.
Multiple endings were a nice touch.
100% on the puzzles, it was the best implementation.
Did feel like a half-finished game (you could tell the developers wanted to add so much more to it) & that they didn't have enough time to balance the game (like with the melee weapons).
Would love to see a director's cut of the game.
Its still the best non team silent, silent hill game so far. Silent Hills would have taken the crown if it had not been cancelled.
still breaks my heart that game was cancelled@@donttreadonmegamereviews4928
I agree, one of my favorite......I also think Origins is meant to be played on PSP....its hard to explain why, but I believe its the best experience with the game.
@@ryankphd Totally, the game came with messages stating to play it with headphones for the best audio experience.
It was designed solely for that platform & - like many PSP exclusives - ended up getting ported to the PS2.
All the silent hill games have multiple endings lol specially 1 and 2. That's nothing new
There's an actual canon prequel of the first Silent Hill, a digital manga titled Cage Of Cradle by Hiroyuki Owaku and Masahiro Ito. It portrays the relationship between Lisa and Alessa before the events of the game and provides the necessary context for it.
Sadly it was only released in 2006 in Japan and it's no longer available. It would be possible to re-release it together with Silent Hill Townfall, but we're talking about Konami's use of intellectual property...
Regarding “…there is nothing in Origins that suggests his (Travis) past is causing him significant distress…”
Doesn’t the game literally open with a cutscene of Travis talking to a fellow trucker over CB radio about how he has problems sleeping and is always talking about his mother?
Besides one ending also suggests that Travis was the butcher so, I think it is also a very interesting theory in itself that Travis got over his trauma a long time ago
Bread is actually older than the Silent Hill God themselves
I liked Origins much more than Homecoming, never played Downpour though.
The puzzles and monster fighting was more interesting and not as frustrating/"action" oriented aa with Alex in Homecoming.
It's been a LONG time since I played any SH titles so I am just going by memories but I love your nuanced commentary on this title 😁
Origins more better ❤
Masterpiece
Homecoming is my fave bad 1 1-4 wear fine origins never had a go at shame aswell I had psp on release love mgs acid 😂
Definitely still better than homecoming and downpour
It's not boring I actually love it, it has good music, good monsters designs and the puzzles were good too
Me too, played and finished it a couple of years ago, its the most underrated Silent Hill game.
@jamesconlin5099 ok... tell me than?
Origins is better than homecoming
@jamesconlin5099Come on bro do we really have to be so over the top about someone liking a game
I liked Origins a lot. I think it has a real big bad boss of a problem: they shoehorned Alessa's and the Cult's story into it. Travis's story is deep and interesting enough to hold the game by itself. Forcing his and Alessa's stories to reflect each other as parallels was a mistake, and it diminished both Alessa's and Travis's stories.
There is second problem, and this is mechanical. The removal of tank controls. It kind of makes sense, since Travis is a more active protagonist than Harry or James, so his more dexterous movements needed to be reflected, but that could have been achieve with tank control. I mean, Heather has tank controls and she's almost an action hero with her agility and skills.
I still think a lot about some moments, specially the Artaud Theatre/The Tempest scene, and its symbolical implications to Travis's story.
Concerning your video, I don't want to contradict your own personal experience, it's just that I don't believe you liked it now because you were starving, you liked it now because it's a good game and your negative bias must have weakened. Instead, you didn't like it back then because of the negative Zeitgeist concerning Western Silent Hill games. I was not aware of that when the game was released, and I had already played 1, 2 and 3 (with 2 and 3 being my favorite games of all time along with Dark Souls 1 and 2), and I enjoyed it, as well as Shattered Memories (a lot less than Origins, to be honest). I never played Downpour or Homecoming because I never owned a PS3 era console, or The Room because I never found a copy. Does that mean I am not a hardcore fan and therefore I liked Origins the year it was released?
I wish devs could understand that fix camera angle games are kind of important to build immersion in horror games. When you can freely pan the camera around, if effectively deletes the sense of uncertainty and dread of what's just outside your view, that forces devs to offset the lack of suspense by adding "gotcha" jumpscares that are so cheap yet pervasive in today's horror media.
Untrue, Alan Wake 2 isn't doing that, and that's a great game, you are seeing this too much from the past.
@@LosMSR says you. i found AW2 to be a very uneventful game.
Boomer take. Plenty of the best horror games don't have fixed camera. Unless your definition of a "horror game" is absurdly narrow, you'd know that fixed angles are a tool, not a must, for good horror. And if all you can do for atmosphere is just have enemies outside of your PoV hitting you like a Bandersnatch in RE:CV or the fear of that... you just suck as a horror director. Cuz the medium long since grew past you.
I’m cooking lunch and getting ready for my work shift. I needed this.
I like this retrospective look back on a game
When I was a teenager, my friend and I were talking about girls and dating. My friend told me, "Up until I was 15, I thought the G Spot was that place where all the cool kids hung out after school."
My friend was playing Silent Hill Origins when he said this, and the two will now forever be conflated in my memory. And I laugh every fucking time.
Travis is one of my favourite Silent Hill protagonists because he's the only one willing to throw down and punch monsters in the face with his bare hands. I appreciate him very much for that.
The story isn't the best, but it's a fun game and I also love the silly costumes and weapons you can unlock.
Probably the most interesting thing I can think of about origins is the theory that Travis is a serial killer
It was suggested but never given any context
Travis has an odd comment if you examine the shovel weapons and there's the bad ending, but other than that, not much context indeed @@iammaxlovin
In fact he could be, and even be behind the fate of Lisa.
@@iammaxlovinI think a part of it might be because the developers just didn't have enough time to implement everything properly as they wanted but they still made a solid game
The comedy was going to kill the game completely. Thank God they change the team.
Silent Hill 4 is my favorite in the series after SH2. No idea why so many people dislike it.
Man Silent Hill 4 was so much more scarier than 2. Those goddamn floating ghosts and the Twin Victim monster made me shit my pants
Pure hive mind. Back at release, it somehow became popular to dump on 4, and then everyone just stopped thinking for themselves. This channel included.
4 is a very good game, and Origins, while not perfect, is an _extremely_ competent and faithful Silent Hill experience.
I think the room had the right idea of trying to get away from Silent Hill proper - I think the town has had the stories you could really tell about it all done with. With each new game they try to return to form in this way, they just dilute the horror factor of it.
Origins is underated in my opinion, it has good atmosphere and music and I love the more "agressive" melee combat, it feels different. Also, to be honest that theory of "just liking something because you are desperate for the lack of it" it doesn't apply for me so I dont get it: if you like something, is good, simple.
This is the first silent hill game I played, and I did not know back then it was not by the original team. For that reason, I was not biased in my playthrough, always comparing it to the previous four games.
I agree with a lot of the criticism. The huge inventory, completely unrealistic (How can you have two tvs, a file cabinet and four toasters in your pockets?). The fact that you can avoid the monsters never bothered me much, but I understand the place you are coming from. I also understand the problems with continuity between this entry and Silent Hill 1.
But I think a lot of nitpicking is present in your analysis of the monsters and the main character's story and background. Many things that are question of personal taste or a lack of identification, are criticized as if being inferior to the four previous games.
- For instance, Travis past is filled with deep traumatic experiences: a mother who tried to kill him because voices in the mirror told her to; a father who committed suicide. All those traumatic experiences made him split his identity, repressing his feelings and thoughts into the shadows. A lot of references are made in the game towards this dissociated identity, fragmented self. And it is reasonable he would live a relatively normal life when all those memories are repressed and under control. As he walks through silent hill, the memories of his past catch up and become overwhelming. I don't think this plot and background makes the game inferior to SH2, but a completely different idea, with different motives, which still explores the impact of traumatic experiences to the psyche. In my opinion, the depth and symbolism are on par to previous games.
- As for the monsters, indeed some of them appear again, but the story makes it clear why they appear to Travis (his mother was hospitalized and then put in an asylum). But all the other monsters mirror his story and symbolize his fragmented identity. Some monsters are taken from The Tempest, a play Travis watched as a kid, and they represent how he felt monstrous and manipulated by his narcissistic and sick mother. For me, the thought and research behind some of them are much more thoughtful than many previous enemy entries in the franchise.
- The symbolism of the game is also, in my view, on par with previous ones, but more directed on opposites, to reinforce Travis' fragmented self. There are even theories that the butcher is not merely his persecutor-self symbol, but his other self, acting as a serial killer whenever Travis becomes what Jung called 'possessed by his shadow'.
So, in my opinion, much nitpicking is done by the community towards this game. Many things that are criticized also apply in relation to the previous games but are dismissed when those are analysed. My take is: it is obviously not perfect, but a very strong entry in the Silent Hill franchise. I think a deeper, more mindful reading of the game and its subtleties in relation to CPTSD, dissociative fragmentation of the self, the shadow and shadow possession is essential when analyzing this specific game.
I remember getting Origins for PS2 and having fun with it. Too bad it didn’t receive any further ports.
Happy new year, Max! 🎉
I consider Origins as a DLC for the original "Silent Hill", but without the story. Origins reminded me why the first Silent Hill game released in 1999 has such a brilliant gameplay. Your playable character is clunky, combat is tedious and yet rewarding, item management is stressful. It’s a traversal puzzle, but this time, you can move between realities at will. The traversal puzzle is now twice as big.
Origins has much weaker characters and story than the 1st game, but improved combat, gameplay and graphics. When I finished it, I felt I completed a challenge. I wasn’t bored, not even a second. To me personally, it’s a gem.
*spoilers in this comment*
OG PSP version let's goooo!!! This is a great video, it feels more fair than other reviews I've seen. I disagree with Origins adding nothing interesting to the canon, imo it adds one of the more interesting revelations about the cult in the series. SH1 establishes that Samael isn't a real demon believed by the cult, but rather it's a red herring to fool heretics or others against the cult. But Origins says no actually, Samael IS a real demon. The idea of Dahlia unknowingly using a real demon, one she thought was false, to trick Harry in SH1 is such an interesting revelation.
Recently I decided to replay 1-4 and then Origins, and I was very surprised with Origins, even in the context of the classic 4 - I think it holds up pretty well. I'm not a big fan of the theater level but other than that, pretty solid game, and I think it duly respects the original franchise.
Also, sneaking (11:32) is something you could do in Silent Hill 1 too, and I missed being able to do it as well in SH2 and SH3 (you can still do it in those, but it's much harder). I once did a playthrough of SH1 without killing a single enemy besides the bosses, just by going around like that - sneaking with radio and flashlight off. Often times, doing that and praying enemies don't see you or bump into you is much scarier. So props to Origins for bringing that back, and in a way that is pretty faithful to the original.
Origins is far from being the best Silent Hill, but it was a huge step in the right direction. Those developers were the ones that most closely understood the assignment.
I'd say homecoming or the new ascension game takes most boring. Most of homecomings gameplay is just stun locking enemies with the same knife combo until they die.
Great video. Thank you for keeping the Silent Hill online discourse alive. I was afraid that we'll never recover from Acsension lol.
Your videos always get the theater mode treatment, my man :) keep up the good work
That bread/desert analogy is one of the funniest and most brilliant things I've seen all week.
Lord can my boy Henry stop catching strays 😭. Interesting video, seeing the switch ups years later for the western silent hill games has been an experience.
No, Downpour is the most boring one.
I could easily finish Origins, it does have it's memorable moments.
but finishing Downpour is a dreadful task that no human should be subjected to.
It's a very mediocre game and the worst in the series, it lacks everything that makes a game interesting.
The gameplay reminded me a little bit of Alan Wake, it tries to be cinematic, but I did not care about anything that was going on.
I mindlessly tried to get through the game as quickly as I could just to get it over with, but the game just kept on going.
It went on until I could not bare playing it any more, I've never finished it and I don't want to.
Yet, I got every ending in Homecoming, because that game is short and fun with a bonkers combat system.
Man that Bread meme lol
Happy new year Max! Thanks for the video.
Origins is sorta special for me because I remember watching my older brothers play the first 2 growing up (I was a definitely well-adjusted child), and then many many years later, Origins is the first Silent Hill game I bought and played for myself. I felt like it captured that childhood dread really damn well, partially due to rose-colored glasses and an absence of SH content as I didn't have a PS2 after my brothers moved out. I bet, though, that those who recently experienced the masterpieces of 2 and 3 will be underwhelmed by Origins, and to those who recently played 1, Origins will feel really strangely familiar.
Really well made video :) Origins surprisingly has so much more than you expect and it's a delight to find new people getting into it, no doubt because of no silent hill 2 remake news this year : )
I always remember watching TRSHE over and over by twin perfect back in the day and they bring up a great point that Origins doesn’t work when you think that the nightmare being projected onto the town In silent hill 1 only occurs when the other half of alessas soul returns to silent hill when Harry takes her there so all the nightmare visions and monsters etc in origins shouldn’t exist as of yet because alessa had never done this or had this ability before the return of Cheryl etc
I remember playing this on the PSP way back when it first came out, then replayed it a bit later on the PS2. I enjoyed it, but in hindsight I think I enjoyed it because it aped so many of the threadbare tropes of the Silent Hill games, and I really liked the mirror-switching-to-otherworld mechanic.
I've tried going back to it recently through emulation and yeeeeahhh, I dunno. I might dive back in if I get bored. Still, it's probably the one I'd prefer to play again besides the original four (and now the SH2 remake, of course).
Edit: the piano puzzle is awesome! That might be a bit of nostalgia talking, but I've always loved it. :p
I had the same experience with Origins, it was kinda just nice to "be back", with Akira Yamaoka's music and all.
Also I appreciate that they brought back the town exploration, I missed that from SH3 and 4.
There's town exploration in SH3 wtf are you talking about?
@@Zeropointill it's very minimal in comparison and it's just taken from SH2
You're saying, that past of Travis doesn't influence him, meanwhile he is a literal serial killer... It's hinted multiple times throughout the game and it's openly declared in one of the endings
I just can’t get over what they did to Lisa in this one.
what did they do? her character seemed pretty consistant to me
Silent Hill Origins is a mediocre game, not bad but also nothing to write home about. But still, it's much better than the Room.
Just made homemade turkey pot pies and got RE4 for Christmas plus this! Its been a good day!
13:07 this is a promise: even if they would have done what you suggested, you would find negatives, because you are this kind of SH fans that is never happy. More, you are a youtuber who understood that making negative comments and writing negative title about silent hill in his videos is rewarded by the algorithm.
I mean yes and no. SH2 remake is looking really good in my opinion. Even though it's 3rd person I don't think games need to be fixed camera and in fact fixed camera and bad voice acting are just of that time. It wasn't on purpose
"Bad acting..." HEy! You are not wrong but you dont have to say it like this.,.,,. : C
OMG I thought I was the only one who thought this was the most boring Silent Hill game. Only team silent knew what SH really meant, these western companies came and just spoiled everything...
I remember playing this game long ago, back when my PSP was the only thing keeping me sane in my long-ass bus trips to college. I liked it well enough but it never really ended up being much more than "just another game" I played then to pass the time.
My favorite parts of Silent Hill Homecoming is when Alex Says "JOSH" 😂
What stood out to me in this game was the comedy of pulling items out of my pocket, from a jar to a TV, missing only the kitchen sink, and smashing it on the enemy's head while they're down lol
The sacrament bread on a monthly fast Sunday at church is truly more appreciated than average bread.
Your timing with the video clips is awesome!!
I do think Origins was a solid game that was fun. Note, *fun*. The unlockables made it very replayable and offered interesting challenges but also fun gameplay. I don't remember when I've exactly played it, whether before certain original games or not. I kind of had a different opinion from you regarding encounters. While they can be avoided, I'm of the opinion that most of them are nonthreatening and easy.
Fists were actually very powerful in this game and I found myself punching everything to death. It doesn't really require skill at all and is really only limited by bigger enemies, the big reason to its power being the stun after each hit. Kind of hard to feel afraid when youre confident you can defend yourself very effectively without a weapon. If you are to do this in your playthroughs, this only exacerbates the melee problems you bring up.
It captures Silent Hill gameplay and energy very well, however it doesn't do it the best and the combat is easily exploitable making encounters nonthreatening for a horror game. I liked the puzzles in the game and the idea of traversing between the worlds.
When compared to other american silent hills, its probably the second best. Best being Shattered Memories in my opinion, though I'm biased due to it being my first Silent Hill overall. I think even in retrospect it tries to do its own thing things to the point where really it could function as its own game, its very different.
One commenter suggests they preferred Henry over Travis. To each their own, but I wouldn't understand that, I think Travis is probably the second best protagonist out of all the American Silent Hills. I find his backstory sympathetic. Hot take, but I think people are more favorable toward Henry because its from a pretty good silent hill game, and the last of the originals. Henry functionally feels more like a blank slate the audience is meant to insert into than a character. This isn't bad, but in turn makes him lack depth compared to other protagonists outside of speculation and theories.
Soundtrack is also good, but I mostly ignore this for Silent Hill games given they mostly have the same composer.
Very replayable and fun. I unlocked everything and found it enjoyable to do so, but its not the best at the aspects of silent hill it tries to capture. You could say every silent hill is replayable, but this is probably the only one where I wanted to play the game again and again.
Fair and honest opinion... But now I am really curious about what you will think of Downpour!
I went out and bought a PSP just for this game when it first released. It was alright, PSP was pretty nice though so it all worked out in the end.
Gonna be honest the realization we really haven't gotten any Silent Hill content game wise since 2014 killed me. I know PT was a teaser but it was definitely promising.
I personally love ORIGINS. Even after day-one'in the OG Silent Hill in '99, Origins has absolutely gotten the most replays from me over the years. Storywise it doesn't hold a candle to the Team Silent era, but I can seperate that a bit.
Say Max I have a question related to silent hill IP: How come Konami hasn't done a game before set in the 1600s? Of the conflict between native americans and settlers. Of the corruption/pollution of a sacred site of spirituality that would later become the town of silent hill?
I ask as based on the game's own lore, we know that there was native americans who lived prior to the settlers. That the otherworld wasn't always psychological horror, and instead was once a place of healing, communion, and knowledge. That of the denizens in the otherworld, the one worshiped by the tribe was raven, a trickster deity.
As it seems ripe with untapped potential for storytelling, at least to me.
At first I read "how come Konami hasn't done a gane before the 1600s?" Bru
Konami isn't doing games anymore, if some studio want to do that game, they sent the story to Konami, and they will give the green light or not. That's what happen with SH2R, SHF, and Townfall. And that's why Ascension is a disaster. For example the guy from Abandoned could contact Konami and sent his story, and Konami will see if this is worthy as a SH game.
great video, I like that you give the due appreciation to what positives the developers managed to include in the game despite konami's interferance. tho I will say, I think Travis' personal story in the game is pretty good, just very underdeveloped as a story, since most of the game needed to be a prequel, most of the cutscenes mean nothing and Travis' involvement in his own story ends up feeling superficial. I think it could've been great, if this hadnt been a prequel, even if still probably not as good as the original 4
Really interesting perspective. Loved the effort youve applied to your silent hill content.
I couldnt stand the later silent hill games, I've played them ALL many times. I always hoped that would boost my appreciation of the later games, but it seems to further divide them apart in regards to quality.
I always wished to enjoy them, but even as a young man I could feel the differences in atmosphere. Downpour and such are such a disappointment, they SCREAM that they have no confidence in their abilities to scare you and they often dont.
Honestly, the mirror travel is the best part of the game, so original and fun to interact with.
Should definitely be a staple of the series.
I remember I watched the Silent Hill movie, and kinda liked it. Then I saw "Silent Hill Origins" in the local Cafe House (when those were still a thing), and went "Oh, so the movie is based on a videogame?". I played it and liked it a lot, so much so I went out and played EVERY GAME of the series.
Of course, after that I realised that Origins wasn't as good as the others, with Silent Hill 2 to this day being my favorite game of all time. Still, Origins will forever hold a spot in my heart for being the first game to introduce me to the series.
Hey Matt, you should put all your Silent Hill retrospective videos in a single playlist. Thank you.
Don't do this game like that come on.
My issue with Origins is that could have more scenarios, but the locations were at spot on, a giant mad house, a theather, a motel. Like I always said Homecoming and Downpour will get less hate, if they were produced by Climax, this group understand better the assigment, they even avoid to put PH in this game, which was the plan of Konami. The enemies of Climax were also great, Hellen, Caliban, Richard, The butcher. Travis is also a great character, going with fists with these monsters, that's a proof of his own nature.
If I only can pick one game from Western, I will pick Origins, I'm a big fan of Homecoming, but Climax will make a better game than Double Helix or Vatra, they really has that spark of Team Silent.
It's been a while, but I think Origins has to be understood in the context that it was developed with the PSP in mind and I think some of the game mechanics, pacing, problems, etc... came from it's portable nature as much as anything.
Also, one thing to understand is that "Origins" has a trap in it, that trap is that the ease of collecting weapons and killing enemies is supposed to encourage you to do exactly what your not supposed to in this game. If you get into the habit of killing enemies, that is the path to the "bad" ending which comes from killing too many enemies. Thus I think the problem with the game giving too many weapons, too much ammo, too much health, etc... is entirely intentional and meant as a trick for the unsuspecting player who tries to kill everything.
I have heard it suggested that the bad ending is intended to be the first one the player gains, and that in this case perhaps both major endings are simultaneously canonical, where he sets up the events of the other games, but also is supposed to be killed via injection.
The idea is that Travis is a blank slate to sort of allow this, where some have argued that Travis is a serial killer. Despite doing what he needs to in order to survive Silent Hill, and not being willing to kill children, he is "The Butcher" as opposed to it being a psychological manifestation in the usual sense. The idea being that he does rescue Cheryl with his skills, but sometimes afterwards is captured and lethally injected by the cult, and then becomes the boss monster he was facing in the story, time not lining up in a linear sense in Silent Hill, this is why your seeing the scenes of "The Burtcher" super imposed over Travis during the bad ending, showing what he's going to become.
The only points I'd add to this (for me anyway) is that in the earl 00s the West did their take on Asian horror, ring, the grudge, the eye, a tale of two sisters, pulse, etc. Silent Hill was like the antithesis of that, it seemed like Japans' take on Western horror.
So when the the games after 4 were made it always felt like it was missing that subtle Japanese undertone and influence in them. Also wasn't a fan of the QTEs, or how formulaic it got. Got to place, do boss, get flarous piece, Traivs faints. Go to place, do boss, get flarous piece, Travis faint. Go to place ... and so on, it got really stale. Also his reason for staying in his situation.
SH1 - Stays to find his daughter
SH2 - Stays to find out if his wife is really there
SH3 - Can't escape it while trying to get home, then goes there to get revenge
SH4 - Unable to leave his apartment and can only go though the hole, believing it would end the nightmare
This one, to find out if the girl he saved was okay, but after that he doesn't go back to his truck, or find the road obliterated, meaning he can't leave, he keeps going to different places rather than try to leave. Maybe I'm forgetting something and he does try, or explains, why he's so set on staying in the town, but if there is, I can't recall.
12:00 that complaint about an abundance of health items and ammo goes for ALL games except SH4. Let's not pretened Origins was the anomaly here
By the time I reached the end boss of SH2 for example, I had 300+ handgun bullets, 120+ shotgun shells and about 50 rifles rounds. That is insane
And the thing with the melee weapons is almost the same as the old games, though in old games you had 3-4 melee weapons that never broke, and here they spam you with them. The result is the same, the player always has melee weapons...
I actually liked Origins when I played it all those years ago. It wasn't at the level of the original 4, but it was fun.
I will say, though it might be reaching or inconclusive, RagnarRox did an excellent analysis of the butcher in Origins, and how it and a lot of environmental choices seem to imply that Travis is a serial killer. And while it reaches in certain aspects, it really did change my mind on Travis being as bland as I previously thought.
I do really like RagnarRox analysis, the main issue with the Butcher is that he gets so little screen time that he never gets an opportunity to make a presence for himself. He would have been much more effective as an evil side to overcome if we got to consistently see that evil both in cutscenes and in gameplay.
Omg you're so right about "if you're sensitive to horror then you might think this is a good game." When there's combat like this I get really panicked so I thought it was really scary 😂
I'm better at Fatal Frame because it's ranged combat.
Orings more better than aw series
Max, can't believe you didn't upload anything on the OD topic and its secret message.
Subscribed. When can we hear about Downpour?
And thanks for ranking Shattered memories as the first. It's an amazing game
i think a prequel could work for silent hill because of some of the cult business and questions that some people might have
like how did alessa get powers
the whole walter sullivan killing spree and were there more kids growing up to do the same
how did the order learn of the whole god baby spell
And much more i think that can fit into a prequel
0:46 no way pt was released a year ago not 2014
13:18 - HE'S GOT A BLOODY AK-47! It's hard to feel vulnerable when you've got one of those.
sadly i feel some times being a intelectual gamer is a path of pain.
mainly because you can find companies that have good gameplay consistently (even this goes bad alot)
but finding a interesting meaning or message from a art team in a game that sticks with you is so caotic to find.
mainly i blame the investors (and i dont blame them) because they just go to the safer investments making most modern entretantment suffer
i call it the mcdonallification of media.
You know what was the good and best formula of Silent Hill 1, 2 and 3? The abstract figures, monsters and places. The way Japanese people thinks about horror is just amazing. Disgusting but "sexy" at the same time. The symbolism. And what did they do with SH Origins, Homecoming and Dounpour? Make creepy monsters that don't look abstract. They just said "ooooh okay. So it's scary spooky monster with wide mouth." No. There's more to it than just creepy monsters that have faces, toes, and they look like Hellraiser monsters. Masahiro Ito has that essence of making monsters something disgusting, abstract, and combined with metal and meat, latex...
I wont lie, I hear SH Origins as a comedy game inspired by scrubs being a prequel to SH1 and it makes me think...that sounds thematically perfect. Chef's kiss perfection grade A+. A world that, to those familiar with it, has eccentricities in its acting and presentation so thick you could drink it like a milkshake. A silly and comedic world with dogs that manage the events of the story like a wacky stage play, but the Silent Hill we know, on both a meta and in world level, is an incomprehensible and abnormal thing of unimaginable horror.
Sure the "secretly this cute goofy world was actually scary and evillll" is overused (to put it lightly) in the year of our lord 2023...but if all that changed in that development shift was the game slowly peeling off the skin of a goofy wacky action 3rd person shooter to reveal the Silent Hill we all know and love (even if only the simple framework that was managed in tbe real Origins), it could have been something truly incredible.
Ooohhh Downpour.... it had it's moments. Being stalked by a Mad Max looking police car was kind of cool alsoit was the first Silent Hill game I actually never had enough ammo. The enemies respond ed in the same place waaaay too often.
I feel like if they remade Silent Hill 4 with the PT team, or miraculously, Team Silent, it would revive the series. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely believe that. That game was my first of the 4 and it scared the hell out of me.
Can't believe your video of Into The Void was striked bro, hope you're able to reupload soon!
I don't wanna be negative buuuuuut this is the only Silent Hill game I can't bring myself to complete. Just as your title says I just find it boring. It's one of those games that makes me appreciate the earlier games in a way I didn't know I would.
A similar case is going from a true dark souls game to a soulsborne game from a different dev. I end up asking "where's the world building? Where's the tone? Where's the difficulty/balance? Where's the lore?" A lot of stuff that I never thought about and often didn't even think I cared about but once it's missing you REALLY notice it.
This game works and it feels like it fits in with the old Silent Hill games to an extent but to me it just ends up feeling like an imitation. I would probably say it's "technically" better than homecoming and downpour however I feel those games actually did unique things even if they were somewhat not great.
However I'm gonna try this again soon I really wanna see the good in it. There's a lot of people in the comments that seem to enjoy this game y'all have to be on to something i think lol
origins is the guilty pleasure for me since it's the introduction of silent hill series to me.
Oh yeah? That was the first one for you? Interesting!
9:36 That timing with the button clicks 👌
10:53 straightjacket chose to die too
I put Origins in the same category as other titles that were made on the PSP (i know it was also on PS2 but still), that it was portable.
"It's Silent Hill on the go!". Pretty much amounts to my experience with this and other games from that platform. Not bad, but not super extrodinary.
Happy New Year Max, hope you have a great and safe one.
The problems with the inventory, melee, and guns in this game makes me appreciate SH4 so much more. You dont get to bring a million items with you, you have to make a choice on what to bring in, what to put away and plan out your move with the items you have.
I feel like the differentation between the outdoor and indoor enemies that was in SH1 is something that should've brought back into the series.
No wonder i thought sh origin and sh3 are the easiest, and sh 1 is the hardest (i finished it on my 3-4th attempt). Sh origin, as you said, i can miss those creatures just by turning off my light, and the environment aren't that dark either so i don't rlly used it. But travis's story is kinda good imo
I guess you played psp version because PS2 had terrible brightness. Something they fucked up in development.
Graphically this blew my mind.
Years before my fist smartphone I couldn't believe a game like that could run on something in my hands.
Next silent hill game you do, you should do a pre recorded playthrough, no chat, just your pure thoughts and reactions, id watch if it was an hour or two long, i do it with Vinny Vinesauce's SH playthroughs
A theater location in Silent Hill is simply inspired. Surprised it was never a location in Team Silent title. And a monster being huge in scale is also wonderful.
I loved origins personally. There's just some unique charm about it. Although it was my first silent hill experience I think part of what makes it so great is the games protagonist Travis Grady.
It's refreshing to see a tough blue collar guy with some grit take the helm.
James and Heather were great but Travis had some weapons experience and knew how to fight much like Alex Shepard.
I will play this game all day, against Downpour, or Homecoming, in fact these two will be better beneath the wing of Climax. I'm very sure about that. Origins is a great game.
Bobvids run of homecoming is the perfection of the let’s play meta age of TH-cam.
You said it "western devs"
The idea came from Japan and it will never succeed by western etc
Konami would first have to give a shit what their customers want for them to put any thought to it. They're much more interested in branding and marketing than actual artistic merit.
I forgot this game existed. I finished it and the only memory I had for this game is with the final boss. I horded so much guns and bullets saving it for difficult bosses (which is sadly none). I used it on the final boss, end up killing him in mere seconds with my machine gun (not sure, but it looks like an AK47). lol
I always wished they followed through with that dark sitcom idea. It might ve been awful, but not bland and generic.