In all honesty I like it. *3.5 ☆'s out of 5* from me. It's definitely not a Team Silent entry, but the new developers sort of spiced up the formula in some aspects I would say. I really like the other world / transitions with some of the new monsters introduced in this entry. Combat was interesting. I feel like if they took tweaked the inventory they had from 4 to hold more items and stack the ammo a bit more generously becaue we all know carrying 10 rounds that took up 1 spot in a 10 inventory was ridiculous... Also with combat take mechanics from 4 / Homecoming and the horror / psychological horror aspects from SH 2 / 4 then remove the HUD like they put in 4 and Homecoming, because I feel like the HUDs just take away from the scare factor in the Silent Hill series. Maybe use colors on the screen like in COD when you take more and more damage make the screen turn more red and gets more grainy like a old VHS tape and for low stamina make stars kinda pop here and there with the VHS grain or maybe a different color then the red I mentioned ealier like blue and have them blink together in a way that shows your low on health / stamina for heavy attacks / sprinting speed or! Have him get more winded and record 4 different reactions to losing stamina 1st at 75% 2nd at %50 3rd at %25 4th at 0% and he just does everything slower like in RE6s low stamina effect. One last thing implement the defensive mechanics from RE1 and the item viewing for clues for puzzles in levels. I really love your Silent Hill videos they help me sleep with my scary video game Playlist. Idk why I typed so much. I'm such a huge fan of the Silent Hill series and just feel like I could've wrote a more survival horror oriented story. Really love the work that's posted on this channel. Keep up the awesomeness Son and family. 😂🤌🤌🔥
I would stomach it, but that horrific, awful, ass-pull twist with the protagonist's identity... Ohhh, that stings, to this day that stings. The game has a *few* decent ideas, even if it plays pretty bad, and misses more often than it hits, but that twist. That's worse than the good ending of Downpour. Legit the worst SH story move I've seen in my life. On the other hand, it's a game that does expose a lot of the critics. They spew bile over Pyramidhead being in it (which, I admit, is idiotic) and rant about how every game past 2 has been a 2 rip-off. And yet Homecoming deals extensively with the Cult and has way more ties to SH1 (if really shitty ones...) than 2. Yeah you might see why they stuck with the formula from 2: cause their only other option is more cult shenanigans.
The worst part about the ending decisions, is that unlike the previous games, there is nothing that prevents you from getting a "joke ending". I got the UFO ending on my first playthrough, and it soured the game even more for me.
lmfao yeah i can see how that can be an easy to get ending that isn't as specific as what you need to do in silent hill 1 it's odd that they didn't think about that .
Lmao yeah, I've seen so many people who were like "Yeah, this could have been a really cool game, but the ending was such a cop-out, all of a sudden these aliens come from out of nowhere??" The other SH games were smart about it and made it so you can only get a joke ending by picking up specific items that only spawn during a New Game+ playthrough.
The fact that they never touch on Alex not really being a part of the military was such a miss. It would of been such a great hint and foreshadowing if when you face your first enemy, he realizes he doesn't have combat skill.
I would have just kept him a soldier. He joined the military trying to prove to his old man that he's not useless. You could have learned into the war tropes with the monster designs.
@@themeangene I prefer that too. The twist about him not really being a soldier just doesn't seem to make any sense given the fighting skill he has. Also it somehow feels less compelling.
@@runningcommentary2125 mental hospitals and psych wards have been so overdone in horror that the soldier/war angle would have been slightly more imaginative
Honestly I want to elaborate on the introductory scene to Scarlet's boss fight, because it's pretty great. The doll you picked up is an old doll belonging to Fitch's daughter, possessed by her spirit after she was sacrificed. As she turns into this hideous creature, she picks him up in her arms, and he looks at her and asks for forgiveness. She cradles him for a second like... well, like a doll, presumably much as she did with her own dolls in life. And there is this one tiny moment where the whole scene looks almost loving, and then she quite literally bites his head off. It's metal as shit and I've loved that scene ever since I first saw it. That whole sequence is the perfect example of why these later silent hill games drive me nuts, because you find these little pockets of _fantastic_ material scattered around, but when put together into a whole game that plays like shit and is subjected to intense executive meddling, it all just goes bloop.
I'm so glad you mentioned the fact that this game suffers from the dev's lack of general understanding of the Silent Hill lore. As you mentioned, you can tell there was love pumped into this, but unfortunately the game seems to be more focused on being faithful to the 2006 movie than the actual previous game's lore. That on top of the cliche American horror, with all these action bits, jumpscares and worst of all, the torture p*rn. The whole hostel/saw aspect of it to me is the most egregious mistake this game made. The story of Alex and his amnesia also feels very cheap and forced, like its trying too hard to be silent hill 2. Last of all, this game does look good overall, but when you compare the character models/animations/facial expressions to those of silent hill 3, you can really see how this game is a downgrade even though it came out years later and for newer consoles.
I agree 100% with your post. I do think the enemy design in this game is interesting and I like many of the environments. I think Alex and his brother are modeled fine but everyone else is terrible. You're right that Silent Hill 3 character models are superior. The basic premise of the game pertaining to the founding families is something I actually love. It's the third act that kills the plot for me. The mayor turning into a cartoon villain was so dumb. You could have played around with the idea that because the townsfolk lost their faith as a consequence of Josh being killed on accident, they "willed" these monstrosities into existence. The mystical powers surrounding Toluca Lake were dormant until the townsfolk turned against eachother.
Definitely if team silent would have made homecoming i would say it would have been much much better but still its a fun game but not silent hill in my opinion
I'm agree with everything you said except for the tortune p*rn part, I thought it was cool seeing the most savage and cruel side of The Order, Which althought most of SH 2 fanboys hate, is part of the central canon in the towns history.
@@rodrigoogaz3860 You are entitled to like that, many people do. The reason I think that is one of the worst aspects of the game is because Silent Hill was never in your face about violence. It was always suggestive and underlying. Many times we found horrible things but it was up to our imagination to put what happened together. That is what the original silent hills did great. Psychological horror at its best. Torture p*rn is lazy in your face gore for the sake of gore and shock value. And to be clear, I love the aspects of silent hill's cult, I equally love sh 1,2 and 3 as they all did different things and all were masterpieces in their own styles so I'm not one of those people that just gushes over sh2 and ignores the Alessa/Cult aspect of it; to put things into perspective.
Son, I am absolutely flabbergasted at how much content you’re putting out. I hope you won’t get burnt out doing so much. Always proud of your work and it’s worth waiting for. I enjoy seeing the games from back in my day getting such loving attention from you. Don’t forget to make your bed.
I happen to invest in a company working on a new Lupus drug. Yes that's coincidental, no I'm not pushing it. I just hope things work out and one day you can get it and it will provide relief.
I like that you don’t fight Pyramid Head. James could see other character’s demons like Angela’s father etc and they weren’t that hostile to James so it stands to reason Alex could see Pyramid Head (more accurately because of his lack of mental association with PH) but since it’s not apart of Alex’s manifestations, it’s not interested in punishing him. It’s busy.
The idea of a SH protagonist being a war veteran or just a soldier in general could work so well as a story about the guilt and psychological trauma of war and the town manifesting horrors for the player based on that. It makes this game more disappointing because that could have been so much better than what we got. I didn't like the twist about the protagonist not being an actual soldier but I guess they didn't do anything with the soldier idea in the first place for that to matter. I do hope if the series ever returns at some point the concept of a soldier in Silent Hill gets revisited. Regardless, it did get a couple of things right like the atmosphere of the town. Yamaoka's music in the game is as great and memorable as always. Anyway, good work on the grind, son. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely. I was so. stoked. when they promoted this game. A soldier protagonist would've been amazing. The twist with his identity was genuinely the worst shit I've experienced in a silent hill game. Not even Book of Memories or the pachinko game hurt as much as that did. Just the fact that such an easy win was thrown the hell aside for a bad copy of the SH2 twist, in a game that isn't even similar to SH2! That one really smarts.
@@ExValeFor It's like they took a quick look at the SH movie and made a game based on that with zero idea about what it means for the town to reflect one's psyche. It'd be one thing if the movies alone diluted the idea of Pyramid Head, but this game existing and doing just that is just a travesty. Downpour, while not a very good game, got the idea right at least for the otherworld and monsters to look unique to the story of that game. It's a great concept on paper, a soldier in Silent Hill and there's a lot of cool things that could have been done about it, like war sounds and imagery while transitioning into the other world. The twist was just trash, simply put.
@@elvangulley3210 Nobody here said it was but seeing your other replies in this video I'm gonna need you to punctuate your comments before I talk with you chief. A little excerpt from SH wiki for you though. "Monsters are created when a psyche's conscious, subconscious, or repressed thoughts are manifested by the mysterious power of the town of Silent Hill. Sometimes, someone only needs to have a psyche powered by strong enough emotions or memories (such as trauma, sadness, fear, etc.) to manifest these monsters. Monsters are often very symbolic, due to the fact that they are manifested from the minds of a major character in the plot, whether it be the protagonist, antagonist, or other characters. The nature and appearance of the monsters are linked to whoever is experiencing the powers of the town." The town isn't necessarily about guilt and punishment or to find redemption from these things, but if a character is going through this in their lives the town will reflect it back to them. Silent Hill 2, which you called overrated in your other replies, did just that with its plot.
@@elvangulley3210 Homeboy, I just saw that other comment you made in this video. You said SH2 doean't have the real lore of the series? Lmao Actually you know what, I'm not gonna do this. Sorry chief, no arguments from me to you. You right SH2 ams not realz silent hill. fuck hiroyuki owaku and everyone else who worked on sh2 fake silent hill devs they ruined the series goddamn
See, I feel like the whole "he was a soldier but not actually tho" would have worked better if they did like, anything at all with it. Imagine if like, 3 hours into the game you come across one of Alex's "squad members" in town, and they said they came to check on him after he got out of the hospital. Have scenes where you're talking with him and they only show up when you're alone, or something. Then have the twist happen and you find out that person is just a hollow shell, a figment of Alex's delusions come to life, and you have to overcome that to find some semblance of normalcy. Idk, it could definitely be workshopped, but god I just wish it was like, anything interesting at all.
Sorry for responding seven months later lol I had a thought similar to yours, but instead of Alex knowing the squad buddy or the buddy just being a figment of Alex's amnesia or something, that maybe Alex could just meet a soldier that he has to work with through the game. There could be moments where they reference things only military personell would know, but Alex just doesn't know it, or something that could subtly show Alex wasn't a real soldier without being so "he's a soldier jk we lied"
They just wipe out Alex to be a soldier, bc they don't want to be similar to RE, or Jacob's ladder, big mistake, but the explanation could be easier, he was ready to enlist before the accident, therefore he was mentally and physically ready for that.
Feels like they originally planned for him to kill his brother it seems way to coincidental that he accidentally killed his brother by drowning when one of them had to be drowned anyways as if they last minute changed it into an accident because I feel like him drowning his brother as a desperate attempt to save his own life from being sacrificed would probably make alot more sense and hit harder then his brother slipping on a boat just seems like they originally wrote around him killing his brother at first
It's definitely weird that he just "happens" to drown and their whole theme has been water! I also wondered if it was meant to imply somehow a more sinister motive.
More like the game is about child abuse, so Alex is gonna discover the abuse of his father against his younger brother, in the process he is gonna try to fight Adam, but Josh will fall from the boat, then Adam will betray his son, and send him to Alchemilla as a prisioner, ready for a lobotomy, as a way to cover his dirty secret forever. Alex probablty was ready to enlist at that time, but before that day, he discovered the whole truth. In this diary, he said, In hight school I knew, I need to leave this town.
The lore of the game, families sacrificing their children to keep the town safe, which results in their children becoming monsters is absolutely amazing and very on brand. The soundtrack is also great (especially Scarlet's theme: Dear God, what is that masterpiece?! and One More Soul To The Call -another masterpiece- which is like a tribute song to the children that were sacrificed) Most bosses like Scarlet, Amnion and Asphyxia have a brilliant design The shift to the Otherworld -even though it's copied from the movie- looks fantastic (and so do the nurses) and these 2 could make sense because Alex is a "soldier" However what ruins the game for me is: the gameplay (which is very important obviously). This is not an action game, the fighting system makes no sense and on top of that is clunky and buggy af. Did the people who made the game even play it? The stupid dialogue options. The way Alex opens doors (by throwing himself at them) wtf? The game is also filled with unlikeable and ANNOYING characters. Everyone is zoned out, hostile or completely avoiding to answer questions. It's really frustrating! And then you have your stupid brother Josh, who you have to chase around like a fly as if you give a tiny rat's ass about him. Literally couldn't care less about him at any point of the story. Also Alex's parents were major cunts. It was impossible to sympathize with them, even after understanding what had happened. No emotional investment there. Whether they died or not it didn't feel like a loss. The endings make 0 sense
This COULD have been a cool game, since it touches on some very serious and disturbing, stuff but it is as subtle as a slap to the face, technically inept and a lackluster experience. The OG Trilogy is and will always be lightning in a bottle I guess.
To be fair, I watched a video by an Englishman where he played the entirety of Vatra Games’ contribution to the Silent Hill franchise, Downpour, and while it no doubt was a bit rough around the edges, I’m pretty sure that if they had been given another crack at developing a Silent Hill title, they could’ve had something truly memorable to offer the community. Unfortunately, Konami being themselves as usual, Vatra got binned once their post launch support on Downpour was completed and the studio fell apart soon after. 😑
YourFavoriteSon, you should look up the original plot idea for this game before Tom stepped in. It was going to be a DBZ fight between Alessa and Josh. The final product isn't great but it could have been worse
Actually the idea was interesting, a sort of Obscure game, when each character will have a different skill than the other, in a character like Alex, these others characters will help him a lot to grow as a character, he is too bland, bc of the lack of that. But yeah Josh vs Alessa was really dumb, but the Obscure idea was Lit.
I feel like the mysterious woman in the hotel was Mary considering the memories all being places you visit as james, the mention of her Illness, and even pyramid head showing up
Also, the Shepherd family is featured in Homecoming, and Mary's maiden name was Shepherd. Could just be a coincidence, could be implying a connection. YMMV.
Hi there. Just wanted to say that I found your channel through a playlist of 1600+ video game essays. I've wateched maybe 300 of them and only subscribed to you and one other youtuber. I enjoy your style and its been interesting watching you develop your style over the past videos. You stood out among your peers and I'm glad to have found your channel. I also appreciate the steady content, you are bound to grow in popularity. Good luck!
@@StoneColdMan2294 I'm not sure if youtube allows links in the comments but search "long-form Analysis" and you'll find a playlist created by Listonosh. They update it ever couple days so there are almost always new videos to watch.
There was a quote from a developer on this game that went something like, "everyone came in screaming silent hill 5 mother fuckers! Then we stopped, took a look around and walked away, tail between our legs, whispering Homecoming" which I think really encapsulates the issues this game has. At its best its an over eager, derivative attempt at a love letter to silent hill. And at its worst, it's so comically bad it stains the name and the legacy of Silent Hill.
To me it's funny seeing fanboys act like the game is theirs...it's not, you guys didn't put 5 minutes of work into developing it. Play it if you want or stfu
Hmmm Pyramid Head, Faceless Nurses, Lying figures, a plot twist about your protagonist murdering someone close to them, notes about a serial killer...almost like the devs for this one REALLY wanted to make another Silent Hill 2 or something
In regards to Pyramid Head, I did at first think that he didn't belong in this game and was unnecessary since he was a monster tied in with James and his inner demons to punish James for what he did. But when you think about it, he doesn't attack Alex. Almost as if he's observing him. And depending your actions and the ending, Pyramid Head could see potential within Alex to be another punisher like him and will be observing his actions to determine if he should turn him into another Boogie Man.
Between the otherworld transition effects, Pyramid Head, the plot twist at the end, the confessional, and many of the puzzles, there's only one way I can describe this game: Derivative. Homecoming is just a long list of things other Silent Hill titles have already done. And in most cases, they did them better. Loved the video, thanks so much for your hard work!
I think the most disappointing thing for me about homecoming was that I never felt like it could commit. I think it would have been much better off either full committing to an action shift like resident evil, or committing fully to being silent hill. Instead they tried to mix and match and it fell flat on both ends.
Side note for the hotel boss: You do not attack the tail you attack his arms as they slam to the ground then hit the head when it's stunned. Love the video retrospective! Keep up the great work homie :)
You’ve been releasing these videos right as I finish each game, simply because I wanted to replay this series recently and your videos were recommended to me. This has been an uncanny journey
I liked the idea that shepherd's glen was a branch off of the main town that turned out to be as equally fanatical but they should given him a personal connection to alessa to make the otherworld transformation fit in
TRIVIA: *At first when Alex gets off the stretcher, there's a clock in that room. It's the only clock in the game that seems to work, it wasn't even two o'clock in the morning yet. then there's an entity that's killing the doctors of the place, and when the protagonist tries to escape at 2:06 in the morning (time of the accident) something doesn't let him out of Alchemilla. so the nightmare begins within the nightmare, from there time's stopped and everything takes place in alex's childhood in S.Glen in the 80's. you'll see objects from alex's childhood scattered around the scenarios, and also relics such as old cars and public heritages. in this case this game is timeless.. (however there're endings where he actually escaped from Hospital)* *When you arrive in S.Glen, next to Dr.fitch's office there's the city bank with 4 lights on, 3 of which're bright and the last one's almost off (symbolizing the 4 families). Suggesting that the bank's still active with secret meetings, throughout the game the building remains linked with people on the premises arguing who knows what. It's one of the mysteries of the game that everything's abandoned but the financial part of the city's still in full swing! kidnappings have become a kind of business...* *if you look at alex's house from the outside, it's empty giving the impression that the shepherds have moved but when you enter the house, it's fully furnished but completely abandoned (the mirrors still reflect no furniture inside). looking through the backyard in the kitchen part this becomes more apparent (giving a paranormal air of the house being an ancestral ghost of the city).* *the woman locked in the hotel can also be the manifestation of alex's mother living in the world of the dead and him living in the world of the living, both're separated by a hole in the door that looks like the mouth of a monster. the 3 memories illustrate "the day of the accident" and why his mother was catatonic, it's implied that she committed suicide with that old gun and alex's at his doorstep talking to her. there're layers of SH that you can only reach if you're dead.. (there're also indications that it was curtis who built the machine that Lillian is trapped in, then it's possible to see his mother's corpse smiling.. of relief perhaps)* *in the dr.fitch office there's an underground passage that leads to SH, this otherworld passage's the mix of a hospital and the institution that alex's in at the beginning of the game. some hallways're the same as the protagonist walks in the prologue. It's also more apparent that Alex's exploring the characters' minds and their memories\secrets..* *this game starts in the late afternoon and culminates in a red dawn, it's notable that there's a change of climate similar to the original games. it was the first time anyone came out during the otherworld outdoors, alex was the only protagonist who saw the parallel world from the outside.* *There're Alex's toys locked in the attic of the house (also in the audio of the tape, Alex's father tells him to "go down the stairs") implying that Alex was locked in the attic and forced to sleep alone there (a dark place full of spider webs and venomous animals) in the infernal version, there're 4 monsters that represent each member of the family (in the attic there're 3 schism which're the dead Josh, the catatonic mother and Alex crouched in the corner of the attic) and in the lower part of the house there're the more aggressive schism who is alex's father. What confirms this symbolism're the four mannequins that're in the same position (including one lying down and the other propped up in the corner).* *if you analyze the drawings and read the descriptions, it's understood that there's an urban legend in S.Glen related to the lake (that's why the docks gate's sealed) by an alleged man who threw himself into toluca lake years ago, this story was told to scare the local children and this collective fear manifests itself as the executioner that exists in the game. So in the part where alex's with josh at the lake, james's still decomposed there in the depths and on the other side of the lake's possibly the abandoned car with a dead body locked in back seat. James' wife belongs to the same family tree as Alex (The Shepherds) although they're not related (in a promotional diary: Alex's mother was invited to attend a funeral for a childhood friend, but the funeral never took place) There's a misterious tomb named "someone's wife" in the Dargento Cemetery, but this grave has never been used. (The shepherd family mausoleum is not found in S.Glen, only the other 3 families. However, there's an abandoned mausoleum in central SH: where there's a puzzle about entities with a common ancestor that were separated)* *Next to Curtis' junkyard's an abandoned mine that possibly became a secret passage to SH in the final stage of the game. The lair was where people were taken to be tortured and killed by order. it's located in the basement of the church, the only sacred place in the city where it's not affected by the other world. In Curtis' warehouse, many belongings of everyone who lived in the city're hidden and also the special clothes that Curtis wore.* *There're x-rays in alchemilla that show injuries that the protagonist suffered at the end of the game (including the brother and judge) means that this game's upside down: it starts at the end and ends at the beginning, if you reverse the acts, it's alex going from the day of the accident to the hospitalization in alchemilla in the prologue. crazy huh? (Travis was tasked with transporting the patient since he was familiar with Toluca County and worked at Brahms Station, Alex's parents lied to the city that he was promoted to the army so they wouldn't lose their last son) still characteristic the journey starts in a way and turns into a whirlwind.. there's a real pyramid involving judges, politicians, doctors and police forces\dynastic families (as if everything happens in our world and not just in a nightmare).* The layers of Alex personality are represented by fog (sadness) and coming from the other world (hatred esentment), how he feels at every moment depending on what is discovered evealed. This game is introspective as f00k! more than it seems...
My theory as to why Pyramid Head is in this game is because the developers were aware that Pyramid Head was a symbol of guilt, but not that they were specifically James' guilt. In that sense it makes sense why a symbol of guilt appears before Alex, but having the actual PH return makes it clear the developers either didn't know or didn't fully understand the lore they were working with.
@@Walamonga1313 If you don't kill your dad and mother but save wheeler. Literally no reason why it should be a UFO ending. No idea wtf they were thinking.
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love the plot regarding the families offering sacrifices to ward off Silent Hill's influence (Or the deity's). The thought of being raised to be said sacrifice, accidentally flunking it, and seeing the result of it is pretty twisted. I think if the execution was better along with improvement in other narrative areas, this could've been something to rival Silent Hill 2's twist.
I feel like the ideas in this game could have shown some real promise if in more skilled hands and with experienced devs. The town expanding to create another like it is an interesting idea, as is a war veteran facing his inner demons made flesh, and dealing with generational trauma. There is alot that could be done with these concepts.
The enemies in this game are altogether incredible, Pyramid Head nonsense aside. I love the design of quite literally all of the bosses; it's all amazing. The story really could have been something special if they just didn't tie it to Silent Hill. This game could have been a cult classic if the combat was a little more optimized and it was never attached to Silent Hill. I weep for what this game could have been if it had received a Rule of Rose treatment.
I don't know, I'm sure Alex didn't intend to kill his brother that day when he fell into the lake and drowned, but why didn't Alex jump in to save him? Alex has mental issues, sure, but even an unempathetic person would still have the instinct to save someone like their brother.
Bc the main inspiration of the game is Donnie Darko, the accident never happened, Alex just made the sacrifice in the bathtub to save everyone. Then Adam buried him in Dargento graveyard. In a second gameplay Alex returned to life, just to check that Josh is alive, that happened in the credits scene. That's the whole game.
HOMECOMING is definitely the BEST of the subpar western developed "Silent Hill" entries, which isn't really saying much in terms of praise. The best part of this game is DEFINITELY the soundtrack. The game's story isn't awful, but it isn't good, and that's due to Tom Hulett's input. Years ago, I remember him saying that the development team had the story pretty much completed before he was put in charge of producing the game. He then said that the story of Homecoming made sense, which he felt wasn't how a Silent Hill game was supposed to feel. Tom Hulett said that he went in and made the story not make sense. Tom Hulett said that.
Thanks for making these! Easily the most accessible way to understand these Silent Hill games individually! I never played these and felt overwhelming to start the series. I enjoy this and may revisit and actually play down the road!
25:58 From what I've gathered from the wiki, Pyramid Head was essentially retconned (through 3 and 4: The Room) to be a representation of punishment in general, his visage being a warped version of Valtiel (more specifically, the executioner's uniform Jimmy Stone wore). His presence in Homecoming revolves around punishing the members of Shepherd's Glenn for leaving Silent Hill, and further punishing them for not completing the rites (exemplified by him killing Alex's dad since Joshua died instead of Alex). They definitely should've just made him a different guy, though, similar to how The Butcher was his own thing in Silent Hill Origin.
I never let a review deter me from a game because most reviews for games I like are negative, while games I hate get positive reviews. This is my favourite silent hill and the combat is great, that’s my opinion and I’m glad I played it, I even bought it a second time for steam. That being said, I am not a silent hill fan, this was my only proper silent hill game. I will be looking to get silent hill 2 remake in October.
Super excited for your downpour retrospective. It's my favorite of the non teamsilent games. I also gotta give you props because you're always dropping videos with high quality. Keep up the good work bro.
For the Needlers you have to time your dodge right as they attack to parry them or do a large combat roll to then press the heavy attack and either do big damage to them, or stun them and finish them off with a heavy attack/finisher.
Binged your series of Silent Hill analysis and I have to say, I loved it. I felt the love and care you put into every single video essay, and made it feel like I actually played the games. Great stuff, keep it up son
Son, time after time you amaze me. I've thought you are almost five and don't know anything about games(or even English) and next thing I know you're all grown up and make totally awesome videos on lots of my favorite games. How did you do it? How comes you've grown so much since I've last seen you? It's been only two hours and you're supposed to sleep! Anyways, I'm proud of you
Wow dude, you are really good. So glad i found your channel. Keep up the same level of work you have been putting into your videos and you will be big. Can’t wait for the rest of SH videos.
Ah yes, "Silent Evil Resident Hill", my favorite entry in the franchise... /s I remember when this title first launched I was stoked for another SH entry only to immediately wonder if I had purchased the wrong game. Homecoming is to Silent Hill like the later Hellraiser sequels were to the original: a script that had nothing to do with the original but then the studio demanded rewrites that shoved in lore haphazardly and then slapped the recognized branding on top of the resulting mess. So many missed opportunities with the characters - imagine a story where Alex's false Soldier memories actually had anything to do with how he interacts with the world or simply provided an actual twist of ANY kind in the game. Then there are the enemies that really have almost nothing to do with our protagonist or his mental/emotional/lore-based state in the story... just generic "evil-looking" things and then some fan service that was just pure cringe. And the combat. Dear lord the combat. Why? Again, if there was some sort of connection to our protagonist and his "training" - could have been cool that his imagination gave him some sort of ability that made us believe he "was" a soldier only to then have it ripped from him when reality crashed in... but instead it's just Resi-lite and skips right past "scary" into annoying and frustrating - but hey, at least the weapons didn't break /s You were far kinder to this one than I could be Son, maybe I brought you up right after all, haha. Wish you would have told me about your channel sooner, could have been enjoying the content and bragging about my son all this time. Your mom and I are proud of the work.🥸
I honestly liked this game. Sure it's nowhere near the trilogy, but at least I bothered to finish this one lol. I found the story, soundtrack and bosses to be quite good. The combat was pretty decent too.
really love your content, i´ve been binging it all over the last few weeks. love the amount of videos you can dish out with that level of quality and your voice fits perfectly for lore videos
YES! Coming in clutch with the timing again! Also, you convinced me to stream the 2nd silent hill game. it's gonna be the first SH game I play lol. I know every little detail about it but still, I want to play it! If nothing else, for historical gaming purposes!
@@Walamonga1313 cause SH 1 is kind of impossible to find a way to play on PC and also, although I'm not a HQ graphics elitist, having both that outdated graphics AND tank controls while also knowing the full story, idk if it's gonna be that enjoyable for me
@@nikkigrimm9686 I wish Silent Hill had a mod scene. There's a thousand cool mods for the original Resident Evils. I realize the original SH is harder to mod for because of its obscure engine but I'd love to see people play around with the original concept Good luck with your stream. I think Silent Hill 2 is always a treat
Personally, homecoming isn’t part of the Silent Hill games canon. It’s more in line with the movie canon. I mean the nightmare realm transitions, the real world flaking away. Guys in protective suits that are part of The Order. Out for retribution. Yea, that’s the movies’ nonsense.
Just binged the entirety of your Silent Hill content, can't wait for more! 100% subbing, your style and structure are really good to listen to. Gonna go take a look at your other videos now~!
It's always hard to choose between Homecoming and Downpour for wich one is the best out of the two. But I always end up choosing Homecoming cause imo I think Homecoming does the horror a little bit better. In downpour I wasn't scared for one second but Homecoming has some realy good scary vibes and atmosphere at times (not comparing it to the first 3 games, wich are the best) the transition to the other world is also very well done imo, I love it. Now for Pyramid head, I know he's not supposed to be in this game but I kinda like his role in this game. So yeah I can say I enjoyed playing it for what it is and I kinda loved the story. Pyramid head cutting Alex his dad in halve is brutal but cool.
@@AnAverageGoblin sure. The secret ending of Downpour is all the chacters, well most of them, from all the past SH wishing the protagonist of Downpour a happy birthday. Reflecting back this was the last time we would see them all together in a game. The happy birthday seems more of like a good bye seeing what Konami did. That's just my opinion.
@@AnAverageGoblin no problem. I love the SH series. I miss it so much. I recognize that 1 and 3 where really the two best based in the history of SH and the rest kind of used the name and characters to sell. But man SH2 by any other name is still the best game ever made.
Homecoming bums me out because it feels more like a product of laziness (or lack of care) than a passion product. It’s one of those games/stories that when you look at it you go, “I could fix that” because the foundation is solid. The idea of a vet as a protagonist of a Silent Hill game is solid (provided that character is, in fact, a veteran) and it opens the door to a lot of interesting concepts and analysis of the impact that something like PTSD could have on an individual. Likewise I do like the idea of the pact, even if it’s a bit janky lore wise, there’s some good material to be found based around families who survive based solely on sacrificing their children. There’s just so much potential here and the game either just threw it away or underutilized it which, IMO is more depressing than if it was just truly a bad game.
It’s interesting to see people complain about inconsistent lore when the series has never been able to decide what it’s lore is. The first game is simply a cult and Alessa effecting the town. The second game isn’t even related to the first in any way other than fog+town, it tries to turn the town into an almost living entity that supernaturally draws people towards it so that it can play therapist on them. After two every other game in the series can’t decide which one it’s trying to emulate. In my personal opinion 2 never should’ve been a Silent Hill title, it should’ve been it’s own game.
great video! honestly, i knew very little about this game in the series and always assumed it was awful, so i was surprised at how much it seemed like they were really trying to make a good horror game. some of the visuals are pretty creepy. i'm excited to see your take on shattered memories; i remember not finding that game very scary but liking it nonetheless.
I actually ended up liking this game way more than I thought I would. The story is pretty bad, the combat is a bit wonky, and Pyramid has absolutely no business being there, but the set pieces, music, and boss designs are some of my favorites in the whole series! My favorite part is the Descent into Hell level with its industrial furnace motif, culminating in the Scarlet boss fight, with Akira Yamaoka adding some haunting vocals to her boss theme that's reminiscent of the Mansion of Madness theme from Timesplitters: Future Perfect.
I think pyramid head appearing outside of James’ subconscious can work because because in the entirety of Silent Hill 1 you are a person experiencing someone else’s reality. James could have easily left behind his monsters in silent hill the same way he brought them in.
That, and it could simply be an entity that manifests differently for each person, with some overlap in the base characteristics. Jame's version was a slow, psychosexual beast, this one is more about raw power and menace, something that this protag is more afraid of given his history of abuse.
Son, i've been binging this series for a few days, and i dare say, i'd put you up there with the greats (imo chris davies and perhaps joseph anderson)! But as others have already stated, please do take care and avoid burnout, we're in no hurry, take a day off sometime.
What the western developers got wrong and the movies: not once in the original first 4 games you see the world physically transition into the dark rusty world. It was always an instantaneous change after a mental blackout by the character. It also ruins the suspense.
Always thought this one was okay; not a misunderstood masterpiece, but undeserving of the massive hate it got/gets. Also, Spec Ops: The Line is basically this game but done way better (and honestly the closest thing to a newer Silent Hill game period.)
I think you comparing it to Spec Ops made me finally understand why people hated the twist at the end: His lack of actual war-related trauma to me always made sense as dissociative amnesia (something I defend as a plot hook because I literally know people who suffer from it) coupled with a delusional state, something that gels with the fact he invented that story to hide his REAL trauma, but compared to how Spec Ops handles it? Yeah, they should have done a lot more with the ideas of war and the vicious circle of violence: having him twist and distort his childhood abuse into a war-based delusion would make sense even with the twist ending.
@@VSPhotfries Honestly I think I hated the twist because I don't have anything against amnesia as a plot device specifically, but in this case the idea of a combat veteran being run through the ringer of Silent Hill was a way more interesting hook that went to waste. There's also a lot of theories one can find in this one that almost certainly weren't deliberate but are fun to think about: Alex really was in the military (which is really just me being the unstable one instead of Alex on account of thinking it would have been more interesting;) his father isn't exactly a trustworthy source of information considering he's the one Pyramid Head is really hunting (I think Favorite Son missed this but I doubt it would have changed his overall opinion much. He also missed that Alex is sexually frustrated, if not to the extent of James, so the presence of the bubblehead nurses actually makes sense, but that's forgivable since it's not in the game, it was in Alex's journal which was on the game's old website, and he was specifically frustrated over being around attractive nurses he couldn't touch.) It's also debatable if that's really Alex's father as opposed to a manifestation the town is bringing out from his memories, because the world is getting a little more broken at this point in the game. Until that point, the Otherworld is overtly entered with the same effects as in the movie, but after Alex beats Asphyxia, it doesn't revert to the normal world like with the other bosses, Alex goes outside and it's the Otherworld, then he goes inside to where he finds his father and it becomes the normal world during the transition like in the older games. Alternatively, Alex is either gay or transgender. The designs of both the Siam and the Schism (good LORD the Schism) would make a lot more sense if this were the case, and the way Alex's father treated him may as well be copy/pasted from a coming-out story where the parent is 'softer' in their homophobia, not kicking their child out while ranting about it but blaming them for ruining the normal, 'correct' family and becoming emotionally abusive. Particularly the part where he tells Joshua "you don't want to be *like Alex* do you?"
Excellent job again son. I was a fan of this game (I know I am one of very few) loved watching this recap. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the serums permanently increase your health as well?
Same here. I remember playing this game when it first came out and the plot twist (the brother's death being a repressed memory) was brilliant in my opinion.
I remember skipping all post-4 SH games because I kept hearing how terrible they were. Then, years later, I was over at a friend’s house one day where we had nothing to do and he suggested we play Homecoming. He’d gotten it for dirt cheap, and he knew I liked Silent Hill. I expected to hate it after everything I’d heard over the years, but we both ended up having a decent time with it. It didn’t at all hold a candle to the older games, but I definitely didn’t regret playing through it. Other than this and Shattered Memories, I still haven’t touched any other post-Team-Silent games, though.
Silent hill main character often fighting monsters which represents their psychological traumas. Alex's psychological monster which represents his parents can roll over a police car with a lady in it and after killing it escape into sewers with this lady from RE-like assault on police office from more monsters. This game jumped a shark. I can't say it differently
I have been watching the whole series of videos you have made on silent hill. I have to say this silent hill entry is the most interesting story of the series so far by a long shot. Having not played it I can’t talk about the controls or gameplay but the story and voice acting is great. Not sure why it’s getting a bad review, I’m looking forward to the next video
For all it's faults, I really like Homecoming. Ambience is fine, variety of enviroments is pretty cool, mosnter designs can be pretty messed up (specially ones like Scarlet or the Schism and Asphyxia and Needlers) and they did a good job adapting the Otherworld from movies. Still the Boogeyman sucks as a knock off Pyramid Head. Anyway, I still love the game and the soundtracks is a blast. Also as an extra, I liked how you could execute enemies with heavy attacks including the Order Soldiers and I think we could have gotten something nice from the perspective of Deputy Wheeler as an extra chapter.
I feel like the overall quality of the games started going down after Silent Hill 3 and this game is clear evidence of it even though it wasn’t developed by Konami the silent hill games following 4 all sucked basically and my biggest issue with this game is the inclusion of Pyramid Head. His design is SO COOL in this game but he has literally no reason to be here. He was the manifestation of James desire to be punished and that’s the only reason he existed and he only pertains to James story. Masahiro auto says he regretted designing him bc he turned into a mascot instead of a character pertaining to another character
Blame the 2006 Silent Hill movie, since Pyramid Head was also there, so that's were it all started. Yet many still praise that movie as being one of the better video game adaptation movies. Even if the director said Harry was too feminine for a male actor to portray so they changed the character and went with an actress for the role instead.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
What's your opinion on Silent Hill: Homecoming Dad?👻
👀👀 Looking extremely dilfy 🥵🥵
i simply agree with anything you say & very proud of you
In all honesty I like it.
*3.5 ☆'s out of 5* from me.
It's definitely not a Team Silent entry, but the new developers sort of spiced up the formula in some aspects I would say.
I really like the other world / transitions with some of the new monsters introduced in this entry. Combat was interesting.
I feel like if they took tweaked the inventory they had from 4 to hold more items and stack the ammo a bit more generously becaue we all know carrying 10 rounds that took up 1 spot in a 10 inventory was ridiculous... Also with combat take mechanics from 4 / Homecoming and the horror / psychological horror aspects from SH 2 / 4 then remove the HUD like they put in 4 and Homecoming, because I feel like the HUDs just take away from the scare factor in the Silent Hill series. Maybe use colors on the screen like in COD when you take more and more damage make the screen turn more red and gets more grainy like a old VHS tape and for low stamina make stars kinda pop here and there with the VHS grain or maybe a different color then the red I mentioned ealier like blue and have them blink together in a way that shows your low on health / stamina for heavy attacks / sprinting speed or! Have him get more winded and record 4 different reactions to losing stamina 1st at 75% 2nd at %50 3rd at %25 4th at 0% and he just does everything slower like in RE6s low stamina effect. One last thing implement the defensive mechanics from RE1 and the item viewing for clues for puzzles in levels.
I really love your Silent Hill videos they help me sleep with my scary video game Playlist.
Idk why I typed so much. I'm such a huge fan of the Silent Hill series and just feel like I could've wrote a more survival horror oriented story. Really love the work that's posted on this channel. Keep up the awesomeness Son and family.
😂🤌🤌🔥
The worst Silent Hill by far and an embarrassment for everyone involved.
I would stomach it, but that horrific, awful, ass-pull twist with the protagonist's identity... Ohhh, that stings, to this day that stings. The game has a *few* decent ideas, even if it plays pretty bad, and misses more often than it hits, but that twist. That's worse than the good ending of Downpour. Legit the worst SH story move I've seen in my life.
On the other hand, it's a game that does expose a lot of the critics. They spew bile over Pyramidhead being in it (which, I admit, is idiotic) and rant about how every game past 2 has been a 2 rip-off. And yet Homecoming deals extensively with the Cult and has way more ties to SH1 (if really shitty ones...) than 2. Yeah you might see why they stuck with the formula from 2: cause their only other option is more cult shenanigans.
The worst part about the ending decisions, is that unlike the previous games, there is nothing that prevents you from getting a "joke ending". I got the UFO ending on my first playthrough, and it soured the game even more for me.
lmfao yeah i can see how that can be an easy to get ending that isn't as specific as what you need to do in silent hill 1 it's odd that they didn't think about that .
So that's where they've been taking everybody! I knew it!
Lmao yeah, I've seen so many people who were like "Yeah, this could have been a really cool game, but the ending was such a cop-out, all of a sudden these aliens come from out of nowhere??" The other SH games were smart about it and made it so you can only get a joke ending by picking up specific items that only spawn during a New Game+ playthrough.
The fact that they never touch on Alex not really being a part of the military was such a miss. It would of been such a great hint and foreshadowing if when you face your first enemy, he realizes he doesn't have combat skill.
Or you see his dad trained him and that's how he knows, not actual military training.
I would have just kept him a soldier. He joined the military trying to prove to his old man that he's not useless. You could have learned into the war tropes with the monster designs.
@@themeangene I prefer that too. The twist about him not really being a soldier just doesn't seem to make any sense given the fighting skill he has. Also it somehow feels less compelling.
@@runningcommentary2125 mental hospitals and psych wards have been so overdone in horror that the soldier/war angle would have been slightly more imaginative
He's skilled because that's his fantasy, he then realizes that's not enough to protect Sheperd's Glenn, Josh, or to atone for his sins
Honestly I want to elaborate on the introductory scene to Scarlet's boss fight, because it's pretty great. The doll you picked up is an old doll belonging to Fitch's daughter, possessed by her spirit after she was sacrificed. As she turns into this hideous creature, she picks him up in her arms, and he looks at her and asks for forgiveness. She cradles him for a second like... well, like a doll, presumably much as she did with her own dolls in life. And there is this one tiny moment where the whole scene looks almost loving, and then she quite literally bites his head off. It's metal as shit and I've loved that scene ever since I first saw it.
That whole sequence is the perfect example of why these later silent hill games drive me nuts, because you find these little pockets of _fantastic_ material scattered around, but when put together into a whole game that plays like shit and is subjected to intense executive meddling, it all just goes bloop.
I'm so glad you mentioned the fact that this game suffers from the dev's lack of general understanding of the Silent Hill lore. As you mentioned, you can tell there was love pumped into this, but unfortunately the game seems to be more focused on being faithful to the 2006 movie than the actual previous game's lore. That on top of the cliche American horror, with all these action bits, jumpscares and worst of all, the torture p*rn. The whole hostel/saw aspect of it to me is the most egregious mistake this game made. The story of Alex and his amnesia also feels very cheap and forced, like its trying too hard to be silent hill 2. Last of all, this game does look good overall, but when you compare the character models/animations/facial expressions to those of silent hill 3, you can really see how this game is a downgrade even though it came out years later and for newer consoles.
I agree 100% with your post. I do think the enemy design in this game is interesting and I like many of the environments.
I think Alex and his brother are modeled fine but everyone else is terrible. You're right that Silent Hill 3 character models are superior.
The basic premise of the game pertaining to the founding families is something I actually love. It's the third act that kills the plot for me. The mayor turning into a cartoon villain was so dumb.
You could have played around with the idea that because the townsfolk lost their faith as a consequence of Josh being killed on accident, they "willed" these monstrosities into existence. The mystical powers surrounding Toluca Lake were dormant until the townsfolk turned against eachother.
Definitely if team silent would have made homecoming i would say it would have been much much better but still its a fun game but not silent hill in my opinion
I allways found funny how his mother and the judge look YOUNGER than Alex
I'm agree with everything you said except for the tortune p*rn part, I thought it was cool seeing the most savage and cruel side of The Order, Which althought most of SH 2 fanboys hate, is part of the central canon in the towns history.
@@rodrigoogaz3860 You are entitled to like that, many people do. The reason I think that is one of the worst aspects of the game is because Silent Hill was never in your face about violence. It was always suggestive and underlying. Many times we found horrible things but it was up to our imagination to put what happened together. That is what the original silent hills did great. Psychological horror at its best. Torture p*rn is lazy in your face gore for the sake of gore and shock value. And to be clear, I love the aspects of silent hill's cult, I equally love sh 1,2 and 3 as they all did different things and all were masterpieces in their own styles so I'm not one of those people that just gushes over sh2 and ignores the Alessa/Cult aspect of it; to put things into perspective.
Son, I am absolutely flabbergasted at how much content you’re putting out. I hope you won’t get burnt out doing so much. Always proud of your work and it’s worth waiting for. I enjoy seeing the games from back in my day getting such loving attention from you.
Don’t forget to make your bed.
LOL
I'll try Dad but I can't promise anything.
I've been sick with a lupus flare up all week and this series has been the only thing to get me through it, thank you ❤️
I happen to invest in a company working on a new Lupus drug. Yes that's coincidental, no I'm not pushing it. I just hope things work out and one day you can get it and it will provide relief.
@@mattblom3990 that's exciting! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Retrospectives of shitty Silent Hill games have long been the only remedies for lupus flare ups.
Having an ulcerative colitis flare and watching this series too so I was surprised to see a comment like this. Good luck getting out of your flare.
@@mattblom3990 is it going to be affordable?
Fun fact, the people getting tortured in the intro are actually the kids that were sacrificed by the other parents.
I like that you don’t fight Pyramid Head. James could see other character’s demons like Angela’s father etc and they weren’t that hostile to James so it stands to reason Alex could see Pyramid Head (more accurately because of his lack of mental association with PH) but since it’s not apart of Alex’s manifestations, it’s not interested in punishing him. It’s busy.
The idea of a SH protagonist being a war veteran or just a soldier in general could work so well as a story about the guilt and psychological trauma of war and the town manifesting horrors for the player based on that. It makes this game more disappointing because that could have been so much better than what we got. I didn't like the twist about the protagonist not being an actual soldier but I guess they didn't do anything with the soldier idea in the first place for that to matter. I do hope if the series ever returns at some point the concept of a soldier in Silent Hill gets revisited.
Regardless, it did get a couple of things right like the atmosphere of the town. Yamaoka's music in the game is as great and memorable as always. Anyway, good work on the grind, son. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely. I was so. stoked. when they promoted this game. A soldier protagonist would've been amazing. The twist with his identity was genuinely the worst shit I've experienced in a silent hill game. Not even Book of Memories or the pachinko game hurt as much as that did. Just the fact that such an easy win was thrown the hell aside for a bad copy of the SH2 twist, in a game that isn't even similar to SH2! That one really smarts.
silent hill isn't about guilt and punishment so no it wouldn't have been a good idea
@@ExValeFor It's like they took a quick look at the SH movie and made a game based on that with zero idea about what it means for the town to reflect one's psyche. It'd be one thing if the movies alone diluted the idea of Pyramid Head, but this game existing and doing just that is just a travesty. Downpour, while not a very good game, got the idea right at least for the otherworld and monsters to look unique to the story of that game. It's a great concept on paper, a soldier in Silent Hill and there's a lot of cool things that could have been done about it, like war sounds and imagery while transitioning into the other world. The twist was just trash, simply put.
@@elvangulley3210 Nobody here said it was but seeing your other replies in this video I'm gonna need you to punctuate your comments before I talk with you chief.
A little excerpt from SH wiki for you though.
"Monsters are created when a psyche's conscious, subconscious, or repressed thoughts are manifested by the mysterious power of the town of Silent Hill. Sometimes, someone only needs to have a psyche powered by strong enough emotions or memories (such as trauma, sadness, fear, etc.) to manifest these monsters.
Monsters are often very symbolic, due to the fact that they are manifested from the minds of a major character in the plot, whether it be the protagonist, antagonist, or other characters. The nature and appearance of the monsters are linked to whoever is experiencing the powers of the town."
The town isn't necessarily about guilt and punishment or to find redemption from these things, but if a character is going through this in their lives the town will reflect it back to them. Silent Hill 2, which you called overrated in your other replies, did just that with its plot.
@@elvangulley3210 Homeboy, I just saw that other comment you made in this video. You said SH2 doean't have the real lore of the series? Lmao
Actually you know what, I'm not gonna do this. Sorry chief, no arguments from me to you. You right SH2 ams not realz silent hill. fuck hiroyuki owaku and everyone else who worked on sh2 fake silent hill devs they ruined the series goddamn
See, I feel like the whole "he was a soldier but not actually tho" would have worked better if they did like, anything at all with it.
Imagine if like, 3 hours into the game you come across one of Alex's "squad members" in town, and they said they came to check on him after he got out of the hospital. Have scenes where you're talking with him and they only show up when you're alone, or something.
Then have the twist happen and you find out that person is just a hollow shell, a figment of Alex's delusions come to life, and you have to overcome that to find some semblance of normalcy.
Idk, it could definitely be workshopped, but god I just wish it was like, anything interesting at all.
Sorry for responding seven months later lol
I had a thought similar to yours, but instead of Alex knowing the squad buddy or the buddy just being a figment of Alex's amnesia or something, that maybe Alex could just meet a soldier that he has to work with through the game. There could be moments where they reference things only military personell would know, but Alex just doesn't know it, or something that could subtly show Alex wasn't a real soldier without being so "he's a soldier jk we lied"
@@leighsartworks Nah it's cool. This would be good too lmao. Just, god, anything other than "lol. it was just a lie"
They just wipe out Alex to be a soldier, bc they don't want to be similar to RE, or Jacob's ladder, big mistake, but the explanation could be easier, he was ready to enlist before the accident, therefore he was mentally and physically ready for that.
My favorite quote ever came from this game. "They laughed at me for being different, I laughed at them for being the same".
kurt cobain
@@hendrasetiawan5600 buckshot taste test
Feels like they originally planned for him to kill his brother it seems way to coincidental that he accidentally killed his brother by drowning when one of them had to be drowned anyways as if they last minute changed it into an accident because I feel like him drowning his brother as a desperate attempt to save his own life from being sacrificed would probably make alot more sense and hit harder then his brother slipping on a boat just seems like they originally wrote around him killing his brother at first
It's definitely weird that he just "happens" to drown and their whole theme has been water! I also wondered if it was meant to imply somehow a more sinister motive.
More like the game is about child abuse, so Alex is gonna discover the abuse of his father against his younger brother, in the process he is gonna try to fight Adam, but Josh will fall from the boat, then Adam will betray his son, and send him to Alchemilla as a prisioner, ready for a lobotomy, as a way to cover his dirty secret forever. Alex probablty was ready to enlist at that time, but before that day, he discovered the whole truth. In this diary, he said, In hight school I knew, I need to leave this town.
The lore of the game, families sacrificing their children to keep the town safe, which results in their children becoming monsters is absolutely amazing and very on brand.
The soundtrack is also great (especially Scarlet's theme: Dear God, what is that masterpiece?! and One More Soul To The Call -another masterpiece- which is like a tribute song to the children that were sacrificed)
Most bosses like Scarlet, Amnion and Asphyxia have a brilliant design
The shift to the Otherworld -even though it's copied from the movie- looks fantastic (and so do the nurses) and these 2 could make sense because Alex is a "soldier"
However what ruins the game for me is: the gameplay (which is very important obviously). This is not an action game, the fighting system makes no sense and on top of that is clunky and buggy af. Did the people who made the game even play it?
The stupid dialogue options.
The way Alex opens doors (by throwing himself at them) wtf?
The game is also filled with unlikeable and ANNOYING characters. Everyone is zoned out, hostile or completely avoiding to answer questions. It's really frustrating! And then you have your stupid brother Josh, who you have to chase around like a fly as if you give a tiny rat's ass about him. Literally couldn't care less about him at any point of the story.
Also Alex's parents were major cunts. It was impossible to sympathize with them, even after understanding what had happened. No emotional investment there. Whether they died or not it didn't feel like a loss.
The endings make 0 sense
This COULD have been a cool game, since it touches on some very serious and disturbing, stuff but it is as subtle as a slap to the face, technically inept and a lackluster experience. The OG Trilogy is and will always be lightning in a bottle I guess.
Ah, I know your channel - you made a cool video about the "almost" Silent Hill movie!
To be fair, I watched a video by an Englishman where he played the entirety of Vatra Games’ contribution to the Silent Hill franchise, Downpour, and while it no doubt was a bit rough around the edges, I’m pretty sure that if they had been given another crack at developing a Silent Hill title, they could’ve had something truly memorable to offer the community. Unfortunately, Konami being themselves as usual, Vatra got binned once their post launch support on Downpour was completed and the studio fell apart soon after. 😑
I totally agree with you!!
I miss the days of getting a silent hill game at launch..
I always liked this one.
Of course, the SH trilogy will forever be the greatest trilogy out there. But Homecoming isn't bad. Just can't compare to those masterpieces
YourFavoriteSon, you should look up the original plot idea for this game before Tom stepped in. It was going to be a DBZ fight between Alessa and Josh. The final product isn't great but it could have been worse
Honestly I would have loved to see that happen.
At least then the game could have been bad enough to be the fun type of bad.
Actually the idea was interesting, a sort of Obscure game, when each character will have a different skill than the other, in a character like Alex, these others characters will help him a lot to grow as a character, he is too bland, bc of the lack of that. But yeah Josh vs Alessa was really dumb, but the Obscure idea was Lit.
I feel like the mysterious woman in the hotel was Mary considering the memories all being places you visit as james, the mention of her Illness, and even pyramid head showing up
Interesting theory, i second this
Also, the Shepherd family is featured in Homecoming, and Mary's maiden name was Shepherd. Could just be a coincidence, could be implying a connection. YMMV.
I remember hearing that there may have been plans to reveal that Mary was a relative of the Shepherds
Hi there. Just wanted to say that I found your channel through a playlist of 1600+ video game essays. I've wateched maybe 300 of them and only subscribed to you and one other youtuber. I enjoy your style and its been interesting watching you develop your style over the past videos. You stood out among your peers and I'm glad to have found your channel. I also appreciate the steady content, you are bound to grow in popularity. Good luck!
Hey, any chance you can link that playlist? I’ve been craving more good video essay channels recently
@@StoneColdMan2294 th-cam.com/play/PLlG-q227hpLxRaexj1_W-1UjFvQegTIUC.html
I am interested as well. Who is the other one you subscribe to?
I love video game essays. Mind sharing who else you subscribe to?
@@StoneColdMan2294 I'm not sure if youtube allows links in the comments but search "long-form Analysis" and you'll find a playlist created by Listonosh. They update it ever couple days so there are almost always new videos to watch.
Your dad couldn't be more proud of the video you've blessed him with today. Great job Son!
There was a quote from a developer on this game that went something like, "everyone came in screaming silent hill 5 mother fuckers! Then we stopped, took a look around and walked away, tail between our legs, whispering Homecoming" which I think really encapsulates the issues this game has. At its best its an over eager, derivative attempt at a love letter to silent hill. And at its worst, it's so comically bad it stains the name and the legacy of Silent Hill.
I actually like the game 😭
It's actually the best Silent Hill
@@Kane.JimLahey. lmao that's a wild claim to make 😂
@@Kane.JimLahey. This may be a 7 month old comment by boy I've just got to remind you that you said something so dumb.
To me it's funny seeing fanboys act like the game is theirs...it's not, you guys didn't put 5 minutes of work into developing it. Play it if you want or stfu
Memories from Super Best Friends:
"I noticed that 90% of Shepherd's Glen is just a cemetary"
"And also My House"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Super Ex Friends*
"What's my objective"
"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OBJECTIVES"
Forever established my favorite name for this era of Silent Hill; Downcoming.
Hmmm Pyramid Head, Faceless Nurses, Lying figures, a plot twist about your protagonist murdering someone close to them, notes about a serial killer...almost like the devs for this one REALLY wanted to make another Silent Hill 2 or something
Whatever you think about this game,The soundtrack is definitely a Silent Hill soundtrack and a banger.
In regards to Pyramid Head, I did at first think that he didn't belong in this game and was unnecessary since he was a monster tied in with James and his inner demons to punish James for what he did. But when you think about it, he doesn't attack Alex. Almost as if he's observing him. And depending your actions and the ending, Pyramid Head could see potential within Alex to be another punisher like him and will be observing his actions to determine if he should turn him into another Boogie Man.
Pyramid Head's actions with Alex in the game does fall in line with the theory that he represents Alex just as the Amnion represents Josh.
Between the otherworld transition effects, Pyramid Head, the plot twist at the end, the confessional, and many of the puzzles, there's only one way I can describe this game: Derivative. Homecoming is just a long list of things other Silent Hill titles have already done. And in most cases, they did them better.
Loved the video, thanks so much for your hard work!
I think the most disappointing thing for me about homecoming was that I never felt like it could commit. I think it would have been much better off either full committing to an action shift like resident evil, or committing fully to being silent hill. Instead they tried to mix and match and it fell flat on both ends.
Side note for the hotel boss: You do not attack the tail you attack his arms as they slam to the ground then hit the head when it's stunned. Love the video retrospective! Keep up the great work homie :)
Yet again you've knocked it out of the park Son! I love this series and I'm so happy that you've continued it!
How could the timing be so perfect I binged all silent hill retrospectives and now that
You’ve been releasing these videos right as I finish each game, simply because I wanted to replay this series recently and your videos were recommended to me. This has been an uncanny journey
I just finished origins a week ago, and the numbered entries in the weeks before that
I liked the idea that shepherd's glen was a branch off of the main town that turned out to be as equally fanatical but they should given him a personal connection to alessa to make the otherworld transformation fit in
Alessa being related to the main characters would be a copout but I could see Dahlia being somewhat related to the Shepherds via a common ancestor.
TRIVIA:
*At first when Alex gets off the stretcher, there's a clock in that room. It's the only clock in the game that seems to work, it wasn't even two o'clock in the morning yet. then there's an entity that's killing the doctors of the place, and when the protagonist tries to escape at 2:06 in the morning (time of the accident) something doesn't let him out of Alchemilla. so the nightmare begins within the nightmare, from there time's stopped and everything takes place in alex's childhood in S.Glen in the 80's. you'll see objects from alex's childhood scattered around the scenarios, and also relics such as old cars and public heritages. in this case this game is timeless.. (however there're endings where he actually escaped from Hospital)*
*When you arrive in S.Glen, next to Dr.fitch's office there's the city bank with 4 lights on, 3 of which're bright and the last one's almost off (symbolizing the 4 families). Suggesting that the bank's still active with secret meetings, throughout the game the building remains linked with people on the premises arguing who knows what. It's one of the mysteries of the game that everything's abandoned but the financial part of the city's still in full swing! kidnappings have become a kind of business...*
*if you look at alex's house from the outside, it's empty giving the impression that the shepherds have moved but when you enter the house, it's fully furnished but completely abandoned (the mirrors still reflect no furniture inside). looking through the backyard in the kitchen part this becomes more apparent (giving a paranormal air of the house being an ancestral ghost of the city).*
*the woman locked in the hotel can also be the manifestation of alex's mother living in the world of the dead and him living in the world of the living, both're separated by a hole in the door that looks like the mouth of a monster. the 3 memories illustrate "the day of the accident" and why his mother was catatonic, it's implied that she committed suicide with that old gun and alex's at his doorstep talking to her. there're layers of SH that you can only reach if you're dead.. (there're also indications that it was curtis who built the machine that Lillian is trapped in, then it's possible to see his mother's corpse smiling.. of relief perhaps)*
*in the dr.fitch office there's an underground passage that leads to SH, this otherworld passage's the mix of a hospital and the institution that alex's in at the beginning of the game. some hallways're the same as the protagonist walks in the prologue. It's also more apparent that Alex's exploring the characters' minds and their memories\secrets..*
*this game starts in the late afternoon and culminates in a red dawn, it's notable that there's a change of climate similar to the original games. it was the first time anyone came out during the otherworld outdoors, alex was the only protagonist who saw the parallel world from the outside.*
*There're Alex's toys locked in the attic of the house (also in the audio of the tape, Alex's father tells him to "go down the stairs") implying that Alex was locked in the attic and forced to sleep alone there (a dark place full of spider webs and venomous animals) in the infernal version, there're 4 monsters that represent each member of the family (in the attic there're 3 schism which're the dead Josh, the catatonic mother and Alex crouched in the corner of the attic) and in the lower part of the house there're the more aggressive schism who is alex's father. What confirms this symbolism're the four mannequins that're in the same position (including one lying down and the other propped up in the corner).*
*if you analyze the drawings and read the descriptions, it's understood that there's an urban legend in S.Glen related to the lake (that's why the docks gate's sealed) by an alleged man who threw himself into toluca lake years ago, this story was told to scare the local children and this collective fear manifests itself as the executioner that exists in the game. So in the part where alex's with josh at the lake, james's still decomposed there in the depths and on the other side of the lake's possibly the abandoned car with a dead body locked in back seat. James' wife belongs to the same family tree as Alex (The Shepherds) although they're not related (in a promotional diary: Alex's mother was invited to attend a funeral for a childhood friend, but the funeral never took place) There's a misterious tomb named "someone's wife" in the Dargento Cemetery, but this grave has never been used. (The shepherd family mausoleum is not found in S.Glen, only the other 3 families. However, there's an abandoned mausoleum in central SH: where there's a puzzle about entities with a common ancestor that were separated)*
*Next to Curtis' junkyard's an abandoned mine that possibly became a secret passage to SH in the final stage of the game. The lair was where people were taken to be tortured and killed by order. it's located in the basement of the church, the only sacred place in the city where it's not affected by the other world. In Curtis' warehouse, many belongings of everyone who lived in the city're hidden and also the special clothes that Curtis wore.*
*There're x-rays in alchemilla that show injuries that the protagonist suffered at the end of the game (including the brother and judge) means that this game's upside down: it starts at the end and ends at the beginning, if you reverse the acts, it's alex going from the day of the accident to the hospitalization in alchemilla in the prologue. crazy huh? (Travis was tasked with transporting the patient since he was familiar with Toluca County and worked at Brahms Station, Alex's parents lied to the city that he was promoted to the army so they wouldn't lose their last son) still characteristic the journey starts in a way and turns into a whirlwind.. there's a real pyramid involving judges, politicians, doctors and police forces\dynastic families (as if everything happens in our world and not just in a nightmare).*
The layers of Alex personality are represented by fog (sadness) and coming from the other world (hatred
esentment), how he feels at every moment depending on what is discovered
evealed.
This game is introspective as f00k! more than it seems...
My theory as to why Pyramid Head is in this game is because the developers were aware that Pyramid Head was a symbol of guilt, but not that they were specifically James' guilt. In that sense it makes sense why a symbol of guilt appears before Alex, but having the actual PH return makes it clear the developers either didn't know or didn't fully understand the lore they were working with.
Played through this entire game back in the day, only to get the UFO ending on my first playthrough.
That was a gripe I had,too.
The UFO endings are gag endings you get on subsequent playthroughs.
Lol how?
SAME! Joke ending like that should never be able to be achieved on a first playthrough.
@@Walamonga1313 If you don't kill your dad and mother but save wheeler. Literally no reason why it should be a UFO ending. No idea wtf they were thinking.
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely love the plot regarding the families offering sacrifices to ward off Silent Hill's influence (Or the deity's). The thought of being raised to be said sacrifice, accidentally flunking it, and seeing the result of it is pretty twisted. I think if the execution was better along with improvement in other narrative areas, this could've been something to rival Silent Hill 2's twist.
Yeah they should have just fleshed that concept out more. I think that part of the plot is actually a great idea
Hey son. So fortunate, i can listen to this while doing college stuff. I'm proud of you.
I feel like the ideas in this game could have shown some real promise if in more skilled hands and with experienced devs. The town expanding to create another like it is an interesting idea, as is a war veteran facing his inner demons made flesh, and dealing with generational trauma. There is alot that could be done with these concepts.
The enemies in this game are altogether incredible, Pyramid Head nonsense aside. I love the design of quite literally all of the bosses; it's all amazing. The story really could have been something special if they just didn't tie it to Silent Hill. This game could have been a cult classic if the combat was a little more optimized and it was never attached to Silent Hill. I weep for what this game could have been if it had received a Rule of Rose treatment.
This is such fantastic content. Great work. Maybe the Fatal Frame series next? I would love to see you get your hands on that!
Hey Son, been binging your Silent Hill series. Just want to say I've been really enjoying it.
I don't know, I'm sure Alex didn't intend to kill his brother that day when he fell into the lake and drowned, but why didn't Alex jump in to save him? Alex has mental issues, sure, but even an unempathetic person would still have the instinct to save someone like their brother.
Bc the main inspiration of the game is Donnie Darko, the accident never happened, Alex just made the sacrifice in the bathtub to save everyone. Then Adam buried him in Dargento graveyard. In a second gameplay Alex returned to life, just to check that Josh is alive, that happened in the credits scene. That's the whole game.
I think the worst crime is having the facial animations look like this after SH3 and even 2 did them so much justice back on the PS2.
HOMECOMING is definitely the BEST of the subpar western developed "Silent Hill" entries, which isn't really saying much in terms of praise. The best part of this game is DEFINITELY the soundtrack. The game's story isn't awful, but it isn't good, and that's due to Tom Hulett's input. Years ago, I remember him saying that the development team had the story pretty much completed before he was put in charge of producing the game. He then said that the story of Homecoming made sense, which he felt wasn't how a Silent Hill game was supposed to feel. Tom Hulett said that he went in and made the story not make sense. Tom Hulett said that.
Thanks for making these! Easily the most accessible way to understand these Silent Hill games individually! I never played these and felt overwhelming to start the series. I enjoy this and may revisit and actually play down the road!
25:58 From what I've gathered from the wiki, Pyramid Head was essentially retconned (through 3 and 4: The Room) to be a representation of punishment in general, his visage being a warped version of Valtiel (more specifically, the executioner's uniform Jimmy Stone wore). His presence in Homecoming revolves around punishing the members of Shepherd's Glenn for leaving Silent Hill, and further punishing them for not completing the rites (exemplified by him killing Alex's dad since Joshua died instead of Alex).
They definitely should've just made him a different guy, though, similar to how The Butcher was his own thing in Silent Hill Origin.
I never let a review deter me from a game because most reviews for games I like are negative, while games I hate get positive reviews. This is my favourite silent hill and the combat is great, that’s my opinion and I’m glad I played it, I even bought it a second time for steam. That being said, I am not a silent hill fan, this was my only proper silent hill game. I will be looking to get silent hill 2 remake in October.
Thank you son. I always appreciate the videos, they help me get to sleep when it's been a bad day.
Man, how do you put these out so fast? I feel like I just watched your last silent hill video. Take care of yourself son, don't burn yourself out.
Gonna hang this one on the fridge, son.
Keep up the awesome work *SON*
Making us all *proud* to be in your early days, before you get super famous.
🙏🦄💜
Super excited for your downpour retrospective. It's my favorite of the non teamsilent games. I also gotta give you props because you're always dropping videos with high quality. Keep up the good work bro.
For the Needlers you have to time your dodge right as they attack to parry them or do a large combat roll to then press the heavy attack and either do big damage to them, or stun them and finish them off with a heavy attack/finisher.
Also, I forgot to mention, you should be using the Fire axe to kill them.
Thank you for this wonderful retrospective video essay on the very first game I raged at as a young teenager. You made me proud, son.
Binged your series of Silent Hill analysis and I have to say, I loved it. I felt the love and care you put into every single video essay, and made it feel like I actually played the games. Great stuff, keep it up son
Son, time after time you amaze me. I've thought you are almost five and don't know anything about games(or even English) and next thing I know you're all grown up and make totally awesome videos on lots of my favorite games. How did you do it? How comes you've grown so much since I've last seen you? It's been only two hours and you're supposed to sleep!
Anyways, I'm proud of you
It took me a while to get the joke.
You're really burning out the content man! I love it, keep up the amazing work!
Wow dude, you are really good. So glad i found your channel. Keep up the same level of work you have been putting into your videos and you will be big. Can’t wait for the rest of SH videos.
Ah yes, "Silent Evil Resident Hill", my favorite entry in the franchise... /s
I remember when this title first launched I was stoked for another SH entry only to immediately wonder if I had purchased the wrong game. Homecoming is to Silent Hill like the later Hellraiser sequels were to the original: a script that had nothing to do with the original but then the studio demanded rewrites that shoved in lore haphazardly and then slapped the recognized branding on top of the resulting mess.
So many missed opportunities with the characters - imagine a story where Alex's false Soldier memories actually had anything to do with how he interacts with the world or simply provided an actual twist of ANY kind in the game. Then there are the enemies that really have almost nothing to do with our protagonist or his mental/emotional/lore-based state in the story... just generic "evil-looking" things and then some fan service that was just pure cringe. And the combat. Dear lord the combat. Why? Again, if there was some sort of connection to our protagonist and his "training" - could have been cool that his imagination gave him some sort of ability that made us believe he "was" a soldier only to then have it ripped from him when reality crashed in... but instead it's just Resi-lite and skips right past "scary" into annoying and frustrating - but hey, at least the weapons didn't break /s
You were far kinder to this one than I could be Son, maybe I brought you up right after all, haha.
Wish you would have told me about your channel sooner, could have been enjoying the content and bragging about my son all this time. Your mom and I are proud of the work.🥸
silent evil resident hill, huh, sounds cool. could that work
You can't dodge on RE, if you can't handle the controls, you need to play more games, the style of dodge like that was later copy by Dark Souls.
I honestly liked this game. Sure it's nowhere near the trilogy, but at least I bothered to finish this one lol. I found the story, soundtrack and bosses to be quite good. The combat was pretty decent too.
really love your content, i´ve been binging it all over the last few weeks. love the amount of videos you can dish out with that level of quality and your voice fits perfectly for lore videos
Thank you, Son. I am thoroughly enjoying this trek through the silent hill series. Keep being yourself my man ❤️
Yo , I look forward to all these “Silent hill” breakdowns. You do a good job of dissecting the games ! Keep it up
YES! Coming in clutch with the timing again! Also, you convinced me to stream the 2nd silent hill game. it's gonna be the first SH game I play lol. I know every little detail about it but still, I want to play it! If nothing else, for historical gaming purposes!
Glad you're enjoying Silent Hill Dad!
Why start with 2
@@YourFavoriteSon1 DUDE, when you were like "it seems like Josh was the favorite SON",at 17:50 I lost it a bit :')
@@Walamonga1313 cause SH 1 is kind of impossible to find a way to play on PC and also, although I'm not a HQ graphics elitist, having both that outdated graphics AND tank controls while also knowing the full story, idk if it's gonna be that enjoyable for me
@@nikkigrimm9686 I wish Silent Hill had a mod scene. There's a thousand cool mods for the original Resident Evils. I realize the original SH is harder to mod for because of its obscure engine but I'd love to see people play around with the original concept
Good luck with your stream. I think Silent Hill 2 is always a treat
It has been such a long time since I found a TH-cam channel I love as much as yours. You are the best son I could ever ask for
Personally, homecoming isn’t part of the Silent Hill games canon. It’s more in line with the movie canon. I mean the nightmare realm transitions, the real world flaking away. Guys in protective suits that are part of The Order. Out for retribution. Yea, that’s the movies’ nonsense.
Just binged the entirety of your Silent Hill content, can't wait for more! 100% subbing, your style and structure are really good to listen to. Gonna go take a look at your other videos now~!
It's always hard to choose between Homecoming and Downpour for wich one is the best out of the two. But I always end up choosing Homecoming cause imo I think Homecoming does the horror a little bit better. In downpour I wasn't scared for one second but Homecoming has some realy good scary vibes and atmosphere at times (not comparing it to the first 3 games, wich are the best) the transition to the other world is also very well done imo, I love it. Now for Pyramid head, I know he's not supposed to be in this game but I kinda like his role in this game. So yeah I can say I enjoyed playing it for what it is and I kinda loved the story. Pyramid head cutting Alex his dad in halve is brutal but cool.
I love this Retrospectives of yours! Really wish they just gave us PROPER HD and Remasters of all the classic games.
Homecoming and Dowpour are playable on Xbox Series X.
Here we go. I can not wait for the next game because the secret ending of that one means so much more now more than ever.
care to explain?
@@AnAverageGoblin sure. The secret ending of Downpour is all the chacters, well most of them, from all the past SH wishing the protagonist of Downpour a happy birthday. Reflecting back this was the last time we would see them all together in a game. The happy birthday seems more of like a good bye seeing what Konami did. That's just my opinion.
@@BiggusYuichi yea I see your point. it does seem like a goodbye these days. thank you for elaborating.
@@AnAverageGoblin no problem. I love the SH series. I miss it so much. I recognize that 1 and 3 where really the two best based in the history of SH and the rest kind of used the name and characters to sell. But man SH2 by any other name is still the best game ever made.
Homecoming bums me out because it feels more like a product of laziness (or lack of care) than a passion product. It’s one of those games/stories that when you look at it you go, “I could fix that” because the foundation is solid. The idea of a vet as a protagonist of a Silent Hill game is solid (provided that character is, in fact, a veteran) and it opens the door to a lot of interesting concepts and analysis of the impact that something like PTSD could have on an individual. Likewise I do like the idea of the pact, even if it’s a bit janky lore wise, there’s some good material to be found based around families who survive based solely on sacrificing their children. There’s just so much potential here and the game either just threw it away or underutilized it which, IMO is more depressing than if it was just truly a bad game.
It’s interesting to see people complain about inconsistent lore when the series has never been able to decide what it’s lore is. The first game is simply a cult and Alessa effecting the town. The second game isn’t even related to the first in any way other than fog+town, it tries to turn the town into an almost living entity that supernaturally draws people towards it so that it can play therapist on them. After two every other game in the series can’t decide which one it’s trying to emulate. In my personal opinion 2 never should’ve been a Silent Hill title, it should’ve been it’s own game.
I'm amazed at how your able to make consistently good videos that are over an hour long every single week. Keep up the good work son 👍
You're*
@@jarlwhiterun7478 mind you're* own business
@@stvnbo your*
great video! honestly, i knew very little about this game in the series and always assumed it was awful, so i was surprised at how much it seemed like they were really trying to make a good horror game. some of the visuals are pretty creepy. i'm excited to see your take on shattered memories; i remember not finding that game very scary but liking it nonetheless.
"Hey dad it's me your favorite son.."
Dad: "Sorry wrong number" *Hangs up phone*
Son, this is the best thing you could have gotten me. I love you.
I actually ended up liking this game way more than I thought I would. The story is pretty bad, the combat is a bit wonky, and Pyramid has absolutely no business being there, but the set pieces, music, and boss designs are some of my favorites in the whole series! My favorite part is the Descent into Hell level with its industrial furnace motif, culminating in the Scarlet boss fight, with Akira Yamaoka adding some haunting vocals to her boss theme that's reminiscent of the Mansion of Madness theme from Timesplitters: Future Perfect.
Are you winning, son?
Love these weekly videos! Really looking forward to each one!
I think pyramid head appearing outside of James’ subconscious can work because because in the entirety of Silent Hill 1 you are a person experiencing someone else’s reality. James could have easily left behind his monsters in silent hill the same way he brought them in.
That, and it could simply be an entity that manifests differently for each person, with some overlap in the base characteristics. Jame's version was a slow, psychosexual beast, this one is more about raw power and menace, something that this protag is more afraid of given his history of abuse.
no its just bad fan service stop making excuses for bad game decisions
mannn we need moree videosss i love them your voice be so relaxing just listening while doing something even helps me fall asleep
I absolutely love this game, it was my first silent hill and I was hooked on getting the different endings/outfits :)
Fun fact: a qte isn't just an abbreviation for your sweetheart. It also stands for quick time event. 😀
Hey son it's mom here, ran into your vids from these silent hill videos and I LOVE your stuff ❤️
Son, i've been binging this series for a few days, and i dare say, i'd put you up there with the greats (imo chris davies and perhaps joseph anderson)!
But as others have already stated, please do take care and avoid burnout, we're in no hurry, take a day off sometime.
What the western developers got wrong and the movies: not once in the original first 4 games you see the world physically transition into the dark rusty world. It was always an instantaneous change after a mental blackout by the character. It also ruins the suspense.
Always thought this one was okay; not a misunderstood masterpiece, but undeserving of the massive hate it got/gets. Also, Spec Ops: The Line is basically this game but done way better (and honestly the closest thing to a newer Silent Hill game period.)
I think you comparing it to Spec Ops made me finally understand why people hated the twist at the end: His lack of actual war-related trauma to me always made sense as dissociative amnesia (something I defend as a plot hook because I literally know people who suffer from it) coupled with a delusional state, something that gels with the fact he invented that story to hide his REAL trauma, but compared to how Spec Ops handles it?
Yeah, they should have done a lot more with the ideas of war and the vicious circle of violence: having him twist and distort his childhood abuse into a war-based delusion would make sense even with the twist ending.
@@VSPhotfries Honestly I think I hated the twist because I don't have anything against amnesia as a plot device specifically, but in this case the idea of a combat veteran being run through the ringer of Silent Hill was a way more interesting hook that went to waste.
There's also a lot of theories one can find in this one that almost certainly weren't deliberate but are fun to think about:
Alex really was in the military (which is really just me being the unstable one instead of Alex on account of thinking it would have been more interesting;) his father isn't exactly a trustworthy source of information considering he's the one Pyramid Head is really hunting (I think Favorite Son missed this but I doubt it would have changed his overall opinion much. He also missed that Alex is sexually frustrated, if not to the extent of James, so the presence of the bubblehead nurses actually makes sense, but that's forgivable since it's not in the game, it was in Alex's journal which was on the game's old website, and he was specifically frustrated over being around attractive nurses he couldn't touch.) It's also debatable if that's really Alex's father as opposed to a manifestation the town is bringing out from his memories, because the world is getting a little more broken at this point in the game. Until that point, the Otherworld is overtly entered with the same effects as in the movie, but after Alex beats Asphyxia, it doesn't revert to the normal world like with the other bosses, Alex goes outside and it's the Otherworld, then he goes inside to where he finds his father and it becomes the normal world during the transition like in the older games.
Alternatively, Alex is either gay or transgender. The designs of both the Siam and the Schism (good LORD the Schism) would make a lot more sense if this were the case, and the way Alex's father treated him may as well be copy/pasted from a coming-out story where the parent is 'softer' in their homophobia, not kicking their child out while ranting about it but blaming them for ruining the normal, 'correct' family and becoming emotionally abusive. Particularly the part where he tells Joshua "you don't want to be *like Alex* do you?"
Nice work again son, you're on a roll! I never played this one, and I'm kind of glad. I likely would have quit early.
Excellent job again son. I was a fan of this game (I know I am one of very few) loved watching this recap. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the serums permanently increase your health as well?
Same here. I remember playing this game when it first came out and the plot twist (the brother's death being a repressed memory) was brilliant in my opinion.
I remember skipping all post-4 SH games because I kept hearing how terrible they were. Then, years later, I was over at a friend’s house one day where we had nothing to do and he suggested we play Homecoming. He’d gotten it for dirt cheap, and he knew I liked Silent Hill. I expected to hate it after everything I’d heard over the years, but we both ended up having a decent time with it. It didn’t at all hold a candle to the older games, but I definitely didn’t regret playing through it. Other than this and Shattered Memories, I still haven’t touched any other post-Team-Silent games, though.
Silent hill main character often fighting monsters which represents their psychological traumas. Alex's psychological monster which represents his parents can roll over a police car with a lady in it and after killing it escape into sewers with this lady from RE-like assault on police office from more monsters. This game jumped a shark. I can't say it differently
Grey rainy day and then this, bliss.
aaaa silent hill 2 was a masterpiece and the soundtrack combined with 1 is amazing aaaaaa
I have been watching the whole series of videos you have made on silent hill. I have to say this silent hill entry is the most interesting story of the series so far by a long shot. Having not played it I can’t talk about the controls or gameplay but the story and voice acting is great. Not sure why it’s getting a bad review, I’m looking forward to the next video
i legit hope your channel blows up man! i rewatch your soul reaver/ legacy of kain video all the time! keep it up son!
For all it's faults, I really like Homecoming. Ambience is fine, variety of enviroments is pretty cool, mosnter designs can be pretty messed up (specially ones like Scarlet or the Schism and Asphyxia and Needlers) and they did a good job adapting the Otherworld from movies. Still the Boogeyman sucks as a knock off Pyramid Head. Anyway, I still love the game and the soundtracks is a blast. Also as an extra, I liked how you could execute enemies with heavy attacks including the Order Soldiers and I think we could have gotten something nice from the perspective of Deputy Wheeler as an extra chapter.
the movies suck and arent real silent hill so anything involving the movies is a bad thing the entire game is bad no silent hill after 4 is good
I feel like the overall quality of the games started going down after Silent Hill 3 and this game is clear evidence of it even though it wasn’t developed by Konami the silent hill games following 4 all sucked basically and my biggest issue with this game is the inclusion of Pyramid Head. His design is SO COOL in this game but he has literally no reason to be here. He was the manifestation of James desire to be punished and that’s the only reason he existed and he only pertains to James story. Masahiro auto says he regretted designing him bc he turned into a mascot instead of a character pertaining to another character
Blame the 2006 Silent Hill movie, since Pyramid Head was also there, so that's were it all started. Yet many still praise that movie as being one of the better video game adaptation movies. Even if the director said Harry was too feminine for a male actor to portray so they changed the character and went with an actress for the role instead.
I enjoyed Homecoming despite its issues. Also, your videos are excellent and really well done!
Homecoming is way better than anything else post SH3 imo
Funny how I’ve been binging these videos and suddenly this is in my recommended. Guess I have to sub.
How can you drop videos so consistently good and every week!? Kudos son!
I liked Alex and want to see what happened to him. Elle and him were an interesting couple. He was coo coo and both of their families were evil.