Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1935 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2007-11-16
• Platform: Sony PSP

Manufacturer's Description

If you've ever wondered just how the town of Silent Hill became the eerie mess that has been seen over four previous Silent Hill games, then this new PSP title will reveal all, set as a prequel to the events that have been before.

This dedicated PSP title copes beautifully with creating the creepy feel of Silent Hill and will keep players engrossed from start to finish with the well crafted storyline, the range of enemies and puzzles to solve as well as the haunting soundtrack composed by the legendary composer Akira Yamaoka, responsible for the musical score on all of the other titles. The game follows Travis Grady, a truck driver who has become stranded in Silent Hill. Naturally, he has a few of his own demons to contend with and throughout the course of the game, both his and the town's secrets come to the fore.

The game play is still classic Silent Hill - but with tweaks and additions created specifically for the PSP. Players can now lock onto enemies to attack and will also find the control scheme changing intuitively for each situation. Players also utilise an enhanced camera designed with the PSP in mind, as well as an updated control method for more detailed exploration of the environment. There are now, 'Interactive', element where players have to hit buttons as prompted to escape enemies that have triggered the cinematic sequences.

The further into the game players get, more weapons become available plus more and more items from the surroundings can be used - however overuse of items causes them to break and wear down, which could leave players unarmed at crucial moments.

Customer Reviews

OMG were all gonna die
this is one of my favourite games on the psp even thought it did scare the living s**t out of me. i think the music is great it is often the thing that makes the hairs on the back of your neck prick up giving you the 'OMG were all gonna die' feeling you got in previous silent hills. I think this game works beautifully on handheld i had no problem with the camera angles and being in certain locations really adds to the horror ie. on the tram at night (not a good idea i warn you). overall i think this is a brilliant game but if you're not good with horror be careful lol.

Now you can take Silent Hill with you...
I'm not a massive gamer but those games I like, I *really* like, if you get me. Silent Hill is one of these and one of the few games I've actually played all the way through. This PSP edition is just brilliant. On my first playthrough I experienced that familiar creepy "Silent Hill fear" which always results in me scaring myself silly. Very atmospheric and unsettling, and as I don't like my games to be too difficult the pre-set difficulty level was fine. The boss monsters were pretty easy to kill though, even for a wuss like me! The game has a high replayability factor due to the three different endings and the various accolades you can win, that make each subsequent playthrough easier due to having extra weapons and gadgets up your sleeve. Definitely one to play again and again.

It looks, it plays, but it doesn't feel-
-like Silent Hill due to an almost non-existent story; a scapegoat of an excuse to create the game period. And a Silent Hill without a decent story is like a car without wheels.

All characters met by our hero Travis were visited in the original Silent Hill on the PSX, but given no further insight or development into their true motivations or agendas in Origins. The only person our lead truly interacts with is nurse Lisa, if only for some pretty boring excuses for cut scenes to pay us off for all the work we've done so far.

That being said the work is pretty minimal. Most Silent Hills give a choice of hardness's for both puzzles and battles but that's all missing here. And in Origin's case, both are easy mode without doubt.

That's not to say the puzzles weren't enjoyable. Some required me to think and I have to say they were some of the most entertaining I've found in any Silent Hill, yet not near enough of them, becoming detrimental to the overall game play as I continuously walked through countless empty rooms bar a packet of bullets or a health drink, the whole time knowing western programmers Climax could have achieved so much more.

Accept becoming irritating and time wasting it gives me the sense of a missed opportunity for more in the way of monsters, puzzles and tales (the Sanitarium must have been littered with stories).

As stated earlier, Origins certainly looks the part. There's a sever likeness in graphics, character models (friendly or foe) and atmosphere that deeply resembles Silent Hill 2, which makes sense as that's most people's favourite, and for that reason I'd advise all new to Silent Hill start there (available for PC, PS2 and Xbox).

In fact, it's sometimes too much like SH2. The plot, for what there is, doesn't borrow but more repackages the same but simplified and with little drama. What narrative is explained is done cheaply, if at all (and as the Silent Hill series triumphs for storytelling, this is a major drawback for long-time fans).

Which begs the question as to who the target audience is?

I'm guessing, seeing Origins was commissioned right after the moderately successful film (successful enough to have a sequel considered), is targeted at those who've seen the film but possibly never played the games.

This would explain why the story has been dumb down somewhat in order to pick up casual players with the greater emphasis on fighting. Travis has the ability to pull up endless numbers of items (I finished the game with over 20, no less than 5 televisions and 3 toasters in my pocket - literally!).

The controls certainly feel more fluid but still no less frustrating thanks to the awkward camera. Strangely this is more the case when outdoors, as the angles insist on pointing at the front or side of Travis and not at what's chasing for my blood in front.

The only payoff for me is the ability to explore the town once again. After the badly implemented hospital location we're introduced to a good 3 new locations (well, another's used briefly in past games).

If you've not played a Silent Hill then I wouldn't advise this to be the start. Sure Origins has the unique sense of atmosphere and unease, but the staple mark of the series has always been its chilling stories compared to its competitors, and why so many fans were drawn to this rather than Resident Evil, Project Zero, Forbidden Siren or Alone In The Dark.

Travis' tragedy isn't explored enough in Origins. Whether this be because the honour was handed down to a US/ UK programming team with little knowledge rather than the original creators at Konami Japan, or because the game infamously went over budget and over-ambitious is anyone's guess.

Hopefully the up and coming PS2 port amends the problems with more puzzles, deeper cut scenes and better extras.