Silent Hill 4: The room
I've spent the weekend playing this game.
First impressions Graphically it's not all that much better then 1 or 2 (never played 3). It has little improvements here and there the fog is amazing and there are some other very sweet effects like looking through dirty glass for example. But over all it's not all that much better. I'm not saying they are bad by any means just that from the first games they haven't upped the ante like most games do.
The sound effects are as creepy as always. I never played the first ones with a surround sound system so I can't comment on their quality. However this game is awesome. The spatial sound effects are incredible, you hear things infront, behind, muted behind a door whatever, it's sweet. The background sound is perfect and it totally sucks you in. Definitie props to the sound department.
The controls they have also improved and the scheme when you are running around is far more natural and logical then the original ones or the original Resident evil games. It's still not on par with an action game but it's much improved. However the camera still gets stuck behind things and can be very annoying when you are on oneside of a sign and the camera is on the other and suddenly something is hitting you.
Ok the main thing for this game though is the Story. Well umm honesly so far I'm not that impressed with it. The first 2 were so much creepier then this one and actually gave me some chills. So far it just hasn't been scary at all. Maybe I've been spoiled by Fatal Frame which is probably the scariest video game of all time. However this one doesn't do much for me. The story (though it's been getting better) is really disconected and there is no clear sense of what's really going on. I'm sure that's part of it and it will all make sense in the end. But by the same token it's important to make you care about the characters and the story at the start to make you want to play. Not just feeling you need to play because you've spent money on the game.
I'm playing through it on normal difficulty and it's generally not to bad. I've died a few times (mostly because of camera issues and getting stuck on things) but the game is fair with continue points so you normally don't have to retrace your steps very far to get back to the last point. The puzzles so far have been your typical run around find the locked door run back find the key variety. Or looking for clues such as a piece of paper that says "0302" and then trying to remember later on where you need that code. So far it's been pretty typical for a survival horror and its' all been a generally neutral afair.
Closing comments. I want to like the game, so far though I don't, well not really. However it is growing on me and I'll give it some more time before I decide if it's great or not. I've you've never played any of the previous ones I don't think I'd recomend this one as the game is relying heavily on story elements from the previous games and unless you've played them you probably won't care about anything going on in this one. If you are expecting to get scared you will probably be dissapointed (however that may change as you get further into the game I can't say for sure). It certainly isn't scary or tense off the start though.
Right now I'd give it a 3 out of 5.
I don't want to compare it to Fatal Frame, but as for me FF has been the best horror game I have ever played. Hell it actually scared my wife, while she was just watching it. Fatal Frame is a far superior game in every aspect, better story, better tension, better controls, better sound, better everything. Then if you add in the fact that FF is based of True events it becomes even sweeter.
First impressions Graphically it's not all that much better then 1 or 2 (never played 3). It has little improvements here and there the fog is amazing and there are some other very sweet effects like looking through dirty glass for example. But over all it's not all that much better. I'm not saying they are bad by any means just that from the first games they haven't upped the ante like most games do.
The sound effects are as creepy as always. I never played the first ones with a surround sound system so I can't comment on their quality. However this game is awesome. The spatial sound effects are incredible, you hear things infront, behind, muted behind a door whatever, it's sweet. The background sound is perfect and it totally sucks you in. Definitie props to the sound department.
The controls they have also improved and the scheme when you are running around is far more natural and logical then the original ones or the original Resident evil games. It's still not on par with an action game but it's much improved. However the camera still gets stuck behind things and can be very annoying when you are on oneside of a sign and the camera is on the other and suddenly something is hitting you.
Ok the main thing for this game though is the Story. Well umm honesly so far I'm not that impressed with it. The first 2 were so much creepier then this one and actually gave me some chills. So far it just hasn't been scary at all. Maybe I've been spoiled by Fatal Frame which is probably the scariest video game of all time. However this one doesn't do much for me. The story (though it's been getting better) is really disconected and there is no clear sense of what's really going on. I'm sure that's part of it and it will all make sense in the end. But by the same token it's important to make you care about the characters and the story at the start to make you want to play. Not just feeling you need to play because you've spent money on the game.
I'm playing through it on normal difficulty and it's generally not to bad. I've died a few times (mostly because of camera issues and getting stuck on things) but the game is fair with continue points so you normally don't have to retrace your steps very far to get back to the last point. The puzzles so far have been your typical run around find the locked door run back find the key variety. Or looking for clues such as a piece of paper that says "0302" and then trying to remember later on where you need that code. So far it's been pretty typical for a survival horror and its' all been a generally neutral afair.
Closing comments. I want to like the game, so far though I don't, well not really. However it is growing on me and I'll give it some more time before I decide if it's great or not. I've you've never played any of the previous ones I don't think I'd recomend this one as the game is relying heavily on story elements from the previous games and unless you've played them you probably won't care about anything going on in this one. If you are expecting to get scared you will probably be dissapointed (however that may change as you get further into the game I can't say for sure). It certainly isn't scary or tense off the start though.
Right now I'd give it a 3 out of 5.
I don't want to compare it to Fatal Frame, but as for me FF has been the best horror game I have ever played. Hell it actually scared my wife, while she was just watching it. Fatal Frame is a far superior game in every aspect, better story, better tension, better controls, better sound, better everything. Then if you add in the fact that FF is based of True events it becomes even sweeter.
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That being said it's just creepy you are walking around in this mansion with no background music to take away from the tension, just you and a camera. The ghosts ooze out of walls and come from around corners and shit it's just awesome. It's not a huge action game granted, so it's not for everyone it's a Survival Horror. And in that respect they've got it down perfectly.
Undying is pretty cool I'll admit but I never felt that the tension in it or the suspense was as good as in FF. In Undying you have a pretty good idea at when something is going to come after you in FF you never do, they always keep you guessing. Plus I think it helps that in the game you don't have any weapons you just have a camera that steals the ghosts souls. For me though it's the subttle things in FF that make it scary. You walk down a hall and see a glimer out of the corner of your eye then it's gone. You look in a mirror and see something coming up behind you, but it's gone. Shit like that the game just keeps you guessing.
But if you don't like it you, aren't going to like it simple as that it's not for everyone. But if you like the Genre FF is 'the game' for many people.