Silent Hill Homecoming Review

After successfully completing the game, on both difficulties, as well as unlocking all endings. I must say that the game is still fun. Although the chill factor of the game subsides after you have completed the game once, the control layout as well as how the game plays, still makes it a treat to go back to.

Silent Hill Homecoming puts you in control of a man by the name of Alex Shepherd. He ventures back to Shepherd Glen after having continuos bad dreams about his younger brother Joshua, only to find that all of the children, and most of the town folk, are missing or gone. Your adventure begins in Shepherds Glen, but you'll quickly find yourself traveling between Hell and back, along with the eventual trip to the town of Silent Hill.

The game does have it's flaws, along with its glitches, but the story is great, and the only one of the series I've managed to wrap up without sitting around thinking about what really happened at the end of the game. I can't really speak about the one major glitch I found, as writing about it only will lead to a massive plot spoiler, so I'll just say don't skip the cut scene with the drill till you're seated. As for flaws though, I feel that the improvements are what bring them about. Combat upgrades are a welcomed improvement to the game. Being able to dodge and maneuver is quite the upgrade from the previous titles, but it also removes the element of "I better run." In the previous games, in many cases you would find yourself staring at a monster that you just knew you had to run from, due to the lack of health or ammo. In this game, I'm sure you could beat it from beginning to end with just the dagger (although I would not recommend this to first time players). When they implemented this combat system, they didn't add in the jump out aspect of monsters. Most of them are out in the open for you to see when you enter a room. Very rarely are you just running along, when suddenly there is something jumping you from behind. They did try to create more difficulty by adding quicker attacking monsters, as well as putting them in packs. I could even say that the combat system actually made the game all to simple.

But this game does have its merits. It has a great story, that makes you go "wow!" The combat system is a plus, as it does make the game more easily playable. This title has great sound effects, voices, and music throughout. And the controls are flawless. I also liked the save point system the game has, which causes you to keep wondering on your first play through "what is on the other side of this door." The game also keeps its exploration focus, but it not as open as previous titles.

Over all I would give this game a thumbs up for a title to play. I would only recommend purchasing the title if you're a big Silent Hill fan, as I've had the game for now 4 days, and have completed the game five times to unlocked all of the endings. The title may not make you leap from your seat, or pause out of frustration, but it definitely is a great game, and I can not wait to see what will come next from the Silent Hill franchise.