“IN MY RESTLESS dreams, I see that town”.

And in my worst nightmares, I see this game. Double Helix have taken the phenomenal series that Konami created way back when on the original Playstation console, and perverted it into a pale imitation of it’s former glory. When the PSP game, Silent Hill Origins was released, it was met with mixed views by both players and critics alike. Some saying that Team Silents decision to pass the series on to an outside developer (Climax Studios in that case) was a bold, and not all together wise move. So when it came to the sixth chapter in the series, it seemed even more bizarre that they would do so again.

Unfortunately, whilst Climax rose to the challenge and produced a, somewhat different, but still fundamentally Silent Hill experience, Double Helix just…didn’t. I can only surmise that they were relying heavily on the name alone to bolster sales, because it is clear to me that only minimal effort was put into programming the game. The textures are…well, textureless, the complete lack of expression on every single person in the game is downright insulting, and the gratuitous use of needlessly dramatic music and ridiculous popping and squelching noises on a number of the cities warped denizens combine to transform this from a sparkling addition to the Silent Hill franchise into a painfully clichéd Hollywood style monster of the week movie.

Which brings me to the next point. I honestly cannot fathom why, but this latest foray into the misty burg relies very heavily on the Silent Hill movie (widely accepted as being utter crap apart from the outstanding direction by Christopher Ganz) for it’s source material. Featuring, for no discernible reason that I can find, the movies signature gas mask clad cultists and even some of the same locations such as the Church which hosts the films gore infested climax. Even the inclusion of fan favourite Pyramid Head does little to lift this game beyond anything more complimentary than the mediocre. Especially when he comes toddling out with massive thumping noises much better suited to a scene from the Incredible Hulk. The dude is seven feet tall, carries a knife (yes, a knife) that’s six feet long and has a giant metal pyramid for his freaking head. He doesn’t need screen shaking footsteps to scare the bejeezus out of you.

You may be wondering if I have anything at all positive to say about the game. And, sadly, I actually do. As always, the scripting is positively top notch and the voice acting, though not the best in the series, is still utterly outstanding. And, of course, the soundtrack by the ever talented Akira Yamaoka-sama is eerie and chilling as ever (if a little overused in places). Unfortunately, all this succeeds in doing is reminding us of how good the came could and should have been. And, in my case at least, left me pining for previous titles in the series to such an extent that I was only part way in and put it back on the shelf for a while in favour of a trip back to the previous generations for a reminder of what Silent Hill used to be like.

However, eventually, I took the plunge and muddled my way through to the end. A far more laborious task than it really should have been. When you face minor enemies that are more resilient than the major boss fights you know something is seriously wrong. That little section in the prison immediately after being separated from Wheeler had me spitting nails for a full two days. Those Schisms (odd creatures with a bladed hammer shaped head) kept cornering me and effectively cutting me to ribbons in only two or three head wiggles. Supposedly no major challenge, they were a bloody nightmare for muggins here. Whilst the final enemy, though genuinely quite frightening, bashed me around a good half dozen or so times and only had my health down half way. Hmm, not quite what you expect really.

So, having said all this, would you be surprised if I still gave it a tentative (and sanity questioning) recommendation? There are a lot of flaws with the game, this is true, and it is far and away the worst chapter in the series (yes, even worse than the film) but any true Silent Hill fan will still find something in there to satisfy their appetite until the next chapter comes our way. If you can plow your way through the horrendous gameplay and tedious, overly complicated monster battles, there are some fantastic plot moments. Unfortunately, those self same moments that make the whole thing worth the immense effort in the first place still leave you pining for something better because of the before mentioned utter lack of expression. If not for the quality of the voice acting, even the great script wouldn’t be enough of a draw.

Overall, a thoroughly disappointing, shameless cash in from a series that has shocked, thrilled and titilated like no other. If this had been produced by Team Silent themselves it would be inexcusable, but since it was passed out to someone else we can let it slide this time.

Just

Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 5.5/10
Audio/Music: 8/10
Plot/Scripting: 9/10
Overall: 6.5/10

By the way, some people have noticed that my ranking system is not mathematically correct. This is because the overall score is not linked only to the other four areas I list. I picked those four out because they are the most commonly noticed by your average player, whilst the final score takes into consideration my overall impression of the game. I hope this clears up any confusion

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IN 2001 TEAM Ico wowed us with their first foray into the gaming market (see below). Four years later they returned in top notch form with their second. Interesting pattern emerging as their next game is due for 2009, but I digress. Once again, they pushed the Playstation 2 to a whole different level. Where their first offering had wowed us with a phenomenal scale and outstanding use of colour, Shadow pushed us even further. The sheer scale of the environment is staggering, with a draw distance that would put many companies to shame, and a quality of animation that stands up to even the best offerings from our current generation of gaming. Look back recently, I’m increasingly excited to see how they will utilise the Playstation 3 and it’s eight processors. That’s right, the Playstation 3 has eight processors. Though only seven are used for gaming, whilst the last is reserved to run the console itself (this is why we can still access the menu and messages and suchlike whilst a game is running). So, bearing in mind that your average computer only has two, it should give you some idea of just how much they now have to play around with.

But for the moment, let us focus on their last generation games. Considering the phenomenal showing we have from them, and noting just how much they were able to improve for this sequel, perhaps you will become as excited as I am. However, despite the technical achievements, I have to say that, personally, I prefer Ico. Not because Shadow is in any way flawed (far from it) but I enjoyed the style of the game more. Leading Yorda around by the hand, solving puzzles, keeping her safe from the shadow creatures, all that kind of thing. It made the game feel less lonely because you always had some company. And that physical contact, though it was only witnessed on screen, was comforting. Giving the game a very fairytale feel.

Shadow of the Colossus, on the other hand, takes that same fairytale basis, and twists it round to something much darker. Even the opening cinematic shows the oppressive nature of the experience, which is prevalent throughout. The original tag line for the game “how far will you go for love?” warns us ahead of time to expect something far more tragic. And in this, we are certainly not disappointed. The most interesting thing about this, is the apparent lack of intimacy between our unnamed hero (though in Japan he was named as Wander, in the rest of the world not definite name is given for the protagonist, leading many to suspect that it was poor translation) and the young woman he brings to the valley of the Dorminn in hopes of resurrecting her.

Though it is clear he obviously cares deeply for the woman because he goes to extreme lengths to revive her, the “love” he has for her seems to be very much that of someone watching from afar. Bur, again, Fumito Ueda-sama reminds us that the specifics of the plot are left intentionally open ended, allowing us to, again, take our own impressions from the game. One thing we know for certain, is that Shadow is a direct prequel to the events of Ico, and the events at the very end show us a clear indication of exactly how the two are related. But beyond that, it’s all very subjective, and the conclusions I have drawn may differ from your own. This is the true beauty of Shadow. It’s lack of clearly defined plot developments lead us through a very personal, and truly outstanding dark fairytale.

And the colossi themselves are truly staggering things to behold. The smallest of them makes up for its apparent size disadvantage (compared to the others at least, as it is still considerably larger than our erstwhile hero) by it’s aggressive nature. Whilst the largest is huge. Larger in itself than the entirety of some past games. Yes, it really is that big, especially when considering the colossus itself, and the area surrounding it which allows access. Another major thing to consider is the masterful use of the camera. Whereas in some games, having the camera suddenly shift to show a different angle can be a real nuisance, the way it has been utilised in Shadow is often not just to give us a breathtaking view, but also to allow us the most convenient line of sight for what must be done next. Namely, to find the colossus’ weak points, and plunge your sword into it. This seems to release some kind of magical energy in a great rush that looks something similar to a spurt of oil from the ground. But getting to those tender areas is no mean feat, leading to the colossi themselves being immense, free roaming environments to explore.

All in all, this second game from the outstanding people at Team Ico is certainly amongst the very best released on the Playstation 2, and quite possibly one of the best games at all. It has a lot of diversity of gameplay ranging from horse riding, to climbing, to archery and much more besides. And the sheer scale of not only the colossi, but the entire, beautifully rendered valley, with it’s hills, and forests, and deserts and lakes, leaves us wondering how on earth they managed to fit it all in. Especially when we consider that the colossi themselves have not suffered from a lack of AI. Those which we find to be a bit dumb have clearly been intentionally programmed that way. I mean, consider it, if you were six hundred feet tall, would you really be too concerned about some guy who’s barely five feet in his stockinged feet?

I think not.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Plot/Scripting: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

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