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Ack wrote:Did you just describe Quest for Glory?

Maybe I was talking about Deadly Premonition?

Nah, that's a good game...that apparently only I like, so no worries there. I just happen to enjoy my fair share of crap. Like tank controls. They don't bother me in the slightest.

The Silent Hill series gets rid of those in the PS2 era, but you're still gonna be stuck with poor combat for much of it. That was intentional. The devs wanted the player to feel helpless, so you can't fight for crap in most of them (or at all in one of them). Not until Homecoming, and that one was pretty much universally reviled. Again, I liked it, but I may well be it

Ack wrote:Nah, that's a good game...that apparently only I like

Deadly Premonition's goofy cutscenes were brilliant, and its plot is very entertaining. Those were the parts I liked. (I still can't believe Hidetaka Suehiro designed the primary villian's car's license plate to give away his secret right off the bat. )

Ack wrote:you're still gonna be stuck with poor combat for much of it. That was intentional. The devs wanted the player to feel helpless, so you can't fight for crap in most of them (or at all in one of them).

I get that, and I don't have a problem with feeling helpless. I just beat a survival horror where I played as a six year old girl with nothing but a flashlight. Except Yomawari: Night Alone was actually fun, unlike Silent Hill. However, I do plan to give SH2 and SH3 both fair shakes. Perhaps they will click with me in ways the original did not.

I'm surprised at the lukewarm reception that several have expressed for Silent Hill! OTOH I have to temper my reaction by reminding myself that I'm also a bit of a hapless fanboy of the series. Like many games released in this era, some of the game mechanics haven't held up so well when shown under the light of subsequent progression, but at the same time I would say it fares pretty well against games released at or around the same time. The puzzles are definitely obtuse ... bordering on problematic even (like the piano puzzle in the school! Are you kidding me!?), but at the same time they are relatively standard fare when compared against many adventure game tropes. I'd contend that there's nothing in Silent Hill approaching full on moon logic. And yeah ... combat kind of sucks, but that's also sort of the point. For the most part you're encouraged to run away rather than stand and fight (I would say that this is a common thread that unites most of the Silent Hill games).

In terms of atmosphere and setting though, I would say that very few games manage to accomplish what Silent Hill achieves. Is it derivative? Well ... that depends on how you look at it really, but it wears its influences on its sleeve, by which I mean it pays explicit credit where credit's due. Look no further than the street and landmark names if you have any doubt of that. And even despite its influences, I think Silent Hill manages to create a world sufficiently unique and unto itself (though in this regard I would say it certainly doesn't come fully into its own until Silent Hill 2).

In terms of story ... well admittedly I myself tend to prefer the Silent Hill 'side-stories' as opposed to it's main story line. The main story line is kind of "Oh so we're dealing with a Lovecraftian-ish apocalyptic death cult?" Well that's cool and interesting and all, but also something that we've seen before in various media. It's not until the sequel that the series starts approaching any sort of actual Lovecraftian(ish) mindfuckery, and Silent Hill 4 repeats this trick to some extent (and yeah I realize that 4 didn't technically start life as a Silent Hill game, but it says Silent Hill right on the tin and I feel that it successfully captures that ol' Silent Hill magic, so ... yeah).

Any hoo ... sigh ... sorry to be that annoying dude that pops up in the Not Beaten/Unpopular Opinions thread all like, "But ... but ... I like that game! <snivel, snivel>". I just wanted to provide some counterpoint for those that haven't played Silent Hill but might be interested in doing so.

Ack wrote:

Exhuminator wrote:wander drunkenly, fight badly, endure inane key hunts, beat your head against "puzzles", and stare at slow loading maps.

Did you just describe Quest for Glory?

Them's fightin' words

nullPointer wrote:In terms of atmosphere and setting though, I would say that very few games manage to accomplish what Silent Hill achieves. Is it derivative?

One thing I did not have a problem with, was Silent Hill's atmosphere. It was derivative, yes, a combination of Twin Peaks meets Hellraiser, but palpable all the same.

Don't worry nullPointer, you're not alone. I absolutely love the series and echo everything you just said. Team Silent were brilliant.

Love RE1 too. But RE2 is a huge step up and I go back to that one all the time. REmake is perfect.

Xeogred wrote:REmake is perfect.

I'm with you on this.

Matterfall. Look I love the game. The game's bosses however have MASSIVE difficulty spikes. Like insanely high. I beat 2 of the 3 bosses. 2nd one is the only one that is kinda easy. 1st is pretty tough. Last one tho. It's just nuts. I just can't beat him. I suck too much. One of the hardest bosses I ever encountered in gaming. At the very least it is for me and could be partly my style of play doesn't mesh with the design of this fight.

Ack wrote:

Exhuminator wrote:wander drunkenly, fight badly, endure inane key hunts, beat your head against "puzzles", and stare at slow loading maps.

Did you just describe Quest for Glory?

This is Gold.

I've always been surprised by the RE2>RE1 opinions I've seen. I think RE1 Director's Cut (the only version I have played on PS1) is the best classic RE game. Of course, I also put Code Veronica as a close second, so I may not be the best person to ask. The setting, the cheese, and the puzzles are just gold in my nostalgia-tinted eyes.

My personal ranking for the pre-RE4 games I've played is: RE1 DC > RE:CV > RE2 > Remake (not played the HD version) > RE3 > RE0

RE0 is the only one I haven't finished. It was all right and I actually liked the two-character shtick, but it's possible I was burnt out but then because I had just finished RE3 and Code Veronica.

Also, aside from characters I like RE:Revalations more than RE2.