Scare Tactics - Episode #1: Featuring Silent Hill Origins

For Games That Go ‘Bump’ in the Night!

Previously in my blog I would post on Zombie games with ‘Zombie Action News’.  Since I have a strong interest in Horror-themed games I thought I would expand my scope beyond the Zombie menace and branch out into ‘Survival Horror’ games as well as others that will fit the into this genre.

For as long as I can remember I have always been a fan of ‘scary’ games.  in the 90s we saw the rise of the ‘Survival Horror’ genre with the arrival of Resident Evil franchise.  Soon after we saw the sophistication of the genre with the more cerebral Silent Hill games.  Now many games and series of games have come, gone, or hung around in this space, but certainly Resident Evil and Silent Hill are the biggest names on this block.  For my first edition of ‘Scare Tactics’ I will some of my recent goings-on with each of these two franchises.  Stick around for some old news and personal perspectives on the survival of horror games if you dare:

Origin of the Species: I recently posted about my adventures in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the most recent of Silent Hill titles.  I have had a strong desire, if I ever can find the time, to play through the entire catalogue of Silent Hill games.  Over the past several months I have been acquiring all the games, some of which I already had, some on eBay, others waiting for the price to be right.  Regarding Silent Hill Origins, I thought I would need to buy a PSP in order to play it, something this weekend I was strongly considering.  I liked the idea of having a portion of the series playable on the go (Silent Hill, Shattered memories, and Origins).

On vacation this past weekend I was in a used game store in Calgary when I noticed Silent Hill Origins on the shelf for the PS2.  I have been so out of the loop regarding Playstation releases that I did not even realize the game arrived on the PS2 as well.  I picked it up and now I believe I have all of the core releases in the franchise.  The only thing with ‘Origins’ is that I know nothing about it.  I had heard in passing that the game is not particularly good.  I will be the first to admit that most Silent Hill games suffer from control issues.  Nevertheless, I am excited for this addition to my collection. 

Here is a rundown of my Silent Hill collection along with the corresponding system that I have it on in order of its release.  Hopefully I can find the time to marathon these games in the near future:

• Silent Hill (PS1)
• Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (Xbox)
• Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
• Silent Hill 4: The Room (Xbox)
• Silent Hill: Origins (PS2)
• Silent Hill: Homecoming (Xbox 360)
• Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PS2)

Back to the Mansion:  The 2009 Tokyo Game Show gave word that new downloadable scenarios would be made available For Resident Evil 5 in early 2010. "Lost in Nightmares" is essentially the prologue to RE5 as you play the alluded to adventure of Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine infiltrating the Spencer Estate in 2006 which clearly resembles the mansion from RE1.  The next episode, "Desperate Escape",  allows you to play as Josh Stone and Jill Valentine post Jill’s liberation as they race to assist Chris and Sheva in their quest.  We will also get to see for the first time in next-gen, Rebecca Chambers and Barry Burton, as they make their respective return to the series in the Mercenaries reunion.

Personally I am looking forward to the “Lost in Nightmares” Chapter as I was very intrigued by that flashback in RE5.  Also, word on the street is that it plays like a next-gen version of the original mansion.  My favourite parts of the Resident Evil franchise take place in the original mansion and the streets of Racoon City in RE2 and RE3.  Like Silent Hill, I too would love to run the table of Resident Evil games, again time is the factor that most stands in my way.

My core collection of Resident Evil games is complete along with one of the side games.  Here is a list of what I have:

• Resident Evil (Saturn and Nintendo DS)
• Resident Evil 2 (Dreamcast)
• Resident Evil 3 (Dreamcast)
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica (Dreamcast) Code Veronica X (PS2)
• Resident Evil: Outbreak (PS2)
• Resident Evil 4 (PS2)
• Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)

The completes my first edition of Scare Tactics.  In the next instalment I plan on getting up to speed with Dead Rising 2, BioShock 2, and Alan Wake. Until then make sure to check under your bed and close the closet door before going to sleep!

-SG