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[Acquiescence]

That may very well be true, but it still doesn't make the voice acting any good. SH2 was almost comical at times, especially James.

I get that the old voices are ingrained into our memories from playing the games over an over again, we've grown attached to them. But let's not kid ourselves here: The voice acting was just mediocre and if it weren't for the amazing rest of the presentation, it would stick out a lot more.

Next thing you know people start claiming that the loading pauses between lines in SH1 were a conscious design decision.

I've no interest in purchasing the HD Collection (for obvious reasons), so I wish it was possible to play the original versions of the games with the new voices enabled, somehow. Silent Hill 3 has more issues than just the acting, but 2 is a nigh-on perfect game that always regrettably pulled me out of its aura with every cutscene. Kudos to Monica Taylor Horgan, who actually gives a really good performance, but everyone else is, as you say, comical. There's a line Guy Cihi delivers, something along the lines of "Leave us alone. Just leave us both the hell alone!" that strongly reminds me of Randy Marsh from South Park having one of his more over-emotive moments. Hilarious on its own terms; not so hilarious when placed within the context of one of the scariest games ever created.

Still, as bad as Cihi was, he still couldn't approach Richard Grosse-levels of awfulness. Bless his soul, but I've got the Hong Kong movie to prove that that guy should never have stood in front of a camera.

 

[Facism]

I did a y2kev and started a playthrough of SH2 on the ps2.

Still a really unsettling, oppressive game. Videogame Meshuggah.

 

[Luigiv]

Guys you HAVE to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5R8qll4JyQ

A Blind guy playing Silent Hill 3. You probably won't understand anything because he is speaking Arabic but wow, I am amazed.

EDIT: Don't watch it if you didn't beat the game. Or watch the first three minutes.

So you think. I understand bits and pieces. >

 

[fabricated backlash]

I disagree.

Some parts felt "off", but they were meant to feel "off". Every single character in SH2 was believable. Angela for example felt like a really depressive person, it was neither comical nor feeling like someone acting as a depressive person. Maria&Mary as well as Laura were really top-notch, so everyone else pales in comparison. If the voice acting would have been as bad as some people call it, SH2 wouldn't have become such a classic (not "Troll 2" classic). No, the voice acting was actually pretty good, parts of it were even insanely good. Something was/is wrong with James, that was even obvious right at the start "getting a letter from your dead wife and following its lead". James storywise (and gameplaywise) didn't remember what happened, so he stumbled around to uncover the truth - like the player does.

Also the cutscenes were body-acted out by the voice actors as well. The faces were afaik hand-animated, but also based on the voice actors. And even the models were based on the voice actors as well (at least James). So actually those "voice" actors had much more influence on the game than just the audio.

Hey I'm not doubting that they didn't think about what they were doing, on the contrary. Rarely have there been games that were as meticulously planned and executed in terms of atmosphere and overall design. But there is a clear disconnect between their intentions and the delivery of the lines. There are ups and downs, but overall SH2s voice acting sometimes borders on laughable.
Still, the rest of the package, including the hand animated facial expressions (which still look outstanding) coupled with the unrivaled sound design that made silence a tool of opression, helped to level out the awkward delivery more than enough.

Personally, I love SH2 and 3 and the Voice Acting doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment of these titles, but it certainly isn't something I would praise. Same as with controls, item management, movement and combat.

It's a testament to the insane atmosphere created by Team Silent that I'm able to overlook all the glaringly bad gameplay mechanics, the horrible controls and some of the voice acting. The thing is, the gameplay improvements from SH2 to 3 were substantial, and it's a damn shame that Team Silent never got to upgrade this aspect again with a new real SH game. Instead they had to shoehorn the SH brand into the turd that was SH4 before getting the axe from Konami.

 

[Y2Kev]

Wow, I loved the VA in SH2. Some of it is stilted, with too many, "I...I....I don't know,"s, but the way Cihi plays James as so insecure and unsure works so well. And then, of course, you have Maria, who just knocks it out of the park. The "ANYWAY?" scene is excellent.

Yes, absolutely.

Spoiler

I also find it to the the most likely based on the fact that the "note" you find in Neely's Bar after the hospital suggests him doing such a thing. Even if James claimed that he would never do that, it was always on his mind. The ending is great too because they don't even have to show what's happening. The black screen with the sound of screeching tires and then the view from underwater during his final moments is pretty damn powerful. I got that ending last night and remembered why I always thought it was the best

.


Is there anyone who didn't get the "Leave" ending on their first playthrough?


Also, how do you get to the hotel in under 80 seconds on hard? That's just absurd.

Wait. Hotel in 80...seconds?

 

[badcrumble]

Wait. Hotel in 80...seconds?

From one dock on the lake to the next one in under 80 seconds.

 

[Futurevoid]

Figure I'll post this here since it's a good a place as any. I've got Silent Hill 2 installed on my PC. I've got the res patcher working fine (1920x1080). The game runs fine with a single CPU core. The sound fix has been patched in and works well.

The problem is that I'm getting a flashing block in the top right hand corner of the screen. It won't go away. With or without AA/AF. Even just running it vanilla I get the same thing.

I'm running a GTX580 on the latest official drivers (296.10). Anyone having this issue or know how to correct it?

 

[Y2Kev]

From one dock on the lake to the next one in under 80 seconds.

I thought he meant from the beginning of the game to the hotel in 80 seconds

 

[Windom Earle]

Started a SH1 playthrough on PS3 today. Incredible how it holds up in terms of atmosphere, structure and gameplay.

Sure the graphics are rough, but they do have a raw appeal to them.

 

[randomwab]

Started a SH1 playthrough on PS3 today. Incredible how it holds up in terms of atmosphere, structure and gameplay.

Sure the graphics are rough, but they do have a raw appeal to them.

I would love to see Silent Hill as it is, upscaled to 1080p with some of the image grain cleaned up. It really is remarkable for a Playstation 1 game and some of the texture work and environments are amazing. Still the most atmospheric and straight up scariest game in the series.

 

[joeygreco1985]

Started a SH1 playthrough on PS3 today. Incredible how it holds up in terms of atmosphere, structure and gameplay.

Sure the graphics are rough, but they do have a raw appeal to them.

Just started a play through on PS3 also. I don't feel like the game holds up very well, pure nostalgia is what's keeping me playing. I guess tank controls and that awkward camera don't do it for me anymore. SH1 with the Silent Hill Homecoming over the shoulder cam and controls would be awesome though

 

[Windom Earle]

I would love to see Silent Hill as it is, upscaled to 1080p with some of the image grain cleaned up. It really is remarkable for a Playstation 1 game and some of the texture work and environments are amazing. Still the most atmospheric and straight up scariest game in the series.

Agreed, the IQ of the PS3 emulation is not great. A lot of dithering and running in SD or upscaled does not make any difference on my tv. Another missed chance of this HD "collection".

Just started a play through on PS3 also. I don't feel like the game holds up very well, pure nostalgia is what's keeping me playing. I guess tank controls and that awkward camera don't do it for me anymore. SH1 with the Silent Hill Homecoming over the shoulder cam and controls would be awesome though

Sure nostalgia is probably part of it, but I think the core of SH1 is still superior to stuff like Homecoming, Origins, etc.

 

[CloakedPuppet]

I know it's been touched on already but I played a bit of MGSHD Collection last night and I can't get over what a great release that is. It just oozes quality front to end - from overall polish and performance right down to the fantastic menu screen. Hats off to Bluepoint.

It's nice to see what can happen when a company handles a revered property with respect...quite unlike this dung-hill.

 

[luka]

I would love to see Silent Hill as it is, upscaled to 1080p with some of the image grain cleaned up. It really is remarkable for a Playstation 1 game and some of the texture work and environments are amazing. Still the most atmospheric and straight up scariest game in the series.

http://www.epsxe.com/

 

[RadioHeadAche]

I just had a wholesome rage quit during my first 10-star rank attempt. I hate the abstract daddy fight. It sucks because I did pretty well on a hard playthrough the other day, but this time I got attacked by it about five times. I wonder if James could pump that shotgun any slower?

I thought he meant from the beginning of the game to the hotel in 80 seconds

Yes, in my hyperbolic time chamber.

 

[Persona7]

The 1:20 boat time trophy is almost impossible, for me at least. I tried it 4 times and was always off by 20-40 seconds.

 

[luka]

Finished with the Maria ending. First time I saw that one. The line at the end was unexpectedly and likely unintentionally hilarious.

I tried the '2D' controls this time and frankly, I hate them. They just don't work with a game of this type and the constantly switching angles made it hugely disorienting. I know that you can just hold the direction to keep moving after a switch but there are times where that just doesn't work, and makes certain tight, narrow passages a huge pain in the ass. This game really needs to be played with traditional 3D 'tank controls.'

 

[RadioHeadAche]

The 1:20 boat time trophy is almost impossible, for me at least. I tried it 4 times and was always off by 20-40 seconds.

Apparently pressing square (like running using the normal walk/run controls) will allow you to row row row your boat faster down the vortex. You could also try switching the "walk/run" setup to "invert" because unless you have a third hand, the other two are going to be occupied spinning the two analog sticks.

Finished with the Maria ending. First time I saw that one. The line at the end was unexpectedly and likely unintentionally hilarious.

I tried the '2D' controls this time and frankly, I hate them. They just don't work with a game of this type and the constantly switching angles made it hugely disorienting. I know that you can just hold the direction to keep moving after a switch but there are times where that just doesn't work, and makes certain tight, narrow passages a huge pain in the ass. This game really needs to be played with traditional 3D 'tank controls.'

It makes the hospital chase scene much easier on hard providing that you're shooting Pyramid Head as well. Otherwise, I'm grown accustomed to 2D controls, but it's frustrating in certain areas with changing camera angles.



It's also really sad to hear my PS3 straining to run this collection of nearly decade-old games. The slowdown/stuttering while running through town is so fucking annoying.

 

[luka]

I've actually never beaten hard mode because of that part.
Didn't realize you had to shoot him.

 

[KorrZ]

Man, my first time playing SH3.. I loved the mall part and then I got to the subway and have hated it so far. It all looks the same, and the map doesn't do any good here at all, took me forever to figure out where to go. Then I finally find where I'm going and get killed by the stupid fucking train! No warning, just cutscene -> instant dead. 20-25 mins of gameplay lost. Then I got killed by the train a second time at the part where you need to jump down to the door, because I got knocked down by one of the dogs and again instant death. Man I'm so glad to be out of that place -.-.--.-.-.

/endventing.

 

[randomwab]

For people asking about the boat achievement, I was able to do it on my second attempt. All I did was immediately turn the boat until I could see the light at the edge of my screen, then immediately stop so the boat will slowly stop on almost a line with the light. Then I held forward on the left stick and mashed X, A and B. I don't know if that even helped me, but I got the achievement. That was on Normal, and I've never done that dual stick rowing shit. I didn't even know you could.

I only have a few SH2 achievements left, but I really don't think I'll be getting the green hyper spray. Too much to do perfectly in too little time.

 

[Persona7]

Man, my first time playing SH3.. I loved the mall part and then I got to the subway and have hated it so far. It all looks the same, and the map doesn't do any good here at all, took me forever to figure out where to go. Then I finally find where I'm going and get killed by the stupid fucking train! No warning, just cutscene -> instant dead. 20-25 mins of gameplay lost. Then I got killed by the train a second time at the part where you need to jump down to the door, because I got knocked down by one of the dogs and again instant death. Man I'm so glad to be out of that place -.-.--.-.-.

/endventing.

Should have used the save!

 

[RadioHeadAche]

Man, my first time playing SH3.. I loved the mall part and then I got to the subway and have hated it so far. It all looks the same, and the map doesn't do any good here at all, took me forever to figure out where to go. Then I finally find where I'm going and get killed by the stupid fucking train! No warning, just cutscene -> instant dead. 20-25 mins of gameplay lost. Then I got killed by the train a second time at the part where you need to jump down to the door, because I got knocked down by one of the dogs and again instant death. Man I'm so glad to be out of that place -.-.--.-.-.

/endventing.

I have to skip the cutscene every time because I just get too freaked out waiting to see what happened to Heather.

 

[Typographenia]

/endventing.

The subway is always the make/break area for if I actually end up finishing a playthrough now-a-days. I can never remember where will be an insta-kill or not, and it just gets frustrating, haha.

 

[KorrZ]

Should have used the save!

It's Silent Hill, I dance circles around the enemies all day. I didn't expect a Silent Hill game to throw cheap instant death bullshit at me .

The subway is always the make/break area for if I actually end up finishing a playthrough now-a-days. I can never remember where will be an insta-kill or not, and it just gets frustrating, haha.

Definitely my least favourite area in just about any Silent Hill game I've played lol. Thankfully I'm past it now. Hopefully that's the low point of the game.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Then I finally find where I'm going and get killed by the stupid fucking train! No warning, just cutscene -> instant dead. 20-25 mins of gameplay lost

/endventing.

Legit complaint no need to vent. Just bad game design. Never really like the game anyway.

 

[Commanche Raisin Toast]

got the FOV tool for SH3 and it definitely improved the FOV when using the recommended numbers.

unfortunately i have to disable shadows (in the ini file set it to 1) in order to get a smooth framerate, but setting v-sync to always on in CCC doesn't fix the screen tearing at all. no noticeable difference in tearing at all. it's REALLY irritating.

i understand it's still graphically impressive by today's standards but i feel like my 3.5ghz quad Phenom II + 4gb 1066 + OC 6850 1gb with an extra OC would be able to handle this thing better. :\

are you guys SURE there aren't any other SH3 tweaks possible?

 

[Lime]

got the FOV tool for SH3 and it definitely improved the FOV when using the recommended numbers.

unfortunately i have to disable shadows (in the ini file set it to 1) in order to get a smooth framerate, but setting v-sync to always on in CCC doesn't fix the screen tearing at all. no noticeable difference in tearing at all. it's REALLY irritating.

i understand it's still graphically impressive by today's standards but i feel like my 3.5ghz quad Phenom II + 4gb 1066 + OC 6850 1gb with an extra OC would be able to handle this thing better. :\

are you guys SURE there aren't any other SH3 tweaks possible?

Like I said earlier, use D3D Overrider. and force Vsync.

 

[kunonabi]

Just started a play through on PS3 also. I don't feel like the game holds up very well, pure nostalgia is what's keeping me playing. I guess tank controls and that awkward camera don't do it for me anymore. SH1 with the Silent Hill Homecoming over the shoulder cam and controls would be awesome though

No, it wouldn't.

 

[kunonabi]

It's Silent Hill, I dance circles around the enemies all day. I didn't expect a Silent Hill game to throw cheap instant death bullshit at me .



Definitely my least favourite area in just about any Silent Hill game I've played lol. Thankfully I'm past it now. Hopefully that's the low point of the game.

Instant deaths were in the first SH.

 

[Lime]

Just started a play through on PS3 also. I don't feel like the game holds up very well, pure nostalgia is what's keeping me playing. I guess tank controls and that awkward camera don't do it for me anymore. SH1 with the Silent Hill Homecoming over the shoulder cam and controls would be awesome though

And skip the extremely crucial fixed camera shots? The camera shots that utilizes fundamental visual storytelling, which most contemporary games utterly fail to do? C'mon son.

 

[joeygreco1985]

And skip the extremely crucial fixed camera shots? The camera shots that utilizes fundamental visual storytelling, which most contemporary games utterly fail to do? C'mon son.

At the cost of playability? No thanks.

 

[kunonabi]

At the cost of playability? No thanks.

The game played just fine. Camera angles never got in the way of that. You could always pull the camera back behind you for combat anyway.

 

[Lime]

At the cost of playability? No thanks.

Maybe I'm just too able to play a game with certain areas of fixed cameras, compared to other players. I've never had a problem with controlling my character if the camera shots changed. They never detract from the gameplay and actually freshens the experience, imo. Having the same third person camera view throughout the game can be visually monotonous and takes away expressive potential from a narrative-based game.

An interesting and inspirational take on different camera shots and its use of visual storytelling in the context of gameplay is Journey. Thatgamecompany experiments with long shots, fixed camera angles, and near-focus, while still retaining a degree of interactivity. I'd probably refer to that particular game as an example of how to merge visual storytelling with player-driven camera shots.

 

[joeygreco1985]

The game played just fine. Camera angles never got in the way of that. You could always pull the camera back behind you for combat anyway.

The game played just fine 12 years ago, which is fine and all but I just feel that third person games evolved since then to a point where I don't feel the game holds up very well anymore. Also there are some points where the camera is fixed and you can't pull the camera behind you.

I'm still going to finish my playthrough though. Just got to the boat save point before the lighthouse.

 

[kunonabi]

I'm playing the game right now as well,just got to the hospital, and it still plays just fine. You lose more with behind the back perspectives than you gain. The game isn't a shooter and doesn't need a camera for just that one purpose.

 

[Valnen]

I'm really thinking about just buying a CRT TV for cheap and playing some PS2 games (these included) over the summer.

Think it's worth it over playing PS2 games on an HD LCD?

Get a flat tube TV with component input. Best possible picture for SD content.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The ZX Spectrum had better color than this shitty port. Thread title is misleading and obviously paid for by Konami.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

A slight side note; I pulled out my old CRT, plugged in my PS2 and started playing SH3 again. God damn, does it look amazing (and run amazing) on a CRT. It's a world of difference, and I prefer it. Haven't used a PS2/CRT in a LONG LONG time, so it was a pleasant surprise to see both SH3 and SH2 when I booted them up today.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

Instant deaths were in the first SH.

There were? I don't remember any, although last time I played the game was few years ago.

 

[Night_Trekker]

There were? I don't remember any, although last time I played the game was few years ago.

Off the top of my head, the first boss can definitely kill you in a single hit if you're not careful.

 

[UrbanRats]

There were? I don't remember any, although last time I played the game was few years ago.

Ring of Contract.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

Ah, right. Now I remember. It did kill me on my first playthrough ;_;

 

[Typographenia]

Ring of Contract.

Lizard boss!

 

[KorrZ]

Instant deaths were in the first SH.

If you mean stuff like this:

Off the top of my head, the first boss can definitely kill you in a single hit if you're not careful.

That's definitely not the same thing. That's a boss fight, you have the expectation that you can die. The train thing in SH3 is completely random, there is no indication at all. You don't hear the sound of a train coming, you don't feel the tracks rumbling, no light from the train, nothing. It goes from you just calmly walking down the tracks to a cutscene -> dead. You can't even move and try to run while the train is shown coming in the cutscene.

I can't quite remember anything that was that bad in Silent Hill 1, but I could be mistaken.

 

[Windom Earle]

The game played just fine 12 years ago, which is fine and all but I just feel that third person games evolved since then to a point where I don't feel the game holds up very well anymore. Also there are some points where the camera is fixed and you can't pull the camera behind you.

I'm still going to finish my playthrough though. Just got to the boat save point before the lighthouse.

Got there as well last night, haha. Also I finally did the Kaufmann side quest, always missed that in the past. After putting more time into the game I stick to my statement that the game has aged incredibly well.

- Riddles are still top notch
- Sound design obviously amazing
- Combat is as clunky as it should be in a SH game
- Thank god no breakable weapon bullshit
- Free roam so ahead of it's time
- Camera is totally fine despite a few boss fights where it gets in the way

- Cutscenes and voice acting are ok with nostalgia tint
- Can't decide if the graphics are beautiful or horrible

 

[SolidSnakex]

I wonder how Konami reacted when they saw that the Collection outsold Downpour in the UK?

 

[The perfect Dark]

Got there as well last night, haha. Also I finally did the Kaufmann side quest, always missed that in the past. After putting more time into the game I stick to my statement that the game has aged incredibly well.

- Riddles are still top notch
- Sound design obviously amazing
- Combat is as clunky as it should be in a SH game
- Thank god no breakable weapon bullshit
- Free roam so ahead of it's time
- Camera is totally fine despite a few boss fights where it gets in the way

- Cutscenes and voice acting are ok with nostalgia tint
- Can't decide if the graphics are beautiful or horrible

Wait there is a side quest?

how do I find it?

I will play through this game again after I'm finished with silent hill 3

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Wait there is a side quest?

how do I find it?

I will play through this game again after I'm finished with silent hill 3

Here's the explanation for the Kaufmann side quest. There's also info on how to save Cybil and how to obtain the UFO ending; http://www.supercheats.com/playstation/silent-hill/15805/How-to-achieve-all-endings-s/

 

[The perfect Dark]

what the...
I don't even remember Dr. Kaufman. Does he/she only appears after the first playthrough?

But thanks for the help, will try that!