Silent Hill Questionnaire - The Results.

SILENT HILL 2 AND SILENT HILL 3 THE MOST POPULAR BY FAR WITH FANS...

This year marks ten years since the first Silent Hill game was released back in 1999. Five games have followed but has the series kept its charm? What are the highlights of the series? Who are the best characters? I wanted to find out.

So, around a month ago I created a Silent Hill questionnaire and asked members of the Gamespot and Playstation forums as well as readers of this blog to fill it out for me.

I asked who fans thought were the best and the worst of the series as well as asking them which game best fulfilled the key horror characteristics. Sixty people responded and these are the results. Let's start with what fans thought were the worst...


The Worst:

Least Favorite Support Character:
Runner Up: Eileen Galvin 17%
LOSER: Elle Holloway 33%
Others in this category: Angela Orosco (12%), Maria (12%), Cybil Bennett (10%) , Douglas (9%), Lisa Garland (3%), Other (3%).

NOTE: The other characters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are Dr Kaufmann from Silent Hill and Laura from Silent Hill 2 with 1 vote each.


Least Favourite Antagonist:
Runner Up: Claudia Wolf (27%)
LOSER: The Butcher (37%)
Others in this category: Dahlia Gillespie (17%), Walter Sullivan (14%), Pyramid Head (5%).



Least Favourite Protagonist:
Runner Up: Henry Townshend (29%)
LOSER: Travis Grady (31%)
Others in this Category: Heather Mason (17%), Alex Shepherd (14%), Harry Mason (5%), James Sunderland (5%).



Least Favourite Overall Silent Hill Game:
Runner Up: Silent Hill: Origins (26%)
LOSER: Silent Hill 4: The Room (32%)
Others in this Category: Homecoming (19%), Silent Hill 3 (14%), Silent Hill (7%), Silent Hill 2 (2%).




The Winners:

Best Monster:
Runner Up: The Doublehead (14%)
WINNER: The Nurses (29%)
Others in this Category: Grey Child/Mumbler (10%), Lying Figure/Patient Demon (10%), Mannequin (9%), Other (7%), Siam (7%), Numb Body (5%), Victims (3%), Carrion (2%), Insane Cancer (2%), Schism (2%), Air Screamer (0%), The Dogs (0%).

NOTE: The other Monsters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are the Rompers from Silent Hill with one vote and the Closers from Silent Hill 3 got three votes making them tied with the Numb Bodies.


Favourite Supporting Character:
Runner Up: Maria (21%)
WINNER: Douglas Cartland (22%)
Others in this Category: Cybil Bennett (12%), Eileen Galvin (12%), Other (10%), Lisa Garland (9%), Elle Holloway (2%).

NOTE: The other characters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are Laura from Silent Hill 2, Jasper from Silent Hill 4, Deputy Wheeler with 1 vote each and Eddie from Silent Hill 2 with 2 votes. Douglas Cartland received an extra vote under this category because somebody gave an explanation to their choice.


Favourite Antagonist:
Runner Up: Walter Sullivan (20%)
WINNER: Pyramid Head (63%)
Others in this Category: Claudia Wolf (12%), Dahlia Gillespie (5%), The Butcher (0%).




Favourite Protagonist:
Runner Up: Heather Mason (27%)
WINNER: James Sunderland (37%)
Others in this Category: Harry Mason (17%), Alex Shepherd (7%), Travis Grady (7%), Henry Townshend (5%).




Favourite Overall Silent Hill Game:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (17%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (53%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill (15%), Silent Hill 4 (5%), Origins (5%), Homecoming (5%).




Which Silent Hill Game?:

Which Silent Hill game is best for...Atmosphere:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (25%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (41%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill (20%), Silent Hill 4 (8%), Homecoming (3%), Origins (2%).



Which Silent Hill game is best for...Monsters:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 2 (24%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 3 (39%)
Others in this Category: Homecoming (15%), Silent Hill (14%), Origins (5%), Silent Hill 4 (3%).




Which Silent Hill game is best for...Plot:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (9%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (76%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill 4 (7%), Silent Hill (5%), Homecoming (3%), Origins (0%).



Which Silent Hill game is best for...Tension:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (25%)
WINNER: Silent Hill (29%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill 2 (24%), Silent Hill 4 (12%), Homecoming (7%), Origins (3%).

With Shattered Memories due for release later this year, I also asked who would be buying this game at release:

73% said they will be buying the game,
3% said they definitely won't be buying the game and
24% were unsure.


Summary:

Surprise Surprise, Silent Hill 2 is the most popular game in the series winning more categories than the other games. James Sunderland was the fans favourite Protagonist by far and Pyramid head thrashed the competition in the Best Antagonist category.

On the other end of the scale, it was also no surprise to see the unpopularity of Silent Hill 4 and Origins who sweeped the Worst categories. Luckily for Silent Hill 4, Walter Sullivan's and the Doublehead's popularity saved it from being at the bottom of the list, even though it was voted the worst game of the bunch.
Homecoming also proved unpopular despite the fact that Alex had a small amount of backing - Even though he was joint second from bottom with Travis in the Best Protagonist poll, Heather Mason proved to be more hated in the Worst Protagonist poll which did surprise me.

The surprises for me were how unpopular Dahlia Gillespie was. She didn't get the large amount of votes I thought she would and Lisa Garland didn't get much approval either which I found surprising as I always thought she was a fan favourite.
Probably the biggest surprise of all is Douglas Cartland winning the Best Supporting Character category. He only just beat Maria from Silent Hill 2 but I didn't expect him to get more votes than her or Lisa from Silent Hill.

The game that fans seemed to be undecided about was Silent Hill 3. It was runner up in the Best Game category but it recieved more votes in the Worst Game category so maybe Silent Hill 3's results would have been much different if 100 replies were recieved.


Results I was dissapointed by:

I really did think that Walter Sullivan would give Pyramid Head a run for his money but even though Walter came second in the Best Antagonist category he was 25 votes behind. On top of that he was only 2 votes behind Dahlia in the Worst Antagonist category. Shame on you - Seriously though, I did get some feedback on the Gamespot and Playstation forums where people said they had a hard time choosing between the two.

I was also dissapointed by Silent Hill 4 getting more votes than Origins in the Wost Game category. Is it really THAT bad because Origins was only just tolerable to me.

Silent Hill's poor showing wasn't a surprise to me because it's been the general feeling of fans since it's release in 2004 but the things I felt put it ahead of the rest hasn't been proven here. I thought it had one of the best Plots for a game but Silent Hill 3 beat it, I also thought it had better Monsters than Silent Hill 3 and Origins but it got the least votes in this category.


So, what do you guys think? Are you dissapointed by any of these results? Any surprises? To see the graphs of these results click HERE.

If you took part in my survey, any feedback regarding the questions or the choices I made available would be appreciated.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - Tom Hulett Interview.

So I was rummaging through YouTube today and I came across the beauty of a video about the upcoming Silent Hill game, Shattered Memories.

Online gaming Magazine G4tv (http://g4tv.com) had the chance of meeting Tom Hulett, Associate Producer at Konami, US when they were over at E3 earlier this year.
Tom gives a whole load of new information on the game and how it works and you can find the video below. However, here are the highlights:

• Alternate Silent Hill has changed from a hellish abyss to an Ice World of some sort. This is the only change I am particularly wary of.



• The Monsters that have been shown so far are not the be all and end all. Monsters start of formless but change in appearance depending on the gamers actions. This is to go with the overall idea that the Monsters of Silent Hill represent the Protagonists conscience.



• The Monsters are much more intelligent than Monsters in the previous games. They will work as a team in order to get at you, splitting up to catch you off guard.



• Even though combat isn't available in this game, you can shake them off when Monsters dive on top of you. You can also barricade doors, a la RE4 to stop them from following you and Flares can be used to keep them at a distance - Tom says they don't like the heat.



• The Wii version of the game allows you to pick up items and manipulate them yourself. One scene shows you having to pick up cans and see if there's a key in any of them by shaking any of them.



• Harry has a mobile phone in this game which has a variety of features. You can dial phone numbers if you come across one. You can receive voice mails and messages to freak you out even more. There is a camera, a phonebook and your map can be accessed as well. Your menu is also on this phone so you can change your settings and save the game.



• Maps can viewed on the move like a GPS system. When you move, your character position moves with you whilst your still viewing the map. The Wiimote also allows you to make notes on the map such as places of interest.



• Fatal Frame has influenced your camera mode. In some places in the game there are some things that can only be found when you take a picture. There is a scene with a swing set that shows you an example.

There is no doubt that the Wii version will be better than the PS2 and PSP versions. The Map function where you can circle or write memo's won't be available without the use of the Wiimote and nunchuck and I doubt you'll be able to pick things up without the motion censor. The Wii version will make the experience more real and this video has persuaded me to get the Wii version over the other two.

See for yourself:

I also found a trailer from E3 on YouTube too which shows you a bit more of the plot. Watch out for the woman at the end with short hair. Maria from Silent Hill 2 seems to be the inspiration but who is she? If there's one character Silent Hill fans won't want messing with it's Lisa Garland so let's hope that's not her.

What do you think so far? I can't wait. It looks amazing although there are some things I'm not keen on such as the ice and even character design. Cybil isn't looking too good and if that is Lisa Garland at the end of the trailer, I won't be happy at all. EDIT: That's not Lisa. I've just realised that she calls herself Dahlia. Uh Oh, what do you think of that?

Silent Hill Questionnaire

Come on guys. Help me out here - I need your opinions. This time on Silent Hill.

Please click on this link: Silent Hill Survey to have your say on the Silent Hill series.


Survey is now CLOSED...Check back for the results.

Scary Games Online

Survival Horrors aren't just limited to consoles, the web is full of point and click games to keep us amused.
You'll find some terrible ones out there but there are some out there that are worth mentioning. Three of which I'll write about here along with links so you can have a go yourself.


ABANDONED. LINK

Abandoned sees you playing as a girl who has found herself alone in a warehouse of some kind. She doesn't know where she is and why she's there but she's locked in small room under the floor.

The game isn't particularly scary and you won't get any jumps out of it though there is some tension there. The music and sound effects are good and the puzzles are actually kind of challenging. You'll need a pen and paper handy in order to do this because any pieces of paper aren't kept once collected so passwords and other clues need to be jotted down.

The game would have much better if there were a few ghosts or monsters popping up all over the place, though keep your eyes open for mysterious shadow that pops up in the same place again and again.

5/10


SILENT HILL: FINAL REDEMPTION. LINK

You play as Nathan Wales who starts the game off by telling you his story. Nine years ago he committed a "terrible sin" causing him to go insane. A local Priest named Father Vincent (Not from Silent Hill 3) became his saviour and helped Nathan get back on track. Nathan has come back to Silent Hill to visit Father Vincent but the place is deserted.

Real life pictures are used for the environments so the game looks really good and it gives you a good first impression.
The music is taken directly from the game but the game is not an official addition to the Silent Hill franchise.

There are a few scares to this game making you jump and you will feel a bit of tension thanks to Akira Yamaoka. There is only one puzzle to the game involving a safe but there are absolutely no hints as to how to open it. Press the buttons randomly and it will eventually open which seems pointless to me.

The game is incredibly short and the lack of puzzles down grades this game terribly. The graphics and the Silent Hill name makes this game worth trying but don't expect a masterpiece.

6/10


THE HOUSE. LINK

In The House, you have gone to investigate the home of a family who had all died in the 1970's, what happened to them and why were they all killed?

Set in black and white this game is close to amazing. Again it's not a long game but with will make you jump in several places. You go through each room individually finding out what happened to each family member.

There are no puzzles and the game can be quite tedious depending on who's playing. In each room there are several items that you can look at but you have to keep looking at them until you find out what happened in each room.

I showed this game to a friend of mine and she was jumpy all the way through it, and that was when she was playing in the daytime. Play in the dark with the sound way up and see how you fare.

9/10


For more scary games check the following websites out:

• Gameshed
• My Scary Games
• 2 Scary Games

NEW ADDITION: Surveys

I want to know what you think about the Survival Horror Genre but I also know that in order to comment on my blog you have to create an account for yourself.

These surveys are a way I can find out what you guys think without you having to register with Blogspot.com.

To look at what surveys are available and to take part in them click on this LINK.

Ghostbusters

Horror turns to Comedy, spoilers ahead...

OK, So it's not really a Survival Horror but it has ghosts in it and as a huge Ghostbusters fan I thought it my duty to review it here.

2009 marks the 25th Anniversary of the first film (released 1984) and to mark to occasion a whole lot of Ghostbuster stuff has been going off. The original films have been remastered and released as Blu-Ray discs, a new film is in the works and Ghostbusters the video game was released.
Usually games made from a film franchise aren't exactly gaming classics but this game was always due to be different. Not only was the game written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who were the writers for the original films but Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson joined them in lending their voices to the project. Other stars of notable talent include Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), Brian Doyle Murray (Mayor Mulligan), William Atherton (Walter Peck) and Alyssa Milano (Ilyssa Selwyn).

The story takes part in 1991, three years after the events of Ghostbusters and sees the return of the Sumerian God, Gozer. You play as a new recruit to the Ghostbusting team who is never named throughout the game and your job is to act as the Guinea pig for Rays and Egon's new equipment.
The game starts off with Ray and the gang telling you about your role until ghostbusters regular, Slimer breaks loose from the containment grid. Your attempt at catching Slimer is the basis of the training part of the game where Ray trains you in the use the Proton Pack and the traps. Slimer escapes though and leads the Ghostbusters to Hotel Sedgwick where Slimer was caught in the first film all the way back in 1984.

Dr Ilyssa Selwyn who is an expert in the Sumerian culture lends a hand as well as forming the love interest for Peter Venkman throughout the game.
Walter Peck now works for the Paranormal Contract Oversight Committee (P-COC) and the Mayor of New York has ordered him to work with the Ghostbusters to make sure that little damage is being caused to the city as possible.

There are several locations to explore such as the Public Library, the History Museum and the New York Streets. There are a huge array of Ghosts too featuring regulars such as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (right) and the Librarian.
You are also trained in the use of the PKE meter which can be used to scan the many ghosts you'll come across to gain information about them including which piece of equipment (there's four in total) is best to defeat it.
The PKE also leads you to a variety of possessed items that can be found throughout the various levels, all of which you'll find back at the Fire Station.
The proton pack has 4 different uses. The Proton Accelerator is the main one which you use to wear the ghosts out and capture them. The Portable Plasma Distributor contains green slime that is used to neutralise Black Slime and other dark matter as well as acting as a rope to move things too heavy to pick up by hand. The Dark Matter Generator helps slow ghosts and other targets down leaving you more time to tire the ghost down. The Meson Composite Collider acts like a machine gun in some ways shooting several shots a time. This is a more powerful version of the Proton Stream.

Lets talk a bit about the cast. As mentioned earlier all the original Ghostbusters appear and all are brilliant in it and the games developers have done a good job in creating likenesses for them, Peter Venkman walks around with a strut for example.
Dan Aykroyd is the star though as the over enthusiastic Ray Stantz. You spend most of your time with Ray which is a good thing, at least it was for me because Ray's my favourite. The chemistry between these guys is still there especially the bond between Egon and Ray while Winston is still there to make the occasional funny quip.
There are some scenes where the voice acting is quite poor especially coming from Bill Murray whose Garfield impersonation keeps coming through.

Even though it doesn't matter much, the game isn't completely free roaming but it's enough. In the later mission when the team goes to an alternate Central Park, the rookie (you) has to open the gate from the inside by pulling a lever in order to let the Ecto-1 in. They obviously weren't going to make it easy so even though the lever is just behind a fence near the main gate, you still have to explore the park for around 20 minutes before you get to it. What's more once the gate is opened Ray joins you by just jumping the fence separating the main gate from the button. I had to laugh.

There's plenty of stuff in this game to keep fans of Ghostbusters happy. The music for example is taken mostly from the film and a surge of excitement runs through you once the game starts with the sound of Ray Parker JR's classic theme tune.
In between the various missions you get to spend some time in the Fire House where Slimer lives (once you've recaptured him) and a familiar painting is standing near the reception desk. Interact with the Vigo the Carpathian and he'll talk to you.

In the UK, the game has only been released on the PS3 but trophies are plentiful. You get the obvious ones E.g. A trophy is earned after you complete a mission and when you complete the game. However, some trophies are hidden and have to be sought out. E.g. There's a room in the Sedgwick Hotel (that could be easily overlooked) that is covered in Black Slime. Get rid of it then you'll get a trophy all of which are named after quotes in the original films. There's a lot here for those gamers that like to overachieve the games they play.

The game isn't perfect. It would be better if your character had a name and a voice as you never hear him talk. Another improvement would be if you could interact with Ray and Co when in your company whether in the firehouse or on call.
Some things were out of the developers control though because Rick Moranis is now retired meaning that Louis Tully who was always the comedy within the Ghostbusters films isn't present.
Another disappointment is that you can't drive the Ecto-1 yourself which most people were looking forward to.

The game isn't really meant to be scary but there are some moments that shoots chills down tour spine. The Library Level is the best example of this. Several things will make you jump an the sounds of children in the background once you reach the children's reading area is quite unsettling.

If you're not a fan of the Ghostbusters films then not only is your taste in films ridiculously poor but this game really wouldn't entertain you at all. However I am a Ghostbusters fan so I'll give it....

9/10

Survival Horror Survey

UPDATE: Thank You for all your replies so far. The Survey is still open so please keep your views coming.

Sometimes it's hard to think of what to write about in this blog, especially when there isn't necessarily a specific game to write about.
To help me out I would appreciate if you could fill in my survey which will, or at least should, provide me with something interesting to write about.

To complete my survey click HERE