Silent Hill makes its awaited debut on the PSP with Silent Hill Origins.
In the game you play as a truck driver named Travis. He really does appear as the selfless nobody type of hero. At the beginning of the game Travis is driving a truck late at night finishing a job in a place called Silent Hill. Then some creepy things start happening, and from the flashbacks you see you can tell Travis has some internal problems. Nevertheless the intro is just an excuse to send the hero in without his truck to start saving the day. The plot is very twisted and creepy and it will really make you think. What also makes you think is the game play itself, for while the game is an action game, there is some strategy and puzzle solving that comes along with it. Basically the whole premise of each level is to go through some kind of creepy scenario and collect items to solve a puzzle, along the way of course there are some scary bad guys that try to kill you so you return the favor, brutally. There are a great variety of weapons, but there aren't that many of each kind, however many things you see can be used to kill even if it doesn't seem like it. The combat itself is quite repetitive and consists of you doing the same combinations over and over, then you get your enemy on the ground and crush it with your shoe or weapon. The missions do take a long time to complete and there is lots of suspense, but what happens when you want a break. Well it's hard to quit, because the save points are so scarce and the big problem with this is that if you accidentally quit and you haven't saved, you may have to redo giant portions of the game at a time. This can be extremely frustrating and will cost you many hours of game play.
The graphics in this game are quit impressive. They add to the tense feeling, by looking kind of old, and the scenery is very creepy. Streets are basically covered in fog and the creepy music doesn't stop so you never know what will pop out at you. Inside of buildings, walls are either blood stained and torn apart, or blank like in certain horror movies. Speaking of movies, the camera has a very cinematic feeling. It catches the action from a great variety of angles and let you see what you want to see. All the characters in the game also move very real, and Travis in particular looks like he was worked on a lot,because, he walks and runs and attacks very much like a human would. Aside from human characters, the evil guys also move very real. They move crazily as they come after you and sometimes it looks like they're having seizures. The great amount of smooth detail is the final addition to the graphics that make them near perfect.
A horror based piece of entertainment is never complete without good sound, and this game has that sound. From the creepy effects, to the whines, to the blood curling soundtrack, it's all apparent in Silent Hill Origins and it just adds to the scariness of the game.
Silent Hill is a very excellent game, mostly thanks to the great crew that worked on it. There is a great amount of suspense in it and it is very fun to play, with the only major problem being the damned save points. I don't recommended this game to people with high blood pressure, but it isn't so scary that you should stay away from it. An 8 out of 10.