A worthy entry into the Silent Hill franchise and one of the PSP's strongest titles to date.
Set shortly before the events of the original Silent Hill on the Playstation Origins picks up the story with trucker Travis Grady whose own personal demons brings him to the titular town. His actions will unknowing bring forth the darkness that will forever shroud the town but that is for you discover.
From a game play perspective Origins follows the series standard, a lone person wandering the eerie darkness of the town traveling back forth between the misty fog filled town to the "Otherworld" a hellish dimension composed of rusted blood covered metal and demonic creatures. The control scheme is essentially a reconfiguring of the 4th game's control scheme to match the PSP's button layout so if you've spent time with that title you'll be right at home. The L button resets the camera which is your best friend because the camera is often more dangerous than the town's hellish inhabitants. The R button brings up your weapon and X is used to attack and inspect objects. Works pretty well and is the staple for pretty much every Survival Horror game.
The biggest downside to the gameplay is the expansion of a concept introduced in part 4. Every melee weapon is breakable, not just over a large period of time I mean a massive iron wrench busting after smashing two baddies. Though this also allows for some interesting uses for everyday items. Much like Capcom's Dead Rising everything around you is a weapon TVs, lamp stands, filing cabinets and the list just goes on and own though some break before you will even down the enemy which makes quite a few useless. But Travis' trusty fists can pummel most anything dead. Though you will always have an arsenal of firearms to lay waste to your enemies ranging from competition pistols, magnum revolvers, and even an AK-47.
In terms of graphics they are more or less on par with MGS Portable Ops albeit a tad bit clearer and crisper though the inclusion of Silent Hills usual noise filter tends to blur some details though it is able to be switched off on subsequent replays. They are some of the systems best but pale in comparison to some the titles soon to be released in the coming months such as Sony's God of War Chains of Olympus and Squares FFVII Crisis Core. But until then Origins is top dog in the graphics department.
Now onto the most important feature to a Silent Hill game and this one won't disappoint series faithful. Plenty of twists and turns and with two very different endings there are rewards for playing through a second time. While the game was touted as revealing some of the mysteries of the series plot it fails to do so only making the back story of a central character to the franchise even more complex and multi-layered. Though sometimes you will wish there was just a tad more plot as it doesn't really pick up until the last 1/4 of the game. Though that last bit is a roller coaster of amazing scenes as well as one of the coolest in Silent Hill history.
The games short length may be a put off for a few players average from most reviews seems to be 5 hours my first play through was just under 4. but plenty of unlockables such as weapons, costumes, endings, and Xbox 360 achievement style accolades which are tasks given to you which unlock more features. So there is plenty to bring SH fanatics back for more.
Overall it is on of the PSP's greatest titles to date and a fine entry into Silent Hill history. But a few slight issues with breakable weapons, frustrating camera angles spattered throughout the adventure, and the adventures overall length hold it back from being a true masterpiece.