New gameplay, same creepiness
The game begins in usual SH fashion: Trucker Travis Grady crashes his rig while swerving to avoid a dark figure on the road, and wakes up in the town of Silent Hill. Since this game serves as a prequel to the original Silent Hill, you can expect to meet characters from the first game. The story, unfortunately, takes few risks, and wraps up surprisingly quickly, clocking in at about 4-5 hours, since there really is nothing to do but play the main quest.
However, the (slightly) new style of play is where this title really shines. Movement is no longer "tank-like" as in the previous games. Here, you just point the analog stick in the direction you want to go. Overall, it feels more fluid and modern than past control methods. Combat is also handled somewhat differently: Rather than carry one stick, one pipe, etc., you now carry multiple, yet breakable, weapons. Some are melee types, like swords and clubs, and some are one- use items that deal massive damage, like portable televisions. There are firearms too, but ammo is in short supply. The only problem with this setup is the sheer amount you can carry, which is infinite. Halfway throw the game, I realized I had: two T.V.s, six wooden sticks, four katanas, and more I.V. stands than I bothered to count. And then some. And those were just melee weapons. It simply removes some of the tension when, for once in Silent Hill, you are very well-armed.
Also new is the ability to enter the otherworld voluntarily. Whereas past titles had your character forced into Silent Hill's creepier alternate world, Travis soon gains the ability to enter through mirrors he finds in the game. Some have commented that it's not as scary this way. However, you only end up using the mirrors when you have to, i.e. to fetch a key that may be in one world, but not the other. So in a way, you are still forced into Otherworld. Overall, it's not better or worse, just different.
Origins is a very impressive looking PSP title, on par with its PS2 predecessors. It boasts some of the best lighting, textures, and animation on the handheld. One minor gripe is that the game can be hard to see when playing in bright light, due to the dark lighting of the game. But Silent Hill is best played at night anyway. There could have been more variety in the enemies, because there seem to only be a handful of different types.
The audio is another high point. Great sound effects, and the usual passable voice acting, also set this game apart from the rest of what PSP has to offer. This game, however, is best experienced through headphones, due to the low volume speakers on PSP. They also add to the scare factor of the game.
Overall, Silent Hill: Origins is an excellent title to add to your PSP collection. While it's not without its flaws, and rather short, it's one of the most immersive games on any handheld.