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  		                                    Silent Hill (for Playstation) Reviewed by theCherneymin

          Looking back on the short but sweet road that was Silent Hill, I can't help but feel accomplished. People have told me before that it's silly to get scared while you're playing a game; because after all, it IS just a game. However, this is entirely false in the case of Silent Hill. Crazyhowie and myself just completed the game recently, and while the ending we got was somewhat abrupt, the experience as a whole was rather excellent.

         What makes Silent Hill work is a combination of several things. The most noticeable being the incredible ambient sounds and music. The developers use this as their primary tool to scare the shit out of you. A majority of the sounds and music they play as you're walking down a corridor can be absolutely terrifying. It keeps you constantly on your toes and has you worrying that a monster is lurking around every corner. But, fortunately for the player, you have somewhat of an enemy detector. This brings us to our enemies and battle system.

          Early in the story you get a radio in a Caf�Ethat emits static whenever an enemy is near. While it may sound like this would take away from the suspense of the game, it doesn't whatsoever. Konami has put so much effort into the design of the disturbing creatures in this game, you begin to wonder where they could've even gotten some of their ideas from. The monsters end up playing a large role in the scare tactics of the game. But, unlike it's distant relative Resident Evil, Silent Hill focuses more on getting under your skin with disturbing visuals, and a gritty feel. I recall being almost more afraid of some of the empty rooms in Silent Hill, than those filled with monsters. And again, they manage to pull things like that off, with great sound effects.  As for the battle system, it's virtually identical to that of Resident Evil.  R Trigger is your aim, and X is your fire.

          Silent Hill is a relatively short game, clocking in at about 7-10 hours (depending on your pacing). While this may seem short, there is a great amount of reply value in the game, as you aren't required to go everywhere and do everything to beat it. Howie and myself missed out on at least 1 cut scene in an area that could've probably helped explain the plot a little better because we were running like bitches to the next area. You even get stats when you complete the game (it turns out we only picked up 151 of the 200 items). It's rewarding and makes me want to give it another shot some time.

          While the graphics are very very Playstation 1-ish, it doesn't take away from what is one of the most absorbing and addicting games I've ever played. In fact with the recent release of Silent Hill 3 on the PS2, it's pretty neat to go back and see the graphical evolution of some of the monsters. All in all, this game is to be played with the lights off and no distractions. If you do this, and allow yourself to really get into the game, it will definitely be an gruesomely fun experience.

                                                                       - theCherneymin

                                                                      8.8 out of 10

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Questions?  Comments?  E-Mail me at thecherneymin@teamhoward.net