Silent Hill: Homecoming

by Konami

Product Features

• Enter the next chapter of Silent Hill and learn the town history
• first silent hill game on XBX360
• All new next gen graphics bring silent hill to life like never before
• solve treacherous and deadly puzzles to learn dark secrets
• features an all new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00149MEWI
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 30, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,545 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360

Amazon.com Product Description

Silent Hill: Homecoming marks the debut of the renowned psychological horror series on next-generation consoles. Building upon the series' trademark foundations of atmosphere, adventure and storytelling, it introduces a frightening new and standalone gameplay experience destined to haunt the dreams of both first-time players and those with some experience wandering the famously fog-shrouded streets of the town of Silent Hill and its new sinister sister city Shepherd's Glen.

Survive Shepherd's nightmare

Explore Silent Hill as Alex Shepherd. View larger.

Battle frightening enemies. View larger.

And the unexpectedly frightening. View larger.

Use tools and your wits to puzzle-solve. View larger.

The Story of a Grim Homecoming
Homecoming's story follows the nightmare turned real life of Alex Shepherd, a war veteran returning to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his kid brother, Josh. From Shepherd's Glen to the foggy streets of dreaded Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, it's here that Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother's disappearance, and confront the evil that takes hold of his own flesh and blood in the process.

Improved Gameplay
Firmly steeped in the Survival-Horror genre its series has been pivotal in establishing, action in Homecoming remains based on exploration of the terrors residing in the communities surrounding Toluca lake and puzzle-solving skill as a means of surviving them. But to its credit game developer Double Helix refuses to rest on past laurels, choosing instead to include new more accessible gameplay in the hopes of gaining a new audience for Homecoming. Examples of this gameplay include:

Next-Gen Visual and Spatial Features - Every sequel seeks reinvent the namesake game in their series. Homecoming does this in three ways, by adding the ability to toggle between a traditional third-person view and an action-oriented first-person view; by adding fully 3-D physics to the game, creating a realistic range of motion for any and all objects impacted by the player; and by adding transitions or "Hell States" that alter the game's physical landscape at points in the game both in real-time and via cinematics. All three actively change the way players see themselves and in the process create a whole new game experience.

An Enhanced Combat System - Adding to the standard knives, axes, pipes and other melee weapons that made up the arsenal of previous Silent Hill games, Homecoming adds a wide variety of guns and explosives. Fitting with the military back-story of protagonist Alex Shephard, these weapons can be wielded in attacks weighted as weak or strong and can be strung together in combos to stun or incapacitate opponents, who can then be taken out with powerful finishing moves. With practice players can even perform evasive ducks and rolls and follow these up with counterattacks. But remember that enemy AI has also been significantly improved to compensate for your higher degree of combat prowess, and that it's not uncommon to battle multiple monsters simultaneously.

Key Features:

• Enter the next chapter of Silent Hill as you delve deeper in the tormented history of the town and learn of the evil that surrounds Toluca Lake.
• Silent Hill: Homecoming is the 1st Silent Hill game designed for Xbox 360.
• From the murky fog to the ominous shadows, all-new next-gen graphics bring Silent Hill to life like never before.
• Survive the denizens of Silent Hill with an all-new enhanced combat system that gives you a wide array of attacks and counters.
• Solve the treacherous and deadly puzzles of Silent Hill to discover its darkest secrets.
• Silent Hill: Homecoming will feature an all-new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Exceptional Replay Value
Although Alex Shepherd is the only playable character in Silent Hill: Homecoming there are many other important characters--some returning from earlier games in the series--that can have a dramatic impact on the game. When interacting with these, players are given a choice in how to proceed via dialog trees. Will you take the short route letting only the search for your brother guide you or will you explore the nooks and crannies that make up the mystery of Silent Hill hidden in the small talk you share with non-playable characters? The choice is yours, with different paths providing for possible alternate endings each time you delve into the game.

A Frighteningly Masterful Soundtrack
All games in the Survival-Horror genre seek to create tension and unease through sound and Homecoming does this masterfully through the compositions and sound engineering of Akira Yamaoka. Having scored the music and effects for dozens of video game titles, including all of the previous games in the Silent Hill series, Yamaoka is considered a master at using sound to illicit a response.

Product Description

Silent Hill Homecoming is the latest entry into the Silent Hill franchise. The story follows Alex Shepher, returning to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his brother. From Shepherds Glen to the foggy streets of Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother's and fathers disappearances, and confront the evil that has taken hold of his own flesh and blood.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Welcome Home...", October 1, 2008

By 

Hazy "Justin" (USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Silent Hill: Homecoming (Video Game)

Waking up in a Gurney.. being wheeled down a dark and delapitated hall by what appears to be a doctor. Turning to your right and your left, only to witness viscious acts of mutilation. Where are you? Is is any of this real? You are wheeled to a stop, you unfasten your straps and proceed to step forward. You open the door, and see a trail of blood. Creaks and echos can be heard all around you, and your truly scared. You take the first step into the darkness... Welcome to Silent Hill.

That, is how you start an intro. Apparently Bon Jovi was right, who says you can't go home?
First of all, dont listen to those Nay-Sayers (I.e. IGN) who say this game is bad (IGN obviously played the game for about 5 minutes, and remmembered that to get even more of a bad reputation, they would have to make up a bunch of fake facts.) This game is NOT as good as Silent Hill 2 (Although it certainly is VERY good). It never will be, but if you go into this game with lowered expectations, you will have a magnificent good time.
One thing Double Helix (American Developers) did manage to keep is the moody feel, and the constant psychological dread that all gamers have come to know, love, hate, and get sick from. This game is chock full of it, Which is a great thing!
Now, its time to de-bunk some lies that IGN may have told you: (NOTE: You may skip this if you want to hear about the story, this is just to clear the air of incesant lies that IGN tells oh so well)
1. "The game is not scary" Straight off the bat, that is total BS.
Within the first 5 minutes of the game, I already jumped back in my seat.
2. "Alex is to well Handled" Well, this may be true, but he is a soldier after all...
3. "The Flashlight is basically impossible to use" Wrong, The Flashlight is very realistic. True, it is a little weak, but it works best when its pointed at the mid-waist to ground level. Again, just like a real flashlight.
Now then: The story. (Note: Contains some minimal spoilers, nothing big) You are Alex Shepard. The war has taken a toll on your psyche, and you begin to have some very strange dreams about your brother. This is when you return to Sheppards Glen (Via A Silent Hill Origins reference) and learn that he has gone missing. Its Suprisingly Very good. In Typical Silent Hill fashion, nobody seems to right. You will begin to see what tore The Shepards apart. It draws the player in and never lets go. I felt utter disgust as I listened to a tape recorder of Adam Shepard Bad-mouthing Alex to his own brother! I felt Dread as I saw Joshua flee from Alex for no apparent reason. And I felt agony as I gazed upon a deformed remain of something un-human slither toward me, the image will stay burned in everyone's mind forever.
Many imporvements have been added such as an aiming system, Full control camera angle, and an upgraded fighting system. This doesent hinder the game in any way, it only makes it more enjoyable.

However, this game does have some faults to it. The way they ration Ammo and in particular, Health Drinks, needs some work. Allow me to elaborate. In typical "End Game" fashion, you expect a final boss and very limited supplies to make it more challenging, and thus, more rewarding. But this happens more towards the middle of the game, and by the time you reach the end, you're already crammed to the max with Health Drinks and Ammo, well you get the idea..
But in short: This is a must buy for a newcomer of the series, or someone who has been with it since SH1. It will give you that same gut-wrenching feeling the series does so well. Akira Yamaoka's moody beats help play the mood out all to well. With some work and some patience, this can be a very easy game to love. It won't take you long to become immersed in the fog. Man! It feels great to be home!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good if you can weather some frustration, August 12, 2009

By 

Sweetjimmy - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Silent Hill: Homecoming (Video Game)

Homecoming is only the third Silent Hill game I've sampled. I know a lot of people hated "the room," but I fell in love with that one immediately. To me, it was as creepy as it was curious; every time I returned to the room, I'd scour it from top to bottom, looking for further clues to help me unravel the story. I really felt a serious need to get out, but then again, I wasn't sure if I'd still want out once I had escaped... Hate it or love it, you have to give props to the room for being original.

And then there's Homecoming. It's a bit of an odd dog, honestly. It incorporates enough atmosphere from the previous titles to make it feel 'silent hilly,' but it fails to add anything new. There's nothing novel about it. Sure, it looks good, and combat controls received a serious face-lift, but overall, it feels soulless compared to previous Silent Hill titles.

I may just be getting jaded in my old age, but the bad-guys don't seem all that creepy. The dogs don't have any skin on them. That's pretty standard survival-horror fare, anymore. There are big shambling guys that have blades where their head should be. Not sure how they can see me, but they always know exactly where I am. Then there's the weird smoker zombie that is impossible to land a full combo on because there's no way to avoid the constant stream of smoke that's pouring out of him. Oh, and then there are four-legged spider guys that have blades for feet. After you get to know them they aren't too bad, really. They're actually quite civil when fighting; they each patiently wait their turn to be bludgeoned to death with your lead pipe.

The truly disappointing aspect of Homecoming is the fact that Silent Hill's no longer an emotional/psychological thriller. It's digressed into more of a "boo! scared you!" experience. And even the cheap scares get to be predictable after a fashion. Oh...I'm entering knee-deep water...I wonder what on earth is going to happen next/again?

I remember the first time I ever saw pyramid head. The game switched to a cut-scene and he was... doing weird things to/with a zombie nurse. It was perverse, grotesque, and...disturbing. Yeah! That's exactly what it was. Disturbing! What the hell is that guy? What the hell is it doing? Somehow I knew to run away. I didn't want to fight it, I just wanted to be away from it!

You don't get that in Homecoming. You get dogs with no skin that never stop spawning and a dumb brother you're willing to chase straight through the gates of hell. Look, I have a brother in real life. I love him and all, but if I ever saw him run into a haunted hospital with crazy zombie nurses wielding knives, I'd probably consider heading back home and catching jeopardy. Maybe that's just me.

Homecoming relies heavily on darkness to build tension. I've seen this work well in other scary games, but unfortunately, there's *so much* dark in homecoming that it stops being scary and just gets irritating. When you realize there's no light to run toward, you just kinda stop running, you know? The same goes for combat in the game. When you realize there's no way to escape it, it loses its frantic edge and just turns into a chore.

Lastly, there were several times were I got stuck in the game because I couldn't figure out how or where to proceed. Most times this happened it was due to my own lack of attention to detail. However, at one particular section of the game the only way to further the storyline is by opening a door that looks just like the walls surrounding it. Because I didn't realize the wall was a door, I went back outside and died about ten times fighting endless hordes of re-spawning skinless zombie dogs. I was only able to get back on track with the help from an online game walkthru.

Looking back at my review, it doesn't seem like I have much good to say about Homecoming. As frustrating as the game is, I have to admit I do want to play through it. I think it's because I'm genuinely interested in the storyline and would like to know how it ends up. If you're a longtime Silent Hill fan, you really do need to play through Homecoming to get one of the more cohesive narratives in the series. It takes its sweet time unfolding, but the whole time you really find yourself wondering why everyone always treated Alex like garbage, why his mom's a lunatic, and why he's constantly chasing his stupid brother into certain death.

I bought Homecoming because I was in the mood for a good, scary game and yes, it has it's moments. I nearly came out of my seat a couple times to be honest. However, outside those "BOO!" scare moments, its pretty much devoid of emotional tension that was always characteristic in previous Silent Hill titles.


Complaints:

1. New / American development team relies on standard Hollywood horror staples -- to the detriment of the series.
2. The new combat mechanics, while improved, are irritating. Especially in cramped quarters or when facing off with more than one enemy at a time. If you miss one dodge, certain enemies can pummel half your life away.
3. There's no way to skip past some cut-scenes. If you have trouble beating a certain boss, be prepared to listen to the same lead-in schpiel over and over (and over).
4. Too much dark! When sound is your only indication that your face is being eaten by a bug, something's wrong.
5. Zombie Nurses. Again. And now with visible ass cheeks! What I'd like to know is who let them out of the hospital? Now they can turn up just about anywhere...

On the brighter side:
1. Graphics, music, and sound effects are all great.
2. The story is interesting if you don't mind dodging enough skinless dogs to actually get to it.
3. Locals are well done and apart from being too dark, they are very atmospheric, forlorn, and grotesque.
4. The puzzles are great, albeit a bit on the scarce side.
5. Boss battles are more challenging and, for the most part, fun.


As a game, I readily give Homecoming a 3/5. As a followup to the Silent Hill series, I'm afraid I'd only be able to award Homecoming with a 2/5... it has a lot to live up to and doesn't quite make the cut.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game bad reputation, August 12, 2009

By 

Benjamin S. Sprague "Broken Hierophant" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Silent Hill: Homecoming (Video Game)

It's hard discussing homecoming. It is a game that has come with its' fair share of controversy. The reviewers who supported the game said "If you are a SH fan you should enjoy homecoming". How premature and short sighted that statement actually was. Sadly many of the most "hardcore" thus "jaded" Silent-Hill-Heads didn't like Homecoming. You could say many of them decided to hate it even before the game came out. However I'm a bit proud to say while I love SH I never took the franchise too seriously. I enjoyed every title for different reasons and I own every game but the very first one. (I even have the port of origins for the PS2)

Moving on I'm going to address the main complaints people had with the game and debunk them one by one.

Complaint # 1 The game burrowed too much from the movie.

Homecoming burrowed aesthetics from the SH film. However before the whining crested to the highest wave of angst many people actually said the film was one of the best game to movie adaptations + the costume designs and creature models were actually very faithful to the games. In lu of that the same can be said of homecoming....the creatures capture the spooky haunted atmosphere of SH perfectly. In truth the only few nods to the film are the shift to the otherworld, nurses, order cultists, and Pyramid Head. The rest of the creatures are 100% original and the story line has nothing to do with Alessa's alternate self Sharon or any of the main protagonists and antagonists from the film. If you are expecting to see Rose and Cybil Bennet running around you are in for a shocker because they are NOT in Homecoming.

The plot concerns itself with Alex Shepherd and his desperate search for his younger brother Josh. On the surface this may seem like a repeat of the Cheryl/Harry dynamic but as we've grown to expect the story takes a turn for the weird later on. In many ways the revelations are more akin to SH 2 than SH 1. While The Order is present the big chunk of the story centers around Alex's troubled home-life and the mystery of what is going on with his younger sibling. It is hinted Alex was the "black sheep" of Shepherd's Glen and both of his parents always put Josh first. There is a disturbing and sickening reason behind all that but I'm not going to spoil it for you here.

The supporting cast are all original characters. (Except a cameo appearance from Travis Grady) Judge Holloway is the mother of Alex's child hood friend Elle and she's eerily calm despite everything going on. Deputy Wheeler worked with Alex's father who was the sheriff and is a bit suspicious of Alex's motifs. Alex's mother is in a dream like state and sways in her rocking chair while mumbling about being left all alone. There is also the Mayor and the repair man Curtis who are abrasive and paranoid to say the least. Of all the faces Alex encounters Elle seems the most helpful. She is putting up posters in the town about disappearances but is a little wistful Alex left Shepherd's Glen without telling her. Homecoming finally addressed adding more people to interact with and furthermore how you respond to them has a direct impact on the game. While it can be argued this has been done before in other mediums of digital entertainment it is a welcome change and very befitting of a SH experience.

From all this it's easy to debunk SH homecoming is a complete rip off of the movie. It tells its' own tale.

Complaint #2 Alex is too combat capable!

Fans have argued being a helpless average person is the big appeal of a Silent Hill game. However in truth none of the protagonists have been powerless. In each game there were weapons to find. Heather's trade marks are the uzi and katana and event scrawny James got his mits on a chainsaw. SH 4 the room introduced a way to charge attacks so they did more damage per swing and Travis could throw televisions and toasters at oncoming beasties.

Alex is not far removed from his past cohorts. He can roll or dodge out of harms way and much like Henry Townsend he has fast yet weak attacks and strong yet slow attacks. Alex can get guns but as is tradition with SH his first few tools of pain are a simple combat knife and a lead pipe. Beyond that I have not seen anything super-human about Alex. In the beginning he takes out weak enemies easily but later on as more disturbing, grotesque, and lethal monstrosities are encountered he has to struggle to gain the advantage and as has always been the case sometimes it is better to run than it is to fight.

One nice nuance is every weapon has a use to aid Alex is exploring. An axe can cut down boards, the knife can slash apart paintings or other obstructions, and the pipe can pry things open.

Homecoming suggests Alex has military training but even that aspect of his past is a little questionable. Bottom line is Alex is no Chris Redfield. Verdict? Complaint debunked.

Complaint # 3 Homecoming Americanized Silent Hill!

Considering Team Silent was motivated by Lost Highway, Jacob's ladder, and even The shining there was a western influence to the series from the very beginning. It is true there were Japanese themes that slipped in. For example Alessa's story is about reincarnation. However beyond that even the deities in silent hill have similarities to western spirituality. Valtiel is based on the angel Valet. James' wife is hauntingly similar to the virgin Mary. Alessa is metaphorical of being akin to a female Christ. The Order sect had rites which were a cross between Native American shamanism and Catholicism.

Fans have often argued SH favored symbolism over gore. But honestly SH has always been about symbolism through the use of gore. Heather rejected God by coughing up a dead bloody baby fetus. Pyramid Head raped mannequins and slaughtered Maria many times over. Walter Sullivan murdered people to enact rites to bring his mother back to him. Vincent suggested the "things" Heather was beating to death were actually people. Silent Hill was always a twisted, maddening, sick, graphic, and disgusting carnival of flesh and blood. This did not begin with Homecoming though the latest installment is guilty of continuing to flaunt unsettling imagery.

My only critique is Homecoming's blatant use of dead corpses. There are some places you find bodies where it is unnecessary and their presence does not do much to make the game scarier.

Overall despite the occasional poorly executed shock tactic Homecoming still has many layers of depth. There is less of a difference between western horror and eastern horror than the elitists care to acknowledge. Both parts of the world have their deep and profound scary movies and their shallow bloody titillation torture flicks. Occasionally a chilling endeavor will have a little of both of those aspects woven together but because no one really gets hurt I don't see what the big deal is. "Fear" is universal to us all and no place on the earth capitalizes on "doing it better" than everyone else.

End Verdict? If you think all western horror is like Saw or Hostel I strongly suggest seeing stir of echoes, Stephen King's It, 6th sense, or any David Lynch offerings. It was the meaningful western horror Team Silent was inspired by. Double Helix is an American group but they continued team silent's proud tradition. Homecoming is not all Boo scares or slasher stupidity. It's merits should be considered as much as its' fleeting flaws.

Complaint # 4: The creatures play on kinky innuendo or are plain meaningless

Pyramid Head does have a meaning in homecoming. It actually ties a bit into the "executioners of the past" story line but he is referred to as the boogie man. Certain SH buffs were angry over this description though his title as "red pyramid thing" wasn't much more eloquent. This was a fan service everyone clamored for after SH 2 but they seemed pretty damned disappointed once they finally received it. As the proverb says "careful what you wish for...you just might get it!". Frankly this version of Pyramid head is not as deeply metaphorical as the one that was James' personal tormentor. Yet if you pay attention to much of silent hill's lore that is open to interpretation there is no denying "creatures" or "men" whom looked like Pyramid Head did exist before James' variation of him came into being. Because PH was also present in the SH arcade shooter it is doubtful he was meant to be a one hit wonder.

The second huge beef of the bestiary are the nurses. Yes, they are the movie variants. However those versions were in fact inspired by SH2. End result? We get SH 2 nurses with bigger breasts. Yet for those protesting too much "sexy nurse monsters" were in SH 3 too. SH 1 featured red clad barely legal nurse intern Lisa Garland. Lest we forget The Room even had a kinky nurse costume un-lockable for Eileen. "Nurses" have constantly been a symbol of sexual tension and hidden murderous intent for the series so blaming double helix for exploiting them is ludicrous. SH 2 was entirely about James hidden naughty fantasies and denial issues. Eroticism always snuck into Silent Hill through the back door so we should come to terms with it already!

Luckily there are many "original" monsters too. The lurkers have worm like lower bodies, human torsos, and clawed fingers. Smogs writhe in agony as their organs glow menacingly while they attack by spewing toxic fog. There are also "dog beasts" referred to cryptically as "Eddie's legacy". The biggest complaint people have brought up is the monsters do not spawn from Alex's own psyche. This is an instant comparison of SH 2 but the creatures in other games were not the result of the protagonist either. In SH 1 the creatures were from Alessa's imagination instead of... Read more ›

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