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Silent Hill: Homecoming

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8.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 41 critic reviews
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Based on 33 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Double Helix Games

Genre(s): Third-Person Adventure, Survival Horror

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: September 30, 2008

Summary

The game thrusts players into a shadowy world of chaos and terror with atmospheric graphics and an original storyline that sheds new light on the desolate, fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill: Homecoming follows Alex Shepherd, a war veteran returning home from an overseas tour of duty to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, Joshua. His travels lead him through the small, insular community of Shepherd's Glen and eventually through the hauntingly empty streets of Silent Hill. Building upon the series' trademark foundations of atmosphere, adventure and storytelling, Silent Hill: Homecoming introduces players to a frightening new experience. When confronted by the perverse incarnations of evil that roam Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen, players are able to utilize an enhanced combat system and execute a number of offensive and defensive maneuvers as they experience every terrifying encounter with the game’s numerous nightmarish creatures. Players also have to solve a variety of puzzles as they progress through the highly atmospheric game world, using cues from the environment to unlock Silent Hill's darkest secrets. Continuing the series’ tradition of standout music and sound design, Silent Hill: Homecoming features an original soundtrack by famed composer Akira Yamaoka. [Konami]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Silent Hill Silent Hill 2 Silent Hill 3 Silent Hill 4: The Room

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Destructoid

We expected the worst, but in the end, we were pleasantly surprised by the authenticity of the game's world and the depth of its story. We're glad to say that the little lakeside resort town of Silent Hill continues to be just as messed up as it always was.

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Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

Plan frequent breaks. Your emotional well being will thank you for it. [Dec 2008, p.64]

Cheat Code Central

The folks at Double Helix gave me the Silent Hill I wanted: a nerve-racking, scary as hell experience to hold me over this Halloween season. Any fan of Silent Hill should be checking this out, and anyone just needing a good scare can join in the Homecoming.

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G4 TV

Thankfully, the game manages to be worth more than the sum of its parts. The controls are the best they've ever been, and combat is actually tolerable this time. That said, you're still better off avoiding fights whenever possible, especially during the few annoying sections that continually respawn creatures.

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Video Game Talk

Homecoming isn't pure Silent Hill, but it offers a Highly Recommended restructuring of the series that keeps up with the speed of a more inventive gaming universe while staying very true to the brand's core visual and thematic essence.

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Gamervision

Silent Hill: Homecoming may not be a great game, but it’s certainly enjoyable. For fans of the series, or just survival horror in general, this game certainly warrants a playthrough… after the crowded holiday season is over.

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My Gamer

Double Helix has given it a sorely needed overhaul while retaining what's made it great, and even though newcomers to the series may not love it as much as the regulars (for them, I would recommend try before you buy), there's still a frightful time to be had for all.

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GameDaily

Unless you've got nerves of steel, this game will at least send chills up your spine and at most scare the crap out of you. Sure, it feels similar to its predecessors, but the familiar mechanics and scares still give us hours of monster bashing fun.

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Playstation Universe

It has its flaws, but Silent Hill: Homecoming is a solid entry in the franchise that any self-respecting horror fanatic should snap up.

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Multiplayer.it

Scary, dark and disturbing, Silent Hill is a classic title in the legacy of the Konami saga, everything fulfills the expectations of a true fan of the series. Otherwise a casual gamer or a freshman of the universe of Silent Hill, could find few issues, like a strictly linear progression and old gameplay mechanics.

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3DJuegos

Silent Hill: Homecoming is just an enjoyable horror game but, at this time, its also the best Survival Horror of the present generation of consoles. Easy combat, classic puzzles and extraordinary atmosphere for a game that obviously needed a deeper, not so simple, gameplay.

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PSX Extreme

Despite its flaws, it has the desired impact, and that’s the best that can be said about this particular game.

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Game Revolution

American developer Double Helix has managed to stick its landing—right in the uneasy, dark parts of the mind that define the Silent Hill experience.

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GamerNode

Homecoming doesn't recapture the essence of the Konami-developed games. The action-oriented approach leaves players with an awkward camera and less impressive plot, but the game is still enjoyable in its own way.

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GameShark

Imagine the L.A. skyline during rush hour, condensed into the perimeter of a city block, and you have a good idea of how thick the trademark fog has become.

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Vandal Online

Despite its flaws, we have to say we have a more than decent title here, heir to a legacy of classic survival horror elements and an example of what Silent Hill should be in this generation. Although the final result is not so awesome, this is a good opportunity to return to that silent village.

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SpazioGames

Despite some big flaws, every Silent Hill fan out there will find in Homecoming some of the old (black) magic. Gameplay feels old, and the same goes for visuals, but the atmosphere is still intact. If you love Silent Hill, this is still your game, but starting from next chapter we all need something new.

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NZGamer

Viewed as a standalone title, Silent Hill: Homecoming is extremely competent, but as a sequel, it falls short of progressing the series in any meaningful way.

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Game Chronicles

An extremely shallow game.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

Suitably atmospheric psycho-horror with a couple of flaws. [Dec 2008, p.72]

Playstation Official Magazine UK

A solid tribute act, then, but the handling of the series is too timid to be truly great. [Dec 2008, p.120]

ZTGameDomain

For what it is Silent Hill: Homecoming truly does fit its namesake in bringing the franchise back to its roots.

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IGN UK

Scary it mightn’t be, but it’s compelling, unsettling and engaging in its own familiar, anachronistic way.

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Eurogamer Portugal

Silent Hill Homecoming is a game more inclined to action than to terror. Although not the best in the genre, fans of the series will find a good experience here.

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VideoGamer

Despite these impressive production values, Homecoming ultimately fails to achieve greatness.

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Level7.nu

When it was announced that a western developer was to take over the reins from Team Silent there were many raised voices of concern about what would become of the series. Silent Hill Homecoming is actually a classic Silent Hill experience, a bit too classic to be honest, with the game's formula sticking very close to the old Silent Hill games. The graphical upgrade works great, lending design inspiration from the movie, and the music and sound is phenomenal. The plot is also told very well. The modernized combat system unfortunately eliminates the sense of respect and fear for the enemies, the main gripe we have with this otherwise great survival horror experience.

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Meristation

Several years have passed since the last Silent Hill game for home consoles, but the franchise is still scary as hell. The new gameplay is great, and it is faithful to the spirit of the series, but it's extremely simple and not as deep as previous entries. Also, it's not a great game on the technical side. Good game, but it could have been better.

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Game Over Online

It never hits its stride, never find that sweet spot that makes for that great edge-of-your-seat survival horror experience.

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GameFocus

If you are a survival horror fan or just a Silent Hill fan you will enjoy this game and it would be worth the buy, but it is not a scary game, at least for me. If you are new to the Silent Hill franchise, just rent this one as it is not a good starter for the series. If you want to be scared, Dead Space is your best bet or Siren on the PS3.

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GameSpy

Silent Hill: Homecoming is a very strange game, as its dual nature and oddly unsatisfying gameplay could likely turn both fans and newcomers away.

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IGN

A bit of a letdown. The gameplay has been reduced from a tense psychological experience fraught with spine tingling jumps and scares to a generic, predictable action title set in the location with good graphics and a great soundtrack.

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Gaming Age

It was the game's storyline and characters that captured me versus the suspense this time around, but that didn't make the game any less enjoyable for me.

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PALGN

While Silent Hill: Homecoming is a decent survival-horror romp, the series has seen better days. It's a bit stale, a bit easy, and a bit light-on in the scare department.

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Game Informer

Fans will probably dig the game’s cool set pieces and the story, but the save points are placed too far apart, many puzzles require too much random experimentation, and the dialogue system seems like an afterthought.

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GameZone

Considering that Homecoming’s gameplay is a clone of its predecessors, this isn’t the sequel that every Silent Hill fan will want to own. But you should definitely play through it once, as the old gameplay style is still entertaining (minus the clunky combat elements), the music and sound effects are great, and the new story will keep everyone guessing.

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Play UK

Ultimately you're left cursing at almost every turn. [Issue#174, p.88]

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Edge Magazine

This is a deeply flawed game, but a fascinating one which makes you think as much as wince. [Christmas 2008, p.99]

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

It’s decent survival horror, but Silent Hill fans will be disappointed.

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GamePro

If survival horror is your bread and butter, then Homecoming is right up your alley; otherwise, you might be better served waiting for Resident Evil 5. [Nov 2008, p.92]

Playstation Official Magazine Australia

Konami will want to get Team Silent back for Silent Hill 7, we think. [Apr 2009, p.74]

Thunderbolt

Silent Hill: Homecoming feels tired. The series is past its best and is in need of a complete re-work.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 33 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sim G. gave it a7:
I’ve played this right after completing Dead Space. While the story isn’t the strongest point for Dead Space, it more than make up in controls. It plays so well that you just like walking around and kill (or dismember) the necromorphs all over the place. The game gives such a great feedback and a great feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Silent Hill Homecoming is the exact opposite. I’m a huge fan of the series and I’ve completed every one of them at least twice (only once for SH Origins). While they actually upgraded the controls, it just can’t be compared to today’s standards. I would pick a third person perspective game over a first person any time and that’s why I really enjoyed games like Resident Evil 4, Uncharted, darkSector and Dead Space. This Silent Hill game created a faithful mood and storyline with a lot of goosebumps and twisted events, but moving around still feels like a chore. Sometimes, just opening doors can be a pain. The controls responsiveness is stiff and didn’t encourage me to explore the environment. Instead, I was more looking forward to get the story progress so that I don’t have to suffer the controls. The other thing that bugged me is the lack of satisfaction I was getting from killing enemies and solving puzzles. Killing enemies is boring and the puzzles are often just a matter of finding where the things are hidden rather than having to figure out how to use them. Well, I’m sad to say this, but I think it’s time for the series to end… unless they make a game where you can play Pyramid Head before he became the monster that we know; which could be an interesting plot twist.

Lam L. gave it an8:
I really rate this an 8.15. It is my first Silent Hill game, although I have read and heard a lot about the earliers games and I thought the 2006 movie was a masterpeice. I will get the others in the series and play them. Here is my rating system. Gameplay (includes controls, story, immersion, and what you actually do in the game) is given a score of 0 (worst) -10 (best). Graphics is rated. This means the aesthetic and technical qualities of it. Audio is rated and includes game music, soundtrack and voice dialogue- everything you hear in a game. My last category is rated .0 (point 0) - .5 (point 5), and really is a bonus component of the 30 point rating system. If the game has replayability it is given a higher bonus component. Replayability can mean both story mode and multiplayer available, split creen or online. It can mean multiple story threads or endings. It can also mean open world- a lot of endless explotrng doing nothing but having a good time w/ whatever you want to do. Well here it what I ratd SH:H. Gameplay gets an 8 because I enjoy survival horror and it gave you that. To me, combat was satisfying but the enemies have cheap shots. It felt like the town or universe of SH that I have come to expect, but I wasn't "wowed" with it like I thought I would be on the PS3. Maybe it had to do wit the graphics. Maybe it had to do with how the story was told. You learned the majority of it in the last 5th of the game. So it felt kinda hollow (the story that you play). You ran around the earlier parts of the game trying to piece what happened together but you just end up running around finding out notihng. Next. Graphics I gave a 7.8. These graphics are excellent PS2 grahics, excellent last generation graphics but not up to quality of the best of this generation: games like MGS4, Motorstorm, Condemned 2, DMC4. Audio gets an 8.5. Nothing really to complain about.. I liked it. It set the mood. I can see why earlier games and their reviews gave this composer high marks. Dialogue and effects sound were satisfactory. Replayability I give it a point one five (.15) because of the multiple endings you can replay for. Add all those #s up and divide by 3. Viola.

Jonathan H. gave it a9:
as a pretty big fan of the silent hill series, i'm very satisfied with this game and it's improvements over previous silent hill titles. the storyline is great, the atmosphere is just as frightening as any of the other games, and the combat system is much improved and not as clunky. for a survival horror title, you can't ask for much more in my opinion.

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Silent Hill: Homecoming

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