Video Game Vintage Title: Silent Hill

Silent Hill

Silent Hill is a survival horror media franchise consisting of nine installments created by Keiichiro Toyama and published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3, and 4, were developed by an internal group called Team Silent, a development staff within former Konami subsidiary Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. The later five games, Silent Hill: Origins, Homecoming, Shattered Memories, Downpour and Book of Memories, were developed by other, unrelated groups.

Silent Hill is set in the series' eponymous fictitious American town. The series is heavily influenced by the literary genre of psychological horror, with its player characters being mostly "everymen." By contrast, other horror-themed games use a stronger protagonist through character back story or direct game mechanics , as is the case in Resident Evil, which is widely regarded as Silent Hill's primary "rival".

The Silent Hill franchise has expanded to include various print pieces, two feature films, and spin-off video games.

Reception
The Silent Hill series has been universally praised for its graphics, atmosphere, and story. While the first three installments received critical acclaim, later games were less well received.

The first installment in the series, Silent Hill, received positive reviews from critics on its release and was commercially successful. It is considered a defining title in the survival horror genre, moving away from B movie horror elements, toward a psychological style of horror emphasizing atmosphere.

Silent Hill 2 was risen by critical acclaim. It was named the fourteenth best game of the PS2 by IGN, saying "It preserved most of the original game's what-might-be-out-there fear, but with major advances to the graphics and sound, the game was able to deliver a far more immersive, frightful and compelling storyline."

Silent Hill 3 was mostly well received by critics, especially in its presentation, including its environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments. The game received praise for its story, which was a continuation of the first game's story.

Beginning with Silent Hill 4: The Room, the games have been slightly less well received; many reviewers criticized the increased emphasis on combat, compromising the horror aspect of gameplay. 1UP.com said that Konami went "backwards" with this game, though reviewers such as GameSpot still praised the game's atmosphere.

Origins received positive reviews despite some criticism. It was praised for going back to the old gameplay formula�according to IGN, "Origins does justice to the series as a whole." However, some criticized the series' increasing predictability. GameSpot stated that "This old fog needs to learn some new tricks."

Homecoming received favorable reviews. It was praised for its graphics and audio, but the horror and gameplay have been met with mixed reactions. Some critics, such as GameSpot, felt that it lost "the psychological horror factor that the series is so well-known for." Some critics were harsher; IGN called the game a "letdown."

Shattered Memories received more positive reviews. GameSpot praised the game's effort at reinventing the first game's plot, rather than being a simple remake.

Downpour received mixed reviews. While certain critics praised the soundtrack and story elements, it has been let down by "sluggish combat" and "occasional freezes".

Book of Memories has also received mixed reviews, but it has been the least well received game in the series, with most criticism regarding the game's shift in genre.