Silent Hill Homecoming: SH Retrospective

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#SilentHill Homecoming came to us at a very odd point in the SH timeline. There were movies and games coming out left and right with the Silent Hill name on the box, and at this point we knew that Konami was not going to be making this series in house anymore. So the news of another western developed game in the series had us fans filled with equal amounts fear and anticipation. Which of those were the most necessary? Well let's find out.
Video Index:
03:04 - Story
12:27 - To avoid story spoilers
17:34 - Gameplay
24:13 - PS3 Port Gameplay
29:02 - Graphics
34:33 - PS3 Port Graphics
35:59 - Conclusion

[@josheh4]

I worked on this game. I am a huge Silent Hill fan so it was a bit of a special experience, even if it didn't live up to the other games. At the time I was still new to the industry, and a lower level artist. I loved the serious though, so put my heart into everything I did for the game. One of the more memorable things I made was Elle's Locket

[@rockybalboa4593]

Thrilled to see this comment. I just want to say to you right now that I freakin love this game. It’s one of my top favorite Silent Hill games. I am literally replaying it as I posted this and just saved after defeating the Sepulcher boss. I love this game. I will agree with the criticism that the nurses did not fit or make sense because there was not a hospital setting and we are not playing as James, but the other creature designs overall were top notch, the environments and atmosphere were extremely detailed and unsettling, the map system worked well. This felt all around like a Silent Hill game to me and is my second favorite game after Silent Hill 2. Downpour and origins are also part of my top 5 along with Silent Hill 4. My least favorite Silent Hill game was Silent Hill 3. That one just didn’t do it for me and I didn’t like the necessity of the constant running.

[@rockybalboa4593]

@MiguelHernandez-ne2cp i don’t care what anyone says. This is my second favorite Silent Hill game after Silent Hill 2. I love this game. Origins and Downpour come next followed by Silent Hill 4 for me. My least favorite game was part 3.

[@samuelhaverghast2442]

late but, just wanted to let you know, from the footage I am seeing, it looks like a nice game, I probably will never be able to play it, but I hope one day to try it, no matter what is said about it, and thank you for working on it

[@GOLD-CS]

In addition to having a spectacular atmosphere, the feeling of returning home and coming across an abandoned dungeon was shocking for any media of this genre that I have experienced. The Game itself's a feeling, the story's one of the most macabre in the series. But I really really like how real and organic the world of HC feels (the way they're connected and how you should move forward). Liminal spaces're striking and very nostalgic, This's one of the few games that I really enjoy exploring and contemplating the subliminal messages suggested by the scenarios, each landscape has its own energy that's chilling! that lost vibe of the 2000s, sinister and introspective funereal feeling. I 'll play this forever! This title's an absolute classic!

[@ianpurcell7026]

This was the game I bought my ps3 for, I’d never had a console of my own before that wasn’t handheld, and I loved this game and played the fuck out of it. The story is a little basic, but gameplay was amazing and terrifying at the time for me. I loved that where you hit the monsters appeared actual slashes. They knife was game breaking tho honestly when you figured out stunlocking

[@95kingslayer]

I can't wait for Silent Hill: Far From Home.

[@jaysony8587]

LOL!!!!!!

[@turnoffthedark268]

underrated comment

[@scavorthespacecowboy2096]

@@turnoffthedark268 frr only 64 likes

[@dustinbooher8955]

The real value is in the comments

[@ThePatrickNetwork]

This was the most beautiful comment ever.

[@hankhill1964]

Silent Hill homecoming could best be described as fanfiction with a budget it comes across as being made by someone who was very enthusiastic about the series but didn't get the whole picture so they filled in the blanks with their own ideas. There's a charm to that sort of thing but the fact that this was officially linked to the series takes away from that.

[@jaredmatthews9403]

Silent Hank Hill. Show me how to catch a fish with a rock of crack.

[@hankhill1964]

@@jaredmatthews9403 hehe i don't do that sort of fishing any more.

[@Gruntvc]

Think Pyramid Head uses propane?

[@AvalancheReviews]

I think you put it perfectly.

[@hankhill1964]

@@Gruntvc nah, he uses high octane nightmare fuel.

[@dogeramsey9154]

Homecoming as a Silent Hill game: eh Homecoming in an alternate universe where it's a standalone game: better eh

[@AvalancheReviews]

My thoughts exactly

[@Beastofdestruct]

Not sure how you could see it as anything else than an American spinoff. It wasn't even released in Japan.

[@sinmenon4347]

According to the developers, the Pyramid Head was a demand from Konami because of the movie. They had no say in that. I pretty much agree with everything that you say: when I first saw the game, I was like "oh , this girl's hair looks like a stock model" and it never got much better from there.

[@Cruxis_Angel]

Homecoming was my first silent hill so I have a weakness for it. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be. Made me go and play the older games and ended up loving the series

[@SergiMedina]

I understand what you say, but _Homecoming_ is light years away from SH1, SH2, SH3 and even SH4, sadly...

[@Diabl0Mask]

I agree and it was my first SH game too, I can understand why people hate it so much, but as a standalone game it's not half bad.

[@teo_johny]

Same here, with homecoming I had discovered silent hill series

[@strangeboy904]

It's an entertaining game. Very stressful, just like horror should be.

[@WhirlingMusic]

Same here. My first Silent Hill game. I am replaying it and there are still many positives. I know the negatives and they are valid but it's still a solid game. The music and atmosphere! Better than Downpour.

[@CsStoker]

Silent Hill: Modern Warfare

[@Gruntvc]

Captain Price versus Pyramid Head...

[@Delta_4k]

That would be fucking awesome.

[@ColombianThunder]

Honestly horror military shooters are seriously lacking. The closest we get imo, or as far as I know, was Spec Ops: The Line (it's not traditional horror but it's psychological and plenty aspects of it make my skin crawl). Another i guess would be shellshock 2 but that game was awful.

[@somerandomdude5638]

@@ColombianThunder FEAR was pretty good mostly because it creeps you out with out taking away control.

[@quiettimegaming3642]

Good joke... but I’d play that, lol.

[@Darkangel754]

I find it interesting that you didn't like the design of the Scarlett (doll) boss. For me that was the most memorable and unnerving enemy in the game.

[@AvalancheReviews]

She just seemed kind of plain to me. The other ones have a lot of body horror elements, and I get into that.

[@LionmaneElsie08]

Darkangel754 her music is incredible too

[@crococatcreative]

Silent Hill has unique designs even when a monster is plain, like the lying figure. Scarlet is just a lanky doll. She lacks all the uncanny valley that made other monsters so scary. Its fine to like her, shes not abysmal at least. I personally loved Amnion. Amnion is probably one of the most disturbing monsters in the whole series.

[@MasterDirox]

I agree. I found all of the bosses to be pretty memorable and quite scary.

[@MultiKamil97]

For me she was the most memorable because I had to kill her/him with NO healing items. It was a pure massacre but I beat this fucker up on my probably 10th attempt.

[@Lord_Deimos]

All faults and shortcomings aside, i've had a decent time with Homecoming and the soundtrack is one of my favourites in the series. However, the horror game that ate most of my time in 2008 was Dead Space. Please, review these gems once the Silent Hill retrospective is done.

[@AvalancheReviews]

The soundtrack was amazing, and I really do plan on covering dead space.

[@jacobia7093]

Absolutely, great idea! The Dead Space games were phenomenal...although the 3rd dropped the horror quality ball, it was still a solid game to play.

[@Gruntvc]

If anything, Homecoming makes you want to play the classics. It's not bad, but definitely not up to the standards of the past games. Dead Space was great. Too bad EA owned tgat franchise and devs. Still can't believe EA might actually doing something right this year with that C&C Remaster Collection.

[@Lord_Deimos]

@@Gruntvc My dad and i are on the fence for the C&C Remaster. EA did something right last year with Jedi Fallen Order and after the C&C mobile fiasco they need to deliver because this franchise needs to return.

[@Gruntvc]

@Tyrant, $20 For 2 excellent classic C&C games that include extra content, including stuff from the PS1 ports supposedly. Plus tons of remastered music by the original composer. Hoping it turns out great, but it is EA.

[@Criss7771]

I honestly did not think this game was that bad, I thought it was a decent shot at a western interpretation of Silent Hill ,the combat was terrible ,and the story was cliche horror ,but I was overall entertained by it ,and saw it till the end,so that's gotta count for somethin.

[@VisserZer0]

It was Joe Public's idea of Silent Hill. Pyramid Head, blood and rust, and a cult, all wrapped around a Hollywood plot. A lot of stuff taken from the film rather than the games. It's like if a super casual fan who only played Silent Hill 2 and saw the movie decided to make a Silent Hill game. Then on top of that, add the horrible combat and obnoxious bugs.

[@playerunkown8699]

@@VisserZer0 indeed thats true

[@AvalancheReviews]

I think I judge it harshly beacuase it's SH. If this would have been called Shepherd's Glen, I likely would have went easier on it.

[@playerunkown8699]

@@AvalancheReviews its okay i respect everone there opinions i like the game personally

[@Gruntvc]

It definitely could be a lot worse, a lot worse.

[@IDKeffect82]

I actually didn't mind this game. My wife and I played this game so much. This game wanted her to play the older games. She thinks Silent Hill 2 is the best of them all. I agree.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Don't worry. It's not just you guys. The entire fandom feels that way. I'm more of an SH3 guys myself, but I still love 2.

[@IDKeffect82]

@@AvalancheReviews SH3 was also amazing. I remembered that day I brought it in 2003 while I worked at Wendy's. I couldn't wait to get home. The good old days of video games lol

[@lostsanityreturned]

@@AvalancheReviews I have a friend who feels the same as you, and another who feels that 1 was the best game in the series. Of course you are all wrong and downpour is obviously the best game of the lot of them. ;)

[@Jasonhoods]

@@IDKeffect82 I liked Homecoming more than SH3 but SH2 is the best imo.

[@IDKeffect82]

@@Jasonhoods I have to agree with you. I really did like homecoming

[@JJRodriguez]

Time for Jared to trudge through the reset of the series... I feel bad for the work he's gonna do on Book of Memories.

[@AvalancheReviews]

I'm going to have to buy a damn PSTV for that one......

[@TheTwinkelminkelson]

To be honest Book of Memories was actually a really enjoyable dungeon crawler. Poor Silent Hill game for sure, but it actually did blend general survival horror elements really well with ARPG gameplay. The biggest problem it had was being a Silent Hill game instead of its own thing.

[@AydarBMSTU]

Another game by perfect walking sh bible neverwrong and being lied about tom hullett

[@John_962]

As my first Silent Hill game, Homecoming really impressed me with the atmosphere and lore. I didn’t find out until after several playthroughs that fans of the series hate it. Lol I have a habit of loving titles in franchises that fans just seem to not like.

[@JeremyJenner]

I unapologetically love this game. It had excellent creature design, an intriguing sacrifice plot and a great realistic protagonist. Yeah it tried something different with the combat but so did Shattered Memories and people rarely bash on that. Purists can hate on Homecoming all they want but it was still damn popular back in its day (and for good reason).

[@ori.g4mi]

I am not the biggest fan of Homecoming, but the creature design is excellent. The soundtrack is very memorable too. I have problems with the story, but I enjoy the atmosphere. Its a guilty pleasure of a game to me. It doesn't completely shit on SH1 like Origins did and it also doesn't retcon itself into an incoherent mess like Downpour.

[@knoble1985]

I agree

[@benjaminbelmonte7192]

But not as good as the 3

[@knoble1985]

@@benjaminbelmonte7192 No doubt about that! My fav one

[@sRxValoR]

@@ori.g4mi TBH I loved downpour a lot more, I wish the creature design was more memorable though

[@dougdynamo9398]

The only issue I have with your videos is that I'm running out of them to watch. Keep up the great work, dude.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Ha! I'm definitely working to remedy that.

[@dougdynamo9398]

@@AvalancheReviews Brother, please work at your own pace. I may speak for myself, but I hope to speak for everyone when I say that we'd rather you make quality you're proud of rather than feeling a need to rush for us. We'll be here.

[@vuetoob3983]

Never knew there was so much SH game and movie sources for this series to last so long but thats a great thing - I can't get enough. Keep it up

[@AvalancheReviews]

Will do!

[@neo942007]

I'm actually replaying this one at the moment and noticed some details I never had before. During the opening hospital bed ride when he gets a peak at the rooms each room is Fitch dismembering his daughter, Judge Holloway strangling her daughter, and Bartlett tossing his son in a grave. Never really noticed it before because it was so quick. Even though not a great one I still enjoy these games. Love your thoughts on these.

[@rockybalboa4593]

Oh wow. I missed that too. Thanks for sharing this. I personally always loved this game and it’s my personal favorite after Silent Hill 2. I love the story despite how different it is. I just consider it like a reboot or requel and don’t overthink it’s connection to the others.

[@jacobia7093]

The Scarlet boss fight was a gaming experience I found pretty darned creepy 👻

[@DiablitoKawaii]

I couldnt beat Scarlet at the first time my mind was stuck on all of that " Hell Descent "

[@haphazardlark1502]

Yeah, the design may have been less unique than many other bosses, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the presentation of the fight

[@CaptainPerfect]

I really liked this game, sure it has a lot problems but still. One of my faves.

[@rahjeel]

Asphyxia and The Scarlet Doll are some of the best monster designs they've made for Silent Hill.

[@jonbourgoin182]

More like Silent Hill: Shortcoming

[@zZiL341yRj736]

Well it's better than Downpour, that one was utter dog shit.

[@theccarbiter]

gottem

[@zZiL341yRj736]

@Dizzy, The Gloomy The monsters were terrible, those stupid black and white screamer, the overworld has some stupid vortex and ends in a water slide kind of way. The choices have no consequences and Murphy story was just boring. I played a few years ago and the framerates was still go awful I freaking shut it off.

[@mmcray1688]

it's still better then silent hill shitpour

[@Magnusfication]

Hahaaa

[@regeneregetta9189]

Really like your SH videos but I find it odd that you never mention the music in them. Especially in the lesser game's case because Homecoming surprisingly has some of the best tracks in the series.

[@AvalancheReviews]

For this one, I just forgot to. I got caught up in trying to describe everything else. For what it's worth, I absolutely love the music in this game.

[@regeneregetta9189]

@@AvalancheReviews I understand but I'm happy to hear you do like it. The music is honestly my favorite thing about SH so I get a little sad when people don't talk about it.

[@MrMadRealms]

That's because despite everyone behind the series leaving, Akira Yamaoka sticked with the series. :)

[@letthebasscannon223]

now, we begin to cover the dark times

[@letthebasscannon223]

Also, apparently the only reason Double Helix got the SH license was due to the (admittedly good) Otherworld transitions. Elle was also supposedly originally supposed to be an adult Laura from SH2, wearing James' jacket.

[@theslanderousgent4475]

CuteGlassesWaifu I don’t see what the need would be for having an adult Laura in the game. Shame they didn’t scrap the nurses and Pyramid head for the game as well as this

[@AvalancheReviews]

It's gonna be........interesting

[@willhuey4891]

i actually enjoyed origins though.

[@marbles8641]

I forgot Pyramid Head was in the game. Which made me start looking deeper into it, and it turns out the game's producer, and Konami's Western head of Silent Hill, Tomm Hulett, did NOT want Pyramid Head in the game, along with other changes to lore. He put up such a fight over the inclusion and changes, he was removed from the project entirely and only brought back later when the devs lost his replacement. Even then, he had little say or input on the team, which is depression.

[@OSW]

Yo Jared! Any chance of adding this and Downpour to the SH playlist please? Cheers!

[@AvalancheReviews]

Oh damn! Are both not on there??? Yeah, I'll fix that right now.

[@boccia2409]

Wow as a long time SH fan I absolutely love your videos. Never thought there was such a large community in 2020 .

[@zck4398]

I think i'll stick with the original 3 games, nothing comes close to those masterpieces

[@rebornfakechannel6171]

Ever played The Last of Us. That game will make SH 1-4 look like Tommy Wiseaus The Room.

[@rebornfakechannel6171]

@Correct Opinion Yes it does. Every game looks bad compared to Naughty Dogs masterpiece. Silent Hill 1-4 characters are so one-dimensional when compared to the well written characters like Joel, Ellie, Tess, Marlene, Tommy and Bill.

[@tnt6656]

@@rebornfakechannel6171 I can't believe people are still circlejerking tlou. Game is overrated "muh feels" trash along with the new god of war.

[@jeambeam3173]

@@rebornfakechannel6171 some new copy paste of zombie tropes seen continuosly since left for dead has ABSOLUTLEY nothing on this classic or having to do with this classic. Its like saying Friday the 13th was stupid jaws is way better

[@BLAM5980]

RebornFakeChannel 😐

[@jpjammin1876]

Thank you so much for acknowledging the glossiness of everything. I feel like most people don't mention it. This game doesn't have my favorite monster design, but some are definitely cool, and I think the sheen on them takes away from how effective/disturbing they could be.

[@brabiz67]

I just started replaying SH3 for the first time in almost a decade and it still holds up. So dark and full of dread. I was home alone playing it in the dark and was quite spooked out. These later games totally miss this feeling, even at their best moments

[@hexangel1523]

Hope you're staying safe, bro. Glad I have content creators like you easing the stress we're all going through right now with the pandemic. Cheers, bro.

[@km-ug4dq]

I actually kinda liked Homecoming

[@AvalancheReviews]

Nothing wrong with that. To each their own.

[@Ian-rz6dm]

I think it's a really good game, just not a good silent hill game, but it's still a fun time.

[@kuroe-chan5190]

I enjoyed it my self too. It still was spooky but I feel the battle system was definately difficult and I liked that. The part I wasn’t big on were the pre rendered cut scenes before big stuff happened . One or two here or there is fine but I felt every 10 mins it was something. I wasn’t as terrified sometimes

[@jaylinjapan4683]

In my opinion, Homecoming is like the second best silent Hill game in the series. SH3 will always be number one. I've played them all. SH4 The Room and Downpour were overrated trash. Shattered Memories is interesting but pointless. I think that reviewers shit on this game because that's the popular internet perspective. Internet pundits need to bend criticism to meet fans needs. Like a salesman, "supply and demand". To be fair, certain things in the game like pyramid head being in it just don't fit except as fan service, but it's better than the reviewers say it is.

[@jaylinjapan4683]

I feel like more than 70% of your criticism is the technical aspect of the game having disappointed you and I agree that a shitty PC port is unacceptable. I hated Arkham Knight because of that, but I liked the combat in SH Homecoming.

[@elwalas8716]

It's always great to enter youtube and see a new retrospective uploaded. Thanks Jared!

[@AvalancheReviews]

My pleasure man!

[@nicholasc3905]

"Theres only so much you can do to polish a turd" 😂 love that expression perfectly sums it up and what's hilarious is HD collection attempted to polish SH 2&3 and turned them into giant steaming piles

[@haphazardlark1502]

I have a lot of thoughts and am pleasantly surprised at your take on this, having personally always fallen into the camp of “this had so much potential and i wish i could have seen it become its own thing rather than tying itself to the silent hill name”, but beyond that I’m astonished you didn’t mention the teeth when discussing the face modeling. LOOKIT THEM CHOMPERS...!

[@ajaakola2]

I was just thinking where is my new Avalanche Silent Hill Review !? You should also try Ds game called Dementium, just for the fun of it. Hope you all have a nice day and stay safe in these dark times !

[@AvalancheReviews]

I played the second one, and it's very impressive for a ds title.

[@ajaakola2]

@@AvalancheReviews Its indeed nice little horrorish series for ds. Those graphics reminds me of ps1. They are nice little short games, but they are kind of unique experience as ds did not really have M-rated games or nice 3d graphics.

[@moosemaster84]

I respect that you are looking out for your fans man. Suggesting that they take care of themselves before you. I like that. When things calm down and money starts falling in where it should I'll be sure to hit you up on patreon. It wont be much, but I really respect the hell out of what you do.

[@MasterDirox]

As someone who played SH 1 through 4 growing up, I really liked Homecoming. I disagree with many of the critiques here, and that's okay we can still be friends :D

[@Puchacz_Okrutnik]

That was my first Silent Hill game I ever played. It did great job by introducing me to the franchise.

[@khfreak5531]

Also the “god” that the cult worships is explicitly stated to be “Samael” in the first game. Look up the name and you’ll find all the lore. He’s essentially a fallen angel. Or a demon.

[@flavorgod]

Wrong.

[@khfreak5531]

flavorgod I’ve already heard the argument that it was a part of Dalia’s ruse. But my view is that she only lied about the intentions of the cult. The final boss of the first game known as the incubus. Is also named Samael in pretty much every Wiki you come across. The official graphic novels also explicitly state so. And yes, I’ve heard the argument that it was written in the west at that point and isn’t considered canon. Mainly because all the OG fans hate the western take on the series. Of which is completely understandable. They weren’t very good. Whether or not the OG “Team Silent” intended it to be canon isn’t up to them. As Konami gave the rights of the story to other western developers. It’s kinda like what Disney did with Star Wars. They declared the EU fan fiction and forced there own version as “canon.” However, not nearly as severe as with the devs hired by Konami. So you may be right. The story has changed over the years as different people have been getting their hands on the series and not staying very true to the source material. I’m just saying that the boss is named after him. If you check out “Jordanunderneath” that was the conclusion he came to in his SH retrospective. Of course he didn’t really care for the story as much as he did for the game itself. So a hardcore OG fan can say that he didn’t really care enough to do a proper analysis of the story. Great vids though. Go ahead and tell me why I’m wrong of course. Please educate me on the matter. Because I want to know what’s considered official. I’m down for a chill exchange of info about it.

[@CoMMaNdeRKeENs]

finnally someone gets it

[@JohnAKASquib]

Excellent critique man. I watched a youtuber named GhenryPerez's video where he critiqued all the western Silent Hill games and he just kept saying this game was shit without really explaining why. At least you give it credit where it deserves credit and explain the problems where there are problems.

[@billybobby4637]

Me: Can't wait to play more Animal Crossing right now. Avalanche: >releases new SH video Me: *Well, shit.*

[@Amber_xo_133]

The first 4 SH Games are Iconic everything after 4 is a rehash of 2

[@okmate]

There are a few things that I actually liked about this game: -You did mention this, but I really liked the general athmosphere in this game, especially those few Otherworld parts. -The boss battles in my opinion were actually good in this game, and I really enjoyed them -While yes, it did just copy the story of 2, I kinda liked it, and I actually felt sorry for Alex towards the end, seeing how depressed most parents have become after killing their children, and his dad basically wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. -Of course, the only remaining Team Silent member being Akira Yamaoka at the time, the soundtrack was yet again amazing. I think this game is a huge wasted potential, if Helix could've researched the story of Silent Hill a bit more, and if it didn't had such shitty combat, it could've been a fairly decent game.

[@CapnCrimson]

The "failed child sacrifice from powerful families causes hellish town to be filled with malice and evil" plot worked way better in Fatal Frame 2. And that was actually a good game.

[@seangalvin3196]

I played this game in 2011 after a long hiatus from gaming. I was a die hard fan of SH-SH3 and I had no idea what the critical consensus of this game was. I kind of loved it. Maybe that would not be the case had I come in directly after playing the original trilogy.

[@Ponimaju]

I've been watching your videos for years, always enjoying them, but I've really enjoyed your RE and Silent Hill retrospectives lately as I've been getting more into survival horror this past little while. Keep it up Jared!

[@dirtytreva]

Man I can't wait to hear you talk about P.T/Silent Hills. Will be interesting to hear what you say about the demo and I know you're not big on fan theories and speculation but will you go over that or just strictly P.T?

[@Jessica-dq5of]

What you said at the very end of the video was very thoughtful in this hard times. Thank you for thinking of everyone and not only focusing on yourself in these hard times. Sorry I never give anything I'm just always broke living alone and paying for everything by myself is hard. I never played any SH game but I love listening to your voice and how you structure your reviews. Keep up the great work

[@zerenadli]

Honestly I actually enjoyed playing this years ago.

[@Genasidal]

Really good retrospective here Jared! haven't seen many comprehensive reviews of this game that address both flaws and the pros, but I think you did a great job at assessing both! As a lil' side note: I appreciate the small part at the end about the patreon, it's heartwarming and welcoming, and to mirror the segment - stay safe everyone!

[@lowerclassbrats77]

I liked this game as a whole but boy did I hate the combat.

[@TheFurryInShambles]

I liked it first time through,but than again that was when the game came out. The combat I thought was fine, but it's the odd animations of running is the bad.

[@Gruntvc]

Liked the ray gun you unlocked for getting the Alien abduction ending lol.

[@khfreak5531]

The funny thing about it was that it was based on his “military” background. But that all turns out to be a farce as he’s just wearing his dad’s military coat. He was actually in a mental hospital the entire time he was supposedly in the military. Couldn’t get over what happened to his brother and got institutionalized.

[@emulation2369]

best combat in the series when you need to use certain weapons with timings against certain enemies - sure is the worst

[@SamsarasArt]

It was way too action oriented imo

[@vladimerelhore]

This was my first SH game, and honestly that was probably for the best.

[@justinunger3526]

I've beat them all, and this is an unpopular opinion, but this might be my favorite one. Like the combat and story and feel it explores the order well

[@dustinsterling3248]

This was the first SH game I had played thru to completion, it was also the first SH I played (aside from a bit of SH1 when I was a kid). Haven't played it since it was current but I remember enjoying it. I'm sure if I went back now, after playing the majority of the series, I'd be similarly critical of Homecoming. Damn good review as always Jared Edit: you're gonna keep taking my money and you're gonna LIKE IT

[@AvalancheReviews]

Well I appreciate that a lot man! Much love!

[@mrmoviemanic1]

Before watching the review: “Oh god please don’t destroy one of my fav Silent Hill games” After watching: "RAGHHGHGH" After Calm Down: Lol in all seriousness I'm sorry you didn't have a fun time with the game and didn't see the greatness of the game like I do, to me it's one of the best experiences of a Silent Hill game I've had and while I do know where the criticisms lie, I think the game gets way to much flack from the community because it's part of there canon lore and sort of feels like the blacksheep. I don't agree with a lot of you're pointing but I do respect your opinion as a critic more than most others so I think it wounded me a little more. But that's the job and I'm glad you spoke your mind. But as a huge Silent Hill fan I do think that there is way more to this game than most critics are labeling it as. I tend to think that the reason Homecoming is mostly looked down upon by huge fans of the series is because of how different it is to nearly every other game save Shattered Memories and really the whole approach I've seen in most peoples complaints fall under a "Not broke, don't fix" sentiment. Homecoming to me is a much more violent and disturbing tale that is very much the less subtle about it's approach compared to all the other games, but it's one of the most impactful from a story and character progression, Alex I think is one of the most impactful characters in the series and also the most tragic of them. Overall I really don't like that you would tell some people to give the game a miss when you also admit it has fans and does have good parts and I really didn't like the "I don't get what you like about this game" type of comment you made to the fans of the game while also insinuating that only casual fans would forgive this title. But I do appreciate that you explored it and you gave your honest opinion like always in your reviews, it's just unfortunate that we don't see eye to eye on this one as most of your other splendid reviews, but hey that's to be expected and it doesn't mean the game is to be deemed bad to everyone based on one person's review. Really liking the series and I like that you are still enjoing most of the SH titles. Will see you in the next one.

[@emulation2369]

people seems to miss the point of the game...it has more violence and combat because the original concept for the game was fighting PTSD after war,but it was slightly tweaked to sexual maturation and father to son relationship,that is why it felt messy,all monster are explained well (only the Pyramid had has no purpose in the game). The game has the best combat with strict timings where you had to use all of the weapons.... But who cares right?At least I can easily enjoy the game without missing anything)

[@zettor47]

Was waiting for the PS3 SH game retrospectives since you started these, I never got around to checking them out thank you👍

[@Ch33su5]

This was the first silent hill game I was able to actually put time into and I did enjoy it quite a lot. Granted it has its failings, not as many as downpour for me, but overall the experience was pretty good. The combat allowed for numerous amounts of abusing it to kill enemies and not take much damage, plus only one enemy would attack you so it reduced likelihood of you dying. The story was also pretty linear which also did hurt the experience a little bit but was something I got over. I did enjoy the transitions into the other world and also did enjoy the rusted look too. This game also had a good amount of enemy variety and bosses which put it above downpour for me. The main reason why I feel like people don’t like this game is because they did use the movie as the main influence for aspects of the game and the complaint is definitely warranted because it shows it was

[@John.Diaper]

Silent Hill: Homecoming copies heavily from the movie 'Dead Man's Shoes' and I can barely find anything on the internet making that connection. At least 80% of the storyline is lifted from that great indie movie.

[@sobreoqueeugosto4700]

Resident Evil 4 is inspired in Wrong Turn, but i can't find anything making that conection on internet either.

[@John.Diaper]

@@sobreoqueeugosto4700 if you get a chance check out the movie Dead Man's Shoes. It's a great movie from Shane Meadows. It's hard to meet someone whose seen that movie let alone play SH:Homecoming.

[@brianboniuk1072]

It's pretty clear Homecoming was the start of the steady decline of quality in the series. After this came Downpour and Book of Memories, none of which really did any better at departing from the tride and true formula of copying what worked before. Sad to see Konami dropped the ball so hard on its star franchise, while Capcom monopolized the market and kept a strong rep with the modern REs

[@VisserZer0]

Nah, Capcom was busy shitting on RE at the same time Konami was flushing Silent Hill down the toilet. Capcom just did better financially, because bang bang shoot shoot co-op zombie game. They've at least returned to form, though.

[@Gruntvc]

To be fair, Capcom drops the ball too a lot of the times. Capcom is like 50-50 each year that they'll be great or terrible like most Western publishers.

[@brianboniuk1072]

@@VisserZer0 The remake trend has been working wonders for em, but 7 was the trigger for the redemption of RE

[@brianboniuk1072]

@@Gruntvc they've been mostly hit, I still havent forgot the debacle of Umbrella Corps but they have since rebounded big with 7 and the remakes

[@AvalancheReviews]

Honestly, I'm hoping Konami will get inspired by how much money and clout Capcom has gained by putting a shit load of effort into remaking their old games.

[@6ixcars]

This review was great man, carefully picked apart a flawed game but also gave credit where it was due because truthfully it did have its moments and I actually thought the story was quite interesting. Only thing I wish for was that Akira Yamaoka’s brilliance was recognized. His music in every SH game has been a highlight but this one in particular, his music single handily created some amazing atmosphere. But yes keep up the good work dude!

[@nolife8051]

Last time I was this early, Ben Askren was still conscious

[@jaredmatthews9403]

Night night, Funky Town

[@AvalancheReviews]

Not gonna lie, I had to look that guy up

[@qaching]

@@AvalancheReviews he is an mma fighter that got destroyed by a flying knee to the fucking jaw and he was almost dead

[@nikker1985]

How do you guys not recognise that this is the best Silent Hill game ever? Story wise, plot wise, game play wise, character wise.... Big shoes to fill...but also far superior to any other Silent Hill game.

[@GOLD-CS]

*At first when Alex gets off the stretcher, there's a clock in that room. It's the only clock in the game that seems to work, it wasn't even two o'clock in the morning yet. then there's an entity that's killing the doctors of the place, and when the protagonist tries to escape at 2:06 in the morning (time of the accident) something doesn't let him out of alchemilla. so the nightmare begins within the nightmare, from there time's stopped and everything takes place in alex's childhood in S.Glen in the 80's. you'll see objects from alex's childhood scattered around the scenarios, and also relics such as old cars and public heritages. in this case this game is timeless.. (however there're endings where he actually escaped from alchemilla)* *When you arrive in S.Glen, next to Dr.fitch's office there's the city bank with 4 lights on, 3 of which're bright and the last one's almost off (symbolizing the 4 families). Suggesting that the bank's still active with secret meetings, throughout the game the building remains linked with people on the premises arguing who knows what. It's one of the mysteries of the game that everything's abandoned but the financial part of the city's still in full swing! kidnappings have become a kind of business...* *if you look at alex's house from the outside, it's empty giving the impression that the shepherds have moved but when you enter the house, it's fully furnished but completely abandoned (the mirrors still reflect no furniture inside). looking through the backyard in the kitchen part this becomes more apparent (giving a paranormal air of the house being an ancestral ghost of the city).* *the woman locked in the hotel can also be the manifestation of alex's mother living in the world of the dead and he living in the world of the living, both're separated by a hole in the door that looks like the mouth of a monster. the 3 memories illustrate "the day of the accident" and why his mother was catatonic, it's implied that she committed suicide with that old gun and alex's at his doorstep talking to her. there're layers of SH that you can only reach if you're dead.. (there're also indications that it was curtis who built the machine that Lillian is trapped in, then it's possible to see his mother's corpse smiling.. of relief perhaps)* *in the dr.fitch office there's an underground passage that leads to SH, this otherworld passage's the mix of a hospital and the institution that alex's in at the beginning of the game. some hallways're the same as the protagonist walks in the prologue. It's also more apparent that Alex's exploring the characters' minds and their memories\secrets..* *this game starts in the late afternoon and culminates in a red dawn, it's notable that there's a change of climate similar to the original games. it was the first time anyone came out during the otherworld outdoors, alex was the only protagonist who saw the parallel world from the outside.* *There're Alex's toys locked in the attic of the house (also in the audio of the tape, Alex's father tells him to "go down the stairs") implying that Alex was locked in the attic and forced to sleep alone there (a dark place full of spider webs and venomous animals) in the infernal version, there're 4 monsters that represent each member of the family (in the attic there're 3 schism which're the dead Josh, the catatonic mother and Alex crouched in the corner of the attic) and in the lower part of the house there're the more aggressive schism who is alex's father. What confirms this symbolism're the four mannequins that're in the same position (including one lying down and the other propped up in the corner).* *if you analyze the drawings and read the descriptions, it's understood that there's an urban legend in S.Glen related to the lake (that's why the docks gate's sealed) by an alleged man who threw himself into lake toluca years ago, this story was told to scare the local children and this collective fear manifests itself as the executioner that exists in the game. So in the part where alex's with josh at the lake, james's still decomposed there in the depths and on the other side of the lake's possibly the abandoned car with a dead body locked in back seat. James' wife belongs to the same family tree as Alex (The Shepherds) although they're not related (in a promotional diary: Alex's mother was invited to attend a funeral for a childhood friend, but the funeral never took place) There's a misterious tomb named "someone's wife" in the Dargento Cemetery, but this grave has never been used.* *Next to Curtis' junkyard's an abandoned mine that possibly became a secret passage to SH in the final stage of the game. The lair was where people were taken to be tortured and killed by order. it's located in the basement of the church, the only sacred place in the city where it's not affected by the other world. In Curtis' warehouse, many belongings of everyone who lived in the city're hidden and also the special clothes that Curtis wore.* *There're x-rays in alchemilla that show injuries that the protagonist suffered at the end of the game (including the brother and the judge) means that this game's upside down: it starts at the end and ends at the beginning, if you reverse the acts, it's alex going from the day of the accident to the hospitalization in alchemilla in the prologue. crazy huh? (Travis was tasked with transporting the patient since he was familiar with Toluca County and worked at Brahms Station) still characteristic the journey starts in a way and turns into a whirlwind.. there's a real pyramid involving judges, politicians, doctors and police forces\dynastic families (as if everything happens in our world and not just in a nightmare).* The layers of Alex personality are represented by fog (sadness) and coming from the other world (hatred esentment), how he feels at every moment depending on what is discovered evealed. This game is introspective as f00k! more than it seems...

[@grungelives]

I loved homecoming Much like my experience with Resident evil growing up RE4 was my first proper RE experience and SHH was my first real silent hill experience. I had played RE2 and Silent Hill 2 before but I was young and either scared or bored when I played them. I hopped on board with RE4 thought and once the next gen came out i figured it was a good chance to delve into silent hill and me and my friends loved homecoming. I guess my reasoning is it’s the first time I put any time and effort into a SH game

[@SubaruMalibu]

Double Helix made at least two good games (in my flawed opinion): Strider 2014 and Front Mission Evolved. The latter may not be a worthy entry compared to the rest of its franchise, but by itself it manages to be dumb fun.

[@Gruntvc]

Their Strider game was great. Too bad Amazon swooped in and bought that studio.

[@moonsdonut5188]

you always make good video's love your work and stay safe

[@AvalancheReviews]

Thank you! You stay safe as well.

[@Budd631]

This game had the best boss battles! However, the nurses made zero sense in this game. They should’ve been exclusive to part 2. Overall, I thought it was good but the first 3 were great! Love your content!

[@micke1888]

Pyramid Head also made zero sense here

[@Budd631]

Micke yup!! 100%.

[@michaelelmes2135]

Seeing as the nurses were in SH 1 why would they not be in any except 2 lol the nurses in 3 are the best ones

[@caro1ferreira]

Lady Grey not all of them... 4 only had the patients, no nurses.

[@michaelelmes2135]

@@caro1ferreira thats basically a technicality as they serve the sams purpose they are just unique

[@Paul_McSeol]

Fantastic video as always. Really enjoying this trip down memory lane. I remember thinking this one wasn’t that bad.....but maybe by this point my expectations were so low....

[@SolidSnake_Official]

Silent Hill 5 - Jarod Townsend gets the answering machine message from his brother that hes going to search for Mary. **best possible continuation of original story if done right.

[@MrOiram46]

If you think the knife is cheesing, wait ‘till you unlock the Laser gun lmao

[@Johnnygrafx]

I enjoyed homecoming once I came to terms with the fact that it didn't belong in the Silent Hill.

[@madtoxicologist9717]

Thank you for making this quarantine situation a little better!

[@Arkonu]

Silent Hill: Zelda Boss Edition!

[@sobreoqueeugosto4700]

Dark Souls Boss Edition too

[@lastbriteSon]

Thank you for pointing this out. These modern SH games have way too many characters ruining the isolated feel and tension when you know the character you met 15 minutes ago will be your friend till the end; also they don't seem to know or exercise subtlety in story and gameplay this mainly goes homecoming but downpour has it too not as much though.

[@JustSkram]

Ah homecoming, a game with some good ideas held back by amateur devs, worthless game trends of its time and IP baggage.

[@christopherrichardson2945]

Fourth - Travis Grady is still alive and truckin’

[@truthspeaker4666]

Nah. Homecoming was an amazing game. It’s ridiculous how many people take a dump on that game for no reason. Yea, I’ll admit the combat could have been better, but it’s still totally doable. But the atmosphere and story of homecoming IMO were genius. I understand why people have a problem with nurses showing up, but come on! Fans went overboard taking a dump on this game. The devs included nurses simply for fan service because they knew we loved them. It was out of love, not stupidity. Fans were way too hard on Homecoming. I see fans at horror conventions dressing as nurses all the time. They are iconic just like Pyramid Head. That’s why they included him too. It has some of the best monster designs and especially boss designs in the entire series. That Scarlet doll still haunts me to this day. It’s also my second favorite Silent Hill game. It’s extremely underrated.

[@RuminInLove]

I love this kind of positivity, and I wholeheartedly agree. This game is an underrated gem.

[@GOLD-CS]

Although it doesn't have as many complex dialogues or that subtlety to tell the story, this one has the best setup of all games in the franchise (even more than The Room). The feeling of returning home after so long and coming across an abandoned dungeon is impactful: the morbid cloudiness, the sinister introspection that this title makes you go through.. that lost vibe of the 2000s, a funereal and melancholic feeling, this game is really macabre (instead of just being scary).

[@ranaldmacdanald8059]

Wow I literally decided to try to play this game like 3 days ago. It's really not bad, it still has that classic silent hill atmosphere when walking through the foggy streets of the town. The soundtrack is fantastic, but they decided to give us melee combos and dodges, really takes some of the fear away when you can just 2 tap a monster in the head with a pole. This game just really makes me want to play through the first 4. I always watched my brother and dad play them but never actually played them myself. I know SH1 is gonna be rough but it's a classic and I really want to get the whole story. RIP to a great franchise tho.

[@AndyKazama2]

Not terrible. Not great. Monster designs are fun though.

[@goldeninu7539]

Andy Hughes to be honest, it was the last to have striking designs 😕 (Origins...not too much)

[@AndyKazama2]

@Correct Opinion as the video says, if it wasn't a Silent Hill, it would have been a competent horror.

[@AvalancheReviews]

I loved how the bosses looked, but the rest of the monsters didn't do much for me.

[@AndyKazama2]

@@AvalancheReviews I must admit. I commented before I watched. The bosses were probably what I was thinking of, Asphyxia is a great example. Fond of Scarlet too as dolls freak me out. 😅

[@BlankOfDoom]

GOT DAMN BRODIE YOU'RE JUST PUMPING THESE OUT LATELY LOVE ALLL YOUR RETRO VIDEOS!!!!!

[@noone3389]

Am I allowed to comment or will you think I’m “trying to get my game out there”?

[@barronstankus6220]

What's teh sauce on this comment?

[@AvalancheReviews]

I'll allow it................for now

[@GuyOnAChair]

Huh?

[@toxn1xwaste378]

I'm confused o_O who is this?

[@theslanderousgent4475]

ToXn1x Waste same? Why this is a top comment is throwing me

[@g1zeratul]

If you are reading this and want to play it... It's backwards compatible on Xbox one and series x. Best console way to play it... But it's still homecoming.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Well said. HAAA!

[@Anastasia_Romanova1901]

Silent Hill: Glen Ops

[@bringerovlight8412]

It was so good this game is underrated years later lol 2020 still playing

[@AudioXVNVXTheNightLife]

damn last time i was this early it was safe to shake someone's hand

[@biohazarduncovered]

So much respect to you Jared, keep safe as well mate and thanks for the content broski 👊

[@AvalancheReviews]

My pleasure man!

[@Kullen64]

Three word review. Doo doo fart. (Or is that two? 🤔)

[@AvalancheReviews]

Why do I keep making my videos 40min long, when I could just say that and get the same point across!?!?!?!?!?

[@Kullen64]

Avalanche Reviews Lmao!!! I dunno man but keep doing what you’re doing 😉💙

[@lokalnyork]

Silent Hill 1, 3 and 4 are proof that even original creators didn't have idea what made 2 truly great. I guess lightning indeed does not strike twice in the same place.

[@ChocolatierRob]

One little quibble, the cultists are not coming from Silent Hill. The residents of Shepherd Glen believing that as they have failed the sacrifice cycle start sacrificing like crazy trying to appease the god of SH’s cult (even though it is pretty much dead) out of fear that it will punish them. But in doing this they are re-empowering the remnants of that power. All the cultists in the game are Shepherd’s Glen cultists who went to SH , not SH cultists coming to Shepherd’s Glen.

[@AvalancheReviews]

Interesting. I thought given their SH movie getup, that that's what double helix thinks the cult dresses like. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@ChocolatierRob]

Avalanche Reviews Well yeah, the movie homages we’re pretty thick in this one.

[@Faceplay2]

So I’m not gonna lie silent hill homecoming was really important to me it’s actually the first silent hill I played though and my buddies and I even made a full length feature film based on the game it’s actually work pretty much got me into doing filmmaking professionally. Obviously I can see the game is not really that scary but when I played it for the first time when I was 15 hot damn was it a crazy roller coaster ride.

[@Naterkix]

In my personal head canon, the scene at17:21 plays out like this: "Hey kids! It's me, everyone's fav-o-rite spooky boi, Pyramid Head!" \*The stock "kids cheering" sound effects plays as confetti drops down from the top of the screen. PH then points to the camera and gives a thumbs-up before walking off somewhere*

[@AvalancheReviews]

You aren't too far off honestly.

[@josefkrenshaw179]

'The order' in SH1 and SH3 consisted of what appeared to be a handful of crazies. The cult was as broken as the town. One problem with SHH and the films was ' The Order was too organized and too many members.

[@killerghostmonkey]

The Hills of Dark & Silent Souls... Couldawouldashoulda been awesome. A Bloodbourne/Dark Souls-like set in a Silent Hill spinoff sounds fantastic on paper...

[@Thebossstage1]

Came back to watch this after watching the Downpour review and I immediately noticed how much better these graphics look compared to Downpour.

[@laserwolfturbo36]

I'm loving this retrospective series, and appreciate all the hard work that goes into making these thorough retrospectives! At what point, though, does the definition of a SH game change when a majority of the franchise's titles don't "feel like Silent Hill"? Basically since "The Room" no game really feels much like SH, so maybe the franchise is actually just what it is instead of at its core emulating the "look-and-feel" of SH 1 and 2.

[@Diamond4403]

My favorite part was when you get the alien ending, to later use the alien gun that is the most powerful weapon in the game. The other was when you get the dog ending.

[@Dead_By_Donovan]

Man, I've been tearing up my place for the last few days looking for my copy of this game... Luckily this is the cheapest Silent Hill on disc to buy.

[@skybluenerd219]

One side-note I should mention is that the Xbox 360 version is compatible with the Xbox One, which helps smooths out the uneven framerate, as well as upscaling the visuals to 1080p pretty nicely in my opinion. With these small updates, and with it being the version to have achievement support, I'd argue it's the best version of the game, even if that's not saying much. lol

[@AvalancheReviews]

Damn! I really need an xbox one just to test stuff like that! I'd love to see this game running more smoothly.

[@DankTaco707]

"I hold the original 3 games in the silent hill series in very high esteem" Silent hill 4 fans: "and I took that personally"

[@randomness4989]

4 was meh as far as I can remember ,it hard diff was insanely hard as far as I remember so that's a plus

[@HFOfficial]

You say the power comes from the lake and nobody can control it, but I, a true silent Hill fan, know that it's all controlled by Mira. You don't go back on a deal with a doggo.