The main flaw in this game was the length IMO. though some of the fear was removed with the mirrors SH V seems determined to take it all away with *Gasp* checkpoints.

i agree with most of what you say but i liked the puzzels and felt a lot of the atmosphere was there. the puppet-babbies still freak me out. but as i said the game is far too short still i have one ending left to get...

blackadvent:
Fire Emblem?

Dingdingdingding! Winner!

And keep in mind that in SS2 all the weapons are made by the TriOptimum corporation. Which also makes money selling the maintenance tools. Did the weapons break faster than any well-made item should? Yes. Was this unrealistic? Not at all. Did worrying about the condition of your weapon add to the tension in the game? Absolutely.

I love your reviews Yahtzee but this review wasn't as good as your others, I think you loved the Silent Hill Series to the point where you can't possible even think of really reeming this game's arse. In your other reviews they were spot on and mean, it this one you were praising it a little more than you normally do other games

YEAAHHHH!

I really like this review, feels like a complete return to form - raw speed, over-the-top-finger-licking-good vitriol in abundance, and a lot of valid points. I agree 95% with what has been said - for me, SH1 is the masterpiece rather than SH2. Sure, SH2 has Pyramid Head, but the prologue in SH1 is simply masterfully done. I never experienced anything which pulled me into a game like that prologue.

Thumbs up!

Fire Emblem?

Not in my experience. Granted I only played one for the GBA, but all it basically meant was that I had to pick up an assload of generic weapons for my tanks and only use their best weapons on special occaisions. I think Golden sun uses it nicely, although it barely uses it anyway but still, magic rings that break and have to repaired (namely the "Free healz" one) were nifty.

Really is sad what happened to this series.

jaisimar_chelsea:
when r v gonna c a review of crysis or cod4 or even ut3

Crysis? is that one of those darn blasted PEECEE games I been harin about? I have no idea what you are talking about mistar.

Odjin:

BonsaiK:

Dark Shikari:
There has been a good game with weapon degradation--its called System Shock 2, Yahtzee ;) and I named it before the second was up, too!

Agreed with the rest of the review though.

He asked to name one game where weapon degradation was a good idea, not one game that was good and happened to have weapon degradation in it. Both System Shock 2 and Jagged Alliance 2 have weapon degradation and are good games, but both would be better off without it...

I would disagree on this one. Granted in SS2 it had been too much. It's okay if your guns don't last forever since it's all moving parts that can wear but in SS2 it had been too fast. JA2 on the other hand struck a nice balance. Weapons degrade but at a low pace. Unless you play Rambo shooting full auto all time you have to fix up your guns not very often ( and hey, for wtf else you have that russian guy on your team if not to repair all your equipment with his dim wits... :D )

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. used weapon degradation decently as well. Guns would jam more frequently as they degraded, but it would take a good thousand rounds before it was time to toss it. SS2's degradation was total overkill however.

Well, I don't know much about the Silent Hill series, except for the fact that it is supposed to be extremely creepy (in a good scary way)and well written. I always enjoy this fast-paced, picture book humor.

I demand a miniature stuffed version of Professor Dodgy Camerawork. I wish to snuggle him.

RPJesus:

Fire Emblem?

Not in my experience. Granted I only played one for the GBA, but all it basically meant was that I had to pick up an assload of generic weapons for my tanks and only use their best weapons on special occaisions. I think Golden sun uses it nicely, although it barely uses it anyway but still, magic rings that break and have to repaired (namely the "Free healz" one) were nifty.

Yeah, but it was still pretty good, if you could use the good weapons in that game over the course of the game, it would be ridiculously imbalanced. The items that repaired the weapons had a limited use, making you choose which weapons you prized more. Overall I think it worked well, plus you had the choice to buy cheap iron weapons or more expensive steel/silver weapons. It's not obnoxious, and it doesn't break the game, so I call it a good use.

Sorry, I haven't played this game, in fact, I'm trading in my PSP for a video game system (which I foolishly assumed the PSP was before I bought it) later this week, so I probably never will. THIS review, I didn't care about so much... It just didn't strike me as funny where it intended to be, especially about the final remark regarding RH5. However, the points you stated, if they weren't exagerations (I've become a bit skeptical of internet reviewers in this respect, since most [Even the more popular ones] have been proven to exagerate some problems with false statements), were all valid. Weapon degradation is good in some games, but only if done right, such as the already stated Fire Emblem, which balances it out very well most of the time (Making it so stronger weaponry can be used enough to be worth carrying, but only to be used in special occasions, while weaker ones are sturdy enough to handle regular use). And in games where the main character is facing ab-/paranormal activities, a reasonable motivation shouldn't be too much to ask for. (I am aware of the countless gramer an spelin erors, leave me be!)

(Unrelated to this review, I bought Psychonauts thanks to Yahtzee's recommendation, I'll be playing it within the next couple of days. n_n)

Bravo again, Yahtzee! I was kind of expecting you to review the latest SH game what with your comment on Silent Hill 2 in your Fable review, though I will admit my love for the series died at 4 which leads me into question: how stoic is Travis compared to Henry? To me at least the pinnacle of detestably emotionless heroes in a brilliant game series like Silent Hill lies on Henry's shoulders, only thing is I feel I'm the only one unafraid to say it.

That, and I too countered your 'name one game' challenge with Silent Hill 4's everlasting golf clubs in mind, but there were enough solid weapons there that put Origins to shame apparently.

You have however made your points valid and your presentation is just as thorough and entertaining.

By using "Just" during the end credits, I can only assume that Yahtzee took on my advice about more Thom Yorke love after including him in the Mass Effect review, and we have all benefited from the results. Good job, Yahtzee!

RPJesus:

Fire Emblem?

Not in my experience. Granted I only played one for the GBA, but all it basically meant was that I had to pick up an assload of generic weapons for my tanks and only use their best weapons on special occaisions. I think Golden sun uses it nicely, although it barely uses it anyway but still, magic rings that break and have to repaired (namely the "Free healz" one) were nifty.

The only problem with Fire Emblem degredation that I noticed was that they also degrade during your opponent's turns, and if your unit is actually good, it's entirely possible for the enemy to swarm one unit and your weapon to break in as little as three turns. The enemy DOES like to swarm, doesn't it?

Muddy62:

SomeBritishDude:
Never even heard of silent hill...

something tells me that wasn't the best way to open my post

great review Yahtzee, might just buy the game any way just so I can get some use out of my fucking psp!!!

I would do the same but some little shit stole my psp

I don't know if I feel more sorry for you or for him :P

...

Oh crap. I've become a fanboy.

I love how in the end credits we basically had the gremlins re-enacting SH2

Mmm, another game to not buy for my PSP. Sigh.

Another brilliant review, Yahtzee! You continue to be my hero.

Finally someone who sees the good points in Silent Hill 4.
I played Silent Hill in the first week it came out and it was amazing.
Since then it really is like Jahzee (sorry if I got the name wrong) said.
They tried to do something with the formula.
The main big failure in Silent Hill 4 was the level recycling other than that it was brilliant.
The dream world, visiting Walter when he was a child and all the victims who had no clue, just great.

As for Origins, I think the problem starts with the fact that it's developed for PSP.
Honestly, except some 2D remakes I can't see the point why anybody plays this handheld stuff.
When you can have a big screen with real games running on it.

And since Silent Hill has gone west, I also fear the series is dead.
Silent Hill is an asian thing, period.

step2ice:
And since Silent Hill has gone west, I also fear the series is dead.
Silent Hill is an asian thing, period.

Not really. Silent Hill was always an odd creature, it being a Japanese take on the American written horror tradition (hell, it's even set in Maine, which is Stephen King country).

Step2ice, hi :)

For what it's worth, you're not entirely alone. I immensely enjoyed the setting and storytelling of SH4 too. The idea of being trapped in an apartment which is slowly taken over by freaky apparitions, only gradually discovering what's happening in- and outside is great. The parallel worlds you discover are cool, too (the rooms in that hospital, oh yeah)... until the point that you have to backtrack through all of them with a companion that makes Sherry Birkin (RE2) the most userfriendly tagalong ever.

Also, fighting ghosts? Totally unnecessary and tacked on.

As for the purpose of handheld games: the name says it all, actually. Handheld. They're ideal for a quick game on the bus, the train or the airplane, places where you don't have your bigscreen TV around. Or to take along during a trip so that you can play in the hotel room during a rainy day (I doubt you'll have the room to bring an Xbox 360 instead).

Absolutely sublime from start to finish. Top form: I don't want to hear anyone complain about slow delivery this week, you bastards.

The only fly in the ointment: pre-Kid A Radiohead sucks and is for tragically emo teenagers.

Break:

Yes. Which is why you don't do the retarded thing and run into the heart of the enemy with one character and one weapon. The weapon degredation in Fire Emblem worked fine. It added an extra layer of tactics to the game.

I think Oblivion did weapon degredation fairly well, also. Stuff got slightly weaker as you used it, and could be repaired with little effort.

Whilst I would say that the weapon degradation "worked" in Fire Emblem, I don't think it was necessarily a good idea. The balance reason for it's existence, not using godweapons all the time, could have been addressed in far more interesting ways, (like, for example, not having them. I recognise their place as a fantasy trope, but that doesn't mean everyone needs them).

Oblivion is the only game I think that has been improved by item degradation, and that only because of the high level armourer skill that lets you repair items to beyond 100% functionality.

That's Yahtzee allright. Last week's slow talking impostor got me worried.

...Bjork? Funny how almost no one in her own homeland seems to be interested in her but yet she pops up everywhere else.

Nice review by the way, suspect that your schedule of too popular games has been ended so you can go and check games out that you are actually interested in.

VMerken:
until the point that you have to backtrack through all of them with a companion that makes Sherry Birkin (RE2) the most userfriendly tagalong ever.

Also, fighting ghosts? Totally unnecessary and tacked on.

Thats what I meant with visiting the levels again.
I guess the point was that you'd had to protect Maria/Mary (was that her name?) and it should give you ahigher fear level. Person you care for etc.

But as you said it was not really working out.
For me mainly because the level recycling was annoying.
As for the AI, I didn't notice that it was so bad and I really didn't have a problem with it.
It was just not working out as good as it should had.

And for the ghosts. Well again the idea was to give you not a brief moment where you're really save.
And again, I was pretty much neutral on that. I neither liked nor really hated it.

What did stuck with me were the idea of the room the protagonist was locked in.
The hole in the wall where you would come into the dreamlandscape of those victims who had no clue.
Walter and when you were visiting him in his past with the real strange/warm tune playing in the background.
The big head of the women whose eyes were following you, etc. etc.

Combat always sucked in Silent Hill so I won't hit on that nail.

But overall part 4 was really great.
And considering all the hyping lately about various mediocre games it is strange thinking about this game with so many nice ideas got rated so bad.
But maybe it was before the big hype wave.

Anyway, I still will give Origins a chance when the PS2 port is out.
When it comes at what it is though, a low price title. :p

Finally! After a long time waiting Yahtzee you're finally FUNNY again. It feels as if the last few ones you lost your drive or something and I hardly chuckled, but this one had me laughed out loud. Perhaps you need a game you care about before you can actually put the bitterness in maximum drive and blasts out the funnies? Anyways, good job being Yahtzee again ;)

I want to buy Yahtzee Croshaw a beer.

I can't believe you mentioned Invader ZIM. Jesus, could you be any cooler? Great review! Keep 'em coming!

Weapon degradation is one of the reasons I couldn't play WoW. FFXI just seemed better designed in terms of equipment to me.

If it's a PSP game, chances are it'll suck. No suprise.

I love it how one of the Invader Zim people is actually a picture or himself. The other 3 look like a bunch of random people. Ah well. Great review as per usual. I enjoy every one. Pity I haven't played a Silent Hill game and unless they release them to the 360 I preobably never will either. A shame.

I really want to play the Silent Hill series, everyone says it's a horror movie in game form. I trust you more then my other sources because they all told me FEAR was scary as hell but it's a sissy game, saying allot because I freak out and get nervous very easily. Thanks for confirming. I'm alright with a bad story as long as I get chills down my spine and tolerable dialog. If this is just for the PSP I probably won't be getting the one you reviewed. I may be ok at quick timing since I read the ending message without pausing.