Hopes and Fears for the new game (possible spoilers)

[Arsonist]

Once upon a time, when we just heard of origins and knew next to nothing about it, we all had our thoughts, hopes, expectations and fears. I made this thread out of curiosity, I wanted to see what did you think Origins was about, how far were your expectations from the true story of the SHO? Were you disappointed eventually, relived?

The bottom line is, before you knew anything about Origins, what were you hoping for, what were you fearing?

Go on, share it!

As for me, well, one could say I had unrealistic expectation for Origins, especially due to it originally being a PSP game. I guess I had such high hopes because SH1 is my favorite, and because I had a pretty bad case of Silent Hill blue-balls.

Hopes:

-Main focus of the story being Alessa's tragic devotion to her mother and her desire to be loved. (Never came true, it wasn't even mentioned, which seriously sucked!)
-More about Dahlia's life and past. What exactly made her have such a twisted world view? (Never came true, was Dahlia even a character in Origins? I didn’t really notice her.)
-Little Claudia! Little Claudia! I really, really wanted to see little Claudia, and possibly Leonard. (Never came true. *sigh*)
-That it'll break Lisa's Mart-Sue-ism created by the fan-base. Lisa was a very flawed person in SH1, which made her into a very good character. She was weak, selfish, cowardly and clingy. I never understood why people thought of her as such a saint. (Came true! Thank you lord!)
-More on... Well, Origins. The origins of the cult, the origins of the town's power, a big history lesson about Silent Hill, Toluca Lake and the Order. (Never came true... I have to notice that Origin's title is very misleading.)
-Gillespie family history. I actually thought this was what will Origins be about, because of the trailer. Ya know, that long hallway with photos of houses and people all over the walls in the Gillespie residence. The mystery of Alessa’s father falls into this category (Never came true... at all... Bummer)


Fears:

-Alessa will be an evil, blood-thirsty bitch she was in the movie. (Sort of came true. She seemed to be fairly sadistic and emotion-less in Origins.)
-Movie-ish environment and monsters. (It didn’t came true, thankfully!)
-Protagonist who will steal the spotlight of the main story. Dahlia, Alessa and the cult. (Totally came true. Alessa was just a background noise which melts down to nothing, and Dahlia was so irrelevant it hurt.)
-Lisa is an innocent Mary-Sue victim, tormented by the big, bad Kaufmann. (Didn't came true. I couldn't have been happier with the portrayal of Lisa in Origins!)
-PYRAMID HEAD!!!1one (Meh... Kind of came true. While it wasn't PH exactly, it was a total rip-off of him)



So yeah, I was disappointed in the end. I was looking forward to Alessa and Dahlia, their story, not some trucker and his clichéd, tormented childhood. I wanted to know more about the town, but the only thing I got from Origins was a slut-y Lisa, who shouldn't have even be there considering her age and lack of knowledge about Alessa and Travis's sob-story, which has nothing to do with Origins of anybody.

[AuraTwilight]

I totally agree, though on the other hand, I think I would've been happier if the game was purely about Travis and didn't even touch the Alessa thing.

[PartyHard]

I've seen more people complaining that the game needed less Cult and more trucker.
Different strokes...

[Oddish]

I agree that a game on the subject of Alessa's history would be an interesting one, albeit a tragic one. I mean, you're cruelly treated as a kid, and then your mom tries to flame-broil you. That rivals even Angela's tale of woe.

Yeah, Dahlia was there, and she was a sick piece or work. I rather wish Travis could have chased her down and whacked her upside the head with a typewriter or something.

No Mary Sues here. Lisa was creepy. And Dr. K. was creepier. And Dahlia was creepiest of all. Compared to them, Alessa seemed pretty normal.

I agree, I really didn't like the movie Alessa (I suppose it was poetic justice for Rose, who assisted her in the final atrocity, to be subsequently trapped with her forever). This version of her seemed a bit emotionless, but we must remember that she wasn't actually there. Truth be told, I couldn't find SH1, so I don't know the canonical Alessa, but she sounds like a pretty sad case.

Still, for me, it's all about the fighting. And any game where you can kill monsters with everything from a toaster to a .44 Magnum is OK by me.

And I'd have dearly loved to see Pyramid Head again, because PH is the most bad-arse villain out there. The Butcher was an inadequate substitute: you spray him down with an AK-47, bury his cleaver in his neck, and that's all she wrote.

[Arsonist]

I think I would've been happier if the game was purely about Travis and didn't even touch the Alessa thing.

Me too. Travis’s story has a pretty good idea, but it was executed quite badly.

I've seen more people complaining that the game needed less Cult and more trucker.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sick of the cult. But Origins was presented to us as a Silent Hill 1 prequel, and its title is “Origins”, so one would assume that the cult would be involved, which would have been great if they were relevant to the plot and if they were executed well, or if they had given us any new, interesting info.

If they wanted a prequel, they should have made one. You know, Dahlia, Alessa, Cult, Kauffman, their story, not some random trucker. If they wanted a story about the random trucker, they should have made it, nothing to do with Alessa and the cult business, just Travis and his parents.

No Mary Sues here. Lisa was creepy. And Dr. K. was creepier. And Dahlia was creepiest of all. Compared to them, Alessa seemed pretty normal.

I saw no creepiness in characters to tell you the truth. With Lisa I felt she knew something I didn’t (asylum scene), but all in all she was just a crazy kid. Kauffman had dubious morals, why with giving drugs to minors and having a sexual relationship with them. As for Dahlia, she really didn’t do anything for me in Origins, we saw her like, what, two-and-a-half times? She was way more interesting/creepy/crazy in the original Silent Hill.

I agree, I really didn't like the movie Alessa (I suppose it was poetic justice for Rose, who assisted her in the final atrocity, to be subsequently trapped with her forever).

I was looking forward to Origins because I hoped it’ll break the whole movie Alessa thing. There are just so many fans who never got a chance to play SH1, but assume they know all about it because they watched the movie. I was really hoping Origins will show Alessa as a good girl she really was, they failed at that however. Must have thought that creepy little girls are more compelling then scared, lost children who want nothing more then to please there parent who is constantly causing them pain.

This version of her seemed a bit emotionless, but we must remember that she wasn't actually there.

True. But being an astral projection didn’t stop her from grinning with glee as she was causing Travis pain in SHO, or from expressing terror when stripped of power and coming face-to-face with Dahlia in SH1.

[Oddish]

Grinning with glee? If I remember right, the only time we even saw her smile was during the Good ending, when Trav sees her and Cheryl in the mirror. Until then, all we see is relative equinimity, and a moment of typical little girl temper when she stomps on the Calibun monster.

[Arsonist]

You must have only played PS2 version.

In the original, PSP realise she was grinning every time Travis painfully passed out after a boss fight, while she is approaching him menacingly.

[PartyHard]

If I remember right, the only time we even saw her smile was during the Good ending, when Trav sees her and Cheryl in the mirror.

Looks like you've played the PS2 version, in which they thankfully removed the grinning of the PSP version.

and a moment of typical little girl temper when she stomps on the Calibun monster.

I liked that, reminded me of good ol Heather.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sick of the cult. But Origins was presented to us as a Silent Hill 1 prequel, and its title is “Origins”

They should have kept it's title as 'Zero'. And mention that this handheld game will just show what happened during the night that stated it all and not expect novelization of the SH1 characters' backstories.

[AuraTwilight]

Yeah, Dahlia was there, and she was a sick piece or work. I rather wish Travis could have chased her down and whacked her upside the head with a typewriter or something.

I love you, let's make out on top of her Typewriter-smashed corpse.

Truth be told, I couldn't find SH1, so I don't know the canonical Alessa, but she sounds like a pretty sad case.

YouTube is God.

Must have thought that creepy little girls are more compelling then scared, lost children who want nothing more then to please there parent who is constantly causing them pain.

Sorry, this is our fault. On behalf of Japan, I apologize.

[Oddish]

QUOTE: Looks like you've played the PS2 version, in which they thankfully removed the grinning of the PSP version.

Correct. I don't even own a PSP. So which is canonical, the grinning or the non-grinning? Because they paint two very different pictures of Alessa.


QUOTE: I love you, let's make out on top of her Typewriter-smashed corpse.

Uhh... sorry. Typewriter-smashed corpses with their brains oozing out make me queasy, and I generally don't feel like making out when I'm trying to keep my lunch inside. You understand.


Also, is it my imagination, or are some of the costumes a bit disappointing? I mean, I liked Weaponsmith and Savior, and Daredevil was good for a few laughs. But Cartographer and Codebreaker are nearly identical, and Butcher doesn't look like a serial killer, he just looks like a homeless guy.

[Arsonist]

I liked that, reminded me of good ol Heather.

It did didn't it? Granted Alessa never really demonstrated aggression if not necessary, but...

They should have kept it's title as 'Zero'. And mention that this handheld game will just show what happened during the night that stated it all and not expect novelization of the SH1 characters' backstories.

The thing is, it’s not just the name, that’s how they advertised it.

"Find out what’s behind the mysteries of Silent Hill... blah, blah, blah... Town's history blah, blah... Old characters"

So which is canonical, the grinning or the non-grinning? Because they paint two very different pictures of Alessa.

Uhh... Both?... I guess?

The PSP came out first, so, from that angle that one is what they meant to make as canon.

But PS2's portrayal of Alessa is a wee bit closer to the one that was portrayed in SH1 and SH3.

So, we decide I guess.

[AuraTwilight]

But if they released PS2 secondly, that probably means they changed their mind. So ha.

Either way, 0rigins probably isn't canon. That's how I've felt since day one.

[Arsonist]

But if they released PS2 secondly, that probably means they changed their mind. So ha.

Two words:

Play Novel

Either way, 0rigins probably isn't canon. That's how I've felt since day one.

Possibly. Canons sometimes change though, and not always for the better.

[The Adversary]

>I don't even own a PSP. So which is canonical, the grinning or the non-grinning?
Neither.

exorbitant amount of inconsistencies + altered history and story = non-canonical

[PartyHard]

So which is canonical, the grinning or the non-grinning? Because they paint two very different pictures of Alessa.

I'd say the non-grinning. The PS2 version had several technical and visual corrections, fixing issues found in PSP. Including graphics and cgs update, and stuff like making Dahlia and Kauffman looking more their age, Travis' expressions, Lisa's hair etc.

Play Novel

PN didn't change anything from the main storyline. It just had also AU senarios included.

[Arsonist]

PN didn't change anything from the main storyline. It just had also AU senarios included.

I don't know what AU means. Americans united? Australia? Gold?

Anyway, didn't Cheryl want to go to Silent Hill in the PN with a conscious desire to reunite with Alessa? Then the two proceed to scheme together on how to do it. It the Silent Hill 1, they seem to have reunited immediately, and Cheryl's need to do so was subconscious.

Then there's the whole Andy thing, and Cybil being dead as well as the ending in which Lisa is alive and Harry is a serial killer.

[PartyHard]

AU = Alternate Universe

[Arsonist]

Ah! Got it. Thanks!

[Travis]

I don't know what Au means. Gold?

Roflol!


Anyway back to the topic, I didn't have too high expectations for Origins (like I did for SH5 which became Homecoming), based on the fact that it was being developed for the PSP. In any case, I enjoyed it a lot. The whole James-like "your painful past comes to haunt you" thing was actually pretty cool.
My only complaint is that the whole town became deserted during SH0 and after that everything was normal again for the following 7 years. How? At first I thought that SH0 would take place at the same time with SH1 or maybe some days before it. Travis saving Alessa and somehow returning to the town 7 years later makes a lot more sense to me.

[PartyHard]

The town never actually gets deserted in any of the games. It's only this way for the people who enter the Otherworld there.