PixlBit

Today I got deep into Silent Hill. So much so that I beat the game. Then I downloaded Tales from Monkey Island from PSN and played a few hours of that. I think adventure gaming puzzles are a real pain and should be easier, or at least have a hint system, not as generous as Professor Layton, but generous like the remake of Secret of Monkey Island (which I still got stuck in even with the generous hints - see how puzzle-challenged I am). 

This is why I challenge myself with semi-random picks for my retro gaming. I almost never play survival horror games, but I pushed myself to play Silent Hill, and I was richly rewarded. I couldn't stop playing until I had gotten to the end. Yes, I cheated a little bit. The final round of puzzles was excruciating to me, some of them so out there and obscure, I nearly pulled my hair out with frustration; however, I glanced at a walkthrough a few times and didn't remain stuck for too long. One involved knowing your astrological symbols, and that was one of the easier ones.

Puzzles aside though, I really loved exploring this creepy world and finding out bit by bit what was going on. Silent Hill has a lot of real estate, a surprising amount for a 1999 Playstation game. 

              

                   Look at that gorgeous camera angle as you walk into a room. Love that!

What I loved best was the use of the camera in this game. As far as movement goes, the camera isn't ideal, but I think what it adds in atmosphere and expression is way more important. Sometimes I'd enter a room and the camera would be in front of me, panned way out to include some important detail of the room with myself, flashlight beaming, off in the distance. Very dramatic! Very much like camera angles I've seen in films. Another example is: sometimes you are moving through an alleyway and the camera swings up over you to watch you as you move forward. I'm reminded of the use of camera in God of War 1 and 2. The camera doesn't forget about your surroundings and includes that in your view as you move through it. You really get the feeling you are moving the character and capturing it dramatically.

                

                                  What is that out there? Whatever it is, I'm shooting it.

The mist in the town areas was used very well. Often I'd hear my radio go off to tell me an enemy was near but I wouldn't see them. Then, just at the edge of my range-of-view, I'd see a hazy shape and know it must be a monster. Then it might disappear in the mist for a minute and then suddenly come running at me. The great use of that edge, where you can see only vaguely, really adds to the scariness and drama of every encounter. 

On top of all that, the characters are interesting and the voice work very good. The dialog never made me laugh or question the veracity of a character's feelings. I was never once pulled out of the mood of the game by an awkward or uninspired line-read.

What else can I say about it? The music was jarring and added nicely to the scary, mysterious story.

Honestly, when the game ended and I was given a option to replay, I did. I started the first cut-scene and dialog sequence and almost kept on going. I couldn't figure out what difficulty I was on when I continued though. I assumed it would boost me up to "normal" difficulty but I couldn't tell.

In reading the wiki on the game, I found out there are alternate endings and a side-mission that I totally missed. There's plenty reason to replay it, and I will next time I'm on a retro holiday like this one. 

That being done, I downloaded Tales from Monkey Island on PSN. This is a Telltale game and was, strangely, released on every system but my regular one, Xbox 360. That was fine though, because I needed another adventure game to play on my PS3 today and this was perfect.

The game plays like other Monkey Island games: you choose dialog options, items and combine items to further the story. It's one big verbal puzzle. After a while I noticed that just about everything said in the game is a hint to what to do next. Someone mentions, "it sure is noisy in this jungle", and then you realize the treasure map you have is all about sound cues.

                 

                              Figuring out these puzzles turns me into a raving Lechuck.

I did pretty well in the first few hours of the first chapter, but I eventually started to get stuck - as always. Sometimes I just wish they'd give you a peak at the answer. I don't cheat unless I really get stuck. I will ruminate over a problem, go talk to everyone again, and look at my item list over and over before I run for a walkthrough, and then I only look at just enough to push me forward. I wonder what I would've done back before the internet. I would've walked away and thought about it for days before an answer came to me. I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore.

And that's it for my retro adventure holiday. I'm going to get right back into Fantasy Life on 3DS until the next one. See ya in 2015 time travelers!