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Our Premature Evaluation of Silent Hill Book of Memories

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For the first time in the series’ history, Silent Hill is diving pyramid head first into the world of multiplayer gaming with the PS Vita exclusive Book of Memories. This is a serious gamble since this multiplayer isn’t just tacked on, it’s actually a main focus of the game. This means if the multiplayer sucks, then the main selling point is gone. It was originally planned to release near Downpour and the HD Collection in March, but Konami pulled it from the schedule at the very last second to the end of May. This could be a good thing because at the very least it’s getting some extra time for added spit and polish. Read on to find out what TJ and I think of this ambitious game’s chances of success.

The Visuals

Adam: Visually, Book of Memories is a pretty decent looking game. If you were to show me a screenshot before the game was announced I would’ve said, “Hey, which Silent Hill is that?” Then if you had followed up the first screenshot with another showing the co-op, I would’ve immediately burned you at the stake for your blasphemous Photoshoppery. Overall, it looks to be taking advantage of the Vita’s powerful graphics capabilities, so that’s promising.

TJ: I always keep in mind when making judgments on handheld games that they’re handheld games. They can’t put up the same graphics as the bigger brother systems, but a lot of them can still look damn good. It’s funny that you said “ It looks to be taking advantage of the Vita’s powerful graphics capabilities.”. Because a preview I just read from IGN said the game wasn’t using the full power of the Vita. So from that I must draw my own conclusion. It looks good, but for a game who’s camera is set fairly far away from the actual battles and events on the screen, we don’t truly know how good the graphics could have been. I would have been happier seeing a “normal” style Silent Hill game on the Vita, but I’m also excited to see how Book of Memories turns out.

Adam: I can’t say for sure how far it’s pushing the Vita’s capabilities as I haven’t played the game myself, but from what I’ve seen it’s a not an ugly game. A couple extra months of development could mean it’ll look even better.

The Gameplay

Adam: This is one of the many, many things I’m worried about. Like, if I were to make a list at the tippy top would be the multiplayer, followed closely by the studio Konami chose to develop it (you gave it to the Bloodrayne: Betrayal developer? Seriously, Konami?), and right after that would be the gameplay. As a whole, Silent Hill has never really excelled in this department, so it’s only natural to worry, but it’s when you add to the Vita’s unique controls where I really start to worry. I don’t mind a little clunkiness in my survival horror games, it comes with the territory, but I’m still not convinced they’ll be able to use the Vita’s controls in interesting ways. Book of Memories also features a top-down isometric view (where the camera is high above your character), light RPG elements, and degradable weapons–similar to Downpour and Origins.

TJ: I think I’m actually way less worried about this than I should be. Games like this in my opinion almost can’t fail when it comes to gameplay. It’s such a basic style, the top down shooter. A lot of chaos and running around, still fairly simple because the gameplay needs to work well with fighting hordes and hordes of monsters. I love the idea of breakable weapons and RPG elements. It really changes it up from the classic top down shooter. Shooting the same laser beam at enemies for hours and hours. I love that you’ll have to scour for weapons, and I’m hoping for some major choice and diversity between them.

The Multiplayer

Adam: Oh yes, the multiplayer. On one side, Book of Memories was built from the ground up to support four player co-op, but on the other, fuck multiplayer. Really, why defile one of the last remaining survival horror franchises with a feature that doesn’t mesh with it? It’s natural for Resident Evil because by now that series is another installment away from becoming Gears of War With Zombies.

TJ: I like this Evaluation because we are hot and cold, left and right, lady and man, right and wrong, penis and balls….ahem…. I think multiplayer fits as well as a penis and a vagina. Pardon the anatomy analogies, but seriously this is the type of game that should be played with friends. This feature does mesh because this isn’t a traditional Silent Hill. Top down shooters should always be multiplayer.

Adam: I suppose my main issue is they aren’t just fiddling with the Silent Hill formula here, they’re completely changing everything I love about the series. To me, it feels like this was a game that started off as a brand new action horror IP before an exec decided it’d sell better if it had Silent Hill attached to the title (this wouldn’t be the first time this has happened). If they want to change everything fans love about the series, because that’s exactly what they’re doing with Book of Memories, then why not make this a brand new game? It isn’t scary, the puzzles are gone, the gameplay is more action driven, I could go on and on. This isn’t Silent Hill, so there’s no point in throwing in a few familiar faces to pretend like it is.

TJ: I guess we should just be happy this is pretty much the first time this has happened. I mean, look at Resident Evil. For at least the past 10 years we’ve had watered down, shitty iterations of the series shoved down our throats. Mobile versions, Wii versions, remakes, rehashes, the list goes on. Let’s just hope if Book of Memories flops, they realize their mistakes and leave them in the past.

The Story

Adam: This could very well be the only part of this game I’m not too worried about. It’s non-canonical, like pretty much every other game in the series, and brings with it a mostly new cast of characters that you create. Some familiar faces from past games, including a few from the series’ massive roster of enemies will make an appearance as well.

TJ: I’m not expecting anything out of the story really. Again, going back to the top down shooter style, there aren’t many of those types of games that have an engaging story. If anything I’ll be happy to see some dialogue, or be scared by the game at all, but I’m not expecting much.

Adam: I always go into my Silent Hills expecting an interesting story, because that’s one of the things that’s remained consistent over the course of the series. Just because it’s a top down shooter doesn’t give them an excuse to give us a crappy story. I’m hoping for something along the lines of the PS3 exclusive Dead Nation, because this looks pretty similar to it in that it’s a top-down four-player co-op horror game (hyphen extravaganza!), and Dead Nation managed to have an engaging story, though the characters were largely forgettable. Hopefully Book of Memories will excel in both departments.

TJ: That would be great, but I’m still skeptical.

Final Thoughts

Adam: I’m expecting this to be a total failure that won’t please very many fans of the series. It might be worth checking out if you desperately need something to play on your Vita, but otherwise this is almost definitely going to end up being one of the worst games in the Silent Hill franchise. To me, this feels like it should’ve been an experiment best released for $10 on PSN or Xbox Live, rather than a full release on a new handheld that’s still trying to prove itself. On the bright side, it’ll bring with it a new Dan Licht soundtrack.

TJ: Book Of Memories is so far from a Silent Hill game it shouldn’t even have Silent Hill in the title. I’m more expecting the game just to be a fun romp through Silent Hill, with some sweet locations, familiar enemies, and good fun with a friend. I’m not expecting a life altering story like Silent Hill 2 delivered, but I still think the game will be fun to play through.

Toss Adam an email, or follow him on Twitter and Bloody Disgusting
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Gamer, writer, terrible dancer, longtime toast enthusiast. Legend has it Adam was born with a controller in one hand and the Kraken's left eye in the other. Legends are often wrong.

Editorials

‘Phantasm’ – Why the Horror Classic’s Exploration of Death Still Resonates 45 Years Later

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As Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

The horror genre offers a controlled environment in which viewers can reflect on their own morality, whether it be via catharsis or escapism, but a personal loss can complicate one’s relationship with horror. Even the most hardened of fans may struggle to find comfort in the genre after experiencing the death of a loved one.

45 years ago today, Phantasm helped viewers confront death head-on while subtly exploring the grief that accompanies it. In the film, 13-year-old Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) convinces his older brother-turned-guardian Jody (Bill Thornbury) and their affable neighborhood ice cream man, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), to investigate a mysterious mortician dubbed The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm).

Phantasm was the third feature from writer-director Don Coscarelli (The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep). The seed was planted upon witnessing the audience react to a small jump scare at a preview screening for his previous effort, the 1976 coming-of-age tale Kenny and Company. Chasing that jolt of adrenaline, he challenged himself to make a movie that delivers scares regularly throughout.

The independent production was shot in 1977 on weekends over the course of nearly a year in and around southern California’s San Fernando Valley. The 23-year-old Coscarelli shrewdly rented the film gear on Fridays and returned it Monday morning, getting three days of work out of a single day’s rental fee. When all was said and done, the film cost an estimated $300,000.

Unable to afford a full crew, Coscarelli also took on director of photography and editing duties. His father, Dac Coscarelli, receives a producer credit for providing a large chunk of the film’s funding. Additional financing was invested by doctors and lawyers, accruing a total estimated budget of $300,000. His mother, Kate Coscarelli, served as production designer, wardrobe stylist, and makeup artist under different pseudonyms, and she later wrote the novelization.

Hot off the success of John Carpenter’s Halloween, AVCO Embassy Pictures purchased Phantasm for distribution. It was released on March 28, 1979 in California and Texas before expanding to other territories and becoming a box office success. It spawned four sequels, with Coscarelli and the core cast on board throughout, along with a cult following that counts Quentin Tarantino, Rob Zombie, Snoop Dogg, and JJ Abrams (who named Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ Captain Phasma in its honor) among its ranks.

PHANTASM Remastered

The film embraces nightmare logic – in part by design, as Coscarelli drew influence from Suspiria; partly the result of extensively editing down an overlong first cut to a tight 89 minutes. The it-was-all-a-dream ending is a rare one that doesn’t undermine the entire movie that preceded it. Not every plot point is spelled out for the viewer, and some dots may not completely connect, but the narrative is conveyed in such an engrossing manner that it hardly matters.

A particularly striking pair of back-to-back sequences occur at the conclusion of the first act. Following a late-night graveyard excursion, the camera pulls out on a shot of a sleeping Mike to reveal his bed in the cemetery with The Tall Man poised over him while ghouls attack from their graves. The next day, Mike witnesses The Tall Man affected by the chill of Reggie’s ice cream truck via a spine-tingling slow-motion zoom.

The special effects also shine, from flying metallic spheres that suck the blood out of victims’ heads to lifelike severed fingers that bleed viscous yellow gore. The visuals are supplemented by progressive music composed by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave, to whom Coscarelli recommended electronica maestro Vangelis and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Despite its repetition throughout the film, the power of their haunting musical theme is never diluted.

The cast was populated by amateurs, but occasionally hammy performances are far outweighed by naturalistic character moments, best exemplified by the scene in which Jody and Reggie jam on their guitars together. In addition to serving the plot by introducing the tuning fork that plays an integral role in the finale, it allows the viewer to better connect with the characters, thereby making their peril all the more frightening.

It’s character building like this that makes Phantasm‘s exploration of death so effective. The film is ultimately about Mike coming to terms with the passing of Jody, portrayed as the cool older sibling every adolescent wishes they had. Mike confronts his fear by dreaming up a final adventure with his dearly departed brother in which they manage to defeat death itself, represented by The Tall Man. Upon doing so, he’s awakened to the harsh reality that Jody died in a car accident, allowing Mike to reach the final stage of grief: acceptance.

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