Silent Hill HD Collection & Homecoming Backwards Compatible on Xbox
Horror fans can now get Silent Hill HD Collection and Homecoming through Xbox One backwards compatibility. Unfortunately, this is not the best of bunches. The versions of Silent Hill 2 and 3 in the HD Collection are inferior to the originals, and Homecoming is just kinda meh overall.
The Xbox One backwards compatibility library has been expanded to feature some of the most famous horror games of all time. Specifically, the games in question are Silent Hill Homecoming, and Silent Hill HD Collection, which includes the second and third installments of the franchise. Not the first one, though, which is slightly confusing, considering that the third game is a direct sequel of the original Silent Hill, but oh well. The news of Silent Hill arriving to Xbox One backwards compatibility came via Major Nelson’s Twitter.
If you’re a horror fan, and you have never had a taste of Silent Hill, you’re missing out, a lot. That especially goes for the HD Collection, because Silent Hill 2 and 3 are absolutely the best in the series (especially the second one). They’re psychologically disturbing and atmospheric, with next to no jumpscares or action set pieces. It’s just you in a dilapidated city, surrounded by fog and dread, with otherworldly monstrosities always just at the edge of your vision. The problem is that the HD versions are absolutely nowhere near as good as the originals. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t give them a chance, I’m just saying that you should know that these versions are inferior.
As for Silent Hill Homecoming, it changes up the formula, in a way that I’m personally not too fond of. It’s more action-heavy, and just kinda bland overall. Totally skippable. So, yeah, unfortunately, if you’ve never played Silent Hill, this bunch is not really going to do you the best of services. But, hey, it’s something.
Soooo…. Any chance you’ll actually give any reason why these remakes are ‘inferior?’ or is this just another case of a brand loyalist complaining more about the brand they’re loyal to than anyone else?
Basically, the remaster, while it certainly does look better than the original in some aspects, also gets hurt by the improved visuals. Increased visibility greatly undermines the horror, in my opinion. This especially goes for the fog, which the remaster has inexplicably made thinner, instead of keeping it oppressive. There are other problems, too, such as the cutscenes looking way worse than the gameplay, but my main gripe is the lack of atmosphere. Early Silent Hill games relied heavily on atmosphere to deliver the horror, and they used the limited graphics to their advantage. The improved visuals work against the atmosphere. IMHO.