I borrowed three Resident Evil games from a friend the other day, thinking I’d like them. I became a Silent Hill fan over a year ago when I got Silent Hill 3; it was an awesome addition to the horror genre on PlayStation 2, setting the bar quite high. Resident Evil should be as great, too.. right? Wrong. So, without further ado, I present the top 9 reasons why Silent Hill is better than RE.
The controls and gameplay. Resident Evil is just sloppy, and the controls weren’t contstructed with the player in mind. In order to shoot, you have to tap R1 to go into first person mode (which I completely hate in this genre; it’s only useful in Star Wars: Battlefront). In Silent Hill, you also hold down R1 (to aim), yet you still stay in third person mode to have a clear view of what you’re up against in all directions. It’s also easier to get the hang of. In RE there are a lot of useless buttons, or a set of buttons that do the exact same thing. Where’s the point in that?
Movement. I played RE: Outbreak for the least amount of time. Why? Because my character moved at the pace of a cow stuck in molasses. Everything was sloppy there. The camera was static and I kept bumping into counters and getting myself stuck, not to mention nibbled on by the living dead.
Items. In RE games, your character can carry a maximum number of items he or she finds. That means you have to make sacrifices, or go back for that item/weapon when you have an open slot (if you still even remember where it is). Silent Hill doesn’t have that problem. Carry as much as you want, and it’s all displayed in a neat and non-confusing menu.
Sound Effects. Silent Hill always provides the player with an awesome, unnerving soundtrack. It sets the perfect eerie mood. Also, the sound effects for the monsters clearly outdo the uninspired moaning of the zombies in RE.
Storyline. Silent Hill’s storylines are gripping, and you don’t have to know the entire history of the franchise in order to enjoy gameplay. As for RE, what’s with all the Umbrella stuff? It all seems so monotone one game after another.
Gore. Resident Evil was clearly outdone by Silent Hill in this category. SH features a wide array of monsters and creatures; RE is completely monotone… yes, zombie humans, zombie dogs, blah blah blah, we get it!
The Fun Factor. RE is simply frustrating. You need an ample amount of time and patience to master the controls and behaviors of your surroundings. Silent Hill is a game that lets you leap in, learn things quickly and enjoy the ride. It’s even better when you play it alone in a dark room with the surround sound on. Try it sometime and you’re guaranteed to get goosebumps.
Enemies. In Silent Hill, when you kill a monster, it stays down! The same thing can’t be said about RE. A novice to the game franchise would quickly give up and slam their controller to the floor, opting to play something better.
Environments. With Resident Evil, I was dissapointed in the environments. They were often too simplistic or everything happened to look the same and I had a hard time figuring out where I was. The developer seemed to focus on the look of the zombies themselves, leaving the rest to your imagination. On the other hand, if you visit the town of Silent Hill, you’ll notice highly detailed environments. And when going into the “Hell” mode, everything becomes gruesome. Your environment is filled with rust and blood splattered on the walls. And darkness, of course. It all adds up to the greatest horror game experience ever.
*Have any suggestions or corrections for this entry? Please comment.
Permalink
1 Comment
=Agnes in Wonderland= 