Still alive and kicking, yes. 
I’ve been playing Silent Hill Origins for the PSP (as referenced in my prior blog post). I’d been waiting for it for months, and it does not disappoint. I’m very impressed with how Climax, the new developer, took a strong console/PC experience and made it viable on a portable system. I mean, come on, how much real horror would you expect to have from a handheld gaming device? I was very pleasantly surprised at how well they managed to preserve the ambient scare factor of the franchise.
You do need to make two concessions that they ask of you at the very outset: play with the lights off, and wear headphones. I suppose that’s fair, and I admit that headphone audio is one of the most overlooked yet potentially most compelling aspects of video horror. Most horror movies/shows/games, for instance, rely on the bombast of loud speakers and totally controlling the viewer’s environment. Effective horror is about immersion, after all, and there’s no greater sense of immersion than denying the viewer the chance to have any stimuli that could break the spell. With SHO’s two simple requests, the game already grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t let go. Unless you chicken out and “cheat,” of course, with either lights or non-headphone audio.
I’m glad to see the Silent Hill franchise still alive and well.
In other news, I’ve been these at various points in the past three weeks: busy, quiet, wistful, harried, moody, distracted, naughty, happy, tired, engrossed, wet, and deliciously wicked. I really should get back to blogging, before the compulsion to write passes completely.
It’s my best friend’s birthday today! Here’s us, some years back, at one of my own birthdays. We may look a little different now, mostly in terms of hair (hahaha), but the sentiment hasn’t changed.
Some of our other friends also had cameras with them, and their galleries are also up on Multiply.
