Silent Hill Origins - hands-on

While our look at the game was pretty limited, we can say that the gameplay already feels simple and fun, and should be a lot more accessible than other games in the series. It also looks great; everything is crisply detailed and smoothly animated, and the fog in the downtown area we explored (apparently modeled after the film version, complete with the same movie theater in the background) looked almost alive.

Unfortunately, one thing our time with the game wasn't was scary. The Affected aren't nearly as disturbing as the series' usual walking abortions, and the only emotion the cramped hallways inspired was a strong desire to smash whatever was making that damn clanking noise.

So will the faster pace and easier bludgeoning kill the suspense? Again, it's too early to say, but there is a glimmer of hope for horror fans: at certain points, the camera automatically panned from the over-the-shoulder view to a more claustrophobic, can't-see-what's-in-front-of-you angle. Apparently, this will happen when something really spooky and atmospheric is about to occur (although nothing did when we played). Whatever the case, Silent Hill has always delivered copious amounts of psychological terror and despair in the past, so we've got our fingers crossed for Origins.