SILENT HILL: HOMECOMING (Got it!!!!)-->very minor spoilers

[Simon Atavax]

In the Town Hall, there are two back rooms. The Judge is in one, you can have a short conversation with her. The other room (the one on the left) has a save point.

Found it! Thanx, dude. Otherwise I'd have been wandering around in the fog (literally ) for who knows how long before finally shutting off the console in frustration without saving.

 

[Simon Atavax]

BTW, is it just me or does the camera in this game seem mildly whacked? It seems like I'm constantly having to adjust the camera with the right stick as I move with the left. Am I doing it wrong?

 

[InVinoVeritas]

BTW, is it just me or does the camera in this game seem mildly whacked? It seems like I'm constantly having to adjust the camera with the right stick as I move with the left. Am I doing it wrong?

Bah, you young whippersnappers gots it so easy! Back in my day, we couldn't move the camera!

Quirky camera angles are one of the hallmarks of early Silent Hill games. It goes with the horror theme. The fact that you can move the camera at all in Homecoming is a major change.

As for where to learn the series, definitely Silent Hill 2 sets the tone. Not only is it an excellent game, it is, in my opinion, one of the first true pieces of literature in video game format. The story is beautiful, and acted extremely well. Other games have filled me with pride, made me scared, fired up a competitive spirit, and made me switch from frustrated to elated. Silent Hill 2, though, is the only game that has made me cry.

Furthermore, there's a lot of art history to mine in the game. The setting of the scenes come from earlier horror films--the two clearest sources being Jacob's Ladder and Session 9. However, monster design hearkens back to Hans Bellmer's Dolls, Francis Bacon, and the Suprematist movement. Finally, you can see how the game not only set the tone for the whole series, but has influenced the horror genre since then.

As for the other games in the series:

Silent Hill: Good, but very clearly shows its age at this point.

Silent Hill 2: The masterpiece.

Silent Hill 3: Well done. Story is decent, and the gameplay is quite good. If you play a second Silent Hill game after 2, this is the one I'd recommend.

Silent Hill 4: The story is okay. Walter Sullivan is an interesting character, but somehow feels underutilized. The game, though, is tedious. Watch a walkthrough on Youtube; you'll see the tedium even there. Monster design is less inspired.

Silent Hill Origins: I like this one a lot. It feels like it solidly belongs in the series. It doesn't really break new ground, but it doesn't need to.

I don't know enough about Homecoming to say.