Silent Hill: The Short Message (2024)
Genres:Adventure
Themes:Action, Horror
Game modes:Single player
Story:Silent Hill: The Short Message is a free-to-play Silent Hill spin-off set in modern-day Germany. Players explore a location known as The Villa from a first-person perspective.
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20 years after the last Eastern developed Silent Hill title in 2004 and ten after the release of P.T., several of Team Silent's alumni -- including Masahiro Ito, Akira Yamaoka, Atsushi Tsujimoto, Kurita Yukito, Eiichi Ito, Norio Takemoto, and Chieko Ogura, as well as a handful of P.T. staff -- came back. Working with a concept by producer Motoi Okamoto, writer Kiichi Kanoh of the When They Cry series, and a talented team at HexaDrive, they have created an unflinching story about self-loathing/self-harm, cultural displacement, xenophobia, sociological taboo, and psychological struggle in the digital age. The Short Message also reframes key elements from the previous games for a younger generation unfamiliar with Silent Hill, distilling the familiar cyclical motifs of previous titles into a condensed two to three-hour experience.
Its exclusivity on PlayStation 5 limits the game in several ways, chiefly performance. Stunning environmental detail and mind-bending set pieces are often hampered by frame rate issues not uncommon to Unreal Engine 5 titles, especially during encounters with the game's beautifully imposing Cherry Blossom (I don't accept "Sakura Head", sorry). Additionally, the game is currently only available with an English voice track, which does a disservice to the game's most harrowing moments, despite the involvement of Jeremy Blaustein and some prominent Western voice actors.
I believe a PC port would do wonders to correct many of the obstacles that this game encountered, both with the audience and its overall presentation. It remains the only reason I have a PS5, honestly, and I would pay full price for what was originally a free title if it meant experiencing The Short Message in its original language with improved graphics performance. This game deserves its flowers, pun intended, for what is functionally a reunited Team Silent's first Silent Hill in two decades.
P.T. emulation aside, this was my first Silent Hill game. I'll never forget how it felt to truly play a Silent Hill game for the first time. While this game certainly isn't perfect, I'd say that it gets far more hate than it deserves. The art-direction is fantastic, the story is really good and has a fantastic message for the younger audience now getting into the series (awful dialogue aside), and overall I quite liked it. It'd be great for other people to be able to experience it too.
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Mass Effect 2Are you prepared to lose everything to save the galaxy? You'll need to be, Commander Shephard. It's time to bring together your greatest allies and recruit the galaxy's fighting elite to continue the resistance against the invading Reapers. So steel yourself, because this is an astronomical mission where sacrifices must be made. You'll face tougher choices and new, deadlier enemies. Arm yourself and prepare for an unforgettable intergalactic adventure.
Game Features:
Shift the fight in your favour. Equip yourself with powerful new weapons almost instantly thanks to a new inventory system. Plus, an improved health regeneration system means you'll spend less time hunting for restorative items.
Make every decision matter. Divisive crew members are just the tip of the iceberg, Commander, because you'll also be tasked with issues of intergalactic diplomacy. And time's a wastin' so don't be afraid to use new prompt-based actions that let you interrupt conversations, even if they could alter the fate of your crew...and the galaxy.
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Fight smarter. Take advantage of new powers and combat moves. Shepard can now blind fire at enemies and build tougher melee attacks. Plus, when you fight as a team you can combine new biotic and tech powers to unleash devastating Power Combos.
Build the final force. Build a team from a variety of races and classes and combine their skills to overcome impossible odds. You'll be joined by newcomers like James Vega, a tough-as-nails soldier, as well as EDI, a trusted AI in a newly acquired physical form. Keep an eye out for beloved characters from your past, but beware. Some may not survive the final battle...
Face off against friends. Enjoy an integrated co-op multiplayer mode and team up with friends online to liberate key conflict zones from increasingly tough opponents. Customize your warrior and earn new weapons, armor, and abilities to build war preparedness stats in your single player campaign.Action Science fiction
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Find out as you take to the streets as America's most beloved dysfunctional animated family: The Simpsons! In this timeless action-adventure game, you can work to uncover the conspiracy taking place in Springfield while playing as these beloved characters.
As you progress through the game, you'll explore 3 unique areas of Springfield made up of many locations from the show. You can ride around in style with a memorable array of vehicles from the show or take a walk around on foot. You'll stumble into adrenaline-pumping story missions, take part in some fast paced street races and help out some of the townsfolk in bonus missions. Around every corner there's pesky wasps to be destroyed, collector cards to find and secret gags to uncover.Trending Open world Action Comedy
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The game is played through several character perspectives, each with his or her own strengths and weaknesses, through an overlapping timeline of the fateful night that alternates between the present and the past. The story can unfold in different ways with, in many cases, two or more different versions of a level, which will have slightly different objectives than the original. If the player is thorough and plays through these optional versions, the story and characters may develop even further than beforeHorror Survival
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Drakan features a unique engine that seamlessly combines outdoor and indoor scenes. Play as Rynn, wielding swords and bows, or ride Arokh, using fiery breath as a weapon. Engage in battles against dragons, spiders, scavengers, and Wartocks.Action
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