Silent Hill 4

After a few sleepless nights, we've gotten through the import version of Silent Hill 4: The Room, and if there's one thing you can say about it in comparison to the other three games in the series, it's that it's very different. How so? Well...

The end of traditions: Since none of the previous games started you off with the radio or flashlight right away, it takes a while to realize that in The Room, you don't get either, ever. The positional audio isn't gone -- you can hear the growling and crying of enemies from a distance, and figure out where you are in relation to them by that. But the otherworldly squealing and static that acted as an early warning system is gone. So are the shadows thrown every which way by the dynamic lighting from the flashlight in your shirt pocket. You don't miss it as much as you think you might, since The Room has new ways to scare you, but when you get a torch at one point and it casts a glow so you can see dimly lit objects, you might feel a little twinge for traditions gone by.

A larger cast: The supporting cast of people you meet in and around Silent Hill has always been kept compact before, but Silent Hill 4 almost doubles the number of people you'll meet from any previous game. Though this means character development is a bit limited, and you don't spend much time with any of the supporting players, it does bring a little more variety to your interactions with the poor souls trapped with you.