[Stingy Jack]

I'm almost through with the game. It's really not that great, actually. There are some genuinely creepy moments, but the nurses (the BEST monsters in a video game series ... at least in the first 3 Silent Hills) are not frightening at all this time around. They're huge, hulking monstrosities, and when you whack 'em a good one with your axe, they belch. Not the right effect.

Also, the ghosts would be okay if they weren't so fucking impossible to kill and they keep following you around. They do damage to you just by being in the fucking room!

Another thing that is missing: the darkness. The Silent Hill series used to churn up the serious scares simply because the monsters would shuffle at you through the dark. You can hear them, but you can't see them until they're right on top of you. Silent Hill 4 has eliminated the darkness, and much of the scares along with it.

Also, the game is too SHORT! (At least, I think it's too short ... I'm not through, yet. So, there may be more coming up when I get through with this second hole.) But, I have a pretty good feel for when a story is about to end ... and this one is about to end soon. You go through 4 worlds (which aren't very large) and gather plates that help you open up another hole from your apartment. This hole has two worlds in it that, again, aren't very long. Well, the second one is kind of long ... but the first was not. The second is just a mix of all the previous worlds you have been to.

For all the hype, this game falls incredibly short of my expectations. What a disappointment.