Random game draw # 5

CHERYL. WHERE COULD YOU BE?

A long time has passed since my fourth random game draw. I blame the result of the previous draw. I spent a long time trying to "git gud" at Contra, only to end up yielding and resorting to frequent save states. A recent list I saw, compiling the hardest games of all time, claimed that Contra was number one. So from here it can only get easier. That's a relief to hear.

Since the last draw MobyGames has changed a bit. It now has a new, cleaner layout, and along with it the random search has changed. The "random" button itself is gone, and if you go into the "Browse" menu and select "Random", the search might result in a studio, or an individual game designer, rather than just a game. To guarantee that the result is a game, you have to be on a game entry - any game will do - and press the right arrow key on the keyboard. It'll take you to a random new game.

So here's a new rule: I'll begin at the latest random game I played (in this case it'll be Contra), press the right arrow key and the result will be my next random game to play.

On the plus side, the random game function feels more refined now. It appears to skip DLC (unless it's standalone), eroge and a bunch of other dubious and unwanted stuff. On the downside, though, it also seems to never choose newer games. It tends to favor titles older than ten years for some reason.

But with that out of the way, let's draw the fifth random game from history to play, if possible. I'll copy-paste the rules from the last entry:

1 - I'll draw a completely random game from history on the mobygames.com site. 

2 - If I can find a playable copy on a platform I own, or an old one I can emulate, I'll play it. Otherwise, I'll draw a new game.

3 - If I can't download the game, I'll order a physical copy, if I can find one. If not, I'll draw a new game.

4 - If the game is part of a continuous series, I might opt to play an earlier entry of the same series for continuity's sake. I'll judge this on a case-by-case basis.

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Okay, let's do it. Here goes... *drumroll*

FIRST DRAW

Silent Hill: Homecoming! How great isn't that - thank you, MobyGames *thumbs way up*. Another Konami game, huh? Well, I really don't mind. They used to produce quality games.

I've never played Silent Hill: Homecoming, which I suppose is the fifth game in the classic horror series (at least the alternate titles section says Silent Hill V). This gives me the option to replay the first Silent Hill (1999), since I've not even begun to review the franchise yet. And I choose to invoke that right. Some of the games in this series are interconnected in story, and the details elude me after all this time, so I need a refresher.

Also - I don't own a copy of Homecoming, whereas I believe I have access to all the earlier ones (or at least the mainline entries, I-IV). The second one is one of my favorite games of all time (unsurprisingly), at least in terms of story and concept. It will very likely end up becoming a belated Hall of Fame entry, if it stands the test of time. But first I'll have to endure the horrors of the first one, of which I remember very little. I think I have access to an original PSX copy, which I can play through my PS2:s backwards compatibility.

And just like that I have reached a decision:

I hereby declare RANDOM GAME # 5 to be Silent Hill for the original Playstation.

For that, I'm happy as a goddamn clown. I love this series.