simple dog
Spicy Silent Hill take (and not only because I don't hate Homecoming) but... Pyramid Head wasn't James' full OC and his appearance in Homecoming, while not implemented as well as it should have been, was not THAT weird.
simple dog
This definitely got solidified for me when I adopted Alex to add to a Silent Hill cast, because I did a lot of deep diving for him, but like. Pyramid Head has always been in some way part of Silent Hill
simple dog
He's historically an image associated with the SH cult, or at least the historical darkside of SH, and is used for James BECAUSE James visited the Silent Hill Historical Society and at at least some knowledge of PH's existence to subconsciously manifest him as a form of judgement
papermint tiger
let the eldritch horror have some cake
simple dog
Alex Shepherd literally grew up within an off-shoot of the cult of SH, so it would make total sense that he would be familiar with Pyramid Head's image and lore in the same way. I don't really think it's that crazy of a leap.
simple dog
Like this isn't to say it's not just piggybacking off the design of the Silent Hill movie or anything, don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't get that there was some mismanagement and he wasn't cleanly included into SH:H
simple dog
Obviously they wanted him in the game in the same way the movie makers wanted him in the movie, because he's a staple of the SH brand
goodnonsense
I mean... they have built in reasons to keep using Pyramid Head because he's so iconic but I think the issue here is that most people who don't think he should have been turned into a mascot for SH from a Doylist perspective
goodnonsense
ok yeah, that
goodnonsense
idk that I've seen people arguing from an in-universe perspective that he couldn't be there?
simple dog
I see it aaaall the time
simple dog
Not as much lately now as it had been when I played from Silent Hill, but a LOT of people still think PH is a James-Only monster
goodnonsense
oh well in that case, yeah. Didn't Origins kind of establish that he's a variation on the Butcher?
simple dog
TBH I always considered the Bogeyman from Downpour to also be a reskinned PH in-universe as well
simple dog
Travis and Murphy having a PH that doesn't look like him makes sense since they weren't steeped in SH history as much as a common tourist or a child who was raised on the lore of SH's gnarly history
goodnonsense
plus the monsters are usually modified to be unique to the viewer
simple dog
Yeah pretty much. And for me, as someone who had to like... peel back the layers of SH:H, it made a ton of sense that Alex would use a lore character that he likely knew was a punishing figure to be his 'punisher'.
simple dog
LIKE FULL DISCLAIMER I WISH ALEX HAD HIS OWN VERSION
goodnonsense
yeah
simple dog
I'm not saying it was the best choice by a country mile, but I feel like it's a little disingenuous when I see people in the wild like "James made PH, he shouldn't be in the movie or any other games narratively"
simple dog
James adopted PH's likeness and his role he played in the history of Silent Hill's cult subconsciously, it was like borrowing the town's OC for your own needs
goodnonsense
yeah. idk, I can engage with that if they're arguing from a Doylist perspective that the makers should have let him stay just a SH2 creature but you can't say at this point that he's not a recurring figure in the cult
goodnonsense
I still haven't actually played Homecoming tho because for the longest time, my copy kept glitching out and removing the ability to access the inventory after reopening the game from a save point
goodnonsense
which uh
goodnonsense
fully breaks everything
simple dog
Yeaaaah pretty much. I've always agreed that it wasn't the best choice and the game would have benefitted from a reskinned judgement figure like Downpour
simple dog
BUT THAT'S A BUMMER, I never had any issues like that with my copy. I had to borrow an xbox for my playthroughs back in the day LMFAO
simple dog
My brother and I are gonna replay it on the PS4 so like. We'll see if time has changed my opinions
simple dog
goodnonsense
yeah I think it's a common problem with the PC version
simple dog
... My opinion on SH4 dropped so you never know
simple dog
maybe I will hate SH5 more in 2025 LMFAO
goodnonsense
simple dog
I have to admit that SH2 is the best in the series but it also made a lot of problems for future installments in 450389 ways lol
simple dog
SH2 made a lot of fans annoyed about how involved the cult is in future installments, but I feel like it's kind of unfair to judge non-SH2 games for having something that is part of the backbone of the series
simple dog
I do love SH2 being its own standalone story about just one guy's turmoil, I would love more games like that and Downpour that invest more in some rando having a full arc unrelated to cults
simple dog
IDK this is me both having SH2 as my favorite Silent Hill but also feeling frustrated that it's the one everything in the fandom and in SH-related production circles around
goodnonsense
yeah
simple dog
That includes SH:H, which I feel really suffered from SH2's influence in the franchise 
goodnonsense
SH2 and SH3 were my favs
goodnonsense
love Heather <3
simple dog
SH3 is VERY close to SH2 for me
simple dog
I wouldn't be surprised if my tastes turned to putting SH3 at the top instead, but I could just have a little jetlag from all the SH2 attention
simple dog
I really liked the remake and love the OG, but I am SO ready to move onto more SH properties
goodnonsense
SH1 has been announced for a remake!
simple dog
I heard! I'm so pumped ;;
simple dog
I just hope it's not too far from now, I know they probably only just started production as of the announcement
simple dog
IDK if anything has come out about Townfall yet but I was interested in that, too
simple dog
I think the people who did Stories Untold are working on it?
goodnonsense
I think it's still too far out
goodnonsense
Silent HIll f has a release date
simple dog
I love SH too much so I'll probably get it right when it releases... hopefully without bugs
I love SH too much so I'll probably get it right when it releases... hopefully without bugs
simple dog
I hope someday... SOMEDAY... we'll get a reworked Homecoming and Downpour. 
But I'm not even 100% confident in The Room getting a remake.
But I'm not even 100% confident in The Room getting a remake.
simple dog
There are so many things that I think if these three just got minor tweaks, they could be such solid contributions instead of the pariahs of the SH universe LMFAO
simple dog
Well maybe not The Room, a lot of people like it nowadays, even if they didn't back then. But y'know.
simple dog
I still have never gotten to play Origins tho
simple dog
It's like $150-200 bucks for the PS2 version, oof 
goodnonsense
my sister has it for psp
papermint tiger
PH is too cool to be James' monstersona
simple dog
James' monstersona.... a true nightmare
simple dog
I saw that the PSP version is only like $50-ish bucks!
𝕞𝕣. 𝕡𝕠𝕠𝕝.
I actually really love homecoming but I know that's a spicy take too lmao
simple dog
GRIPS YOUR HANDS
simple dog
We are a small club
simple dog
I REALLY liked Homecoming, but I always felt bad bc I could never really enjoy it fully in the fandom space
simple dog
Most people just instantly hated it and said it didn't exist 
𝕞𝕣. 𝕡𝕠𝕠𝕝.
we're SO small