For a game with "Silent" in the title, there's definitely a lot of noise being generated around Silent Hill: Homecoming. It seems like no one can agree on what to think about this latest entry in Konami's survival horror franchise. Feedback on the game covers the spectrum, ranging from outright dismissal and rejection to praise for being the best and most terrifying Silent Hill game ever. Even here at Crispy Gamer, opinions are heavily divided, with Scott Jones' review earning the game the dreaded "Fry It!" rating, while others, myself included, just can't get enough of the psychologically scarring experience.

It's true that some of the Silent Hill sequels have been stronger than others. So how does Homecoming stack up? Well, based on my own experiences with the game, it may not take the top spot from Silent Hill 2, but it comes in at a pretty close second.

Residents of Silent Hill really need a better HMO plan.

The Silent Hill series has focused more on your "fight or flight" response, as opposed to the usual "blast anything that moves" gameplay of most survival horror games. Combat usually plays second fiddle to advancing the plot in Silent Hill. This time around, though, the developers took a step forward and put a little more focus on the combat system. It's not as well rounded as the combat controls in Resident Evil 4, as Scott points out -- but then again, this isn't Resident Evil ? it's Silent Hill. You don't fight wave after wave of the shambling undead. Instead, you spend a lot of time wondering just when and where something out of your nightmares will jump out at you.

It'll take more than a can of Raid to handle these pests

While the combat system in Homecoming isn't perfect, it makes you feel like you've got a fighting chance now. It's not just about learning the timing of the enemies, either. It's also about learning the nuances of the different weapons available to Alex, and knowing what to use against which creatures. Take on a Nurse with a lead pipe, and you'll likely get carved to pieces before you get off a good swing. Try using a knife against a Needler, and you'll get impaled before you can get close enough to cause any damage. There's a lot more strategy involved here than Scott's giving it credit for.

Nothing like a hot bath to calm the nerves.

Speaking of Needlers: In his review, Scott takes issue with the "cutesy nicknames" given to the freakishly terrifying creatures in Silent Hill: Homecoming, saying that the names make them "quaint and relatable." But at no point in the actual gameplay are the creatures referenced by these names. Instead, they're used to identify the enemies during the tips that show up during load screens.

If I see a fleshy spider-like thing skittering on the ceiling and taking a swing at me with huge bladed appendages, I really don't care that someone calls it a "Needler." And while the Silent Hill mainstay, Pyramid Head, may have a goofy sounding name, he's still one of the most frightening and imposing figures in gaming to date, and someone I wouldn't want to meet in a dark (or even well-lit) alley.

Welcome to Silent Hill ? hope you enjoy your stay.

See, in every Silent Hill game, the environment is as much a character as any of the series' protagonists. As scary as the Silent Hill games have always been, there's something even more bone-chilling about seeing it in high-definition. From the otherworldly haze of the fog covered streets to the dark corridors of the Grand Hotel, you can never quite shake the feeling that someone or something's watching you. And if your heart doesn't start pounding when you hear the sounds of something skulking about in an "abandoned" prison, I'd like to know where you ordered those steel-plated nerves.

Is the dialogue corny in spots? Absolutely. But it's no different than most horror movies playing at the theater down the street. In fact, if you want to have some fun, invite a few friends over, shut out the lights, and watch game night turn into fright night. I had some friends over for a Homecoming game, and by the time we had settled down for the night, people were screaming at the set and jumping out of their skins at the slightest sounds around the house. It's simple. Silent Hill sets out to do one thing: scare people. And it does this beautifully and at an almost visceral level.

Only in Silent Hill can a playground give you nightmares

I'm not going to deny that Silent Hill: Homecoming has a few shortcomings. It can feel a bit repetitive in spots, and it's not always the most polished game on the market, but that never takes away from its overall entertainment value. It's like going to the movies and watching a really good scary movie: If it's done right, you come away with a good scare, a racing pulse, a restless night's sleep and the overwhelming urge to do it all again. I agree that one "shouldn't have to work so hard for a halfway decent creep-out" -- but Silent Hill: Homecoming goes well beyond a simple creep-out ... and well into the realm of true psychological terror. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.