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The Historical Silent Hill

The upcoming Silent Hill title awaiting us, the town’s Historical Society will be receiving a boost in tourism.

A fan's painting of "Misty Day - Remains of the Judgement"

Game writer Tom Waltz teased FearNet about the eighth installment’s historical twist, describing a tie-in, four-issue comic book that’s set in the 1800s and follows an outlaw named Jebediah Foster.

“I’m hoping that gets the fans going crazy and curious because the new game is a modern story and the comic take place in 1867. So we’re hoping people will be wondering, ‘How the hell can that happen?’”

Waltz confirmed that, with the script fully written, voice-acting for the game has begun. He’s also made fans a bold promise: “What I’ll say is, this is going to be a great game, and it’s going back to the core spirit, maybe people would point to Silent Hill 2. It’s character driven, it’s very dramatic, and I think it’s gonna rejuvenate the title.”

The writer assures gamers that the Silent Hill comics, like the games, aren’t throwaways, stating, “These comics they matter to Konami and they matter to the Silent Hill universe … Once ‘Team Silent’ disbanded and it just became Konami’s game but not the original creators’, the speculation was it’s just a franchise they’re milking and no one cares, but the truth is, everyone cares … Everyone on this team is a fan and cares what the fans think.”

What do you think? Are Silent Hill comics worth four bucks a pop? Can this new game, lacking Yamaoka’s or McGlynn’s grace, steer close to the high-esteemed Silent Hill 2?

No official word yet on the comic’s publisher, but I’m betting the company will stick close with their usual, IDW.

A previous Silent Hill comic.

Tags: IDW Publishing, Konami, Silent Hill, Tom Waltz
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PC Review: Silent Hill 2: Director’s Cut

As the most acclaimed of the series, Silent Hill 2, much like protagonist James Sunderland, shoulders a considerable burden. After nine years, do the mannequins and geometric monsters still emerge from the woodwork as viciously as before? Revisiting that “special place” should fill any gaps in memory. I plugged in a PS3 controller and loaded the PC version, companion to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox editions.

What You’ll Like

Turn Left on Nathan Avenue

Restless Dreams blankets players with the town’s looming isolation. The sirens, otherworlds, and even the staple flashlight and radio slowly drop into the player’s lap. Between Sunderland’s impeccable map-keeping abilities and the direct tactic of gameplay, players can navigate Silent Hill without breaking too much of a sweat. Memorable, unique architecture distinguishes key locations, and the heavy atmosphere complements the dreary wallpaper settings. Akira Yamaoka’s outstanding musical score and his fifty-plus sound effects provide each moment a haunting undercurrent.

Of Special Interest

Although James often pines over his late wife, even he enjoys a good puzzle—and so will the player. In addition to the several gameplay modes, selecting the riddle difficulty ensures a manageable experience. Logical and fair, the puzzles occasionally call for pen and paper solutions, but the clues rarely stump for long.

Fighting, split between light and heavy attacks, proves an equally satisfying affair, and James can target different enemies with a quick tap. A little exploration returns a big profit, as the game packs surpluses of ammo and health into its nooks and crannies. Keeping the flashlight shining will attract James’ attention to any noteworthy item, as well.

You Say Mary; I Say Maria

Silent Hill 2 gushes with more than blood: It writes the book on psychological horror. Voice-acting striking a reasonable chord, the dynamic characters interact purposefully with James throughout the gradually developing story, which is topped with a grand reveal. The clever scares, second only to the intelligent psychology manipulating them, lure players deeper into James’ mentality.

Pyramid Head, who has become the series’ go-to icon, triumphs as an unsettling antagonist, goading players onward through paranoia.

“Born from a Wish” places the seductive Maria in the midst of a haunted mansion. The extra scenario offers a less engaging run-around and little incentive other than a deeper look into Maria’s character, which interested players can appreciate.

What You Won’t Like

Look Sharp

Sometimes the game’s eerie perspectives enhance the frightful effect. In many cases, though, the stubborn camera controls inhibit exploration and acts as a nuisance, particularly upon entering rooms. James’ health meter also suffers from poor construction. Except for the unmistakable red health sign that appears when James is about to keel over, the static distortions viewable from the inventory screen give a lazy estimate of his overall status.

Recommendation: Rewarding and gripping, Silent Hill 2 expertly handles its love story bridled with horror. A solid game, players will find themselves venturing through the fog more than once, minor inconveniences doing little to dent the impressive experience. Few will forget the terror waiting among James Sunderland’s memories … unless they can’t bear to remember. 9/10

Review format credited to the Girls Entertainment Network

Tags: Akira Yamaoka, Creature Lab, Director's Cut, Konami, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Restless Dreams, Silent Hill, Team Silent, Xbox
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Somebody Call Walter Sullivan: Dexter Composer Moves In

Recently at E3, Silent Hill owner Konami debuted a trailer for a post-Akira Yamaoka title. The game, temporarily labeled “Silent Hill 8,” follows a convict Murphy Pendleton as he stumbles into the nightmarish town. Now, really. Who just “stumbles” into Silent Hill anymore? Play us a new tune, Alessa.

I guess that’s where composer Daniel Licht comes in; he’s got quite the reputation (Hellraiser, Children of the Corn, Dexter), but will his songs fit the series? The music sounds a bit too exotic for my tastes, and the gameplay looks like it meddles in the action-adventure genre (get that out of my survival horror!), but who knows. The thematic face lift could be just what the nurses ordered.

The game’s director does promise an “evolution of the franchise’s core combat.” What do you think? Too much Homecoming, too little James Sunderland, or just right, Mary?

Vatra Games is developing the 2011 title for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows.

[GameInformer]

Tags: Daniel Licht, Konami, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Silent Hill, Vatra Games, Xbox 360
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Shattered Memories: A Eulogy

Okay, this apparently went live Tuesday on the front page of Kombo.com, but I was too distracted by my recently defunct computer to notice. Anyway, I hope you take a moment to hop over to Kombo and check out my first guest article for them!

Over the years, my obsession for the Silent Hill games has nestled into my life like an infection. Akira Yamaoka’s music, which balances so beautifully against Mary Elizabeth McGlynn’s and Joe Romersa’s haunting vocals, effortlessly spreads its tendrils under my flesh. The gritty visuals poison my veins, the nightmarish town rots my bones, the psychological illusions deceive my brain, and the lingering terror grips my soul in my sleeping hours. Despite its deathly visage, I can’t help but experience a sort of inexplicable, Gothic fascination for the series whose stories have always rattled me. But when the recent Shattered Memories caused my dry throat to constrict and my eyes to wet, I knew the usual horrors weren’t culpable.

Tags: Climax Group, Kombo, Konami, Shattered Memories, Silent Hill
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PSP Review: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Hooray! It’s been half a year since my demo and Konami interview at San Diego Comic-Con, but I finally sat down to play Shattered Memories. So … did I enjoy it? Well, that’s a tricky number. The game is quite a mixed bag of good and bad, but ultimately one lone feature redeemed the entire game for me. Find out what over at OneMetal.

Silent Hill has dramatically evolved since the original game, presently a decade behind us. Now Shattered Memories lifts the ashes and exchanges the rust-colored decor for a colder touch. Put down the chainsaw and stop running—the latest installment dares you to revisit the classic town and remember everything you, and Harry Mason, tried to forget.

Shattered Memories logs a relatively short length, and the gameplay and story elements are profoundly redesigned. In fact, fans will recognize the changes before they even start pressing buttons. The game invents more personality for characters, polishes familiar locations with fresh attributes, and incorporates the depth absent in the first run-around. Borrowing the first-person technique utilized in The Room, the psychologist sessions allow the game to profile you by translating various exercises, like coloring a picture or answering intimate questions, into Harry’s adventure. The characters and locations might remain, but this isn’t the game you remember. Shattered Memories molds to your unique personality and develops a new and engaging spin on an old story.

Tags: Climax Group, Konami, OneMetal, PlayStation 2, PSP, Shattered Memories, Silent Hill, Wii
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Spawn Kill Favorites: Silent Hill

Oh, Silent Hill, how I adore you. Thanks to the PlayStation Network’s inclusion, I recently revisited the PSOne classic on my PSP. So despite the voice-acting that makes soap operas sound like Shakespearian language, what distinguishes Harry Mason’s experience and keeps the aging title memorable? Find out at Spawn Kill.

One decade ago, Konami left a neoteric imprint on the survival horror genre with Silent Hill, a video game that would inspire a number of future titles, a movie, and several books and comics. But Harry Mason’s investigation into the fog-covered town and its strange occurrences accomplished more than just a household name among the likes ofResident Evil. The heart-pounding adrenaline rush introduced gamers to a nightmare founded on psychological Japanese horror and an equally unnerving musical score by composer Akira Yamaoka.

Tags: Konami, PlayStation, Silent Hill, Spawn Kill, Team Silent
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A Look Inside The Room

Many gamers disregard Silent Hill 4: The Room as an unfortunate blip, undeserving of the Silent Hill name. I’ve already discussed the many pros and cons of the video game, but why is it really worth playing? Why does it rank, in my view, alongside the much idolized Silent Hill 2?

In my latest series feature, which landed a guest spot on GamerNode, I discuss the overwhelming influence of voyeurism and how it uniquely relates to the characters (especially Henry Townshend), gameplay techniques, and story involving Walter Sullivan’s 21 Sacraments. The Room achieves some rather interesting effects, both similar and new to the Silent Hill cannon, so I hope you enjoy this in-depth look into the game.

Unlike its predecessors, Konami’s Silent Hill 4: The Room coaxes the player away from the namesake town, changing the honored formula and permanently altering the series’ requirements. Besides distorting audience perception, the fourth game introduces a first-person viewpoint, interspersing the usual monstrosities with ghosts and establishing a limited inventory system, to name a few. Fans recognize the series’ essence within the theme of isolation; although gruesome horror and twisted psychology present less wondrously in The Room than prior titles, the game’s subtle achievements rival the likes of the celebrated Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams. Unlike the latter, however, Silent Hill 4 does not concentrate its efforts on making the player feel wholly alone — quite the opposite, in fact.

As a series, Silent Hill’s energy traditionally draws from its backbone of psychological cunning and Japanese subtlety. The first game blames the town’s cult religion as the freakish activity’s root but wisely marks the occult phenomena as a mere precursor. The true power manifests from the depths of characters’ minds, laying the groundwork for series chills just as the surrounding fog emphasizes the blurred line between reality and dreams. But Silent Hill 4 departs from the usual darkness, removing many of its self-defined conventions such as the flashlight and sirens and clearing the veil shrouding the town’s mysteries. As gamers, we now stand on the edge, looking upon Silent Hill as an outsider; through that perspective we experience new psychological dangers perhaps more threatening than we initially realize.

Tags: GamerNode, Restless Dreams, Silent Hill, The Room
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