Silent Hill Discussion [Archive] - Page 4

Kiyosuki

02-20-2005, 12:18 PM

Yes, gameplay is very difficult to think of isn't it? Especially with SH. Now here's a topic worthy of at least 5 pages. :D

When I think of Silent Hill gameplay, also remember that its usually very closely tied to the main point of the story. IE: First one was all about not knowing what the heck SH was, it was all confusion, much like Henry's dillemna. The metaphor's of Room 302 for Henry take a central role in the game's gameplay mechanics.

If there's future SH's, they have to mix this a lot more. We can't just have random people visit silent hill even if its a good reason too much, or its going to get stale very quickly. Here's one idea...what about a flash back tale...back to a time thats anywhere from the civil war era (where the cult began) to maybe early 20th century..when the Cult is in its prime and its evil is first taking over the town of Silent Hill. You'd play as a person from that era, maybe an innocent townsfolk or someone who's in the cult..but realizes the evil of what he's doing and wants out..but it isn't so easy.
Or if Konami wants to be daring and wildly original, a native american main character who's a descendant of the tribe who used to frequent the land before it was taken over and colonized/corrupted by the cult. He's either fallen out with his fellow tribesman and has tried to fit into the white mans world..but ends up needing his ancient boyhood history and teachings in order to survive old Silent Hill. That or just some random drifter, whatever floats your boat.

Imagine this, game's gun's are limited to the weapons of that time period. There'd ofcourse, be no radio if this were pre 20the century. Maybe something like a ringing charm..or something like a background noise like in Siren (like creepy tribe chanting you only hear) in its place. Also imagine..this is a time period with NO electricity of any kind. Thus all you have..is lanterns, and thats the foggy Silent Hill. In other, its like..PITCH black, all you have is a Lantern to see, and it can blow out...you can relight it any time..but it could happen at bad times.

Man...old Civil War era ghost stories scare the shit out of me, just imagine how this game could be. Also of note...the bodies in the lake are fresh..and the hospital is new and infested with disease and poor, primitice medicine.
Scenery would be Colonial ofcourse, this could be the events which cause Silent Hill to be abandoned in the first place, because the people were messing with things they shouldn't of. And you're main guy just happens to walk into it and has a connection to it and the land. As well as the primitive town, there could be a certain degree of wild fields (my god imagine alternate version of this!) you can wander or maybe even ride a horse around (a brave ass warrior horce you'd need for that..) And realize mysterious mountain sides have appeared around the town trapping you in it for some reason. You're goal is to escape, and in order to do this you must confront this warped spiritual evil with the spirit of the land before it was desecrated. But in order to do this, you must traverse not only the town, and its lake front..but possibly quickly hop into different time's in the town's history (Either psychological, spiritual vision of some kind or maybe something vague) But thing is, is its during its most grusome points..the epidemic, the slaughtering of the Natice American people, the first coming of the cult...all done in a very warped manner. You must do something in each point in order to "rechannel" the spiritual energies of your ancestry. All the while however...a spiritual battle between your people's energy and the energy of Samael rages inside your head..causing you to become more and more chaotic the more you go into the game. Sometimes you may even lose control of your character for random periods of time as they're "possessed" and do anything from Run straight into monsters to just go in random directions. Would that not scare the crap out of any of you? Suddenlly realizing nothing you do to the controller is controlling your own character anymore?

Thats one of my idea's...I have another but it entails more of Heather's storyline. I think there's still a little room left in the main plot/Alessa/Heather plotline. Its a bit fuzzy though...

StarZander

02-20-2005, 04:44 PM

Everyone ignores me, but what the heck... Here's a question for you.

Is the cult, and the town itself, actually evil? Or is it just twisted?

ifirit

02-20-2005, 10:36 PM

Yes, gameplay is very difficult to think of isn't it?... When I think of Silent Hill gameplay, also remember that its usually very closely tied to the main point of the story.

I think you've answered your own question.

If there's future SH's, they have to mix this a lot more. We can't just have random people visit silent hill even if its a good reason too much, or its going to get stale very quickly. Here's one idea...what about a flash back tale...back to a time thats anywhere from the civil war era (where the cult began) to maybe early 20th century..when the Cult is in its prime and its evil is first taking over the town of Silent Hill. You'd play as a person from that era, maybe an innocent townsfolk or someone who's in the cult..but realizes the evil of what he's doing and wants out..but it isn't so easy.

Well, if you read my posts about the rumors for Silent Hill 5, you'd have seen that Konami is already entertaining this idea. However, the character is centered around more modern times.

Or if Konami wants to be daring and wildly original, a native american main character who's a descendant of the tribe who used to frequent the land before it was taken over and colonized/corrupted by the cult.

I've often considered the use of minorities as the central characters (or any characters for that matter) as a starting point for a game. Using what has already been explained in Silent Hill 2 about the history of the area might offer some really great story elements for a game. Having a Native American as the main character might give a better setting for a game taking place during the early colonial settlements.

If they were to use that there are several things are derived from that setting alone. First, no town. Silent Hill begins as a settlement after settlers drive off the natives; and it is not refered to as Silent Hill, but "The Place of Silent Spirits" in the native tongue. Also, the area would be almost entirely devoid of people, because the place of Silent Spirits is used as a sacred place and only shamen or priests are allowed to visit that place. The terrain is mostly marsh and forest depending on how close to the lake you get. What becomes difficult then is that the environments become dull and repetative. However, in Metal Gear Solid 3, almost all the environments are outdoors, yet not dull or repetative at all. So, Konami could pull this off.

However, if you choose to set the stage a little further in time, to the first settlement on the lake, you would have some additional landmarks to add, but it would still be mostly forest and marsh. Also, the first settlement disappeared before the end of the War of 1812, so no current day landmarks would be present in the game, including Brookhaven Hospital. Also, the first settlement would not be named Silent Hill either since the name of the first settlement is lost in time, as stated by the Lost Memories. This era still has conflicts with settlers inhabiting the natives' "sacred ground."

Again, if you choose to go further in time and start off with the settlement in South Vale and Paleville, then the name Silent Hill can be applicable since this settlement survives history. Civil war has broken out, the natives have been pushed away and are not seen or heard. Brookhaven is a shack in the settlers' camp treating people for small pox as more and more immigrants settle in the region. The original settlers are displeased by the influx of strangers and the influx of disease. Some, who were influenced by the Native Americans that once lived there, turned to the rituals that were once held there to drive away the strangers. They were the ones who developed the religion of Silent Hill. The appearance of the religion was overshadowed by the constant war and disease, so it grew rather quietly. Yet, after the war, discussion of anything that contradicted christianity was not allowed, so the merging of native rituals with christian rites was formed. In Silent Hill at this time, you could not tell the difference between Christians and Pagans.

So, this little isolated town in the middle of nowhere continued to practice this cross-breeding with what was normal and what was abnormal. This era is marked by the workings of the Toluca Prison, the Brookhaven expansion and the overall development of the south side of the lake.

When coal was discovered on the north side of Toluca Lake, another influx of strangers came to Silent Hill. This time they made a settlement across the lake and did not bother the people on the south side much. Yet, the people on the south side refrained from having their religious practices so open. However, I believe that some of the miners became prey for the people in South Vale and would disappear if they were insolent. That is why there is a division between those involved with the religion and those who made up the working classes.

Only when tourists started coming to Lake Toluca did all practices in pagan rituals cease. The threat of exposure was more apparent than ever. Only the strong of faith maintained their practices in private, which was a handful of individuals. But, for this handleful of people, who liked living in that small lakeside community, they felt threatened by the quick pace in which everything was changing. From them, they developed the cult of Silent Hill. The cult's purpose: to bring their "god" into the world to wash man of his sins. (Which is just a fancy way of saying "make all the bad peoples go away.")

And that, as they say, is the rest of the story.

Well, what started out as discussion on story development has now become a synposis on the history of Silent Hill. Well, if Konami chooses to create a game based on the history of the town, they have five different eras for focus the story on. Still, like you said in the rest of your post, Kiyosuki, the elements of gameplay to add to the game because of the limitations on technology and environment would make for a terrifying experience. Expansions on the story of history alone could provide plenty of sequels. I would rather see more stories focused on the aftermath of the things that happened in Silent Hill and not as directly related to the main storyline.

Alternate Silent Hill before the appearance of settlers would definately be a interesting to see. Blood would still be used, but what in place of metal and corrosion?

Everyone ignores me, but what the heck... Here's a question for you.

Is the cult, and the town itself, actually evil? Or is it just twisted?

Well, we've discussed this briefly before, but the consensus was that Silent Hill is not evil per say, but draws out the darkness in people's souls. However, what the power that the spirits held in Silent Hill before the changes to the religion and the appearance of the cult were is unknown, but we suspect that it has been distorted into what it is in present day stories.

Because of all the things that have happenned in SH, the conflicts over land, the civil war, the disease, the tortures in Toluca Prision, the resentment held by the townspeople toward strangers has taken a toll on the spirits ("gods" if you prefer) native to the lake. What might be percieved as evil might be what the land percieves as normal and that the misty reality is what is abnormal.

SZ, think about it like this (because I know you understand The Legend of Zelda): The sacred realm of Hyrule vs. The light world of Hyrule. When Ganon touches the triforce, the evil in his heart transforms the world to the evil, harsh and destructive land of the Dark World. It is also influenced by the fact that Ganon kills all his comrads before touching the triforce. However, before that the sacred realm was thought to be a holy and spiritual place. The presence of a hate though has transformed it. Silent Hill is very similar, only that there is no triforce to save people, there is no magic spell or object that can return the land the way it was before. Once the spirits of this place have been changed, those changes remain and become integrated into its being.

I'm guessing you have to sign up to download those tracks, huh? Maaaan...

No, Broken Notes is available for FREE and are immediately downloadable. I am not in anyway way aware of a membership required to download tracks and have already done so without signing up for anything. Come on, give me some credit (http://www.brokennotes.com/specialfeatures/faq.html).

I didn't know Prymid Head was SH3!

I think you are confusing Vatiel with The Red Pyramid Thing. Vatiel and The Red Pyramid Thing are related to each other, but are not the same thing. Previous posts have been made on this topic, but if you still have questions feel free to ask.

If I have assumed wrong and you are not confusing Vatiel and The Red Pyramid Thing, then you should realize that the music videos are montages of all four games, with FMV photage used throughout.

Kiyosuki

02-20-2005, 11:16 PM

The metal and rust can still very much be used there, just not as much. Just imagine these old fashioned colonial slaughter houses with hanging stuff, and the hospital when first created could have an alternate version thats just...filthy, absolutely filthy, even filthier than the usual alternate world. Why? Because its a much more primitive world, there's so much disease and famine going around and less regulated bloodshed about that well, I think that makes for a bloody terrifying alternate world.

I was thinking the best times for something like this to take place was either when the major epidemic spread during the Civil War when the hospital was first built (You know, the shack), because there was a bit of a town existing then. Another is an undisclosed time right smack in the middle of the turning of the 20th century. There was this point when the town was abandoned and recolonized I think because of that coal mine thing you mentioned, maybe another good time would be right when thats happening..and this mysterious town is being built up a little and recolonized. That would certainly be good for surprise factor (For the characters anyways)

I think a Native American main character would be just pure genius if the SH team ever decided to do it. I mean, its a racial minority thats seen very little exposure in Video Games, most especially Japanese made games and we're at a time where I've noticed quite a few major Japanese developer's are experimenting with character's who are not only of a ethnic descendancy not used often, but are also accurate and not quite accidentally offensive. ^^;

Looking at SH's history as well with the lands strong Native American background, I think its just a perfect opportunity.

To me, the scariest sounding aspect to this is the the wilderness area around Silent Hill. Imagine that the town doesn't have to be all scrunched up together, maybe there can be various settlements scattered all around the area and inbetween is mostly unmaintained forest and plain area's, basically pure rural. Imagine how scary it would be to walk in an alternate version of that...but you don't even have electrical lights around to guide you, its ALL dark. I have this image of you having to walk to this lone structure thats separate from the main town, and you have to follow a small nature path into the woods that eventually dissapears and you just have to find your own way. But then..it becomes Alternate, and the tree's are either dead, or they have dark red leaves and have rather grotesque things stuck to the trunks. That..and there's a LOT of tree's, like totally untamed lamed.

The only problem with this, is that unless it was at a time right near the end of the 19th century, there'd be a major problem. Most buildings back then weren't nearly as complex as today's, so there'd have to be a lot of outdoor's stuff or secret locations to cover for that.

ifirit

02-20-2005, 11:54 PM

Basically the timeline falls as such:

Pre-1775: Place of Silent Spirits
1775-1812: First settlement which eventually disappears
1812-1900: Second settlement that is the basis for present day Silent Hill.
1900-1950: Coal mining town developed
1950-Pre-SH game events: Tourism develops in Silent Hill.

Fit the story wherever you see best. I'm going hunting.

EDIT: Aahh. The spoils of the hunt. Time for some more...

Silent Hill Movie Update:
Seems some people are getting over excited about the upcoming film and have been releasing some FAKE posters to promote it.

The FAKE poster (http://www.diariodeumotario.blogger.com.br/Silent%20Hill%20Movie.gif)

Bill Pullman and Johnny Depp are not starring in the Silent Hill movie. Don't be fooled. Filming has yet to begin and casting is not yet likely finalized. With that, let's move on.

This is a little old, but is an official Konami statement about the upcoming film. It shows the meeting between Team Silent and the production team from Davis Films. This video report is not likely to be hosted on Konami's site for much longer, so make sure you see it before too long.

Konami meets with Davis (http://www.konami.co.jp/ja/tv/news/0572/br.html) (Broadband)
Konami meets with Davis (http://www.konami.co.jp/ja/tv/news/0572/na.html) (56K / DSL)

From the short clip of the trailer in the report, you can hear a clip of dialogue from Rose (formerly Harriet) about Sharon.

Anyway, I also thought I'd provide a spoiler-free version of the synopsis to the movie plot for those interested without having anything given away.

A woman desperate to save her dying child finds herself trapped in an alternate reality as she searches for her daughter in a dangerous world of demons.
Rose cannot accept the knowledge that her daughter Sharon is dying of a fatal disease. Over the protests of her husband, she flees with her child, intending to take the girl to a faith healer. On the way, she ends up driving through a portal in reality, which takes her to the eerie and deserted town of Silent Hill.
Sharon disappears in Silent Hill, and Rose follows what she thinks is her daughter’s silhouette all over town. It’s soon clear the town is not like any place she’s ever been. It’s inhabited by a variety of creatures and a living darkness that descends and literally transforms everything it touches. The human inhabitants—the ones who are left—are trapped and fighting a losing battle against the Darkness.
Joined by a cop named Cybil, who has been sent to bring her and Sharon back, Rose searches for her little girl while learning the history of Silent Hill and that Sharon is just a pawn in a larger game.

McCorvic

02-21-2005, 03:48 AM

Well, my friend and I have been working on an original Silent Hill radio drama thing. While the script isn't close to being finished we did manage to whip up a nice little trailer.
Silent Hill Trailer (http://www.voiceacting.co.uk/masahiko/download/radio_plays/silenthill-trailer-holycrap1.mp3)

We'd really appreciate any comments, feedbacks, ideas, ect ect.

Our Silent Hill RP webpage (http://www.geocities.com/holycrapx/shindex.htm)

Our RP production page (http://www.geocities.com/holycrapx)

Hopefully we will be able to do SH justice.

Nekofrog

02-21-2005, 03:55 AM

Kiyosuki

02-21-2005, 04:00 AM

Harriet?

If they named her Harriet..that would of been too fucking funny..

What are we gonna name the sequel's heroine "Jamie?"

Raenok

02-21-2005, 04:00 AM

The Instrument of GAWD

02-21-2005, 04:08 AM

I'm guessing you have to sign up to download those tracks, huh? Maaaan...

No, Broken Notes is available for FREE and are immediately downloadable. I am not in anyway way aware of a membership required to download tracks and have already done so without signing up for anything. Come on, give me some credit (http://www.brokennotes.com/specialfeatures/faq.html).

I posted that when I tryed to download them and a small window popped up asking for a login and password... it's not showing up now, guess something was going wrong when I tryed.

I didn't know Prymid Head was SH3!

I think you are confusing Vatiel with The Red Pyramid Thing. Vatiel and The Red Pyramid Thing are related to each other, but are not the same thing. Previous posts have been made on this topic, but if you still have questions feel free to ask.

If I have assumed wrong and you are not confusing Vatiel and The Red Pyramid Thing, then you should realize that the music videos are montages of all four games, with FMV photage used throughout.

What I was reffering to was a part of the video "Inner Fears", there was a scene where Heather was on the ground all bloody and was being dragged away. When I first watched it, the person dragging her away looked alot like Prymid Head, at least the waist down did. Now that you said that, I watched it again and saw that in didn't have a Prymid-Head. Another thing, I never saw this in SH3, and I've been through it twice.

I'm assuming it's something that happens when you die? Cause that's something I didn't do much unless it was an instant death scene (train, roller coster etc.).

ifirit

02-21-2005, 08:23 AM

This video report is not likely to be hosted on Konami's site for much long, so make sure you see it before too long.

Anyway, I also thought I'd provide a spoiler-free version of the synopsis to the movie plot for those interest with having anything given away.

I apparently seem to be having a bad grammar day. (They seem to keep coming as the days progress.)

I'm assuming it's something that happens when you die? Cause that's something I didn't do much unless it was an instant death scene (train, roller coster etc.).

Just die by monster in any of the parts of the Alternate Reality. You have a one in six chance of getting the Vatiel "Rebirth Ending." It's not really an ending, but it is sorta since Heather gets reborn afterwards. It's kinda hard to explain.

I really, REALLY fucking despise the fact that they had to muck around with the characters and make the protagonist a woman.

"OOH IT'S A WOMAN PEEPLE WILL BUY MORE TIKKETS BCUZ WIMMAN R VUNLERABLE".

Fucking Hollywood. Fucking Konami for letting them do this.

As long as she doesn't go Matrix on the monsters.

Where the hell did you two come from?!

*Lights a holy candle and curls up in the corner* Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me. Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me. Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.

On a serious note, Roger Avary (http://www.avary.com/rogeravary/journal/journal.php) was the one who wrote the script, so any and all complaints about the plot can be directly aimed towards him (http://www.avary.com/contact/contact.html). Second, having the story centered around a female lead does not go against the grain of a Silent Hill story. So far there have been two females as leads in the games (Heather in SH3 and Cybil in the Silent Hill: Play Novel). Letter C, because the main character will be female, don't assume that she is automatically more vulerable than a male protagonist would be. (Actually, quite the opposite. Few female characters from the games have been played as vulernable. In those few cases that were, they did so to manipulate another character. Plus, a certain male protagonist can be considered much more vulernable than any female character in the game.) Delta, the contexts in which the main character is female and the resulting reasons have yet to be presented, so do not rush to conclusions. I have confidence in Team Konami and in Davis Films. Please show some faith.

Also, for anyone hoping for Silent Hill 2 to be made into film form, please watch "Betty Blue."

Well, my friend and I have been working on an original Silent Hill radio drama thing. While the script isn't close to being finished we did manage to whip up a nice little trailer.
Silent Hill Trailer

We'd really appreciate any comments, feedbacks, ideas, ect ect.

Our Silent Hill RP webpage

Our RP production page

Hopefully we will be able to do SH justice.

Interesting intro on the trailer. Different than what I've heard before. I can see some references peeking through. (Born from a Wish, anyone?)

Unfortunately, the voice acting needs to be tightened. The main character's voice is a little bland (contains few vocal embelishments) and it really sounds staged during the line "Is anybody... here." Sorry, but the voice sounds too much like a high school stage production. The dialogue also needs to given a thorough scrub-down as some lines are both repetative and unnatural-sounding. I seriously would think about rewording the line "This has to be a dream. But, why... why am I so scared?" It's much too cliche' for my tastes.

Although, I do want to compliment you on the great job of music and background sound effects. I see some potential to be a really good fan-fiction work. If it helps, use the Kyodan works made for Silent Hill 4 by Akira Yamaoka for inspiration. (Mind the fact that they are not in English, but take the tone of the reading from it.) Just make sure to give the script a close review and revision and to do multiple takes when recording.

On a personal note, (maybe its just due to a lack of a script or full context, but) I'd like to see the story taken in a sightly different direction. I've seen too many takes on the "I don't remember how I got here" plot from fan-fictions.

I suggest that as you write the script to consider what you want the audience to get out off this drama after the writing is complete. Think about where you are starting from, both as the writer and as if you were an audience member. Think about the steps that you have to take to reach the desired goal (what is to be paid off from listening). Let someone else read (out loud) the script before recording to make sure it sounds right. This helps especially if the reader doesn't know what the work is. It helps in knowing where to clearify, if the work flows well, if it makes sense and if you ultimately reach your point/twist/philosophy/ect.

If I sound snobby, it's just to make sure you not only work hard, but work smart. Peace, love and good luck!

McCorvic

02-22-2005, 08:04 PM

Well, my friend and I have been working on an original Silent Hill radio drama thing. While the script isn't close to being finished we did manage to whip up a nice little trailer.
Silent Hill Trailer

We'd really appreciate any comments, feedbacks, ideas, ect ect.

Our Silent Hill RP webpage

Our RP production page

Hopefully we will be able to do SH justice.

Interesting intro on the trailer. Different than what I've heard before. I can see some references peeking through. (Born from a Wish, anyone?)

Unfortunately, the voice acting needs to be tightened. The main character's voice is a little bland (contains few vocal embelishments) and it really sounds staged during the line "Is anybody... here." Sorry, but the voice sounds too much like a high school stage production. The dialogue also needs to given a thorough scrub-down as some lines are both repetative and unnatural-sounding. I seriously would think about rewording the line "This has to be a dream. But, why... why am I so scared?" It's much too cliche' for my tastes.

Although, I do want to compliment you on the great job of music and background sound effects. I see some potential to be a really good fan-fiction work. If it helps, use the Kyodan works made for Silent Hill 4 by Akira Yamaoka for inspiration. (Mind the fact that they are not in English, but take the tone of the reading from it.) Just make sure to give the script a close review and revision and to do multiple takes when recording.

On a personal note, (maybe its just due to a lack of a script or full context, but) I'd like to see the story taken in a sightly different direction. I've seen too many takes on the "I don't remember how I got here" plot from fan-fictions.

I suggest that as you write the script to consider what you want the audience to get out off this drama after the writing is complete. Think about where you are starting from, both as the writer and as if you were an audience member. Think about the steps that you have to take to reach the desired goal (what is to be paid off from listening). Let someone else read (out loud) the script before recording to make sure it sounds right. This helps especially if the reader doesn't know what the work is. It helps in knowing where to clearify, if the work flows well, if it makes sense and if you ultimately reach your point/twist/philosophy/ect.

If I sound snobby, it's just to make sure you not only work hard, but work smart. Peace, love and good luck!

Thanks for the feedback. A lot of what you said does ring true after reading your post. It's so hard to get honest feedback these days, ya know? :roll:

Just to let you know that we will continue to be changing the script, plot, characters, ect. We also hope to find a better voice actor (as you have noted, I'm not the best). Hey, maybe you'd be interested? Heh.

The Instrument of GAWD

02-27-2005, 08:00 AM

Just got the Dog Ending in SH2...

Two things...

1. I must find the song that plays durning the credits.

2. WTF DOES JAMES SAY?! ARGH, I had the subtitles off and I didn't save since I left the hospital.

EDIT: Nevermind, a stop at GameFAQs does one good.

Raenok

02-27-2005, 04:34 PM

]I really, REALLY fucking despise the fact that they had to muck around with the characters and make the protagonist a woman.

"OOH IT'S A WOMAN PEEPLE WILL BUY MORE TIKKETS BCUZ WIMMAN R VUNLERABLE".

Fucking Hollywood. Fucking Konami for letting them do this.

As long as she doesn't go Matrix on the monsters.

Where the hell did you two come from?!

*Lights a holy candle and curls up in the corner* Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me. Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me. Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.Can't sleep, gaybush will eat me.

You may remember me as Raenok. I have visited this thread numerous times.

RimFrost the Tourianist

02-27-2005, 09:33 PM

Kiyosuki

02-27-2005, 09:42 PM

I really, REALLY fucking despise the fact that they had to muck around with the characters and make the protagonist a woman.

"OOH IT'S A WOMAN PEEPLE WILL BUY MORE TIKKETS BCUZ WIMMAN R VUNLERABLE".

Fucking Hollywood. Fucking Konami for letting them do this.

As long as she doesn't go Matrix on the monsters.

That reminds me of Milla J ,from the RE movies :vomit:

Aw yeah, Silent Hill XTREME !

Oh and Eric-Jon at Insert Credit.com has a very interesting viewpoint of the purpose of Silent Hill 4's storyline, and how it was supposed to scare you.

http://www.insertcredit.com/reviews/silenthill4/

Tranquil Chaos

02-28-2005, 08:46 PM

At the beginning of SH4, Henry says he's been trapped in his apartment for something like 2 weeks.

Very clearly in the introduction, the story says, "Henry has been locked in his room for 5 days."

Oh yeah! Me and my shitty memory...

ifirit

03-01-2005, 12:02 AM

1. I must find the song that plays durning the credits.

Well, if you're still looking for the Dog Ending Song, you can find it on the Sound of Silence (http://www.silenceisbroken.com/soundofsilence/). (Go to the Silent Hill 2 section and look under Rare Tracks.)

If you really want, I can even tell you the name of the song that plays during the Dog Ending. :D It's "Shinukana Hibi No Kaidan" by Dragon Ash. [/showing off]

You may remember me as Raenok. I have visited this thread numerous times.

Oh yeah. Sorry, I didn't really notice the name change. It just seemed a little too convenient that after making a post about the movie, people would start jumping on board. Sorry for jumping to that conclusion, but I thought it was funny anyway.

Oh and Eric-Jon at Insert Credit.com has a very interesting viewpoint of the purpose of Silent Hill 4's storyline, and how it was supposed to scare you.

http://www.insertcredit.com/reviews/silenthill4/

I really liked the way that he worded the article. It really made me want to finish reading the whole thing. The comparison he made between real life and the game, where it becomes a metaphor for coping with real life and how we try to escape our responsibilies when we become disconnected with the world outside. It's really great how he wrapped the two ideas together. I just wished that he didn't realize this point so soon and stopped writing. I would have liked to have read more. I'm not sure I entirely get the metaphor for peeping, though.

Maybe I said it before, but the game does reference Hitchcock. I think it's when you look at the picture of the South Ashfield Apartment Complex in the Living Room sometime late in the game. But, I also got that feeling from the atmosphere. Like the author said, "it's more bizarre than frightening." Which I didn't get the first time I played the game, because I was expecting a more similar atmosphere of isolation and terror. But, that's what's great about the series: you never get want you expect.

I also think it's funny that he references Shenmue 2 in the article since partically every voice actor from SH2 was also a voice actor for Shenmue 2.

EDIT: Hey kids, it's time for another episode of everyone's favorite game...

Silent Hill Movie Update:
- Rumor
Seems we have another leak involved in the filming of the Silent Hill Movie. On the GameFAQ forums, since The Instrument of GAWD sort of lead me there, it seems one of the actors from the Resident Evil Movies (Zombie) is auditioning for a monster role in the new Silent Hill movie. Though she was willing to give out any and all information, she didn't really have much too say. You can read her posts here (http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=919554&topic=19308464&page=0), but I'll summerize what she wrote.

Earlier this evening my agent called to tell me I have an audition as a monster for the movie based off silent hill. I have never played any of the silent hill games and I am wondering if anyone could give me some info or tips on what the general monster acts like in silent hill. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.....thanks!

P.S. Watch for me in the up coming "Land of The Dead".. I play three different zombies!
I leave for my audition in about an hour. Casting seems really secretive about the details of this movie, because they haven't faxed any sides for me to memorize. They seem to want really skinny and flexible people to play this part. I'm sorry I don't have any juicy gossip to tell other than I'm from toronto ,so it could possibly be filmed in canada. I should go and warm up. I will let everyone know how my audition went when I get back! Thanks again! All the links were an extreme help! I think I have a good chance because I've been in a few horror movies. You can also find me in the horrible Resident Evil 1 and 2 plus the remake of Dawn of the Dead.

(Its seems like Toronto is a hot spot for the horror genre)
My audition went really well! The audition consisted of me convincing them I could move very corps-ish/zombie-like, mixed with a slight seductive slither. They didn't have me read anything but instead they had me moan and groan, it was a lot of fun! I should hear from them if I get the part within three days. Thanks again!
First of all I found out about my audition at 11:00 pm, which was just a short period before I posted my topic(that's why I was so desperate for tips), secondly I'm a she not a he...lol and lastly my agent called me two hours ago to tell me I have the part!!! yay! She also informed me that they will probably use me to play various creatures in the movie(I may not even be playing a woman). Although this is a principal role, I won't be playing the lead monster. Later this week they will fax my agent the contract and I won't be able to talk about the movie until its release. But In my opinion this movie won't be something to brag about anyway..hopefully I'm wrong!
I don't know the monsters names.. but they look creepy! the makeup will involve lots of heavy latex. They tested me to see if I was allergic to latex because the parts require me to wear a lot! most of my body will be covered. Oh i would bet that one of the characters I play will be a zombie.. I'm always a zombie...lol
Thanks again!!!!! I found out I could end up being a daily which means everything I film could be finished in a 16 hour work day. I like being a daily, you get in, get out and have a nice chunk of change for a single days work. Plus if they need you for anything else they keep you on call. I find most of the horror movies I've been in have used this system for a lot of their actors. Its tends to be cheaper for productions because they don't have to worry about outrageous demands from an actors long term contract or fancy accommodations either. You wouldn't believe the crap some actors pull when negotiating their contracts...
its not like I'm a lead, or a movie star. I'm just a 19 year old girl that works as a executive assistant when I don't have a gig. Trust me, this part isn't going to make me famous..its just going to be one thing I add to my resume.
I'll really have to push my movement training to the limits! This will be a perfect chance for me to show what I can do with my body!
Hi everyone! I signed my contract today..that means I am not allowed to disclose any specific details from this point on about the movie(which is normal). It also said as a daily my part isn't guaranteed to make the final edit.... but I'm not going to let that happen....lol. I would also like to apologize if I offended anyone by saying this part isn't much or that the movie might not be so hot. As an actor you brace yourself for the worst and let success and fame be a surprise or after thought. With the amount of rejection in this business it wouldn't be healthy to dream up false hopes. The regular rate for landing parts while starting out in this business is one in fifty, so staying level headed is a must! I suggest if anyone is interested in acting (and you live near L.A., Vancouver, New York or Toronto) join a background agency. Its a great job to see if you're really interested in the acting business! Just remember this business is not glamorous! The average work day is 15 hours long and the respect for actors doesn't come until you have really made a name for yourself. .......Anyway..one of my friends has a silent hill game and she is going to bring it to my house so we can play it. I'm not sure which one it is but I'm willing to play any of them!
[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

All the posts following this are just basically her arguing with the other forum members about the validity of her claim. Personally, I believe her, but until she can present some proof, I'll have to file this under "Rumors."

- Story: Filming Location
However, it also seems that there is some proof in her claims because there is news that coincides with the one above which says that the Silent Hill movie is filming in Canada. Although, the film is using an alias. The alias is "Centralia" and has set its location in Brentford, Ontario, Canada. A local news article (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=99172&catname=Local+News) was published about this that places the Silent Hill movie by Davis Films as the same as Centralia. (Hopefully, this is only an alias since I think Centralia is a horrible name and detracts from the Silent Hill brand name.)

Well, perhaps you'd like to take a tour of Brantford (http://www.city.brantford.on.ca/) before filming takes place. Brantford (http://www.city.brantford.on.ca/new/pdf/daytrips_discoverBrantford_jul2_02.pdf) is located appoximately 20 miles southwest of Lake Ontario. Its townspeople lovingly refer to it as the "Telephone City." (http://www.bellhomestead.ca/) While there, the film crew will be treated to the lavish two-star accommodations provided by the Holiday Inn (http://image.pegs.com/images/HI/BTFON/btfon_b1.jpg) located on Colbourne St. Or if the crew wants a break, they can take in one of the many events (http://www.city.brantford.on.ca/civiccentre/events.htm) and activities held at the Civic Center (http://www.city.brantford.on.ca/civiccentre/). Or maybe get some exercise at the Wayne Gretzkey Aquaic Center (http://www.city.brantford.on.ca/gretzkycentre/index.htm) the same way Canada's finest athlete did. (Swimming is fun!) Or quite possibly visit the Brentford's world-famous dike (http://www.brantford.ca/gordonglaves/whattosee.htm#waterworkspark). (You know that's always fun, eh?) Hey, they can even see Inspector Anderson of the Brantford police "wait for the meat (http://www.police.brantford.on.ca/bbq001.jpg)" in the community section (http://www.police.brantford.on.ca/community.html) of the Brantford Police page. If they feel lucky, they might try out the Charity Casino (http://corporate.olgc.ca/charity/brantford.jsp). (Sorry kids, Daddy gambled away all his money for charity.) If they get hungry, they can always stop by The Olde School Restaurant which features piano music daily. Located on the corner of Queen and Colbourne St. is a metal cutting factory that services many subway manufacturers (ooooohhhhh, aaaaaahhhhhh). However, if anything should happen to the crew (heaven forbid) and they wish to be cremated, they can get buried in Brantford's very own Columbarium (http://www.brantford.ca/cemeteries/preplanning.htm#Columbarium), a freestanding, above-ground structure with recesses in the walls (to house urns) for the perpetual care of cremated remains. (How sweet.) Or maybe you'd like to take up residence there. I hear the Brentford Fire Department (http://www.brantfordfire.ca/) is looking for a Control Room Operator (http://www.brantfordfire.ca/associatedDocs/adControlRoom.doc).

So, congradulations Davis Films, you next project will be filmed in a dump. (I'm so happy. *Wipes tear*)

Raenok

03-01-2005, 12:08 AM

You may remember me as Raenok. I have visited this thread numerous times.

Oh yeah. Sorry, I didn't really notice the name change. It just seemed a little too convenient that after making a post about the movie, people would start jumping on board. Sorry for jumping to that conclusion, but I thought it was funny anyway.

No hard feelings.

And as for the movie, Silent Hill was a dump the first time we saw it. :P

ifirit

03-01-2005, 12:39 AM

Yeah, I know. I was using sacasm, but then again, it might have been clear.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that the name Centralia is derived from a small mining town in Pennsylvania (http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm) of the same name. The town has become a ghost town due to underground fires burning in the mines. The smoke along with other gasous emmissions make the town look like its covered in mist and it is dangerous to walk around in that smoke. This name is obviously a hint that someone on the production team wanted to point out.

The Instrument of GAWD

03-01-2005, 07:58 AM

Eccles

03-04-2005, 07:25 AM

Something hit me last night...in Silent hill 2 there's always a TV nearby whenever somebody finds out something about their past and goes on to face their demons.

Angela has a TV in the room when the bedman first attacks her (Remember? She hits bedman with it once you go through the hard work of killing him for her)

James watches the TV set to find out what happened when he was last in Silent Hill...and shortly after he finds psycho woman in the floaty upside-down bird cage.

Eddie I'm not too sure about...which is where this imagery falls down, to be fair. It could be that Eddie is somehow related to James' corpse in the apartment building (he was watching a TV tuned into nothing but static so I guess it could follow), but Eddie doesnt really watch TV at any point during the game.

Still, some of the other imagery is pretty good...like the pistons on the wall in Angela's part of the labyrinth. Sometimes it's good to see something perverse in everything you do...

Eccles

03-04-2005, 03:35 PM

Perhaps it's because Eddie doesn't actually face his demons...think about it, James ends up fighting bird-cage woman, Angela ends up traumatised by Bedman (who, for some unbeknown reason decides to turn on you), but who does Eddie have? Nothing and nobody as far as I can see.

Incidentally I read a review a while back citing the silent hill franchise as a tool of evil since it promotes the violent murder of innocents.

If I'm entirely honest I can only think of one point in the Silent Hill games when you have to kill an innocent and even then it's entirely up to you. for elaboration (and OMGSPOILARZ) highlight away: In Silent Hill 1 when you fight Cybil you have the option of killing her. There is nothing in the game to make you do it (the game doesn't reward you enough to make you WANT to do it) so I don't exactly see how this can be cited as the game forcefully making you kill an innocent person.
The only other human victim in the Silent Hill series is Eddie from SH2...and he's by no means an innocent. For one thing you find when you find him in the locker room he's surrounded by six bodies and mouthing off about how he's glad he killed them (not to mention he talks about how he's murdered two people and a dog before that point) so while the game makes you kill him it doesn't class as killing an innocent. Of course Vincent does the whole "They looked like monsters to you?" bit...but even then he follows it up with "PSYCHE LOL!", which is a shame, cause I really think that one could have worked if they played it off right.

Razumen

03-04-2005, 05:03 PM

Yow my brain, can't believe I read this whole freaking thread, for the love of Heather someone give me a advil! :wink:

Yes this post is probably going to be quite long, but if you don't read it I'll be sending PH after you. Just kidding! But not really...

I've played Silent Hills 2,3 and 4 and so far I think SH2 so far is my favorite as far as the story goes. 4 had a pretty good plot going but it wasn't as involving since the story merely affects Henry instead of revolving around him.

As for the control scheme, I was surprised to hear people complain about the 2D one used in SH4, I mean I've been using it in SH2, 3 AND 4 and find that one to be by far the easiest one to use. Is there really no SH game with both schemes selectable? Every one I've played so far has had both)

The only time I've seen those tank controls work is in RE4 and that's ONLY because your view is fixed over your shoulder. I'm also pretty sure you can set up to play with the tank controls in SH4, but I have it uninstalled at the moment so I'm not so sure.

That said I think my favorite game so far for scare value is SH3. SH4 had some pretty good scares, but I really think they should have left the flashlight in and made the areas darker. It also would have been cool if they it so that you had a faulty flashlight which would flicker, fade and sometimes even go out for short periods of time.

The radio I didn't miss so much in SH4, the ambiance and music more than made up for it's absence. It would have been nice if there was a scene in a relatively peacefull area with a radio or other something similar that would start getting wonkier and freakier untill the shiat hits the fan, where shiat is whatever freaky thing you can think of.

As far as the monsters go, I think they were trying to go in the right direction by making them harder to fight, and for some to run from (the buzzers and dogs) but aside from the twins none other really stand out as far as freakiness goes.

The victims however were quite a good implementation, theres just something about a monster that you can't kill, can go through walls to follow you and hurts you just by being there.

The ability to dodge seemed pretty pointless and hard to use, especially when you could just charge up your favorite melee weapon and become an invincible wrecking ball.

Some might say that SH is really about the combat, and while this is to a certain extent true, I really think the flight or fight is a big part of the series. Unfortunately this is often negated by having combat that is tedious and or super easy. I think they really should focus more on melee combat and keep ranged weapons scarce. Fighting with these monsters should be faster, more involving (kicking, dodging, blocking) but also more deadly so that you're actually scared for your characters life when you're around them. With a lot of the monsters in silent hill it's hard to really see them as dangerous, and while creepiness goes quite a way, they need to follow up on that creepiness by being life threating monsters of fear.

I liked how they were trying to play on being trapped, lonely and afraid, and SPOILER]how you one place of sanctuary ends up being invaded slowly halfway through. Not to mention the fact that you find out it's smack dab in the alternate reality and probably was ever since he became trapped in it.[END SPOILER]

I think the realtime weapon switching was a very good thing, but then they had to mess it up by adding loads of weapons that would break, making ammo take up multiple slots, adding quite a few really useless weapons (Really, would anyone here use a frigging PAPER-cutter on a silent hill monster? You'd be hacking and slicing for hours. Better to just jab it into whatever resembles a face and run away!) Also puzzle items should have been given their own space and used like previous SH games. This is pretty much what they did for RE4 and it works.

Of course I think the main reason SH4 hasn't lived up to it's full potential is the fact they had to make it in a measly 12 months. Anyone trying to make a game like Silent Hill, with production values like the previous ones, with that restriction is either going to have to cut a lot of stuff, or just end up with a game that tries everywhere, but fails at everything. I think they should have had at least two years to develop the game, any less is just crazy and sounds a lot like money hungry execs just wanting more money.

Too bad it didn't end up like RE4, which really gave a breath of life to the RE series and is by far IMHO the best RE game yet. Too bad Mikami is leaving Capcom (Though I don't blame him). Mikimi not only managed to totally change the direction of the game but somehow polished everything to a fine sheen as well.

OK, I think thats it for now. now to find SH1, the PC version is probably my best bet so far.

ifirit

03-04-2005, 09:11 PM

Yow my brain, can't believe I read this whole freaking thread, for the love of Heather someone give me a advil!

Wow. I really admire people who've read through the entire thread. That's why I try to add as many cookies (http://www.angelfire.com/scary/pyrokinesis/special/index.html) as I can. I admire people even more when they make coherent, intelligent posts. So, welcome to the thread.

As for the control scheme, I was surprised to hear people complain about the 2D one used in SH4, I mean I've been using it in SH2, 3 AND 4 and find that one to be by far the easiest one to use. Is there really no SH game with both schemes selectable? Every one I've played so far has had both)

The only time I've seen those tank controls work is in RE4 and that's ONLY because your view is fixed over your shoulder. I'm also pretty sure you can set up to play with the tank controls in SH4, but I have it uninstalled at the moment so I'm not so sure.

A lot of initial complaints about the control scheme were made by the "hardcore" crowd who played the previous titles with a more difficult control scheme, 3-D (i.e. "tank controls"). Truthfully, getting used to the 2-D system is not difficult as most games use this, but it seemed that Konami was breaking a long standing tradition by only allowing 2-D controls. For many, the change was not entirely welcome. But, as time passed, the complaints became less and less frequent. (I've say my peace to the 2-D system.)

That said I think my favorite game so far for scare value is SH3. SH4 had some pretty good scares, but I really think they should have left the flashlight in and made the areas darker. It also would have been cool if they it so that you had a faulty flashlight which would flicker, fade and sometimes even go out for short periods of time.

The radio I didn't miss so much in SH4, the ambiance and music more than made up for it's absence. It would have been nice if there was a scene in a relatively peacefull area with a radio or other something similar that would start getting wonkier and freakier untill the shiat hits the fan, where shiat is whatever freaky thing you can think of.

The ambience in each game is created to be unique to the story line. (You'll realize that almost every element of the games are revolved around the storyline.) Though, the ambience of the first three games were similar in structure, their execution (if subtle) shows thousands of differences.

However, as these things go, SH4 was a huge departure from the classic formula. As we've been recently discussing, the environment being created is one of a bizarre nature, rather than one of a scary nature. I think it best to describe it as like watching a surrealist video or painting and being enamored be it rather than repulsed. It's a really interesting quality that was well executed even with the hurried release of the game, though I suspect it is a quality that often gets overlooked by players, especially newer ones.

I like to describe the difference as a person who tastes wine as opposed to one who merely drinks it.

As far as the monsters go, I think they were trying to go in the right direction by making them harder to fight, and for some to run from (the buzzers and dogs) but aside from the twins none other really stand out as far as freakiness goes.

The victims however were quite a good implementation, theres just something about a monster that you can't kill, can go through walls to follow you and hurts you just by being there.

Monsters are always people's favorite parts of the games, and understandably so, since they take the direct focus of the player. But, like I've just said, the player should take in more than what is merely the direct focus, especially when there are so many things that make of the indirect focus of the game.

But, again you have to really appreciate the effort that goes into the monster designs, because I know that creating something as strange as a SH monster is challenging.

The ability to dodge seemed pretty pointless and hard to use, especially when you could just charge up your favorite melee weapon and become an invincible wrecking ball.

Some might say that SH is really about the combat, and while this is to a certain extent true, I really think the flight or fight is a big part of the series. Unfortunately this is often negated by having combat that is tedious and or super easy. I think they really should focus more on melee combat and keep ranged weapons scarce. Fighting with these monsters should be faster, more involving (kicking, dodging, blocking) but also more deadly so that you're actually scared for your characters life when you're around them. With a lot of the monsters in silent hill it's hard to really see them as dangerous, and while creepiness goes quite a way, they need to follow up on that creepiness by being life threating monsters of fear.

I know that the controls aren't perfect, but they aren't terrible either. However, one of the freedoms of game playing is choosing whether or not to use all the tools at your disposal, such as with the dodge buttons. I always used them in previous titles because it allowed me to quickly evade on-coming attacks (and when combined with the always-run option, you can quickly take out multiple enemies with just a malee weapon).

Still, I agree with your suggestion that the fighting should be more involved. Punching, kicking and scratching are all things we might do in the real situation (if it were possible). Adding in these elements might even help to create a new type of fighting system where the player has no weapon to sheild themselves. This invokes a feeling of nakedness as most games will supply a character with a weapon that gives the player a sense of empowerment. However, if that element were missing, the exposed nature of the player would help to double the apprehension of an already unnerving surrounding. (Yoink. I'm stealing that one.)

I not so sure that the monsters need to be more life-threating, because of the challenge of the hard modes in the games. Seriously, try beating the Extreme Modes in Silent Hill 3 or the unlocked New Fear Modes in SH1 and SH4. Making the game more difficult will lead to the inevitable player-frustration that would detract from the appeal and keep players from enjoying what they enjoy most: the story.

The difficulty that a person chooses when they play the game makes up how involved they want to become. For some players, they enjoy minimal involvement and focus on the story, character development and background information as opposed to fighting. Others, much like yourself, really like getting into the mechanics of gameplay and like the challenge of surviving. It all just depends on your playing style, which is an entirely different topic on its own.

Of course I think the main reason SH4 hasn't lived up to it's full potential is the fact they had to make it in a measly 12 months. Anyone trying to make a game like Silent Hill, with production values like the previous ones, with that restriction is either going to have to cut a lot of stuff, or just end up with a game that tries everywhere, but fails at everything. I think they should have had at least two years to develop the game, any less is just crazy and sounds a lot like money hungry execs just wanting more money.

Too bad it didn't end up like RE4, which really gave a breath of life to the RE series and is by far IMHO the best RE game yet. Too bad Mikami is leaving Capcom (Though I don't blame him). Mikimi not only managed to totally change the direction of the game but somehow polished everything to a fine sheen as well.

This is a big point to argue because it will (for the moment) determine what game people will buy. RE4 has had so much pre-production and production time and money put in that it shines as a superior game in any genre, not just puzzle-horror. (I'm not afraid to admit when something else is better.) But, when it comes to playing Silent Hill games, you do so because you want to try something that is different. Also, because these games have good, solid production values, even if they aren't always perfect. It's that deviation from what's normal that attracts people to the games, not because it has pretty grafics or smooth gameplay. Having something that is truly unique to itself is what will make the Silent Hill series stand the test of time.

So, I guess I'm really arguing a point that doesn't really need to be made. However, where SH4 is lacking in production time invested, SH5 will not. (SH5 is due out in 2006 after the launch of the PS3; plenty of time to work and polish it by release. I have a feeling that that game is going to be incredible.)

Silent Hill 2 Spoilers

Something hit me last night...in Silent hill 2 there's always a TV nearby whenever somebody finds out something about their past and goes on to face their demons.

Ohhhh.... That's really interesting. Maybe it's some kind of social commentary Konami is also making about Americans, just like the gun in the shopping cart. A lot of people's lives tend to revolve around the home, more specifically around the television.

A lot of important history has been broadcast on the television. Think about the Moon landing and how many people watched that. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Every New Year's Eve, where you watch the time change and celebrate the coming of a new year, a time when we are supposed to reflect and reach revelations on our lives. Television makes up a lot of people's lives and has become a source of communication for the world.

The TV also becomes integrated into our consiousness, because it can substitute for a friend when one is not availble. It can teach, influence and destroy us. I think it was best explained on the Simpsons:

Television: Friend, teacher, mother, secret lover...

It's quite disturbing how much people rely (socially) on a pixelled screen displaying things we can't interact with. The irony being that we somehow convince ourselves that we do interact with it, anyway.

Perhaps it's because Eddie doesn't actually face his demons...think about it, James ends up fighting bird-cage woman, Angela ends up traumatised by Bedman (who, for some unbeknown reason decides to turn on you), but who does Eddie have? Nothing and nobody as far as I can see.

Maybe it's not that the television represents when a person reaches a revelation, but on another tie between the characters in the game? What if the television relates not to the secondary character in the scene, but to James himself? I mean, James doesn't really know if Eddie has faced his fears/demons yet. Could Eddie already have done so before he met James, and that this was his aftermath? Or maybe James was the representation of Eddie facing his demons?

I mean Eddie does come clean about what he did with James. Eddie realizes what he did and why he ran away. Maybe James is Eddie's demons come to life. I mean, James does end up killing Eddie. (If you believe in the theory that Eddie is the delusion of James', then this is a metaphor folding on top of itself. James is the manifeastation of a delusion realizing its fears. Too much, man.)

But, as for the television, maybe it represents a way of detaching yourself from the situation that you're in. Television isn't real. What you see isn't your reality. Maybe it's a way for characters to lose themselves to avoid feeling hurt. This might tie into your theory because James tries to avoid thinking about himself being dead and about killing Mary by thinking it's not really himself, it's what's the guy on the screen is doing. Angela ties to avoid remembering and thinking about what happened to her. She doesn't want to see her father and what he did to her. Maybe that's why she breaks the TV? So, with Eddie, he is not trying to avoid his feelings. He's actually embracing them. He gives into his feelings of rage, disgust and humiliation, and he acts on them.

It's just some food for thought. Anyway, I think there was a television in the Bowling Alley, where Eddie and Laura talk and Laura realizes that she runs away a lot, too. I might be thinking about the monitor that hangs above the lanes.

EDIT: Well, since I touched on the topic of Silent Hill 5, I guess I should give you guys an update.

Well, like every game in the series, development has just ended on the newest game and immediately production on the next is underway. However, looks like Konami needs some help, because they are looking for programmers to help create the next game. Under Konami's employment page (http://www.konamityo.co.jp/jobs/), you can see (near the bottom) a notice for employment for Team Silent. Sources say that Konami is desperate to hire new talent and needs to hire programmers as quickly as possible. Hmmm... maybe some one here would like to apply. ;)

Also, thanks to colinasilenciosa.tk, we now have pictures of the exact filming location of the Silent Hill movie. You can see some images of the streets chosen to be featured as part of the business district of Silent Hill.

Colborne St. #1 (http://colinasilenciosa.liquidfree.net/media/1/20050301-streetfront.jpg)
Colborne St. #2 (http://colinasilenciosa.liquidfree.net/index.php?imagepopup=1/20050301-colborne.jpg&width=640&height=480&imagetext=Colborne+Street)
Aerial view of Colborne, King and Queen Streets (http://colinasilenciosa.liquidfree.net/index.php?imagepopup=1/20050301-brantford_a.jpg&width=432&height=277&imagetext=vista+a%E9rea)
Building on Colborne St. (http://colinasilenciosa.liquidfree.net/media/1/20050301-building.jpg)
Map of Streets (http://colinasilenciosa.liquidfree.net/media/1/20050301-map_sm.jpg)

Eccles

03-04-2005, 09:30 PM

SH2 Spoilers!!!!11one
I wouldn't have thought so...since Laura doesn't have any demons to face. Angela, Eddie and James all killed someone in the past (hence their being in Silent Hill), but Laura is just there because of her connection to James and Mary (IE: Had things worked out differently she would have ended up living with the Sunderlands...something that happens in one of the endings)

Razumen

03-05-2005, 02:34 AM

However, where SH4 is lacking in production time invested, SH5 will not. (SH5 is due out in 2006 after the launch of the PS3; plenty of time to work and polish it by release. I have a feeling that that game is going to be incredible.

Well that's very good news indeed, with that much time I have no doubt it will be awesome. One question, I think I saw it mentioned somewhere on this gargantuan thread but is it being developed for next gen consoles or the current crop?

The ambience in each game is created to be unique to the story line. (You'll realize that almost every element of the games are revolved around the storyline.) Though, the ambience of the first three games were similar in structure, their execution (if subtle) shows thousands of differences.

However, as these things go, SH4 was a huge departure from the classic formula. As we've been recently discussing, the environment being created is one of a bizarre nature, rather than one of a scary nature. I think it best to describe it as like watching a surrealist video or painting and being enamored be it rather than repulsed. It's a really interesting quality that was well executed even with the hurried release of the game, though I suspect it is a quality that often gets overlooked by players, especially newer ones.

True, most of the areas were more bizarre than scary. Whether this was a actual design decision or just the result of not enough effort put into the environments still seems unclear to me.

Still, I agree with your suggestion that the fighting should be more involved. Punching, kicking and scratching are all things we might do in the real situation (if it were possible). Adding in these elements might even help to create a new type of fighting system where the player has no weapon to sheild themselves. This invokes a feeling of nakedness as most games will supply a character with a weapon that gives the player a sense of empowerment. However, if that element were missing, the exposed nature of the player would help to double the apprehension of an already unnerving surrounding. (Yoink. I'm stealing that one.)

Well one thing I thing would also help is less projectile weapons, guns in their very design have a very impersonal feeling to them - you just point and shoot. You never really need to be up close with them and that decreases the feeling of insecurity. With a melee weapon you have to get close to the monstrocities and by doing so put yourself at more risk.

I not so sure that the monsters need to be more life-threating, because of the challenge of the hard modes in the games. Seriously, try beating the Extreme Modes in Silent Hill 3 or the unlocked New Fear Modes in SH1 and SH4. Making the game more difficult will lead to the inevitable player-frustration that would detract from the appeal and keep players from enjoying what they enjoy most: the story.

Ok I have to confess I have very little experience with the Silent Hill games in anything higher than the normal skill settings, I did play a bit on Hard in SH2 but to me all it did was give the monsters more health and more frequent attacks.

This pretty much ties into making the combat more involved (when you do so feel inclined to fight) but not necessarily making it hard for everyone.

Skill levels should remain, so beginners and casual players aren't left out. But the higher levels should be more challenging rather than just harder, with tactics and techniques that you didn't really have to master or even use in the easier levels.

I know it's a hard thing to implement correctly, (I myself am putting together a design for a future game which revolves heavily on combatitive gameplay) and it's especially hard for a game like Silent Hill. At least Team Ninja seem to be on the ball on it, insofar as SH4 has the best combat yet IMHO.

But, when it comes to playing Silent Hill games, you do so because you want to try something that is different. Also, because these games have good, solid production values, even if they aren't always perfect. It's that deviation from what's normal that attracts people to the games, not because it has pretty grafics or smooth gameplay. Having something that is truly unique to itself is what will make the Silent Hill series stand the test of time.

True, I love the Silent Hill games because they are different, but not just for the sole fact they are different. In other words, I love them because they do different very, very well.

I do care about graphics in games, but I don't need them to enjoy a good game. However they are a very important aspect of the SH games, even if the SH games are much deeper than creepy bloody eyecandy. They help to create the suspension of disbelief as well as lure new players into the series temporarily untill they find out that it is so much more than just prettiness (not really a good term for SH games :-p)

Really, I consider smooth gameplay to be much more important than graphics, Since if you can make the player forget about how he has to interact with the game to do stuff, it'll be a lot easier to draw him and, and thus easier to scare.

Ohhhh.... That's really interesting. Maybe it's some kind of social commentary Konami is also making about Americans, just like the gun in the shopping cart. A lot of people's lives tend to revolve around the home, more specifically around the television.

To me it kind of seems to represent the characters inactions against their own problems. Since watching TV is usually a very inactive 'activity' for both the body and mind.

[SPOILER]in James' case, he only really starts to face his demons after the hotel, where in a sense the TV was a portal for his subconscious to reach his conscious mind. Since I doubt he really taped THAT.

Eddie doesn't really resolve his issues, he pretty much just spirals out of control into them.

I'm not sure about Angela's case, the TV was at the scene when you protected her from bedman, but from the last you see of her it's quite doubtfull how she is faring with her inner conflict. Perhaps she still had much more to go through before she came to some sort of conclusion.[SPOILER END]

Also, thanks to colinasilenciosa.tk, we now have pictures of the exact filming location of the Silent Hill movie. You can see some images of the streets chosen to be featured as part of the business district of Silent Hill.

Wow, those pics really fit, especially the fourth one. Of course they aren't nearly foggy enough. Wonder whether they'll be using real fog machines or somehow do it CGed in.

*Edit*

Well I just started playing SH4 on a brand new fear, mainly to get a better ending (Last one I got was the worst one :roll:) But one thing's been bugging me, I'm playing the game with a gamepad, but Henry seems to only like walking in 8 directions as if I'm using the keyboard to move. Is this a inherent trait of the PC version or is it common to all the ports? Heh, it's really been bugging me since I got off SH2 and am considering getting the Xbox version.

On a similar note, at the beginning when Henry is having nightmares, do you think the man you're looking through the eyes of is Joseph? I think it's pretty obvious since he comments on not having a big TV but a record player, etc.

Kiyosuki

03-05-2005, 01:50 PM

Heh..I once had a conversation with my best friend about future SH idea's and we said "What if a main character in this Silent Hill game was handicapped in some way..?" kinda jokingly..

But now when I think about it..the idea has a lot of room to be absolutely terrifying. If done right, because it also has a lot of potential to be inadvertenty silly. ^^;

ifirit

03-12-2005, 09:39 PM

Well, with the recent forum trouble we've been having, it seems that some of this thread got deleted (mainly the last three posts, I'm still checking on the rest of the thread). Usually, I would have just reposted the missing parts since I keep a backup of most of the posts here, but I haven't made one in a while. Personally, I don't think it was too much of a loss, since the posts were responded to and recieved by the intended reader. However, for those who missed them, I apologize.

I've been trying to think up some ideas to get the ball rolling again, so I went searching and I came across some old sites and sounds that I hadn't visited in a while. Though, some of it may be a bit old, I'm not sure everyone's checked them out.

European Websites:
I'm sure you realize the each major region of the world has there own division of the Konami Corporation, each with their own website to promote Silent Hill. However, some of you might not have heard of them, and might not know what you're missing. So, I've compiled a list of some of the things you might want to check out.

The Official Silent Hill 3 Site (EUR) (http://www.silenthill3.de)
This site was launched around the same time as the release of the game, though it was not used much in promoting the game beforehand, it was updated quite often after the game's release.

Although, it might have been overshadowed by its Japanese and American counterparts, it still features some unique materials of its own. Also, its programming is much smoother and more concise than the American site. (Be careful of the menu; the animations on it kinda make them hard to click on.) Featured on the site are the official music video for "You're not Here," the official orange wallpapers (my favorite of the series), and the trailer to the "Making of" Silent Hill 3 which was later released on DVD. (I know where to find it, but haven't been able to get my hands it yet. If you live in England and can help me out, send me a message.)

The Official Silent Hill 4 Website (EUR) (http://www.silenthill4.net) (Warning: Site Contains SH4 Spoilers)
Ah, this one is a real treat. The official site for Silent Hill 4: The Room was released also some time after the release of the game, but again features some great stuff that you might not find anywhere else.

The site features two modes of navigation: one where you can use the navigation menu, which is straight-forward and logical in design, or the other where you take a risk and dive into The Room to its explore the vast hidden secrets within. Each mode has different things within, so taking either road produces different results. I suggest you take a trip through the navigation menu first.

What you can find through the navigation menu is a never-released (in North America) trailer for the game, two downloadable mp3s of Melancholy Requiem and Into the Depths of Self-Discovery, some great wallpapers made specially for the european site, as well as an interview with Akira Yamaoka on his view of the series and future installments. Great stuff and definitely worth seeing.

The Official Konami Store of Europe (Scandinavian Branch) (www.konamistyle.se)
StarZander pointed this one out to me a long time ago. This place is great since it has items that you will not be able to find in most places, completely in English to provide user-friendliness to people in North America. With regards to Silent Hill, the store contains a copy of the European Soundtrack for Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4 (same as disk 1 of the Japanese soundtrack for SH4), T-shirts for men and women, mousepads (http://www.konamistyle.se/m3.asp?intItemId=191&CaId=8&CaId2=&Cu=1), coffee mugs (http://www.konamistyle.se/m3.asp?intItemId=192&CaId=8&CaId2=&Cu=1) and the most unusual of all, a statuette (http://www.konamistyle.se/m3.asp?intItemId=149&CaId=8&CaId2=&Cu=1) of James and a Bobblehead Nurse. (For some reason, it looks different than when I first saw it a while ago.) Personally though, I want the coffee mug.

Silent Hill Voice Actors:
I took a trip to the Silent Hill Forum to research information on another topic and came across a listing of some of the voice actors courtesy of Jeremy Blaustein, translator and VO director for SH2 - SH4. I've also compiled the listing of the other voice actors from the games, with site and picture information (as best I could).

- Silent Hill 4
Henry Townsend - Eric Nocebo [Image] (http://www.tokyo.to/backissues/oct99/parts/parts.jpg)
Eileen Galvin - Anna Kunnecke [Image] (http://www.epromotion.co.jp/models/youngwomen/images/001.gif)
Joseph Schrieber - Robert Belgrade [Site] (http://www.candelatokyo.com/e/c-robbie.html) [Image] (http://www.candelatokyo.com/image/photo/7-11.jpg) [Image2] (http://www.shakuhachi.com/Images/D-Huebner-Candela.jpg) (Pictured far right)
Cynthia Vasquez - Lisa Ortiz [Image] (http://www.lisaortiz.com/images/lisaortiz.jpg) [Site] (http://www.lisaortiz.com/) [Site2] (http://community-2.webtv.net/Otakuman/TheOtakumansLisa/)
Jasper Gein - ???
Andrew DeSalvo - ???
Richard Braintree - ???
Walter Sullivan (Child) - ???
Walter Sullivan (Adult) - ???
Frank Sunderland - ???
Male Radio Announcer - ???
Female Radio Announcer - ???
Cop #1 - ???
Cop #2 - ???
Walter's Father - ???
"Number No Longer in Service" Voice (555-3750) - ???
"Skinned Mike" Female Voice - ???
"Skinned Mike" Drunk (Male) - ???

- Silent Hill 3 [Group Photo] (http://booyaka.net/vincent/images/voiceactors.jpg) (Right-click, Save as)
Heather Morris - Heather Morris [Image] (http://www.r-lmodels.com/Women/HeatherMorris.jpg) [Image2] (http://www.whatthefun.net/heather/visuals/va01.jpg)
Douglas Cartland - Richard Grosse
Claudia Wolfe - Donna Burke [Image] (http://www.epromotion.co.jp/models/adultwomen/images/009.gif) [Image2] (http://www.dagmusic.com/eng_site/images/donna/Donna_profile.jpg) [Site] (http://www.dagmusic.com/eng_site/donna_index.html)
Vincent - Clifford Rippel [Image] (http://www.epromotion.co.jp/models/adultmen/images/010.gif) (Credits incorrectly listed as Glifford Rippel)
Lenard Wolfe - Matt Lagan [Image] (http://www.narrator.jp/narrator/narratordata/mat_legan1.jpg)
"Happy Birthday" Voice - Mike Matheson [Site] (http://mikematheson.com/)
Borley Haunted Mansion Tour Guide - Mike Matheson [Site] (http://mikematheson.com/)
Chapel Confessor/Parishoner - Lenne Hardt [Image] (http://www.epromotion.co.jp/models/adultwomen/images/015.gif) [Image2] (http://www.narrator.jp/narrator/narratordata/lenne_hardt1.jpg)

- Silent Hill 2
James Sunderland - Guy Cihi [Image] (http://www.guycihi.com/guy300.jpg) [Site] (http://www.guycihi.com/) [Image2] (http://www.agscapital.com/pressrelease/riekikakutoku.pdf) (pdf file. Last Picture; shown center, yellow tie)
Angela Orosco - Donna Burke [Image] (http://www.epromotion.co.jp/models/adultwomen/images/009.gif) [Image2] (http://www.dagmusic.com/eng_site/images/donna/Donna_profile.jpg) [Site] (http://www.dagmusic.com/eng_site/donna_index.html)
Eddie Bombrowski - David Schaufele
Laura - Jackey Breckenridge
Maria/Mary Shepard Sunderland - Monica (Taylor) Horgan
Ernest Baldwin - Ward E. Sexton
Amy Baldwin - Florence Minowa
"Trick or Treat" Voice - Dominic Allen [Image] (http://www.narrator.co.jp/tarento/image503.gif) [Image2] (http://www.hotel-krabi.com/greenspirit/images/lineup/allen.jpg) (Apparently, he is also a DJ in Tokyo. His label is Stargate Universe (http://www.stargate-universe.org/))
Doctor - Dennis Falt

- Silent Hill
Harry Mason - Michael G
Cheryl Mason/Alessa Gillespie - Sandra Wane
Cybil Bennett - Susan Tomei or Susan Papa [Image] (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/Awnae/susan-papa.jpg) [Image2] (http://www.shotgunplayers.org/archive/seas5/maids/maidsimg2.jpg) (Pictured right) [Image3] (http://www.planetout.com/images/popcornq/dbimages/c/Cruel.gif) (Pictured right)
Dahlia Gillespie - Liz Mamorsky [Image] (http://www.lizland.com/graphics/liz1.jpg) [Image2] (http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2004/04/17/ho_mamorfire_4.jpg) [Site] (http://www.lizland.com/home.html)
Michael Kaufman - Jarion Monroe [Image] (http://www.dailycal.org/images/art/01.18.theatre2.MILLER.jpg) [Image2] (http://www.marinshakespeare.org/images/95/RichardIII_HRM.jpg)
Lisa Garland - Thessaly Lerner [Site] (http://www.thessalylerner.com/) [Image] (http://www.susansvoicemedia.com/images/thessaly.jpg)
Doctor - Michael G

It seems that Konami has two places that they like to get their talent from: Narrator.jp (http://www.narrator.jp) and E-Promotion.jp (http://www.epromotion.co.jp). I say that since I found five or six of the voice actors still listed there. If you can find anything else, feel free to post it.

Eccles

03-12-2005, 09:54 PM

No matter how many times I see her, I cannot get my head round Thesally Lerner...It's just...NO! YOURE SUPPOSED TO HAVE RED HAIR! *my head a splode*

-edit-
Also, when I can be bothered to get my laptop out at the same time as my SH2 DVD I'll take some screenshots to show y'all...there's some interesting stuff in there.

StarZander

03-12-2005, 10:25 PM

No matter how many times I see her, I cannot get my head round Thesally Lerner...It's just...NO! YOURE SUPPOSED TO HAVE RED HAIR! *my head a splode*

On her website, in her credits, it says she did voiceacting for SH3 aswell. Was Lisa in some flashback or something in SH3, or did she voice a completely new character? I can't remember seeing (or hearing) Lisa anywhere.

Eccles

03-12-2005, 10:33 PM

Lisa's videotape plays halfway through the labyrinth in Brookhaven. Y'know, the one when she asks what's keeping Alessa alive and so on.

StarZander

03-12-2005, 10:37 PM

Lisa's videotape plays halfway through the labyrinth in Brookhaven. Y'know, the one when she asks what's keeping Alessa alive and so on.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the tape. Mystery solved then.

The Instrument of GAWD

03-13-2005, 05:35 AM

Cynthia Vasquez - Lisa Ortiz [Image] (http://www.lisaortiz.com/images/lisaortiz.jpg) [Site] (http://www.lisaortiz.com/) [Site2] (http://community-2.webtv.net/Otakuman/TheOtakumansLisa/)

DAMN. For real? I can usually point out her voice right away... mainly because I like her voice. So that's what she looks like, huh....

Eccles

03-13-2005, 01:01 PM

Playing through silent hill 3 again I noticed something (aside from another SH2 poster)...the enemies with the big heads and hands...the really tall ones that shoot spikes from their fists...they're wearing dresses.

Not just any dresses mark you...they look like the one that child alessa wears in SH1...just something to think about, there.

ifirit

03-13-2005, 09:41 PM

Silent Hill 3 Spoilers

Playing through silent hill 3 again I noticed something (aside from another SH2 poster)...the enemies with the big heads and hands...the really tall ones that shoot spikes from their fists...they're wearing dresses.

Not just any dresses mark you...they look like the one that child alessa wears in SH1...just something to think about there.
Well, considering that the monster design was based on the Mandarin from SH2, which represents the thoughts and emotions that lie just beneath the surface, but cannot be acknowledged, the Closer should be the truth that has managed to surface itself above-ground. Since most of the game revolves around the "truth about Heather," it would make sense that the monster would bare a resemblence to the memory of Alessa.

However, another way to view the design, is that the dress is a representation of the ceremonial robes worn by the cult of Silent Hill. So, in considering the metaphor above, the truth that Heather is connected to the cult of Silent Hill. Also, considering that it resembles the same corpses as the ones in SH1 could be another metaphor for those members that watch the events of the story. However, I think that I like the connection to Alessa better than this.

Akira Yamaoka at the Game Developers Conference:
Game Informer (http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200503/N05.0310.1619.39457.htm) caught up with Yamaoka-san before his speech at the GDC. They asked him as few questions about his involvement with GDC and with the Silent Hill series. Though, most of what he said is rather short and generic, there are a few rumors that we can put to rest from what he said. One of those being the deal with Nintendo to release a SH game on the DS, which was a rumor spread during E3 last spring. Also, one to be confirmed is the incorporation of HD technology to future installments of the series, which is definitely a fundemental in creating graphics for the next generation of consoles.

What is disheartening about the interview is Yamaoka-san's feelings about Silent Hill 4, which he admits here to not being as well-developed as he had hoped. Maybe it's just me, but I also got the feeling that the SH series has become stale to A.Y., indicating that he may leave the production team in the future. What would this mean to the series? If Konami were to hand the next SH game over to another production team (within Konami), would it hurt the series?

I'm hoping that Konami would be smart enough to choose hands that are capable of doing the series, and their predicessors, justice. To me it seems that Team Silent needs new blood to add new imagination and creativity to this series. It would provide the senior members time to rest and work on other projects that they are desperately crying out for, especially since the SH series required so much time and energy to create. Plus, in capable hands, I think the games might reflect an entirely new light to the same old stereotypes (if Silent Hill really has any).

Silent Hill Comic Update:
IDW Publishing (http://www.idwpublishing.com/?path=titles&view=title&id=40) has finally released Paint It Black this month and has also released new information and cover art for The Grinning Man. The artist for this comic is Nick Stakal (http://www.nickstakal.com/) (a relatively new artist for IDW), with writing by Scott Ciencin (writer for the entire SH comic series). Also, the cover art will be a collaboration between Alex Garder and Ben Templesmith, who also did the cover art for Dying Inside #1 & #2. Copies of the new comics are available at the IDW store, but again you can find better deals on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com).

RE: Voice Actors:
I forgot to mention that I haven't been able to find anything regarding Michael G or Sandra Wane because Michael G is a stage name and Sandra Wane was rumored to have been hired for only one day, and wasn't even a voice actor by profession. This was the case with the maojority of the actors for SH1, who were mainly community theater players in the San Fransico area. However, I did hear a rumor that Michael G was a model.

Also, I found a mailing address for Guy Cihi, but it was dated from 2001, so it is doubtful that he still resides there.

Razumen

03-18-2005, 12:01 AM

Well I picked up SH4 for the Xbox today, and it seems to me that the controls aren't as bad as I thought they were for either platform, but that they just aren't as sensitive compared to SH2's. Meh.. it's one of the game's lesser, lesser faults.

As far as the next game goes, I believe the devs HAVE to try out new ideas for the SH series to remain strong, you can't make great games if you're not really interested in what you're doing - nor can you continue to rely on the same formula and expect it to hold the same appeal.

I'm glad higher definition graphics will be the norm for the nextgen systems, my VGA transcoders will finally have something other than 480p.

RazorVayne

03-18-2005, 02:20 AM

HEATHER MASON BE TEH BOM!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/CyanideRazor/hez_light.jpg

Eccles

03-18-2005, 07:32 AM

Actually, it's Heather Morris.

Anyhow, I have 30-some screenshots from the SH2 DVD and once I get home I'll have someone host them and pass them around for you.

StarZander

03-18-2005, 07:20 PM

Anyhow, I have 30-some screenshots from the SH2 DVD and once I get home I'll have someone host them and pass them around for you.

And here they are. I just hope my server won't crash or anything. I'll leave the commenting up to Andy.

http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/1.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/2.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/3.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/4.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/5.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/6.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/7.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/8.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/9.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/10.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/11.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/12.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/13.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/14.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/15.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/16.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/17.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/18.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/19.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/20.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/21.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/22.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/23.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/24.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/25.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/26.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/27.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/28.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/29.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/30.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/31.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/32.png
http://starzander.webhosting.tant102.mine.nu/Lost%20Memories/33.png

There we go.

Eccles

03-18-2005, 08:27 PM

Didn't you get the image notes that went along with them?

ifirit

03-18-2005, 09:32 PM

StarZander

03-18-2005, 11:09 PM

Didn't you get the image notes that went along with them?

Oh yeah, missed that one. Here it is:

1) The opening to the DVD. It never fails to make me laugh.

2) The Silent Hill 2 Debug. Top left is the information about where James is, what direction he's facing and how fast he's moving. Top right you have a sort of compass device, right you have a scaling device and bottom right is a device to show what's on the screen...James is in white, whereas the things around him are grey (if there was an item on screen that James could interact with that would show up, too)

3) The character creator outlining how he got the idea for Maria. "when you take a picture of someone you think is perfect sometimes their face is like this...and that shows they're not perfect. Thats where the idea for Maria came from"

4) Concept art for Maria

5) Showing how the face creator works

6-8) The four main characters and their voice artists. James' artist didn't appear in this montage and his face was blurred whenever they showed him...I don't know why this is.

9. 10) Motion capture at the prison (9) and the hotel (10)

11) Comments on how they made Eddie

12-19) Comments on the creation of the monsters

20) Concept art for Pyramid Head (the finished art is to the right, obviously)

21) Why Pyramid Head has a "Triangle shaped head"

22-24) How Akira Yamaoka wrote the main theme of SH2

25) See those highlighted files in the midle window? Each one of them is a footstep heard in-game

26-27) Yamaoka on his work

28-29) Why SH2 is so scary

30) The philosophy on which the monsters were created (It says (The philosopher) after Francis Bacon because they were referring to the artist earlier in the DVD)

31-33) From the credits. They started off as funny, but got more and more rediculous as they went along...these are the funniest.

It looks like your server is down right now.

If the files are not that big, you could zip them together and send them to me. I'd be happy to mirror them on my site, since I still have some of space available and a good deal of bandwidth as well, since I have less than 150 visitors since it's opening last year. (40-50 of those are me updating and checking the site.)

Yeah, sure. It seems to be working now, but it's always good to have a backup. Get on msn, and I'll send it to you. The file is like 18 mb.

Razumen

03-19-2005, 02:47 AM

I'm going to abstain from the screenies because I'm ordering the DVD myself. Of course I just HAD to lose my credit card so now I have to wait at least a week before I can even order it. :(

Consequently, does anyone here know of any good region free DVD playback programs?

Eccles

03-19-2005, 08:29 AM

Those are from the SH2 DVD that shipped free with the SH2 game, not the book of lost memories, which was released seperately.

ifirit

03-21-2005, 04:09 AM

Those are from the SH2 DVD that shipped free with the SH2 game, not the book of lost memories, which was released seperately.
That's not the whole story; plus, you did not specify which version of the game the bonus DVD was on.

The bonus DVD was first released in the initial printings of the European (PAL) version of Silent Hill 2 on Nov. 23, 2001 for the Playstation 2. This initial printing of the game was aptly named "Silent Hill 2: Special Edition." The bonus DVD was created by WE Productions, an independent documentary studio established in Paris, France (originally part of FunTV France, now its own studio). The DVD featured along with the "Making of Silent Hill 2" additional bonus materials provided by Team Silent, which included never-seen-before images, trailers, press events and other production materials.

The production materials featured on the bonus DVD were later released in Japan as part of the composition in the "Art of Silent Hill" DVD, not to be mistaken with the similarly named "Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill" DVD sold after the release of Silent Hill 3. However, the "Art of Silent Hill" does not feature the "Making of Silent Hill 2" documentary nor the "SILENT HILL 2 EVENT JUILLET 2001." The reason is likely because the documentary and press event are journalistic materials and not owned by Konami, so Konami would have had to pay a portion of the sales of the "Art of Silent Hill" DVD to the owners if they had included them. Despite what you might hear from other sources, only the production materials from the "Making of Silent Hill 2" DVD are in the "Art of Silent Hill" DVD.

Copies of both DVDs ("Art of Silent Hill" & "Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill") are still available online from importers. The Art of Silent Hill (http://store.yahoo.com/animenation/dvd-import-dvd-silent-hill.html) is available through AnimeNation (http://store.yahoo.com/animenation/index.html), a reliable importer of Japanese materials; while the Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-7x-70-2j3.html) DVD can be purchased through Play-Asia (http://www.play-asia.com/). The DVDs are Region 2 disks, so if you live in Region 4 (Austrailia/New Zealand) which also uses PAL format and also recieved the bonus DVD with the game, you'll need to get a compatable player.

Please note that the materials, including the "Ki-No-Ko" and "Fukuro" videos, found on "Art of Silent Hill" DVD can also be found in "Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill," except for the Caramel Mix video, which is an video featuring photage from Silent Hill 2 over a remix of one of the games songs by Skeewif. But, you get the most bang for your buck from the "Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill" DVD, since it features materials from Silent Hill 3.

If you'd like to see a small section of the "Making of Silent Hill 2," go to the official European site (http://www.silenthill2.de) and look under the section titled "Making of." For additional information about the "Making of Silent Hill 2," you can visit The Silence is Broken (http://www.silenceisbroken.com/silenthill2/makingof_.html). If you'd like to see the production materials on the "Art of Silent Hill" DVD, you can visit Silent Hill Heaven (http://www.silenthillheaven.com/Site/SHdvd/main.php).

Also, the book "Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle" (Ushinawareta Kioku) is the name of the strategy guide released in Japan that contains developer comments and information regarding the entire Silent Hill series. And, "Lost Memories" refers to the book in the game containing the history of the town. It might be a little hard to keep the names straight, but each item does have a different individual name.

European Websites:
In my quest to find everything Silent Hill related, I recently visited the Konami Store of Europe (French Branch) (http://www.konamistyle-france.com/liste.php?s=collectors&p=3). I thought I'd seen everything released for Silent Hill, but you aren't a real SH fan until you own your own official Silent Hill Radio (http://www.konamistyle-france.com/fiche.php?id=64&s=collectors&p=3)! (If link does not work, go to Boutique --> Collectors --> Silent Hill to view the items.) Oh yeah, that's right. Now you can wander lost highways jamming to your favorite tunes with the sleek, stylish and portable radio. I'm ordering mine as soon I get some cash together.

Another Akira Yamaoka Interview:
Although this interview (http://web.telia.com/~u52005587/intervjuer/akira_yamaoka_eng.html) is quite old, it think it's one of the most expressive interviews given by Akira Yamaoka. He clearly explains his goals, interests and level of involvement in previous works with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Plus, it has a good recommendation of music to listen to. What I found most interesting about the interview was Yamaoka's views on music in the gaming industry and among his peers in Japan. Though, he may be considered arrogant in his views, the issue of game music not being on the top of people's aspectations rings true in certain circles. I do agree to some extent on his feelings that game music today is not being as risky as it could be or trying to experiment as much as it could, but I don't agree totally, since there are some artists who do innovative and experimental things with music.

EDIT:
While searching through Konami's pages, I found some information for anyone looking for financial support in their education. If you are a student studying game design, the Kozuki Foundation for Higher Education (http://www.kozuki.or.jp/index-e.html) is offering a scholarship to students in that field. Also, if you happen to be between 15 and 25 years old and want to become a cartoonist, illustrator, animator or the like, the Kozuki Foundation will offer you a subsidy to get started. The Kozuki Foundation was established by Kagemasa Kozuki, founder of the Konami Corporation, and is sponsored by the Konami Corporation.

Razumen

03-23-2005, 06:42 AM

Ah, thanks for those details, I was about to order the 'Art of Silent Hill' DVD but now I may wait untill the 'Lost Memories' one becomes available.

Nice looking radio, though it's not very SHish looking. I imagine it does more than just recieve radio stations?

ifirit

03-23-2005, 10:19 AM

Ah, thanks for those details, I've was about to order the 'Art of Silent Hill' DVD but now I may wait untill the 'Lost Memories' one becomes available.
Oops, sorry, I didn't notice that Play-Asia had gone out of stock on that title. I tried checking around some of other sites, and you can still find it from Japanese retailers, just not anything English-friendly. If you really want to try, you can get it directly from the Konami Store of Japan (http://www.konamistyle.com/product/product_detail.aspx?pfid=KD002-J1). You can also check with Amazon of Japan (http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009PNFL/qid=1111566075/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl63/250-6646444-5130630) if other places don't get it back in stock. (Amazon of Japan does have some help in English, but not much.) If not there's always, E-Bay (http://www.ebay.com).

Silent Hill 3: Greatest Hits:
This one seems to be going under the radar for some reason. It seems that Konami has released, quite some time ago, the greatest hits version (http://www.konamistyle.com/product/product_detail.aspx?pfid=VW127-J2) of Silent Hill 3 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/videogames/B00022FI1W/250-6646444-5130630). (Actually, I'm not sure if it actually is the "Greatest Hits" version, but since that's what they call most Playstation re-released games. So, I'm calling it that for the moment.) This re-released version of Silent Hill 3 is titled Silent Hill 3: Konami za Besuto, or Silent Hill 3: Konami the Best.

I can't tell you much about the title yet, because I'm still trying to translate the japanese text, but I've heard a rumor that it contains new game material (similar to Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams & Silent Hill 2: Greatest Hits Version released for SH2), the most interesting of which is a brand-new ending. Hmmmm..... Anyway, I only noticed it because the cover was slightly different than the earlier released Japanese cover, and that the official site said to look out for something in 2004.

More on this later.

Silent Hill Parodies:
You can't always take this series seriously, so here are some things to lighten the mood.

It took some time, but we're finally beginning to see some parodies of SH4 emerging. Check out Silent Hill 4: The Retarded (http://enerjak.canadaka.net/SilentHill/index.html) for some weird and off-the-wall humor and comics. Depending on your tastes in humor, you may or may not be amused.
Here's a sample:
http://enerjak.canadaka.net/SilentHill/eileenbroom.jpg

Personally, I'm fond of the Silent Hill 2 Chibi (http://knickknack.deviantart.com/journal/4446791/). (Still waiting for the complete ending.) Or you can learn Knick Knack's style (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/4807645/) and make your own comics (http://www.deviantart.com/view/15823732/). Heehee.

StarZander

03-23-2005, 11:45 AM

Personally, I'm fond of the Silent Hill 2 Chibi (http://knickknack.deviantart.com/journal/4446791/). (Still waiting for the complete ending.) Or you can learn Knick Knack's style (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/4807645/) and make your own comics (http://www.deviantart.com/view/15823732/). Heehee.

I've read through all of it, and I must say that it's close to brilliant. At first, it looks really sketchy, and it's very funny. But as the game develops, so does the comic. Some scenes in the game are depicted even better in this comic. They're more powerful and emotional than they were in the game. Everyone should read this comic, and not just for the great comedy.

foxstomp

03-25-2005, 04:25 AM

I'm pretty sure nobody really cares, but since the discussion has sort of turned to silent hill fanart, I figured I'd post this link of a goofy doodle I did today.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/16468020/

It's shameless self promotion, but oh well. Drop me a comment if you can.

The Instrument of GAWD

03-25-2005, 05:01 AM

Ya know, when I woke up this afternoon, I was thinking about writing an original Silent Hill fan comic. Basicly taking what I feel, make monsters out of some of those feelings and such... It's a weak, new idea that needs some encouragement and more thinking.

On to the games. I'm pissed that the verisons I have are the normal verisons. I couldn't find SH2:GH in stores. Guess I'll check out Konami, see if they have a site store.

EDIT: It came to my attention that the up coming episode of Medium (an NBC show) sounds alot like the whole Walter thing in SH4... I think this episode will be on Monday... if anyone cares.

ifirit

03-29-2005, 10:06 PM

http://www.deviantart.com/view/16468020/

It's shameless self promotion, but oh well. Drop me a comment if you can.

Cute, but drawing a Chibi version of the Red Pyramid Thing is really, REALLY overdone. Everyone and their dog has some sort of RPT (PH for those perpetuating the mis-nomenclature) fan art. It's a nice adaptation of the monster, but just reinforces the stereotype placed on the Red Pyramid Thing. I think the reason I've become so nonchalant about people's affections for the Red Pyramid Thing is that they often misinterpret its representation and often place characteristics upon it that don't really reflect the true nature of its purpose.

Big Silent Hill 2 Spoiler, but
Pyramid Head = James (as self-representation/reflection)
So, by having a comic like the Red Pyramid Thing "shopping for a James," because RPT is trying to kill James is really is a poke at people who commit suicide or have suicidal tendencies, which really isn't that funny. Seeing how distorted people make these things really ticks me off, because it's like watching small children use swear words; they don't really know what they're doing or what harm they're causing themselves. (But, of course, that's what James was doing by forgetting what he did. And that is funny, only in the ironic you=me kinda why.)

Really, no offense to you foxstomp, just the misguided ideas held by fans of every Silent Hill game.

Ya know, when I woke up this afternoon, I was thinking about writing an original Silent Hill fan comic. Basicly taking what I feel, make monsters out of some of those feelings and such... It's a weak, new idea that needs some encouragement and more thinking.

Based on concept alone, it sounds like a really great idea. Creating an original piece of work based on the same concepts that spawned the Silent Hill series is always worth a try. The topic of creating interactions between the feelings you have, manifeasted in physical, yet disturbing form, would fuel a highly interesting discussion about the way people deal with their feelings and problems.

If you were to do so, I'd suggest you understand what you feel, at least on a small scale. You might not be able to fully depict what you are feeling, whether good or bad; try to a least have the monsters reflect that. Also, understand that in the Silent Hill world, monsters don't necessarily have an evil nature. Dangerous, highly distorted and a litle misguided, but not necessarily evil. I also suggest that you not make all of them defeatable, at least not out-right. Because if your work represents a sense of emotions stirring, you should know that not every emotion is easy to overcome. (Ahh... metaphors, how I love thee.)

Try not to think too much. You might focus too hard on getting the emotions to come out. Let it flow out first until you can get your characters developed, then you can revise and adjust as needed. Chances are that you'll screw something up or get something wrong in the beginning, but that's the nature of creative thinking. Besides, it also ties in well with your concept. Failure produces feelings too. (Ahh... abstract thinking, how I love thee.)

On to the games. I'm pissed that the verisons I have are the normal verisons. I couldn't find SH2:GH in stores. Guess I'll check out Konami, see if they have a site store.
Yeah, you'll run into that problem since the game was released about three years ago. If there are vintage game-stores around your area, you might be able to find it there, though likely used. To get a new copy, check eBay.com (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8156599866&category=62053) to find it for sure. Otherwise, Konami, let alone anyone else, doesn't have the North American version. The North American site (http://www.konami.com/gs/silenthill2/) redirected me to Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com), who only carries the first release of Silent Hill 2. (Guess that makes it rare now.)

While you're there, look out for anyone selling Silent Hill 2 T-shirts; they're not official. But still, they are pretty cool looking. The only official Silent Hill 2 T-shirt released was the European T-shirt that featured the cover art for the European Version of the game (available only on The Konami Store of Europe - French Branch (http://www.konamistyle-france.com/index.htm).) Several were released for Silent Hill 3, including some from the game, but only five are still available from Konami (in limited quantities). Two are available for Silent Hill 4 and none were made for the original Silent Hill. (Where's the love for Harry Mason?!)

EDIT: It came to my attention that the up coming episode of Medium (an NBC show) sounds alot like the whole Walter thing in SH4... I think this episode will be on Monday... if anyone cares.
Well, if you've been reading the sunday comics, there's a new character in Rex Morgan, M.D. that has a strong resemblance to Walter Sullivan (except with glasses) and a sketchy personality. But, it's not anything worth taking note.

I was really excited about the X-Files after watching a rerun on Saturday. The episode had a really great Silent Hill-type feel and could have been a part of the games. It was about an investigation of several black men killed and turning into albinos. The folk-tale surrounding the case was of a monster who could possess men and kill undetected. It also could hide in spaces that even children could not get into. (One scene shows a man looking for the guy possessed and a drawer opening to reveal to the audience his hiding place. The only thing you could see were his eyes and some of his face in the drawer. It really freaked me out in a way that I hadn't been in a long time. They end up tracking the man-possessed to an abandoned building preparing for demolishion. That part really could have been in the game.)

Anyway, I love the X-Files, especially when the shows are about isolated, paraonormal phenomenon that don't run into other episodes. Maybe I'll check out "Resist or Serve" (http://thex-files.vugames.com/) sometime later.

foxstomp

03-29-2005, 10:39 PM

Cute, but drawing a Chibi version of the Red Pyramid Thing is really, REALLY overdone. Everyone and their dog has some sort of RPT (PH for those perpetuating the mis-nomenclature) fan art. It's a nice adaptation of the monster, but just reinforces the stereotype placed on the Red Pyramid Thing. I think the reason I've become so nonchalant about people's affections for the Red Pyramid Thing is that they often misinterpret its representation and often place characteristics upon it that don't really reflect the true nature of its purpose.

First of all, thanks for actually taking the time to look at the picture, and respond. I really appreciate it.

I do apologize if drawing PH, or RPT is overdone -- I've never seen it done, but then again, I'm not at all involved in fan communities, nor have I looked around.

While I respect your opinion, and understand your frustration with seeing the same thing over and over again, I think you're kind of forgetting that what makes the Silent Hill games so powerful for people is just how subjective they are. I don't know if you can really call anyone's interpretation of the monster as misinterpreted, because its purpose or reason is never explained. I think what makes Pyramid Head, or The Red Pyramid Thing, so scary is that its up to you what to make of it. While it might be a representation of James' suicidal tendencies to some, someone else might make it out to be a representation of James' conflicted emotions toward women -- or maybe, as just as an independent creature bent on destroying James.

Even if the creators issued an official statement saying "The pyramid monster represents..." the game is setup in such a way that people would still get whatever they want out of it.

But anyway, thanks again for the comments. I don't have any hard feelings or anything, but I don't think its necessarily fair to dismiss others' interpretations as misguided.

ifirit

03-30-2005, 12:55 AM

I do apologize if drawing PH, or RPT is overdone -- I've never seen it done, but then again, I'm not at all involved in fan communities, nor have I looked around.
I'm surprised. As part of the DeviantART community, I figured you had to have seen something at least once. The Red Pyramid Thing is a celebrity there. Cases in point:
Example 1 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16179380/)
Example 2 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/1573593/)
Example 3 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11740413/)
Example 4 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16585382/)
Example 5 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12900474/)
Example 6 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/10490364/)
Example 7 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15432318/)
Example 8 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15195068/)
Example 9 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15196094/)
Example 10 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/10801879/)
And so on, and so on... (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2004-17%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=deviantart+pyramid+head)

Although, I do admit that this one (http://www.deviantart.com/view/3032454/) is pretty funny. (Don't forget about this one (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/3340696/).)

While I respect your opinion, and understand your frustration with seeing the same thing over and over again, I think you're kind of forgetting that what makes the Silent Hill games so powerful for people is just how subjective they are. I don't know if you can really call anyone's interpretation of the monster as misinterpreted, because its purpose or reason is never explained. I think what makes Pyramid Head, or The Red Pyramid Thing, so scary is that its up to you what to make of it. While it might be a representation of James' suicidal tendencies to some, someone else might make it out to be a representation of James' conflicted emotions toward women -- or maybe, as just as an independent creature bent on destroying James.

Even if the creators issued an official statement saying "The pyramid monster represents..." the game is setup in such a way that people would still get whatever they want out of it.

But anyway, thanks again for the comments. I don't have any hard feelings or anything, but I don't think its necessarily fair to dismiss others' interpretations as misguided.
Very little is explained in the games. Pick any topic, character, monster or idea from the game and you'll see that next-to-nothing about it is explained. Take this game. Why does James go looking for his wife? James never really says and the game doesn't really say explicitly, but there are clues that fill you in on the answer. We can see from James' words and way he talks about Mary is that he loves her. He doesn't ever say so explicitly, but you can tell. And that makes up a majority of the storytelling in that game. You have to infer a great deal of the information and make connections based on what you are presented with. Now, you can go on to then debate what it means to "infer" something and if what you are inferring really means what it supposed to be, but that goes beyond the point.

What is important about the story is how to interpret the clues based on the direction that the game is trying to lead you to. There are certain things the developers wanted you to understand about the story. There are several aspects that the developers wanted you to make in order to appreciate the story at the end. One of those things in a direct relationship between James and the Red Pyramid Thing.

The point at which this connection is made is during the scene near the end of the game where James confronts the two Red Pyramid Things in the Hotel Lobby. James quite clearly states, "I was weak. That's why I needed you. [I] needed someone to punish me for my sins." He then goes on to defeat the two Red Pyramid Things. You have to consider everything that has happened so far in the story and what is left to ponder at that point to really understand what that meant.

A deeper analysis of the game reveals the developers created a subtle, sub-conscious hint toward this conclusion earlier in the game. The dead man in the chair in Rm 207 of the apartment complex. And the presence of the Red Pyramid Thing just before you enter the room.

Actually, the developers did issue an official statement saying "The pyramid monster represents...." It was released in the "Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle." The book was a guide to the entire Silent Hill series up to the third game. You can read the translated version at Translated Memories (http://www.translatedmemories.com). And despite the nature of the game, there is a set storyline that you should be able to follow.

Honestly, I understand your point. I understand it all too well, because for a long time, I held the same view point. I believed that the nature of the game did hold boundless interpretation, but as I looked deeper and deeper into the game, I realized that it was only guided-interpretation. The story purposefully takes you by the hand showing you the main points and then lets you extrapolate the details on your own, points that do not change the set storyline. That is the nature of videogames. You have to follow the arrows to the end of the race; take the four plaques and place them in the four plaque-shaped holes; follow the logical sequence of events to reach the ultimate conclusion, no matter how cryptic or confusing the puzzle is.

But, it won't always be that way. Games will continue to evolve and experiences will become more multi-dimensional. The developers have stated that they are working to have the sequels be more intertwined and complex. But, despite the appearance, you just have to understand that the Silent Hill games (up to this point) are not completely multi-dimensional, nor entirely one-dimensional. Yet, in that state of being semi-multi-dimensional, they are still really interesting to talk about.

EDIT:
Looking through your gallery, I really do like your art style. Charming, fun, vibrant, and of a character all it's own. Nice work. :nicework:

Don't take what I said too personally.

RoboPanda

03-30-2005, 01:25 AM

Man, ifrit, GOOD FRIGGIN CALL on the translated memories webpage.

My main question about the RPT as an executioner - If James's delusions were leading him to Silent Hill to be punished, why did he break through the executioners and still fight Mary (his demon of Silent Hill?). I guess that's the point of having several endings, in which he punishes himself. But is there a good reason that he actually fights off those by whom he was supposed to be punished?

Sorry if I don't make sense. I just got the dog ending again and my head hurts.

ifirit

03-30-2005, 01:57 AM

Silent Hill 2 Spoilers

My main question about the RPT as an executioner - If James's delusions were leading him to Silent Hill to be punished, why did he break through the executioners and still fight Mary (his demon of Silent Hill?). I guess that's the point of having several endings, in which he punishes himself. But is there a good reason that he actually fights off those by whom he was supposed to be punished?
The Red Pyramid Thing is a representation (physical or metaphorical) of James' feelings to punish himself for what he did. However, James also had feelings of need to be punished by the person he caused harm to: Mary. James also had feelings of remorse for his actions that also minfeasted themselves while he was in Silent Hill (again either physical or metaphorical).

James overcoming the Red Pyramid Things can be seen in a few different lights. Either James was trying to overcome his own need for punishment by others and take responsibility for his actions. To him, by eliminating the RPTs he was throwing away the delusion that he did not know what he did. This is because the Red Pyramid Things also made up a small part of James' sense of self-delusion. He sees his confrontation with the RPTs as a confrontation with his delusion.

The other way of looking at this event is that James is acknowledging his feelings of hate and disgust for Mary while she was sick. The Red Pyramid Thing embodies various darker sides of James' nature. The rape scene, the killing of other monsters, the persuit of Maria and the pursuit of himself are all aspects that James sees in himself. Thus, by confronting these darker aspects, he is trying to overcome his weakness to give into these parts of his nature.

Yet, you could see it as James diving deeper into his delusion because you could say that he is acknowledging that these creatures are real and that he must defeat them to reach the truth about his purpose in the town, or that he will find Mary if he defeats the Red Pyramid Things. Of course, this theory stems from the idea that all the events in the game are completely inside James' head and some, if not all, of it is not real.

There are a few other ideas that can be inferred from the event, but they are sub-theories of the ones above.

Sorry if I don't make sense. I just got the dog ending again and my head hurts.
Pat yourself on the back. You've just gotten the worst ending in game. Seriously, that ending truly makes no sense. (Or does it make perfect sense?) Shut up you inner-dialogue voice! (Time to roll the credits.)

foxstomp

03-30-2005, 04:26 AM

Wow. ifirit, I apologize -- you put me right in my place. That link is AMAZING! Though, a little disappointing too, especially when it came to SH3. I interpreted a lot of the monster designs as having strong sexual undertones, and that's part of the reason that game was so creepy to me.

Thanks for being so civil, and pointing me towards the light. And thanks again for the compliment on my art. I really appreciate it.

The Instrument of GAWD

03-30-2005, 08:16 AM

I made a rough draft of the story I was thinking of making. It sort of turned out slightly like SH2, but with different motives and different monsters. I've only made the first few panels so far, but I'll keep it at that till I figure more things out. However, my work on one monster is trying out rather satisfactory. I'll post a sketch sometime soon if there's interest.

ifirit

03-30-2005, 10:45 PM

Silent Hill 3 Spoilers
I interpreted a lot of the monster designs as having strong sexual undertones, and that's part of the reason that game was so creepy to me.
The idea of sexuallity and motherhood are deeply intertwined in the third game. I'm not sure if they mean for the concepts of birthing and motherhood to be prodominantly sexual, but there definitely are traces. Some people have argued both ways.

One theory also claimed that the monsters/enemies also correlated to the idea of the seven deadly sins:

Insane Cancer --> Sloth (Due to its tendency to lay down if left alone.)
Double Heads --> Gluttony (For trying to eat everything in it's path. [Dead bodies, beef jerky, Heather, etc.])
Nurse --> Pride (Due to the disturbing way the nurses enhance their looks.)
Missionary --> Rage (For the way it makes Heather feel.)
Guardian --> Greed (For the way he covets the "seal.")
Vatiel --> Lust (For the concepts of sexuality seen in the game.)
Memory of Alessa --> Envy (For being jealous of Heather's simple life with Harry.)

The theory does hold water, but what it ultimately means to the story in the game, doesn't really change much of the events that lead to the end. It adds more of an explanation of themes and cross-references.
Thanks for being so civil, and pointing me towards the light. And thanks again for the compliment on my art. I really appreciate it.
I don't mean to kill anybody's ideas or theories, but the reason this started is that people sometimes don't try to put 2 and 2 together. Sometimes, they just take things for face-value. I just want people to think about and consider what is really trying to be said about an issue, especially with Silent Hill. Sorry, if it came across as pompus or arrogant. No hard feelings.

I made a rough draft of the story I was thinking of making. It sort of turned out slightly like SH2, but with different motives and different monsters. I've only made the first few panels so far, but I'll keep it at that till I figure more things out. However, my work on one monster is trying out rather satisfactory. I'll post a sketch sometime soon if there's interest.
Well, if you have motives established, why not try to use them as themes or diversions in the initial setting of the story? The story can begin at some point deeper in the progression with a revealing look at past events as the story moves on. Just because it's a comic, doesn't mean it has to follow comic-book rules. Use this opportunity to break some genre stereotypes, mess with the reader a little (just a little), and have fun while doing so.

Don't worry to much about getting the art to be perfect. Taking liberties with your drawing and doing something that is not intended may produce a result that might not have thought of before. I'm not saying, "just draw whatever." No, I mean to keep your ideas in mind, but if you try to do something that you wouldn't normally do under regular circumstances, you might make something new, unique and creative.

Go for fun and creativity. Don't worry about precision or fluidity. Those are revision tools.

Eccles

04-04-2005, 08:25 AM

Look who's been busy...
http://www.flyingomelette.com/cameos/cameoss.html

(Tip: Scroll down to the Silent Hill section)

-Edit-
Ifrit, if the seven deadly sins theory is true then what are the huge guys supposed to be?
(y'know, the ones you find in the dance studio or at the bottom of the Hazel St stairwell)

ifirit

04-04-2005, 10:00 AM

Look who's been busy...
http://www.flyingomelette.com/cameos/cameoss.html
Impressive, but I don't remember there being a Midwich Street. There was the Midwich Elementary School, but not a street with that name. And just for reference, the literary work that has more relevence to Silent Hill by Michael Crichton would be either Sphere or Eaters of the Dead (a.k.a. The 13th Warrior). You also forgot to list Ira Levin (Levin Street) for the book Rosemary's Baby. However, as I read down the list I see that you make references to those works. Also, it's debatable and not very likely that the song in one of the final cutscenes from Silent Hill 3 was actually the song (or a facimile of) "Mad World" by Gary Jules, since it is clearly a remix of Innocent Moon which is on the soundtrack and played earlier in the game. You'd be better off arguing that Innocent Moon is a derived work from Gary Jules. Plus, I've listened to both and don't hear much of a similarity.

Robbie the Rabbit's first appearance in a video game came from one version of Dance Dance Revolution, but I don't remember which one. Robbie is also tatooed on Cynthia's right butt cheek, but you only get to see it after you unlock her "Sexy Costume." As far as SH4 references go, you should add the reference to Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock, the references to David Lynch for the subway track and the Lynch Line token you get from the Cynthia doll, also there's a reference to Ally McBeal (I don't know why) during one of the bloodied, spiral stairwells between the world 2nd visits where you see a dancing doll baby. Well, it looks like it's dancing.

HEY! Where's my credit for the symbols on the channeling stone? DROP DEAD, THIEF. [/jk]

-Edit-
Ifrit, if the seven deadly sins theory is true then what are the huge guys supposed to be?
(y'know, the ones you find in the dance studio or at the bottom of the Hazel St stairwell)
The name of those monsters is Insane Cancer. Don't immediately associate Gluttony to them simply because they look fat. Based on the name and the description that Ito gives about the Insane Cancer, it's size is due mostly to cancerous growth, or "cancer running wild." Yeah, it's really gross when you think about it. As far as explaining the connection, Insane Cancers won't attack you unless really provoked, sometimes not at all. I've walked up to some with the flashlight on and not gotten a reaction out of them. That's lazy if you ask me.

On a Hard or Normal setting, you can have some fun with the Insane Cancers. Walk up just close enough to get the Insane Cancer's attention with the flashlight on, and as soon as it gets up, turn the light off. The Insane Cancer will immediately plop back down on the ground. You can do this as long as the Insane Cancer is not close enough to attack you and you don't make any sounds while the light is off. (Light goes on, light goes off, light goes on, light goes off.... It's like jazzercise for monsters!)

Eccles

04-04-2005, 10:48 AM

ifirit

04-04-2005, 01:39 PM

Impressive, but I don't remember there being a Midwich Street. There was the Midwich Elementary School, but not a street with that name.
I'm sure Midwich Street is the vertical street that Midwich Elementary school is on. I dont have access to the maps at the moment, but that's what I think.
Just did a search (http://www.silenthill.co.za/map/) and you're right. But that's so weird, I could swear that the name was different in the game. Maybe it's just my copy. (It's not the first time something in my version of the game was different than someone else's. Hmmm...)

HEY! Where's my credit for the symbols on the channeling stone? DROP DEAD, THIEF. [/jk]
Actually, I pretty much just copied and pasted everything I'd written for that brookhaven site we were working on...your name was on there, but they must've forgotten to add it.
I was using the opportunity to throw in a little Silent Hill joke. I thought it was pretty funny, but it must not be recognizable enough.

I thought the insane cancers were those weird chicken things (y'know, the first monster you find in the mall...three of them attack you once you get the bookshop key)

And if that IS the case then what do the chicken things represent?

(Also, I think the nurse thing is more likely a play on the Eros/Thanatos that SH2 had going for it...'course I could be wrong)
Nope, those are Numb Bodies. They represent hindered motion due to external conditions, i.e. their bodies are frozen making movement difficult and constricted.

Obviously, the idea of the seven deadly sins can't cover all the monsters in the game since there are more monsters than sins. However, if you wanted to apply a vice to them as opposed to a religious "sin," you might suggest that the Numb Bodies represent the vice of persuing someone at all costs. Think about any scary movie that has a serial killer in it. Always near the end, the serial killer comes back for one more "scare" usually after having some act done to him that would seriously prevent some one from coming back in real life. Therefore, Numb Bodies represent that drive to persue a victim no matter what bodily harm comes to them, ergo the frozen body.

So, while I'm on the subject I might as well extend this explanation for all the monsters. Next up, closers. Closers are described as beings that are meant to close something like a door or a book, essentially meaning that they obstruct the path of someone seeking a goal or truth. So their vice would be the manipulation to block someone from accomplishing their goals. This can be representative of both physically blocking someone (as do the Closers with their large bodies) or the more abstract form where you manipulate certain events that you know will help the other person to accomplish his/her tasks or goals in order to steer him/her off course, usually to your own benefit.

The Slurper is a creature that lives by slurping up the blood that spills on the ground as well as any bits and pieces that happen to fall into its path. It will also lure large prey by playing dead, waiting to for them to come close before making its move. It's nature suggests that it represents that of a scavenger, a person that preys on the weaknesses or careless actions of another. They trick and deceive others to survive, but are often cowardly and passive by nature. Their passive-aggressive personality makes them hard to spot and they will waste no time in betraying your trust.

The Pendulum is a strange creature, not always aggressive, but still tries to search out Heather in the dark or mist. It's intelligence makes its vice hard to pin-point, but it does have a few trademarks. Because it is smarter than some of the other creatures and since it is always seeking out Heather, it hints at the idea of calculated revenge. However, this can be best seen when fighting it. If you attack it, it will always counter attack by spinning uncontrollably at you or by stabbing you with it's many sharp edges. Also, consider its name: Pendulum. A pendulum is a device that swings between two points always in a consistant manner. And in a more abstract sense, it represents logic and precision. Calculated revenge is often a sociopathic trait that means a person is fully aware of their actions, yet purposefully sets out to commit an act against another person to cause them harm for unjust or percieved injuries on themselves. This is a very dangerous person to deal with since they will often do what will cause the most harm to others while the least to themselves, as does the Pendulum when it simultaniously attacks you and runs away by its spinning counterattack.

The Split Worm is quite disgusting and unappealing. Its guise and motions inspire a shaking in your stomach, more so than others with its mucus-like trail, slug-shaped body and distorted features on the front of its body. Being easy to defeat and avoiding from harm, it acts as more of an annoyance than a boss. This creature is too pathetic to treat as representative of a vice, so I feel like I'm going out on a limb with this one. I'd think this one represents the vice of being annoying. Take for instance people who do shocking or disgusting things to get a reaction out of them, but only cause to disturb the peace. They ultimately provoke us to strike out at them and with the Split Worm, I feel the same way. (So annoying.)

The Glutton might be what most people would consider to represent the vice of gluttony, but the Glutton has a little more to add to the story than just being gluttonous. It is simultaneously lazy, gluttonous, and blocking Heather's path. It is a conglomeration of many other vices that make this creature much more than a Glutton. Let's take another look at the children's story about the Monster and the Priestess. The Monster was a creature that so deeply suppressed the people that noone would stand up against it because they would be killed for doing so. In my mind, the Glutton represents the vice of corruption. All the things that lead to the repression of others and suppression of a clear path are embodied in the Glutton. It was only when the priestess offered herself as a martyr and brought all the people together was the Monster defeated. ("Tu fui, ego eris" means "[what] I was, you are; [what] I am, you will be.")

The Scraper is the cousin of the Missionary. It moves very quickly and can attack without warning if unprepared. However, unlike the Missionary, the Scraper is careless and noisy. It likes to walk around scraping its tools together, alerting anyone nearby of its presence. It's attacks should never be unprepared for, i.e. you can always tell when it's coming. A monster that has so much potential to cause Heather the most harm is wasted by its flighty nature and ignorance. Therefore, its vice would be closely related to wasting something important. Waste due to ignorance or from choosing not to take the higher road. Whatever the Scraper's motives are for scraping its tools together, it defeats itself by making its presence known and leaving itself vulernable to others.

Hope that satisfies you. It wasn't easy to get all that thoughtout, especially since its not my theory, but it was still fun to think through.

Lastly, if you were to use the Eros/Thantos theory on the Nurses, whose Eros would it be of: Heather's or Claudia's? Most theories suggest that the monsters are extended from Heather's or Claudia's subconscious. So, are you implying that either one might have lust for women? If you are trying to place the Eros on the player (presumably male) and that the player is projecting the monsters in front of themselves, then you are opening the door for theories that suggest the monsters are real people that Heather fights, which I know you don't like. Just be careful with that idea about Eros & Thantos; it doesn't apply to all situations.

EDIT: I was thinking about all the random trivia I've collected about Silent Hill and figured I might as well start a bit of a quiz. See if anyone is on the same page. Cookies will be given to those who can answer all the questions.

1) What is Neely's Bar's full name?
2) What was the name of the fast-food place in the South Park area?
3) What does the Golden Rooster T-shirt do, and how do you get it?
4) What is the answer to the riddle in the Chapel Library in SH3? Explain your answer. (Hint: the answer unlocks another T-shirt)
5) What was the name of the college that Walter attended?

EDIT2: Well, with filming beginning on Wednesday for the Silent Hill Movie (a.k.a. Centralia), I figured I might get you pumped up for it by highlighting some previous attempts at a live action version of the Silent Hill series.

1) Silent Hill - The Unauthorized Trailer (http://www.meantimeprod.com/short_films/silent_hill_movie.html) - This is quite old and completely unauthorized by Konami, but it still really gets me excited everytime I see it. This trailer was created by Mean Time Productions (http://www.meantimeprod.com/index.html) when the production team was still in film school. It was created over a weekend in rural Connecticut using a rather small budget. What the production notes (http://www.meantimeprod.com/short_films/silent_hill_info.html) tell us is that this is an homage to the first three games and tries to highlight the strengths and faults of the games. The inspiration came from the part of Silent Hill 2 where the player has to jump down the holes to progress. They felt that the options should have been changed from "Yes/No" to "Hell Yeah!" (Classic.)
Requires Quicktime

2) Silent Hill University (http://www.thundercg.com/) - This trailer is more recent and was created in response to the "Silent Hill - Unauthorized Trailer," claiming to be able to make a better trailer than Mean Time Productions. Well, the results are less than... less than good. I had no idea what the hell was going on in this thing and why it was so cheaply made. Maybe the author can shed some light on this.
The basic idea is [that] in the past the main character did a terrible deed which was killing a baby with a mallet (he's a a bit of a sociopath like Eddie). Once he moved to Silent Hill University and he moved into the dorm, this evil manifeasted itself. He enters his dorm to see the hellish Silent Hill and blood covered walls. Moving on to see what's goin on in his room, he spots something on his monitor and goes in for a closer look. Confused as to how the killing was recorded at all since no one was there when it happened, he sits in the chair. The video is basically the world of Silent Hill reminding him of what he did (like the tape in Silent Hill 2). Then the monster which is a manifeastation of the baby rolls out of the darkness and exacts its revenge.
Err. Right. My thoughts are, "if you need to explain your work in order to understand the most basic plot points, you might need to rethink your idea." It might have worked out better had the main character been able to ACT! (Actors are people who can express emotions not their own.) Thanks for the info, Inner-Dialogue Voice. We can all get on with our lives, and laugh at this guy in the meantime. (I found no differences between the regular and small versions. So, get the same version since the site is really slow to download. It'll save more quickly.)
Requires DivX codec

EDIT3: One more thing before I end this incredibly long post.

I remember hearing that one of the members from the Silent Hill forum lived near Brantford and was thinking about taking a trip down there to take some photographs before filming of Centralia begins. Well, he did and he's collected them all in a beautifully layed out website here (http://www.supercrazymayhem.com/brantford/?photo=1). The site features images of Colbourne Street along which the movie is set to film. Some images are plain, but the captions explain a lot about Brantford and why it was chosen. I liked images 39, 41 and 44 for the humor in the caption.

Eccles

04-04-2005, 05:36 PM

It's not the first time something in my version of the game was different than someone else's. Hmmm...
Silent Hill: Satans game

I was using the opportunity to throw in a little Silent Hill joke. I thought it was pretty funny, but it must not be recognizable enough.
I think more people would get it if you put in the third part. Otherwise it's not that hot, no.

They felt that the options should have been changed from "Yes/No" to "Hell Yeah!" (Classic.)
That really is the best bit of the film.

ifirit

04-04-2005, 07:33 PM

Go Home.

RazorVayne

04-04-2005, 07:39 PM

Alright, I got a "Q" for ye Silent Hill fanatics.
Is Heather's last name Morris, or Mason?

Some say it's Mason, others say it's Morris. Which is it? I need to know.

Eccles

04-04-2005, 08:06 PM

Go Home.
Thank you.

Alright, I got a "Q" for ye Silent Hill fanatics.
Is Heather's last name Morris, or Mason?

Some say it's Mason, others say it's Morris. Which is it? I need to know.
The manual says Morris (or rather, mine does). So I would say that it's Morris...most likely Harry lived under an assumed name to stop people from finding him quite as easily.
(Or in real life terms its to create a bit of suspense and to give an "OMGWUT" experience halfway through the game ;))

Aetherius

04-04-2005, 08:38 PM

this may have been mewntioned already...but...Mad world is Not at all by Gary Jules. It was PERFORMED by him and Michael andrews for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, but the original song is by Tears for fears, one of the better synthrock groups of out time...thanky very much.

ifirit

04-04-2005, 08:59 PM

Silent Hill 3 Spoilers
Alright, I got a "Q" for ye Silent Hill fanatics.
Is Heather's last name Morris, or Mason?

Some say it's Mason, others say it's Morris. Which is it? I need to know.
The name that is used in the game "Heather Morris" is an alias used by the lead to avoid being found by any more "religious fanatics." However, based on the Normal Ending and various notes found by Heather, we learn that her real name is Cheryl Mason. To avoid confusion between Cheryl from the first game and Cheryl from this game, many people will use the alias in combination with the real name, i.e. Heather Mason.

In truth, I would only use this name as a transitional name from when we learn the family connection and when Heather avengers her father. However, since Heather is Cheryl is Alessa, any name (or combination of) this person would be correct. However, in order to keep the names straight, I would suggest you simply refer to the characters by their manual names, so everyone is clear about the identities and no spoilers are given away.
Heather (17) --> Heather Morris
Cheryl (7) --> Cheryl Mason
Alessa (14) --> Alessa Gilespie

The Instrument of GAWD

04-05-2005, 07:00 AM

Well like I said, here's a preview of my SH comic. Not much, and it's possible that I'll change the story up.

EDIT: Damn that Photobucket... guess I'll have to post it on DA after all.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16879347/

I was thinking of asking someone to spiffy up that page with Photoshop, since I have no knowledge of how to use it, but figured that be a bit much to ask someone to do.

Razumen

04-05-2005, 07:37 AM

Eccles

04-05-2005, 08:19 AM

2) What was the name of the fast-food place in the South Park area?
Offhand I can only think of the answer to this question..."AEC Burger"...or "AIC Burger" something along those lines.

3) What does the Golden Rooster T-shirt do, and how do you get it?
I didn't know the costumes let you do stuff (save for the Princess Heart one)...'sides, I always stuck with the God of Thunder one.

The Instrument of GAWD

04-05-2005, 08:26 AM

Nice, but you should really learn some graphic program skills, if only to CG up your lines a little.

Of course you could leave the lines un-CGed and it will still look nice as long as it isn't too messy, but one thing that really needs to go is that crayon coloring. Either leave it B/W, learn some CG skills, or use some other analog method. :P

Ah, and use a better font, Times New Roman is good for some things, but not for comics. :)

Something a little smoother would do.

Despite all that, I still look forward to your future works. :wink:

Actually I used colored pencils, and I agree, color is not my strong suit. If I were to go through with this, it'd be all in B&W.

Here's the Black and White sketch: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16880673/

The text was Tahoma, not Times New Roman. I though it looked alright for what it was being used for.

I'll eventually learn CG, but it'll take awhile... I'm rather slow at technology.

Eccles

04-05-2005, 09:14 AM

The text was Tahoma, not Times New Roman. I though it looked alright for what it was being used for.
And that was a good choice...serif fonts (IE: ones with the little flick at the end of each letter like Times New Roman) are not good for comics and other documents...at least, that's what they taught us in the second year. Of course, they taught us that serif fonts were the way of the future in the first year, so I dunno what to make of it.

If I were you I'd make it un-bold...or if that IS the version without bold I'd go for a different, thinner font. Arial is quite good...or you can always go to a free font site and pick up some good comic book fonts.

ifirit

04-05-2005, 11:06 AM

Of course you could leave the lines un-CGed and it will still look nice as long as it isn't too messy, but one thing that really needs to go is that crayon coloring. Either leave it B/W, learn some CG skills, or use some other analog method.
I concur. However, I think the lines look fine, it's the coloring that off sets the pictures. I would suggest that you use a graphics program to do coloring if you intended. It would look much cleaner and more natural than it does presently. (Oh and don't forget about shading your colors, too. Nothing is worse than solid coloring on skin and clothing.)

As far as text fonts are concerned, I think you should try to get a font that looks more hand-written, though thin-lined, to match the drawing style. If you can write clearly enough, you might even consider writing the text in yourself.

The only part of the drawing that gets me is the hair. It looks incredibly unrealistic. I know that is common with many anime styles, but it just goes over the top for me. Try making the strands come down much more closely to the skull and make them shorter. The back strands bother me too, but if they are part of the character, focus on making them look more messy (as real hair would) and again not as long. They should be about as thin as the third panel, if not thinner. That seems to be a reucurring theme, a lot of the proportions are too think. If you can refine the look to be thinner, you might be able to do more with less.

As it stands it looks good, but I can see that you're going to have problems later when you introduce more characters or locations, because you'll have to pull the panel back more to include the additions (which means having to use bigger panels or smaller drawings, and that can be a pain). However, if you can just make the proportions thinner, you'll be able to maintain a clarity of picture and a well-balanced spacing between objects. Though many comics use separate panels to show detail for each character, especially during dialogue, you'll want to add some dynamics to the interactions by including the characters in the same panels. It just draws the reader in more.

With regard to the story, I can't say much since there isn't much to go from right now, but if you're going to be playing the self-pity angle, you'll need to establish reasoning and proper timing. If you linger too long on it then you risk losing your audience; however, if you don't give proper attention to detail you undevelop the character. Also, to balance out the emotion of self-pity, you need to make sure to offer incentives to the character for looking beyond himself. No one likes a cry-baby, unless you don't want the audience to like the character. Hmmm... I haven't seen that before.

Also, there's one thing I wanted to say about the scripts of Silent Hill stories, which may or may not apply to your comic, TIoG. Silent Hill games always have great one-on-one character interactions that define the series, but often they don't play up on group interactions. Very few scenes in the games have three or more characters at a time and when there are three characters in the scene, one usually just watches the other two interact, until they leave or have finished their role in the scene. I'd like to see more of a group dynamic used in the series, but with continued use of one-on-one relationships.

2) What was the name of the fast-food place in the South Park area?
Offhand I can only think of the answer to this question..."AEC Burger"...or "AIC Burger" something along those lines.
I'll accept AEC Burger. That's one.

3) What does the Golden Rooster T-shirt do, and how do you get it?
I didn't know the costumes let you do stuff (save for the Princess Heart one)...'sides, I always stuck with the God of Thunder one.
The Silent Hill "original" T-shirts, when combined with a certain items, let you do different things. Although, it's not usually obvious as to what. Anyway, the "God of Thunder" T-shirt also does something.

Eccles

04-05-2005, 11:17 AM

Oh, really?
Could I get some more information on that?

ifirit

04-05-2005, 11:40 AM

The "God of Thunder" T-shirt improves the firing power of the SMG and Infinite SMG, however, only when the T-shirt is unlocked. That means you'd have to beat all ten levels of the Extreme Mode difficulty to do so, which really doesn't seem worth it since that basically means completing the game to its fullest only to be rewarded with something that actually hurts your ranking afterwards. (Using the special weapons gives your a one-star ranking reduction.) But, hey, if you want to do so, go ahead. (I'm still working on beating the second Extreme level.)

Eccles

04-05-2005, 01:08 PM

And the rest of the t-shirts?

('cept the golden rooster, apparently, since we've still got a question on that one outstanding)

ifirit

04-05-2005, 01:39 PM

And the rest of the t-shirts?

('cept the golden rooster, apparently, since we've still got a question on that one outstanding)

I can't say what they all do, since I haven't figured it out yet, but I do know what the Golden Rooster and God of Thunder do, since I discovered the Golden Rooster myself and had been told what the God of Thunder did. So, I'll list the shirts that are Silent Hill originals. Also, what the shirts do is based on if and how they were unlocked.

A) Transform: Improves Heather Beam (Unlocked when you beat Easy Action difficulty)
B) God of Thunder: Improves Infinite SMG (Unlocked when you beat Extreme X Action difficulty)
C) Golden Rooster
D) Royal Flush
E) Block Head
F) Don't Touch
G) Onsen
H) Heather
I) Killer Rabbit
J) Transience
K) The Light
L) Zipper

EDIT: Oh. My. God. I cannot believe what I just found out. SIREN 2 is being made. That is totally awesome! I love Siren (Forbidden Siren).

Check out the official Playstation 2 site (http://www.playstation.jp/scej/title/siren2/) for a few details, production materials and a teaser trailer. As far as I can tell, the story is set 29 years after the first game. The same events that happen every 29 years in the small Japanese village, but this time things are getting worse. The game's pre-production materials look vamped up for the sequel and it now looks like a PS2 game. The music is even more haunting than the first game, still using a vocal chant, but in a more western-music style than the ethnic chant from the first game.

I noticed that there seem to be a lot of similarities between this game and the original Silent Hill. This is likely due to the fact that the director from Silent Hill directs this series. What I noticed is that the game seems to be focused on the construction of a tower on the island's hilltop, but it resembles more of a lighthouse to me. Also, you'll visit an amusement park in the next game. Hmmm. I'm definitely keeping my eye on this one.

The Instrument of GAWD

04-06-2005, 02:26 AM

Well, with the responses I got here, I believe I have enough to work with to make another Preview. I think I'll stick to Black and White this time. Like I said color isn't my strong suit.

Razumen

04-06-2005, 06:49 AM

StarZander

04-06-2005, 12:11 PM

Oh. My. God. I cannot believe what I just found out. SIREN 2 is being made. That is totally awesome! I love Siren (Forbidden Siren).

Yep, I learnt about that awhile ago. Siren is one of the first games I'll be buying whenever I get around to finally buying a PS2.

Still waiting to find out if PS3 will be backwards compatible though.

frugality+1

I bought Forbidden Siren a few months ago. I played it once, and thought it was really lame. Not scary at all. It was almost funny. Funny in a bad way. Haven't played it since then.

ifirit

04-07-2005, 02:17 AM

I bought Forbidden Siren a few months ago. I played it once, and thought it was really lame. Not scary at all. It was almost funny. Funny in a bad way. Haven't played it since then.
Most people who played the dubbed version of the game will find it to be bad. Not just bad, but as quoted "laughable." However, those who played the Japanese version found it horrifying, I'm sure. Also, if you're not aware of some of Japan's more subtle customs and cultures, you're not as likely to enjoy the game either. Just know that before you pick this game up, it was created for the Japanese. There will be cultural references and boundaries.

However, for those that understand and embrace this, you'll find Siren to be an extremely rewarding game, especially in the end. That's why I'm so excited about the upcoming sequel which will hit much closer to home.

Check out the European website for Forbidden Siren (http://www.forbidden-siren.com/). It's played in its original Japanese with English subtitles (or that of your choosen language). It's much more scary and exciting than even some of Silent Hill's sites. Plus, there are explanations and details shown about the Japanese culture played upon in the game. Make sure to look closely for clues and to not go back until you've found everything, because there is no going back. Hahahaha.....

When you're done, you can check out in-game videos and gameplay at the official UK Playstation Site (http://uk.playstation.com/news/newsStory.jhtml;jsessionid=PKVYZ1OZ1VCH2CQSBLVCELQ ?storyId=105309_en_GB_NEWS&linktype=GRS). You can then read more about the Hanuda Incident at shibito.com (http://www.shibito.com/). Or maybe you'd like to see a greeting card (http://www.hanudagreetings.com/) from Hanuda Village. You can also see a fan video (http://www.jp-kyoya.com/hanuda.html) created by TBWA, which you can download here (http://www.jp-kyoya.com/forbidden_siren_medium.mov). Enjoy.

Razumen

04-07-2005, 03:12 AM

So the english version isn't worth playing at all?

I picked up Siren at Walmart for $9, so if it isn't I can always return it. No big loss either way.

k u n g f u c h i c k e n

04-07-2005, 03:14 AM

Isn't Siren the game you can't use weapons on?

ifirit

04-07-2005, 04:31 AM

So the english version isn't worth playing at all?

I picked up Siren at Walmart for $9, so if it isn't I can always return it. No big loss either way.
The voice acting is terrible in the English-dubbed versions, but the game itself is still worth checking out, especially for $9. I like the music too, very "Silent Hill 1"-ish.

Isn't Siren the game you can't use weapons on?
Yes and no. The game plays through 10 different characters in a variety of scenarios, each character with different strengthes and weaknesses. Some carry weapons, some carry flashlights, some don't carry anything. It really keeps you on your toes.

EDIT: If you want an honest and funny opinion of the game, check out the review by X-Play (http://www.g4tv.com/mediaplayer/index.aspx?video_key=8746) (Right-click and open in a new window). I suggest you view it, just because of the good review at the end.

While you're at it check out their thoughts on The Dog Ending (http://www.g4tv.com/mediaplayer/index.aspx?video_key=8645) from Silent Hill 2. (Link contains SH2 Spoilers)

Razumen

04-07-2005, 07:47 AM

K, I'll give it a try.

But I'm guessing that if I wanted to play it in Japanese with subtitles I'd have to get the game imported and use a modded system right?

ifirit

04-07-2005, 08:28 AM

K, I'll give it a try.

But I'm guessing that if I wanted to play it in Japanese with subtitles I'd have to get the game imported and use a modded system right?
http://www5.big.or.jp/~otake/hey/kanji/gifmoji/faj/tadasii.gif
Tadashii, but just keep your version and work through the bad accents. They'll be fun when we can laugh about 'em later.

Nulion

04-12-2005, 05:23 PM

Been keeping track of this post for a long time, hehe...must be since page 40 or so, but never had anything relevant to post. Gotta say though, ifrit, your posts are simply awesome and and a joy to read :) Always something new, hehe.

Anyway, thought I'd post this..

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com

Have you, or any of you guys seen this before? Apparently, this guy took to making a CG Movie series (There's only two parts so far) that tries to tell this really odd story that, personally, I can't figure out. It's Silent Hill to the core though, right down to the good usage of the music.

Whatever the case, the guy who did this is GOOD. (Especially for being just one guy)

Hadn't seen it posted here before, hope maybe it'll provide some new goodies to look at :) Just go to the downloads section on the site, maybe take a look at the trailer, or just download the first two episode-things. They're about 10 - 11 minutes long each, the second one is especially good.

StarZander

04-12-2005, 06:51 PM

Been keeping track of this post for a long time, hehe...must be since page 40 or so, but never had anything relevant to post. Gotta say though, ifrit, your posts are simply awesome and and a joy to read :) Always something new, hehe.

He is the very heart and soul of this thread. It would have been long gone, if it weren't for him.

Anyway, thought I'd post this..

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com

Have you, or any of you guys seen this before? Apparently, this guy took to making a CG Movie series (There's only two parts so far) that tries to tell this really odd story that, personally, I can't figure out. It's Silent Hill to the core though, right down to the good usage of the music.

Whatever the case, the guy who did this is GOOD. (Especially for being just one guy)

Hadn't seen it posted here before, hope maybe it'll provide some new goodies to look at :) Just go to the downloads section on the site, maybe take a look at the trailer, or just download the first two episode-things. They're about 10 - 11 minutes long each, the second one is especially good.

Now, that was just plain awesome. I'm at a lack for words. He has created something unique, and that's worthy of the SH name (alot more than some of the games). It had a spectacularly spooky atmosphere, the story is interesting, the characters and locations (except his own house) are very wellmade. He used the music from the games, together with some new soundeffects, in an awesome way. It all comes together so perfectly, and it even scared me a little, and I don't get scared at all from games or movies anymore (it's been boring), but now I finally found something great.

I recommend that every SH fan watch this.

phantomINTELLECT

04-13-2005, 05:16 AM

I like kids!

ILLiterate

04-13-2005, 05:55 AM

Nulion

04-13-2005, 06:20 AM

Hmm....don't know how to help ya much with voice samples, though the OST for Silent Hill 3 has some very high quality voices in the Sun and Lost Carol tracks, though I doubt that's what you're looking for.

Actually, I remember a site that went down awhile back, Silent Hill Media. They used to have voice rips for practically all the games. Perhaps some people still have those voice rips on Direct Connect? Or some other program like that.

Aw well...*goes back to watching the CG video again* :)

ifirit

04-13-2005, 01:48 PM

Silent Hill: No Escape (http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/)
I had not seen this site yet; very new and interesting. I really like this guy's approach. He seems to both have an appreciation for and true understanding of the SH series. What I found to be most admirable was his attention to detail and knowing that you need a really good story idea before beginning any production material. (I told you guys that as fans got better with programming, you'd be seeing more impressive fanworks.)

Anyway, just as the FAQ states, the story is pretty easy to follow. Everything is told in a linear fashion and has great supplemental materials (http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/journal.htm) to help decipher some of the tricker (unspoken) aspects. The philosophy is somewhat deep, but focuses too much Nietzsche's ideas, in my opinion. (I'd like to see a little more play on the opposing views of the mind and the perception of space.) I really like the monster designs, yet again like the FAQ states, he needs work on his animation. Also, there's something that DJP wrote in one of recent write-ups (http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01333) that seems to fit my overall feelings about the film, "I was trying to explain to someone the other day how, like a single amazing line can make or break any given poem, a single interval in a melody that is JUST right can change things dramatically." This fits into the piece so well, since there was a moment in Part 1 where things just clicked in my head (in the most literal sense) and made the entire piece so much more heightened for me. (Plus, I really like his imagery and metaphors, especially the metaphors.)

A few other minor notes and thoughts about Silent Hill: No Escape: I'm beginning to question his use of blatant attacks on religion and the heavy use of swearing (heavier than normal). However, only while reading Dr. Harvey's (Nice reference, by-the-way) psychological journals do I see the reasoning. It ties in so much with the philosophy and the personality of Michael, but it will not be obvious to everyone. Second, is the use of Brookhaven Hospital during the emergency room scene. I know it seems trite to argue this, but Brookhaven doesn't have the capabilities to handle medical emergencies. Likely, he would have been taken to Alchemilla Hospital for emergency treatment. I only mention this because a small part of the story surrounds it. Lastly, is how he creator depicts the isolation of the town. He shows Michael at the edge of a huge mound blocking the roads out of town, which is the opposite of what the games use (pits, chasms, voids). It seems that he broke traditions on purpose, despite that those traditions would have been better suited to the metaphors used. Maybe we'll see later why.

Hey I'm starting another Silent Hill ReMix and I'm wondering if any of you guys can help me in the search of some good voice samples from the game(mabye you have some lying around somewhere?). Any help is greatly appreceated. I dont know exactly how I'm going to do this mix but it will remix "AloneInTown" from SH2 and be a relaxing song with some (hopefully) spooky moments
Actually, I remember a site that went down awhile back, Silent Hill Media. They used to have voice rips for practically all the games. Perhaps some people still have those voice rips on Direct Connect? Or some other program like that.
As a matter of fact, I have all of Dustfungus' materials before Silent Hill Media became inoperative. Among these materials are the dialogue from the first three games, including some secret dialogue clips. However, as I've written in reviews of your WIPs, you are relying too much on audio effects and atmospheric materials in your work (at least in the past). In addition, I have a completely opposite stance as you in terms of what a "Silent Hill Remix" should be. Though, the majority of rearrangements have focused on the darker and gloomier aspects of the games, that is not the only way to approach it (http://www.geocities.com/dirtyz16/themusic.html). I'd like to see much more liberal attempts at a remix as a whole. (Hey, even Akira Yamaoka took some pretty radical ideas when creating arrangements in the US version of the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack.)

StarZander

04-13-2005, 08:45 PM

I thought about that Brookhaven part aswell. Brookhaven is more of an asylum, than a hospital. Alchemilla is the real hospital.

ILLiterate

04-14-2005, 12:24 AM

As a matter of fact, I have all of Dustfungus' materials before Silent Hill Media became inoperative. Among these materials are the dialogue from the first three games, including some secret dialogue clips. However, as I've written in reviews of your WIPs, you are relying too much on audio effects and atmospheric materials in your work (at least in the past). In addition, I have a completely opposite stance as you in terms of what a "Silent Hill Remix" should be. Though, the majority of rearrangements have focused on the darker and gloomier aspects of the games, that is not the only way to approach it (http://www.geocities.com/dirtyz16/themusic.html). I'd like to see much more liberal attempts at a remix as a whole. (Hey, even Akira Yamaoka took some pretty radical ideas when creating arrangements in the US version of the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack.)That was a cool song, other than the clipping, i'm even using drum samples close to the ones in that song, and the clips where cool, but this is mostly how I wanted the remix to sound...some clips, then actual music, a nice beat and relaxing mood to them (mabye even with multiple genres in one song)...well we'll just have to see how the whole thing turns out.

(P.S:If you can email some of those voice samples to eazyp@hotmail.com thanks alot)

ifirit

04-16-2005, 05:05 PM

Let me know what game you want them from. I'll go ahead and tell you that if you want dialogue from SH3, some tracks have the music still mixed in, because in SH3 (and SH4), Akira Yamaoka mixed in the music and dialogue on the same track (where as the first two games had sound effects, music and dialogue all on separate tracks). Therefore, only a few tracks are separate in themselves (ex. "Happy Birthday", "What Happened 17 Years Ago", "Toilet Humor").

So, if you want something in particular, let me know.

ILLiterate

04-16-2005, 06:42 PM

Oh I'll take anything thats just voicals, preferably from SH1 & 2(Best games in the series), thanks for the help ^_^

P.S:I havent heard about the Silent Hill movie for a while...anything new happening in that department?

ifirit

04-19-2005, 11:09 AM

Oh I'll take anything thats just voicals, preferably from SH1 & 2(Best games in the series), thanks for the help ^_^
I'll try to host some of the files temporarily on my site, but that will happen in the next day or two.

EDIT: I've uploaded a few files on my site (http://www.angelfire.com/scary/pyrokinesis/media/index.html) (Links Removed). (It is angelfire, so please don't waste my bandwidth.) Let me know it helps.

P.S:I havent heard about the Silent Hill movie for a while...anything new happening in that department?
Well, since it's being requested, I'm going to provide both a Silent Hill Movie Update and an overall Silent Hill Movie Filming Progression. The update will basically cover the lastest in the news about the movie, while the filming progression will cover the progress from the day it was announced to pre-production to filming and production schedules. (It's surprising how open the film industry is if you know what to look for.) On with the show!

Silent Hill Movie Update:
If you remember from the Brantford news article I posted about the filming, you'll probably remember that filming was supposed to occur this week. However, production is behind schedule and only some partial sets have been constructed. According to moviesonline.ca (http://www.moviesonline.ca), a fan of the series has managed to wander onto the filming site and captured a few snapshots of the set construction in downtown Brantford. The photos can be viewed off the moviesonline.ca site or from horror-movies.ca (http://www.horror-movies.ca) or colinasilenciosa.tk (http://www.colinasilenciosa.tk). (WARNING: Sites contain Spoilered Plot Synposis)

Movies Online Site:
Photos Article Page 1 (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_3737.html)
Photos Article Page 2 (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_3738.html)

Horror-Movies Site:
Photos Article Mirror (http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_3402.html)

Colina Silenciosa Site:
Photos Article (Summary) (http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/index.php?itemid=72)

Silent Hill Movie Filming Progression:
This section, as stated above, will show all the major points along the film's production line as well as what the future prospects are before being released. Please note that some things may change as the filming progresses and some items may not be 100% accurate.

Announcement: The movie was first announced on September 18th, 2003 by Konami when they posted a flyer on their website. Up to that point rumors of a Silent Hill film had been spreading on the internet. Konami announces that Davis Films is the lucky production company assigned to the film. Producer Samuel Hadida chooses director Christophe Gans to direct it at the time of the announcement. No further details are revealed by Konami at the time.

Konami Official SH Film Announcement Flyer (http://www.konami.co.jp/press/2003/09/021/r.15.09.18-e.html)
SH Film Announcement Flyer - Silent Hill Heaven Mirror (http://www.silenthillheaven.com/Site/Movie/Main.html)

Writing the Script: After the announcement of the Silent Hill movie, all public talk stopped, until Roger Avary (http://www.avary.com) began writing in his blog (online journal). According to Avary, Christophe Gans approached him asking him to write the script to the movie. Enthusiastically, Avary agreed. Later, when he writes the subject as the title of one of his entries, news breaks loose.

In his journal, Avary details that he will travel to Paris to work in Gans' office to create the script in cooperation with him. He writes about the process and the progression of the script the same way anyone else would in a journal, but does not say more that he can about the plot. The only information given to the public is that the script is being written and that it is inspired directly by the games (SH1 & SH2). He states that the script is written in three weeks, yet claims that he was only able to do so because Christophe Gans and Nicholas Boukhrief had created over a month's worth of material before Avary was added to the team.

Unfortunately, Roger Avary has locked all his previous entries in the archive, which can only be accessed by password. Therefore, the original entries can no longer be accessed directly; however, reproductions of the entries can be viewed from many movie and media online publications, such as those listed below.

Avary Journal Entry (09-20-2004) - Film Force Mirror (http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/549/549418p1.html)
Avary Journal Entry (10-18-2004) - Movies Online Mirror (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_1163.html)
Avary Journal Entry (11-02-2004) - Movies Online Mirror (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_1468.html)
Publicity Photos of Roger Avary during the writing of the Silent Hill script (http://www.avary.com/rogeravary/gallery/gallery.html)

Pre-production Planning: After the completion of the script by Christophe Gans, Nicholas Boukhrief and Roger Avary, random hodge-podge information popped by about the details of the filming of the movie. Avary states which members of Davis Films will be working on the production as well as the primary filming location: Toronto. The production team is stated to have many people from the Matrix films working on technical issues while the budget is projected to be in the range of 50 million dollars. No really reliable information is given and producers are tight-lipped.

Silent Hill Movie Random Information - Movies Online (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_2234.html)
Avary Journal Entry (12-15-2004) - Insomniac Mania Mirror (http://www.insomniacmania.com/news_default.php?id=1114)

Revealed Production Members
Producer - Andrew Mason
Production Designer - Carol Spier
Costumes - Wendy Partridge
Additional Costume Design - Patrick Tatopolous (Underworld, Pitch Black, Godzilla, Independence Day, etc.)

A Plot Revealed: In an attempt to cleverly reveal that he too is working on the Silent Hill film, Don Carmody (http://www.doncarmody.com/index.html) posts the synopsis of the Silent Hill film on his site. The synopsis is derived entirely from the completed script that he received from Davis films shortly beforehand. In his enthusiasm for his new project, he posts the ending of the film in addition to the plot summary on February 15th, 2005. Immediately, the forum circles and online media publications begin spreading the word. Because of outcry and the small media storm created by this, Carmody removes the synopsis from his site. However, plently of word had been reached and the synopsis can be found in many articles (unmarked for spoilers, I might add).

Don Carmody's Silent Hill Page - Location of Original Synopsis (http://www.doncarmody.com/Pages/silent_hill.html)
Silent Hill Movie Synopsis - Movies Online Mirror (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_2900.html) (Warning: Link Contains Film Spoilers)

In My Restless Dreams, I See That Town... Brantford, Ontario: Rumors of the movie's filming location were confirmed when a local news article listed street closings for the sleepy town of Brantford. Despite the normality of the article, it was surprisingly detailed in the intensions, schedule and parties involved in the creation of the Silent Hill film. It even went so far as to connect the film to its alias Centralia, the name under which the movie is registered for filming lots. As a result, many forum circles began to spread word of this additional filming spot rather quickly. Needless to say, pictures and surveying of the areas set to film in Brantford have traveled far across the internet. The most recent news being the pre-production sets mentioned/shown above.

Brantford Expositor Article - Silent Hill Filming Location (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=99172&catname=Local+News)
Brantford/Colborne Street Home Video (http://www.slocanlake.com/mindrealms/body_silent_hill_movie.html) (Requires Quicktime Player)

Other sets of photos can be found in previous Silent Hill Movie Updates in this forum, but I'm too tired to repost them here and they are still easily accessible. However, I will post some pictures just to keep you guys off my back. (These photos are too much like a making for a fan SH film, but are filmed at the corner of Queen St. and Brant Avenue. It even has photos of the streets at night.)

Corner of Queen St. and Brant Ave. - Colina Silenciosa (http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/index.php?itemid=69&catid=7)

hooryou?: Pre-production has been placed so well that the only things left to do are finalize the cast and film the movie (as well as post-production duties). Problem is, filming is being delayed because Christophe Gans has not yet chosen the leads for this film. (What!?) Well, like what has been happening since the film's announcement, many people are playing the "Who'll be in the Silent Hill Movie" game to pass the time and put pressure on the producers to choose lead roles. All updates for the past few days have been centered around the projected cast for the film. Nothing official and continued guessing (and flaming) about who will play what roles.

From Avary's suggested teenage actress to Johnny Depp and Bill Pullman to Carrie-Anne Moss (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0005251/) (Trinity of the Matrix films) and "the blonde chick from Pitch Black" (Radha Mitchell (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0593664/)), everyone's got a person in mind for the roles. So, pick any Silent Hill forum and discuss away about how Carla Gugino (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001303/) would be better suited to play Rose than anyone else, but don't waste your time talking about that here.

Silent Hill Film Bumped Back (Production Delay) - Movies Online Article (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_3701.html)

That's it for the Silent Hill Filming Progression. It's unlikely that anything else is going to be updated until the cast list is released. Filming details are likely to be keep as secret as possible and the trailer will only be released once filming is complete and/or post-production is finished. However, despite that, it still looks like we will see a late 2005 release for the movie (Halloween maybe?).

Silent Hill FMV Torrent:
Well, since Bit Torrent has caught on as fast alternative to downloading movies, a recent torrent for Silent Hill FMVs has surfaced on the net. The Pirate Bay (http://thepiratebay.org) is hosting a torrent file containing FMVs from all four games. The file is over 2 GB in size and seems to be reliable (though, I haven't tried it yet). However, please note that these files were taken from MaskRider's site (http://www.felixmcli.org/silenthill.html) and are being distributed as someone else's. So, it is likely that the site will be taken down if MaskRider objects. (I can't say which, since MaskRider no longer hosts those files on his site.) So, if you're looking to watch the SH movies without having to play the games over again, especially the endings, you lazy bums, check them out. (Warning: Videos contain Spoilers [like that needs to be said, but anyway...]). Please only download the files if you own the games.

Silent Hill Videos Torrent (http://thepiratebay.org/torrents-details.php?id=3312573&filelist=1#filelist)

Nulion

04-24-2005, 08:33 AM

Whoo....As always ifrit, -excellent- information...

I do actually have something to add to that - several SH Movie Set pictures not featured in any of those links. I assume they're brand new, but revealed in the pictures are things such as Pete's Bowl o' Rama and Neely's Bar, which seem to actually be parts of the set. And they look VERY nice in my opinion. There's even garbage cans with a Silent Hill tourism logo on them, all rusted and derelict. A lot of small details, really.

http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3

And again ifrit, thank you for all the good info - I enjoy reading it thoroughly :)

Nulion

04-25-2005, 08:28 AM

Okay, for some reason that website I just posted is actually asking me to register for an account to even see those links - I assume it does that for others, so I'll just post all the direct links to those pics here :)

http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie001.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie002.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie003.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie004.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie005.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie006.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie007.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie008.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie009.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie010.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie011.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie012.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie013.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie014.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie015.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie016.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie017.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie018.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie019.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie020.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie021.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie022.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie023.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie024.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie025.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie026.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie027.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie028.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie029.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie030.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie031.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie032.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie033.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie034.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie035.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie036.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie037.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie038.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie039.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie040.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie041.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie042.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie043.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie044.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie045.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie046.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie047.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie048.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie049.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie050.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie051.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie052.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie053.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie054.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie055.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie056.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie057.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie058.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie059.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie060.jpg
http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/MattsPics/Movie061.jpg

Also, I happened to stumble across this:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9300

Apparently the lead role in the movie is going to Radha Mitchell, as Rose. The mother in the movie I mean. Good choice, I think she was the mother in Man on Fire, among other things.

Nekofrog

04-25-2005, 02:49 PM

The movie is going to suck.

Simply due to the fact that it's starring yet another generic female lead to scream in terror at all the opportune moments, so the audience knows what they're seeing is scary.

Seriously.

The Ring
The Grudge
That movie that just came out on DVD about dead kids
Etc.

I'm sick and tired of Hollywood fucking toying with good properties like this. We don't need another horror movie with a scream-happy blonde girl running for her life.

Why the fuck can it not be Harry, Hollywood?

phantomINTELLECT

04-25-2005, 02:58 PM

yeah I love the games, but lets fce it, there is no such thing as a good video game movie.

Navi

04-25-2005, 04:58 PM

yeah I love the games, but lets fce it, there is no such thing as a good video game movie.

Beg to differ.

http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/reviews/streetfighter.jpg

Nulion

04-25-2005, 08:22 PM

Nekofrog

04-25-2005, 08:26 PM

Nulion

04-25-2005, 08:56 PM

*rolls eyes* Just lighten up a bit ;) By this point, EVERYTHING is a Hollywood cliche - things can change. Not saying they will, but what can I say - it's still just a movie. Even if the movie sucks so badly it affects the global economy, we'll still have our games.

McCorvic

04-25-2005, 10:04 PM

Even if the movie sucks so badly it affects the global economy, we'll still have our games.

Until Silent Hill: The Movie: The Game destroys all hopes of SH every saving any face ever again.

Razumen

04-26-2005, 01:48 AM

The Instrument of GAWD

04-26-2005, 02:09 AM

Um, just to let ya know; Part 3 of No Escape is avalible for download.

As for my input on No Escape; for being a peice of fan work, it's alright. However, I get the feeling the main character knows more than he should in the begining... but it's still early to say anything like that.

Also, I'm gonna have to agree with with the vulgar Cat Frog of Justice. The Stereotype of a female horror survivor is rather annoying. It's not like Harry got away with the cliche "Surviving with young child and female romantic interest" in every ending (except one).

ifirit

04-26-2005, 09:28 AM

Judge, have you ever seen her act? She's actually really good, and has never played one of those screaming blonde idiots before. It's not her style, at least from what I've seen...So as far as female leads go, they could have chosen much worse.

(Aw man, the Street Fighter movie...I have no idea why, even though it wasn't the best film ever, it...err....I dunno, I kinda enjoyed it)
I don't give a fuck. The role has been done to death in other movies. It is now a stereotype; a cliche. Silent Hill needs as few horror movie cliches as possible.
It's strange that even though this film is being produced by a French company in Canadian film lots by consent of a Japanese corporation, with only a handful of American people working on the film, makes this film "Hollywood-ized." Let's try to stay focused. Remember that this film is being made by very artistic people not as a commercial money-maker, but as a piece of art that pays tribute to the game series which inspired so many nightmares in so many people. Again, this movie is a psychological thriller (not in the full sense "horror"), the amount of cliches that appear in the film may not even be noticable. Konami approved the script and its production so far. The producers and director are working hard to ensure that the film is as good a tribute as it can be. (Remember that the filming schedule is behind because the cast has not been finalized. Had they just choosen anyone to play the parts, filming might have already been completed. Also, try to remember that this film is a reinterpretation of the first two games, not their film adaptations.)

Again, go to the film sections of the Silent Hill forums and discuss why the film should follow the first game much more closely, or why the current interpretation is not fitting to the series, or why you think it just plain sucks. But, don't waste your time doing that here. Don't expect the film to be the best thing ever and don't expect the film to be the worst thing ever. Take the film with a grain of salt and go play the Silent Hill: Play Novel.

Even if the movie sucks so badly it affects the global economy, we'll still have our games.
Until Silent Hill: The Movie: The Game destroys all hopes of SH every saving any face ever again.
Now that's just being stupid...
It's not likely that it will happen because Konami is being very careful with the Silent Hill license, so a game would only be produced by Team Silent. And as of right now, Team Silent is already working on SH5. So room to do a game adaptation of the film isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Also, if the film does become a success across the world and Konami does decide to release the rights to the film for a game, then it will likely only be to the right game company or most likely it will be made by Konami itself. However, since Konami already stated officially that a Silent Hill game will not appear on the PS2 or any current console, creating the game for the next generation of consoles would be too untimely for the film release. Besides, I'm not entirely sure where the rights lie with making a game adaptation of the SH film (but I'm guessing Konami). So, legalities might also prevent a company from making it into a game (which is actually a type of suck-age prevention).

Um, just to let ya know; Part 3 (http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/part3_download.htm) of No Escape is avalible for download.

As for my input on No Escape; for being a peice of fan work, it's alright. However, I get the feeling the main character knows more than he should in the begining... but it's still early to say anything like that.
Actually, Dr. Harvey's notes make a point to tell us that she believes Michael knows everything that is going on but refuses to accept it, because he is afraid to accept something he doesn't want to acknowledge. We should note that the story is told such that we are in the psychiatrist's perspective and that we don't know the whole picture, yet Michael does, in a sense. (Which is why the medical records pertaining to Michael and his wife are sealed, why the story is being told in three different locations, and why the story feels disjointed.)

The set up of the fan work is made into three parts: Michael's dreams (Misty Silent Hill), Michael's nightmares (Alternate Silent Hill) and Michael's connection to reality (Brookhaven Room). Michael feels awake and lucid in his dreams of Misty Silent Hill. He feels that there is where he is truly himself. This space represents the Ego or the perception of the self as a whole. In his nightmares of Alternate Silent Hill, Michael feels isolated, in pain and other primal emotions. This place represents his Id or subconscious. In between, lies his presence in the Brookhaven Examination Room where he speaks to Dr. Harvey. This space represents the Super-Ego or his sense of morality and intellect. It is here that Michael is being told to control his pain and to explain his ideas and philosophies. In his nightmares, he simply feels or restates what happens to him, he expresses no intellect or morality, because the subconscious has none. And in between, in his dreams, Michael sorts it all out.

Although there is a distinction in the places where Michael is at different points in the story, his perspection is blurred between the three. He doesn't really know where he is exactly. Similarly like when you are drunk or stoned and you can't really tell what is real and what your mind is creating. This blurring of worlds became highly apparent in part 3. However, remember that we are in the perspective of the doctor and have to sort out all of things Michael tells us. Still, Michael is sorting things out, too. It's just that he has all the pieces, while we have to pick them up as he goes along.

Personally, I think this fan work is incredible. Despite saying so little, the videos say so much. I could probably go on for volumes on simply the idea of the mind separated into Id, Ego and Super-Ego without even touching on many of the other philosophical and psychological ideas layered in the story. The creator really has a great grasp of his concepts and knows how to play them out. (However, they could be a little better defined for my purposes.) On a whole, the story is really captivating.

Nulion

04-28-2005, 01:15 AM

Whoo...Just watched the 3rd part of that movie - and this guy's skill just improves with each episode he does. That's honestly gotta be the first time I've seen a Silent Hill fan fiction of any sort disturb me and actually make me WANT to see what happens next, just as the games do!

*waits for chapter 4* :)

McCorvic

04-28-2005, 01:25 AM

Even if the movie sucks so badly it affects the global economy, we'll still have our games.
Until Silent Hill: The Movie: The Game destroys all hopes of SH every saving any face ever again.
Now that's just being stupid...
It's not likely that it will happen because Konami is being very careful with the Silent Hill license, so a game would only be produced by Team Silent.

It was meant to be a bad joke...but what you said was correct anyways.

ifirit

04-29-2005, 01:05 AM

So much news has happened this week that we need to have another...

Silent Hill Movie Update:
This weekend, the casting for the Silent Hill film was completed. Although from word-of-mouth from the production crew on Saturday (April 23, 2005), Radha Mitchell and Deborah Kara Unger were said to have been choosen to play the two female leads. Word became official on Monday (April 25, 2005) when filming began on the set in Brantford. (Warning: Articles contain NEW Film Spoilers)

Cast Revealed for Silent Hill Movie? - Brantford Expositor Article (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=106777&catname=Local+News&classif=News+Alert)
Brantford Expositor Article - Newspaper Clipping (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/richi/Silenthill.jpg)
Cameras Roll on Silent Hill - Brantford Expositor Article (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=107036&catname=Local+News&classif=News+%2D+Local)
Movie Magic Brings Silent Hill to Life - Brantford Expositor Article (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=107037&catname=Local+News&classif=News+%2D+Local)
Filming Photos (April 25, 2005) (http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/index.php?itemid=79)

As the article mentions, you can find all the photos and images from the first few days of filming on the horror-movies.ca (http://www.horror-movies.ca) website. What you might also catch from the article is that filming will also occur in part of the offices at the Brantford Expositor, which explains why the newspaper was able to gain so much inside info on the film. Also, according to the press statement by Don Carmody, the title of the film will be reverted to Silent Hill for fan purposes after post-production.

Gallery Collection of SH Film Photos (http://www.horror-movies.ca/gallery27.htm)

Beyond film sets and technical issues in the film, the cast of the Silent Hill film has been FINALIZED (finally!). According to movieonline.ca (http://www.moviesonline.ca) the finalized cast list is:

Silent Hill Cast:
http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/media/1/20050423-radha.jpg
Radha Mitchell (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0593664/)
http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/media/1/20050423-deborah.jpg
Deborah Kara Undger (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000679/)
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/41/65/22m.jpg
Sean Bean (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000293/)
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/83/76/22m.jpg
Laurie Holden (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0390229/)
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/30/25/53m.jpg
Kim Coates (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0167649/)
http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/media/1/20050427-allen_tanya.jpg
Tanya Allen (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0021091/)

You may notice that I did not mention Daniella Canjura (a relatively unknown 14-year-old actress). The reason is that I've gotten crossed wires on who the young female lead (Sharon) is going to be. Other sources (colinasilenciosa.tk (http://www.colinasilenciosa.tk) & Brantford Expositor (http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca)) have pointed to Jodelle Ferland (http://www.jodelle-ferland.com/) as the actress to play Sharon. I can't say for sure just yet, but I'll be checking my sources before I add something concrete. Another rumor surfacing about the film is the appearance of Angelina Jolie in the Silent Hill film. According to bloody-disgusting.com (http://bloody-disgusting.com), the actress has been spotted on the set watching and waiting carefully and anxiously as the filming took place. Nothing more than her sighting (http://bloody-disgusting.com/index.php?Show=3801&Template=newsfull) on the film set has been announced.

Okay, for some reason that website I just posted is actually asking me to register for an account to even see those links - I assume it does that for others, so I'll just post all the direct links to those pics here
Those pictures that you posted have now been posted on the main page of the site and can be viewed in a much cleaner, user-friendly thumbnail form on Silent Hill Bloodflame (http://silenthill.bloodflame.com/pictures.php).

Personally, I would be careful about reading the articles and news surrounding the film updates. I'm beginning to see the overall plot of the film coming together and I have mixed feelings about it. However, note that the movie takes place in West Virgina, USA during the 1970's. This is at least 20 years before the first game. I can't say for sure where everything fits in, but the movie seems to be taking place during the mysterious deaths that surround the construction of the tourist resort, before Alessa is born.

I-n-j-i-n

04-29-2005, 01:09 AM

I think the movie could be decent because I hear the director is pretty competent.

That, and 006 will play the lead male role.

I have a feeling that Sean Bean will go psycho like he did in Lord of the Rings though. Which is probably why they chose him.

Illaminus

04-29-2005, 01:23 AM

I REALLY don't hope this film turns into SH1, just harry replaced with a mother. :/

ifirit

04-29-2005, 02:31 AM

With a lot of talk about the film relating too much to SH1, I think the time is right for me to post my theory of Silent Hill (1). Granted, I came up with this theory back in 2001 (Yes, almost two years after playing the game), so the storylines of SH3 and SH4 have not been accounted for in my theory. Although, I came to the same conclusions as President Evil (who wrote material for the Brady Games Strategy Guide) without reading the guide initially, I have to give him credit for publishing it first. (Legal and moral reasons)

Silent Hill 1 Spoilers

The basic idea is that Silent Hill 1 was the battleground for the struggle to gain the power of god. On opposite sides were Dahlia (masterminding the entire birthing of god and manipulation of the characters) and Alessa (a piece of Dahlia's puzzle who managed to slip out of Dahlia's grasp). Note that I will be beginning from the endings and moving backwards, though I will probably do some jumping in between. I'll try not to lose you.

Dahlia began by wishing to bring god into the world to bring salvation to the world (or really herself and the cult). She performed a ceremony to conceive god within another woman with the help of the doctors at Alchemilla Hospital, who were likely also involved in the cult. Blah, blah blah... Alessa burns in a fire.

When Cheryl returns to Silent Hill, Alessa's power is restored. In order to escape from Dahlia, she creates an alternate world to hide in. In this parallel dimension, she uses Cheryl's body to run and hide from Dahlia, since her real body is unable to. Realizing that Alessa is trying to escape with her dream, Dahlia tries to go after her, but Alessa's world is too ellusive to reach her. So, Dahlia consults the Gyromancy and recuits several people (those hanging in limbo) to find Alessa for her. Luckily for her, Harry happens to be looking for his lost daughter, the body in which the combined Alessa resides. Preying on his vulernability, she gives him the Flauros, a device that will capture Alessa and allow Dahlia to tap into her power. And so, unwittingly Harry becomes her tool.

Dahlia now has a fighting chance on the battleground for the power of god, because she has a pawn to do her bidding just as Alessa has monsters to do her's. However, the battle does not intensify until Harry finally confronts Alessa in the Amusement Park. Having moved past all of Alessa's forces, he uses the Flauros to capture her. Thinking he had the upper-hand, he tries to get what he wants from her: information about Cheryl. However, with Dahlia pulling the strings, Harry is unable to do so and then gets caught in the compression that tears apart Alessa's world (Nowhere). Yet, Alessa still has one last move before Dahlia says "Checkmate." The same pawn that Dahlia used to capture Alessa is the one who can free her from Dahlia and her own power. By killing the Incubator or Incubus, Harry destroys the world around him, this causes the Flauros to break it's spell, since it cannot confine Alessa to a space if space doesn't exist.Being free from Dahlia's trap, Alessa recreates her world in another dimension attempting to escape from Dahlia again. However, since Dahlia's real body is in the real world, the form in Alessa's world as well as the forms of the other characters is still preserved.

By killing god, Harry has meerly allowed Alessa to slip a little farther away from Dahlia, but Dahlia still persues Alessa. And in the New Fear modes, you revise your role as the pawn in the newly reset world. However, like Dahlia had been doing all along the first time, see prevented Harry from remembering anything that had happenned before. So, this struggle of persuit and escape will continue forever until one side admits defeat. Since Harry is playing on Dahlia's side, while the game plays on Alessa's side, you (the player) must make the choice to continue to keep playing the game ad infinitum, or to stop and let Alessa be. Realizing that the ultimate ending of the game depends on your real life choices made it one of the greatest realizations of my life. (Side note: I decided to quit playing the game and haven't played it for a long time.)

Now, despite the rather quick description of my theory, there are some more ideas that can be expanded on. Mainly, why Harry is a pawn, why Dahlia continues to persue Alessa and why the game resets itself. However, this theory completely falls apart when you factor in Silent Hill 3. The reason is that my theory makes the game infinitely long, leaving no room for a direct sequel. Since the sequel was made, my theory is wrong since the game is said to have a finite beginning and end. As much as I enjoy theories about the philisophical and metaphorical aspects of Silent Hill, I cannot standby it, despite the amount of time and effort I spent working on it. But, that's my personal opinion.

If you do happen to come across the Brady Games Strategy Guide for Silent Hill or you find the link to President Evil's threory, read it and let me know. It explains the ideas much more clearly and subjectively.

EDIT: Here (http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2437.html), I found it on gamefaqs.com (http://www.gamefaqs.com).

EDIT2: Also, check out the forums on President Evil's site: http://www.dark-legacy.org. He's a much better analytical thinker than I am and has some greater insite and theory into the games.

Nulion

04-29-2005, 02:59 AM

Hmm...20 years before Silent Hill 1? I'd actually always assumed that Silent Hill 1 took place in the 70's, as every car you see as well as many references to pop culture found in the game are from that era....Right?

It seems to fit to me, but then again I haven't looked at the timeframe of the games as in-depth as you probably have ifrit. But then, what leads you to believe SH1 is 20 years after the movie? If that were true, then Cybil being in there wouldn't make much sense....I guess it's too early to say anything just yet.

EDIT: I read the post above this one, and.....oww...man, my head hurts now. I think I'll go and play Sesame Street ABC - nice and easy, with a nice ice pack on my forehead. (Very nice theories there :) )

Global-Trance

04-29-2005, 03:09 AM

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/
^
^
How such awesomeness got by me unnoticed, I will probably never understand.

AWESOME I SAY.

ifirit

04-29-2005, 03:58 AM

Hmm...20 years before Silent Hill 1? I'd actually always assumed that Silent Hill 1 took place in the 70's, as every car you see as well as many references to pop culture found in the game are from that era....Right?
The official word from Konami was that Silent Hill takes place in the same year that it was released (1999). The timeline of the first three games is expressed in the Silent Hill Chronicle.

It seems to fit to me, but then again I haven't looked at the timeframe of the games as in-depth as you probably have ifrit. But then, what leads you to believe SH1 is 20 years after the movie? If that were true, then Cybil being in there wouldn't make much sense....I guess it's too early to say anything just yet.
The reason I mentioned this was to show that the games are not directly related to the film. What you will see and hear about in articles and forums is that the use of characters names in the film are similar (if not identical) to those from the games. Just because the names are the same, don't assume that they are the same.

EDIT: I read the post above this one, and.....oww...man, my head hurts now. I think I'll go and play Sesame Street ABC - nice and easy, with a nice ice pack on my forehead. (Very nice theories there :) )
Newbies all get that. The headache will go away after brief periods of vomiting and vertigo. If spots appear on the skin, rub on all your friends' controllers and memory cards. Any bleeding or hemorraging should be looked at by your family doctor. Other side effects include: prolonged insomnia, frequently asked questions, and sexual side-effects. (Do not use if you are pregant or nursing.)

Nulion

04-29-2005, 04:47 AM

Ahh, I see...

I actually kinda get the feeling Konami didn't really think about the timeframe the games took place in, and just said 1999 to please anybody who wanted to know. The setting just doesn't look the part though...My guess is more that they wanted the games to be timeless, or just not make much chronological sense, as it really isn't important.

The names in the movie though, well, I think that'd be one biiiiiig coincidence if the Cybil in the movie (Who is a police officer) and the Cybil in the game (Who is also a police officer, of course) aren't the same person. Fair assumption, but you're right - we just don't know that much yet to really say one thing from another.

What I'm hoping most for is not that it'll make sense in the overall plot arch of the games and their continuity, but that it'll have the same soul - so far, it's looking like it is, and that makes this noob a happy noob :)

And thanks for the medical info, this uncontrollable vomiting has, to say the least, been a pain. I don't think I'll ever get that chunk of pepperoni off the Escape key ._. *runs to doctor*

StarZander

05-05-2005, 07:19 PM

Page 3? Come on people. We have something divine here, and it slips all the way to page 3? I'll never forgive you.

To make it more than just a bump, there are a few screenshots of Part 4 of the No Escape series available, if you want to see.

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/

Nekofrog

05-05-2005, 07:25 PM

If there is nothing to discuss, there is no reason to bump.

StarZander

05-07-2005, 02:14 PM

If there is nothing to discuss, there is no reason to bump.

We don't need anything to discuss. We just need to make this thread survive. It contains too much to be lost.

Super Metal Mario

05-07-2005, 11:18 PM

Never got to play it only a demo but i do plan on it.

ifirit

05-18-2005, 10:41 PM

In an attempt to keep things moving, as some people think the topic has gone stale, I'm going to provide a short bump by helping you find and identify bootleg copies of the Silent Hill soundtracks. It will help to know where you should invest your money and which companies to avoid.

Bootleg Soundtrack Identification:
There are two types of bootleg CD's floating around on the internet: illegal bootlegs and legal bootlegs.

The illegal bootlegs are obvious to spot as they often feature covers that don't match those of the original CD's. These are often made by individuals that are just trying to make some extra cash. Versions of these bootleg CDs include: Dustfungus' Complete SH1 OST (not sold by Dustfungus), which features the image of Lisa from the waist up, smiling; Dustfungus' Complete SH2 OST (not sold by Dustfungus), which features an image of Mary on her deathbed looking very sad; and finally The Sound of Silence OST which features the images of the four games' main characters. These soundtracks were/are available for free. Dustfungus offered his for the price of materials and shipping, but a long time ago. If you see these copies of soundtracks available, notify the respective owners. In addition, some of these illegal bootlegs will feature remixes (including OCReMixes) on the CD not found on the originals.

The legal bootlegs are much harder to spot, because they are made by companies located in South-East Asia and the production is very close to the originals. The reason that these companies can make legal bootlegs is that the original producer has sold out of stock, yet demand for the product is still high. The producer then "leases" the product to other printing companies to print on their own. These third-party printings are thus legal, but not valuable. The three most prominent companies to produce these legal bootlegs are: Sonmay (which features the SM logo on the back), EverAmine (which also features the logo on the back), and Alion (which features their logo on the front of the CD). The easiest way to identify the bootlegs is by the CD Catalog number. If the Catalog numbers don't match those of the originals, then it is a third-party copy, not the original. The CORRECT catalog numbers are listed below.

Silent Hill 1 OST (Japan) - KICA7950
Silent Hill 2 OST (Japan) - KMCA120
Silent Hill 3 OST (Japan) - KOLA038
Silent Hill 4 OSTs (Japan) - LC1292

Be careful as well, since the special edition soundtracks don't feature the Catalog numbers and will be much harder to spot. This is due to the fact that most were never originally for sale.

Silent Hill 3 Limited Edition OST (Japan)
Silent Hill 4 Limited Edition OST (North America)
Silent Hill 4 Robbie's Tracks (Japan)

Also to help you identify the correct CD cover of the soundtrack, use MaskRider's catalog of SH soundtracks to find the right one.
MaskRider's Silent Hill CD and DVD Catalog (http://z-o-g.org/gallery/shcddvd)

I've not gotten the information on the European Soundtracks, but likely, there aren't that many bootlegs out there. (If your wondering why I'm posting this now, I realized that all the copies I had were bootlegs. It sucks.)

The Instrument of GAWD

05-19-2005, 04:28 AM

this is funny. I just got done writing some stuff down for my little pisser SH story I'm working on and came to Gen. Disc. to see this thread on the 1st page. Then, prompting my clicking on this thread, Promise (SH2 ending song) came on Winamp (which is on shuffle). I'm not shitting you.

Anyway, I figured Ever Anime was a bootleg company, most of the OSTs I buy look like they're bootleg and they either have SM or Ever Anime on the package somewhere.

Oh, btw Ifirit- the dude at No Escape took what you said in here about his story and posted it on his Forums:
http://forums.rateofinjury.com/viewtopic.php?t=78.

ifirit

05-20-2005, 12:11 AM

Oh, btw Ifirit- the dude at No Escape took what you said in here about his story and posted it on his Forums:
http://forums.rateofinjury.com/viewtopic.php?t=78.
That totally made my day. (Totally, man.) I feel like I'm becoming a part of the internet culture. (That's so cool.) Anyway, I left a short message on their boards and will probably add any further discussion of No Escape on their forums, but I'll be sure to link it here whenever I do. (Woah, I got even got a homepage mention. I am completely blown away.)

You know, I'm a little disappointed that people think that there's not much to discuss about Silent Hill anymore. Though, we have covered most of the basics, there are lots of ideas left to explore. Particularly, I'd like to talk about the style of writing used in the games and how the execution is created. Though, the stories seem very unique, they follow a specific set of rules when it comes to characters, locations and the sequence of events that take place.

Anyway, I'm working on a couple of things on my own right now, hence the lack of updates recently. However, I'll be checking by every once-in-a-while. It's really cool stuff, but my lips are sealed for the time being. By the way, Instrument, how is your fan work going? My offer to help still stands. I've had a few ideas here and there. I also have some small materials available for you to review. PM me when you get the chance. I might not get to it immediately, but I'll answer as promptly as I can.

The Instrument of GAWD

05-20-2005, 04:28 AM

Instrument, how is your fan work going? My offer to help still stands. I've had a few ideas here and there. I also have some small materials available for you to review. PM me when you get the chance. I might not get to it immediately, but I'll answer as promptly as I can.

My work is gonning slowly, but it's coming together as I think about it. I'm trying to treat it like a game concept rather than a comic. I'll PM you about it.

As for what you said about the 'rules' of the characters, I believe too that it feels like they're all following a list of characteristics. If my memory serves correctly; they never really spoke unless spoken to. Unless it was a small comment like Henry and "What....the hell?"

That's all I got at the moment, too busy trying other things.

Eccles

05-28-2005, 02:29 PM

Dark forces are at work, gentlemen. I'm not being weird I really do mean it...I'm playing through Silent Hill 4 again. For *shame*

Anyways, I have a habit of doing this, because I like noticing all the things that make sense with the knowledge of things to come. For instance the first memo you get makes a lot more sense when you know who wrote it and why.

Another thing I've noticed is that Silent Hill 4 has quite a few parallels to a film...Eraserhead by David Lynch. The first thing that tipped me off was one of the locations; The Lynch Line in the subway. Nothing really special there, the Silent Hill guys love putting in little nods to people like that and have done ever since SH1.

But what got me was the fact that Eraserhead and SH4 are really quite similar.
They both follow a man named Henry who finds himself trapped in his apartment slowly going crazy. The differences being that the film follows Henry Spencer and the game Henry Townsend (and obvious physical differences that don't warrant commenting on).

Both the film and the game blame crazy events within them on the same thing SPOILER A demonic child of some kind. They both feature the main character peeping on the outside world for more information (though the woman seen in Eraserhead is infinitely more freaky than the woman seen in SH4).

There's also the fact that after each ordeal both Henries find themselves back in their apartments as if nothing had happened.

I don't feel like listing every single line that could be drawn...and it's silly to say that SH4 is like the video game of Eraserhead...but suffice to say there are a LOT of similarities.

Eccles

05-28-2005, 08:19 PM

I actually kinda get the feeling Konami didn't really think about the timeframe the games took place in, and just said 1999 to please anybody who wanted to know. The setting just doesn't look the part though...My guess is more that they wanted the games to be timeless, or just not make much chronological sense, as it really isn't important.
Technically it is. According to the timeframe, SH2 takes place fifteen years after SH1 and SH3 takes place two years after SH2.
Something like that, anyways.

Yeah, it's a double post...call it an impatient bump.

Xiro

05-30-2005, 01:08 AM

I have decided to post here out of desparation...
I've been coming here for years and just never gotten around to joining...but at long last, I wanted to make a Silent Hill tribute song....

Kind of looking to find sounds...mainly from SH4:THe Room....

But I've googled,jeeved, and everything elsed trying to find sounds I could use...preferably some good voices....all to no avail...so if anyone can find some...please send them to:

Dark_Link@snowboard.com

Raenok

05-30-2005, 02:54 AM

I forgot to mention this. The Silent Hill comic? It's already out. Its' title is Silent Hill: Dying Inside.

Be prepared for F-bombs, artistic violence, and a bratty little girl.

Oh, and pick up Sticks and Stones while you're at it. For a book without words, it's pretty emotional.

Firedrake

05-30-2005, 03:19 AM

The Silent Hill comic has been out for months.

Don't bother with it. It's a horrible, horrible series that treats the franchise like a crappy gore flick.

Eccles

05-30-2005, 07:24 AM

It's twue. Though I have to say I like the artistic style used in the first two comics. It's not as good in the third fourth and fifth ones, though...I prefer actually being able to see what the hell is going on in the pictures.

Eccles

05-31-2005, 05:51 PM

RazorOutlaw

06-01-2005, 04:24 AM

So I was wondering if anybody had managed to download that Silent Hill scenario that a fellow made in Sim City 2000...

The Instrument of GAWD

06-02-2005, 02:52 AM

Having completed it three times over, I present questions that Silent Hill 4 left unanswered (spoilers ho!)

1) Why didn't Sullivan kill Henry when he had the chance? Henry wakes up in the ER and Sullivan is attacking a nurse...why didn't Sullivan kill Henry? He'd already completed the other sacriments so it doesn't really make any sense. It could be because Eileen hadn't died like the others, but that raises the question of why does Sullivan attack you in the field rather than eileen?

2) Continuing the questionning of the ER...why doesn't sullivan follow you out of it and why isn't he in there when you go back in?

3) Why does Eileen act like a child when she gets beaten up? I dunno if anybody has ever let her get damaged a lot, but she will often cry for mommy and daddy or whine "Im scawed". She'll also start hitting herself sometimes.

There were more, but I forgot them.

1) I betting Walter didn't know Henry was there until he got off the ground was watching him.

2) Why he doesn't follow you out, I'm not sure. However, why he's not there when you go back in; he does have the ability to teleport (as seen in the last fight)

3) I've heard this alot, Eileen seems to only get worse in condition and act child-like when you're not using the candles in the room to ward of the hauntings.

I've gone through the game twice, first time she hardly ever got touched and she was in bad shape and acting like a kid. I also didn't use the candles like I was supposed to.

Second time through tho, Eileen took tons of hits and I kept up on keeping the Room clear. Eileen was fine.

Eccles

06-02-2005, 07:47 AM

Kiyosuki

06-03-2005, 09:42 PM

3) I've heard this alot, Eileen seems to only get worse in condition and act child-like when you're not using the candles in the room to ward of the hauntings.

I've gone through the game twice, first time she hardly ever got touched and she was in bad shape and acting like a kid. I also didn't use the candles like I was supposed to.

Second time through tho, Eileen took tons of hits and I kept up on keeping the Room clear. Eileen was fine.
See, I used the candles to clear the room out (save for two or three hauntings that happened when I didnt have any candles) and she still got in pretty bad condition. With the hitting herself and the "Where mommy? I'm scawed" and whatnot.

Okay, something else that the game doesnt answer...
Why does little Walter save Eileen, but not Richard? He's there for both of their deaths, but he stops big Walter from killing Eileen (she said so).

Also why can other people leave their apartments? Presumably they're going through the same thing Henry is, but they can get out of their rooms (you can see them through the peephole on the door).

This one isn't a SH4 one, but the others in the series...why does it change who can and can't see the alternative Silent Hill?

In SH1 Harry had to explain to Cybil what the other world was like...but in SH4 Douglas and Vincent both see it as its alternative version.
What's up with that?

I personally think its because everything every Silent Hill character goes through is an individually experienced phenomenon, different from person to person. Thats why Cybil didn't see anything that Harry had gone through until the very end when everything was getting fucked up anyways.

Maybe people enter that parrallel world without others around them knowing. Its an interpretive thing. But I do think it differs from each person's individual perspective. Its hinted at in SH2, where Angela see's a monster that James see's as something completely different than what the player (James) is seeing when she describes it.

As for Eileen? I guess he just liked her better than Richard. I mean, Eileen's a pretty likable person. She has nothing to do with any cult, she's not a bitch to anyone really, she's just a nice girl going through life. I think while Walters' adult side, who was considerably more warped and neautral in mentality saw her as just another tool to use in his plan, Walters' child side, the last bastion of his better self saw things more simplistically and realistically. Eileen just didn't deserve to be in that situation at all, and neither did Henry really. I think that kid was the part of Walter that was still "sane". Portrayed as a kid becuase thats the last time he really was sort of..sane.

He just liked Eileen and Henry, thats why he helped them out while his other half tried to kill him. I know some of the other characters like Cynthia didn't deserve any of what happened to them either, but like I said, Young Walter just liked Eileen and Henry better. Its as simplistic as a child's point of view.
It was a way of saying Walter's in conflict with himself. Thats how I saw it. Personal conflict is a major theme in Silent Hill afterall.

Razumen

06-04-2005, 02:29 AM

I've heard this alot, Eileen seems to only get worse in condition and act child-like when you're not using the candles in the room to ward of the hauntings.

I've gone through the game twice, first time she hardly ever got touched and she was in bad shape and acting like a kid. I also didn't use the candles like I was supposed to.

Second time through tho, Eileen took tons of hits and I kept up on keeping the Room clear. Eileen was fine.
See, I used the candles to clear the room out (save for two or three hauntings that happened when I didnt have any candles) and she still got in pretty bad condition. With the hitting herself and the "Where mommy? I'm scawed" and whatnot.

I'm pretty sure Eileen becomes more 'possesed' if you leave her alone than she does when getting hit by monsters. Of course protecting her is still a good idea, but you should never leave her alone unless you're going back to the apartment and the area where the portal is is free of monsters.

Also while the apartment hauntings affect the possible endings, I don't believe they directly affect Eileen.

Also why can other people leave their apartments? Presumably they're going through the same thing Henry is, but they can get out of their rooms (you can see them through the peephole on the door).

Perhaps, now this might be a long shot, but perhaps because their doors arent chained from the inside?

Up untill the point where they themselves get transported to Walters realm they don't think they're in any danger, sure they might notice that something weird is going on with Henry's room, but it's been a know fact for awhile that there's something with that room.

and when Walter does transport them there, it's impossible for them to leave then.

Sous_Bgob

06-04-2005, 05:17 AM

So reading all the post I bought SH1 for the PS last week.. couldn;t play it more than 30 minutes.. which is prob a shame most of you will say..

It was just a really bad RE mechanic that I couldn;t get past.. now if SH 2 or 3 is better maybe i will get them but...naw...

UnforgivingEdges

06-04-2005, 05:21 AM

It was just a really bad RE mechanic that I couldn;t get past.. now if SH 2 or 3 is better maybe i will get them but...naw...

Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest games every made.

Sous_Bgob

06-04-2005, 05:26 AM

UnforgivingEdges

06-04-2005, 05:45 AM

It was just a really bad RE mechanic that I couldn;t get past.. now if SH 2 or 3 is better maybe i will get them but...naw...

Silent Hill 2 is one of the greatest games every made.

Even better than Virtual Jenna Jameson?!?!?!?!

I realize you're trying to be funny, but if you seriously think that is one of the greatest games ever, then you have no business putting your hands on my SH2.

Dj_Qbert

06-04-2005, 06:06 AM

I loved SH2 because it had sweet music and I found Maria preety sexy. Im playing my way through 3 right now its also good crazy little bunnies with blood in their mouth.

Sous_Bgob

06-04-2005, 06:14 AM

ifirit

06-09-2005, 02:39 AM

Silent Hill 4 Spoilers

Having completed it three times over, I present questions that Silent Hill 4 left unanswered (spoilers ho!)

1) Why didn't Sullivan kill Henry when he had the chance? Henry wakes up in the ER and Sullivan is attacking a nurse...why didn't Sullivan kill Henry? He'd already completed the other sacriments so it doesn't really make any sense. It could be because Eileen hadn't died like the others, but that raises the question of why does Sullivan attack you in the field rather than eileen?
In order to answer this question you have to ask yourself, "how do the victims die in reality?" And even then you have to ask, "What is reality and what is not?"

You see, in SH4 the entire game takes place in the Alternate universe created by Walter Sullivan. You have to realize that Henry is still dreaming through the whole game. Walter cannot physically hurt Henry. However, he can hurt him mentally. And that is what the game is about. Walter is torturing Henry until his body cannot take the suffering any further and he dies. There are a few things that help reveal this in the game, but it mostly involves the endings.

The "21 Sacraments" Ending reveals that all five of the last victims are discovered in the woods of Silent Hill, not individually as the radio suggests throughout the game. All of the victims died of the same injuries and had the numbers carved into their flesh as well. Eileen was the only one discovered alive, but she eventually suffered the same fate. Also, because Henry dies too, his body has the same marks and injuries as the other victims, which is what ties him to the case. However, according to the news report, Henry seems to have suffered more than others. What's more is that the other resisdents and several police officers begin to suffer in the same manner. Ultimately, everyone dies the same way: Cardiac Arrest (or Heart-attacks to the layman). Therefore, you have to understand that these people are not dying the horrible deaths that Henry sees, but the torture of thinking that they are being killed is enough to trigger their bodies to respond in the same way. (It's like the old wive's tale: "If you die in your sleep, you die for real.")

What the creators have done is to take that idea and stretch it out a little. They thought, what would be enough to kill a person in their sleep. In essence, it is a question of what scares a person so much that they are willing to let their bodies die just to avoid the pain of the experience. For many people, death is that scary. So, in their dreams, Walter kills these people. Cynthia by stabbing, Jasper by fire, Andrew by drowning, Richard by electrocution. I have to assume that these people had a subconscious fear of that form of dying if it was enough to actually kill them in real life. Speaking to some people, they are more afraid of dying in a particular manner than dying in general. (Most specifically, by being stabbed.)

Which brings us back the subject of Henry. What is enough to make Henry (and Eileen) want to let his body die? Well, it's hard to say for sure. Henry goes through a lot, and he gives a sense of being timid in most regards. But, what I like most about Henry is that despite his outward timid nature, he is very brave and noble at his core. (Also note that Eileen too is a very brave person when she is not by herself.) And that bravery is what allows him to survive all the way to the end. Still, Henry is a very private person and what he is most afraid of is letting his privacy go. Please, hold on to that thought as I explain why I think that is true as I explain the actual modes of death that Walter uses to kill people.

According to the official website and the Brady Games Strategy Guide, the ending that you get is determined if you managed to fight out the curse placed on Eileen and Henry. In other words, we can determine whether or not Eileen and Henry survive based on if they became susceptable to the curse. However, each is affected separately. Eileen's curse happens on her body. What is interesting about the curse though, is that it is not spread by being physically attacked by the monsters (at least not to great extents). It is quite different. According the Eileen thread on the Silent Hill Forum, Eileen's curse is spread whenever she is left alone for long periods of time and if she is left alone with monsters. So, in a sense, what Eileen fears most is isolation. Eileen is more scared of being left alone in a dangerous place than she is of death itself.

Yet, in terms of Henry's curse, Henry is cursed as his apartment is haunted. The more hauntings that afflict his personal space, the greater the curse spreads in him. Also, please note that I think Henry's apartment is a metaphorical representation of Henry's mind and personal life. As the presence of another being slowly invading his space becomes more apparent, the deeper his fear becomes. I don't know if Henry has anything to hide from others (though, personally I don't think he does), but whatever he is holding on to, he is willing to let himself die before letting it go. Thus is how the curse on Henry works.

You can see the affects of the curse on Henry, just as you do on Eileen during the "Red Box" cutscene near the end of the game in the Apartment World. If Henry is cursed, he will react more violently when he opens the red box, just as Eileen will react more child-like when she is cursed.

2) Continuing the questionning of the ER...why doesn't sullivan follow you out of it and why isn't he in there when you go back in?
Considering what I wrote above, try to think about how Walter's Alternate World is much like a dream where a person can be in one place but not really be there. But, another theory is that since it is his world, he can move as freely as he wants, just as in the final battle.

Still, what I think you are asking is why Walter doesn't do anything directly to Henry when he is discovered in the O.R. Well, I think that it is part of the slow torture and ultimate cursing that Walter has planned for Henry. By scaring him into thinking he will kill him, Walter hopes to bring Henry to that brink which will drive Henry to let go of his life. In other words, Walter was just trying to intimidate Henry, which seemed to work on the soft-hearted Mr. Townsend.

3) Why does Eileen act like a child when she gets beaten up? I dunno if anybody has ever let her get damaged a lot, but she will often cry for mommy and daddy or whine "Im scawed". She'll also start hitting herself sometimes.
This is the effects of the curse on Eileen. What happens to Eileen as she gets cursed is that she becomes slowly possessed by Walter Sullivan (the child, but also slightly by the adult). She begins to emulate Lil' Walter's cries for his mother, his isolation in the Water Prison and his beatings by Andrew DeSalvo. These are often the extreme cases of the curse on Eileen. As in the scene where Eileen finds Lil' Walter's sketchbook, Eileen's curse also allows Eileen to feel his pain and feel the things that the child Walter is going through at the time.

Conversely, Henry's cursing will also have some effects on Henry. Henry will become more vulnerable to the effects of the ghosts while cursed and health items will have a slightly lower effect than they do when the apartment is clear of hauntings. Also, Henry will see a greater number of images in the "Red Box" cut-scene when he is cursed and can feel the same things that are happening to adult Walter at the time.

So, if you fail to prevent the curse from taking hold of either Eileen or Henry, they will allow themselves to die. Eileen by walking into the blood-pool and Henry by not avoiding the ceiling from collapsing on him.

However, that brings up some interesting questions about the "Mother" Ending in which Henry escapes out of the Apartment before it completely secomes to the cursing, but I'll save those for later. This topic will take some time to absorb.

Okay, something else that the game doesnt answer...
Why does little Walter save Eileen, but not Richard? He's there for both of their deaths, but he stops big Walter from killing Eileen (she said so).
This question can be easily answered if you've read "Another Crimson Tome" off the SH4 official website before it was taken down. (If you haven't, no worried since it is still available on translatedmemories.com.)

In the character descriptions, titled "The Victims and Him," it describes the initial interactions that Walter Sullivan had with the last six victims. Everyone met Walter once in their life before the events of SH4 took place. Cynthia met Walter in the Subway, when he was living there after just escaping from the cult. Basically, he wanted to talk to her, but she shot him down before he could say more than her name. She was pretty cruel about it too and Walter took it personally. Jasper was a witness to the second murders of his best friends and was giving away the identity of Walter to others (even though nobody believed him). Andrew is self-explanatory.

Richard, however, met Walter when he was a child and sometimes caught him hanging outside Rm. 302. Richard's temper and intimidation scaried the child Walter, so why would you want to save someone who bullied you was a child?

Eileen met Walter too in the Subway, but he was an adult then and her kindness toward him was suprising and strange to him, since few people were kind to him at all. The duality of this is probably what split his personality and allowed Eileen to survive and get bandaged at the hospital. In a sense, Eileen is Walter's Lisa.

StarZander

06-09-2005, 01:25 PM

A teaser trailer has been released for episode 4 of the No Escape thing. Check it out:

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/main.htm

WillumWonka

06-22-2005, 08:14 AM

Hey, many apologies if this has already been covered (and I think this is the best place to say it, seeing so much good info)

....In SH2, at Neely's Bar, there's that spraypaint that says "There was a HOLE here, but now it's gone"....and that's also where the first mention of Joseph Schreiber is (the article in the apartments) along with many notes left behind (either Harry, being a writer himself, or Joseph for other reasons)...in SH4 there's the hole usage and explanation....and more about Joseph Schreiber using those holes to get to Silent Hill.

....call me dumb again, but obvious connection between the two? If not, then what?...

I love the conversations I've seen about SH2 and why people are there....everyone is making their own Hell...both their punishment and their victims...good stuff.

Much thanks
-Willum

Eccles

06-22-2005, 09:41 AM

....call me dumb again, but obvious connection between the two? If not, then what?#
SPOILERS!
The bit on Neely's bar is supposed to be referring to Maria's role in SH2. When it says "There was a hole here" it's referring to Mary's being dead; something important from James' life is missing...as if there was a hole there.
When it says "It's gone now" it's referring to Maria filling in for Mary as well as the other things James has used to cover up his missing Mary (drinking, Laura etc).

Eccles

06-27-2005, 12:17 PM

Right so...I picked up the Silent Hill 2 strategy guide today (£1! Hooray for finding stuff underneath racks of neo geo games) and flipping through it, it seems to have a lot of information about the game...why certain things are the way they are, for example. I'll have a proper read through it later on (studying for exams most of today) and I'll post anything that takes my interest...and I'll keep it as spoiler free as possible.

Eccles

06-27-2005, 05:00 PM

Okay, I said I'd wait...but I'm impatient, so here's what I've picked up about the game from flipping through the strategy guide.

(there will be spoilers, but they're in white)

- This one isn't really to do with the game, but Popping the right analog stick in will cure James. He'll automatically take one healing item that will restore his health to green (IE: If you're not damaged too much he'll take the health drink, if youre kinda damaged he'll use the first aid kit and so on).

- The guide lists some of the monster names differently to their colloquial names: Lying figure (straight jacket skin), Creeper (cockroach), Red pyramid thing (Pyramid head), Abstract Daddy (Bedman/Doorman) and Flesh lip (hangers)

- It is easier to kill some monsters with certain weapons. For example, the pipe or even the plank will do more damage to the final boss than the hunting rifle will. The guide gives a full list (and I mean full) at the end, but I'll save it unless anyone wants me to post it.

- The guide gives the complete texts of the Swamp monument and the bloodied newspaper. They read thus:
Swamp monument:
The X meters of land surrounding this monument were originally a swamp, but were later filled in. From long ago, the swamp was nicknamed Blood Swamp because the executioners poured the water used to wash the execution tools in here. Perhaps it's for that reason that many people claim to have seen ghosts in the area
and
The body of a man later identified as Thomas Orosco (Lumberjack, age 39) was discovered in the middle of his room lying face up. The probable cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the front of the neck and left side of the torso by a sharp edged weapon. The estimated time of death was somewhere between 11:00 pm and 12:30 midnight. Due to signs of struggle in the room and the lack of a murder weapon, police are considering this a homicide and have opened a murder investigation.

Furthermore, given the fact that the cash in the room was untouched and Mr. Orosco had a history of drunkenness and violence, the police suspect that the motive was not robbery, but some sort of crime of passion

- If you play through the game loading a previously completed file the game then several documents will appear (in the hospital mostly) that hint at how to get the other endings or what happens in these endings. One of these texts reads: When life is filled wit nothing but despair, some people choose to end it all. I once chose that path for myself as well. At the time I felt I had no other choices. After I made my decision it became the only thing binding me to this world. Sometimes I would cry to myself while thinking of the past, but mostly all I did was plan over and over again how and when I was going to kill myself. I did stupid, dangerous things. I figured it didn't matter since I was going to die anyway, so I went out of my way to invite disaster. I stopped talking to people and it didn't bother me even when friendships grew distant. This text refers to the Water ending.

- The guide gives you three pages about how to get various endings (including a brilliant table that outlines the score system the game uses to grade your ending)

- The guide tells you what is making the noises in the prison. It says there are green blobs crawling around on top of the prison cell area (this is why you can't see them, but can shoot at them; the roof doesn't have physics).

- The game also tells you how to exploit a glitch, which is interesting. It says how you're invincible while you using a weapon (IE: Swinging the chainsaw, firing the handgun) and it tells you how to use this to your advantages.

- If you tap left or right on the save/load screen you can view what endings you have seen on a particular file characterised by a letter (L,M,W,R,D; each one corresponding to an ending in the game)

- This is something that I had never fully noticed before...but several people may have done. It concerns the letter you begin the game with. As you go through the hotel the writing slowly vanishes. After watching the video tape you only have an envelope and no letter...and after you fight the pyramid heads you lose the envelope, too.

- If you go back into the room where you meet Eddie after seeing the cutscene you can go into another room where it is revealed you are in the bedroom of a football fan: the bedroom of Eddie's first victim. This raises questions about the nature of SH2...if you can see things meant for other people (the stairs are another good example of this) then why dont they see your demons and why doesn't Laura see anything?

- About the opening video: Two of the scenes in the opening video don't appear in the game...they're just filler material. Maria lying down in Heavens Night and Eddie/Laura talking on Saul street don't happen in the game and can't be forced...like Lisa and Kaufmann shouting at one another in the first game

- About the pyramid heads. Both times when you fight a pyramid head the damage you do is not important, but the time you take is. In the first fight it will end after a set period of time no matter what you do. The second (in the hotel) has a timer that runs down after you fire a shot at the pyramid heads. So all you need to do is fire a single shot at one of them and then run about waiting for them to die...anything from 1 minute (on beginner difficulty) to 60 minutes (on Hard difficulty)

I had another point, but I've completely forgotten it. Hmm. No matter, I'll leave it there for all to discuss.

Tranquil Chaos

06-27-2005, 05:12 PM

Now that is some cool shit...

Anyone have any news on the movie's progress? Ifirit, I'm looking in your direction...

Nulion

07-05-2005, 07:09 PM

Hmm...wow, this page has dropped pretty far down, hehe. Not much to talk about I guess...but anyway, Part 4 of that Silent Hill: No Escape movie was released - go see it :)

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com

Oh, and as far as the SH movie goes, all I've heard recently is that Roger Avery put on his blog something about "the 9 foot Pyramid Head and the gray children". So it's pretty much confirmed that PH will be in the movie. :) Good news if ya ask me, as long as they make a connection to it different from the one James had with them.

Also, I heard over at IMDB.com that the SH movie trailer is set to debut on October 14th with that remake of The Fog. So I look forward to seeing that one.

Tranquil Chaos

07-05-2005, 09:52 PM

The No Escape series had me pretty happy until the 4th installment... I know what the fuck Spawn looks like and I'm not particularly thrilled when I see such a blatant ripoff...

RazorOutlaw

07-10-2005, 04:35 PM

Short Commentary on Part 4 of No Escape! Spoilers! I'm improvising with the spoiler tags by making the text white. I'm such a noob. -_-

Or are their spoiler tags at all?

I like how well the creator of No Escape recreated the look of the Brookhaven Hospital in Part 4. Everything so far seemed to be in its place, down to the chalk bored on the left side of the entryway. Much like the movie sets for Silent Hill: Centralia, he captured the Silent Hill 2 dilipidated look very well. I'm still watching this one, so I can't say much else.

ifirit

07-29-2005, 02:36 AM

Just a quick bump, until I can post more information. There's a lot happening in the next few weeks, so look for more in the future.

Warning: Silent Hill: No Escape Spoilers
Hmm...wow, this page has dropped pretty far down, hehe. Not much to talk about I guess...but anyway, Part 4 of that Silent Hill: No Escape movie was released - go see it

http://noescape.rateofinjury.com
I've just finished watching this episode and I have to remark at how well the series on a whole is coming together. The direction and unfolding of this episode is the best yet. Not simply because more story is revealed in this episode than in previous ones, but that the director's style is much more apparent in this one. There are so many little things that just excite and provoke my intellect in this episode. I guess it's the little things that count though, right? Overall, what I was impressed most about was how the director captured the sense of impending danger and terror that comes with being helpless to stop it. (A part of the Silent Hill series that is just not played with as much as I'd like to see.)

Metaphors and representations abound in Episode 4 as Michael enters the abandoned Brookhaven Hospital and moves deeper into the madness that plagues his mind. As he enters the seemingly abandoned building, he uncovers clues about his accident and begins to see figures from his past (or is it present?). Since the story continues to unfold in the simultaneous, layered events, I will refer to each location as Ego Brookhaven (EB), Super-Ego Brookhaven (SEB) and Id Brookhaven (IB). [Please note that these names are not official and are references made by myself in a previous post. Also, when it comes to the subject of separation of the mind into these three forms, I don't think it really is that simple. Like I mentioned about Episode 3, there is a blurring of worlds in this part of the story. Michael may be in three different locations at once, but that also may not be the case. The answer seems to be more astute than that, but it escapes me at the moment.] Anyway, the apparent "blurring of worlds" in this episode is becoming much more prominent as events happening in Ego Brookhaven are now occuring concurrently, if not simulationeously, in Super-Ego Brookhaven and Id Brookhaven.

As I mentioned, the little things count. Subtle images and pieces from earlier episodes are now being paid off as Michael dives deeper into the space of his mind. Unfortunately, Michael is not in session with Dr. Harvey today and cannot rely on his moral support to help him through the ordeal. As such, he is beginning to experience more pain and anguish as the demons draw nearer and nearer.

As Dr. Harvey's notes reflect on this, she believes he is become paranoid and suffering from delusions as he explains that he feels that there are "others" (refered to as "they") that are constantly watching him. She feels that this is worsening his condition and a sign that he is going mad. However, to the audience, we can see and understand his reasons why he feels that he is being watched since we are exposed to the same situations that provoke the emotion. (Basically, we see things from the eyes of the demons and the video that shows the disection of Quinton.)

There's more that I'd like to point out, but unfortunately, I don't have time to finish this. I'll add more later.

Tranquil Chaos

07-29-2005, 03:28 AM

The Instrument of GAWD

07-29-2005, 04:25 AM

Is everyone blind? The No Escape guy ripped off Spawn. The comic Book demon guy... Todd McFarlane created him... No one else noticed that? The thing with the Axe and the chains?

Other than that I liked it....

No, no one is blind. I'm sure we noticed that the one monster looked like Spawn. However, there's probably a reason why it looks that way and you're probably the only one to be pissed about it.

Tranquil Chaos

07-29-2005, 05:18 AM

Razumen

07-29-2005, 07:10 AM

If it was an abstraction that vaguley resembled spawn, then sure, I'm cool with that... This thing is like nearly a carbon copy. I'm just dissapointed in the lack of creativity that shows.

Like I said though I love everything else.

The whole series was quite thrilling and creepy until I saw spawn. At that point I laughed rather loudly and lost any sense of atmosphere I had. It just looked a bit rediculous. The nurse scene was badass though.

I totally agree, he sure could have imagined a better monster than just copy Spawn which, in my honest opinion, isn't really that great of a design anyways.

The doctor/nurse scene was done really well, especially the animations. One thing the series still misses though is that down to earth look of the main characters.

Monobrow

07-30-2005, 05:36 AM

RazorOutlaw

07-31-2005, 04:09 AM

Just a forewarning: this post has absolutely nothing to do with the fan movie discussion, and I'm basically posting it to think what the Silent Hill fans here think of this particular person's opinion. Besides there's no other forum that I go to (that isn't Silent Hill related) that has such an enthusiastic fanbase for the game.

But anyway, as a Silent Hill fan I have long regarded this series as somewhat of a legend in horror video games. I have also felt that the low level of criticisms of the game were a good reflection upon the series; an indication of their overall solidness in comparison to other survival horror games.

And with those thoughts I felt reassured of it's place at the top. But wouldn't you know, there's always someone out there whose words just irk the living hell out of me.

This is that someone, whose page I found through a friend's blog. In a post regarding the movie Ghostship, he goes on to talk about how little he likes the movie, which eventually branches off randomly onto Silent Hill (fortunately I didn't like the movie Ghostship either, so I wasn't as angry as I could have been).

In his own words, I bring you Klashbash from Xanga!

I thought horror movies were supposed to make you scared, infact I almost fell asleep plenty of times. There were NO scary parts in this entire movie. It was all about "atmosphere". It reminds me of the bullshit of the video game Silent Hill. The only thing good in that game was atmosphere. I wasted 8 hours of my life to beat that game, severely disappointed. A lot of idiots seem to think SH is scarier than any Resident Evil game. Yet, I only got scared three times during the whole game of Silent Hill? One of them was the body falling out of the locker, (Which is truly the ONLY scary part in the game, the other scares have to be luck of a enemy lucky to scare you.) another was a nurse coming up behind me, last was when I went out of this building it was dark and a gorilla thing jumped on me from the side in a swift quick movement.

If someone gets scared of Atmosphere, they really need to stop watching the Disney Channel. There is nothing scary about it...

Assumingly enough this fellow describes himself as someone who uses reason and logic, yet reason nor logic seem to come in to play when he dismisses atmosphere so casually. He merely relies on his opinion to make an assertation regarding atmosphere, saying "Atmosphere isn't scary" rather than "This is why I think atmosphere isn't scary". Atmosphere is neither intrinsically scary or not scary. Atmosphere depends on two things:
1) The player
2) The ability of the game creators to manipulate the human mind.

And the atmosphere in Silent Hill is what made the game. No longer did game creators see a need to rely so much on the cheap scare and jump tactics of many horror movies (which Ghostship and Resident Evil 1/2 had plenty of) but rather it made the player worried about what he or she didn't see. Using Resident Evil 2 as an example, I never found that game scary, with it's tired "jump and scare" tactics and it's emphasis on shocking scenes. It did nothing to create a sense of dread, especially with it's full blown view of all creatures. If I'm not mistaken, it was things like atmosphere and what you didn't see that made ALIEN the horror masterpiece that so many regard the movie as.

Oh I don't know about you people, but the last time I watched the Disney Channel the only feeling of dread I received was the realization that I was actually watching the Disney Channel in the first place.

Damn that feels better.

07-31-2005, 01:26 PM

'sup fellow Ghostship non-fan? The opening scene to that movie, with the wire and the decapitation and all, was cool as hell. It's a pitty the rest of the film, bar, say, when you saw how the original passengers died, was weak as hell.

Returning to SH, anyone have anything new of SH5? This is all I have to report:

Konami's veteran game designer Masashi Tsuboyama confirmed yesterday that Silent Hill 5 is in development at the Japanese publisher, but is actually being created with the next-generation of consoles in mind, despite the firm not having chosen which formats to support at this stage. Tsuboyama was quizzed after the launch of numero four - The Room - and revealed that work on the next game is under way, and that the 'best' console of the new arrivals will win Silent Hill's support.
"Now that Silent Hill 4 is completely finished and set for release on Sep. 8 in North America, development on SH5 has begun to gain speed. Currently titled 'Silent Hill 5: Shadows of the Past' (The subtitle will most likely be dropped or changed), Konami wants to return to the same idea of SH2, which means they want a powerful story unrelated to other games in the series yet still ties into the dark history of SH. So what is the story? Like the previous games, Konami wants to keep it as secret as possible. But, they do have a brief synopsis which they've sent out to some shareholders who wanted to know what Konami was up to in the future. Here's what it read:

In 2006, gamers across the globe will return to Silent Hill for the final time on the PS2 in Silent Hill 5: Shadows of the Past. In the first time for a SH game, players will play through the game in flashbacks, retelling the main character's harrowing trip through through a town worse than hell.'

Here's a little more backstory for the game: The game starts with the main character being held in a mental institution. The flashbacks occur when the doctors interview your character and ask him exactly what happened in Silent Hill. Expect many twists and turns in the storyline, especially a big one at the end that supposedly has the Silent Hill team excited.

Like the synopsis says, this will be the last SH on the PS2. It definetely won't be the last of the series though, Konami wants another Silent Hill on the PS3 as soon as possible.

I love how they contradict one another :p The message being, I guess there's little out there to go on right now.

ifirit

08-02-2005, 01:11 AM

A Brief Discussion on "Atmosphere."
It's interesting that the person who wrote that quote was scared twice by events not relative to the storyline. Since he/she claims that atmosphere has little to do with being scary or causing fright, it is just ironic that the scary aspects of the game, according to his/her claims, were features that are produced as the outcome of atmosphere.

I'm glad this discussion came up, since I've been itching to discussion the mechanics and principles of mood and atmosphere. If the atmosphere really had little to do with the scary aspects of the game, such as being jumped and attacked by a monster, those things wouldn't really have been so scary, would they? In every game, there is at least one point where you are suprise-attacked by some enemy/creature/monster; so, why not jump at any game. (Truthfully, if I got scared by surprise attacks, I'd have never played a "Final Fantasy" game, due to the amount of surprising random-battles.) In truth, when we look at the exact reasons why we get "scared" by these events, it is derived from the atmoshpere. The mood that is conveyed on the screen and to the player influences his/her reaction when an event happens, such as being jumped or unawaringly attacked. It's also true that some people will not be as scared as others from exposure to the atmosphere. That simply depends on the person.

However, what makes the Silent Hill series so great, isn't simply that the atmosphere is dark and chilling, but that for even the most fearless player, the atmosphere still gets to you. That was why Klashbash became scared at those attacks, because even though he was prepared for the jump-and-scare tactics of horror games and films, the fear of being randomly attacked still crept into his/her mind and was released when he/she was attacked by the Puppet-Nurse and the Romper. The true mastery of the game isn't in having a scary atmosphere, but in having an atmosphere that plagues and daunts the player without his or her acknowledgement (until it's too late :twisted: ).

Ultimately, when you consider what "atmosphere" and "mood" are, it comes down to this: Atmosphere is the potential to spark an emotion from a person, such as Mood is the influence to build up emotions within the person. These two things are simply the marinade in which people stew before some simple action or event releases their emotions; whether it be fright, anger, sadness or joy. How well a creator uses the atmosphere of the story determines how well the audience reacts to it. Thus, if things build too much, the audience becomes pent up and frustrated at the lack of release, while if the story releases too quickly, the audience can become exhausted or jaded by the experience. (Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, such as a short release that is used to help build up the atmosphere.)

Anyways, show some love for the Resident Evil (Biohazard) community as well. The creators of RE are good at what they do, just as the creators of SH are good at what they do. (Which is probably why RE4 sold much better than SH4.) There's really no point in comparing them. It's an entirely different apple to a very different orange. [/soapbox] *Turns up volume on Biohazard 2 soundtrack.*

Questions and comments on "Silent Hill 5."
Before you become too quick to comment, check the dates of each publication and the source. The second article, posted on Silent Hill Genesis, comes from Silent Hill Heaven shortly before the release of SH4, and simply from word-of-mouth by a Public Relations employee of Konami (her name escapes me right now, but it's best to just leave it as "anonymous"). The story was given exclusively in confidence to the staff at Silent Hill Heaven, which was reproduced by Silent Hill Genesis. Whether that is permissible or not, is really up to the staff at SHH. In constrast, the first article comes directly from one of the creators of the game and was written a couple of weeks after the second one, during E3 2004. Also, in an article featuring an interview with Akira Yamaoka (lead producer for Silent Hill 4:The Room), he expresses the same things as Masashi Tsuboyama. However, Yamaoka-san does say a couple of things that Tsuboyama does not. Akira Yamaoka stated in his interview that the game will be produced for the next generation of consoles, but that the game may not be titled "Silent Hill 5." As far a any new details about the game itself, nothing has been released officially that is directly tied to the game. However, Konami officially stated that a Silent Hill game will no longer be featured on the current generation of consoles.

If I come across the official report again, I'll link it here. But just know that any news of the next Silent Hill game will not break until the next consoles are available on the market.

Hmm, well I just made this little chart tonight for no reason...I didn't really feel like typing everyone's names out (this comp only has MS paint for imaging), so I just initialled them instead...But I put some clues as to who is who. It is very interesting to see who is linked together and exactly how. After reading into it, it's funny just how connected all of the characters in the series really are. Anyway, if anyone wants to take this and make their own version (and hopefully better) for no apparent reason just like I did, go right ahead...And as for the small links between Andrew and the other people, I only included that because of his cult ties and the Wish House. *by the way, what sect created the Wish House? I can't seem to remember...I could probably look it up...but I'm done with this thing anyway...I probably left some people out too.* So that's just a bit off. And I linked Joseph Shreiber with the cult line because of his article. (not sure what sect that was about either, but you get the picture)

http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=silenthillfamilytree3nl.jpg

enjoy the mspainty goodness.
It's an interesting character relation chart, but a few have been published before. I don't want to undermind your work, but a character relation chart for characters up to SH3 was printed in the "Lost Memories: Chronicle of Silent Hill." The link (http://www.translatedmemories.com/Pg10-11CharRelation.jpg) can be found on translatedmemories.com (http://www.translatedmemories.com) as part of the translation (http://www.translatedmemories.com/book.html) of the Konami Official Strategy Guide. This character relation chart was also available on the official website (http://www.sh2003.com) (which is no longer available). Also, in the Brady Games version of the Silent Hill 4: The Room strategy guide, a pull out post was published at the end of the guide which featured, on the back, a character relation chart featuring characters up to SH4. I have a copy the guide that I'm tearing apart (not literally) in order to scan the images as a digital copy. I'll try to post an image once that task has been completed.

Janus

08-03-2005, 08:00 AM

hehe I like silent hill. Nothing like playing it late at night all alone in the dark room of an empty house in the middle of nowhere. And then not sleeping for the next three days because everytime you close your eyes you hear something and it scares you. Yup I love those games.

Monobrow

08-03-2005, 06:00 PM

Hmm, well I just made this little chart tonight for no reason...I didn't really feel like typing everyone's names out (this comp only has MS paint for imaging), so I just initialled them instead...But I put some clues as to who is who. It is very interesting to see who is linked together and exactly how. After reading into it, it's funny just how connected all of the characters in the series really are. Anyway, if anyone wants to take this and make their own version (and hopefully better) for no apparent reason just like I did, go right ahead...And as for the small links between Andrew and the other people, I only included that because of his cult ties and the Wish House. *by the way, what sect created the Wish House? I can't seem to remember...I could probably look it up...but I'm done with this thing anyway...I probably left some people out too.* So that's just a bit off. And I linked Joseph Shreiber with the cult line because of his article. (not sure what sect that was about either, but you get the picture)

http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=silenthillfamilytree3nl.jpg

enjoy the mspainty goodness.
It's an interesting character relation chart, but a few have been published before. I don't want to undermind your work, but a character relation chart for characters up to SH3 was printed in the "Lost Memories: Chronicle of Silent Hill." The link (http://www.translatedmemories.com/Pg10-11CharRelation.jpg) can be found on translatedmemories.com (http://www.translatedmemories.com) as part of the translation (http://www.translatedmemories.com/book.html) of the Konami Official Strategy Guide. This character relation chart was also available on the official website (http://www.sh2003.com) (which is no longer available). Also, in the Brady Games version of the Silent Hill 4: The Room strategy guide, a pull out post was published at the end of the guide which featured, on the back, a character relation chart featuring characters up to SH4. I have a copy the guide that I'm tearing apart (not literally) in order to scan the images as a digital copy. I'll try to post an image once that task has been completed.

Yeah, actually I know about LM and their relationship chart, but I was just bored...and as of yet, I don't feel there is a totally complete chart out there that doesn't leave some connection out or such, (to me at least), and so I was just messing around, because even though I know all about the connections, it's still tough to think them all through...and so I was like, hey, I will use MS paint and make myself a chart for no reason.

I'd be interested in seeing your Brady Games strategy guide chart though.

What I'd really like to see is something published very in-depth about all of the characters, with their own page or two, and lots of pictures, and somehow shows how they are connected, etc. That would be really damn cool. Lost Memories was great, but I want more :) By the way, is there a Silent Hill encyclopedia website out there? (not a faq, I hate faqs)

By the way, I recently played the Tecmo title: Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly. And when playing it, I noticed just how (even though I'm a real wimp) not scary anything really is anymore since playing Silent Hill. There was really nothing very frightening. (Although there were some stuff was a bit cruel and gruesome to think about((broken neck woman, though that really didn't phase me)) But overall, there were only two moments when I jumped a little bit, because of shock value, but besides that, I just lumbered around the game, appreciating the atmosphere, and getting annoyed at how many times I had to revisit houses.

But what I really started to notice was how Fatal Frame 2(although I never played the original title) really borrows heavily from the Silent Hill series in terms of some camera angles, and even the graininess...Sometimes while playing, I could have sworn that I was playing a Japanese black haired Heather who just runs around like a pansy instead of Fatal Frame's Mio, and some of the rooms in those Japanese houses were so Silent Hill-like (really broken down and damaged, even if understandably so ((ghost town))), it even became a distraction somehow because I began comparing the two games.

But I will say this...Fatal Frame's battle system is pretty damn cool (although sometimes annoying), and the idea behind taking pictures of ghosts is even cooler. And the traditional Japanese atmosphere was something new to me. (But the story was bleh, and the music was really repeditive)

One thing that stuck out though, I'm not sure when Fatal Frame came out, but the enemy, Kimono box woman REALLY reminds me of Cynthia from SH4. Someone borrowed heavily from someone else in developing their hair-in-face-floating-low-hanging-female-character design.

Anyway, it's strange to think about how even a wimp like me, who pauses my Silent Hill games for hours at a time because I can't get the guts to open a door or fight a nurse in Brookhaven hospital because of that breathing sound she makes (SH3), can play through Fatal Frame without barely flinching.

Eccles

08-04-2005, 09:04 PM

StarZander

08-04-2005, 09:23 PM

Now here's a question...why do you have weather effects in SH1, but not the other three games?

SH1 has the snow and the rain...the others just have fog. I mean, there's the technical aspect (Look what the PSX can do when we push it!) but I'd have thought there'd be some kind of symbolism behind it.

Well, to be picky, SH2 also had rain, but not in the big and open streets, so it might not count.
The snow was a nice atmospheric touch, and I missed those kinds of details in some of the other games. But symbolism? I think it's just supposed to show that something is wrong with the town. Like Kaufmann said: "...And it's snowing outside, this time of year."

Monobrow

08-05-2005, 01:03 AM

Yeah, SH2 has rain in the alternate hospital after you wake up after the boss battle.

I always thought that with the snow in SH1, it showed some sort of supernatural force at work, ie. how supposedly when a ghost or supernatural entity is around, the tempurature drops rapidly etc.

And yeah, I would love it if they brought snow back. I wish they had somewhat in SH3, it would have been fitting, out of any SH games where it would happen again.

bartle

08-07-2005, 09:32 PM

I always thought that with the snow in SH1, it showed some sort of supernatural force at work, ie. how supposedly when a ghost or supernatural entity is around, the tempurature drops rapidly etc.

And yeah, I would love it if they brought snow back. I wish they had somewhat in SH3, it would have been fitting, out of any SH games where it would happen again.
I remember someone theorizing that the snow in SH1 is actually ash from the fire seven years before and manifested like everything else by Alessa.

Eccles

08-07-2005, 10:18 PM

Well...that's an interesting theory, but I dont think it's true on two counts.

First of all it makes the grass crunchy. I can't say I've been around too many fires (certainly only one or two that would cause ash to fall like that) but I dont think the ash makes the grass crunch when you walk on it.

Secondly it doesn't explain the rain. Though the rain only happens in certain parts of alternative silent hill, which could also have some kind of meaning.

There's also the possibility that I'm looking too much into this game and that I should really just enjoy it as a game ;)

Next up on the list is this young lady...
http://home.comcast.net/~andydthorley/SHWoman.JPG
She was found tucked away on the SH1 disc with no indication of who she might be.

Let the wild, unbased speculation begin!

StarZander

08-08-2005, 12:06 AM

Next up on the list is this young lady...
http://home.comcast.net/~andydthorley/SHWoman.JPG
She was found tucked away on the SH1 disc with no indication of who she might be.

Let the wild, unbased speculation begin!

That pic has been posted in this thread before. Don't you remember? Somewhere in the beginning. But I'm not sure if we figured out who she was.

From what I can remember, you and I looked through all the graphics and stuff on that disc, and found lots of interesting things.

Eccles

08-08-2005, 07:03 AM

Yeah, I'm fairly sure I posted her before, I just don't remember what happened.

Did I post that one with the cross and the christian kanjii? I don't think so...I can't seem to find it, though. I think I'll have to open the disk again and take a second look.

ScaryMonkeyShow

08-08-2005, 07:12 AM

I love the soundtracks to Silent Hill 2-4, but I haven't played the games. Does that make me a bad person?

Eccles

08-08-2005, 07:14 AM

Yes. Yes it does.

Except for the SH4 part. You're forgiven for not playing that.

ScaryMonkeyShow

08-08-2005, 07:41 AM

Yes. Yes it does.

Except for the SH4 part. You're forgiven for not playing that.

Good. At least I'm not a completely bad person.

bartle

08-08-2005, 07:54 AM

That reminds me. Anybody know of any bands or artists that sound similar to Akira Yamaoka's rock/piano/trip-hop songs? I love the albums a great deal, but I'm very unfamiliar with that area of music. Outside of remixes, I can't get any new medicine for my fix.

"Heaven's Night/Alone in the Town" has been finding it's way into most of my mellow playlists these days.

The Instrument of GAWD

08-09-2005, 04:17 AM

Hmm, I wish I had something to post about.... urgh. Oh right, that woman.

Perhaps it could be a concept render of Lisa? Or how bout Harry's wife?

Wish I could discuss the SH story that I'm sorta working on.... :(

Razumen

08-09-2005, 10:05 PM

Yes. Yes it does.

Except for the SH4 part. You're forgiven for not playing that.

SH4 is still worth your time, IMO it's not as scary as SH3 nor is the story as well done as SH2 but it still has it's moments.

Some of the things they experimented with in it did have lots of potential, but the rather rushed development cycle they pushed on the game made it subpar compared to the rest.

Eccles

08-09-2005, 10:27 PM

I dunno, I didn't really feel scared playing 4. Like, at all.

Fine there were some parts of 3 that were laughable (Boss 1: Giant monster penis!) but there were points when I genuinely felt uneasy and a little scared.

4 was just...bleh. One of the psych-outs was a stick dropping. A stick!
Sh1 had glass shattering, windows being put out...SH2 has screams of agony, 3 has disembodied whispers...four has a twig.

Archaon

08-09-2005, 10:37 PM

SH4 is still worth your time

NO.

SHUT UP.

I WILL NOT HAVE YOU ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SPEND ACTUAL MONEY ON THAT GAME IN THIS FORUM.

WE ARE DECENT PEOPLE HERE. TAKE YOUR FILTH ELSEWHERE.

Eccles

08-09-2005, 10:40 PM

Fun fact of the day: Heather Morris is the only main character in a Silent Hill game not to venture into the toilets of the opposite sex.

Seems the others are a bunch of perverts.

Razumen

08-10-2005, 04:07 AM

SH4 is still worth your time

NO.

SHUT UP.

I WILL NOT HAVE YOU ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SPEND ACTUAL MONEY ON THAT GAME IN THIS FORUM.

WE ARE DECENT PEOPLE HERE. TAKE YOUR FILTH ELSEWHERE.

decent? I'm going to assume you haven't yet ventured into that which is the unholy realm of unmod.

And yeah I'll say it again, It's worth buying if you can find it for $20 or less - there are far, far, FAR worse games you could spend your time and money on.

Eccles

08-10-2005, 06:30 AM

there are far, far, FAR worse games you could spend your time and money on.
Dark Castle. *cringe*

Balkaran

08-10-2005, 06:21 PM

Silent Hill 2 and the Exorcist are the only things that have ever had the privlige of making me afraid of the dark

The Instrument of GAWD

08-12-2005, 05:19 AM

Well, I got an idea and drew it. Here:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/21645357/

EDIT: Here's another:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/21827575/

Eccles

08-18-2005, 04:44 PM

References in Silent Hill 4...

The notion of monsters coming through the walls is taken from the Peter Jackson film "Frighteners"

The idea of looking through the windows is taken from the Hitchcock film Rear Window. In this film a man is stuck inside his apartment (through injury, not hauntings) and spends his time looking at the people in the street and in the rest of the apartment...just like Henry.

The way Henry is chased by a psychotic murderer trying to kill him in his sleep is a reference to the Nightmare on Elm Street.

When you go into the back room of your apartment (people who've played the game will know where I mean) you can find the four sacred items from Silent Hill 2, the goblet, the chrism and the two books are all on a desk.

Also, did anybody notice a cute little bit in SH3...if you examine Heather's mailbox before going into the flat she says "No mail. Not even from my dead wife."
What do you suppose that could be hinting at? Hmm.

Also it seems that the same person who voiced Heather Morris also voiced Eileen Galvin. Can't say I noticed that one, really...maybe I'm not paying enough attention.

And finally if you want to know where Silent Hill is...the answer is Michigan. All of the cars in Silent Hill 2 and 3 (at least the parts when you're in Silent Hill as opposed to the area where Heather begins) have Michigan State number plates.
You know you've played a game too much when you look for things like that...

The Instrument of GAWD

08-26-2005, 02:40 AM

http://forums.rateofinjury.com/viewtopic.php?t=116

Told you there was a reason he looked like Spawn.

RazorVayne

08-26-2005, 11:59 PM

from time to time I pop up and say something completely irrelavant to the current subject, so....

HEATHER FROM SH3 IS TEH HOTNESS OMFG ZZ AAAGHH/SO HTO!!

ifirit

08-30-2005, 04:43 AM

Also it seems that the same person who voiced Heather Morris also voiced Eileen Galvin. Can't say I noticed that one, really...maybe I'm not paying enough attention.
Sorry, but that's wrong. Eileen Galvin was not voiced by Heather Morris. That rumor was spread around the internet by imdb.com after posting the information on the wrong game. Many people just got too excited over the rumor and spread it like wild fire. This myth was disspelled when Jeremy Blaustein (Translator/Supervisor for English VO for SH2 - SH4) revealed part of the cast listing for SH4. Although, he said that he couldn't remember the entire cast, he did say that Heather Morris was not the voice of Eileen. Since Konami was so hush, hush about the cast (because you remember what happened last time the cast list was revealed: Donna Burke started speaking to press and saying things like I'm auditioning for Silent Hill 4, forcing Konami to put together a rushed game in order to quell the media). They didn't want that happening again, so the only people who really know are Jeremy Blaustein, Akira Yamaoka and the cast from ZRO Productions. I've already posted what JB has already revealed. Guess you'll just have to sneak into ZRO and look up outsourcing to Konami.

As it turns out, Silent Hill 4 was never meant to be a stand-alone title. In an article from FPI Magazine, Silent Hill 4 was actually supposed to be a sort-of "Born From a Wish" type scenario for the actual third sequel. The image scans can be found below. (Courtesy of colinasilenciosa.net)

FPI Article Page 1 (http://members.cox.net/stixnstonz/1firstpage.jpg)
FPI Article Page 2 (http://members.cox.net/stixnstonz/1secondpage.jpg)
FPI Article Page 3 (http://members.cox.net/stixnstonz/1thirdpage.jpg)

And finally if you want to know where Silent Hill is...the answer is Michigan. All of the cars in Silent Hill 2 and 3 (at least the parts when you're in Silent Hill as opposed to the area where Heather begins) have Michigan State number plates.
You know you've played a game too much when you look for things like that...
I think I've said this before, but in the Silent Hill 4 OST (Japanese) Production Notes, the address for Heaven's Night is listed as 2121 Carroll St., South Vale, ME. For those not living in the US, ME is the abbreviation for Maine. Although, it's been said that Silent Hill doesn't really have a true location, I'd rather not discuss it. However, in terms of discussing clues, I'd rather trust the address listing in an official Konami product of a building address (immobile objects), rather than the word of someone on the internet who's source was the license plate of cars(mobile objects), which could just as easily be the cars abandoned by tourists traveling together. But, like I said, I'd rather not discuss it.

CIaude

08-30-2005, 10:27 PM

Hey, so I'm playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time and uh... Yeah, it's pretty spooky. Help.

StarZander

08-31-2005, 11:57 AM

Eccles

08-31-2005, 07:21 PM

It's time once again for "Stuff I only just noticed while replaying SH3" (Yes, folks, I'm still doing it).

Most of the doors in the mall carry the names of actual japanese companies. Most notably Yggr Drasill; a web hosting company.

There is graffitti about the train station pushing "Hell's Gate"; a play on the Heavens Gate cult that was big in america for a short period of time.

Hope House is an actual charity...though the actual Hope House is more about recuperating children than abducting and brainwashing them. Still I feel this one warrants comment; the SH team don't put things like that in by accident.

In the Amusement Park, you find a travel brochure written by one Roger Widmark. Richard Widmark is an actor who played in the film "To the devil a daughter"...a film about a journalist trying to save a young girl from Satanists: the plot to SH1

And things that aren't referential, but that are cute nontheless...

When you step off the train the first thing youre greeted with is a piece of graffitti that reads "MON_TER" (the S part of the wall is missing). Presumably this is some kind of subliminal "OMGLOOKWHATYOUDID!!!1one" thing.

On the "Up coming galleries" billboard is a picture of a skull.

The bath scene in the apartments...I know I'm stretching it like I do, but I'm always reminded of that scene in Eternal Darkness. Y'know, the mentally scarring one.

CIaude

08-31-2005, 09:45 PM

Hey, so I'm playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time and uh... Yeah, it's pretty spooky. Help.

Help as in you're really really scared, or help as in you're stuck in the game and want our help with that?

A bit of both. I just saw Pyramid Head for the first time and just couldn't get the words "What the fuck?!" out of my mouth...

BRAIN: WTF?!
MOUTH: Wh-Wha-Wh-What The? (At this point I'm in awe at just how much better James is handling the situation than I am)

He certainly does live up to the hype.

Monobrow

09-08-2005, 10:55 PM

It's time once again for "Stuff I only just noticed while replaying SH3" (Yes, folks, I'm still doing it).

Most of the doors in the mall carry the names of actual japanese companies. Most notably Yggr Drasill; a web hosting company.

More than just a japanese web-hosting company, Ygg Drasil is another name for "The World Tree"...which is where the web-hosting company most likely got their name. A variation is Yggr Drasil, in reference to Odin's Steed.

The World Tree is sometimes referenced as a labyrinth structure, (ever read House of Leaves?), as it's roots delve down into the earth...yeah ya know, a never ending void in the earth, a maze, and there are also references to it being an aware entity, sentinent, etc... When you put a reference like that in Silent Hill, which is full of references, it makes perfect sense.

You can also look up Ygg Drasil in mythology, etc. I am now interested in finding out which door in the mall has this written on it, and what is behind it...I guess I will have to play again because I never noticed it, or maybe I just forgot.

Eccles

09-08-2005, 10:59 PM

Well it's pretty hard to see. It's in the corridor behind the shops on the second level of the mall. It's on the door to the right of the closer...you have to zoom in to see it properly.

ifirit

09-10-2005, 12:21 AM

I've had some set-backs in working on my projects recently and I'm having to do a lot of things myself now. Anyway, sorry about not posting anything relevent recently, but I'll try to pick things up again, especially news about the upcoming film (which has been official given a release date: April 21, 2006). I'll also post a few more theories about Silent Hill 3, 4 and No Escape that may offer an interesting perspective on the games. (I have a lot of hand-written notes, but nothing typed up yet.)

In the meantime, I'll just post a few goodies to keep you guys happy. It seems that people have just been busy laboring over their own Silent Hill inspired projects for a while now, because they're just coming out of the woodwork. Take this for example.

"Taking Back Sunday" featuring Silent Hill 4 (http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/taking_back_sunday/artist.jhtml#) - The band "Taking Back Sunday" who recently released their video for the The Photograph is Proof (I Know You) single has created a Video (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20167) Mod (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/23/news_6128074.html) featuring Henry Townsend in the Daisy Villa Apartment Complex. (Scroll down to the list of videos available for streaming and click on the SH4 Video Mod.) The video also contains visuals of monsters from Silent Hill 3 & 4, but not other characters. Certain aspects of the video may remind some of you of SH2, but only on a small scale. Personally, I don't think the band is very good, nor is the single; and the direction of the video is decent and faithful to the games, but nothing breath-taking. The only reason I feel that this worth presenting is that this breaks the bubble from the cult-status [SH humor] into the mainstream, which the film will (hopefully) progress further (maturely and honorably). Also, it adds to the sense of both game production as an art and as a basis for visual media outside of the video game world itself. Although I feel the execution of this project not to be the best it could be, I applaud the effort and know that we are coming a step closer to having the mainstream respect and encourage the pursuit of game development as a form of art.

You can download the video itself on one of these alternate, independent links: here (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=347NYNHX) and here (http://www.gigashare.com/files/embed/352099276.html). (Please be aware that the downloads are slow, even with broadband connections. Also, please do not distribute these copies without consent of the webmaster.) [Requires most recent update of .mpeg-compatible player]

Broken Notes: Intermission Vol. 2 (http://www.brokennotes.com/productions/productions.html) - Before the group at http://www.brokennotes.com releases their next Akira Yamaoka-inspired ambient album: Sanatorium, they have released the second volume of their intermission mixes, which are rearrangements of classic videogame music, including non-ambient Silent Hill tracks. The first volume of Intermission was a fun little break from the dark, forboding sounds of Silent Hill and this next album is much the same. Granted the tracks aren't going to appear on the OCR front page anytime soon, they do have a charm all their own. In all honesty, I'm simply using this to help promote the next album and to inspire more people to make more OCR-style remixes of the music from Silent Hill.

To download the album, scroll down to the last entry and right-click the link. The tracks are all downloaded at once, unlike the previous webdesign, which allowed you to download individual tracks (likely a result of bandwidth abuse). [Requires WinRar or a .rar decompressor]

Gamasutra Interviews Takayoshi Sato (http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050825/sheffield_01.shtml) - Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com/), a great insider-game developer community, recently conducted an interview with Takayoshi Sato, CG animator for Silent Hill and director/writer for Silent Hill 2. In the interview, Sato-san explains his involvement with the Silent Hill series and details how the creative process runs within Konami, as well as his reasons for leaving Konami, joining EA and working in America. I love how he explains the way he creates character models and how his style is immediately recognizable at looking at screenshots. His absence from the Silent Hill series has been well-missed by myself and only wish that somehow he could bring his insightful character-development back to the series, even if as a guest director/producer/creator. If you have the patience, I really encourage everyone to read this interview as it really becomes apparent how style is incredibly noticable in computer animation, something people may not have considered before.

Another reason I wanted to bring this interview up is so that you can visit Takayoshi Sato's official website (http://www.satoworks.com/). You'll find original screenshots and character concept designs from SH1 and SH2 under the respectively-titles sections. The images are very good resolution and clearly better than available in the games. Definitely check out his animation screen tests under the section Master Class (http://www.satoworks.com/masterclasspage.html) for some great, though slightly over-expressive facial movements. Also, if you look under the section titled Sketch and Stuff (http://www.satoworks.com/AnotherArtpage.html), you can find a variety of character sketches from Sato's resume, including previously-unreleased sketches from Silent Hill 2. (Awesome!) Maria looks so different from the game.

Lost Memories: Art & Music of Silent Hill - Production Images (http://bbs.ps21cn.com/viewthread.php?tid=368739&fpage=1) - I recently found a thread that has uploaded a large section of the production images ripped from the Lost Memories DVD. The production items are pretty cool to see and include variations on some of the most classic screenshots. Please note that the images may take a while to load as there are over 182 images on a single page. (That means it's not 56k friendly.) Check it out if you can.

Some of my personal favorites include this (http://img013.photo.wangyou.com/2005/8/6/131531/200511232659744.jpg), this (http://img013.photo.wangyou.com/2005/8/6/131531/200511232659746.jpg) and this (http://img013.photo.wangyou.com/2005/8/6/131531/200511232659747.jpg). Please note that the alternate costume designs in the SH2 character models are based off the concept drawings by Takayoshi Sato (mentioned above), which were later modified for final presentation.

I hope that will keep you guys tied over until I can make a more relevent post. A film progression update will be coming soon.

Eccles

09-10-2005, 12:25 AM

You know, I have all of the images of the Lost Memories DVD floating about my room somewhere. Im not sure how big it is, but Im sure I can pass -some- of it round. The concept art for Dahlia is somewhat amusing...

CIaude

09-10-2005, 04:10 AM

bonus

09-10-2005, 04:25 AM

I got the Bad Ending in Silent Hill 2 so now I'm kind of dissapointed. I don't know what it was I was expecting... I just wanted something more... I don't know. It just felt like I didn't get any closure to the story at all.

Just like the first Silent Hill. I played through it again without killing Cybil...and got a "very bad" ending.

What's up with that? :?

ILLiterate

09-10-2005, 06:38 AM

Just notice this thread again, and I thought it would be a good idea to post my newest song, an original and a tribute to Silent Hill so heres a link

EazyP - Silent Night [ A Silent Hill Tribute ] (http://eazypmusic.blogspot.com/2005/09/silent-night-silent-hill-tribute.html)

Also, I was talking to my friend and said "I wish Harry was back in another SH" only for him to answer "Harry is dead." That true?

Eccles

09-10-2005, 10:43 AM

I got the Bad Ending in Silent Hill 2 so now I'm kind of dissapointed. I don't know what it was I was expecting... I just wanted something more... I don't know. It just felt like I didn't get any closure to the story at all.
Mild spoilers about how to obtain each ending
The way you act while playing the game dictates what ending you get...as opposed to the first game when the ending depends on which characters you manage to save from the monsters.

If you show you care about Maria (checking on her several times in the hospital, not letting her get hurt, always following her directions etc) then the chances are you'll get the ending revolving around Maria.

If you show you care more about Mary (looking at her photograph several times, reading her letter (even when it's gone) listening to her memories in the tunnel without interrupting her) then you'll probably get the ending revolving around Mary.

It also depends on what shape you keep James in...if you try to keep him as healthy as possible and heal him into and beyond the green zone (often healing when you dont really need it) and avoid taking damage and looking at Angelas knife then you're less likely to get the water ending. Likewise if you show that you dont much care for James (take damage, dont heal much, look at the knife (thus contimplating suicide)) then the water ending awaits you.

Also, I was talking to my friend and said "I wish Harry was back in another SH" only for him to answer "Harry is dead." That true?
SPOILARX
Yeah, it's true. About halfway through SH3 Heather returns to her apartment to find Harry dead in his chair. It's what encourages her to go to Silent Hill and deal with Claudia

Amaterasu

09-10-2005, 06:44 PM

I think when I played Silent Hill 2 was the first time when I was disgusted with the main character. I mean, at first he's this tragic guy that just wants to be with his wife, then you find out that...you know. Pissed me off, but in a good way. I saw that the game had emotion and wasn't just a horror romp.

Monobrow

09-12-2005, 09:19 PM

Ugh, man I just visited the Silent Hill Heaven forum...and that site is full of a lot of baseless theories about Silent Hill 2. I think it's great that people take the time to think out their theories and all, but there are an awful lot of people who claim that their theories are "really obvious", and "the right" theory when they just make huge leaps in logic and make every assumption in the book, taking my suspension of disbelief for granted.

I just want to say that I'm glad this thread exists, because it seems to be better than most topics on that entire site, which is sad.

Eccles

09-12-2005, 09:24 PM

Monobrow

09-12-2005, 09:55 PM

there are an awful lot of people who claim that their theories are "really obvious", and "the right" theory when they just make huge leaps in logic and make every assumption in the book, taking my suspension of disbelief for granted.
HARRY IS PYRAMID HEAD AND HEATHER IS MARIA!!!!!111

Hahaha! There's this interesting one, which claims that Mary stayed at Brookhaven hospital before she died, and that was HER diary on the roof...It's interesting, but there is one glaring oversight to this...First...The entrant writes that he/she has a mouth to feed...And second, the entrant doesn't "WANT" to go home, whereas, in Mary's letter, she states that she is glad to be coming home to see James.

Anyway, their explanation? "Mary is suicidal, that's why she went to Brookhaven, for five days before she died, whoa...Why five days? Because there are five entries on the diary on the rooftop! People that don't want to die of a disease and are angry at their life being cut short are STILL SUICIDAL! Even when they show no signs!"

Okay, maybe that is a little overboard, but you get what I mean. But don't forget, if your theory isn't provable, there's always the fact that you have the secret and accurate real Japanese translation from your good friend that proves that maybe the person "didn't have a mouth to feed, but had someone to go home to" which OBVIOUSLY means that Mary DID write the diary on the rooftop! You're all wrong and I'm right.

/end sarcasm...

The Instrument of GAWD

09-14-2005, 04:14 AM

Who's dairy was that on the roof anyway? Not James' was it? It would fit him tho', since he's wacko enough to... you know... put up a mental block that he SMOTHERED his wife with a pillow three weeks before visiting Silent Hill.

Personally, I played SH2 right after SH1. Beliving it'd be like the first, I was in for a surprise. I didn't actually start predicting or make theories until Maria got killed in the hospital. However, I didn't think James' really did kill his wife, I thought he just didn't love her or was cheating on her.

Speaking of SH2, I got a copy of it for the PC, now I can see the UFO ending. I played through "Born from a Wish" and trying to figure it out. Sure, I get that Ernest was trying to bring his daughter back to life with that ritual, however, I don't get why he never appeared on screen. I figure he's like Maria, just doesn't have a body. I'll have to play it again.

Some of this stuff can be simplified, but then some of the meaning gets lost, I know that... That's why it's so hard to make your own Silent Hill story. If your not careful, it'll end up like that Teenager-badasses B-Movie material, Dying Inside. I've been working on my own with Ifrit's help, but it's alot of work and effort.

Anyway, on lighter notes; someone posted these on DA.

http://quizilla.com/users/mesaana/quizzes/Why%20are%20you%20in%20Silent%20Hill%3F%20(pics)/
http://quizilla.com/users/Kensuke/quizzes/How%20much%20do%20you%20want%20to%20be%20in%20the% 20town%20of%20Silent%20Hill%3F/

I found them fairly accurate. I hope you have fun with them as well.

ifirit

09-17-2005, 12:08 AM

For those people who have been starved for some info on the next title in the Silent Hill series (Silent Hill 5), keep fasting because nothing has been posted by anyone officially. But, I've got good news, I just sav....(No, no inane car-insurance-company-slogan-parodies today!). Okay, okay. What I wanted to say was that I have managed to scrape up some rumors about the next title. So on to the update. (Yay! Fridays are Unofficial Update Day!!!)

Silent Hill 5 Rumors:

E3 Announcement?: Apparently, according to an unaccreditted, uncited source, Konami was actually planning to release some information on Silent Hill 5 during this years's E3 convention alongside other titles that are planned for the next generation of consoles. The source was supposably a marketing executive who was in contact with Konami during the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3) and was given a small promotional item which was to be distributed in conjunction with the announcement. Along with the image was the tagline, "Your days are numbered. 2006. Horror is taken to the next generation." However, no such announcement was made, therefore, that was the reason the item was not distributed. (Hmmm...)

Anyway, the item was apparently a poster displaying an image of a face with the title of SH5 followed by short, spooky phrases and the release year. The last thing on the image is the phrase "Your days are numbered." The image is a fairly low quality and the phrases are somewhat unlike things that might appear in a game, but you never know. I doubt it is real considering that there is no marker identifying Konami on the poster and the title lacks a copyright symbol, details which Konami has always taken care to produce in the past few games. You can read more about this rumor in this thread (http://silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20347).

Rumored Silent Hill 5 Poster #1 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/Darkko/Static.jpg)

An Early Concept Screenshot?: Another rumor to appear in forums revolves around another image that was unaccreditted and uncited. This image was rumored to have been intercepted from a Konami employee's email account in a subfolder that was titled "x05." No other information was given about the work or anything to the validity of the claim. If you consider the originally rumored storyline for Silent Hill 5, which would feature a mental patient trying to remember his experiences in Silent Hill (which now that I think about, sounds an awful lot like the premise of "Silent Hill: No Escape"), then the image might make sense. However, there is no real way to tell.

The image itself is a CG drawing of a patient's room in a modern hospital. A grainy filter was placed over the image to give it that trademark "Silent Hill" look, but the quality of the filter has been greatly called into question. The image shows the room empty with a bed facing an empty dresser/cabinet. A cage-like object is placed next to the bed (a crib, maybe?). The dim lighting of the room make for a dark and etherreal setting. If you'd like to know more, you can discuss it in this thread (http://silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20315).

Rumored Silent Hill 5 Screenshot #1 (http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/110/110021/folders/78738/525269sh5.jpg)

A Change in the Plot?: Another rumor to spread across the forums is that the storyline for SH5 is actually going to be the unused storyline from SH3. If you recall the interview with Takayoshi Sato I posted above, you'll note that Takayoshi Sato (who had just left to join Konami North America) was outsourced by Konami for a storyline to make SH3, but was rejected by Konami executives when presented with his idea. That marked the official break between Konami and Sato, who was fired shortly after due to budget cuts. Anyway, if this rumor is true and Konami is planning to use the former ideas of Takayoshi Sato, then we might expect another thought-provoking and psychologically twisted version of Silent Hill (which I was hoping for, considering how poorly developed SH4 was).

Silent Hill Film Update:
There really isn't anything new to report thus far, so I'm just going to post some old articles about the film for the sake of being complete.

Mirror of Roger Avary's Journal Entry (June 19, 2005) (http://s6.invisionfree.com/Residents_Of_Evil/index.php?showtopic=116)
Sean Bean's Interview with ComingSoon.net (July 12, 2005) (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=10340)
Mirror of Sean Bean's Interview with ComingSoon.net (July 12, 2005) (http://s6.invisionfree.com/Residents_Of_Evil/index.php?showtopic=117)

There's also still a rumor floating around about the trailer to the Silent Hill film being shown during the preview section of the remake of "The Fog." If you want to check it out, let us know if it's true or not. The Fog (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thefog/site/) comes out in theaters October 14, 2005.

P.S. For anyone who is interested, new Siren 2 production material (new music and new trailer!!!) has been released on the official website (http://www.playstation.jp/scej/title/siren2/). Siren 2 will be released in February of 2006.

EDIT: It may not be of any interest to anyone, but I also wanted to announce that Akira Yamaoka is releasing a new album on the Konamistyle record label. Unlike the previous tribute album (http://www.colinasilenciosa.net/media/1/20050707-akira.jpg), which featured previous works by Yamaoka-san through Konami games, this album will contain completely original works. The album is titled iFUTURELIST (http://www.konamistyle.jp/customfactory/akirayamaoka/). You can also view a preview of music video featuring Akira Yamaoka on vocals. (Why is he dressed like a yuppie-art student, playing on the German film styles with a Russian/Communism motif?) I don't know Inner-Dialogue Voice, but now you can see that rumored arrogant-rockstar attitude that has been associated with his reputation.

EDIT 2: Lastly, for the biggest rumor of the day: Konami and Capcom merging (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=a31Bxym5Bqtc&refer=japan)? What?! (Hey! You got RE in my SH. No! You got SH in my RE.)

Raenok

09-17-2005, 01:15 AM

Resident Evil 6: A Silent Town on a Whispering Hill.

Zombies, cults, and crazy people! Oh my!

RazorOutlaw

09-17-2005, 02:45 PM

Hmm, has anyone seen Silent Hill: No Escape Part 5 yet?
For some reason this one was a lot easier to understand Part 4, as Part 4 was almost entirely shrouded in ambiguity and vagueness. That is to say when I watched it could only scratch my head and say "Wtf?"

Part 5, however, was a bit easier to follow in that there was a more definite conflict going on. It came down to Michael vs. Agony and then Michael vs. Medical Staff Posse.

Also, the part where the Agony came out and admitted that he was a darker part of Michael's mind really helped too. Oh, and the fact that Michael came out and admitted that he had lost everyone dear to him. I mean, all around it was pretty blunt instead of the more abstact "Part 4".

ifirit

09-23-2005, 10:39 PM

Well, since it's Friday, I guess it's time for another update.

The Return of Silent Hill Media: This one came right out of the blue, everyone. I haven't gone crazy and I'm not fooling around. However, Dustfungus' Silent Hill (http://www.geocities.com/dustfungus7/)-related media site: Silent Hill Media (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com/) has returned! Now, to anyone who asks for a music file, audio file, or sound file (or anything else media related, including The Art of Silent Hill and Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill) from any of the main 4 games, you need only turn to Dustfungus. Unfortunately, none of the material has become available for download just yet, but that will likely change once the final design for the site is set. So look out for that soon.

As a service to everyone who wants know what you can get from the site, I'll list what you can (later) download and where.

Silent Hill 1:
- AudioSound Effects
Voice Dialogues (Music-Free)
Rare Voice Dialogue (Music-Free)
Original Soundtrack
Complete Soundtrack (Dustfungus Edit)
Unreleased Music Files & FMV Music
Silent Hill MIDI's
-PicturesFan-Submitted Wallpapers
-MoviesSilent Hill Opening (From LM)
Silent Hill UFO Ending (From LM)
Silent Hill 2:
- AudioSound Effects
Secret Sound Effects
Voice Dialogues (Music-Free)
Rare Voice Dialogue (Music-Free)
Original Soundtrack
Complete Soundtrack (Dustfungus Edit)
Unreleased Music Files & Rare Music Files
Music from Trailers
- PicturesFan-Submitted Wallpapers
- MoviesSH2 Trailers (North America & Japan)
The Making of Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3:
- AudioSound Effects
Voice Dialogues (with Music)
Original Soundtrack
Complete Soundtrack (In Progress)
Unreleased Music Files and Rare Music
Music from Trailers
SH3 MIDI's
SH3 Limited Edition Soundtrack
- PicturesPress Kit
E3 Trailer Screens
TGS Trailer Screens
Official and Fan-Submitted Wallpapers
- Movies"You're Not Here" Music Video
Story Board Comparisons: "Gun Acquisition"
The Making of Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 4: The Room:
- AudioMusic from Trailers
Original OST Clips
- PicturesOriginal Renders
Fan-Submitted Wallpapers
- MoviesTrailers
The Art and Music of Silent Hill:
Pretty Simple: Everything from the DVD's.

Silent Hill Remixes:
Various Arrangements, Covers, Originals and Sound Compilations created by fans.

So, as you can see, this is a pretty big deal when you say that this kind of site is coming back. But, please remember why the site went down last time and don't abuse his bandwidth. Enjoy.

RazorOutlaw

09-24-2005, 11:59 PM

Ah, now see, that is interesting. I recall Silent Hill Heaven had a complete Silent Hill 2 soundtrack, but at the time I had dial up so I could only get my hands on a few of the songs.

I particularily liked the soundtracks from the Apartments in that game. They were so creepy sounding.

Kiyosuki

09-26-2005, 01:38 AM

My friend brought up a very interesting thing for you all to think about.

If Video Games eventually moved to Virtual Reality-esque type stuff, would you play a Silent Hill game in that way? :D

I don't know about you, but being in the third person and actually being there are two different things..

MAkes you think.

The Instrument of GAWD

09-26-2005, 01:45 AM

ifirit

09-30-2005, 10:10 PM

I guess it's time for a weekly update. Well, as you know, with the return of Silent Hill Media (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com/) (Downloads are still not available, but will be within the next week), everyone's excited about getting new media for a quick Silent Hill fix anytime. Well, here's a few more to feed the fix.

Silent Hill 4: The Room Complete Soundtrack (Disk 1):
MEMDB (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=990) (aka Brandon), a Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/) member and the guy who made the Silent Hill 3 Complete Soundtrack (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=268238&postcount=41), has released the first disk of his Complete Soundtrack. The disk contains the unreleased music and ambience from the game up to just after the Hospital World. According to MEMDB, the tracks have not been "mixed together" like Dustfungus' Complete Silent Hill 1 + 2 Soundtracks. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this, but I personally like having the tracks "unmixed" as you can isolate songs or simply use the crossover function on your audio player to get a flowing audio experience. Anyway, the tracks are available for download on megaupload.com in a single zip file, making download simple, but please advise discretion when downloading (meaning that you save the file instead of just opening it each time).

Silent Hill 4: The Room Complete Soundtrack (Disk 1) - Zip Download (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WKEPAZKQ) (93.2 MB) / Soundtrack Information (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=276513&postcount=116)

Robbie's Tracks - Audio Files Available:
Thanks to Dog's on Acid and God Anubis (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=7) from the Silent Hill Forum, who have generously posted a copy of the "Silent Hill 4: Robbie's Tracks" Remix Album. Unfortunately, the files have been compressed using a .rar compressor, so not everyone will be able to access it. However, I plan to decompress the files and recompress them using .zip format and will try to have it available for download within the next week, so look out for that. For those who don't know what the soundtrack is for or which songs are remixed, check out the Soundtrack Information (http://www.chudahs-corner.com/soundtracks/sh4robbie.html) (from Chudah's Corner (http://www.chudahs-corner.com)) & watch the original Robbie Video (http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/sh4/dl/ROBBIE~1.MPG.lzh) (from Konami of Japan).

Silent Hill 4: Robbie's Tracks - Rar Download (http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3JWMW22PRHBT51VI9BJTT2YDDM) (28.0 MB) / Zip Download (.M4A Files) (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SFHE9OFY) (28.18 MB) / Zip Download (.MP3 Files) (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RB81OJUI) (21.55 MB) / Soundtrack Information (http://www.chudahs-corner.com/soundtracks/sh4robbie.html)

Album and Song Descriptions:
- Each track was meant to be a stylistic reinterpretation of the music from the short CG animated video featuring Lakeside Amusement Parks's "Robbie the Rabbit" with music by Akira Yamaoka. Yamaoka takes a little musical vacation by remixing the video music in the styles of his favorite European electronica style: techno. While not exactly ground-breaking material, the album is a fun departure from the traditional dark and gloomy ambient style of Silent Hill's music.

German - This track is a German minimalistic techno rearrangement of the music from the original Robbie Video mentioned above. Believe me when I say this is minimalistic, because although the arrangement is creative in how it reinterprets the themes, it simply loops them over and over and over again. This piece won't make everyone happy, but if you like minimalistic techno, you'll find this to be pretty good.

French - The style represented here is French tech house music. While the song is very similar in structure and texture as the German track, the song offers more variety in terms of arrangement. As such, the tracks is much easier to listen to. Much more melody driven than the previous song makes this a much better dance song and easy to tolerate for the full 6 minutes.

Swedish - This tracks ROCKS!!! (This song is so awesome, I'm using correct English, no l33t for this.) The whole soundtrack seems to be made just for this song. The track, in the gabber style, simply makes you happy. I spent a good amount of time just looping this track over and over again this weekend. If you only listen to one of the three songs, listen to this. However, I recommend that you listen to the entire album first before getting to this track, as it makes your appreciation for this so much better. (I love the Swedish!)

Silent Hill 3 (Limited Edition) Promotional Kit - Artwork Files:
This is a treasure among Silent Hill media, as very few copies of Silent Hill 3: Limited Edition were ever released, and finding a reseller is impossible. So, ChoasKeeper (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=6312), has graciously offered a link to the artwork from the Drawing Block/Drown in Black artbook that accompanied this promotional kit. Again, the artwork has been compressed using a .rar format, so unless you have a decompressor that can handle Rar Files you won't be able to see it. And again, I'll try to recompress this in .zip format and post a link before next week.

Silent Hill 3: Limited Edition (Promotional Kit Artwork) - Rar Download (http://rapidshare.de/files/5491038/chs-silenthill3artwork.rar.html) (4.75 MB) / Zip Download (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E9Y386HA) (4.75 MB)

I hope that you enjoy the files, and offer some feedback on what you like or dislike. Though, I know that a lot of this stuff is rare and high-sought-after, I filter certain things out that are Silent Hill related, but not necessarily of importance. So let me know what you think.

With that said, I guess it's also time for another...

Silent Hill Film Update:
In an interview given by Edge-Online (http://www.edge-online.co.uk) with Roger Avary (http://www.avary.com), Mr. Avary reviews and explains the entire process that has gone into the making of the Silent Hill film. He explains his involvement in a different light than in his blog, and how Christophe Gans' filming style is reflected in the film as well as Avary's modifications. It provides a very good insite into the thought-processes that go on with a director who is just as passionate about the project as the fans are. This is a good read for both fans and critics. (Plus, Avary mentions that he is in the process of negotiating the script for another Konami big-screen adaptation of a game. Hmmm...MGS?)

Roger Avary Talks Silent Hill: The Movie (http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/2005/09/roger_avary_tal.php)

Personally, I feel much more reassured about the film after reading the article. I hope people see the impact that Christophe Gans is trying to make on the Silent Hill world and that this form of media is not disposable as other films about video games are in reputation. Though, the companies involved might not realize it, but a lot of people are putting their hopes into the film. Here's hoping for the best.

----

As far as the idea about a VR version of Silent Hill, it might be reasonable to produce, but with modern surround-sound systems, high-definition (HD) television and Konami's increasing use of first-person perspectives, the games are about as immersive an experience as you could get. VR would just be single push forward.

What I consider a better approach is similar to the one that Akira Yamaoka hopes to occur in the future (given in his speech at the Games Developers Conference this year), which is to "create a metaphor using computer graphics." Now, despite the vague nature of the comment, I can visualize the power that such an advancement could make on the player, when you can actually see different interpretations of an object within the game world itself. Until the time comes when computer graphics can accomplish this, Konami's plans in terms of Silent Hill are to continue to create a culmination of graphics, story and computer-to-player interactions in future installments.

----

I've been talking to Peacer and reading over the forums (http://forums.rateofinjury.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6) at the No Escape website (http://noescape.rateofinjury.com/) recently. As far as the films go, the last three films are the despictions of Michael's decent into madness, being that #4 = Questioning Sanity, #5 = Decent into Madness, and the last film #6 = Depths of Madness. As such, each film will become progressively more scary and incomprehensible as the story reaches it's climax. However, certain theories about the films' ending are surfacing with certain credibility. If you want to read more, check out the forums for No Escape.

Also, the story is meant to conclude in the sixth chapter, with a definite resolution, meaning that Chapter 6 will be the last of the films. Peacer has confirmed that he does not plan to add anything else to the story, but maybe I can change his mind.

----

On a lighter note, who's getting ready for Halloween? Anyone dressing up as a Silent Hill character/monster? If you are and you do, remember to take some pictures and post them here or on the Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/). I'm thinking about it, which would make this the first for me use a SH costume, but I'm not quite sure what to dress as. Any suggestions?

EDIT: I've uploaded the Robbie Tracks in .zip format and converted the .m4a files to .mp3 files at 192 kbps. (If you have any problems with the downloads or the files, please notify me about it and I will try to fix the problem.)

For anyone who wants a description of the songs from the Robbie Tracks Remix Album, I've added it to the information above.

BocoDragon

09-30-2005, 11:38 PM

I want Silent Hill on Revolution.

ifirit

10-03-2005, 08:02 PM

I've uplaoded the .zip files for the Robbie Tracks album and the Silent Hill 3 Limited Edition Artwork Package.

After opening the .rar file for the Robbie Tracks album I noticed that the files were in .m4a format, which only RealPlayer or Quicktime/Itunes can play. Granted most people have upgraded to Itunes, I realized that they still might want .mp3 files of these songs. So, I've converted the songs to MP3 at a constant bitrate of 192 kbps.

Let me know if you guys have any problems.

CIaude

10-11-2005, 01:31 AM

UnforgivingEdges

10-11-2005, 03:10 AM

I just started playing SH3 right, and before I get too far in the game... I was wondering if there was any advice you guys could give me to avoid a bad ending. The water ending of SH2 really killed the game for me.

In Water= best video game ending ever. It tore my heart out and stomped on it, and I loved every second.

As for SH3, the endings aren't as different (I think there's only 2 not including the UFO one) so as to warrant trying to avoid one or the other. There is a definitive "good" ending, but the "bad" ending isn't bad enough to ruin the game. Only minor differences, really.

On another note, can anyone direct me to a site with some Silent Hill art, preferably good art?

CIaude

10-11-2005, 03:15 AM

I just started playing SH3 right, and before I get too far in the game... I was wondering if there was any advice you guys could give me to avoid a bad ending. The water ending of SH2 really killed the game for me.

In Water= best video game ending ever. It tore my heart out and stomped on it, and I loved every second.

Ironically, I thought the same thing... Except for the loving part. Yes it did tear my heart out and stomp on it, but I was dissapointed.

on another note, can anyone direct me to a site with some Silent Hill art, preferably good art?

Hah! Insubstantial! I've never seen any good SH art, online that is. I guess I can whip together some fan art for the hell of it.

UnforgivingEdges

10-11-2005, 03:40 AM

I just started playing SH3 right, and before I get too far in the game... I was wondering if there was any advice you guys could give me to avoid a bad ending. The water ending of SH2 really killed the game for me.

In Water= best video game ending ever. It tore my heart out and stomped on it, and I loved every second.

Ironically, I thought the same thing... Except for the loving part. Yes it did tear my heart out and stomp on it, but I was dissapointed.

Are you the type of person who needs a happy ending?

If so, that's rather lame, dude.

RazorOutlaw

10-11-2005, 06:02 PM

Hey, I like happy endings.

The Instrument of GAWD

10-12-2005, 02:49 AM

on another note, can anyone direct me to a site with some Silent Hill art, preferably good art?

Hah! Insubstantial! I've never seen any good SH art, online that is. I guess I can whip together some fan art for the hell of it.

There's some deccent-good SH fan art on Deviant Art. I'd post them, but I'll be damned, I can't remember where I put them...

ifirit

10-12-2005, 03:32 AM

on another note, can anyone direct me to a site with some Silent Hill art, preferably good art?

Hah! Insubstantial! I've never seen any good SH art, online that is. I guess I can whip together some fan art for the hell of it.

Actually, if you take a little time to look around the sites, you'll see that there actually is a great collection of Silent Hill fanart on the internet. Although there isn't a site dedicated to such a collection, I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

Lily Kane (http://lilykane.deviantart.com) (aka Lea) - Lea is a phenominal artist who creates incredible pen and ink drawings of almost every main and supporting character in the Silent Hill series. I have loved her work for years now, however, much of her work is only available on deviantart.com (http://www.deviantart.com). Luckily, she will be transfering her portfolio to her main website (http://losstarot.org/). Her use of lines and expressions draws you into the minor details of the pictures, which is what makes the works so unique. I'd suggest looking though her gallery not just for the Silent Hill material, but for much of her other game fanart as well. Warning: Some Material is Not Work-Appropriate
- Victim 11 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11739126/)
- Victim 16 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13626431/)
- Victim 17 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13176565/)
- Victim 18 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13210890/)
- Victim 19 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13235129/)
- Victim 21 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12305340/)

Dorian Wilde Gray (http://dorianwildegray.deviantart.com/) - This is a very perceptive and devoted fan to the Silent Hill series who focuses on creating his own SH-inspired fanart. He uses sketches, photos and computer software to create some fantastic imagery. Though, most of his fanart has been pushed aside by his own project: SHINPA, it still contains a great deal of originality and faithfulness to the series. Check it out if you can. (Just watch out for his Walter Sullivan narcissism.)

Mark Patraw (http://www.geocities.com/kramwartap/konami_artwork.html) (aka kramwartap) - This is the guy who created the statue figuerines of the monsters from the games. However, what I'd like to focus on are the drawings from the first game, which have an elaborate use of symbols and details adding to the creepy but appropriate nature. As far as the statues are concerned, they have come a long way from the first ones, but still need to catch up to stuff like this (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=19853). (Hopefully sooner or later, he'll learn to adjust the focus on his camera correctly.)

Old Silent Hill (Colored) (http://www.deviantart.com/view/4930195/) by njay (http://njay.deviantart.com/) - This guy doesn't normally do SH fanart, but for the one image that he did do, it's a keeper! The style is very much in the modern anime genre, but it still adheres to the coloring patterns and texture methods used in the games. (You gotta love the look on Douglas' face.)

Silent Poon (http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/99223) - If you're going to do a section on fanart, you gotta include flash art. Now, despite that this is actually a parody of Silent Hill 2 with a crossover from the artist's original characters, this does have a charm of its own. Granted I would have liked to have shown you all something with better artwork in the feature, yet nothing else exists. (Calling all flash artists and SH fans, "Make more Silent Hill Flash movies!") Warning: Material is Not Work-Appropriate

Silent Hill Snoots (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11323196/) by snoot (http://snoot.deviantart.com/) (aka Snootsville) - Everyone loves cute drawings of cute things, but what about cute drawings of ugly things? Well, here is the result. (Don't you just love it?)

Your Rain - Silent Hill 4 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11085274/) by bear-of-evil (http://bear-of-evil.deviantart.com/) - Creepy, just creepy.

Clockwork Little Happiness (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/8815283/) by zombiehunter (http://zombiehunter.deviantart.com/) - This is another drawing in the cartoon/anime genre, but was inspired by the cosplay images of the 17-year-old girl who really looked like Heather Morris (character, not the actress). Therefore, the image has a more younger look than the game does, but still keeps its attention to detail and facial expressions. (Plus, pantyshots! Whoo! [/sarcasm])

SH3 Shotgun'd (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15267597/) by sachsen (http://sachsen.deviantart.com/) - Self-explanitory.

Stained - Silent Hill (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/12915399/) by neofox (http://neofox.deviantart.com/) - An awesome little pencil drawing that reflects that sadness and quiet pain that some people experience while playing the games. Despite it's simple style and structure, it is emotionally powerful.

Henry Townsend (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/17972822/) by doctajules (http://doctajules.deviantart.com/) - Ladies, if you thought Henry was sexy before, then get ready to have your hearts captured again. (Whoo! [/sarcasm]) Anyway, technically speaking, the image is interesting because of the impressionistic style of painting and the bright, soft use of colors. Tres cool.

Halo of the Sun - Silent Hill (http://www.deviantart.com/view/20193371/) by Teagle (http://teagle.deviantart.com/) - I don't think this qualifies as fanart, but every fan needs a t-shirt with the Halo of the Sun branded on it. Fashion for the masses. (I really gotta get me one of those. *Carefully wipes drool away from mouth*)

Silent Hill Obsession 2 (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16594517/) by absinthe-girl (http://absinthe-girl.deviantart.com/) - This picture is tricky. While looking like a computer-modified image, it is actually hand-drawn with a classic grain-filter placed over the whole thing. Op-Art? Maybe.

Well, I think that is enough for now. I hope you see that there really is some great SH fanart out there. However, I have to admit that the stuff I was really looking for, I couldn't find. If only I still had DC++ hooked up to my computer, I could show you what I mean. Well, anyway, I wanted to be nicer than the usually OCR-mentality of saying, "Google (http://www.google.com) + Image search (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=silent+hill+forum&sa=N&tab=wi)." That really bugs me, because usually you get bogged down by a lot of crap that you'll have to sort through on your own. [/tangent].

Well, actually, I've saved the best fanart for last: Silent Hill 3 Animated GIFs!!! (http://www.pimp-productions.com/gallery/sp_index.php?dir=./games/Silent-Hill-3) These files contain images from the game's cut-scenes as well as manipulated gameplay. The files have not been editted by watermarks or other printings. Also, they are sized to fit easily on a signature, making these files ideal for sig-production. (Gentlemen, start your Photoshops!)

Coming Soon: Theories on the monster associations from SH4, possible interpretations of the Possessed Ending from SH3 and explanations/theories about SH: Among the Damned. (It's really not as bad a people make it out to be. It's also the better of the Silent Hill comics, granted not the best, but I'll explain that in my post.)