Silent Hill Discussion

[ifirit]

I finally beat the game for the first time this morning, and I must say I'm really pleased with it. My biggest fear was that it would be too short, but it wasn't. It could have been longer, but it didn't need to be. I really liked the story, the mood, the enemies and locations. It all felt very much like Silent Hill should. Reviewers all complain about the fighting system, but I think it worked really well. Doesn't really matter if a weapon broke, because you always had a shitload of others (it could get a bit ridiculous at times, but that's the way it's always been). The only thing that really bothered me was the great lack of healing items, and the overabundance of ammo as a compensation.

I'm looking forward to getting all the endings and extras. I can probably play this game over and over and over again!

I'm really glad to hear that there are still people playing this game, since the discussion here has been waning recently. However, there's been a relatively large amount of discussion on this game over at Silent Hill: Origins' Forums. (How appropriate.) Though the discussion has focused mainly on the relationship between Travis and the Butcher and comparisons between the Butcher and the Red Pyramid Thing, it has been rather fruitful. One of the biggest revelations has been in understanding the Butcher's role in the game and story. This understanding has been key into determining other related connections in the story and ultimately ties a number of story elements surrounding Travis together.

Since I prefer to leave the discussion open a little, I'll refer you to some interesting threads. But, if anyone wants a deeper explanation of certain aspects, or just want to know what happens in SH0, feel free to ask. As I've said before, I love answering questions about Silent Hill and creating discussion.

WARNING: Threads Contain Silent Hill 0rigins/Zer0 Spoilers

Silent Hill: Origins' Forums - Theories - "The Butcher (two new interpretations SPOILERS)"

Silent Hill: Origins' Forums - Silent Hill 0rigins - "The Butcher and the Pyramid Head"

Silent Hill: Origins' Forums - Silent Hill 0rigins - "strange things"

The "strange things" thread is simply a list of strange things that happen or appear in the game. These things range from glitches and programming errors to placements of objects and enemies to things that just creep people out. It's a fun thread to read and then find the numerous strange things in the game. You'll have to forgive a number of repeated entries, but if you have an original observation feel free to contribute to the thread.

Alternatively, The Escapist has released Ben Croshaw's Zero Punctuation review of Silent Hill 0rigins. Granted the review is harsh, as is to be expected, he does make a number of valid points and basically summerizes what everyone was thinking when they heard Silent Hill was being outsourced. It's still iniquitously amusing.

The Escapist - Zero Punctuation Reviews - Silent Hill 0rigins

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With that said, let's get into some news and updates.

Silent Hill 0rigins/Zer0 Update:

SH0 Soundtrack Tracklist Released & Cover Art Unveiled; Additional Special Offer Bonus Announced:

On December 6, 2007, the tracklist for the Original Soundtrack to SH0 was released by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. via the KonamiStyle website. The tracklisting features 26 songs on the album.* The tracklisting also notes the four vocal tracks that will feature Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (a.k.a. Melissa Williamson).

Additionally, the cover art for the soundtrack has been unveiled, featuring artwork by Masahiro Ito (monster designer for SH1-3). The cover art shows an exclusively new picture of the ...Red Pyramid Thing? Masahiro Ito explains via his website.**

it's Japanese SH zero (silent hill origin) original soundtracks

with 6pages comic booklet.

That pyramid head has no connection to "silent hill origin".

Comic booklet, that story is my another pyramid head world.

Coming in Jan.25 of 2008

サイレントヒルゼロ・サントラのジャケット、6ページコミック（小冊子）、担当

2008年1月25日発売予定

The comic details reveal that the story about the comic features a backstory for the Red Pyramid Thing set in an alternate Silent Hill universe. (A detail that really brings up the issue of "how canon is SH0?", since Masahiro Ito has now set up the idea of an alternate universe for the series to be accompanied with this game's soundtrack.)

Again, the album will release on January 25, 2008 and retail exclusively from KonamiStyle of Japan. Also, the production is limited with no schedule for reproduction, so get it while you can.

SH0 Soundtrack Tracklist:

1. Shot Down in Flames (featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
   
2. Meltdown
   
3. Evil Appetite
   
4. Wrong Is Right
   
5. Not Tomorrow 3
   
6. Monster Daddy
   
7. King Of Adiemus
   
8. Don't Abuse Me
   
9. Underworld 4
   
10. Acid Horse
    
11. O.R.T. (featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
    
12. Insecticide
    
13. Raw Power
    
14. A Million Miles
    
15. Battle Drums
    
16. The Wicked End
    
17. Blow Back (featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
    
18. Real Solution
    
19. The Healer
    
20. Snowblind
    
21. Behind the Wall of Sleep
    
22. Drowning
    
23. Murder Song ”S”
    
24. Not Tomorrow 4
    
25. Theme of Sabre Dance
    
26. Hole In The Sky (featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
    

On December 19, 2007, Konami announced that as an added bonus for orders placed online through the KonamiStyle website, a limited edition Silent Hill Zer0 portable media player pouch will be given on a first come, first serve basis. As of January 17, 2008, an image of the pouch was finally revealed.*** The pouch has a crimson and white design with a dual zipper running along two sides of the pouch (connected as a single zipper by an arc). The design features the Silent Hill Zer0 logo with an image of the SH0 nurse holding an over-sized syringe. A little tag with the Konami logo hangs from the bottom (or right, depending on your orientation) of the pouch.

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. - Silent Hill Zer0

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. - Silent Hill Zer0 - Silent Hill Zer0 Original Soundtracks

*Footnote: KonamiStyle originally stated that the album would feature 30 tracks from the game, but it seems that this number was trimmed slightly for currently unknown reasons, though most likely because of production issues.

**Footnote: Masahiro Ito was not involved in the development of Silent Hill 0rigins/Zer0, as he is now a freelance artist. So, his commission for the soundtrack apparently did not privy him to details about the game. (Personal Note: So, it seems he made one up.) Additionally, because Masahiro Ito is drawing the six page manga for this release, it seems a safe enough assumption that the comic will be presented in A6 format and that the "tall case" featured with the CD will be formatted to the same size.

***Footnote: Konami has stated that the image shown above may not be the final product image, as it is still subject to change.

--------------------------------

Silent Hill Mobile Update:

"SILENT HILL The Escape" Released; Website and Media Posted:

As was previously reported from the Tokyo Game Show 2007, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. had announced the production of another Silent Hill game for mobile gaming devices (i.e. cellular phones) that would feature a gameplay mechanic called "gesture technology,"**** titled コナミネット DX SILENT HILL The Escape. As of December 19, 2007, the game has since been launched online to Japanese subscribers.

The game itself has shifted from the puzzle/adventure-horror genre of previous installments to a complete fear first-person-shooter game. By no means was this change unintentional, since the game is both presented and marketed as such, as is seen on the website, and in the artwork and screenshots.

The gameplay consists of exploration of various hallways littered with monsters and other targetable objects. Players will recognize various familiar creatures from previous titles as well as new creatures. The screen features a mini-map that shows the player their relative position on the map. There is also a small image of a revolver's loading chamber depicting the number of bullets remaining. Aiming appears as a small set of crosshairs which is used to target monsters, but no distinction of whether the target is in range is given.

The game is available from Konami's i-MODE distributor for various mobile devices, shown below. A subscription fee of 315円 (YEN), which includes sales tax, is applied for monthly usage, but subscribers are given access to premium content. (Konami says to check the game for details about the premium content.) The game can be accessed on the appropriate device models as follows: FOMA menu -> Menu/search -> Game -> Game Pack -> コナミネット DX.

The currently supported mobile devices are:

P904i

SH904i

D905i

F905i

N905i

P905i

SH905i

SO905i

N905i μ

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. - SILENT HILL The Escape

****Footnote: Konami's Online Contents executive producer Kazuya Takahashi had previously explained that "gesture technology" is a method of controlling the actions in the game via image feedback from the mobile device's built-in camera. While the website simply says to refer to the game itself about the exact details of this technology, it was previously stated that the aiming and on-screen interactions responded to the players' motion of the mobile device itself. (Personal Note: While the technology sounds great in theory, the actual implementation of this would appear to me as being very clunky and ackward to play. Also, since Japanese players have a tendency to get motion-sickness from videogames that require concentration for precision shooting I don't see this game being very popular.)

--------------------------------

[Nulion]

This awesome thread shouldn't have dropped so far as it has, especially with all of this insane info that ifirit's been providing...And yes, I do read all this and try to look at it, and it interests me to no end

I wonder where one might be able to find a copy (Digital) of that Pyramid Head 'comic' that's right there...Very neat stuff.

In fact, there's a ton of neat stuff there, that somehow I have no idea how I missed! Like the New Track & Field version of Pyramid Head? Great laughs on the character bio there

Buut, anyway...

This thread's been gone too long, and maybe one reason is because there's been pretty much *nothing* to chew on Silent Hill-related lately...

But I just stumbled across these screenshots for Silent Hill V, thought you guys might enjoy taking a look.

One thing I think that should be kept in mind while looking at them is that the early screenshots for every other Silent Hill game didn't show much of anything, either...Probably to preserve the scare factory of certain areas. All in all, the pictures (I think) actually look really good!

...I'm not sure I like that weird health meter/enemy attack detector thing at the left hand side of one of the pictures though.

The fog is impressive though, and looks as if it distorts anything that's far off in the distance, rather than completely hiding it. The other impressive thing I noticed is how pic 4 in the XBox 360 section of the photos shows off how the flashlight's light cone can be filtered through and dimmed by the fog. I'm also wondering by that picture if this game has even a little bit of a RE4-type camera angle, at least during combat.

Oh well, anyway...Link!

http://ps3.qj.net/Silent-Hill-5-screenshots-a-tour-around-creepy-town/pg/49/aid/114885

[ifirit]

This awesome thread shouldn't have dropped so far as it has, especially with all of this insane info that ifirit's been providing...And yes, I do read all this and try to look at it, and it interests me to no end

Yes, it is a shame. But, I'm glad you're reading it.

I wonder where one might be able to find a copy (Digital) of that Pyramid Head 'comic' that's right there...Very neat stuff.

Silent Hill: Lost Memories, with which I am affliated, has posted all the media related towards the Silent Hill Zer0 Original Soundtrack. Definitely check out the artwork, because it's amazing. Please remember that the soundtrack and its artwork are commercial products and as such that you ONLY download the media if you have purchased or are intending to purchase the soundtrack (i.e. you have purchased the soundtrack online and are simply waiting for it to ship). You don't want to deprive Akira Yamaoka or Masahiro Ito of their income, now do you?

Silent Hill: Lost Memories (English Branch) - Music - SH0 Original Soundtracks

In case you're wondering, the English translation of the title of the comic is White Hunter. The two characters are called Белый охотник (which means "white hunter") and Ангел (which means "angel"). Masahiro Ito has posted his comments on the comic via his BBS channel on his website.

About comic,I tried to express was My another world about pryamid head.

Pryamid head is white hunter. The white hunter is "белый охотник"

It has no connection to SILENT HILL at all.

If the pryamid head is another character ?

In comic he has white helmet. His purpose is to keep killing Angels.

(I call angel "it" in that comic.)

According to him, the red pyramid thing is in fact a white pyramid thing and actually called "white hunter." Thus, Masahiro Ito is trying to establish the character as his own creation independently of the game series and its backstory. The comic thus describes the tale of an angel sent to awaken the White Hunter, whose task is to kill angels. (A rather cycular relationship, if you ask me.) The article "it" is used to refer to the angel, while the article "he" is used to refer to the white hunter.

In fact, there's a ton of neat stuff there, that somehow I have no idea how I missed! Like the New Track & Field version of Pyramid Head? Great laughs on the character bio there

Yep, that's some pretty strange stuff. Also, check out the christmas card Konami sent out for 2007.

Socks? That's just crazy.

Buut, anyway...

This thread's been gone too long, and maybe one reason is because there's been pretty much *nothing* to chew on Silent Hill-related lately...

Actuallly, I've got a lot of information about SH5, PS2 version of SH0, Silent Hill The Arcade's international release, Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward comic from IDW, and a few fan-made stuff. I don't have time to post it today, but I will on Saturday.

But I just stumbled across these screenshots for Silent Hill V, thought you guys might enjoy taking a look.

One thing I think that should be kept in mind while looking at them is that the early screenshots for every other Silent Hill game didn't show much of anything, either...Probably to preserve the scare factory of certain areas. All in all, the pictures (I think) actually look really good!

...I'm not sure I like that weird health meter/enemy attack detector thing at the left hand side of one of the pictures though.

The fog is impressive though, and looks as if it distorts anything that's far off in the distance, rather than completely hiding it. The other impressive thing I noticed is how pic 4 in the XBox 360 section of the photos shows off how the flashlight's light cone can be filtered through and dimmed by the fog. I'm also wondering by that picture if this game has even a little bit of a RE4-type camera angle, at least during combat.

Oh well, anyway...Link!

http://ps3.qj.net/Silent-Hill-5-screenshots-a-tour-around-creepy-town/pg/49/aid/114885

I've got some objections to the way that the art direction is presenting the environments. Something about it isn't exactly right; it lacks... perculiarity. As such, they seem almost interchangable with environments from any adventure-horror game, which already loses its individuality.

What I'm most disappointed with is that the game is being developed on the 360 and ported over to the PS3. They're just overlooking all the things that can be done with the PS3. As such, reviewers will almost definitely say the 360 version is better. So, there goes Silent Hill's tradition of pushing the hardware capabilities on it's respective console.

This is turning out to be less and less of a SH game the more I see of it. And with the release scheduled for this fall...

[Nekofrog]

SH5 looks like garbage. Trash.

From both a graphical perspective and just a general suckiness perspective. Have you seen some of the screenshots? They looks HORRIBLE. SH3 looks almost better visually.

[Nekofrog]

See what I mean?

[Nulion]

Yeah, I guess the more I look at it, the more underwhelming SH5 looks. I guess I'm being a little too hopeful, but it's not like we can shoot down the game and call it trash half a year before it even releases. I've also got a feeling that, like the screens for all the other games in the series so far, we are not being shown the more impressive scenes from the game that really take advantage of the hardware. I remember a long time back when I saw screens of Silent Hill 2, they were close-up pictures of faces and shots of empty rooms without much feel visible on them. Add to that, the grain filter that made any screens taken look awful. Foggy streets, extremely dark shots of monsters fighting, even an over-reliance on screens taken from the game's FMV's. The screens for Silent Hill games before release have never been anything to write home about, really. At the end of the day, it's about the ambience, the sound, and the gameplay...can't get those from screens!

I remember on that EGM issue awhile back though, there were a lot of screens there...and honestly, they were impressive. I like the monster design, aside from the nurses, who are lifted directly from the movie...If anything, I'd say the game seems to not get that the monsters should ALL be skewed toward a particular aspect of the character you're playing as (Personality or psychological situation, etc) or toward a particular aspect of the story at large, and the characters involved. At least that's how the other games have been, right? I'm not sure if nurses should be in there just for the sake of having nurses. Yeah they're creepy, but...ah well, just being nitpicky.

Still sucks it's being developed for 360 first though, since it's a well-known fact that porting from the 360 to the PS3 just doesn't work as well as doing it the other way around. Ugh.

I don't expect it to be as good as the first three games (I really enjoyed them all, and don't see what the fuss is with 3 that some people have), but then I don't expect it to be as bad as the 4th game, either. (Even though I enjoyed SH4...It wasn't an unplayable piece of garbage, right?)

Those screens of SH3 you sent look *great* though. Where were those even taken? I was just playing SH3 yesterday, and it looked nowhere near *that* good and sharp. And I was even playing it on the PS3, upscaled, on an HDTV. Hmm.

Maybe it was the PC version? I think the PC version did have higher-resolution textures and things like that.

______

Thanks for all the neat stuff again ifirit Looking forward to the other stuff you've got to post; I guess I'm just really out of the loop, and not checking out the Silent Hill forums as much as I should be.

And I have no idea why Pyramid Head would want socks o.O

[Nekofrog]

ight?)

Those screens of SH3 you sent look *great* though. Where were those even taken? I was just playing SH3 yesterday, and it looked nowhere near *that* good and sharp. And I was even playing it on the PS3, upscaled, on an HDTV. Hmm.

Maybe it was the PC version? I think the PC version did have higher-resolution textures and things like that.

Dunno where they came from.. but you realize that upscaling a PS2 game on an HDTV is going to make it look much WORSE than on a PS2 on a SDTV, right?

[Nulion]

Hmm, always thought it'd make it look better. Goes to show ya I don't know much about my new HDTV, hehe.

I'll try it again without the upscaling.

EDIT: It looks a whole lot better now. Ugh, I really should look into these things more. I guess the upscaler is for SDTV's that can't handle all the extra information that is available from a high-def system like the PS3, and that's what the upscaler's there for? I've got no idea. Thanks for the tip though, Neko

[Schwaltzvald]

So hey... What's this all about..?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8774481&type=product&id=1204331808063

WHY WAS THIS NOT SPOKEN ABOUT?!

IMMA PICKING IT UP TODAY AS I THANKFULLY AVOIDED THE ORIGIN SECTION OF THIS THREAD!!!

[Nulion]

Hmm...I loved Silent Hill Origins, hehe. Maybe I didn't love it as much as the other games in teh series, but I still thought it was a solid Silent Hill title. Problem with those PSP-to-PS2 conversions is that they often don't turn out very well. I mean, those games are optimized to be viewed on a small screen with less-powerful hardware, so the textures and geometry are probably gonna look pretty ugly on a bigger screen.

Still worth getting if you don't have a PSP though! ..At least, I hope. The whole experience might be worse with a bigger screen.

[Schwaltzvald]

From the little bit I've played, (Brawl had its grip on me lol), I felt very comfortable playing it. Admittingly the graphics reminded me more of a mix between the original Silent Hill and SH2. Understandably it's a conversion instead of a retool/engine redoing, but nonetheless it didn't take away the experience for me.

For now, it's truly solid and enjoyable to me

[ifirit]

Actually, the problem with the announcement about the PS2 version of Silent Hill 0rigins is my fault. I had known about it since January, but I didn't want to double-post. Well, here's a full report.

Silent Hill 0rigins/Zer0 Update:

Silent Hill 0rigins Released for the PlayStation 2:

On March 4, 2008, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. released Silent Hill 0rigins for the PlayStation 2 home console. The game, which is a modified port of the PlayStation Portable version, features new character models and gameplay controls formatted for the PS2.

Konami originally released a press package announcing the PS2 release on January 22, 2008, a few days before the release of the Silent Hill Zer0 Original Soundtracks.* Reports about the PS2 version of Silent Hill 0rigins were originally rumored when Amazon.com began taking pre-orders for the game on January 16, 2008, releasing the cover of the box art.

Character models of Travis and Lisa modified for the PS2 were released by Game Press Ltm.. While screenshots featuring the enhanced graphics were released by eNe3.

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Press Releases - KONAMI SHIPS SILENT HILL® ORIGINS FOR PlayStation®2 SYSTEM TO RETAIL STORES NATIONWIDE [.pdf file / 33.0 KB]

Silent Hill: Origins.com - News - Silent Hill: Origins Officially Coming to Playstation 2

Silent Hill: Origins.com - News - Silent Hill: Origins Playstation 2 screenshots

*Footnote: The press package for the release of SH0 for the PS2 was not officially published on the Konami website; instead, it was only announced via videogame online publishings (first by Kotaku). Below is posted the announcement.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - January 22, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today confirmed speculation that Silent Hill® Origins, released last year for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system is in fact currently in development for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Now PlayStation 2 system owners will have the opportunity to experience this frightening and popular survival horror game, complete with signature sound and music from renowned Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.

"Console gamers can now expect the same chilling, suspenseful and fear-filled experience that handheld gamers encountered when we released Silent Hill Origins on the PSP system," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "This is their chance to learn more of the mystery and mythos surrounding Silent Hill that's been hinted at in earlier games and made the series such a success."

Players take on the role of Travis Grady, a lone truck driver making a routine delivery when he makes an unfortunate detour to the mysterious town of Silent Hill. Players must help Travis escape the city's horrific inhabitants and unravel the mystery of the strange hallucinations from Travis' past, visions that have plagued him since childhood.

Updated controls maximize combat, allowing Travis to use his fists, his wits and an array of weapons including a meat cleaver, pool cue and sledgehammer to fight his way through the nightmarish world of Silent Hill and face multiple endings based on his actions.

For more information, please visit www.konami.com.

[Nulion]

Gotta love it, every time that guy posts something, I find out something new.

I had no idea the graphics were actually given a bit of a facelift for the PS2 version. Those screenshots don't look bad at all. What I was expecting from a PSP-to-PS2 conversion was essentially a direct, unchanged, 100% completely identical port, complete with graphics that look great on a handheld, but terrible on a TV screen.

It's nice to see they went the extra mile to make it look better, isn't it?

[ifirit]

I had no idea the graphics were actually given a bit of a facelift for the PS2 version. Those screenshots don't look bad at all. What I was expecting from a PSP-to-PS2 conversion was essentially a direct, unchanged, 100% completely identical port, complete with graphics that look great on a handheld, but terrible on a TV screen.

It's nice to see they went the extra mile to make it look better, isn't it?

Actually, I've been playing the PS2 version of SH0 and in addition to the graphical update to the character models and some bumping up on the environments, the game itself has been tweeked some to improve upon the experience. The changes that have been made to the game are innumerable, but all subtly applied; so much so, that if you're playing the game for the first time on the PS2, you'll not even know that anything had been changed.

You'll notice that the opening sequence of the game has been modified some to have the credits appear more in sync with the overall flow of the walk up the road. The opening FMV is about a few frames longer than the PSP version and has a few color changes. The character model improvements are not simply asthetic, as the models now can move their fingers, sway their hair, display greater emotion in their faces and show their teeth. This adds a greater amount of expression and characterization to the cutscenes. Also, you'll notice that the characters now have different expressions and facial reactions in these scenes than on the PSP, which gives the game a more serious and melancholy tone. This tone definitely makes a difference.

While looking at the environments, you'll notice that a lot of the textures have been changed, particularly with paintings, posters and signs. For example, in the Gillespie residence, you'll notice that the pictures on the walls, which depicted various Egyptian and Babylonian buildings and artifacts, have been replaced with various paintings of the Madonna from across art history. Everywhere you look, there are visual improvements that completely enhance the game's appearance. However, the improvements in the game are not simply visual.

A few tweeks have also been applied the level design and the gameplay. With regards to the level design, a few changes have been made to the pacing to enhance the experience. There are a few environmental interactions and events that re-establish the psychological fear aspect into the game, though I'll refrain from spoiling them here. While not as creepy as in previous games, like the Brookhaven mirror-room in SH3, the locker scene in SH1 or the hauntings from SH4, they none-the-less add that extra dimension of uncertainty. The pacing has also improved with a subtle redistribution of monsters and addition of some extra health items. Harder enemies have been removed in favor of adding an extra weaker monster.

In terms of the gameplay, the fighting hasn't changed much, with the exception of the addition of a few fighting animations and better accuracy with malee weapons and lower accuracy with firearms (Travis will no longer hit every target with pin-point accuracy, even in the dark). Sneak attacks now deal greater damage and can fell an enemy in fewer hits, which are very rewarding. The creatures now have a greater sense of awareness as well and are more responsive to light and sound, giving the AI greater depth, though still not 100%. Creatures on the town map will still spot you from two miles away and you can still walk right up to some creatures in the dark without them noticing you. However, the screen-static filter is much heavier in the PS2 version, almost to the point of not being able to see, especially with creatures that tend to blend in with the background. (However, the game does not allow you to turn off the filter on the first playthrough, which can be frustrating.)

Items no longer shine in the dark, which made them easy to see in the PSP version, so use of the flashlight in the PS2 version is now imperative in locating the items, but not in obtaining them. The menu system has improved the "examine item" feature, which resembles more closely to SH1. The text has been improved and isn't as blocky or awkward as the first version. And, memos have improved images to go along with the text, instead of the blurry, generic variety on the PSP version, almost to the point that you could actually read the memos themselves without the textbox. The camera has also been lowered and placed farther back, allowing you to see Travis' whole body while playing, instead of from above the knees and waist. This makes gameplay much easier, but the exploration of the environments more awkward since the game was constructed with the higher camera. Therefore, many posters, paintings and textures are too high up to see. And there's no way to tilt or move the camera or flashlight.

However, there are a number of problems that still exist in the PS2 version that plagued the PSP version. First of all, the stamina bug is still present, making the use of energy drinks useless. The flashlight bug is still there too, so obtaining items, reading memos, looking at the map, etc. doesn't require using the flashlight. The monster-respawn glitch is still present on the town map, so one should not try to fight monsters and explore the area at the same time. (Do either one or the other.) The throwing weapon/QTE glitch is still there too, so make sure you have enough distance between you and your target when using throwing items. The enhanced accuracy of the throwing weapons makes them easier to use at a distance. The music bug and sound glitches are still present on the PS2 version, but are also more noticable. Music tracks will only loop once in certain (well, most) rooms, which gives the appearance that they cut off in the middle. The sound glitch occurs when two or more sound effects are played too closely after one another, causing them to not play at all, which makes you very aware that you're playing a videogame and jerks you out of the experience somewhat.

There are also NEW bugs and glitches specific to the PS2 version of the game. If you are using a third-party memory card to save your game, the gameplay slows down some and loading times are slightly increased. Also, saving with a third-party memory card will also not allow you to save the game and can sometimes freeze the game itself. I've found no problems in using an official PlayStation 2 Memory Card, but that's still no guarantee. However, I should note that I'm using the original model of the PlayStation 2 (SCPH-5000x), which could be a problem specific to this version and not with the Slim or Silver PlayStation 2.

Overall, the PS2 version of Silent Hill 0rigins is a definite improvement and definitely worth getting if you liked the PSP version or have been holding off to see which version is better. (Or if you're a cheap bastard who didn't want to purchase this a PSP specifically for this game.) While I say that the graphics for SH0 on the PS2 are on par with SH2's in-game graphics, they are still nowhere near as good as SH3's or SH4's.

[Nulion]

...Wow. I might actually have to pick this up, after hearing about all that!

Good eye!

....annnd...I found another Silent Hill V video. Never seen it before, thought I'd share It looks actually very good...I really hope they can flesh out the context-sensitive actions, a la Resident Evil 4. (Climbing over things, hopping down a ledge, etc). Also, the graphics are actually pretty great-looking, when the fog lifts up a little.

[ifirit]

....annnd...I found another Silent Hill V video. Never seen it before, thought I'd share It looks actually very good...I really hope they can flesh out the context-sensitive actions, a la Resident Evil 4. (Climbing over things, hopping down a ledge, etc). Also, the graphics are actually pretty great-looking, when the fog lifts up a little.

Damn, I was too late! Well, here's more information about the video.

Silent Hill 5 Update:

Preview Video of SH5 Featured in GamePro Magazine of Germany:

In the 2008 January Issue of GamePro Magazine (Germany), a subsidiary of IDG Entertainment, Silent Hill 5 was featured as the cover story. In addition to the feature story in printed form, a preview video was featured on the bonus DVD. The video, which features footage from the initial demo version of the game, contains a voice-over of the reporter speaking German relaying details about the game and its development.

While the report does little to reveal information that the Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) story did not already cover, the preview video shows a larger portion of the demo footage and a small section of new music. Scans of the full article, a downloadable version of the video, and their translations can be found on SilentHill5.net.* A copy of the translations can be found below.

The videos can be downloaded in .wmv (Windows Media Video / 27.0 MB) or .avi (requires XviD codec / 25.1 MB) formats.

Trauma (noun, from the Greek): wounds, injury, violence to the mind and body. As psychic trauma it means a wound of the soul, which through an experience which is too cruel, too brutal, and too incomprehensible for the human mind to deal with. One speaks in this context of war trauma. The veteran suffers for years later from flashbacks and deals with depression and anger. The human psyche is as multifaceted as the ways in which war trauma expresses itself. Certain symptoms such as panic attacks or fear of death don't disappear permanently, rather, they are released through certain journeys.

Traumatised Hollywood Heroes

In the American film industry especially, war veterans are a much-visited theme. Whether Oliver Stone's "Born on the 4th of July," Adrien Lynne's "Jacob's Ladder," or Ted Kotcheff's "Rambo," all these films show war trauma and what follows it. Hollywood war films tend to come in two forms: either, the soldier pulls through and becomes very violent, or he begins, through hallucinations, panic and paranoia, to doubt his mental health. Alex Shepherd, hero of SH5, belongs to the second category. Because of his war experience in an unnamed war Alex has returned home and shuns the contact of others. The only person who still means anything to him is his younger brother Joshua.

Catch 22

While the 22 year old soldier was taken into a military hospital due to a serious injury, he was tormented more and more by mysterious visions. He realized that his brother maybe in danger and he left the hospital for New England, more specifically, his hometown of Shepard's Glen. When he gets there, he is greeted with a picture of horror: his mother shivers on the floor and stammers, there is no trace of his father or brother. It's as if the fog covering Shephard's Glen has swallowed them whole.

Veterans of the series will notice already that Shepherd's Glen has, the tradition of the toilets and weird malls, is simply the opening point of a journey that leads once again to a "Special place." To a place, where one finds oneself, where our fear and demons claw with sharp claws through the insanity like stringy black oil dropping in our souls.

Be careful what you wish for!

In the 2005 Leipzig Games Convention a somewhat frustrated William Oertel gave an interview about SH Origins (PSP) and said he'd rather work on a Silent Hill for a newer console system, instead of simply a pocket-sized version of the series. Two years later his wish was fulfilled. When Konami announced that SH5 would be made by the American studio The Collective, William Oertel and his team were faced with worldwide distrust. The fans feared that an American team would stray from the series' feel or that they would bungle it entirely. We feel that these fears are unfounded, and the Oertel and his team will make sure that SH5 will meet the highest expectations.

New hero, new possibilities

The protagonists of the other games were always average, harmless types who were brought into nightmarish Silent Hill not entriely through their own doing. Instead of fighting with large mouthed monsters the players steer the weak and fearful characters through a world that has become insane. The battles go on crazily in the earlier episodes: , awkward, slow fighting with iron bars and bits of wood as well as pistols and shotguns, which is exactly what you would expect from heroes like James or Harry. Things are a bit different with Alex. As a soldier, he is experienced with weapons and also with hand to hand combat like no SH-hero before. The combat system in this installment will be very different from that of the previous games, which is quite necessary for the series, since it hasn't changed much since the series' debut on the PSOne.

Until the soup sprays!

To make the game more dynamic, the designers worked on a combat system that reminds one of a horror title from Sega (which was not released in Germany). Instead of awkwardly running around the area and beating on the monsters, you can grab the enemy or power up your hit power to hit them mightily, depending on your current weapon and the enemy you're homing in on, it also opens up new combo-possibilities. with which one will send the baddies to hell, is not yet known. We hope for a return to the zombie-steps of the past. If one likes the visually appealing fights, one should be happy about the possibility of grabbing and kicking around the monsters. The new fighting system is important, because the bizarre creatures and mosters in SH5 aren't very cuddly. One meets them in the foggy streets and there are some familiar monstrosities, like the sick nurses and numerous other horrors, whose design the word "sick" serves well. Expect creatures with skulls made out of blades, deformed hybrid hermaphrodite entities, [with] strange combinations of male and female features. Or an almost human creature covered with disgustingly pulsing blisters that spits out gas. These beasts aren't just ugly, they're also clever, thanks to the new console systems and the designers who used their artful intelligence. If you expect the monsters to flit by like in the older games, you'd better check your calculations. The creatures follow you mercilessly, through doors and then desist. This way the fighting varies and the designers promise more endings than in any other SH game.

Interactive Nightmare

A further deficiency in the previous games should be corrected in part 5, the interactivity with objects. In the other games, it's not possible to throw around tables and chairs. With the "havoc object physics" are these things now in the past. The chairs, closets and bottles aren't just scenery, they can be used purposefully in the game. Example: you need to go through a large waiting room full of monsters. Instead of fighting your way through, you can make a distracting maneuver to get rid of the bizarre brutes and slip away unnoticed on your way. Similar actions can be done with lights. Because the strange nurses are drawn to light like moths, so the lamp is important when you want to avoid them.

Captions:

Did the creator want to express his love of bananas with this monster?

Fresh colors bring life to the room. Alex ferrets out the artist.

Light play

Despite the new technical achievements and the fighting system, it won't change the basic direction of the series. If anyone hopes for a cheap "the zombie jump out at me from the closet in a nudie-shock-scene" they will be disappointed. The horror of Silent Hill is not on the screen, but rather mostly takes place in the player's head. True to the motto "the less one recognizes, the the scarier it is" the designers strengthen the shadows, that flit around before you. One of the most effective scare-factors of the series is of course also here, the typical Silent Hill dim lights, the many dark passages, in which one can hardly see more than the circle of light coming from your flashlight, one worries not only about the uncomfortable feel of the isolation, but also the player worries about their concentration and is subject to shock scenes.

In SH5 the horror uses not only your fear, but also the player's ears. If you can remember the unholy shambling in the tunnel in SH2 of the goose-[bump]-causing sirens, that announce the shift to the otherworld. Thank Dolby Digital and the sick sounds of Akira Yamaoka which allow all kinds of dimensional effects and nerve shattering noises.

Looks the same, only better!

The designers oriented the visual form on the previous games, to stay true to Silent Hill and also to optically transport the washed out colors, which remind one of a grey winter day. In the Otherworld, strong reds dominate and there is rust everytwhere. To have a cinematic flair, important scenes are shown with long camera shots. Through the freely moving camera and the turning on its axis to get the classic Silent Hill look, there is also of course the noise filter. What is new is that different situations use different filters. In this way, the optical elements and colors (such as blood red) are brought out strongly.

Captions: Even in the Gully, you can't be sure if it's safe, because the monsters also hide in the water.

Some of the doors really take some getting used to.

An old saying says, "all paths lead to Rome." For friends of video games, [these] paths lead elsewhere, namely, to Silent Hill. Here you see scenes from Silent Hill 5 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. This time it's being designed by an American studio called the Collective instead of from Konami. The inspiration for SH5 was mainly [from] the acclaimed second installment of the series. The protagonist is a war veteran named Alex Shepherd who is in a hospital due to a war injury. The traumatized Alex has problems to cope with because of his experiences. He has a dark vision in the hospital that his young brother is in danger. So he goes back to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen to check things out. Unfortunately, he's too late. When he finds his mother, his brother and father [have] disappeared off the face of the earth. Though this part takes place in Shepherd's Glen, of course most of the game takes place in Silent Hill, where you see many familiar faces and the nurses without faces. To make things more dynamic they have completely reworked things. It's possible to use new combo moves instead of awkwardly beating on things. You can throw enemies out the window. In contrast with the last installment, SH4 The Room, SH5 will be more like the classic installments of the series. That means you follow a linear storyline and discover the secrets of the town piece by piece. Of course the parellel dimension is again a very important part of the game. The graphic effect where the otherworld changes is taken directly from the film and gives a look at the blood red and rusty world that is underneath the reality. With the Havoc-Physics-Engine, thing get more and more realistic. For example, when you run into a chair, it will fall over. Ha. You can use this in the buildings to distract enemies. Unfortunately our trip to Silent Hill ends here because that's all the footage we have. Until the release in 2009 we'll be reporting about SH5.

GamePro.de - Heft-Inhalt 01_2008

GamePro.de - DVD-Inhalt 01_2008

SilentHill5.net - Silent Hill V News and Updates - New Silent Hill V Scans from GamePro

SilentHill5.net - Silent Hill V News and Updates - New Silent Hill V Gameplay Trailer on GamePro DVD

*Footnote: While the story and video were compiled by Furin of SilentHill5.net, they were originally posted by Slayerhouse of the Nightmare Forums. The videos were later posted on SilentHill5.net's forums by Rage. The translation of the magazine scans and the preview's voice-over was created by Nur_ein_tier.

[StarZander]

I read a short preview of the PS2 version for Silent Hill: Origins in a Swedish gaming magazine, and it hinted at having new material. Has anyone else heard anything about this?

[Nulion]

Hmm...I haven't heard anything about extra content, but what I actually have heard is that if you order Silent Hill Origins from...

http://www.konami-data.com/officialsites/silenthillorigins/

...that website, you get The Silent Hill Experience for free. o.o Pretty nice offer!

It should appear on the right side of the screen, after you enter your birthday and then click "skip intro".

Oddly enough though, the link leads to a Gamestop page where it says that it can't find the information, for some reason.

Can anybody find out more about this?

[ifirit]

Hmm...I haven't heard anything about extra content, but what I actually have heard is that if you order Silent Hill Origins from...

http://www.konami-data.com/officialsites/silenthillorigins/

...that website, you get The Silent Hill Experience for free. o.o Pretty nice offer!

It should appear on the right side of the screen, after you enter your birthday and then click "skip intro".

Oddly enough though, the link leads to a Gamestop page where it says that it can't find the information, for some reason.

Can anybody find out more about this?

GameStop originally offered The Silent Hill Experience (UMD for the PSP) as a pre-order offer for purchasing Silent Hill 0rigins (PS2). Since the game has thus been released, the pre-order offer is no longer available. The offer is not a Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. sponsored bonus, thus, why the link does not direct you to the KonamiStyle webpage. Konami was simply advertising this deal in order to increase purchases of the game, even if through a third-party retailer.

There is a bit of a problem with this though, since the U.S. official site for SH0, which linked to GameStop's retail website, did not make it clear that the offer was a pre-order bonus through GameStop and not through Konami itself. Administrators for the site have also since forgotten to remove the promotion and its links. Of course, this isn't the first time administrators for the official Silent Hill websites have posted dead and incorrect links...

I read a short preview of the PS2 version for Silent Hill: Origins in a Swedish gaming magazine, and it hinted at having new material. Has anyone else heard anything about this?

SH0 for the PS2 does not contain any new material. PERIOD.

However, that doesn't mean the game isn't different. Think of this version as like a special DVD version of a film already released on DVD, where nothing fundemental about the film has changed, but they update the appearance and change a number of subtle background textures and objects.

The changes themselves are pretty skewed towards the beginning, though, since the last two sections of the game are completely unaltered. The game is definitely easier to play and get into the experience than on the PSP, but there's nothing that makes one version inherently better than the other. However, I found the PS2 version less forgivable with programming bugs than the PSP version, mostly because they had the opportunity to fix them, but didn't. Still, those graphics sure look nice.

If you're really interested in seeing the differences between the two games, well, buy it. But, if you'd rather see a glimpse into how they look different, here's some video.

WARNING: Videos Contain SH0 Spoilers

[PS2 Silent Hill 0rigins] Full Playlist

[PSP Silent Hill 0rigins] Full Playlist

[StarZander]

Forbidden Siren is getting a remake for the PS3. Any info on this?

[Brycepops]

Forbidden Siren is getting a remake for the PS3. Any info on this?

http://kotaku.com/380281/ps3-siren-game-confirmed-early

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren:_Blood_Curse

[Monobrow]

Man, I still love this thread. Keep it up guys.

[Nulion]

Well, there was recently a whole lot of new information about Silent Hill: Homecoming. At Konami Gamers' Day '08, there was a playable demo of the game with two areas; a hospital, and a graveyard.

Several videos showing off combat, cutscenes, music, etc etc were also shown. Apparently, in one of the videos, a new trailer that I have *NOT* been able to find anywhere online, there is a new McGlynn (The woman responsible for pretty much all the female vocals in songs from SH3, 4, and Origins) song, and a glimpse of Pyramid Head.

What exactly he's doing in Homecoming, I'm not really sure!

I also hear that the controls are at least a *little* reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, as items can be accessed by holding down L2 and weapons can be accessed by holding down R2. On the PS3 version, of course. Lots of the gaming websites, Gamespot, 1up, IGN, Kotaku, etc etc are posting their own hands-on impressions of the game, and I've heard a lot of positive stuff on it. It's really shaping up!

One thing that confuses me though...isn't this game supposed to be developed by "The Collective"? I've heard that it's being developed by a US branch of Komani called "Double Helix" now, and I'm really not sure which is true.

Oh well. Here, I'll try and post a few of the videos from Konami's Gamers Day '08.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2fKEEY496Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhpOIZ_srDc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXLf53Cu-4M

There's more out there, but that's just a sample until ifirit comes along and completely blows this post out of the water again, hehe. And I hope he does!

EDIT: That last video is kind of an amalgamation of all the trailers released so far onto the net. You'd do good actually just watching that one.

[DJMetal]

Being a huge fan of Jamesy's personal demon, I tried to find that trailer, but to no avail. However, the forum at silent hill origins had a few ideas as to whether or not we'll actually see the trailer at all.

http://www.silenthillorigins.com/forums/showthread.php?p=53530

I hate how they tease us =( But I think that "The Collective" is still developing the game. This article from IGN dated 4 days ago mentions them quite a bit, so I'm assuming they're still the dev team.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/874/874245p1.html?RSSwhen2008-05-15_120000&RSSid=874245

[Global-Trance]

At first I was dreading the release of this game but now I'm surprised to see it shaping up to something worthwhile. It looks like I'll be investing into another Silent Hill!