Silent Hill: Homecoming (PS3 & 360, September '08)

[Just Jeans]

Well apparently, Silent Hill 2 is being released on the 360 with the subtitle "Dreams New". IGN doesn't have jack all on it, but that's what our friends in the E3 thread are saying.

They're also saying Silent Hill 5 has been announced. The game is due out in 2008 on both the 360 and the PS3. The trailer can be seen here (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21611.html), and here (http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/777/777941/img_4703910.html) are some screen grabs:

Konami Announces Silent Hill 5
Renowned psychological horror series makes its next-gen debut in 2008.
posted by Alexis Dunham

July 11, 2007 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced Silent Hill 5 (working title) for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system. Silent Hill 5 marks the debut of the renowned psychological horror series on next-generation consoles. The game thrusts players into a shadowy world of chaos and terror with atmospheric high definition graphics and an original storyline that sheds new light on the desolate, fog-shrouded town of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 5 marks the return of the series that has become one of the leading horror franchises in the world, launching a number of hit entertainment products, including a successful and acclaimed motion picture. The game follows Alex Shepherd, a war veteran returning home from an overseas tour of duty to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his younger brother, Joshua. His travels will lead him through the small, insular community of Shepherd's Glen and eventually through the hauntingly empty streets of Silent Hill.

Building upon the series' trademark foundations of atmosphere, adventure and storytelling, Silent Hill 5 introduces players to a frightening new experience. When confronted by the perverse incarnations of evil that roam Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen, players will be able to utilize an enhanced combat system and execute a number of offensive and defensive maneuvers as they experience every terrifying encounter with the game's numerous nightmarish creatures. Players will also have to solve a variety of puzzles as they progress through the highly atmospheric game world, using cues from the environment to unlock Silent Hill's darkest secrets. Continuing the series' tradition of standout music and sound design, Silent Hill 5 features an original soundtrack by famed composer Akira Yamaoka.

"Silent Hill 5 is an international, cross-cultural production, with leading development talent from around the globe collaborating to raise the bar even higher for this incredible series," said Brian Christian, Vice President of Product Development at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "With gritty graphics and sound that create a haunting atmosphere to all-new visceral gameplay elements, Silent Hill 5 truly epitomizes the extent to which next-generation hardware can enhance the player's overall gaming experience."

Silent Hill 5 is planned for release on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 in 2008. For more information on the game and the Silent Hill franchise, please visit: www.konami.com/silenthill.

[CampNewBlood]

Sweet. The screenshots looks cool.

[Just Jeans]

The plot for Silent Hill: The Arcade has become a bit more apparent:

After watching the footage of Silent Hill: The Arcade, the plot has basically been blown wide open. And believe it or not, it actually fits into the canon of Silent Hill as is.

The plot revolves around an event mentioned in one of the previous Silent Hill games, Silent Hill 2 if my memory serves me right. In that game, there is mention of an old steam boat, the Little Baroness, that disappeared in Toluca Lake in 1918. The game takes place 75 years after this event, the steam boat returns to Silent Hill. The story revolves around a young man named Eric who for whatever reason has connection to the Baroness. A friend of his named Tina comes to visit a little girl in town named Emile and her father Frank. Eric and Tina are the main characters and they go after their friend Jessie, who is kidnapped, then after Emile. That's basically what I got out of the game's plot.

Like Silent Hill Origins, I hope this game does really well and we end up seeing a port to a console system.

[The Dream Master]

Fuck, a SH arcade game? I'd be all over that if, you know, there were still arcades around in the US. Here's hoping it gets a console release at some point. It'd be pretty easy to port to the Wii.

[Just Jeans]

Even if the game did hit American arcades, there'd be no way to save. The game is apparently so long that they're offering a save function that only exists in Japanese Konami machines (it's something to do with swiping a card through the machine and connection to a Konami database in Japan). Importing the machine would be pointless because saving would be impossible, and I hear the game is going to run about 20 hours long.

I'm hoping for a Wii port as well. Or a PS3/360 port with light gun support. Time Crisis 4 is coming out for the PS3 -- bundled with the GunCon 3 -- and I'd love to play it as well, so seeing Silent Hill the Arcade on PS3 would be sweet.

[Rich]

The first one for the PS1 was so classic, but like many classic horror films, it has been destroyed by crappy force fed sequels. If anything they should re-release the original on new systems with upgraded graphic rather then make another dumb sequel. I played Parts 2 and 3. I never even bothered with Part 4.

[Just Jeans]

Silent Hill 2 is the best game in the series. The only game that I thought was even lacking was Silent Hill 4, but that's not surprising when you consider it was originally developed as a stand-alone game and then transformed into a Silent Hill title.

I like the idea of an anthology series revolving around Silent Hill. I was okay with Silent Hill 3 returning to the events from the first game, but I hope the rest of the games that come out in this series are stand-alone adventures. There's precious little anthology horror left out there anymore -- it's practically non existent in film and video gaming -- so having the Silent Hill franchise calms the shakes.

I still think that the fifth game on should be called "Tales from Silent Hill" and a subtitle rather than having a number tagged to the end. I'd like Silent Hill to be the Final Fantasy of survival horror.

[The Dream Master]

I like all the SH games, but I think the third was my favorite precisely because it was more of a direct sequel to the first game. As it stands, I think it'd be cool if each installment sort of alternated between being more anthology-oriented and sequel-oriented. That would mean SH 5 would somehow return to the story of the first and third games.

[Just Jeans]

Silent Hill Origins (which I'll be able to play on my TV thanks to the new version of the PSP) should be out before SH 5. That ties directly into the first game. Then Silent Hill 5 will come out, and will probably be a stand-alone game (although it is similar to Silent Hill 3 in that, apparently, the first half of the game will not be set in Silent Hill). The cult may be involved, but given that they're comparing the game to Silent Hill 2 (in terms of the mind-fuck factor), I'm thinking it probably won't be tied to the first or third game, which is fine by me.

The series was never meant to return to that storyline in the first place -- they only did so because the fans kept asking them to -- and besides, I think the third game did a perfectly good job of tying up the Harry Mason/Heather Morris/Cult/Alessa/Samael storyline.

[Monkey]

Even if the game did hit American arcades, there'd be no way to save. The game is apparently so long that they're offering a save function that only exists in Japanese Konami machines (it's something to do with swiping a card through the machine and connection to a Konami database in Japan). Importing the machine would be pointless because saving would be impossible, and I hear the game is going to run about 20 hours long...
Saving an arcade game? Given all the crazy things everybody does with technology/memory/etc., you'd think this would've happened years ago...

I didn't play the first game until last year. The graphics were a big turnoff, but the quality of the original surpassed its' graphical shortcomings. It was still pretty damn scary; great atmosphere (children trying to stab you to death in elementary school... and the greatest beginning to any video game I'VE ever played)...

I'm a fan of the original and part 2 on the X-box. Didn't care for part 4; too boring. Anybody recommend part 3? I hear it's very similar to the original. Too bad the movie sucked...

How about a remake of the original???

[Just Jeans]

The remake of the original was scrapped in favor of Silent Hill: Origins. The game was originally pitched to Team Silent as a remake, but they decided to make the game a prequel (and it's looking quite good for a PSP game).

I would recommend the third game, yes. It tends to be a fan favorite. I prefer Silent Hill 2 myself, but the ties between Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 make it a must play.

[The Dream Master]

I'll second that suggestion by Jeans. I love Silent Hill 3--it's actually my favorite in the series, if I had to pick one.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I loved Silent Hill 1 & 2.....They both were generally scary, IMO. That's the difference between these and the Resident Evil games....I do prefer the RE games. RE is more about action, and Silent Hill is more about getting inside your head.

I actually haven't even played 3 or 4.

[Scarecrow]

I NEED to play these games. Seriously.


- Scarecrow

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I would recommend starting with the classic original. :) If you play that game in the dark, it actually is a bit unnerving at times.

[sickboy]

Even if the game did hit American arcades, there'd be no way to save. The game is apparently so long that they're offering a save function that only exists in Japanese Konami machines (it's something to do with swiping a card through the machine and connection to a Konami database in Japan). Importing the machine would be pointless because saving would be impossible, and I hear the game is going to run about 20 hours long.



Why in the hell has noone thought of incorporating memory-stick or sd card support for these games? Virtually every camera/phone/pda uses these things now, so it would be an awesome idea. Hell, you could even have vending machines that dispense the damn things.

In fact, you could have a psp game that ties in, and be able to swap data between the arcade and the psp.

On a more on-topic note: SH 1 was fucking scary. Seriously, one of the best games ever released in terms of atmosphere and gameplay. sh4 however didn't excite me. A 360 remake of SH1 is in order methinks.

[Just Jeans]

I'm not going to tell you where to find it, but the demo for Silent Hill Origins has been leaked onto the internet. The interesting bit? The ending FMV from the game is on the thing. :duh: If you know how to mount it on your PC and have the right codecs for your video players, you can watch the opening and ending FMV before the game has even been released (I hear the ending FMV is MASSIVELY spoilerific about the original game).

Anyhoo, the demo itself is set in the hospital. I can't wait to have a crack at it. :funky:

Silent Hill Origins is set to release in the United States on November 07th, 2007.

Why in the hell has noone thought of incorporating memory-stick or sd card support for these games?

It does, apparently. It's just that Konami has never released the system in the United States, because Arcade machines are a dying breed.

A 360 remake of SH1 is in order methinks.

If the game receives a remake, I can almost guarantee it'll be a Sony release (with a possible Microsoft port later). Team Silent seem to favor Sony systems.

[Just Jeans]

EGM this month has an extremely in-depth article about Silent Hill 5, with some AMAZING screen grabs from the early build. The monsters in the game are absolutely twisted, and the graphics are beautiful.

I was wrong -- Team Silent aren't working on this game (with the exception of Akira Yamaoka). This game is another stand-alone title (like Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 4), and is being developed by The Collective, with Akira Yamaoka set to produce the score and act as executive consultant.

The very basic story is about a 22-year-old soldier named Alex Shepherd who returns to his home town of Shepherd's Glen -- a small town in New England -- after getting injured while deployed in Iraq. When he arrives home, he finds that his father is missing and his mother is catatonic. He also learns that his brother, Joshua, has gone missing as well. Alex and his friend, Ellie, set out to find Joshua, and their quest unveils some extreme dark secrets in the town of Shepherd's Glen, and exposes the town's enigmatic connection to the small resort town of Silent Hill.

The battle system in the game will take into account Alex's training as a soldier. He will go into Silent Hill much better equipped than previous protagonists, which is good because the monsters in the game will display some serious aggression -- they'll tear down doors between rooms, and they'll engage in struggles with Alex that, should the player fail to win the button-mashing mini-game that accompanies the attacks, can be fatal in a single blow (EGM reported seeing one such encounter that ended with Alex getting cut in half down the middle). The camera in the game will also be controllable with the right analog stick, and will rotate 360 degrees.

The game will feature real-time battle damage on both Alex and the game's enemies. If you get cut, that cut will stay on Alex for the duration of the game. Also, the game will be using the Havoc engine, so everything in the game environment will be interactive. Say you're in a kitchen, by the table. If you bump into a chair, the chair could slide into the table, knock a bunch of junk off the table so that it clatters noisily to the floor, which will draw enemies to you.

Overall, the game is looking impressive, and I'm glad the story is going down a more psychological road (it's been compared to Silent Hill 2 by Akira Yamaoka) but I'm a little worried that Konami held a bidding war to let an outside team work on the game. The Collective won the bidding war by creating a playable demo that represented what they wanted to do, and they're all big Silent Hill fans, so fingers crossed.

Here's a semi-transcript of the EGM article. (http://silenthill5.net/2007/08/27/silent-hill-v-egm-article.html)
Here's some gameplay videos. (http://silenthill5.net/)

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I think it's really cool that they're including the Real time "world" change feature......much like in the film.

I haven't played a Silent Hill game since 2, but this one seems to be going back to the first 2.....atmosphere-wise. This would probably be the first game I get whenever I get a PS3. :)

[Just Jeans]

The third game was very much like the first game in terms of atmosphere, even more so than Silent Hill 2.

I was also stoked to read that they'll be lifting the effect of the change from the fog world to the industrial dark world in the game. That's a great effect in the film, and I was really hoping it would make it into Silent Hill V.

[Biosynthnut v.2]

Game sounds very promising. As long as it's more like the first two.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

Dumb question: Is there going to be a PS2 port of this? Right now, the money situation at home isn't like it used to be, so I don't see being able to purchase a PS3 for a little bit.

I'm pretty psyched about this, actually. I really enjoyed the first 2. I actually thought 3 looked decent, but never got around to actually playing it. That one is a direct sequel to the original, right? 3 had the atmosphere of the original.

[Just Jeans]

Considering the game is being dual developed for both the 360 and PS3, I highly doubt there will be a PS2 port. The game mechanics and graphics would never sustain on the PS2.

Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to Silent Hill, yes.

[Just Jeans]

New cover art for Origins:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/SH-O_boxart.jpg

[MaDMaNMaRz]

That's a pretty cool cover. Too bad I don't have a PSP. :(

[Just Jeans]

It'll be the first game I get if and when I get a PSP (along with Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII). I'm planning to get the PSP that connects to the television, so I'll be playing it right here on the telly. :shy:

[Just Jeans]

Silent Hill Origins scores a whopping 8 out of 10 from IGN (http://psp.ign.com/articles/834/834588p1.html):

November 12, 2007 - By now, gamers have become well aware that if any character mentions Silent Hill, they're in for a world of pain. Full of insanity, skinned monstrosities, alternate dimensions and a freakish cult hellbent on destroying the world, this supposedly sleepy town has ensnared its visitors with a unique brand of survival horror. Over the course of four console games and a feature length movie, fans have descended its depths and explored its buildings, looking to escape from its fog-enshrouded streets. The evil has crossed from consoles to the PSP with the latest title, Silent Hill 0rigins, which attempts to explain what made the town so twisted to begin with.

Players are introduced to Travis Grady, a truck driver with insomnia and other issues. With a past that he doesn't like to talk about and even has trouble remembering, Travis is alone in the world, and likes things that way. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself driving his freight towards the town of Brahms on a stormy night, and decides to take a shortcut past Silent Hill to save himself some time. What unfolds, however, is much more than a simple detour, as Travis slams on the brakes when he sees a small child in the road. The trucker finds himself dragged into Silent Hill, where, unbeknownst to him, his fate is intertwined with that of Alessa, Dahlia and the Order.

Unlike some of the previous protagonists of the Silent Hill titles, Travis is pretty capable in battle, particularly with his fists. By holding the R button, Travis enters his combat stance, where he can perform light or strong attacks to weaken monsters. You can also acquire a number of melee weapons, such as tire irons, jagged pieces of wood and poles, and even projectiles, such as alcohol bottles or filing cabinets. Much of this and other item collection is done as you explore the town, and Travis will indicate items that you can collect or interact with by a subtle turn of his head. However, you aren't able to rely upon the same weapon constantly to see your way through the town, because all of them will break after a certain amount of time. Projectiles, while powerful, can only be used once against a monster before they shatter. As a result, you'll need to weigh whether or not you're going to get into a fight or run away to save a particular item with a long reach.

Or do you? Unfortunately, while the concepts behind combat in 0rigins are cool, the implementation is somewhat skewed. Sure, your melee weapons break, but there are so many items that you can acquire to replace them that you never feel like you're in danger of relying solely upon your fists to survive. I killed a number of creatures and broke plenty of drip stands, spears and crowbars, but there were always plenty of objects to replace them. In fact, by the time I got to the final boss, I found that I still had at least twenty or thirty melee weapons of various conditions in my inventory. Another strike against combat is that your projectile weapons quickly become useless against many of the monsters you face off against. It's pretty easy to toss a television into a nurse because she's pretty slow and weak, but later enemies can frequently shrug off some of these one hit kills. What's more, hefting and throwing these items takes a long time, which can easily open Travis up to injury against some of the faster enemies or monsters that spit viscous liquid at you. Additionally, the quick time events that you'll find yourself sometimes engaging in if monsters get too close don't have the same kind of impact that they do in other games. You don't gain any additional damage on monsters, but instead push them away, which feels like a bit of a letdown compared to the other battle elements.

Now, you can avoid some of this by using firearms when you get your hands on them, but that raises a few series questions. The first is that there's a ton of firearms and ammunition in 0rigins. From handguns and shotguns to rifles and assault rifles, players have a lot of ways to eliminate monsters. While you don't want to waste rounds on every single creature, you'll most likely find that you'll have more than enough to inflict significant damage on monsters and bosses as you're going through. Plus, since Travis is a pretty decent shot (thanks to the enemy lock-on function), you feel a bit more confident with your shooting skills than any other Silent Hill game to date, which feels a bit uncharacteristic of the franchise.

Another issue that crops up is the problem of the camera, which is designed to highlight dramatic angles or impart a sense of claustrophobia. While it does this rather well, it fails within battle, as you will frequently find yourself struggling to see what is attacking you from off-screen. What's more, you may find that as you swing or move forward in battle, the camera angle will change and you'll accidentally move in the wrong direction or run into danger rather than away from it. Even trying to remedy this is somewhat hampered, because centering the camera doesn't work as well as it should, which is very unfortunate.

Of course, combat isn't the only thing within 0rigins - Players will find themselves exploring the town, collecting objects and using them in to gain access to new areas. Frequently, this will take you across both the foggy "normal world" and the industrialized "other world" that has become synonymous with Silent Hill. However, 0rigins has a rather unique twist that makes exploration a bit more flexible, but is possibly controversial as far as the series is concerned. Instead of being dragged into the other world kicking and screaming, feeling as if your grip on reality is being stripped away from you, you pick and choose when you're going to travel between both worlds with the use of mirrors that have been scattered across the town. Since you can control these at will, the sense of dread or foreboding is sometimes stripped out of venturing into the other dimensions in favor of searching for a door to unlock or a new item to collect. The mental institution, in particular, is guilty of this, because the section drags on for way too long.

owever, once you're past this situation, you'll find a number of elements to like, particularly in the standard Silent Hill formula of puzzles, which take on the familiar sense of off-kilter and strange that only this franchise can impart. Puzzles such as putting together a surgery mannequin, only to find that same dummy skinned in the other world, or feeding medication to doll's heads, is odd, but feels completely in keeping with the funky nature of the franchise. Also in keeping with the franchise standards are the inclusion of multiple endings, although there's a bit of a twist in the form of accolades and extra options. Once you've beaten the game, your performance is evaluated over multiple criteria, such as the number of items collected or the number of enemies you killed with your bare hands. These unlock different items for you, such as outfits, flashlight skins or other options. Imagine taking on the skinned creatures of Silent Hill dressed as a Mexican wrestler with a flashlight that projects a smiley face -- thanks to some creative awards, Travis can explore the town in brand new ways.

Jokes of the accolades aside, 0rigins is visually stunning on the PSP. Climax and Konami have managed to capture every disturbing aspect of the console games in startling detail. From the cluttered and junk strewn locations to the rusty, chaos filled doppelgangers of the alternate dimensions, everything feels like it's been stripped from one of the other titles and shrunk down to the handheld. Character models are large and detailed, and many of the monsters show off a slick, oily sheen that highlights their unnatural shapes. The ubiquitous fog that makes Silent Hill as ominous as it has become known for shows up extremely well, and the well placed items of gore and other scare tactics (including flashbacks and cutscenes) work extremely well.

Aurally, 0rigins truly delivers, with a soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka anchoring the sound for the game. There are unnerving clangs and sharp effects that pierce the silence of moments, which contrast with ethereal songs and lightly voiced whispers that call out to Travis. As a disclaimer at the beginning of the game states, you really will want to take advantage of this game in a dark room with headphones. Honestly, it cries out for this setting, and you'll thank yourself for setting up this playing experience so you can take advantage of every noise and see the game the way it was supposed to be played. Voice acting is pretty good as well, so you won't feel as though you're being taken out of the game by horrendous line delivery.

Telling the origin story of a well established franchise can be an extremely hazardous thing to do, but Silent Hill: 0rigins manages to wrap both the mythology of the movie and games together in an impressive package on the PSP. With a good storyline, intriguing gameplay elements and excellent production and replay value, 0rigins is definitely worthy of a Silent Hill fan's attention. While the combat and camera system is pretty weak, and the manual control over shifting between dimensions removes the feeling of dread, 0rigins does justice to the series as a whole.

A friend owns Origins, and he's going to loan it tome to play once he's done. Woot!

I think it's interesting that this game tries to tie the film and games together in some way.

[Scarecrow]

Sounds decent. I find it odd though that one hand they complain the weapons and throwing makes attackign too easy and then on the other say it can be too slow to throw things levaing you open to attack. Surely that just blanaces out as making the choice to attack soemthing you have to consider and thus a good bit of gameplay???


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

I think their complaint is that it's unbalanced -- one minute it's too easy, the next it's too hard. There's no middle ground. To be fair, the Silent Hill games have always had questionable battle mechanics. I'm glad that Silent Hill V is putting the action in a trained soldier's hands. It's going to be nice to fight my way through Silent Hill with a guy who actually knows how to aim a firearm and how to defend himself with his bare hands (it's nice to see that option in Origins, too).

It's too bad that the barricade system was ditched. Based on early reports it had real promise.

[Just Jeans]

I got to play Origins for about 25 minutes last night. I met Alyssa, saw Dahlia, and spoke to Kaufman. The game really does capture the essence of Silent Hill, and so far I think I like it. Combat hasn't been an issue, and I've got quite an arsenal built up.

From an aesthetic point of view, I think it's neat that they've dressed Alyssa in the same kind of school uniform that she wears in the Silent Hill film.

[Chex]

Considering I've played the heck out of the first one when I had the chance, I'd love to go through this installment. Problem is, I don't have the system it's for.

[Just Jeans]

The Official Soundtrack for Silent Hill Origins is due to be released on January 25th in Japan. It's currently up for pre-order on Konami's Japanese website. Initially, it was reported that Yamaoka would be writing only 11 or 12 new pieces of music for the game, but the soundtrack CD clocks in at 30 tracks.

In other news, I just had to turn off Silent Hill Origins and take a break. The game damn near scared the piss out of me, which is saying something when you consider it's a hand held game. Playing with headphones really does make all the difference.

Is anyone else playing this yet?

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I would play it if I had a PSP. :( I was thinking about getting one, but with Christmas coming up, I need to save up so I can buy gifts.

[Just Jeans]

I'm playing it on a borrowed PSP.

I'm about midway through the theatre now. Lisa -- the nurse in red from the original game -- is all sorts of out of her gourd in this game. She's level-headed and kind in the original game, at least until she starts crying blood, but in this game she's just bizarre.

Also, the Butcher seems to be a Pyramid Head-inspired creation.

[Just Jeans]

For anyone who was bummed that they might not get to play Silent Hill Origins due to it being released on the PSP, never fear: the PS2 port is up for pre-order at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Konami-Silent-Hill-Origins/dp/B0011BE3KA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1201142041&sr=8-2), and is listed to be released on March 4th.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/51X3TKQV0wL_SS500_.jpg

Oddly enough, Konami still hasn't even confirmed the game is in development for a port, but here's the information that exists:

In early December 2007, fairly reliable rumors began circulating about Origins getting a port to the PlayStation 2 console. Reports indicated that Konami is looking into releasing the title on the PS2 for a wider audience with the release date scheduled for March 2008.

The project was revealed through a leaked fact sheet which revealed that Climax would once again be involved in development for the console version. The official Climax website does confirm they are working on an unannounced title for Konami, but as of December 15, 2007, the publisher has not yet confirmed if this project is the PS2 port, another Silent Hill-related project, or something different.

As of January 2008, online retailer Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for a PS2 port of Origins, even though Konami and Climax have yet to make an official confirmation of the project.

I figured that a PS2 port of this game was a foregone conclusion, and I'll be thrilled to put this on my shelf next to the other four PS2 games. I wonder if Climax will be doing anything special for the PS2 release? Silent Hill 2 got some nice special features when it was ported to the X Box, so it'd be nice if Origins gets some special features, too.
ADDED:
IGN confirms Silent Hill Origins port (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/846/846858p1.html)

January 22, 2008 - Silent Hill Origins, a series prequel and the first handheld title in Konami's survival horror franchise, will soon irrevocably shred the space/time continuum when it is ported from the PlayStation Portable to the PlayStation 2.

Origins was released for the PSP in November and takes players back to Silent Hill to learn what made one of gaming's creepiest burgs so bizarre to begin with. Today, Konami confirmed that a PS2 version of said prequel is in development.

"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 Silent Hill. You'll help Travis escape the city's blood-splattered inhabitants and unravel the mystery of the strange hallucinations from Travis' past, visions that have plagued him since childhood.

The PSP version of the game suffers from some frame rate issues and some slight vertical tearing issues, but I bet those are cleared up on the console version.

[Just Jeans]

I'm listening to the Silent Hill Origins soundtrack right now -- Silent Hill Zero is what it's called in Japan, not surprisingly -- and it's a wonderful bit of music. Yamaoka hasn't lost his sense of style, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn sounds as beautiful as ever.

I really can't wait for the PS2 port of this game to come out.

[Scarecrow]

The songs in the original game are some of the most disturbing, depressing and brillaint works I've heard.


- Scarecrow

[Biosynthnut v.2]

Second that. I use it for Halloween out side. And it's just down right creepy. I got my gf moms ps2 for awhile so I plan on picking this one up.

[Just Jeans]

The Origins soundtrack is a lot like the original Silent Hill soundtrack in terms of tone, although on the album some of the tracks have been rearranged.

[freako104]

I hope SH2 comes to the 360. It was my favourite of all the SH games. I might pick up Origins for the PS2 if it does actually come out. That and if it is worth it. (though I need to replace my PS2)

[Just Jeans]

I hope SH2 comes to the 360.

You can get it for the X-Box. I rather doubt it'll be remade for the 360.

I might pick up Origins for the PS2 if it does actually come out. That and if it is worth it.

It is. Silent Hill Origins is me second favorite game in the series after Silent Hill 2. I can't wait for the PS2 version to come out.

[freako104]

I have SH2 for Xbox.Thing is though is that it doesn't work in a 360 or so I am getting

[Just Jeans]

It will eventually. You've just got to wait for Microsoft to release the required patch.

[Just Jeans]

So it looks like rather than release a frame-for-frame port, Silent Hill Origins for the PS2 will feature significantly better character models than the original PSP title.

Travis Grady on the PSP
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/TravisPSP.jpg


Travis Grady on the PS2
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/TravisPS2.jpg


Monster Nurse on the PSP
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/NursePSP.jpg


Monster Nurse on the PS2
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x124/f13thtribute/NursePS2.jpg


Just at a glance, it looks like the levels themselves have been improved too, but it'll be hard to tell without seeing it in motion. I'm glad they decided against just slapping the PSP game on a PS2 disc as-is (which is how Rockstar ported the GTA PSP titles, I think). I can't wait to re-play this game!

[Just Jeans]

Konami pulls a fast one (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/856/856618p1.html) and ships the game nearly a month early:

March 4, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Silent Hill Origins has shipped to retail stores in North America for the PlayStation 2 Computer Entertainment System. Now, console gamers can now enjoy the terror and fear-inducing chills of the PSP (PlayStation Portable) System game as well.

"Silent Hill Origins for the PlayStation 2 system gives console game lovers the same chilling, suspenseful and fear-filled experience that handheld gamers encountered with the release of Silent Hill Origins on the PSP system," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "PlayStation 2 system gamers will get the chance to learn more about the mystery and mythos hinted at in earlier Silent Hill games."

Featuring enhanced visuals for the PlayStation 2 system, Silent Hill Origins tells the tale 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.

Throughout the game, Travis can 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 more than one possible ending.

The PSP System game was one of the highest reviewed titles for the platform, receiving high praise from media outlets such as GamePro, GameZone.com, Hardcore Gamer Magazine and PLAY Magazine.

Silent Hill Origins is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB and available for an SRP of $29.99. For more information, please visit www.konami.com.

Gotta pick it up ASAP!

[Just Jeans]

Silent Hill V is no longer a numbered sequel. Now called Silent Hill: Homecoming, the game is scheduled for release (http://kotaku.com/382044/silent-hill-5-named-and-dated) in September of this year.

Konami's first Silent Hill® title for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced the official title of its first Silent Hill game for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360. Entitled Silent Hill: Homecoming, the game will be released end of September this year across Europe.

The sixth installment in the classic video games series, Silent Hill: Homecoming introduces another protagonist to the mythos. The story follows Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown of Shepherd's Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his brother. From Shepherd's Glen to Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother's disappearance, and confront the evil lurks in the seemingly empty streets of Silent Hill.

Homecoming is the first Silent Hill title for the new wave of 'next generation' consoles, featuring all-new graphics that bring the fear and terror of Silent Hill alive like never before. Alex must survive attacks from the misshapen denizens of the town using an all-new enhanced combat system that provides a wide array of attacks and counters. Along the way, Alex will encounter a variety of weapons to battle these horrific monsters and must also solve deadly puzzles as he uncovers the darkest secrets of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill: Homecoming also features an all-new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka.

Also, IGN has had some hands-on time (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/874/874245p1.html) with the game. It sounds promising.

[Chex]

Since there isn't just a Silent Hill only topic, I guess I'll post this here:

http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh/features/otherworld.php

It's an article written up describing the use of the real world, foggy world, and other world in the entries for the series. Everything is broken up into games so don't worry about reading Silent Hill 3's spoilers in Silent Hill 2.

There's also an interesting article concerning the early history of survival horror games:

http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh/features/prehistoryofhorror.php

To me, it's a fun read simply because it has Uninvited, Sweet Home, and Clock Tower. I also can't stress enough that if you want to play an Argento feeling type game, check out the latter title.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

za2iYFR-FhI

And also, check out THIS SITE (http://www.widgamer.com/news_5043.html) where you can view 50 Screen shots from the game!

[Biosynthnut v.2]

Game has shipped out as of yesterday. I didn't even know it was done or ready.... Probably rent it.

[The Taff]

Beth is going fucking GAH GAH over this game, but I've always had zero interest in survival horror. I've given them their shots, and besides Resident Evil game snone truly stuck with me.

ANd Resident Evil is an impulse game I fire up when the mood hits me.

[jayTL]

Well, I LOVE the game!

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

I'm picking up my reserved copy later today. I can't wait!

Added: 10/3/08:

HOLY SHIT.

So far, this game is AMAZING.

Definitely great to see SILENT HILL back. :D

[Just Jeans]

I'm glad someone seems to like the game. My best friend has been quite underwhelmed, and told me all the video game magazines are panning it. :X

[jayTL]

oh yeah, its getting bad reviews. But they are wrong lol.

[freako104]

Only thing I don't like thus far is the smog enemy. Otherwise I love this game

[jayTL]

yeah, I just run from them. I'm pretty super duper far, but got stuck, so now I don't know what to do. And I loved the game, but if I were to call it something, It'd be Silent Hill Light.

[jayTL]

http://www.destructoid.com/want-three-tracks-from-silent-hill-homecoming-for-free--106668.phtml#comment


get some free tracks from the soundtrack

[Just Jeans]

Sweet. I've been waiting for some word on an official OST.

I'm glad a Mary Elizabeth McGlynn song is part of the bonus tracks, I love the songs she sings.

[jayTL]

and i LOVE her song in this one

[Biosynthnut v.2]

Is the camera work better? I liked the premise of SH4...but the camera made it unbareable to play.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

Well...I was enjoying the game...up until the ending. It took a completely different turn from the Silent Hill lore, and that upsets me greatly, as a big fan of the other games.

It practically went into "Eli Roth's HOSTEL" territory.:mad:

I love that film...but that shit DOES NOT Belong in Silent Hill.

[Just Jeans]

Look what a little birdy dropped in my lap:

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/cover-2.jpg

There's still no official soundtrack release for the game, but a 21 track promotional CD has started turning up in Game Stop stores, presumably to be offered as pre-order incentive items for other Konami titles. I've not pre-ordered anything in ages, but since I happen to be best buds with a Game Stop manager, a copy of this limited-not-for-sale item has found its way into my grubby hands.

Sometimes, it pays off to know people in the know. :sniffle:

[jayTL]

how is it? Im gonna grab it later on at work

[Just Jeans]

I've not played Homecoming yet so I'm listening to this completely out of context, but I'd say it features some of my favorite music in the franchise. Yamaoka is in fine form, and the four tracks with vocals by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn are as good as ever. If the full soundtrack is as good as what's on this disc, it's probably my second favorite (right after Silent Hill 3).