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Silent Hill: Downpour PS3 forecasts a November 8 launch in Japan
The future may not be so bright for Silent Hill: Downpour developer Vatra Games, but Japanese gamers looking to play the latest in Konami's scary series will get their shot later this year. Silent Hill: Downpour will launch in Japan on November 8, the official Twitter account has revealed.Konami will only localize Silent Hill: Downpour on PS3, choosing to forego an Xbox 360 port for obvious reasons – those obvious reasons being that nobody in Japan buys Xbox 360 games. Ever. Not a single person ever. Go ahead and check; we'll wait.Told you so.
Silent Hill: Downpour studio Vatra Games 'under review' for closure, 'no decisions have yet been made'
Silent Hill: Downpour's Czech Republic-based developer Vatra Games is "under review," according to a statement from UK-based parent company Kuju Entertainment. The statement comes after a damning tweet from former 2K Czech employee David Semik stated, "Vatra Games RIP," though Kuju contends that "at this stage, no decisions have yet been made."Vatra is said to be working on a non-Silent Hill game following this year's Downpour. Eurogamer Czech was told the project is akin to Darksiders or God of War-style action games. It's unclear if that project will continue, or how long Vatra has before hearing of its fate. Downpour received mixed reactions from critics. The studio's only other game thus far has been Rush 'n Attack: Ex-Patriot. It was formed by several ex-2K Czech employees in 2009.
Silent Hill HD Collection, Downpour and Book of Memories all coming in March
You know what they say about March: In like a lion, out like a twitchy, messed up sex monster. That is to say that Konami has revealed that Silent Hill HD Collection, Silent Hill: Downpour and Silent Hill: Book of Memories will all be released this March. Breaking it all down, HD Collection will be released on March 6, Downpour on March 13 and the Vita exclusive Book of Memories on March 27. Then again, maybe a March release makes sense, what with the madness and all. Check out some new screens of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 iteration, Silent Hill: Downpour, in the gallery below.%Gallery-144415%
Silent Hill: Downpour brings the old back to the new
As we saw back at E3, Silent Hill: Downpour evokes the feel of old Silent Hill games, by sending its protagonist Murphy into the familiar town, where he finds monsters, creepiness, and all sorts of dangerous puzzles. But producer Tomm Hulett says this version of the game isn't just about revisiting the setting of the old titles -- he's trying to collect some new fans as well. "Bringing Silent Hill into sort of a modern game, for old fans, mainstream, for new fans, whatever, it's interesting," he told us at a recent preview event. "Because you need to keep those classic elements but you need to make them interesting for people who are used to Dead Space or Red Dead." To that end, Downpour has a few systems in it designed to make sure that the new game not only lives up to the Silent Hill franchise, but allows newer players (and even those who just want a good scare) to experience all the frightening fun, too.%Gallery-142907%
Silent Hill: Downpour Design Director leaves Vatra Games
Brian Gomez, design director for Vatra Games' upcoming Silent Hill: Downpour, has left the company in order to pursue other opportunities a little closer to home. "When it was announced that Downpour was being delayed to 2012, my family and I came to the decision that I couldn't keep making the commute between Los Angeles and Brno for another 4 to 6 months," Gomez said in a letter to the Silent Hill Historical Society. Gomez reassured the Silent Hill hopeful that his absence will have no adverse effect on Downpour's development, as it is nearly completed. Gomez also implied creative differences between his vision and Konami's, although he did not cite them as a reason for his departure: "There's a lot of things I still want to do in this genre that Konami simply didn't let me do." Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, is a solid 6,049.2 miles away from Los Angeles, which is a fairly substantial commute for any family man. Silent Hill: Downpour is still slated for a 2012 release, come rain or shine.
2012 goes Silent Hill crazy with Book of Memories, HD Collection, and Downpour launching in Q1
Originally slated for Fall 2011, Silent Hill HD Collection is now heading to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 24, 2012. Konami is also putting Silent Hill's first PlayStation Vita outing, Book of Memories, in the handheld's launch window of February 2012 (Vita itself hits retailers on February 22). Rounding out the survival-horror trio of launches, Silent Hill Downpour falls to retail sometime in March. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game was pushed back to the murky "Q1 2012" earlier this month, but it seems that Konami has cleared things up. Here's hoping you're ready for a surprisingly macabre beginning to 2012!
Silent Hill: Downpour officially pushed to Q1 2012
Please disregard initial forecasts for Silent Hill: Downpour. The launch has been delayed from 2011 to the first quarter of 2012, giving us all more time to fill bags with sand, collect tin cans full of preserved meats and, of course, panic over what the hell we're going to do about Pyramid Head. MCV broke the news earlier today, confirming the new launch window with Konami. Though the publisher has yet to release an official statement, several outlets have confirmed Downpour's going back in the oven. That's a good thing, probably: how else is protagonist Murphy supposed to dry his clothes?
Silent Hill: Downpour 'not missing out' without Yamaoka, says Vatra dev
Vatra Games design director Brian Gomez doesn't feel that his studio's upcoming survival-horror title, Silent Hill: Downpour, is being too adversely affected by the absence of longtime series composer Akira Yamaoka. "I was worried when we lost him, we lost him really early on in Downpour. But I was a big fan of Dexter already, so I'm happy we got Daniel Licht," Gomez told me this morning after a GDC Europe panel on the SH franchise. "It was the closest to Akira but also brought something new to it," he added. Back in 2009, Downpour producer (at Konami) Tomm Hulett told us, "If Akira's music isn't there, it just doesn't sound quite right. And I'm sure that there are people out there who could emulate the sound and try to get it close, but there would be something missing." But time heals all wounds, and Gomez thinks the game will still fall in line with the franchise's established standard of audio. "As much as I would've loved the honor of working with Akira, I don't feel that we're missing out by not having him." That said, it's clear that Gomez wants Yamaoka back at Konami, and back on the Silent Hill franchise. Speaking to the ongoing friction between Yamaoka and his formeremployer, Gomez added, "I think this whole feud between he and Konami is just fucking stupid. Everyone needs to calm down, and bring him back in, and do something." Gomez had yet to play Yamaoka's latest work, the critically acclaimed (but commercially ignored) Shadows of the Damned from Grasshopper Manufacture and EA. "I've just been too busy with Downpour, unfortunately."
Shine a light on these Silent Hill: Downpour screens
Silent Hill: Downpour protagonist Murphy Pendleton is holding a flashlight in most of the game's latest screenshots. We could definitely see where a handheld illuminator would come in handy in the rain, though we'd happily trade it in for an umbrella. Or a poncho! Or some rigid, classy galoshes.
Silent Hill: Downpour preview: Shattered Homecoming
Noisy trade show floors are notoriously bad places to preview survival horror games. You can try to preserve crucial atmosphere with headphones, but even then it's hard not to be at least a little distracted. As such, it's hard for me to compare the overall feel of Silent Hill: Downpour to that of its moody brethren, but I can at least offer a technical rundown.%Gallery-126003%
Silent Hill Downpour: now with three dimensions and one Korn song
For the best, most immersive experience in Silent Hill: Downpour, you may need to expand your set of home entertainment accoutrements. You'll need a pair of 3D glasses to take advantage of the game's newly announced stereoscopic 3D support, as well as impenetrable ear plugs to withstand the game's exclusive theme song -- provided by nu-metal band Korn. Tentatively titled "Silent Hill," the song is pitched as "a perfect complement" to game's soundtrack, which is the first to be created by Dexter-ous composer Dan Licht. If the departure of former franchise composer Akira Yamaoka drove you into a murderous rage, a Korn-fed substitution might just compel you to sign a petition. (Oh yes, that's already happening.)
Pull up a chair for some Silent Hill: Downpour footage
Silent Hill has seen its share of interesting weapons over the years. Katanas, giant drills and even lasers have all been featured. After today, however, they must bow to the ultimate weapon of Silent Hill: Downpour, the mighty chair. See it in action in the footage after the break.
Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot review: Ex-crement
Of all the things to love about this console generation, the most unexpected is the resurgence of the classics. Thanks to the digital marketplace, we've got pixel-for-pixel remakes of old-school favorites, and high-definition updates. We've got sequels no one ever thought would happen, like Mega Man 9. We've got brand-new games that are faithful to the style and spirit of the 8-bit era, while introducing new gameplay innovations. Now, the final proof the retro market is hopping: We've also got lazy cash-ins. Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot, the franchise reboot nobody was clamoring for, is the most mystifying resurrection of a moribund property since the big-screen version of Car 54, Where Are You? %Gallery-95870%
XBLA in Brief: Islands of Wakfu, Strania, Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot
It's a rare three-game release on Xbox Live Arcade this week. Up for grabs are Islands of Wakfu, Strania and Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot. The latter is the latest in the running and stabbing series from Konami, Strania is a bullet hell shooter and, finally, Islands of Wakfu is ... well, it's an action RPG spin-off of a popular French MMORPG. For what it's worth, Islands of Wakfu also contains a "mighty platypus." We've included the duck-billed star in the latest episode of XBLA in Brief, mainly to save you the trouble of actually playing Wakfu. [iTunes] Subscribe to XBLA in Brief directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the XBLA in Brief directly. [RSS] Add the XBLA in Brief feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Konami 'investigating' Silent Hill multiplayer XBLA title, says Downpour dev
When asked in an interview with Xbox 360 Magazine Italy (fan translated by Hell Descent and verified by Joystiq) if the upcoming Silent Hill: Downpour would have a multiplayer mode, Vatra Games' Radek Marek surprisingly didn't get up and walk out, laughing. Instead, the art director replied, "At the moment there will be no multiplayer modes in Silent Hill: Downpour, but Konami are investigating a separate chapter devoted entirely to the Multiplayer." A separate chapter? Could you tell us more, Mr. Marek? "We do not know the details but it should be an XBLA title that most players have to survive in the town of Silent Hill." So, to recap: This year's retail-bound Silent Hill: Downpour won't have a multiplayer mode but publisher Konami is "investigating" an XBLA experiment, if you will. Konami's last XBLA multiplayer experiment was last summer's unremarkable Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Let's hope the moody isolation of Silent Hill better lends itself to a multiplayer installment. [Update: Downpour producer Devin Shatsky hit up the Hell Descent forums to let everyone know that Downpour won't have a multiplayer mode. "Whoever that Italian interviewer was either took Radeks comments completely out of context, or it was lost in translation," Shatsky said. "As previously mentioned, we were (many moons ago) investigating a separate Multiplayer mode, but that was quickly extinguished when we costed it out and determined how much resource time it would detract from the core singleplayer experience." Of course, the initial rumor never said that Downpour would be receiving a multiplayer component; rather, that a separate Silent Hill multiplayer product could make its way to Xbox Live Arcade. We're trying to get an updated comment.]
Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot launching last week of March on PSN, XBLA
The most unnerving thing about the impending Rush'N Attack is that we've never quite known when to expect it. To make matters worse, updates went cold just as soon as we learned of the new threat -- a plot 25 years in the making. Konami has alleviated some of our anxiety -- or perhaps just the opposite -- by confirming with Joystiq that the new Rush'N Attack is indeed going down ... loadable at the end of March. Yikes! Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot is scheduled to strike PlayStation Network on Tuesday, March 29, followed by its launch on Xbox Live Arcade one day later (March 30); at which point you can take a stab at it for $10 (800 points). Developed by Vatra Games (Silent Hill: Downpour), this sequel to the 1985 Cold War platformer drew comparisons to Shadow Complex when it was first unveiled last April. While certain similarities are undeniable (both are Unreal Engine games in 2.5D), Ex-Patriot is actually set in a Siberian prison complex. So it's totally different until you infiltrate the nuclear weapons base.
A sprinkling of music from Silent Hill: Downpour
Konami gave us our first look at Silent Hill: Downpour yesterday -- now here's our first listen. A minute and a half of Dexter composer Dan Licht's score is available for your listening pleasure terror, after the break.
Catch the prison bus to Silent Hill: Downpour this fall
Konami officially unveiled Silent Hill: Downpour this morning (leaving, of course, the veil of fog around the town), announcing a fall European release for Vatra Games' exploration of our favorite psychological punishment destination, and sending out a bunch of new screenshots. We're no longer limited to looking at a guy looking at a truck! In addition to giving us a good look at Murphy Pendleton, the poor sucker doomed to guide us around the new version of Silent Hill, these screenshots offer a glimpse at a few in-game locations: the diner, always a staple of Silent Hill, and the "Devil's Pit," some kind of mountainous area with a rickety-looking ropeway train between peaks. There's also some unidentifiable subterranean area that appears to be covered in rusty grates, in case you were concerned this wasn't actually a Silent Hill game.%Gallery-114964%
Silent Hill: Downpour will have side-quests, new camera system
This morning, we learned of Silent Hill: Downpour, Vatra Games' take on Konami's iconic horror series. Now comes word that there's a large piece on the game in the February issue of Game Informer, which MTV Multiplayer has culled some details from (damn our lazy mailman!). According to the site, lead character Murphy Pendleton will have more to do than the protagonists who came before him -- specifically, he'll be able to pursue side-quests in the game world. (No other details were offered, sadly.) The article does mention, however, that a new hybrid camera system will combine the fixed viewpoint style of the original games with the newer behind-the-character camera introduced in Homecoming. Let's just hope Downpour's designers remember that some gamers prefer their controls inverted.
Developers shed light on Silent Hill 8
Silent Hill 8, appropriately enough, has thus far remained shrouded in mystery. Apart from a few basic plot details -- an escaped convict winds up in Silent Hill -- very little information has been revealed. Now, thanks to a developer interview posted on the Silent Hill Facebook page, some of the fog is starting to lift. Producer Tomm Hulett -- also producer on the excellent Shattered Memories -- notes that Silent Hill 8 doesn't have the same aesthetics as previous titles, explaining that Silent Hill would become boring if every entry was the same (we're inclined to agree). While it may look different, Hulett notes that it's his job to make sure that Silent Hill 8 "is all true to the themes and the spirit" of the series. Meanwhile, Design Director Brian Gomez adds that Czech Republic-based Vatra Games is perfectly situated to create Silent Hill 8. He explains that Vatra's headquarters in the city of Brno is actually located near an old dungeon as well as "Soviet era Gulag style buildings." There are even local catacombs that uniquely preserve the bodies within. In other words, it sounds like the team has its inspiration covered. Now let's just hope all the perspiration pays off. [Thanks, CJ!]
