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Hacked Silent Hill demo smuggled, released to public
The Games Convention in Leipzig is only a few days away, and it appears that Konami's upcoming Silent Hill UMD demo from the show somehow got leaked for public consumption. Unlike regular demos, this must be ripped into a disc image and run off of a homebrew-enabled PSP. We're not sure if Konami is too appreciative of having early code released to the public, and we're going to refrain from linking to places where it's available for download. However, video proof (seen above) shows that this is, in fact, real. [Thanks, Joe!]
Joystiq impressions: Silent Hill Origins
Silent Hill Origins is supernaturally beautiful. Simply analyze the picture above and note its fantastic lighting and shadows. Note the reflection in the mirror, and then be awed that this happening in real-time ... on the PSP. Silent Hill Origins is shaping up to be the best looking PSP title to date, with its great character designs, atmospheric special effects, and (as noted) the impeccable lighting.Although the Silent Hill franchise has never really strayed far from the consoles, this handheld version is shaping up to be just as good as any other iteration of the series. Travis must navigate some beautifully creepy worlds, and fight some truly terrifying creatures. He can pick up weapons and items in the environment and use them against the ghastly denizens of Silent Hill. Controls in the game were intuitive and solid. Travis moved easily through the environment, although we found ourselves having a bit of trouble exploring the level as thoroughly as possible, trying to find all the clues.Battle is a relatively simple affair, as Travis can easily target enemies with R. His attacks, and most importantly, finishing moves, vary greatly, depending on the weapon he's holding. Players must be resilient, though: if enemies get too close, Travis will have to do a series of button presses to escape close quarters combat. Also, Travis will want to keep a close eye on his weapons, as they degrade (quite quickly) over time. All weapons will break eventually, and Travis will want to make sure that his weapon doesn't break in the middle of a fierce battle.%Gallery-4822%
Hands-on Silent Hill Origins
Silent Hill Origins is supernaturally beautiful. Simply analyze the picture above and note its fantastic lighting and shadows. Note the reflection in the mirror, and then be awed that this happening in real-time ... on the PSP. Silent Hill Origins is shaping up to be the best looking PSP title to date, with its great character designs, atmospheric special effects, and (as noted) the impeccable lighting.Although the Silent Hill franchise has never really strayed far from the consoles, this handheld version is shaping up to be just as good as any other iteration of the series. Travis must navigate some beautifully creepy worlds, and fight some truly terrifying creatures. He can pick up weapons and items in the environment and use them against the ghastly denizens of Silent Hill. Controls in the game were intuitive and solid. Travis moved easily through the environment, although we found ourselves having a bit of trouble exploring the level as thoroughly as possible, trying to find all the clues.Battle is a relatively simple affair, as Travis can easily target enemies with R. His attacks, and most importantly, finishing moves, vary greatly, depending on the weapon he's holding. Players must be resilient, though: if enemies get too close, Travis will have to do a series of button presses to escape close quarters combat. Also, Travis will want to keep a close eye on his weapons, as they degrade (quite quickly) over time. All weapons will break eventually, and Travis will want to make sure th%Gallery-3228%
Silent Hill V confirmed for PS3
Silent Hill 5 was just announced at Konami's E3 press conference. A mysterious poem drove the fan community to rampant speculation, wondering what the Konamegaton would be. Silent Hill 5 will appear on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Expect more details in the future.
Konami announces Silent Hill V for 360, PS3
Konami puzzled us earlier today by sending out a cryptic poem hinting that a major unexpected announcement would be coming from its press conference. Knowing that Pac-Man CE had already been announced, we were perplexed as to what Konami's announcement could possibly be. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we're sitting at said press conferencce right now, and the announcement is ... Silent Hill V (at least that's what we think it is). The game features a soldier home from a war who is searching for his missing son. As often seems to be the case, this missing person decides to the best place to run to is Silent Hill. Akira Yamaoka will return to provide a brand new mind-bending soundtrack. Konami promises more news to come.
Joystiq live at the Konami E3 07 press conference
The Konamegaton is nigh. Join us for our liveblog of the Konami press conference from E3 2007.5:51PM - The press conference has yet to begin. We have front row seats to see if we can catch anything big.5:53PM - Mark Franklin joins the stage. He introduces Anthony Krause, VP of marketing. He's hyping "exclusive" announcements for the conference today.5:56PM - "Today we're announcing two new DDR titles." Wait ... didn't we already cover this?
Konami reveals E3 lineup
A vampire, gunner, dancer and water drop go fishing by a playground and they spot a vengeful apparition. That just about sums up Konami's announced E3 2007 lineup: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP; Fall 2007) Contra 4 (DS; 2007) Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Wii; Fall 2007) Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 (PS2; Fall 2007) Dewy's Adventure (Wii; Fall 2007) Fishing Master (Wii; Fall 2007) Hellboy: The Science of Evil (working title) (PS3, Xbox 360, PSP; 2007) Konami Kids Playground (PS2; Fall 2007) Silent Hill Origins (PSP; Fall 2007) Not listed is Metal Gear Solid 4, but we already know that a new trailer is being debuted at the Sony, Konami keynotes.
Rumors: PaRappa 3 to PS3, Silent Hill 5 has US developer
As they do just before every new Electronic Gaming Monthly issue hits newsstands, 1UP is teasing us with a few tidbits from their Quartermann rumor section. Most prominent is that PaRappa the Rapper 3 is coming to PlayStation 3, and "none of the that ported PSP nonsense."Another eye-catcher is that Silent Hill 5 is being developed "by a US team" for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PSP Silent Hill Origins is currently in development by US-based Climax Group. The third teaser from 1UP is more of a no-brainer: "Electronic Arts isn't happy just controlling the NFL -- they want the MLB and NBA, too." We never really thought EA would stop until they had every sport from Football to Segway polo under their belt.Joystiq's Kyle Orland calculated that Quartermann's rumors "are just as likely to be true as they are false," so flip a coin for Silent Hill 5 and PaRappa 3. Ya gotta believe! [Image Credit]
Keeping Silent Hill players in the dark
Konami's upcoming Silent Hill Origins game is surrounded in mystery. Plagued with troubled development, the title has gone through a phoenix-like resurrection of sorts, quickly becoming one of the most anticipated titles on the platform yet again. A new interview with Kikizo doesn't reveal anything new, but it does reiterate the focus of the franchise. Oertel explains, "You're going to a town that has multiple shifts in reality with people that have their own kind of dementia. How do you put a realistic spin on that? By it's nature it needs to be somewhat vague." Supposedly, multiple endings will help create a sense of impenetrable mystery.True to the franchise, Origins is all about atmosphere and tension. Although the development team is trying to explain even more of the lore, don't expect the answers to be clear: "We want to take advantage of that opportunity to explain some things - not everything."While we love being teased, we can't wait to get some more information on Origins. Until then, don't forget to check out our updated gallery.%Gallery-3228%
Konami still uncertain of Silent Hill 5 platform
Some people really enjoy the comfortable zombie-slaying action of the Resident Evil series. Others, however, prefer the mind-rending psychological nightmare that is Silent Hill. A proper entry in the series hasn't been seen since 2004's Silent Hill 4: The Room, which departed heavily from the typical Silent Hill formula. Ever since, fans have been wondering about the inevitable new-gen sequel without much help from the series' publisher, Konami. In fact, Konami has yet to officially announce the existence of Silent Hill 5 at all. In a recent interview with Dengeki PlayStation (unearthed by SilentHill5.net) Silent Hill 5's chief designer, Masahashi Tsuboyama, is nearly as vague as the series itself. When asked about the platforms on which the game might appear, Tsuboyama states that a console has not been chosen. He also says that multi-platform status is not out of the question either. He further adds that the 360 is "definitely a candidate," he likes Blu-Ray, and he believes Silent Hill probably isn't a good fit for the Wii.So, no definite confirmation then. Fear not Silent Hill aficionados, for there is a ray of hope. Konami's E3 press conference is slated for July 11th. Let's hope we get a real glimpse of Silent Hill 5 by then.
SGD '07: Silent Hill Origins
Once thought to be dead, Silent Hill Origins has managed a spectacular return, not unlike the villainous stars of this survival horror title. See new images of the game in our gallery below, and check out the game's incredible intro sequence, courtesy of Gamevideos.com.%Gallery-3228%
Konami makes iTunes useful
For years, we've been crying bloody tears over the lack of availability of game soundtracks in the US. With the rise of music download services, that situation has changed. First we had some Final Fantasy soundtracks on iTunes, then the Mother 3 OST, and now the best news of all: Konami has made a deal with Sony BMG to make their entire music catalog available on download services.Naturally, we'll be loading up with Castlevania music, but Konami has a very large collection of notable game soundtracks that at least deserve a previewing: the Metal Gear Solid series, Contra, Goemon/Mystical Ninja, and Akira Yamaoka's brilliant Silent Hill work. We don't know when Konami will start releasing music on iTunes/Rhapsody/your favorite download service, and we don't know what the order of releases will be. One thing we can confirm: this is hot.[Via Dot Matrix with Stereo Sound]
Silent Hill interview confirms development troubles
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Silent Hill: Origins producer William Oertel confirmed previous rumors that the game met serious problems during its production. The solution, it appears, was to switch development teams altogether. "Game development isn't an exact science, and sometimes you need to go back and adjust some things. In this case, it has been for the best. It was decided that moving development to Climax's Portsmouth office would be best for the game, and that introduced delays."As evidenced by the most recent video footage, the game has certainly come a long way, and we're excited to find out more. It's clear that Origins is in good hands, with the producers understanding what makes a Silent Hill game so unique. "As I'm fond of saying, Silent Hill is an exercise in subtlety, and therefore the changes seen in this game, compared to previous games, reflect that."[Via PSP GadgetZ]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 17
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com. Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.) Silent Hill: Origins [PSP] Download MP4 (3.9MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: Surf's Up, Crush (PSP), Chuck & Larry, Pokemon Launch
IGN interviews the Silent Hill team
Ever since Silent Hills: Origins came back from its months-long silence, people have been talking about the game's incredible production values. IGN spoke with the game's producer, William Oertel, who spoke a little bit about creating the title: "When first conceiving the idea of Silent Hill on the PSP, the recurrent thought was to do a remake of the original Silent Hill. While some fans would have loved to have seen this, we decided it was better to take the opportunity to build on the rich story encompassed by the series. Doing a prequel (of sorts) allowed us to also touch on some of the moments in the original Silent Hill and present them in a new and different way. The story behind the town is really a story of the characters we've seen in past games. So, the game reveals part of their history, such as Alessa, Dr. Kaufmann and Dahlia, as well as adding a new character, Travis."It's great to see Konami offer yet another high profile, original game for the platform. With Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and an upcoming Castlevania game, it seems like Konami is quickly becoming one of PSP's elite publishers.Read more at IGN. Insiders will be able to see the game's entire intro sequence.
Brutally violent Silent Hill gameplay vids
Hope you didn't just eat lunch. Silent Hill: Origins is back, and it looks better than ever. Turn off the lights, get your security blanket, and snuggle up to these devilishly violent videos of the game in action. The game seems to have moved away from its Resident Evil 4 inspired camera, while gaining some context sensitive action buttons. Of course, none of this analysis will really matter as you watch this bone-chilling footage.Remember, kids. You have to be 18 or older to see footage from this obviously M-rated game.
DS Daily: Survival horror
We were poring over the new Silent Hill 5 "details" today (more like vague statements from Akira Yamaoka about how awesome it's going to be) and all we really know about it is that it's going to be more like Silent Hill 2 (yay) and it's coming to some consoles that aren't the DS (boo). Our first reaction is to be outraged. We love our system and we love Silent Hill and its atmospheric, psychological horror storytelling.But would we actually love them together? The larger question here extends beyond the boundaries of one foggy town: is the DS an appropriate format for survival horror? We had one outing already in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, which a very trustworthy source tells us wasn't an entirely successful experiment. Alternately, if the major discussion topic doesn't interest you, we can just talk about Silent Hill and how great it is.
Silent Hill Origins rises from the dead
Silent Hill: Origins had seemingly disappeared from the public eye, with many (including ourselves) fearing its cancellation. The game showed early promise, with impressive graphics and Resident Evil 4-style gameplay. However, it wasn't long until there were reports of troubled development: Climax, the game's developer, laid off numerous employees. Then, it was conspicuously absent from Konami's Gamers Day.Well, looks our fears were unwarranted. Game Informer has a new exclusive preview up: "The kicker was that even though the game was on a much smaller screen, our hands sweated and heart pounded as if we were playing a full-on entry in the series. If you're sensitive to scary content you'll probably not be playing this with the lights out and headphones on like the game recommends. With that said, it looks like Climax is on the right track with Origins."We're incredibly relieved that the game has taken a turn for the better. Check out Game Informer for more screenshots and videos.[Via NeoGAF]
Silent Hill 5 may be a timed exclusive to PS3
We're serious, despite there being hardly any news on Silent Hill 5. Akira Yamaoka recently sat down with the German side of GamePro and spilled the beans on some details of the title. Oddly, not much has changed from when we last talked about the game, but that's a good thing because the game seemed like it was on the right track. We'll summarize the interview. The game, as previously told, will resemble the best Silent Hill game in terms of player direction and character behavior. The best is, easily, Silent Hill 2. The game's platform is still up in the air. PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 are obvious choices, but Akira hints at what may be a timed exclusive by saying that "we have had a good past experience with Playstation [where the series was born] and we hope to continue that trend." Akira will probably be lead sound guy again, which is great. They're not going to adopt the system used in the PSP Silent Hill: Origins because Akira said it didn't show off enough of the environment and surroundings... and that's what makes the games so awesome. Short interview, but it gives us a clear enough idea of what to expect. Still no scans floating around, although we're sure that'll change sooner or later. Come on, Konami, let's get this game rolling!
Kojima and Suda 51 tease Snatcher fans
Last Saturday, Suda 51's company Grasshopper Manufacture held the coolest event ever, at least for game nerds: Snake vs. Zombie vol. 2, a series of informal panel discussions by big names in the Japanese game industry, including Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, ICO's Fumito Ueda, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi. There were also musical performances from Metal Gear Solid 3/Portable Ops soundtrack composer Norihiko Hibino and Silent Hill series producer and composer Akira Yamaoka.As if the mere existence of this event (and our non-attendance at said event) weren't causing us physical pain, now we have unbearable anticipation buzzing around in our heads. During a Kojima/Mikami panel hosted by Suda, Mikami, a man of taste, mentioned that his favorite Kojima game was Snatcher, to which the other two responded "Ah yes, Snatcher," followed by "Oh, should we announce it here?" To sum up, in italics, there is a possibility that Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 are collaborating on some kind of Snatcher game. We do not care if it is a sequel, a remake, a port, an action figure, or an official recipe for Neo Kobe Pizza. We want ten.
