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Tomm Hulett on Silent Hill Collection, Downpour, Book of Memories and Korn
I managed to snatch a few minutes with Silent Hill series producer Tomm Hulett at E3 this year. The convention played host to an uncharacteristically large amount of Silent Hill news. Between Silent Hill: Downpour, Silent Hill Collection and Silent Hill: Book of Memories, series fans are in for an embarrassment of riches. As a responsible journalist however, there was only one choice for my first question: Why Korn? %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.
Konami announces streaming pre-E3 show and viewing parties for some reason
If Konami's going to put on a humiliating Rock Revolution-style spectacle -- and announce new games and stuff -- it'll be before E3. Konami is getting a jump on the festivities this year with a pre-E3 show on June 2, five days before E3 starts. The event will be streamed online on several (unspecified) sites, but for the full "sitting in a room with other people and watching trailers" experience, Konami will also host viewing parties in LA, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo, Mexico City and other cities. Konami has yet to finalize a list of cities, or to set up the registration pages for those parties. Of course, since the whole thing will be streamed online, you can have your own viewing event pretty much wherever you can get an internet connection.
Silent Hill: Downpour producer responds to the Alan Wakusations
Konami released some Silent Hill: Downpour screenshots last week with a heavy Alan Wake vibe. Defending them, producer Devin Shatsky told HellsDescent, "It could easily be said that Alan Wake ripped off [Silent Hill] in a number of ways with the look and feel of their entire game. Granted, all games evolve from each other in some capacity, so I think its narrow minded to think like that." "I would like to point out we have way more variety of environments in Downpour than Alan Wake does," Shatsky continued. "I feel very comfortable that the comparisons will end at these forest shots. There are a multitude of other environments in Downpour that people will be hard-pressed to compare to any other game. We have a very unique variety of landscapes and interiors." Alan Wake doesn't have a trademark on spooky Pacific Northwest forests, this is true. However, for fun: Guess which game the slightly altered picture above originates from? (Find the answer after the break.)
A trickle of Silent Hill: Downpour screens
Silent Hill: Downpour has dripped out a few more screens. All and all, we hope they awake your interest in the game.
Carrie-Anne Moss, Malcolm McDowell join cast of Silent Hill: Revelation
ComingSoon.net reports that the new Michael J. Bassett-directed Silent Hill: Revelation 3D movie is adding two big stars to its cast. Carrie-Anne Moss (of Memento, though probably better known as Trinity from The Matrix) and A Clockwork Orange's Malcolm McDowell will join series veterans Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell and Deborah Kara Unger in the latest journey to the freaky climes of Silent Hill. Moss will play Claudia Wolf from Silent Hill 3, a mysterious woman who may or may not be evil, and McDowell will play Leonard Wolf, a mysterious (likely English) man who, you guessed it, may or may not be evil. So not really a stretch for these two -- we look forward to seeing the finished product (in 3D!) next year.
Watch these impressive Silent Hill and Dragon Age fan film trailers
It might seem strange to pair Silent Hill and Dragon Age fan film trailers in one post, but they just happen to share the same director, Leo Kei Angelos. Both projects are planned for release as complete short films later this year, and they already look impressive. In fact, if the super, super creepy trailer is any indication, the Silent Hill inspired film, The Confined, just might turn out better than its full-length cinematic counterpart. Check out both trailers after the break.
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.]
Your contribution to Silent Hill: Downpour is of grave importance
Finally, your chance to break into the burgeoning field of virtual grave design! Konami announced a Facebook-based contest in which aspiring monumentalists will be able to have their "spine-chilling burial sculpture" reproduced in Silent Hill: Downpour. Konami will pick its six favorite sculptures on February 10 and then open it up to public voting. "Since this is a new chapter in the Silent Hill saga," the announcement notes, "sculptures must be original works and not based off of existing characters or creature designs." So, Pyramid Head is out ... but if you want to make an actual pyramid, that's probably fine. It's actually kind of a classic in the tomb business.
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.
Blame it on the rain: Silent Hill 8 officially 'Silent Hill: Downpour'
The next installment of Silent Hill, currently in development at Vatra Games, has been titled Silent Hill: Downpour, Game Informer reports. Water is expected to play a heavy role in the game, which Game Informer notes will visit "some new places in Silent Hill." More details will be revealed in the February issue of the magazine. The excellent Silent Hill: Shattered Memories re-imagined the series' traditional rusty metal "Otherworld" as one of snow and ice; so perhaps Downpour's Otherworld will be a bit warmer and flooded with Speedo monsters. We just pray the next lost soul to stumble into Silent Hill's would-be paradise isn't hydrophobic.
Rumor: New Silent Hill movie based on Silent Hill 3, will be in 3D
Back in August, Fangoria was told that the sequel to the Silent Hill movie was on hold following screenwriter Roger Avary's legal issues. But now that same publication has heard that the movie's back on -- Silent Hill: Revelation 3D is supposedly in preproduction, will follow the story of Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3, and yes, will be in 3D. Michael J. Bassett is attached to write and direct, with Lionsgate, Konami and Davis Films doing the production. All of this is still just rumored, but Helldescent reports that producer Don Carmody expects an official announcement "very soon." We'll leave the pre-judgment of 3D to you guys, but we will go ahead and begin a dirge for poor James Sunderland of Silent Hill 2, whose story is apparently not good enough to make into a movie. Poor James -- not only did he get terrorized by his own sexual dysfunctions, but Hollywood hates him, too.
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!]
How Silent Hill: Past Life ties into Silent Hill 8
Remember Silent Hill: Past Life, the crossover comic planned for the upcoming Silent Hill title? Remember how the comic was supposed to feature one of the game's characters, despite the fact that the comic and the game take place over a hundred years apart? It appears that Hell Descent has uncovered the character in question, a possibly ethereal postmaster by the name of Howard Blackwood. Blackwood appears in the first issue of the comic, while what appears to be the same character is also seen briefly in the Silent Hill E3 trailer (see him at 2:51 after the break). Whether Mr. Blackwood plays an immortal guide a la Richard Alpert, or the man in the trailer is merely the descendant of Blackwood, remains to be seen. Regardless, it seems like a neat inclusion, and we imagine Silent Hill's postmaster must have some idea of what's going on (whenever he's not delivering letters from dead loved ones, anyway). [Image: Hell Descent]
Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward comics now on PSN
PlayStation Digital Comics readers can cross over into Silent Hill today, as IDW has announced that the Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward series is now available on the service. The four-part series chronicles the exploits of mafia hitman Jack "The Pup" Stanton, who made the ill-informed decision to abscond with his boss's wife. Protip: When running away from anything, don't make Silent Hill your first stop. The comics are available now for $1.99 each.
Comic crossover planned for next Silent Hill
Speaking to FEARnet, Silent Hill 8 writer Tom Waltz revealed that he is also working on a comic book crossover project entitled Silent Hill: Past Life. According to Waltz, the comic is set in 1867 and tells the story of "an outlaw and a really bad guy" named Jebediah Foster who "meets this godly widow who changes his ways." Before long the couple moves to Silent Hill to escape the wildness of the Wild West. As typically happens in the town, Jebediah soon finds himself dealing with "the ghosts of his past" (probably not in a tear-jerking, Dr. Phil kind of way, we're guessing). Waltz added that the comic will tie into Silent Hill 8, as the game will actually feature a character from the comic. As the game is set in modern times, while the comic is set in 1867, Waltz hopes that fans will wonder "how the hell" the disparate time periods will tie together. For what it's worth, we do know that Silent Hill 8 also stars a criminal, an escaped convict named Murphy Pendlton. Waltz wouldn't elaborate any further, though he did note that reading the comic will help players gain a better understanding the game. The first of four issues is set to arrive this October. Lest you missed it during the hubbub of E3, check out the Silent Hill 8 trailer after the break.
Silent Hill 8 (working title) coming in 2011 from Vatra Games
Konami has just shared details on the brand new, Vatra Games-developed Silent Hill game for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 coming next year in 2011. Apparently it will have an escaped prisoner finding the town of Silent Hill, which is a little surprising. Haven't they closed the doors and locked the locks on that place yet? Every other year, it's somebody wandering in there to be chased down by evil nurses or pyramid heads, or whatever else they've come up with. The game will have a brand new composer, Dan Licht, known for his work on the television show Dexter. He's replacing Akira Yamaoka, longtime composer and sound designer, who recently left for Grasshopper Manufacture. We'll look for the game in 2011, and in the meantime, please, everybody. If the sign says Silent Hill, just turn around and head back to the interstate. Update: Press release get! The release from Konami says the game is called Silent Hill 8, but that's just a working title so far. The escaped prisoner's name is Murphy Pendleton, and he'll be part of "an all-new storyline and unique evolutions in gameplay." Sounds fun!
