The Cancellation of Silent Hills - Letter from a Grieving Fan
Okay, so I know this is super late, but I had to write something on it because the Silent Hill series (up until The Room) is by far one of, if not my favorite game series of all time. The horror is ingenious, the story is quite superb, and the twists and turns that throw you down every demented hallway in these games leaves you with a sick sense of dread and anticipation, but also excitement.
When I saw Silent Hill 5: Homecoming back in 2008 I was at first excited, but disappointed later with the development as I watched it progress, eventually leading to what looked like a very gimmicky horror title that had lost all of its classic tropes in the transition from Japanese to American developer. Origins soon followed, then Downpour, and then Shattered Memories, and finally a Vita installment that I only checked the demo for and quickly dismissed ten minutes in (Isometric cameras really don't do a horror game justice when the question of 'What's around the corner' is answered for you thanks to the in game perspective.)
I didn't play the P.T. demo (now removed from PSN) until almost a year later having not actually gotten a PS4 until then, but you better believe that it was the first thing I downloaded and started up before anything else, and while I have to say that watching others play P.T. on YouTube was brilliant, nothing compared to actually playing it, and if you've missed out then I am truly sorry for your loss in this experience.
Don't misunderstand, I would have been excited for this game even if it hadn't had the Silent Hill name slapped on it. The pacing was great, the atmosphere was nail biting, the spookiness superseded anything I've experienced in a game in years, and the puzzles were fantastic (albeit the "Jareth" one which was ridiculous - whoever figured that out is a damned genius) - everything about this piece promised great attention to detail and story, and anyone who puts that much work into a playable trailer for a game (not a demo!) will no doubt do equally well if not better on a full launch title.
So the fact that this sort of work was being promised for a future Silent Hill game was, in every way shape and form, exhilarating, especially with the last handful of title installments being utterly disappointing on a level that made even the most ardent fans near give up on the series.
But, sadly, that is no more. With the recent exploits between Konami and Hideo Kojima, it seems that much like the promise of Team Ico's The Last Guardian, a rebirthing/re-imagining of the Silent Hill franchise will be as likely as a decent movie representation. It's sad to see such pure design genius go to waste, and with Kojima going on record on several occasions saying that he no longer wishes to make video games it's hard to say if this will ever be picked up again.The fact that Konami has withdrawn itself from the stock market also doesn't bode well for the company's faith in its own future at this point.
So for the time being it seems that Silent Hill will remain a relic of video gaming history, but if anyone can make a new game that looks half as good as what P.T. promised fans both old and new, then you can bet I'll be on board.
When I saw Silent Hill 5: Homecoming back in 2008 I was at first excited, but disappointed later with the development as I watched it progress, eventually leading to what looked like a very gimmicky horror title that had lost all of its classic tropes in the transition from Japanese to American developer. Origins soon followed, then Downpour, and then Shattered Memories, and finally a Vita installment that I only checked the demo for and quickly dismissed ten minutes in (Isometric cameras really don't do a horror game justice when the question of 'What's around the corner' is answered for you thanks to the in game perspective.)
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| Silent Hills: Book of Memories (Vita) |
Don't misunderstand, I would have been excited for this game even if it hadn't had the Silent Hill name slapped on it. The pacing was great, the atmosphere was nail biting, the spookiness superseded anything I've experienced in a game in years, and the puzzles were fantastic (albeit the "Jareth" one which was ridiculous - whoever figured that out is a damned genius) - everything about this piece promised great attention to detail and story, and anyone who puts that much work into a playable trailer for a game (not a demo!) will no doubt do equally well if not better on a full launch title.
So the fact that this sort of work was being promised for a future Silent Hill game was, in every way shape and form, exhilarating, especially with the last handful of title installments being utterly disappointing on a level that made even the most ardent fans near give up on the series.
But, sadly, that is no more. With the recent exploits between Konami and Hideo Kojima, it seems that much like the promise of Team Ico's The Last Guardian, a rebirthing/re-imagining of the Silent Hill franchise will be as likely as a decent movie representation. It's sad to see such pure design genius go to waste, and with Kojima going on record on several occasions saying that he no longer wishes to make video games it's hard to say if this will ever be picked up again.The fact that Konami has withdrawn itself from the stock market also doesn't bode well for the company's faith in its own future at this point.
So for the time being it seems that Silent Hill will remain a relic of video gaming history, but if anyone can make a new game that looks half as good as what P.T. promised fans both old and new, then you can bet I'll be on board.
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