When it was first revealed, we gave Silent Hill: Shattered Memories a bit of a cold shoulder. Gone was the established story that had first introduced us to the world's creepiest town, reinterpreted with altered characters and a new otherworld that ditched darkness and rust in favor of jutting glaciers and vaguely menacing snowflakes. Thankfully, our experience with the game at E3 revived our expectations, even if it was at the expense of whole memories.

We later had the opportunity to speak to producer Tomm Hulett, who elaborated on why we should call Shattered Memories a re-imagining -- and not a remake:

You're making Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and you're tying it to the first game. Harry Mason is back, but you're calling it a re-imagining, you're not saying "remake." Is that a bad word?

Right, that's a curse word. [laughs] By re-imagining, like you said, we've got the premise of the first game: you're Harry Mason, you're looking for your daughter Cheryl. Beyond that we've changed and updated it, so it's an entirely new experience. If you've played the PlayStation game to death, you still have no idea what to expect for Shattered Memories.

We did that because, on the Wii, maybe there's a lot of people who haven't played any Silent Hill games, so it wasn't really fair to say, "Here's the sequel to Homecoming, enjoy yourself." But then, returning fans, they've played the first game, they've played Origins, they've seen the movie, and they've played Silent Hill 3 and it all kind of revolves around the events of the first game. So they wouldn't really want to play a remake and so, by re-imagining it, there's new content -- if you've never played it before, of course, it's new to you -- but then, there's also this extra layer of new content if you're returning, because you get to experience all these things that are different from what you're expecting. And that really fits the theme of Silent Hill, which is this place where your reality is subjective and you don't know what to expect. We've built that into the game if you're a returning fan.

While not busy shoving spears through young women or peeling the skin off of ... young women, it seems that SIlent Hill's geometrically-proportioned antagonist, Pyramid Head, moonlights as a fashion model for Swedish clothing label Odeur. His exploits were featured in the company's autumn/winter 2009/2010 Lookbook.

You know, we were going to make witty observations about the inclusion of a classic horror figure in a clothing catalog but we just can't bring ourselves to do it. Pyramid helmets? Odeur? Lookbook? This might be our blogger sweatpants talking, but high fashion is impossibly dumb.

[Via Kotaku]

"I've heard 'Shat-On Memories.' That's a good one," remarks Shattered Memories producer Tomm Hulett, taking the complaints from the so-called "unreasonable" Silent Hill fans in stride. Remaking -- or "re-imagining," rather -- a horror classic is no easy task, least of all when the leading platform's scariest trait is its abundance of minigames. Calling it a re-imagining seems appropriate, with familiar characters and themes returning in unfamiliar ways, but that belies the fact that the upcoming Wii title (PSP and PS2 versions are also en route) is the freshest and riskiest Silent Hill game to come along in years.

Conveying an intense, unnerving experience in the din of E3 is like reciting a poem behind an airplane barreling down a runway. The packed show floor, filled with colossal sub-woofers and eccentric excessiveness, couldn't be a less ideal place to play a survival-horror title. And yet, despite the copious distractions and some truly awkward sensor bar placement, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories managed to fool us -- if ever so briefly -- into thinking we were skulking around the world's least hospitable and most perplexing town.

At the start of Konami's Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a psychiatrist performs an evaluation on players, prodding them with some fairly personal questions. Answering the "Do you roleplay during sex?" question is probably one of the tougher ones to answer truthfully in full view of other E3 attendees. (Hell yes, if you were wondering. Also, stop that.)

This was the discovery made by one young lady, who appeared to be answering some questions (another example: Do you think of other people during sex?) unfavorably and nervously. With the cursor hovering over another negative answer, she quickly looked around her and exclaimed, "This game is going to HATE ME!"

The word "disturbing" is not often far removed from the word "cosplay." You'll frequently find them situated together in very close proximity, as in: "Look at that grown man dressed as Captain Falcon; that's kind of disturbing." Fairly innocent, right? The connotation we would associate with the Silent Hill costumes pictured above is a little more direct, as in: "Those Silent Hill costumes are disturbing." Given the arc of the franchise though, we suppose that's the point.

Seen at Anime Central 2009 (photos by Judith Stephens) the costumes are frighteningly accurate recreations of the both Pyramid Head and a nurse from the Silent Hill series (and are based on the film versions of those characters by the looks of things). Hit the source link for lots more pictures, and possibly a few nightmares.

Those with weaker stomachs would probably be better served by the Pyramid Head snowman, which is almost cute.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Although it was probably the most impressive looking game shown at Konami's Gamer's Night 2009 event last week, the "Wii-imagining" of Silent Hill, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, was sadly not playable. It's a shame, too, considering how natural the game's motion controls appeared in the on-stage demo; seeing them in action made us really want to try them.

We were left to watch the footage of the Climax-developed title and imagine what it will be like, roaming the streets of the snow-covered town, flashlight in hand and camera phone at the ready to catch the unexplainable and unnerving. Fortunately, it was a fairly meaty bit of footage that provided a good idea of what to expect from the game when we finally do get our hands on it.

Actress Radha Mitchell played Rose Da Silva in the first Silent Hill film, and she told Bloody Disgusting recently that a sequel could happen. Interesting to note, however, is that director Christophe Gans will not direct, as he isn't involved with the project.

"I don't think Christophe is attached," said Mitchell. She further lamented that she felt this was a shame, because he's so passionate about the game series. She also offered that should Silent Hill 2 be put into production, Gans should be the one to helm it.

As for the state of the sequel, Mitchell says it's "being kicked around right now."

[Via Kotaku]

IGN has posted a preview of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories so glowing, you'd swear it was radioactive. Aside from the effusive praise, there are a few details to be gleaned from the eyes-on preview. The psyche profile system revealed earlier this week is further fleshed out by the preview. Lead character Harry Mason will actually start the game in a psychiatrist's office, where players will have to fill out a form. The choices you make on the form, as well as other choices in the game, will affect other parts of the game.

Harry's phone acts as the hub of all the game's information, containing the map, voice mail, text messages and a camera. The camera can be used to take pictures of certain areas, revealing ghostly images in the finished photos. The article cites a moment when Harry takes a picture of a strange swingset, only to see his missing daughter, Cheryl, show up in the photo. Once the picture is taken, Harry receives a voicemail from Cheryl ... creepy.

In an interesting twist, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories features no combat whatsoever. When you're face to face with a freakish monster, the only choice is to run. Another change, the rusty, hellish Otherworld has been changed into a frozen, icy one instead. As in Silent Hill: Homecoming, the transition to the Otherworld takes place in real time as buildings freeze over and columns rise out of the ground. The preview assures us the transition is "breathtaking," but we'll reserve judgment until we can see some video.

It certainly sounds like Shattered Memories could be shaping up to be a decent entry in the series, even despite the somewhat radical changes to the staple conventions. At least one thing isn't changing though. In IGN's interview with Climax -- a good read for anyone interested in the title -- it is confirmed that Akira Yamaoka will once again provide the soundtrack.

Source - IGN: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Preview
Source - IGN: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Interview

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories was unveiled for Wii last week by Nintendo Power, but it seems it won't be exclusive to Nintendo systems. This "re-imagining" of the original Silent Hill will also be going to PS2 and PSP, and as today's press release details, all three versions will be out sometime in Autumn this year.

Gamers who played the original will have their memories slightly shattered upon picking up this new version -- characters won't be found in the same spots and new clues, dialogue and gameplay paths will serve to jumble things up.

Another major change is the new "psyche profile," which monitors the player's reactions. Based on these reactions, alterations are made to the game's "visual elements" and the protagonist's actions as he encounters other people and creatures. The psyche profile system sounds interesting, but a bit difficult to fully grasp without seeing in action. Perhaps future gameplay videos will provide better insight into this new feature.

We're not exactly sure if titling the "reimagining" of a classic game "Shattered Memories" is going to instill much hope in its fans, but that's what Konami is doing with Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for Wii. The not-a-remake of the first game in the series is revealed in the May 2009 issue of Nintendo Power, which contains a 10-page cover feature on the Climax (Silent Hill: Origins) developed game. (Oh, and it's not an April Fools joke -- we confirmed this news with the magazine.)

GoNintendo has scanned parts of said article and provides some details, such as the Wii Remote's use in interacting directly with environment-based puzzles. Subscribers to the magazine are beginning to get the issue now, and Nintendo Power tells us to expect an update related to the game next week.

We hope Konami may soon be ready to scare some truth out of earlier rumors of a Silent Hill remake for the Wii and PSP. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) recently posted a '15' rating for Silent Hill, with a listing that contains an interesting breakdown of scenes from the game with titles like "ANKH ROOM" and "CYBIL'S DEATH."

Last month's rumor laid dev duties at the feet of Silent Hill: Origins creator Climax, though Konami has yet to make anything official. We're trying to reach either Konami or Climax for comment ... but the lines are cut, and there's an unsettling noise coming from behind the door.

Of course, this could just as well be a PSN re-release. And yes, we'll take one of those too.

[Via Kotaku]

Our good friends at the rumor mill are at it again, this time churning out a most delicious prospect: a Silent Hill remake for the Wii and PSP. Supposedly under development at Climax, a report suggests that the return trip to Silent Hill is one of two Konami projects at the studio, the other being (according to job listings) a "ground breaking next-gen game for the PS3 and the Xbox 360."

We've asked Konami and Climax for comment and we'll be sure to update you as soon as we receive a response.

One thing that I think we all love about our chosen hobby is that the experience of a single game can be drastically different for each person. I don't mean this in the way we mean about other "static" media where we might each interpret what we read/see/hear in unique ways. I mean that though two people may play the exact same game, the cut scenes they view and the boss battles they fight may be completely different. This might be most evident in sandbox games or titles that have a prodigious amount of side quests, but sometimes even the main story can take wildly different paths depending on player input.

Heavy Rain director David Cage has expressed his desire to create a game that allows you to really suffer consequences that affect the story and continue playing, always conscious of your input in the overall plot. We may be entering an era in which we gamers may not only see different stories but have to actually reflect on what the path we choose says about us as well as the story. When my recent play through of Silent Hill: Homecoming was rewarded with a less than satisfying ending I immediately cursed the game's writers for their ineptitude. But looking back I've begun to wonder: am I partially to blame? Are bad endings increasingly becoming the consequence of bad or even inconsistent decisions by players?

Don't worry, the spoilers don't begin for another 300 words.

Though neither of them rhyme with "Petal Near Squalid", two of the four portable games Konami announced have arrived for your stroking and poking pleasure on the iPhone and iPod Touch this morning. The first, Silent Hill: The Escape, will run you $7.99 and allow you to "escape the suspense with full use of the touch panel and confront evil with the accelerometer." Watch your back, evil!

Also arriving in the iTunes Store is DanceDanceRevolution S Lite, an early version of the game – the "full version" is "currently in the works." It's being distributed for free, which seems like a bargain until you factor in the price of replacing your iPhone after you jump all over it.

Download – Silent Hill: The Escape [iTunes link]
Download – DanceDanceRevolution S Lite [iTunes Link]