silent-hill posts (Subscribe to this feed)

The title of Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka's GDC panel was "As long as the audio is fun, the game will be too." Kind of a perplexing title, especially if you've enjoyed Yamaoka's work in the horror genre. Don't get us wrong, it's good, we're just not sure fun is the word for it. Yamaoka used the panel to explain precisely why his music and sound effects are so disturbing, and it's more technical than you might think.

"Sound is very close to stimulating emotions in your brain," said Yamaoka via an interpreter. "What do humans fear?" He asked. In the case of audio, he noted that gaps between visual cues and accompanying audio. Specifically, if a sound precedes a visual cue, it can cause anxiety, while a sound that arrives too late is comforting. As an example, he noted the sounds of footsteps being made slightly before the onscreen action in a game. He noted that this effect can be felt even if the sync between sound and visual is off by a few frames of animation. Yamaoka said later in the panel that he used this technique in Silent Hill 3.

Another technique mentioned was the use of silence."When there's no sound, the brain fills in the gap," said Yamaoka. He then played a special version of Beethoven's "Für Elise" which had been injected with tiny, periodic gaps of silence. He then played the same piece, only this time injecting harsh noise instead of silence. Even packed in a fully lit lecture hall with hundreds of GDC attendees, it was unsettling. Unfortunately, Yamaoka wasn't able to give us the sound samples used during the panel, so we've done our best to recreate them:


Thankfully, Yamaoka closed the session with a soothing guitar performance, which we were able to capture for your enjoyment. Listen to it below and stay tuned for an interview with Mr. Yamoaka on Joystiq in the near future.

Akira Yamaoka, composer of every Silent Hill score except one, and producer on every title in the series since 3, has joined Suda 51's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, following his departure from Konami last month. Yamaoka has already contributed tracks to this month's No More Heroes 2 and is working on music for EA's mysterious Suda/Shinji Mikami action horror game. Though we were once concerned about the long wait time for the collaborative project (or any information about it), now that the wait has resulted in the addition of Yamaoka to its development team, we don't mind. At all.

"Ever since I saw a video of Silent Hill 2 at the Tokyo Game Show nine years ago, I've always dreamed of working alongside him," Suda told Famitsu, as translated by 1UP. "That's why I thought I'd invite him over when I started hearing rumors that he left [Konami]."

"It was a case of really good timing," Yamaoka said. "I knew about Suda long before I met him; I saw Grasshopper as one of those few Japanese outfits whose games can appeal to an overseas audience. I had a chance to meet him in Los Angeles and we talked about this and that, and once we started discussing how we wanted to do something creative for a world audience, I was hooked on the company."

Also new to Grasshopper: Kazutoshi Iida, creator of Aquanaut's Holiday, Tail of the Sun, Doshin the Giant, and Discipline, who will certainly make the already idiosyncratic works of Grasshopper Manufacture even stranger.

[Via GameSetWatch]

The "reimagined" first installment of Silent Hill is set to shatter memories in Europe on February 5, 2010. Konami confirmed the survival-horror title will release on Wii, PS2 and PSP on the appointed date. For those who can't wait, there's always an early Homecoming in anticipation for that return to the cursed town.

Reviews of the game have been what Metacritic defines as "generally favorable," with a 76 average. Our own review took the approach that the game is good, but is it still Silent Hill with all the changes?

I'm a big fan of Silent Hill. I've played every game in the series and a few years ago you might even have caught me defending the Silent Hill movie. When I first heard that Climax was re-imagining the first game in the Silent Hill series, and putting it on the Wii, I was a bit nervous. When the company revealed the logo and announced that the rust laden, nightmarish Otherworld was being brushed aside for an ice world, I was downright scared. After gathering some more info and trying the game at E3, all fears were assuaged. This was to be the great hope of the Silent Hill series.

Having spent two evenings with the game and completing the story for the first time, I'm conflicted. Was it good? Yes. I'm just not sure it's Silent Hill.

While playing through Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for review, our very own Richard Mitchell stumbled upon a pretty neat thing: classic Konami coin-op arcade cabinets. Sadly, you can't play the cabinets in-game, but it's a nice Easter egg for fans, if we may say so. There's Contra, Rush'N Attack and -- our personal favorite -- Gradius. Check 'em out in the video above.

We're not sure what makes a franchise a good fit for unconventional adaptations, but Silent Hill certainly has it. First it was transformed into a haunted house, now a group of fans in Sweden has put together a stage play based on the second game in the series.

Though the play will be subtitled and put on to YouTube eventually, we don't have any details about the production just yet. We assume, however, it'll basically be like Miss Saigon if everyone in Miss Saigon had a pyramid for a head. Sure, the critics will say it's unorthodox, but they also said Babs was too young to play Dolly Levi and we all saw how that turned out.

[Via GoNintendo]

Konami has released a new trailer for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and ... it kind of rocks. Literally. Rather than flooding the senses with creepy atmosphere, rusted metal and sexually confusing nurses, the trailer opts instead for a montage of the game's characters and some rock music, specifically "When You're Gone," a new theme composed by the series' longtime (and recently departed) maestro, Akira Yamaoka.

Sharp-eyed viewers will also notice that Cybil, the friendly police officer from the original Silent Hill, appears in two different variations in the trailer. The version of Cybil encountered will be different for each player, depending on the player's actions prior to meeting her in the game. Also featured in the video: Monsters. Lots of 'em.

Shattered Memories releases December 8.

That eerie, oppressive sound you hear is that of a million Silent Hill soundtracks being played in memoriam of Akira Yamaoka. Original Sound Version has confirmed Yamaoka's departure from Konami, a rumor that began circulating yesterday. Yamaoka is known primarily for his work on the characteristic soundscapes of Konami's Silent Hill series, including the upcoming Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. In fact, the man has composed the soundtrack for every game in the series (with the exception of the GBA spinoff, Silent Hill Play Novel). He has also served as a producer on the series since Silent Hill 3.

Exactly where the composer plans to go from here is unknown, though OSV claims to be preparing an interview with Yamaoka in "the coming days." In the meantime, we plan to let his music lull us into a nervous, nightmare-ridden sleep.

[Via Hell Descent]

Aeropause claims that Akira Yamaoka, the man responsible for Silent Hill's evocative sound, has apparently left Konami after 16 years and is currently vacationing in Europe. Fans of the survival-horror series would rightfully claim that Yamaoka, whose work has been a constant in the entire series, is inextricably linked to Silent Hill.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories producer Tomm Hulett told Joystiq in an interview back in June that Yamaoka's music "adds a special element, it's kind of the atmosphere of the town." He continued, "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." We've followed up with the publisher for confirmation and comment.

It looks like GameStop got it right, as IGN reports that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will arrive on the Wii on December 8. The PS2 and PSP versions have yet to be given solid release dates, with Konami promising to reveal further information at a later time. Given the Wii version's proximity to the holiday shopping season, it sounds like PSP and PS2 players can consider their sanity safe until 2010 -- though not long after, considering our experience with the PSP version at Tokyo Game Show.

Wii owners, on the other hand, should start preparing now by stocking up on flashlights, blankets and plenty of batteries. Just remember, so long as you're completely covered they can't get you. Braver readers might consider perusing some of our terrifying Shattered Memories preview coverage.

Somehow, Konami managed to provide a release date for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories while still not clearing up any of the recent confusion about the release date. How? By announcing a release date for Europe. Eurogamer reports that Konami will release the re-imagined survival-horror game on Wii, PS2, and PSP in February 2010.

While the Eurogamer article references the uncertain American release date, no answer is given. Either the release date is being moved to 2010 worldwide, or Europe has the usual delay after the American date. The uncertainty is by far the scariest aspect of this game! Either that or the nightmare world that alters itself to more directly involve your worst fears. One of those.

Konami has yet to offer an official release date for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and the unofficial release dates keep shifting identities like some kind of haunted village. After Nintendo dated the game on its release schedule, we thought we could safely expect the game in November, but retailers have changed their dates once again.

GameStop now expects to have Shattered Memories in stock on December 8. GameFly, whose dates tend to differ from official ones by a few days, lists the Wii game as being available November 26, but the PS2 and PSP versions on December 31. Wal-Mart's dates put the Wii version at November 24 and the PlayStation games on Christmas Day (which is probably not the real ship date, on account of there not being any mail delivery that day).

Basically, the game is coming out later. It's not in stores right this second. That's all we can say with any degree of certainty.

[Via Kotaku]

Recreating the Wii version's moody ambiance isn't the port's only major success, as it handles the absence of the motion-sensitive remote quite elegantly. Here, you manipulate Harry Mason's flashlight from a third-person perspective by holding R1 and moving the analog nub. While this removes the ability to move and peer into the terrifying town's dark recesses at the same time, the game's generally slow pace makes such multitasking more of a luxury than a necessity.

Though it fails to offer a precise date, Nintendo's packed holiday release schedule has confirmed a November debut for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the frigid re-imagining of the PlayStation survival-horror classic. GameStop, which is currently offering a Silent Hill soundtrack CD as a pre-order incentive, expects the game to arrive on November 3rd.

According to producer Tomm Hulett, "If you've played the PlayStation game to death, you still have no idea what to expect for Shattered Memories." Oh, and definitely don't expect Dahlia to be a robot in this one. We made sure about that.

Konami regrettably informs us that the latest installment in the Silent Hill series, the Western-developed Silent Hill: Homecoming, won't be making its way to Japan following its North American release last year and European release earlier this year. Konami blames "assorted issues" for the lack of a Japanese release, yet says Japanese gamers can "look forward to future releases in the series." Just not this one. Ever.

That doesn't mean Japanese gamers are without hope, however. If you've got a PS3, you can pick up the US version of the game and play it on your Japanese PS3, since there's no region protection. If you've got a Japanese Xbox 360 though, you're out of luck. Also, you're weird.

[Via Magweasel]