<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<channel>
<title>Joystiq</title>
<link>http://www.joystiq.com</link>
<description>Joystiq</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif</url>
<title>Joystiq</title>
<link>http://www.joystiq.com</link>
</image>
<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright>
<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>Joystiq E3 hands-on: Silent Hill: Homecoming</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/joystiq-e3-hands-on-silent-hill-homecoming/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/joystiq-e3-hands-on-silent-hill-homecoming/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/joystiq-e3-hands-on-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/adventure/" rel="tag">Adventure</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/e3/" rel="tag">E3</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="367" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/shh-e3-2008-01.jpg"  alt="" /><br /></div>
A few things. First, I love the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silent-hill"><em>Silent Hill</em></a> series. Second, E3 really isn't the venue for demoing a <em>Silent Hill</em> game. Even in Konami's relatively quiet meeting room, it was impossible to hear any dialogue or music in <em>Silent Hill: Homecoming</em> -- headphones were available, but they were broken ... grrr. Considering that the soundscape of any given <em>Silent Hill</em> game is responsible for half of the atmosphere (arguably more), it makes it hard to judge how the game <em>feels</em>. So, you'll just have to settle for a look at how the game plays.<br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/">Silent Hill: Homecoming (5-21-08)</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818447/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-38_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818446/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-29_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818445/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-19-08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818444/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-83_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818443/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-55_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><br />As the first console <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill </span>title not developed internally by Konami, and as the first <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> title to make its debut on console in nearly four years, <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill<span style="font-style: italic;">: Homecoming</span></span> has a lot to live up to. Developed by a western studio, Double Helix (formerly The Collective), fans are understandably worried about how their cherished franchise will be treated. As I said, I love <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>, so I was eager to see what Double Helix had cooked up.<br /><br />My demo began as protagonist Alex Shepherd first arrives in<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Silent Hill. As is usually the case for the poor souls in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> series, Alex arrives in the town looking for something, in this case his little brother. Of course, the second Alex gives chase, his brother vanishes, leaving Alex to sort out the bread crumb trail left behind. Typical <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> fare.<br /><br />Unlike previous entries in the series, the game uses a completely free camera and controls more or less like an FPS. The left stick moves Alex forwards and backwards and strafes left and right, while the right stick turns both the camera and Alex. Honestly, the controls were a little frustrating. I repeatedly found myself running into walls and getting stuck. Since pressing away from the wall the would simply make Alex walk toward the camera, I had to spend a few seconds adjusting the camera to correct the view. This might not be a big deal in large environments, but in small, cramped rooms -- which are all over the place in <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> games -- it got annoying fast.<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818445/full/"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="275" border="1" align="middle"  src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/shh5-19-08-415.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><font size="1"><em>click to embiggen</em></font><br /></div>
<br />Combat in <span style="font-style: italic;">Homecoming</span> handles more or less the way it always has: lock on to the enemy and start swinging. Alex can perform quick, weak strikes and slow, heavy strikes depending on which button is pressed. A new feature in the game is the ability to dodge. Alex can quickly shift from side to side or crouch down out of harm's way. Attacking immediately after dodging produces a quick counter attack. In theory, you could wait for an opponent to strike, duck out of the way and follow up with a sharp upward swing of the ax. I had trouble using these counters effectively though. An interesting cosmetic addition, enemies are deformed in real time when attacked. In an encounter with one of the game's trademark nurses, my ax carved several huge gashes into the monsters face. It made me smile, though she wasn't quite as pleased about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Another new feature -- one that reminded me of <span style="font-style: italic;">Resident Evil 4</span> -- is on screen prompts. These come in two flavors. In one instance, Alex will simply be cued to perform an action, such as chopping down a barricade with an ax. Pressing the A button pulls back the camera for a more dramatic view of Alex's chopping prowess. The second flavor is quick time events. These are presented when you need to escape from a monster. If one of the giant Swarm bugs latches on to Alex's face, for example, the game will prompt you to start mashing a particular button to pull that sucker off and smash it against the floor.<br /><br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818441/full/"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="275" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/shh5-12-8-415.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /><font size="1"><em>click to embiggen</em></font><br /></div>
<br />The small section of the game I saw looked nice enough, adequately dilapidated and grimy (my demo unit actually crashed before I had a chance to see the transition to the Otherworld, unfortunately). Alex's character model was also well detailed and well animated. Put simply, it looks every bit like a <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> game with some current gen polish. There is the new addition of physics based objects that react appropriately when Alex interacts with one. I can personally say that I did accidentally knock a vase off of a table while playing. It actually made me nervous too. Thankfully, no monsters were around to hear it.<br /><br />Speaking of monsters, the ones I saw looked great, especially Smog, a shambling beast with slimy skin and an exposed rib cage that opened to reveal a putrescent pair of lungs. These lungs inflate just before Smog attacks the player with noxious gas. The lungs serve as the monster's weak point, incidentally. There was another monster that actually made me jump. It resembled a human walking on its arms and legs like a spider. I should also mention that its arms and legs were actually giant <span style="font-style: italic;">knives</span> and its head looked like it was on backwards. That's important. The monster ambushed me during an elevator ride, crawling on the outside of the car and tearing holes in the walls. Thankfully the monster is seemed to be allergic to bullets. Oh, and Pyramid Head makes a return appearance as well, for what it's worth.<br /><br />
<div align="center"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="341" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/sh-homecoming-phead-omg.jpg" alt="" /><br /></div>
<br />Summing everything up, <span style="font-style: italic;">Homecoming</span> looks like a respectable entry in the series. If the plot holds up its end of the bargain, and if gamers warm up to the controls, <span style="font-style: italic;">Homecoming</span> could even be a <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> entry in the series. All the pieces are there, now it's up to Double Helix to make sure they all fit together.<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/joystiq-e3-hands-on-silent-hill-homecoming/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1259173/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/joystiq-e3-hands-on-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>double-helix</category><category>e3</category><category>e3-08</category><category>e3-2008</category><category>e308</category><category>joystiqfeatures</category><category>konami</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-5</category><category>the-collective</category><dc:creator>Richard Mitchell</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-07-17T17:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Spotted in Silent Hill Homecoming: Pyramid Head</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spotted-in-silent-hill-homecoming-pyramid-head/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spotted-in-silent-hill-homecoming-pyramid-head/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spotted-in-silent-hill-homecoming-pyramid-head/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/e3/" rel="tag">E3</a></p><div align="center"><img width="490" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="341" border="1" align="middle" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/sh-homecoming-phead-omg.jpg" /><br /></div>
There are two things we know about Pyramid Head. One, he is a physical manifestation of guilt. Two, he generally causes the physical manifestation of <em>crap in your pants</em>. Oh, actually, there is a third thing we know about Pyramid Head: he makes an appearance in <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silent-hill"><em>Silent Hill Homecoming</em></a>. This raises the question: what is protagonist Alex Shepherd guilty of? Our guess is that he feels guilty about the desperate fan service required to keep gamers interested in this series.<br /><br />Stay tuned for hands on impressions.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spotted-in-silent-hill-homecoming-pyramid-head/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1258819/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spotted-in-silent-hill-homecoming-pyramid-head/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>collective</category><category>double-helix</category><category>e3</category><category>e3-2008</category><category>e308</category><category>foundation-9</category><category>konami</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-homecoming</category><dc:creator>Richard Mitchell</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-07-17T12:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Scared stiff: Why should we care about Silent Hill: Homecoming?</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-silent-hill-homecoming/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-silent-hill-homecoming/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/features/" rel="tag">Features</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/action/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/adventure/" rel="tag">Adventure</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/gam_silenthillfloormonster_490.jpg" /><br /></div>
Konami's <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silent-hill">Silent Hill</a> </span>franchise has forgotten more about keeping us hiding beneath our covers than most games will ever know. Even EA's own Glen Schofield <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-dead-space/">tips his hat to the series</a>, telling us earlier this week that he considers the 1999 PlayStation original to be among his favorite survival horror games ever. But after nearly a decade of stumbling through the fog, it's easy to feel that the dilapidated burg of <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> has gotten a bit too long in the tooth. <br /><br />For the series' sixth installment, Konami has handed the blood-soaked baton over to external developer Double Helix Games, a recent mash-up of The Collective and Shiny Entertainment. The result is this fall's upcoming release, <em>Silent Hill: Homecoming,</em> and we recently puzzled our way out of mist long enough to ask the game's lead designer, Jason Allen, just <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/scared-stiff">why we should care</a> about this latest return trip to <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill.<br /></span>
<div class="postgallery">
<p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/">Silent Hill: Homecoming</a></strong></p>
<a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772818/"><img src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/12_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772817/"><img src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/11_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772816/"><img src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/10_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772815/"><img src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772814/"><img src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/07_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />We began things by asking Allen what he considers to be his favorite example of survival horror done right, a question he was initially apprehensive to answer. "That's a tough question," he told us. "I'm always loathe to pick a favorite amongst the many titles I've played."<br /> <br /> He went on to describe two series that "have always left an indelible mark" on the developer's psyche. "The first," he began, "was the <span style="font-style: italic;">System Shock</span> series on PC. It [had] one of the best atmospheres of any game I've played; truly capturing the feeling abandonment."
<table width="176" height="90" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="10" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="right">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td>
            <h2>"Our mandate was not to change the existing game but to improve on certain elements whilst maintaining the core experience."</h2>
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
<br /> <br /> "Secondly for generating fear," he added, "the <span style="font-style: italic;">Fatal Frame</span> series I've always felt was one of the greatest... The first time I played the game, I couldn't play it alone and at night. I had to wait for daylight before I'd brave those dark hallways." This last bit made us chuckle, if only to know that we were not the <span style="font-style: italic;">only ones</span> to come away terrified by Tecmo's take on interactive horror.<br /> <br /> But of course, Allen's heart at the moment belongs to <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>. "I felt it has the greatest depth of characterizations and the most compelling narratives of all the survival horror games I've played." But will this carry over with his team's own telling of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> mythos?<br /> <br /> "Our mandate was not to change the existing game but to improve on certain elements whilst maintaining the core experience," commented the game's lead designer, who told us of his belief that when it comes to survival horror two "prime components" are puzzles and fighting. <br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/06/shh_5-21_head.jpg" /><br /></div>
<br /> Of course, some explanation is in order. "Very often the puzzles are abstractions and have little to do with the core of the narrative. We've tried to focus on making the puzzles an integral part of the narrative experience; to ensure that the reason for solving the puzzle and the puzzle's construction are understandable in the context of the journey."<br /> <br /> He continued: "Secondly, we've tried to focus on making the combat more accessible to casual gamers, whilst providing depth for the more experienced players. That said, <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> has always focused more on the narrative elements of survival horror and not simply been about killing the next monster."<br /> <br />
<table width="176" height="90" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="10" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="left">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td>
            <h2>"We've tried to focus on making the puzzles an integral part of the narrative experience."</h2>
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
He had us right up until he dropped the dreaded <span style="font-style: italic;">C-word</span>, leaving us hoping that by taking a more casual approach to combat, the devs will somehow keep from dumbing it down. Still, Allen reassured us somewhat, however, noting that "the team has always strived to maintain that distinctive <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> experience, and it's that experience unique to this series that sets it apart from the rest of the games within this genre."<br /> <br /> As it stands, we remain hopeful that Double Helix will manage recapture the series' near-trademark sense of dread and leave us shopping for a change of pants when <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill: Homecoming</span> ships for the Xbox 360 and PS3 this September.<br /> <br /> For now, however, we look to wrap up our look at some of 2008's most notable survival horror titles tomorrow by analyzing just how <span style="font-style: italic;">creepy</span> little girls can be in Monolith's upcoming follow-up to <span style="font-style: italic;">F.E.A.R., <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/project-origin">Project Origin</a></span>.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-silent-hill-homecoming/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1235711/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/scared-stiff-why-should-we-care-about-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>double-helix</category><category>doublehelix</category><category>joystiqfeatures</category><category>konami</category><category>scared-stiff</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-homecoming</category><category>silenthill</category><category>silenthillhomecoming</category><dc:creator>Jason Dobson</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-06-25T16:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>New 'scream' shots of Silent Hill: Homecoming</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/new-scream-shots-of-silent-hill-homecoming/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/new-scream-shots-of-silent-hill-homecoming/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/new-scream-shots-of-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/adventure/" rel="tag">Adventure</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818442/full/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh_5-21_head.jpg" /></a><br /><em><small>click to make with the zooming</small></em><br /></div>
Did we mention just how creepy the latest <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silent-hill"><em>Silent Hill</em></a> installment is in our <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/silent-hill-homecoming-creeps-out-of-hiding/">most recent update</a> on the game? Let's see ... yes, we did. Still, for those who either refuse to believe us - in which case you're meanies - or aren't yet convinced of its (dare we say?) <em>fear factor</em>, we offer you a ghastly gaggle of new shots from the game, by way of Konami. Just don't blame <em>us</em> if you have trouble <strike>breathing</strike> <strike>eating</strike> <strike>seeing</strike> <strike>walking</strike> <strike>talking</strike> sleeping after viewing them.<br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/">Silent Hill: Homecoming (5-21-08)</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818447/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-38_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818446/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-29_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818445/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-19-08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818444/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-83_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/silent-hill-homecoming-5-21-08/818443/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/shh5-12-55_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/new-scream-shots-of-silent-hill-homecoming/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1202384/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/21/new-scream-shots-of-silent-hill-homecoming/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>double-helix</category><category>konami</category><category>screenshots</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-5</category><category>silent-hill-homecoming</category><dc:creator>Randy Nelson</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-05-21T20:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>New Silent Hill: Homecoming screenshots be freaky, foggy</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/new-silent-hill-homecoming-screenshots-be-freaky-foggy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/new-silent-hill-homecoming-screenshots-be-freaky-foggy/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/new-silent-hill-homecoming-screenshots-be-freaky-foggy/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/action/" rel="tag">Action</a></p><div align="left"><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/04/25/more-silent-hill-homecoming-screens-to-creep-you-out/"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/gam_silenthillfloormonster_490.jpg" /></a>Though <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_%28film%29">the characters in Wes Craven's magnum opus</a> would be an obvious exception, we're pretty sure that protagonists in horror movies have never seen horror movies -- looking at the Silent Hill series, it's clear this rule applies to video games as well. Not that we're complaining, as if the characters in Konami's beloved horror series would collectively realize that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill">abandoned, fog-filled towns</a> are abandoned and fog-filled for a reason, they would probably stop going to them in search of deceased or missing wives/offspring/brothers -- and we wouldn't have <a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/04/25/more-silent-hill-homecoming-screens-to-creep-you-out/">these gorgeous screenshots from the upcoming <em>Silent Hill: Homecoming</em></a> to drool over.<br /></div>
<br />So thanks, horror genre characters. Your obvious ineptitude for danger avoidance may deliver you into the jaws of certain doom, but it provides us with near-limitless entertainment -- and really, isn't that more important in the long run?<br />
<div class="postgallery">
<p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/">Silent Hill: Homecoming</a></strong></p>
<a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772818/"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/12_thumbnail.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772817/"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/11_thumbnail.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772816/"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/10_thumbnail.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772815/"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/08_thumbnail.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/silent-hill-5/772814/"><img title="" alt="" src="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2008/04/07_thumbnail.jpg" /></a></div><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/04/25/more-silent-hill-homecoming-screens-to-creep-you-out/>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/new-silent-hill-homecoming-screenshots-be-freaky-foggy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1178851/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/new-silent-hill-homecoming-screenshots-be-freaky-foggy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>gallery</category><category>horror</category><category>konami</category><category>screenshots</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-homecoming</category><category>silenthill</category><category>silenthillhomecoming</category><category>survivalhorror</category><dc:creator>Griffin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-04-27T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Silent Hill V now 'Homecoming,' dated for September</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/silent-hill-v-now-homecoming-dated-for-september/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/silent-hill-v-now-homecoming-dated-for-september/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/silent-hill-v-now-homecoming-dated-for-september/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/silent-hill--homecoming-ps3-xbox-360-instalment-gets-a-new-name-and-a-september-release-date-in-europe"><img vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/silenthillhome.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
When you're a blogger and you don't have a lot of facts to go on, one of your greatest tools is hypothesizing, or as it's more commonly known, guessing. For example: Konami has announced that <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/search/?q=Silent%20Hill%20V"><em>Silent Hill V</em></a><em> </em>has <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/silent-hill--homecoming-ps3-xbox-360-instalment-gets-a-new-name-and-a-september-release-date-in-europe">been retitled</a> <em>Silent Hill: Homecoming</em>. Now, we don't know the reason for the change, but we're going to hypothesize that people were uncomfortable with an American-developed game that appears to be a departure from previous <em>Silent Hill</em>s being one of the main, numbered series. See what we did there? That was just guessing. <br /><br /> They also say that the game will be out in Europe at the end of September. We're going to <em>hypothesize </em>that it will also arrive in America around that same time, <strike>but honestly we have <em>no idea</em></strike>. [<strong>Update:</strong> Hypothesis correct!] Feel free to offer your slightly less authoritative hypotheses about the name change below.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/silent-hill--homecoming-ps3-xbox-360-instalment-gets-a-new-name-and-a-september-release-date-in-europe>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/silent-hill-v-now-homecoming-dated-for-september/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1173233/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/21/silent-hill-v-now-homecoming-dated-for-september/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>breakingnews</category><category>double-helix</category><category>konami</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-5</category><category>silent-hill-homecoming</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-04-21T11:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Today in Joystiq: March 20, 2008</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/today-in-joystiq-march-20-2008/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/today-in-joystiq-march-20-2008/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/today-in-joystiq-march-20-2008/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<div align="center"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/dailyrecap"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/03/pyramid-head-snowman-490.jpg" /></a></div>
A jaw-dropping moment of silence for <strike>Embrace's</strike> psychotic_blade's <a href="http://www.knightsofnight.com/index.php?topic=832">snowman</a> (update: fixed attribution), quite possibly the <em>cuddliest</em> little fella we've ever run away from in horror. Check out the highlights for today:<br /><br /><strong>Joystiquery<br /></strong><a target="_blank" title="View Counting Rupees: The year of the PS3 on Joystiq" href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/counting-rupees-the-year-of-the-ps3/">Counting Rupees: The year of the PS3</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/x3f-week-in-review-march-14-2008-march-20-2008/" title="View X3F Week in Review: March 14, 2008 - March 20, 2008 on Joystiq" target="_blank">X3F Week in Review: March 14, 2008 - March 20, 2008</a><br /><br /><strong>News<br /></strong><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/gametap-thursday-the-fire-flower-fleet-command-denied-our-ops/" title="View GameTap Thursday: The Fire Flower Fleet Command Denied our Ops on Joystiq" target="_blank">GameTap Thursday: The Fire Flower Fleet Command Denied our Ops</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/lionheads-molyneux-open-to-revisiting-his-past-catalog/" title="View Lionhead's Molyneux open to revisiting his past catalog on Joystiq" target="_blank">Lionhead's Molyneux open to revisiting his past catalog</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/check-out-17-minutes-of-persona-4-footage/" title="View Check out 17 minutes of Persona 4 footage on Joystiq" target="_blank">Check out 17 minutes of Persona 4 footage</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/ps3-firmware-2-20-to-add-blu-ray-profile-2-0-support/" title="View New PS3 firmware to add Blu-ray Profile 2.0 support on Joystiq" target="_blank">New PS3 firmware to add Blu-ray Profile 2.0 support</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/hudson-bringing-triple-dose-of-bomberman-to-wii/" title="View Hudson bringing triple-dose of Bomberman to Wii on Joystiq" target="_blank">Hudson bringing triple-dose of Bomberman to Wii</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/eb-pulls-plug-on-radical-haze-promotion/" title="View EB pulls plug on radical Haze promotion [Update] on Joystiq" target="_blank">EB pulls plug on radical Haze promotion</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/rock-band-music-store-rockin-consoles-this-week/" title="View Rock Band music store rockin' consoles this week on Joystiq" target="_blank">Rock Band music store rockin' consoles this week</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/new-rock-band-store-reminds-us-full-albums-are-still-coming-soo/" title="View New Rock Band Store reminds us full albums are still 'coming soon' on Joystiq" target="_blank">New Rock Band Store reminds us full albums are still 'coming soon'</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/rock-band-patch-also-fixing-incidental-issues/" title="View Rock Band patch also fixing incidental issues on Joystiq" target="_blank">Rock Band patch also fixing incidental issues</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/rock-band-surpasses-6-million-song-downloads/" title="View Rock Band surpasses 6 million song downloads on Joystiq" target="_blank">Rock Band surpasses 6 million song downloads</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/microsoft-hires-former-nintendo-exec-to-expand-euro-footprint/" title="View Microsoft hires former Nintendo exec to expand Euro footprint on Joystiq" target="_blank">Microsoft hires former Nintendo exec to expand Euro footprint</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/indie-film-to-take-on-mythical-evil-arcade-game/" title="View Indie film to take on mythical, 'evil' arcade game on Joystiq" target="_blank">Indie film to take on mythical, 'evil' arcade game</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/battlefield-bad-company-beta-to-start-next-week/" title="View Battlefield: Bad Company beta to start next week on Joystiq" target="_blank">Battlefield: Bad Company beta to start next week</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/midway-ceo-zucker-departs-company-left-looking-for-leadership/" title="View Midway CEO Zucker departs, company left looking for leadership on Joystiq" target="_blank">Midway CEO Zucker departs, company left looking for leadership</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/ps3s-orange-box-gets-128mb-mystery-patch/" title="View PS3's Orange box gets 128MB mystery patch on Joystiq" target="_blank">PS3's Orange box gets 128MB mystery patch</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/civilization-revolution-establishes-community-site/" title="View Civilization Revolution establishes community site on Joystiq" target="_blank">Civilization Revolution establishes community site</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/pandemonium-and-blood-omen-rated-by-esrb/" title="View Pandemonium and Blood Omen rated by ESRB for PSN on Joystiq" target="_blank">Pandemonium and Blood Omen rated by ESRB for PSN</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/dreamfall-joins-xbox-originals-lineup-march-24/" title="View Dreamfall joins Xbox Originals lineup March 24 on Joystiq" target="_blank">Dreamfall joins Xbox Originals lineup March 24</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/ut3-ps3-patch-coming-march-27/" title="View UT3 PS3 patch coming March 27 on Joystiq" target="_blank">UT3 PS3 patch coming March 27</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/two-worlds-the-temptation-dated-for-fall-now-called-a-sequel/" title="View Two Worlds: The Temptation dated for fall, now called a sequel on Joystiq" target="_blank">Two Worlds: The Temptation dated for fall, now called a sequel</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/activision-believes-gibsons-patent-has-no-merit/" title="View Activision believes Gibson's patent has 'no merit' on Joystiq" target="_blank">Activision believes Gibson's patent has 'no merit'</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/ubisoft-buys-up-tom-clancy-rights-announces-clancy-mmo/" title="View Ubisoft buys up Tom Clancy rights, announces Clancy MMO on Joystiq" target="_blank">Ubisoft buys up Tom Clancy rights, announces Clancy MMO</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/banjo-kazooie-gets-feature-light-homepage/" title="View Banjo Kazooie gets feature-light homepage on Joystiq" target="_blank">Banjo Kazooie gets feature-light homepage</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/psn-thursday-um-well-next-week-could-be-better/" title="View PSN Thursday: Um, well, next week could be better? on Joystiq" target="_blank">PSN Thursday: Um, well, next week could be better?</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/bully-patch-now-on-live-but-does-it-fix-anything/" title="View Bully patch now on Live, but does it fix anything? on Joystiq" target="_blank">Bully patch now on Live, but does it fix anything?</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/florida-supreme-court-orders-jack-thompson-not-speak-directly-to/" title="View Florida Supreme Court orders Jack Thompson not speak directly to them on Joystiq" target="_blank">Florida Supreme Court orders Jack Thompson not speak directly to them</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/nintendo-stock-downgraded-on-fears-of-slowing-system-demand/" title="View Nintendo stock downgraded on fears of slowing system demand on Joystiq" target="_blank">Nintendo stock downgraded on fears of slowing system demand</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/british-mp-continues-fight-against-manhunt-2/" title="View British MP continues fight against Manhunt 2 on Joystiq" target="_blank">British MP continues fight against Manhunt 2</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/lost-planet-colonies-has-new-first-person-mode/" title="View Lost Planet Colonies has new first-person mode on Joystiq" target="_blank">Lost Planet Colonies has new first-person mode</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/lionhead-releases-fifth-fable-2-video-diary/" title="View Lionhead releases fifth Fable 2 video diary on Joystiq" target="_blank">Lionhead releases fifth Fable 2 video diary</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/robert-downy-jr-terrence-howard-give-voice-to-iron-man-video/" title="View Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard give voices to 'Iron Man' video game on Joystiq" target="_blank">Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard give voices to 'Iron Man' video game</a><br /><br /><strong>Rumors &amp; Speculation<br /></strong><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/gamestops-too-human-placeholder-moved-from-may-to-august/" title="View Gamestop's Too Human placeholder moved from May to August on Joystiq" target="_blank">Gamestop's Too Human placeholder moved from May to August</a><br /><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/rumor-sony-no-longer-funding-l-a-noire/" title="View Rumor: Sony no longer funding L.A. Noire on Joystiq" target="_blank">Rumor: Sony no longer funding L.A. Noire</a><br /><br /><strong>Culture &amp; Community<br /></strong><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/esa-foundation-offering-45k-in-game-dev-scholarships/" title="View ESA Foundation offering $45K in game dev scholarships on Joystiq" target="_blank">ESA Foundation offering $45K in game dev scholarships</a><br /> <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/gh-guinness-record-holder-wins-gh-iii-tournament-beats-previous/" title="View Guitar Hero III Guinness record holder wins tournament, beats previous record on Joystiq" target="_blank">Guitar Hero III Guinness record holder wins tournament, beats previous record</a><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/today-in-joystiq-march-20-2008/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1145483/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/today-in-joystiq-march-20-2008/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>dailyrecap</category><category>pyramid-head</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>snow</category><category>snowman</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-03-20T23:59:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Silent Hill Origins confirmed for PS2, world reels in shock</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/silent-hill-origins-confirmed-for-ps2-world-reels-in-shock/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/silent-hill-origins-confirmed-for-ps2-world-reels-in-shock/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/silent-hill-origins-confirmed-for-ps2-world-reels-in-shock/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps2/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 2</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/psp/" rel="tag">Sony PSP</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/01/silenthillops2.jpg" />Of course, the world's just being polite. Though Konami's official announcement of a PlayStation 2 version of <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silent-hill-origins"><em>Silent Hill Origins</em></a> is welcomed, it arrives about as <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/retailers-listing-ps2-silent-hill-origins/">unexpectedly</a> as that surprise birthday party you planned for yourself once. That might have been more enjoyable if you had any friends, but then you're far too busy clobbering jittery, faceless nurses in your free time.<br /><br />Incidentally, that's <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/zero-punctuation-visits-silent-hills-origins-and-dies-inside/">exactly what you do</a> in this game. Casting some light on the spooky town's black history, <em>Silent Hill Origins</em> for PS2 aims to impart the "chilling, suspenseful and fear-filled experience that handheld gamers encountered" to those who prefer <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/21/ratchet-and-clank-size-matters-set-for-march-ps2-release/">considerably larger</a> screens. "This is their chance to learn more of the mystery and mythos surrounding Silent Hill that's been hinted at in earlier games and made the series such a success," said Anthony Crouts, VP of marketing and <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/">ineffective secret keeping</a> at Konami Digital Entertainment. <br /><br />We'll share further details as soon as they come shambling out of the foreboding mist.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/silent-hill-origins-confirmed-for-ps2-world-reels-in-shock/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1092942/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/silent-hill-origins-confirmed-for-ps2-world-reels-in-shock/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>BreakingNews</category><category>Konami</category><category>PSP-to-PS2</category><category>Silent-Hill</category><category>Silent-Hill-Origins</category><category>SilentHill</category><category>SilentHillOrigins</category><dc:creator>Ludwig Kietzmann</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-01-22T13:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Silent Hill screenwriter arrested for suspected manslaughter</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/silent-hill-screenwriter-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/silent-hill-screenwriter-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/silent-hill-screenwriter-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a></p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_en_mo/screenwriter_arrested"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt=""  src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/01/roger-avary-225.jpg" /></a>Film director and screenwriter Roger Avary, whose game-related work includes the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/11/silent-hill-scribe-is-a-gaming-geek/"><em>Silent Hill</em>,</a> <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/20/roger-avary-to-write-direct-driver-movie/"><em>Driver</em></a> and <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/10/avary-talks-wolfenstein-movie-blazkowicz-casting/">Return to Castle Woflenstein</a> </em>adaptations, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_en_mo/screenwriter_arrested">has been arrested</a> in Ventura, California on suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter. <br /><br />Avary was driving the car with his wife Gretchen and friend Andreas Zini when the car crashed. Avary's wife was injured and Zini later died at the hospital from injuries related to the crash. Avary is also known for co-writing <em>Pulp Fiction</em> and <em>Beowulf</em>. He has been released on $50,000 bail. The film adaptation of <em>Return to Castle Wolfenstein</em> has been <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/strike-puts-brakes-on-wolfenstein/">on hold</a> since the beginning of the Writer's Guild of America strike.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_en_mo/screenwriter_arrested>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/silent-hill-screenwriter-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1086429/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/14/silent-hill-screenwriter-arrested-for-suspected-manslaughter/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>driver</category><category>film</category><category>movie</category><category>return-to-castle-woflenstein</category><category>roger-avary</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>wolfenstein</category><dc:creator>Ross Miller</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-01-14T15:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Yamaoka: Japanese game development 'is in trouble'</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/yamaoka-japanese-game-development-is-in-trouble/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/yamaoka-japanese-game-development-is-in-trouble/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/yamaoka-japanese-game-development-is-in-trouble/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a></p><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16757"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/12/akirayama.jpg" /></a>The man who makes <em>Silent Hill</em> sound so creepy, Konami's Akira Yamaoka, has been working with an American team to bring you <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/SilentHill5/">Silent Hill 5</a> </em>and as a result, has a pretty unique perspective on how Japanese and U.S. teams compare. His conclusion? The future isn't particularly bright for Japanese houses. "[The U.S teams'] graphical and technical ability is amazing," he says. "There's a huge gap, actually. They're very advanced. I'm Japanese, and I think this is not just with <em>Silent Hill</em> but with the whole of the industry -- I look at what American developers are doing and I think wow ... Japan is in trouble."<br /><br />He elaborates on the problems, citing too much pressure on aging developers and the language barrier slowing some development. We would have guessed that the troubles would stem from trying to work under the constant threat of ninja attack, but it should be noted that we're not big readers.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16757>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/yamaoka-japanese-game-development-is-in-trouble/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1071027/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/26/yamaoka-japanese-game-development-is-in-trouble/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>akira-yamaoka</category><category>japan</category><category>konami</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-5</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-12-26T12:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Rumor: PSP Silent Hill being ported to PS2</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps2/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 2</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/psp/" rel="tag">Sony PSP</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/action/" rel="tag">Action</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/unconfirmed/silent-hill-0-gets-inevitable-ps2-port-331377.php"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/12/silenthillorig.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
So get this: Konami made a (by most accounts) pretty good game called <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/search/?q=Silent%20Hill%20Origins">Silent Hill Origins</a></em> for the PSP, and according to a Kotaku tipster, the company will be moving the game to the PS2 in March 2008! Making a port of a decent game from a well-regarded franchise for a system with 120 million units sold worldwide, can you believe it? ... Yes, so can we.<br /><br />As we said, this hasn't been confirmed by Konami, but it seems like one of two things would be happening right now. Either they are porting <em>SHO</em> to the PS2, or they've seen this story on the internet, fired the guy in charge of thinking of things like this and are in the preliminary stages of porting <em>SHO</em> to the PS2. Either way, we'd bet that you'll hear more about it soon.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://kotaku.com/gaming/unconfirmed/silent-hill-0-gets-inevitable-ps2-port-331377.php>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1059965/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/11/rumor-psp-silent-hill-being-ported-to-ps2/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>konami</category><category>ports</category><category>ps2</category><category>psp</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-origins</category><category>silenthill</category><dc:creator>Justin McElroy</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-12-11T10:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>New Silent Hill V details finally surface</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/new-silent-hill-v-details-finally-surface/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/new-silent-hill-v-details-finally-surface/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/new-silent-hill-v-details-finally-surface/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/ps3/" rel="tag">Sony PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/xbox360/" rel="tag">Microsoft Xbox 360</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://silenthill5.net/2007/09/27/new-silent-hill-v-scans-from-official-playstation-magazine.html"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/11/silenthillvopmscan3.jpg"  alt="" /></a><br /></div>
It's been a while since Konami <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/11/konami-announces-silent-hill-v-for-360-ps3/">first announced</a><em> Silent Hill V</em>, and details revealed since have been <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/10/1up-previews-silent-hill-v-shows-in-game-footage/">few and far between</a>.<em> </em>A new issue of <em>Official Playstation Magazine</em>, however, has revealed <a href="http://silenthill5.net/2007/09/27/new-silent-hill-v-scans-from-official-playstation-magazine.html">some new tidbits of information</a> about the latest in the survival horror series.<br /><br />The radio and the flashlight -- which were abandoned in the previous <em><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/silenthill">Silent Hill</a> </em>game -- return in the fifth console installment of the series. Unlike previous games, the camera will feature full 3D movement, and the article hints at some possible Sixaxis functionality in the <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/tag/ps3">PS3</a> version. The rest of the article  features some new, "exclusive" images and character renderings, and recaps story and gameplay elements that were already known, but it could be a nice refresher for anyone who's forgotten exactly what to look forward to.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/11/27/silent-hill-v-sees-the-return-of-radio-flashlight-sixaxis/">PS3 Fanboy</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://silenthill5.net/2007/09/27/new-silent-hill-v-scans-from-official-playstation-magazine.html>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/new-silent-hill-v-details-finally-surface/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1050617/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/new-silent-hill-v-details-finally-surface/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>konami</category><category>ps3</category><category>silent-hill</category><category>silent-hill-5</category><category>silent-hill-v</category><category>silenthill</category><category>silenthill5</category><category>silenthillv</category><category>survival-horror</category><category>survivalhorror</category><category>the-collective</category><category>xbox360</category><dc:creator>Scott Jon Siegel</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-11-29T08:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Joystiq interview: Silent Hill: Origin's Akira Yamaoka</title><link>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/joystiq-interview-silent-hill-origins-akira-yamaoka/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/joystiq-interview-silent-hill-origins-akira-yamaoka/</guid><comments>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/joystiq-interview-silent-hill-origins-akira-yamaoka/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/psp/" rel="tag">Sony PSP</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/interviews/" rel="tag">Interviews</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/category/galleries/" rel="tag">Galleries</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/akira.jpg" /><br /></div>
Not quite as terrifying as the titles he's been working on, Akira Yamaoka sat down with us during E For All to give us a teensy bit of information about the upcoming <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/13/joystiq-impressions-silent-hill-origins/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill: Origins</span></a>, and what it took to bring the game to the PlayStation Portable. While he didn't tell us the secret to being scary on a much smaller screen, we imagine it'll mean a lot of OMG IN YOUR FACE moments and spooky noises. Perhaps they'll even tell people this is a game better enjoyed with headphones.<br /><br />Check out the brief interview after the break.<br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/">E for All 2007</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/451129/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/dsc_0108_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/451128/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/dsc_0089_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/451127/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/dsc_0057_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/451126/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/dsc_0067_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/photos/e-for-all-2007/451125/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/10/dsc_0112_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, what role do you play in the world of <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>?</span><br /><br />I oversee all parts of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill </span>franchise, and I also composed the music for <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill: Origins</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When you were composing the music, did you take themes from the other games and rework them? Or did you compose entirely new music?</span><br /><br />Well, the story of <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill: Origins</span> takes place before all of the other <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> games. So, I decided to compose the music so that it has some of the atmosphere of the first <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Will this game ever go beyond the PSP to other platforms?</span><br /><br />Right now it's only on the PSP, but if the customers or the market request other platforms, then I'll think about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What was the most challenging part of taking a game that has always been a console title and moving to a handheld system?</span><br /><br />The main challenge was to keep terrifying players on the handheld. It's much easier to do that on the console. We adjusted the combat system so that all players can feel the horror.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why is it easier to be scarier on a console? Just because of the screen size?</span><br /><br />The biggest difference the screen size, yes. That makes everyone focus on what's going on. On a small screen, it's a bit harder to keep everyone focused on the world of <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>. That was the biggest challenge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, have you been successful? Is this title as scary as the other Silent Hill games?</span><br /><br />Yes, I'm very confident that we've done a good job and that players will be scared by this title. <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill: Origins</span> has some keys to understand the entire world of <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span> and the other games. Playing this game will help people better understand those mysteries.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What will you be working on next?</span><br /><br />Next up will be <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill V</span>. I'm also working on some other games, and I'm thinking about producing a game on the next-gen consoles.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Well thanks for your time, and for scaring the pants off of us. We appreciate it.</span><br /><br />No problem! Thank you.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/joystiq-interview-silent-hill-origins-akira-yamaoka/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/forward/1020349/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/joystiq-interview-silent-hill-origins-akira-yamaoka/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>Akira-Yamaoka</category><category>AkiraYamaoka</category><category>Konami</category><category>Origins</category><category>PSP</category><category>Silent-Hill</category><category>SilentHill</category><dc:creator>Kevin Kelly</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-10-23T21:31:00+00:00</dc:date></item></channel></rss>