"Earlier this week I watched a Konami rep play through a bit of Silent Hill: Homecoming while we were awaiting the coming of Castlevania creator Koji Igarashi. The quick play through showed off the opening moments of the game, with protagonist Alex Shepherd waking up in Silent Hill and setting off on the search for his little brother. The game looked rather nice in motion, and creepiness immediately ensued as Sheperd's little bro seems to have a penchant for scampering in and out of shadows, a..."

"Generally, when one thinks of "Survival Horror" in the video game world, the Resident Evil series will be the first name that pops up, followed by Silent Hill. To me, they both miss the point.

While both games can fall into a "survivoristic" mode, I've never found that much horror in them. Sure, Resident Evil has zombies, or mutants or whatever, but it's always been another run-around-and-shoot-stuff-that-moves game to me. It might as well be Nazis. You are trained military with guns, fer ..."

There has been quite a bit of worry surrounding Silent Hill: Homecoming. Fans weren't happy that parts of were apparently based off Hostel, the graphics were sub-par, and the game was being handles by a new team.

But this video, showing the first 10 minutes of the game, might be enough to dispell those fears. What do you think? Is it enough to regain the hope that Silent Hill: Homecoming will be a step-up for the series?

"Tale of Tales (ToT): Silent Hill is still going. There’s been a Silent Hill 3, 4 and soon 5, all without your involvement. Silent Hill 3 was a lot less complex than Silent Hill 2. And Silent Hill 4 was completely different. How do you feel about the evolution in the series without you?

Takayoshi Sato (TS): It’s normal that a change of team changes the feel of the product. That’s what happened with Silent Hill 3 & 4.

ToT: What did you think of the Silent Hill movie?

TS: I like many of..."

"One of the most distinctive traits of the Silent Hill series is its use of the Otherworld, a bleak industrial version of reality where night persists indefinitely and rusted metal and barbed wire are core components of most architecture. The Otherworld often reflects the layout and geometry of reality, but sometimes it the reflection is tenuous, as the Otherworld version of reality is usually twisted and confusing. The Silent Hill games contrast the Otherworld with the Fog World, a daytime lo..."

"The Collective has refrained from “Americanizing” the “Silent Hill” franchise. They’ve taken something Japanese creators have traditionally done best (atmosphere), melded with something else America’s usually excelled at (refined combat).

“Homecoming” opens with an opening very much influenced by “Hostel.” Your character is shuttled through a grimy hospital, while unknown individuals are torn apart, their screams echoing as you’re shuttled to what seems to be your doom. It’s far less subtl..."

"Curl up with your favorite horror movie, game, or book, and pay close attention; beyond the screams and the blood there is a whole culture hiding.

Western audiences often experience long-distance culture shock when faced with media created by the Japanese for the Japanese. Despite efforts to tailor Japanese works for the American market, we are often confronted with cultural signals that are uniquely Japanese and have no direct equivalent Western culture. This has lead to a lot of head-scr..."

"Last month we covered the hell out of Homecoming, with new movies and a text walkthrough of the game's opening scenes. Then, last week we saw Pyramid Head in one of Konami's press conferences. And today we've got seven brand-new shots that conveniently assail your eyes the same time our sister mag, Official Xbox Magazine, hits subscribers with even more details on this jump-out-of-your-skin freak show."

"Last night Konami offered a rather large group of gaming journalists the opportunity to finally get some hands-on with Silent Hill: Homecoming. We were second in line and found everything to be in working order; the eerie sounds, intentionally grainy visuals and unsettling environments are coming along nicely and even the new dodgy-slashy combat system works better than we thought. If you were around last month you'll remember our three-day blowout of Homecoming - it looked like this:

Day ..."

"When the demo starts, you found yourself on a gurney and being pushed by a masked fiend through a dirty hospital. As you look from side to side, all sorts of terrifying, shadowed scenes pass you by. Silhouetted depictions of horrible things being done to patients by un-seeable evil forces. Eventually you are left in a room alone, strapped to the gurney and here your adventure begins.

Once you have removed yourself from your shackles you are free to start roaming the halls and rooms, consta..."

"Fatal Frame 4 was announced at the beginning of 2008 and since then there has been little news on the newest installment in the popular survival horror. The game is being released this Summer and fans are beginning to get worried with the limited information that has been released.
Visit any Fatal Frame 4 discussion board and you will be met with few posts and even fewer people who know the game exists. This is a noticeable contrast to the thriving discussion boards of other survival horror ..."

"With a brand new name to replace its former numbered name, Silent Hill: Homecoming also has brand new screenshots as well. Along with the requisite walking through the fog and creepy monster shots, these screens also feature some of the people that you meet when you're stalking down the street."

"Konami has released a bunch of screenshots from the new Silent Hill game, scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PS3 in September.

Compared to today's Siren shots, they aren't exactly scaring us silly. The character detail looks very impressive though, and the fog still send shivers down our spines.

We also think we've got our first glimpse at Ellie, old school friend to protagonist Alex and a supporting character in the game.

For more on the game, check out the Silent Hill game page."

"It's been a long time since anyone set foot in the relentlessly punishing town of Silent Hill. Before this week, our most recent preview dated back several months, nearly back into 2007, and no other outlet has seen or heard much since. What horrible shapes have been lurking in the darkness since the last time Konami offered a peek? We've got the answer, spread across three days of exclusive Silent Hill: Homecoming coverage.

Day 1: Updated impressions | Day 2: Exclusive movies | Day 3: Int..."

"GameSpot has confirmed with Foundation 9 that the Bram Stoker-inspired vampire-slaying action game has been put on permanent hiatus.

"The best way to put it is that the Harker team rolled into the Silent Hill V team," a Foundation 9 representative told GameSpot.
"Frequently, when you pitch original IP, a publisher sees your vision and says, 'You know, we don't quite want X, but could you do Z?' So, it's not like Harker was rolling along and killed; it's more like the team simply started..."

"Here are all of the available Silent Hill: Homecoming videos. You can browse and view all of the Silent Hill: Homecoming videos on GamesRadar by using the playlist below."

"Silent Hill V is no longer called Silent Hill V. Konami's just dropped us a line to let us - and now you lot - know that it's carrying a new name. Say hello to Silent Hill: Homecoming. Sounds like the title of a dodgy 'B' horror movie.

Along with the name change, Konami's confirmed a European release date of "end of September" for the survival horror sequel that's planning to scare the casing off Xbox 360 and PS3.

Homecoming follows the tale of Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown ..."

"Very discretely, Silent Hill 5 is revealed again through these eight images, revealing an environment worthy of the series.
Let us recall that you will play as a young war veteran, Alex Shepherd, who will flee from his hospital to find his brother, Joshua.

Release date is planned for the end of 2008."

"Since its a survival horror game would you say Silent Hill 5 is the scariest narrative in the series so far?
I think when we talk about Silent Hill and a "scary" story we are talking about two different things. Overall, the game's scares will be the biggest we've had, and that's not just jump scares - the eerie feeling of dread will be heightened because the designers can really immerse you emotionally through amazing environments and wild-looking demons. However, story wise, Silent Hill has..."

"As part of an extended interview published today on Gamasutra, Konami sound director Akira Yamaoka has been discussing both progress on the Western-developed Silent Hill 5 and the state of Japanese development, suggesting "Japan is in trouble" when it comes to game development sophistication.

The interview, originally printed in the December 2007 issue of Game Developer magazine, has been expanded for its appearance on Gamasutra, and includes Yamaoka answering why Konami chose California-b..."

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"Konami released the first images of Silent Hill 5 (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360). The game will revolve around Alex Shepherd, a young, and mentally fragile, 22 year old veteran soldier.
Konami has announced that Silent Hill 5 will be even more horrific than the previous games of the series, particularly with the new addition of creatures equipped with a advanced artificial intelligence enabling them to trap you."