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[TheJollyCorner]

haha that's pretty cool, Himuro.

no Frank Sunderland makes me sad, though.

 

[AyuFanatic86]

Pyramid Head = Villain of the year

 

[SolidSnakex]

Pyramid Head = Villain of the year

Also best horror villain ever.

 

[Senretsu]

Here's a translation of The Book of Lost Memories that Simo mentioned

http://www.translatedmemories.com/

If you want the developers stance on some issues in Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 then it's defiently worth reading.

Thanks for the link! I've never seen that before, I just spent a good 1 hour reading through that and reaching in the back of my mind trying to remember the parts when I actually played the game. As lost as I felt in the game running around with a flashlight, surprisingly I remembered a lot of it. Most parts I had right, but there were others that I couldn't have been more wrong on. Makes me want SH5!

 

[brandonh83]

Reading all that was awesome. I knew a good bit already but the amount of detail that goes into these games is retarded.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

goddamnit something SH5 related better be at E3

 

[Snaku]

goddamnit something SH5 related better be at E3

No kidding, I'm dying over here.

 

[Niko]

In the prison in SH2, does anyone recall the one hallway where you could hear the footsteps of something moving back and forth above the hallway? Was that the unseen prison monster?



This is pretty much my favorite thread. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

In the prison in SH2, does anyone recall the one hallway where you could hear the footsteps of something moving back and forth above the hallway? Was that the unseen prison monster?



This is pretty much my favorite thread. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

yes, that was the unseen prison monster. You can even shoot him/it.
Really weird, freaky stuff. I remember my first time playing, pretty much just saying "what the fuuu"- on a whim, I decided to arm my shotgun and shoot into the cell. I heard it fall with a 'thump', but having never seen the thing really disturbed me.

Another cool thing is the room in the apartment (just before you cross that outside balcony to the other room with the key to the fire-escape)- there's a wall that, if you crank the volume up and walk up to it, you can hear some really creepy whispering. All the times I've listened, I've never made out what was being said. It was just whispering... maybe some long lost remnant memory of Silent Hill?

I love stuff like that.

 

[Mau ®]

Although, when we first decided to do Silent Hill, we wanted to base it on the second game. It was very natural, since that game is the favorite of every fan, and it’s the one with the most beautiful world, and it’s the most emotional on of all four. Ever gamer who finished the game knows what I’m talking about…it’s a very tragic and romantic game, and it’s a beautiful adaptation of the myth of Orpheus- going to hell to bring back his love, Eurydice. It was not a real Silent Hill, though; the town serves as the background to the story, but it’s not really about the mythology. So, when we decided to do the film, we realized that it was impossible to talk about Silent Hill and not talk about why this town is like that. So we realized that we had to adapt the first one.

Looks like he is still intending on doing SH2... just not now. It makes sense though, if you wanna talk about a story that takes place in a town where there's nothing and noone but you don't explain anything about the town itself you just tell a romantic story, is not gonna be a big hit onscreen.

SH2 was my first SH and while I loved the story to death, the fact that I knew nothing about the actual town was just confusing (as it wasn't already!). So once I played SH1 and subsequently SH3 then I get the whole backstory so it makes the SH2 experiencea lot more complete.

And thank he would like to make a sequel. I wouldn't want anyone else on the job.

 

[teiresias]

I know it's generally not too well liked, but I've been looking for a copy of SH4 everywhere for the past week and have had no luck, it's rather frustrating. Whether I'll end up liking it or not is irrelevant, I'm just a completist.

 

[Mau ®]

I know it's generally not too well liked, but I've been looking for a copy of SH4 everywhere for the past week and have had no luck, it's rather frustrating. Whether I'll end up liking it or not is irrelevant, I'm just a completist.

I would wait. I think Konami will most likely re-release the games, at least the current gen versions, in time for the movie.

Edit: And yeah I haven't seen a copy of any SH game in ages.

 

[Snaku]

I know it's generally not too well liked, but I've been looking for a copy of SH4 everywhere for the past week and have had no luck, it's rather frustrating. Whether I'll end up liking it or not is irrelevant, I'm just a completist.

I saw a couple copies at Circuit City in the marked down bin. It was going for $13 I believe. I picked up Onimusha 2 instead for $9.

 

[SolidSnakex]

So I'm reading this interview and...

"I like women – I like to fuck the American bimbo. I want to make a movie with no men and have sexy women throughout. Women everywhere. I don’t want to have all these men to deal with or the attitudes of men."

What the fuck?

You should probably say that's from Gans. You might have some people thinking Yamaoka is a super perv.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

I look forward to the movie but I ain't really digging the fact they pretty much switched out Harry like that. The hero of Silent Hill, plus it made that event in Silent Hill 3 more impactful to me.

 

[SolidSnakex]

When I saw the making of SH2 video, I thought Yamaoka was gay.

So is this why Gans changed them to female parts? Because he's attracted to them?

Here's the reason Gans gave

Of course, we were facing the fact that the characters that we love so much were designed for games, and not to be played by real actors. It became readily apparent when we began to write the script and had to deal with the (main) characters, Harry Mason. We realized after two weeks in the writing process that Harry was actually motivated by feminine, almost maternal feelings. It’s not that he’s effeminate, but he’s acting like a woman. So, if we wanted to keep the character, we would have to change other aspects of him…so to be true to the character, we changed Harry into Rose. Essentially, all the people who love Silent Hill are more interested in seeing the mood and atmosphere of the games rather then if a certain character is wearing pants or a dress.

 

[SolidSnakex]

It's not a direct take on SH1. It's taking somethings from it and then adding other things to it. They're trying to find a balance between being true to the game and still being a surprise to people that have played it by adding new storylines to it.

 

[momolicious]

i remember long ago they said we would be seeing SH NExt soon, well WHERE IS IT?!

 

[Snaku]

i remember long ago they said we would be seeing SH NExt soon, well WHERE IS IT?!

 

[SolidSnakex]

i remember long ago they said we would be seeing SH NExt soon, well WHERE IS IT?!

It could get announced atleast at the Playstation Festival. I'm glad they're taking their time with it. Technically its been 3 years since the last "real" Silent Hill game. So i'm expecting some huge from them. A similar evolution SH2 had over SH.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

i remember long ago they said we would be seeing SH NExt soon, well WHERE IS IT?!

well, Team Silent has never shown a SH (to my knowledge) that was less than 40/50% complete. The first footage of all four were shown fairly deep into production, even SH2, which still had a version of James that was changed not long after the first media.

I'm still guessing SH5 is going to be on PS3 (either exclusively or as the primary development platform)- and since PS3 games are under embargo, that might answer it right there.

 

[Mau ®]

Making an essay in English on narrative in gaming...my 3 subjects are Silent Hill 2, Suikoden II, and Suikoden III. And yes I plan on going through all of the fucked up shit in this and all of it's themes, characters, backdrops, history, and plot. I've been thinking STILL thinking about the plot and I first beat the game like a month ago. No game has ever done that to me. It was so good I'm actually starting to question my own line of morality and trying to fix myself up. Silent Hill 2 = top 5 game. Easily.

YAY!

well, Team Silent has never shown a SH (to my knowledge) that was less than 40/50% complete. The first footage of all four were shown fairly deep into production, even SH2, which still had a version of James that was changed not long after the first media.

I'm still guessing SH5 is going to be on PS3 (either exclusively or as the primary development platform)- and since PS3 games are under embargo, that might answer it right there.

Yeah that's right. I think that once SH3 was done SH4 started development (the real SH4) then "Room 302" became SH4 and then SH4 became SH5.

It'll definetely be for PS3. Even The Room started as a PS3 title if I recall correctly.

 

[Fallout-NL]

I hope SH5 is going to be as good as 2.


(I dont really understand the people who prefer 3 over 2. Oh well, to each his own is what they say, only Ill always know that mine is better ).

I've been thinking STILL thinking about the plot and I first beat the game like a month ago. No game has ever done that to me.

I know what you mean. Silent Hill 2 was something very special indeed.


------------------------------------------

Oh and regarding the trailer, I think there's too many people in it and too much color. And what the fuck is up with that blonde Pitch Black chick. I was hoping this movie consisted of just Sean Bean wandering around in the mist, generally not doing too much. And maybe some occasional radio static to contrast with the goddamn silence I was also hoping for (too much noise in the trailer as well).

And why does that little girl remind me so much of the ring, cant we just forget about that movie?

 

[SolidSnakex]

(I dont really understand the people who prefer 3 over 2. Oh well, to each his own is what they say, only Ill always know that mine is better ).

Well, I imagine the gaphics have something to do with it. SH3 is crazily good looking

Taking a step back from how technically impressive it is, the game also has some of the best art direction in any game.

 

[Fallout-NL]

True, it looks awesome. But that's not what I loved the SH series for initially (although Silent Hill 2 looks very good as well, I didnt feel the leap to 3 was that big to begin with).

/edit: Looking at these screens... ehm, is it just me or does that look way better than SH4?

/edit: Hehe, this one looks almost as good as condemned: http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2003/news/01/16/konami/silenthill3_screen001.jpg

 

[SolidSnakex]

I felt the biggest change graphically was the art direction. SH3 is much more stylized than any other game in the series. The other games have a kind of darkish dull look to them, SH3 went with brighter colors and lots of crazy looking effects (like the vein walls).

 

[SolidSnakex]

*wonders what Heather's sin was and why she she sees demons*
*wonders the same for Harry*

((( Must play!

You haven't played SH3 either? Heh you're in for a surprise.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Yah..there's more than that you can be sure. Make sure you play SH1 first, SH3's story won't have the same impact without playing the original.

 

[John Harker]

I just started 4 after owning it for a year, and 1-3 were some of my fav games to date... but its been awhile, and a lot of the plot escape me.

Anyone know where I can read a good summary as a refresher?

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Well, I imagine the gaphics have something to do with it. SH3 is crazily good looking

Taking a step back from how technically impressive it is, the game also has some of the best art direction in any game.

Yeah, Silent Hill 3 is amazing looking and another reason why people would prefer SH3 over SH2 is the fact that SH3 is out and out much scarier than 2 was, SH2 gave me the feeling of creepy uneasiness, but SH3 actually felt scary to me, the creatures, the sounds and music and with one of the best looking games on the system it really brings home a scary looking package.

 

[teiresias]

Regarding Silent Hill 4, the PC version of the game seems much easier to find than the PS2 version, how is it in regards to the PS2 version? Realize I'll be playing it on a mobile Athlon XP overclocked to 2.2Ghz with like 700MB RAM (whatever the actual amount ends up being to the power of 2), and a Radeon 9500 Pro.

 

[Snaku]

to contrast with the goddamn silence I was also hoping for (too much noise in the trailer as well).

Gans said there would be long stretches (10-15 minutes) where much of the film is pure silence.

And why does that little girl remind me so much of the ring, cant we just forget about that movie?

Would you have prefered they change

Spoiler

Alessa

into a boy? Gender changes all around? :lol

 

[Fallout-NL]

Gans said there would be long stretches (10-15 minutes) where much of the film is pure silence.

Sounds good, not the first time a trailer fails to paint a good picture of the movie it promotes (thats why im still planning on seeing the SH movie).

Would you have prefered they change

Spoiler

Alessa

into a boy? Gender changes all around? :lol

You know, I considered not posting what I said because I was afraid someone would say this. But what I was concerned with was the way she looks, Alessa doesnt have black hair in front of her face and she doesnt walk like a physically/mentally challenged/special person. Or am I forgetting something?

 

[SolidSnakex]

Sounds good, not the first time a trailer fails to paint a good picture of the movie it promotes (thats why im still planning on seeing the SH movie).

Well they've gotta market it to the current horror generation, making it slow paced like SH would've done no good for its chances of doing well. Show lots of weird shit and monsters and you'll get peoples attention quick.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Well they've gotta market it to the current horror generation, making it slow paced like SH would've done no good for its chances of doing well. Show lots of weird shit and monsters and you'll get peoples attention quick.

Yup, Im familiar with how the world works . But ehm, what we also know is that trying to please 'both the fans and people who are new to the series' hasnt been known to work very well. And to this we can add the fact that trying to aim for an average of tastes will end up satisfying no one's taste fully, i.e. it'll be average. But none of this really matters, I still has a chance of being reasonably good.

 

[SolidSnakex]

But ehm, what we also know is that trying to please 'both the fans and people who are new to the series' hasnt been known to work very well.

THe feeling i've got from reading interviews is that the trying to please peopel outside of the series pretty much stops at the trailer. This is verymuch Silent Hill, they haven't sexied it up to please people who don't know the series. It's being made by people who really like the series, so they are going to want to do it justice and you can't do that by mainstreaming it completely.

If they make a movie based on SH3, here's their Heather

 

[BlueTsunami]

I'm torn...I haven't touched the Silent Hill series yet...and i'm wondering if I should play the games and then watch the movie...or just wait to watch the movie....

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

I'm torn...I haven't touched the Silent Hill series yet...and i'm wondering if I should play the games and then watch the movie...or just wait to watch the movie....

I suggest playing the games first, and then you would feel more excited and appreciative at how much they are capturing Silent Hill in movie form. There are good reasons why we are pumped by the glimpses of Pyramid Head and such, if you played the games you can pick up all the subtle details of the trailers reflected upon the games.

 

[Snaku]

Just read the interview with Akira Yamaoka and Christophe Gans in the new EGM. Wow, fantastic interview! I'll type up some highlights if you want them, but one part just had me rolling:

EGM: It doesn't help when a critic like Roger Ebert says that games are not art...
Gans: F*** him.

:lol

 

[SolidSnakex]

There are good reasons why we are pumped by the glimpses of Pyramid Head and such,

 

[Simo]

Please post the whole interview

We've already gotten snippets but it'd be nice to have the whole thing

Not sure if it's allowed but...

SILENT FILM

Konami’s Silent Hill fogs up the big screen

So you’ve be come understandable wary when it comes to big-screen adaptations of your favorite games. From Super Mario Bros. to Doom, nearly every motion picture inspired by our industry has royally stunk up the multiplex. (The continually fecal torrent of flicks like House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark by German director Uwe Boll certainly doesn’t help matters, either). But one upcoming game-to-film project actually shows promise- Sony Pictures’ Silent Hill (opening April 21). Shortly after an impressive trailer ignited positive buzz among the fan community, EGM sat down with director Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) and composer Akira Yamaoka (director of the Silent Hill games) to discuss their fog drenched horror flick
- Shane Bettenhausen


EGM: Did the stigma of working on a videogame-based film deter you?

Christophe Gans: Of course it w as challenging, but it was impossible for me to do Silent Hill and not be serious about it. It’s much easier to adapt Doom, even if it turns out to be a disaster- as we’ve seen (recently)- then to adapt Silent Hill. If you want to adapt Silent Hill, you must be ready to face all of the complexity of the story. For a lazy director, like the one who directed Doom, Silent Hill would be too big of a piece to swallow. I dreamed of adapting this game when I first started playing the first one six years ago. I prepared for this for years, knowing that every fan in the world would wait for me with an ax. I will be sniped when I go to buy my games at my favorite store if I do a bad job. And I understand that. I’m a fan of the games myself-I admire the work of Akira and his friends, and I feel like someone who joined the group and tried to transport that amazing piece of art into a different medium. I love the fandom, and I understand these people and how tense they get when they hear, “Your favorite game is going to be adapted by some French guy.” (Laughs)

EGM: It’s impressive that you actually tackled the mythology of the games rather than creating a simpler story…was that something you intended from the project’s outset?

CG: Yes. Although, when we first decided to do Silent Hill, we wanted to base it on the second game. It was very natural, since that game is the favorite of every fan, and it’s the one with the most beautiful world, and it’s the most emotional on of all four. Ever gamer who finished the game knows what I’m talking about…it’s a very tragic and romantic game, and it’s a beautiful adaptation of the myth of Orpheus- going to hell to bring back his love, Eurydice. It was not a real Silent Hill, though; the town serves as the background to the story, but it’s not really about the mythology. So, when we decided to do the film, we realized that it was impossible to talk about Silent Hill and not talk about why this town is like that. So we realized that we had to adapt the first one.

Of course, we were facing the fact that the characters that we love so much were designed for games, and not to be played by real actors. It became readily apparent when we began to write the script and had to deal with the (main) characters, Harry Mason. We realized after two weeks in the writing process that Harry was actually motivated by feminine, almost maternal feelings. It’s not that he’s effeminate, but he’s acting like a woman. So, if we wanted to keep the character, we would have to change other aspects of him…so to be true to the character, we changed Harry into Rose. Essentially, all the people who love Silent Hill are more interested in seeing the mood and atmosphere of the games rather then if a certain character is wearing pants or a dress.

Also when we decided to adapt the characters of Cybil and Dahlia, we found it difficult, mainly because they appear only sparsely in the game. When you have to create a narrative arc for these characters, you have to work really hard to make them work on the big screen. I didn’t want to do what they did with Resident Evil: Apocalypse when they put Jill Valentine onscreen. I mean, that’s a perfect example: I love Jill Valentine…in the game, but not onscreen. I mean, I’m sorry, but just dressing a girl like her doesn’t make her the character.

EGM: Did you feel a need to clearly explain the Silent Hill mythology to the audience?

CG: It’s a delicate balance, because in the game we are basically following one character, and this character is more or less finding little clues that tell a backstory. In a film, we can change the perspective when we want. We can show what Silent Hill was like before it became a ghost town. We can show precisely what Silent Hill is like in reality- we’ve never seen that before. In the game, there are two Silent Hills: the Silent Hill of darkness and the Silent Hill of fog. But when you have to tell a story about something that happened 30 years ago in a town, and that town suddenly became like the Bermuda Triangle, you have to add two more dimensions: the reality and Silent Hill from 30 years ago. So basically, we had to deal with four dimensions, and jump between them at will. It makes the concept very exciting; it’s very compelling to juggle the story between those different incarnations of the same place.

EGM: Akria, what do you think of the additions Christophe has made to Silent Hill world?

Akira Yamaoka: After seeing the film, I think that Christophe has really expressed the core elements of Silent Hill, and he’s really kept the themes alive in this new medium. Silent Hill is not just a horror game; there is human drama rotted very deeply in the story, and I feel that he expressed that very well with the visuals, sounds, and atmosphere in the film. By watching the film, I Fell that you’ll get a clearer and deeper understanding of the world of Silent Hill, more so than by simply playing the games.

EGM: Christophe, given your fandom, have you considered directing a game?

CG: Yes, I’d like to try that one day. Because as a director who is also a gamer, I think that there are two different ways to tell a story, and sometimes it can be like a dialogue between a film and a game. I’d like to think that, like, a 40-year-old woman might enjoy the film and than realize that it’s an adaptation of a video game. Now, I don’t expect her to play the game, but for her to realize that the games are important and that they deal with human emotions, not only carnage. Most of the people have a very caricatured vision of videogamers, and actually, gamers are very intelligent.

Games are a form of art. I realized that when I played through Silent Hill. Of course, I was a big fan of (Mario creator Shigeru) Miyamoto’s work, and I consider him a true artist. Playing through The Legend of Zelda, for example, was a beautiful, poetic moment for me. Playing through Silent Hill is very serious-and adult, of course- and that was the moment that I realized that gaming would become an important medium for storytelling. The quality of immersion is very difficult to reach with cinema. And I feel that it’s extremely stupid for films like Doom to come out and reflect poorly on games.

EGM: IT doesn’t help when a critic like Roger Ebert says that games are not art…

CG: F*** him. You know, I will say to this guy that he only has to read the critiques against cinema that the beginning of the 20th century. It was seen as a degenerate version of live stage musicals. And this was a time when visionary directors like Griffith were working. That means that Ebert is wrong. It’s simple. Most people who despise a new medium are simply afraid to die, so they express their arrogance and fear like this. He will realize that he is wrong on his deathbed. Human beings are stupid, and we often become a**holes when we get old. Each time a new medium appears, I feel that it’s important to respect it, even if it appears primitive or naïve at first, simply because some people are finding value in it. If you have one guy in the world who thinks that Silent Hill or Zelda is a beautiful, poetic work, then that game means something.


EGM: How did you tackle the concept of evil in Silent Hill?

CG: Because Silent Hill comes from a part of the world where the line between good and evil is blurred more so than in the West, it’s very interesting to deal with that. Since you haven’t seen the film, I don’t want to go too deeply into that, but I will say that for me, it was interesting to define what exactly is evil in the world of today. I think it’s an important question to raise. Until five years ago, we were living in a world that was a product of the Second World War. It was very clear that we were on the good side. But many things have happened in the last few years, and now people aren’t so sure about that.

In Silent Hill, I don’t attempt to answer these questions, but I do try to illustrate them. And I think it’s one of the most important objectives of the horror genre, to ask the right questions. Horror is actually a very political genre. Silent Hill is a very disturbing game, because you’re not just alone physically, but also alone morally. That’s the world of today. Each day, we’re forced to reevaluate our own morality.

EGM: You seem so passionate about this project…do you hope to helm a sequel?

CG: OF course, I would love to come back. And of course, Silent Hill 3 is a direct continuation of the first game’s plot…I think that it would be very possible to do a sequel to this film. As I said, Silent Hill is a complete mythology, and I did what I could in two hours, but I would love to tell much more about the Red Nurse, Claudia, and the Doctor. Plus, there is a fifth dimension of Silent Hill-how it existed in the 18th century, during the Salem witch-hunts. It’s so big and so interesting, and I would love to jump back on the horse.

EGM: Akira, what has the whole Silent Hill movie project meant to you?

AY: I never dreamed in my wildest dreams that Silent Hill would ever become a feature film, so I must say that I’m extremely grateful for the chance to work on this incredible project. The approach that we took when making the games was not typical- we were heavily influenced by films, and really wanted to touch the users’ emotions. We wanted to touch their hearts deeply. That kind of emotional potential was generally reserved for other forms of art, but I think that we were able to succeed. And now, to see these filmmakers take inspiration from our game, that was a very emotional moment for me.

 

[Fallout-NL]

EGM: IT doesn’t help when a critic like Roger Ebert says that games are not art…

CG: F*** him. You know, I will say to this guy that he only has to read the critiques against cinema that the beginning of the 20th century. It was seen as a degenerate version of live stage musicals. And this was a time when visionary directors like Griffith were working. That means that Ebert is wrong. It’s simple. Most people who despise a new medium are simply afraid to die, so they express their arrogance and fear like this. He will realize that he is wrong on his deathbed. Human beings are stupid, and we often become a**holes when we get old. Each time a new medium appears, I feel that it’s important to respect it, even if it appears primitive or naïve at first, simply because some people are finding value in it. If you have one guy in the world who thinks that Silent Hill or Zelda is a beautiful, poetic work, then that game means something.

Hehe, that guy knows what he's talking about.

 

[brandonh83]

I have a new hero. Even if this movie sucks, I don't care, this man is awesome.

 

[Great Rumbler]

Christophe Gans is awesome!

 

[Snaku]

Thanks Simo, saves me the trouble of having to type it up.

I particularly love how much they're delving further into Silent Hill, in all its form.

By watching the film, I feel that you’ll get a clearer and deeper understanding of the world of Silent Hill, more so than by simply playing the games.

That's just too damn cool.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

I kind of like that...

...but at the same time I love the mystery of Silent Hill. I don't want things explained too much. I think that's why I like SH2 so much- because it's just about a man in Silent Hill, going through his own purgatory. No explanations, no cults- just a singular event in a very strange, surreal, haunted place.

 

[Snaku]

They're not necessarily explaining anything further, but you'll have a better understanding of the town & characters.

 

[The Main Event]

More pics here.

 

[SolidSnakex]

<3 <3 <3 <3

 

[Snaku]

*faps*