Silent Hill: 0rigins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section contains information about an unreleased computer or video game. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as more information becomes available. |
 |
| Silent Hill: 0rigins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Konami Climax Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) |  Q4 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Survival Horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Rating Pending (RP) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
| Media | UMD |
Silent Hill: 0rigins (working title) is to be the latest installment in the survival horror Silent Hill series to be developed and published by Konami. It is scheduled to be released during the fourth quarter of 2007 in North America for the Sony PlayStation Portable. The title was officially announced at E3 2006 on May 9. 0rigins is the fifth installment of and prequel to the popular Silent Hill series. Akira Yamaoka is returning to compose an original score for the title. Team Silent has no hand in the game's development but they have written the story themselves.
Contents |
[edit] Known Information
Travis O'Grady is a solitary truck driver who gets stuck in the terrifying town of Silent Hill while making a routine delivery. He quickly discovers the locals aren't quite normal, and neither is the town. To complicate matters, Grady is confronted by crippling memories from his troubled past. He must escape from Silent Hill while resolving the memories that have plagued him since childhood. Origins is to be prequel to the series and the game's narrative is to reveal the backstory behind the transformation of Silent Hill. The title will also introduce several new characters into the franchise.
The gameplay will feature new elements, including a barricade system, and an enhanced third-person perspective camera system that has been designed to add a sense of isolation and anxiety to this installment. It was inspired by the gameplay of Resident Evil 4 but, according to the producer of the game, "we're not going FPS". Konami has supposedly stated that characters like Dahlia and Alessa Gillespie, and Dr. Michael Kaufmann, among others from later chronological installments, would return. [citation needed] Additionally, a magazine scan from SilentHillOrigins.com shows that the game will take place in the first Silent Hill, as Alchemilla Hospital is present.
An interview with the producer of the game William Oertel at Eurogamer.net has revealed more information about the forthcoming title. He expresses what kind of horror Silent Hill: 0rigins will be - "We recognised that Silent Hill 2 was great in going into the psychological aspects, and we really want to imbue that in 0rigins too" - and that the new game will put a lot of the obscure plotlines of the rest of the series into perspective, but certainly not all of them. It was estimated by the producer that a third of the game would be spent in familiar locations, two thirds in new locations such as a mental asylum and butcher's store. However, Oertel stated that it is "too early for estimates" on the length of the title.
Source: Eurogamer interview with William Oertel
[edit] Production History
Prior to the theatrical release of the movie adaptation based on the first installment, an interview with Christophe Gans in Fangoria magazine revealed that Team Silent was currently planning to remake Silent Hill 'for the near future' for the PSP. It would apparently feature the film's main protagonist Rose DaSilva in the lead role, replacing Harry Mason from the original. It was then unclear whether other elements from the film would be featured in the remake, but it was speculated that some new monsters featured in the film will also be utilized. However, following E3 2006, the interview has since been confirmed as just a rumour and Team Silent had no plans on remaking the game with or without Rose DaSilva.
The title's existence was further confirmed when a game release schedule from Konami was leaked over the internet prior to E3 '06, courtesy of pspcave.com. According to this information, the game would be titled Silent Hill: Original Sin and would be released on the PlayStation Portable on October 18, 2006. It would apparently be a part of the official series canon with the same style of gameplay for which the series is known for. Around this time, the title was still labeled to be a remake of the original Silent Hill. [1]
Some more, old, but otherwise rarely documented information has arisen. A short video has been posted called "Silent Hill: NEXT". The user who posted it on YouTube.com suggested that it may be implying that it is next-gen, however looking at the video it is obviously Silent Hill: Origins. The video is viewabout and downloadable here.
Development of the game has encountered a few problems. Kotaku.com has posted an article concerning Silent Hill: Origins, the upcoming game for the Sony PSP. The company behind developing the game, Climax LA, fired 16 employees who were at work on the game, then shipped it over to their UK studio to be worked on. [2] Steve Merrett has deemed the content of the article "unsubstantiated gossip" in a reply to a fan's email from SilentHillOrigins.com. A 2007 release date is now expected.
[edit] Trivia
The "0" used in the place of the "O" in the title is a possible tongue-in-cheek satire to Resident Evil Zero, which has a similiar premise to this game as a prequel to a series. This makes sense, since it has been said that Silent Hill is the most direct competitor to its Capcom counterpart.
[edit] External links
- Silent Hill: Origins Discussion
- Silent Hill: 0rigins
- Interview with William Oertel, producer of Silent Hill: 0rigins at Dread Central
