A few days ago, a Silent Hill demo was leaked onto the internet. This potentially damaging loss spread like wildfire, with sites generating upwards of 1200 downloads of the demo, which only operates on PSPs with unpatched, or unofficial firmware. Karl Jeffery, CEO and founder of developer Climax, told GamesIndustry.biz that the UK developer is not responsible for the leak. "All I can say is that code did not leak from Climax – 100 per cent guaranteed," said Jeffery. "The code that is out there is fingerprinted and was supplied solely to Konami for marketing purposes."
"At Climax we have strong and proven security procedures that protect all of our code, assets and builds," he added. "We have developed over 100 titles in 20 years in business and have never had a leak or theft from inside the company." In spite of this apparent security breach, it doesn't appear as though the release will be pushed back. Thank goodness -- could we really have waited even longer for Silent Hill Origins?
The Games Convention in Leipzig is only a few days away, and it appears that Konami's upcoming Silent Hill UMD demo from the show somehow got leaked for public consumption. Unlike regular demos, this must be ripped into a disc image and run off of a homebrew-enabled PSP. We're not sure if Konami is too appreciative of having early code released to the public, and we're going to refrain from linking to places where it's available for download. However, video proof (seen above) shows that this is, in fact, real.
Silent Hill Origins is supernaturally beautiful. Simply analyze the picture above and note its fantastic lighting and shadows. Note the reflection in the mirror, and then be awed that this happening in real-time ... on the PSP. Silent Hill Origins is shaping up to be the best looking PSP title to date, with its great character designs, atmospheric special effects, and (as noted) the impeccable lighting.
Although the Silent Hill franchise has never really strayed far from the consoles, this handheld version is shaping up to be just as good as any other iteration of the series. Travis must navigate some beautifully creepy worlds, and fight some truly terrifying creatures. He can pick up weapons and items in the environment and use them against the ghastly denizens of Silent Hill. Controls in the game were intuitive and solid. Travis moved easily through the environment, although we found ourselves having a bit of trouble exploring the level as thoroughly as possible, trying to find all the clues.
Battle is a relatively simple affair, as Travis can easily target enemies with R. His attacks, and most importantly, finishing moves, vary greatly, depending on the weapon he's holding. Players must be resilient, though: if enemies get too close, Travis will have to do a series of button presses to escape close quarters combat. Also, Travis will want to keep a close eye on his weapons, as they degrade (quite quickly) over time. All weapons will break eventually, and Travis will want to make sure th
Konami's upcoming Silent Hill Origins game is surrounded in mystery. Plagued with troubled development, the title has gone through a phoenix-like resurrection of sorts, quickly becoming one of the most anticipated titles on the platform yet again. A new interview with Kikizo doesn't reveal anything new, but it does reiterate the focus of the franchise. Oertel explains, "You're going to a town that has multiple shifts in reality with people that have their own kind of dementia. How do you put a realistic spin on that? By it's nature it needs to be somewhat vague." Supposedly, multiple endings will help create a sense of impenetrable mystery.
True to the franchise, Origins is all about atmosphere and tension. Although the development team is trying to explain even more of the lore, don't expect the answers to be clear: "We want to take advantage of that opportunity to explain some things - not everything."
While we love being teased, we can't wait to get some more information on Origins. Until then, don't forget to check out our updated gallery.
Once thought to be dead, Silent Hill Origins has managed a spectacular return, not unlike the villainous stars of this survival horror title. See new images of the game in our gallery below, and check out the game's incredible intro sequence, courtesy of Gamevideos.com.
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Silent Hill: Origins producer William Oertel confirmed previous rumors that the game met serious problems during its production. The solution, it appears, was to switch development teams altogether. "Game development isn't an exact science, and sometimes you need to go back and adjust some things. In this case, it has been for the best. It was decided that moving development to Climax's Portsmouth office would be best for the game, and that introduced delays."
As evidenced by the most recent video footage, the game has certainly come a long way, and we're excited to find out more. It's clear that Origins is in good hands, with the producers understanding what makes a Silent Hill game so unique. "As I'm fond of saying, Silent Hill is an exercise in subtlety, and therefore the changes seen in this game, compared to previous games, reflect that."
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.
Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.)
Hope you didn't just eat lunch. Silent Hill: Origins is back, and it looks better than ever. Turn off the lights, get your security blanket, and snuggle up to these devilishly violent videos of the game in action. The game seems to have moved away from its Resident Evil 4 inspired camera, while gaining some context sensitive action buttons. Of course, none of this analysis will really matter as you watch this bone-chilling footage.
Remember, kids. You have to be 18 or older to see footage from this obviously M-rated game.
Silent Hill: Origins had seemingly disappeared from the public eye, with many (including ourselves) fearing its cancellation. The game showed early promise, with impressive graphics and Resident Evil 4-style gameplay. However, it wasn't long until there were reports of troubled development: Climax, the game's developer, laid off numerous employees. Then, it was conspicuously absent from Konami's Gamers Day.
Well, looks our fears were unwarranted. Game Informer has a new exclusive preview up: "The kicker was that even though the game was on a much smaller screen, our hands sweated and heart pounded as if we were playing a full-on entry in the series. If you're sensitive to scary content you'll probably not be playing this with the lights out and headphones on like the game recommends. With that said, it looks like Climax is on the right track with Origins."
We're incredibly relieved that the game has taken a turn for the better. Check out Game Informer for more screenshots and videos.
Konami's Gamers' Day has come and gone. While PSP gamers are certainly happy by the surprise announcement of an exclusive Castlevania, there is one game that was suspiciously missing: Silent Hill: Origins. The game had a very impressive debut, but ever since rumors of troubled development came about, the game has mysteriously disappeared from public eye.
Hotly anticipated games like Metal Gear Solid 4 were also absent from the show. Is Silent Hill: Origins canceled? Has the release slipped out of this year? There are tons of unanswered questions right now. Konami's website notes that "major announcements" are coming tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll know for sure soon enough.
Our eagerly-anticipated Silent Hill Origins may be in a little bit of trouble. The game's developer, Climax, recently laid off 14 of its workers in order to "integrate into a single management structure." (Source: Gamespot) According to Kotaku (you should already put on your "doubt" visors), the main reasoning behind the lay-offs was to "salvage the disastrous development of Silent Hill Origins for the PSP." The article continues to state that "the game had been cut extensively... shriveled down to a handful of much smaller levels and three to four hours of gameplay... Konami was understandably disappointed... and employees were told there were "no assurances" that the Origins project would continue."
While it would be disastrous if this rumor were true, I'm going to take a leap of faith and say it's untrue. The Kotaku report states that a working engine wasn't made available until June, which sounds false considering the game's incredible graphics engine (which was playable). Secondly, I highly doubt the folks at Konami would allow for a high-caliber project like this to fall apart, especially with their other high-profile PSP titles coming down the pipeline. Lastly, a developer in supposedly as much trouble as Climax wouldn't also be working on another high-profile game: Oblivion for the PSP. Climax is a relatively prolific developer: a few layoffs most likely won't affect the future of any of the games in development.
PSP Fanboy once wrote: "So how about a port of Resident Evil 4? The new over-the-shoulder camera style would be perfect for the handheld!"
Well, we might not have Resident Evil yet, but it looks like Silent Hill Origins will fit the bill just nicely. This first gameplay video (delivered by Playstation Portable.de) leaked from the floors of the Games Convention in Germany doesn't show off any enemies, but it shows some particularly nice graphics (the fog looks great), atmosphere and familiar controls. Hopefully we'll discover more nuggets of gameplay over the course of the convention, so keep it locked in to the Fanboy.
[Update 1: According to PSP World, the game will offer "a cinematic experience comparable to the previous games, but framed within interactive moments." That sounds a lot like Resident Evil 4's button-mashing cutscenes to me.]
The exclusives keep on hitting the PSP. Konami showcased Silent Hill Origins for the PSP and GTtv caught up with Producer William Oertel to find out more about the game. You can just watch the video embedded above, but here are some of the more interesting details he points out:
It's a prequel to the original Silent Hill, not a remake.
"[The main character] is an interesting character... he's a little bit more physical... he's not too emo."
"It's going to be a much more personal experience than playing on the console."
The barricade system modifies controls so that it changes constantly, making it much more interesting and dynamic.
"It's a huge game."
It seems like Konami's placing a lot of effort into their PSP efforts, and they have to be commended for that. This game, along with Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, show that the company knows what it's doing.
Konami's Gamers' Day has come and gone. While PSP gamers are certainly happy by the surprise announcement of an exclusive Castlevania, there is one game that was suspiciously missing: Silent Hill: Origins. The game had a very impressive debut, but ever since rumors of troubled development came about, the game has mysteriously disappeared from public eye.
