Bam. Man, those are equally round and shiny. Destructoid has some other new screens up as well.

I can't say I'm too fired up about the game, but the OST is up at the top of my "must have" list. Should be out later this year...

Haha! No wonder she's pissed, look at what his hand is reaching for...

I've been following this quite closely. There were some impressive enough early shots, though totally generic and lacking in imagination, but then more recently the screenshots seem to have taken a huge step backwards, yet still without imagination. I suspect this series is really just going to become a parody of itself at some point, if it hasn't already.

Oh, and you know the way I'm always going on about how Yamaoka isn't scoring the games any more, he's just busy trying to make albums? Well, there was an interview with him just about a week or two ago on I think Gametrailers where he was saying SH5 is the first game that starts in a town that isn't Silent Hill.

Which seems to imply he hasn't played 3 or 4...

I still think this coudl go either way though. I still enjoyed Origins even thought it was seriously flawed, highly derivative and brought nothing new to the series. At some point, I'm going to need more but it's possible that more of the same will keep me entertained with this one too.

Exactly. I just finished the (buggy) PS2 port and it was surprisingly better than I had expected. I'll reserve judgement until I actually play this one.

Kinda agree about Yamaoka. Like with the SH4 soundtrack I couldn't identify half the tracks on the soundtrack being used in-game.

Man, you had to quote my typo...

Yeah, I caught that too.

As for SH5, although I think it'll probably turn out better than Origins, I still think it'll suck when compared to the earlier games. This series died a long time ago. I'm just hoping for a stellar soundtrack.

Really? I must admit, I've played SH 1,2,3 but have yet to play 4 or origins. I realize that 3 wasn't the greatest, and I heard that 4 and origins are not spectacular either, but it doesn't seem to me like the series is dead. Personally, I'm not sure anything will compare to SH1 because it was so unique, and it was the first. I think the same can be said for a lot of games. To me, it's more about presentation, story, and atmosphere, and you can't really get that from a few screen shots... and yeah, a good soundtrack is a must

cheers,

-avatar!

You can't get it from a few screenshots, but you can get it from the fact that practically all of the people in the original team that made the groundbreaking first two games are not involved in the series anymore, and the only guy that is still involved is just doing the soundtrack and is apparently not having a clue about the latter games in the series (as Jay's post mentioned).

The screenshots and the clips released so far all point to the fact that is just another mindless run-at-the-mill survival horror beat-em-up like Origins and most of SH 3 and 4 was. These games have emulated all the outward trademark characteristics of the old classic entries without any of the deep substance in story or atmosphere that made those unique.

You can dress up a dead man in his finest clothes, but that will not bring him back to life.

Certainly one problem is that the prospect of a future Silent Hill game even approaching the brilliance of Silent Hill 2's story seems dim.  Another problem is that after playing a couple of Silent Hill games, the formula becomes so familiar that the series is no longer able to evoke the delicious sense of apprehension that's the whole point of the games.

It's a sad sad day indeed when I'm looking MUCH more forward to the new Alone in the Dark game, than the new Silent Hill

I'll give this a shot.  I see nothing in these screenshots that confirm or deny it will suck.  Looking at the developer's game releases makes me wary though.  I've only finished and thoroughly enjoyed 2.  I tried 3 but never finished it as I quickly lost interest, and I have no idea what 4 or Origins is like.  And nothing could make me play the first one.  They should've remade that one.  Anyway, the Wiki article claims that Yamaoka said this one is more like the second one, which has me curious.

That's what they've been saying since SH4. It ain't happened so far, buddy.

I played the first Alone in the Dark years ago (before I ever played SH), and thought it was fabulous! A beautiful game, truly Lovecraftian and superb in every way! If you don't mind old Polygon graphics, you should play the original. The atmosphere is SO delicious, and the puzzles are clever. It's not as dark as SH, but definitely stranger, and just as engrossing as anything they've come up with. I've yet to play the other AITD games...

cheers,

-avatar!

You are all missing the point. It's not about the soundtrack or the developer or getting back to the series' roots. It's about the CLEAVAGE, dammit.

Clicked because I saw boobs. After seeing them, almost wish I hadn't.

Yeah, that's what I keep hearing.
Never touched it myself though.
I only played 2 and 4 and they definitely do not hold a candle to even the worst SH game.

As for ample-bosomed nurses, haven't they been around since SH2 already!?

Honesty at its finest.

Silent Hill 3 came out ages ago.

Very well put.

I rather liked Silent Hill 3, actually.  It had some of the scariest moments in the series for me.  That room with the mirror?  Nothing in it was particularly out of line with the other two games (if you mean bonus unlockables, there had already been a UFO ending and a dog ending before...).  4, on the other hand, I can't believe I even managed to make it through all the way.  The eight or so hours it took felt longer than the 20 hours I put into a second playthrough of RE4.  Seriously... that is a TERRIBLY made game.

Yeah, I still liked SH3 a lot as well, mostly because of the atmosphere, but it WAS a parody of the series what with that handful of SH2 references.

Back to the boobie picture - I just took a closer look at something other than those jugs. Does anyone else think that room looks almost exactly like one of the TV rooms from the Blue Creek Apartment Building in SH2?

Personally, I think there were many things about SH3 that were "out of line" with the first two games. I've discussed this topic so many times with different people on this forum for the last five years, so I'll just settle with a short recap, OK?

/begin rant.

First off, the story was just dumb. God, was it dumb. The story and the characters were (as Jay once put it, I think) "cartoonish", like something out of Buffy. Talk about a downturn from SH2's Dostoevsky-esque brilliance! SH3 started the idiotic trend of explaining every loose thread in the story neatly and plainly to the player, basically leaving nothing left to the player's imagination. Really great thing to do in a game that's supposed to be psychological horror, right...? SH1 and 2 (the first one in particular) got a lot of their edginess from the fact that you were constantly guessing and feeling the unsettling confusion of your protagonist. No more of that now, though: every game in the series since has made it a point to explain the story, to ensure that the dumb dipshit average gamer will buy the sequel (the movie was great in this regard). In SH3 and Origins, you could basically guess the entire story of the game after viewing the first two or three cut scenes.

Another thing SH3 introduced was a much stronger emphasis on physical combat. Monsters were everywhere in that game. The earlier games got by to a larger degree on their skillfully crafted atmosphere, but the latter games took the easy way out by just constantly assaulting you with critters in best RE-fashion to cover up the fact the imagination and atmosphere had all but dried up (and from what we've seen so far of SH5, that one appears to be no exception). Let me illustrate using the following formula:

Big-ass monsters and machine-guns IN ---> Atmosphere and subtlety OUT.

Quite simple, really.

Despite all of this, I do like SH3 a lot. I really got into it back when it was released, and I do think it's better than SH4 and Origins (although SH4 had a lot more imagination). However, I can't deny that, looking back on it, the third game in the series was where the decay started. I don't want to elaborate on this further (I'm pretty fed up with discussing it), if you don't get what I mean from what I've written above, I think its fair to say that we don't want the same things from a horror game.

/end rant.

An exclusive interview was snagged by SilentHill5.net with the game's lead designer over at Double Helix, Jason Allen. Since this is more of a fansite than anything else, the questions are actually geared toward easing the thoughts of longtime Silent Hill fans -- which means the questions are probably what you want to hear answers to. Our summary, naturally, will cover the answers as well.

While the game appears action-oriented, the developers have focused primarily on the signature atmosphere of the series. However, Double Helix was asked to create the game to appeal to a larger audience and they felt a revamped fighting system would assist in that regard. This change may also be felt with the puzzles -- they're a more seamless experience now, instead of moving to a static screen with a puzzle, they will be viewed in a more seamless manner (that's probably easier to see than explain).

The game is trying to remain true to its roots. The developers understand people's hesitations and have done several things to keep the game in-line with its roots: the text, map system, sounds, picking up notes and other items has remained the same as ever. Difficulty settings will exist for the game, but they will not have an option for puzzle difficulty. They hope people realize they've kept the heart of the game alive and the magic is still there. There are more questions to go over, like boss battles, objectives, and item management. However, they didn't really give any valuable answers to them, so we'll leave checking those out to you. We'll remain cautiously optimistic about this game, but our anticipation is growing.
http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/06/02/som … ing-inter/

Note in bold that the developer was directed by Konami in the direction this game will take.  Interesting balance this team is forced to attempt---offer everything the game has established, but make sure it appeals to everyone.  That's a cakewalk.

For the actual interview:  http://silenthill5.net/2008/05/15/exclu … allen.html

FAIL.

Seriously though, I'll keep my eyes on this game and try to give it the benefit of a doubt. But needless to say, it'll take a lot to win me over again.

Konami just wants a piece of the Resident Evil audience... well, their money at least.

Silent Hill V to be very similar to SH2... or so they say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCTeR4tg … re=related

Hmmm, not sure that's necessarily a good thing. I like it when games try new, different, and exciting things. Doesn't always work of course. Well, we'll see. I'm remaining open-minded

cheers,

-avatar!

Yeah, but as Daniel has already stated numerous times, they've been saying this for every new SH since, well, SH3, and it has never actually been the case.

I think the main problem is that noone at Konami seems to understand WHY SH2 was so popular.

Sounds like IGA with Symphony of the Night.

I for one really enjoyed SH3. It may not have been as "deep" as SH2, but it was very good. On the other hand SH4 leaves much to be desired. It had a cool premise, but the gameplay was bad. I mean, I can understand having say one invincible enemy chasing you around, but 20 indestructible enemies throughout the game is just stupid! And the fact that they damage you just by being near you... What idiot thought this up?! Also, the hauntings were cool at first, but then got really boring since they just kept reappearing. The characters were only vaguely interesting, and not fleshed out. Finally, the AI (Irene or whatever her name was) was bad. She kept running into enemies and attacking those stupid ghosts which could not be killed. After SH4, I'm glad the game was passed on to a new developer, and hope they do a good job. By the way, I haven't played SHO so I don't know how that game compares.

cheers,

-avatar!

avatar!, you left out the best part of SH4... having to replay every area in the game a second time... with each area being not scarier but just more annoying the second time through!  Ugh I don't even know why I finished that stupid game.

So, back to the original message behind this post (breasts):

In case you feel like you just haven't had enough game breasts recently, visit atlus:

http://www.atlus.com/izuna2postervote.php

^^^ Yeah, isn't she supposed to be 16?

At least she's not pregnant!

http://apnews.myway.com//article/200806 … 2OD00.html

I have a hard time deciding which state is more screwy, MA or CA?

Wait, what?