PS3 Fanboy

Sorry Europe! Despite the fact that folks in the US have been playing Silent Hill: Homecoming since last month, you guys won't get your hands on the game until next year -- February 2009, to be exact. Konami did not issue a reason for the delay. CVG suspects it might be due to translation or certification issues, but that's as good as anyone's guess. Reviews for the title have been mixed, so maybe you Europeans aren't missing out on much.

Whatever qualms you may have with Silent Hill: Homecoming, which probably ranges from the awkward combat system to the absence of Team Silent, one thing that's undeniable is the quality of the soundtrack. Akira Yamaoka delivers yet another broodingly morose soundtrack that critics and fans alike have applauded since the first game. Those of you who ordered the game with Amazon were treated to 3 bonus tracks -- but now you can download them for free, even if you've never touched a Silent Hill game -- right here.

The three tracks included are The Sacred Line, Witchcraft and Cold Blood. We are pretty sure that's frequent collaborator Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's vocals on The Sacred Line, but you can be the judge for yourself after you listen to the track.

[Thanks, anonymous!]

Silent Hill is coming home this week. For America and Asia, that is. Europe has about another month to wait, but instead get the latest iteration in the never ending FIFA franchise. That's it for this week, but here's the info in a handy bullet-point list:

US Games

• Silent Hill: Homecoming

EU Games

• FIFA 09

Asian Games

• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Release dates are constantly subject to change. If you're worried, then check with your local retailer. Europeans, feel free to import Silent Hill: Homecoming, if you're desperate. Just be aware that imported games must have downloadable content from their respective regions. Not that we suspect Silent Hill: Homecoming will be getting any DLC.

Usually, a venue like E3 proves to be a bad venue for a game like Silent Hill Homecoming. The usual hustle and bustle of the E3 show floor makes for a game focused squarely on atmosphere to suffer. So, why was our playtest of Silent Hill Homecoming in a closed room with headphones so uninspiring? There are a number of issues that come to the top of our minds: the lackluster graphics stand out, for once. However, the most frustrating aspect of Homecoming is how familiar it all felt. Returning to Silent Hill on consoles after an adventure like Silent Hill IV: The Room is strange. Regardless of the execution found in that last Silent Hill title, one couldn't deny the interesting premise which took the series in a slightly different direction. Homecoming, on the other hand, plays it safe and feels like an HD remake of Silent Hill Origins (PSP).

For those that are hankering for a new Silent Hill game, perhaps this by-the-numbers offering will satiate that itch. However, the setting is much too familiar, and the setup is just not that compelling. Waking up strapped down in a hospital bed, our protagonist Alex Shephard must break free and find clues on his missing brother. Combat works just as it has before: lock on and swing various melee weapons found in the environment.

Fan favorites Pyramid Head and Robbie the Rabbit will apparently be making appearances in the upcoming sequel Silent Hill: Homecoming. Joystiq spotted Pyramid Head at E3 and even has photographic prove, as seen above. The character is meant to be a manifestation of guilt (though one could say all the enemies in Silent Hill fall in that category, but that's a story for a fansite ... ) and has only appeared so far in Silent Hill 2 and the theatrical movie, but his role here is unknown. Robbie the Rabbit first appeared in Silent Hill 3 as the creepy mascot of the amusement park the player is trapped in, as well as Silent Hill: The Room as a doll in Eileen's room. We also have six new screenshots, with all the screwed-up goodness you expect from the franchise.

Supposedly from an early beta version of Silent Hill: Homecoming on the PS3, this Russian gameplay video shows a playthrough of what appears to be the first chapter of the game. Gameplay-wise everything looks similar to what we have seen before, and the provider of the video assures us the narrator isn't saying anything we didn't know already. In terms of story, we'll refrain from saying much as small story elements are disclosed in the 13+ minute video, but it involves the protagonist Alex returning home and running into some old family and friends. Look for Silent Hill: Homecoming when it arrives September of this year.

[Thanks, Leigh B.!]

Love it or hate it, the second issue of Qore hits the PLAYSTATION Network today. Here's what you can expect:

• Resistance 2 - The big cover story for this issue is Insomniac's upcoming PS3-exclusive FPS. Bonus! You get to see host Veronica Belmont don a mo-cap suit just for this game.
• Silent Hill: Homecoming - A look at Konami's upcoming horror game.
• Madden Twenty Year Retrospective
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm - Exclusive first playable demo.

Qore is available for $2.99 each episode, $24.99 for a 13-episode subscription. (Also, for those waiting for the SOCOM Confrontation beta, you'll need to keep Issue 1. We'll tell all of you when the beta will be available.) Do you think this second issue is worth it?

Are you still worried about Silent Hill: Homecoming being in the hands of a Western developer instead of Team Silent? Konami producer William Oertel put it pretty well: "Much of it is very deliberate. You don't have to go into every single detail. You leave it to the fans to decipher...In a sense, the whole game is like a puzzle." This is part of the ideology of the development staff -- to keep the game more on the psychological level like the legendary Silent Hill 2 and less on the literal side, like the first and third installments. We support this move.

A preview of the game doesn't go into the storyline very much, since they claim it is quite on-track with previous titles and wish to refrain from spoiling anything. However, they do comment on the new battle system and how it, actually, works in favor of the Silent Hill style of play. Every weapon as a finishing move, dodging is challenging ... combat is, essentially, more difficult. Enemies detect sound and light pretty viciously now -- they reacted before, but now it's clear when you knock over any of the surrounding stuff, the enemy comes running.

Conversations branch, too. During some of the games discussions between characters, you can choose from a couple of different answers that will yield different reactions or get you a little more background information. It doesn't sound overly complex, but it'll be interesting to see if these branches actually influence the type of ending you get. All in all, it's sounding pretty well done.

The new Silent Hill game isn't completely abandoned by the original Japanese devs: long-time composer for the series, Akira Yamaoka, is still on board and singing praises to the new staff and the new game. Yamaoka sat down with Gamasutra at a recent Konami event and spoke a bit about the game. Let's listen in.

Yamaoka thinks it's a natural step for the game to move on to Western developers -- it had originally been a game whose horror is derived from American cinema. Plus the franchise is more popular in the US, he says. Yamaoka is also trying to move away from the horror genre, saying he "worked on some other titles that are not horror titles. But also I have something, another project in mind, that I'm trying to develop." If you're looking for what influences the Silent Hill team, he says it's probably David Lynch (The Elephant Man, specifically). So there you go. At least we can expect his white-noise style of music to scare us silly in Silent Hill: Homecoming, right?

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.

It's 2AM on the east coast. As we go to sleep, we thought we'd curl up and sit down with new images from Silent Hill Homecoming. The upcoming survival horror game for PS3 comes from new developer Double Helix, and will be available this September.

The franchise has always been known for mood and atmosphere, and that's exactly what we see in these new shots. But, will this feel like more than just the same ol' Silent Hill, with a fresh new coat of paint?

We've got one video above and several more videos after the cut detailing different areas of Silent Hill: Homecoming. While some may decry the game as an abandoned franchise by Team Silent, or a Me-Too title done by outsourced developers, you have to admit they've nailed the atmosphere pretty well. This is a Silent Hill game, but we can't really judge this type of game until it's been played through from beginning to bloody end. Then thought about on a deep psychological level for several hours. Anyway, enjoy these videos, featuring lots of nurses and lots of dogs, then let us know what you think.

Silent Hill Homecoming is the series' first entry into the new generation. From the new footage released from Konami's Gamers Day, we say it looks remarkably similar to previous incarnations. It's going to be gruesome, obviously -- too bad we couldn't hear the haunting score Silent Hill is so well known for in this video.