Shack Interview: Silent Hill Origins

 by Chris Remo Aug 02, 2006 12:39pm CST tags: Konami, Interview, Silent Hill
During's Konami's pre-E3 conference this year, the company announced a prequel to its popular Silent Hill horror franchise, Silent Hill Origins for PSP. The company has released a trailer and some concept artwork, but has yet to show the game in playable form or release very much information. I recently had the chance to chat with Konami producer William Oertel about the Climax-developed title, to find out a bit about how the game ties into the Silent Hill world, how it will play compared to other series entries, and the challenges of making the game for the PSP platform.
Shack: So while this leads up to Silent Hill 1, fans who played all four games going to get more out of it than those who are coming in fresh.

William Oertel: Whenever we get a chance, we always try to infuse some level of paying homage to the past games, or trying to connect some dots. Origins doesn't go through and explain everything in Silent Hill, but we at least try to make connections where we can, or at least suggest. Fans have played prior games can look at it and say, "I wonder if that's what it is, if that's what they intend." Maybe we're a little too subtle sometimes in making those connections, but I'd rather err on the side of subtlety and have people that have people that really know the franchise look at it and say, after they've played through it a couple times, "Oh wait, I didn't notice that the first time around, maybe that's this, or maybe that's from 3, or 2," or whatever. So that's always overall in all our thoughts.

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  • #14
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    By: Ratsofatsorat x
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    After all the criticism of the last interview, I half expected Chris to rip this guy apart.

    William Oertel: Right, right. I think it was desired to basically do something different. From a business decision -

    Shack: Oh, a business decision? So you're all about big business game development, is that? Sucking dollars from the consumer teet to feed the corporate belly, as it were? Mass-producing cheap games for $60 a pop and shoveling them into the hands of sheep? Let me ask you something William Oertel, if that is your real name: How do you sleep at night? Have you no decency, sir? At long last, have you no sense of decency?

    William Oertel: I don't understand. I just make scary game! [cowering] Leave me alone!

    Shack: Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! You've got to say, "I'm a human being, Goddamnit! My life has value!" So I want you to get up now. I want you to get up out of your chair. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad! You've got to say, [screaming at the top of his lungs] "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

    Konami plans to ship Climax LA's Silent Hill Origins for PSP in winter 2007.
    Aug 02, 2006 3:35pm CST

    Thread Truncated. Click to see all 1 replies.

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