Sam Barlow (Origins, Shattered Memories) calls the SILENT HILL 2 reboot a "poison chalice," wishes Bloober Team good luck

[Darkknight2149]

Sam Barlow, director of Silent Hill: Origins, Shattered Memories, and the original indie games Immortality and Her Story, said the following about the upcoming Silent Hill titles:

"The version of Silent Hill that I would love – which it sounds like they’re pushing – is that ‘we use this as a platform to have a range of interesting psychological horror games,’ right? And actually, can we see a breadth of gameplay? You know, Twilight Zone, and those kinds of anthologies give you a sense of what you’re getting yourself in for but you’re also excited to see the different ways in which they can be explored."

Talking about Bloober Team's upcoming Silent Hill 2 reboot, which is poised to include new plot threads, several new endings, reworked dialogue, and a reimagined James Sunderland:

"Personally, I’m less excited about playing a remaster. It’s also like the biggest poison chalice in videogames, doing a remaster of Silent Hill 2. I mean, good luck to them because I don’t know how you can do that without upsetting people."

The game is in the final stages of development, with Konami reportedly planning a big E3 event in June.

INTERVIEW SOURCE

 

[Johnic]

They couldn't have chosen a worse SH to remake. it's a classic in the horror genre and considered one of the best horror games ever made. And a studio with a less than stellar track record is making it.

This thing will get torn to pieces if it isn't absolutely brilliant and I just don't see it happening with Bloober.

 

[Angie]

What stage are you when it comes to SH2 Remake Darkk? lol

Still at Anger?

 

[avenovah]

"Personally, I’m less excited about playing a remaster. It’s also like the biggest poison chalice in videogames, doing a remaster of Silent Hill 2. I mean, good luck to them because I don’t know how you can do that without upsetting people."

Someone sounds too upset.

 

[Bryank75]

Yeah...and coming after RE4 remake, it's gonna be tough.

I do hope it lands on its feet though and I hope whatever MGS games Konami has planned are in very dependable hands.
Otherwise they need to sell the IP's to someone who has the capability.

 

[Darkknight2149]

Someone sounds too upset.

He's not wrong, though. The original Silent Hill 2 was basically a David Lynch film in video game form. It's filled with so much abstract storytelling, symbolism, mood, and subtext, that a remake isn't going to match the atmosphere or artistry of the original.

If Bloober Team wasn't making it, it would probably get better reviews, but I don't think a Silent Hill 2 remake was ever going to get a Resident Evil 2 or Dead Space response.

When something as "trivial" as scissors hanging off a table have a hidden symbolic meaning... I'm not sure Bloober Team knows what they got themselves into.

What stage are you when it comes to SH2 Remake Darkk? lol

Still at Anger?

At this point, I'm just reporting the news and focusing on the aspects it won't mess up (such as the monster design and music, with Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka involved). It's guaranteed to be a divisive game at best, but how divisive is the wild card.

I hope Konami ports the originals when the response hits, and Bloober Team isn't involved with future installments. If Townfall, The Short Message, and Silent Hill F are a success, then maybe Konami will start focusing on the weirdness and adult themes that make Silent Hill unique and stop trying to turn it into a conventional survival horror blockbuster.

Aside from that, my biggest hope is that it doesn't do any lasting damage to the series' image. This new idea that James Sunderland (who was tired, depressed, and detached from reality) was "emotionless" due to "technical limitations" (in a game known for being highly emotional) is already throwing me for a loop.





Looking forward to The Short Message, the Annapurna Interactive games, and F, though. Those seem pretty interesting.

F has an awesome writer and animator (respectively).

 

[Nhomnhom]

Why does Bloober still exists and how are they allowed to touch Silent Hill 2?

 

[laynelane]

Aside from that, my biggest hope is that it doesn't do any lasting damage to the series' image. This new idea that James Sunderland (who was tired, depressed, and detached from reality) was "emotionless" due to "technical limitations" (in a game known for being highly emotional) is already throwing me for a loop.

James being emotionless is not my experience with the game. I thought they did a masterful job with him. He starts off as this normal, even nice guy. Certainly the way he initially interacts with Angela and Eddie show that. But, over time, there's little cracks that show there's something else in there - interactions with Laura and Angela come to mind, for example. Maria too, of course. Then there's symbolism like the Tablet of the Oppressor. By the end, when all is said and done, we see how tired, sad, and angry he really was and we finally understand why.

I really like that SH doesn't spoon feed its audience themes and meaning. I hope Bloober understands that, but have doubts.