Silent Hill f (PS5)

Back in 2022, Konami announced a full revival of the Silent Hill IP that included a number of video game projects, including a teaser for Silent Hill f (SHf), developed by NeoBards Entertainment. Even back then, SHf stood out for its distinct Japanese flair, which came from a desire to bring the series back to its roots after worry that the series had grown too “Western” following the Team Silent era (games that they clarified were influenced by Western media, but filtered through a Japanese lens, creating a unique blend of both sensibilities). To this end, they brought on famed horror game writer Ryukishi07, known for the When They Cry series of visual novels, and set the game in 1960s Japan. When this entry finally released in 2025, it not only received critical praise, but became the fastest-selling game in the series, with one million copies sold in only three days.

From the outset, the concept of SHf intrigued me as someone open to exploring other aspects of Silent Hill that developers hadn’t yet tapped into and as someone used to legacy media experimenting with their format once in a while. As such, it was a day one buy for me and I started playing it as soon as I got the chance. Thanks to a combination of personal health factors, however, as well as my prior reviews locking myself into viewing every single ending, it did take me a bit longer than I had initially thought to truly complete the game. Although I found the final product flawed like any other Silent Hill game, I can confidently say that trying out a new direction paid off spectacularly.

Little Nightmares III (PS5)

Following the success of Little Nightmares II in 2021, it was inevitable that publisher Bandai Namco would want to continue capitalizing on the series, with Little Nightmares III in development under Supermassive Games after original developer Tarsier was purchased by Embracer. Despite the change in hands, I wanted to continue supporting the Little Nightmares IP due to its more unique approach to horror. After waiting patiently for the long-awaited third entry, I found myself enjoying it at first, only to end up getting gated enough by the game’s own mechanics to put it down before getting the chance to finish it.

Silent Hill 2 (2024)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Silent Hill 2.

In the decades since its release in 2001, Silent Hill 2 (SH2) has earned and maintained a reputation as one of the greatest survival horror games ever made thanks to its powerful storyline that tackled taboo subjects in a mature way. Fast forward to today and ten years after the 2012 release of Silent Hill: Downpour, Konami announced a full series revival, which included two SH2 projects: a remake also called Silent Hill 2 (SH2R), developed by Bloober Team, and a film adaptation, Return to Silent Hill, directed by Christophe Gans, who had previously directed the original Silent Hill film adaptation. Despite involving former Team Silent members Masahiro Ito and Akira Yamaoka throughout development, SH2R fought an uphill battle. Although Bloober Team had experience with horror titles like Layers of Fear, Observer, Blair Witch and The Medium, these titles usually had a mixed reception at best. Add to that the lack of pre-order bonuses for physical copies and the negative reception to early trailers, which included some differences in presentation and character models. Fortunately, confidence grew as the October 8, 2024 release date grew closer and the game released on PS5 and Steam to positive reception, as well as selling 1 million copies within the first three days.

Personally, I had faith in SH2R from the moment of its announcement, as I could sense the team’s passion behind the project, though I followed the development with more cautious optimism. When it released, I also had a hard time finding a physical copy on day one, but I fortunately found a store that still had a number of them left. Throughout the following playthrough, I felt impressed by what Bloober Team had accomplished and, when it ended, I took a little time to process my full opinion before writing this review. As of this post, I can confidently say that while SH2R isn’t a flawless masterpiece, and neither is the original, I think Bloober Team knocked it out of the park and made me even more excited about the series' future.

Second Look - Resident Evil Village (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village.

It should go without saying that the strong reviews and sales numbers of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7) led to a sequel in 2021, also the latest game in the series, Resident Evil Village (RE8). At least, that would be the typical story. In reality, RE8 entered development at the tail end of RE7’s production with the idea of continuing the previous game’s story and style. Early on, the development team came up with the concept of the village setting, as well as drawing influence from Resident Evil 4 (RE4) in making it a central game element. They also developed the game with more of a mixture of action and horror after observing reactions to RE7’s horror and deciding that dialing back and spreading out the scares would make it more approachable for newcomers. For accessibility, the title also emphasized the “village” aspect rather than officially designate it as Resident Evil 8 (even though that’s exactly what it is). Despite the change in approach, the end result garnered strong critical reception and sales over time.

As someone who started with the Winters storyline, I enjoyed RE8 when it came out, in spite of its flaws, and coming back to this game in my journey through the Resident Evil (RE) franchise didn’t change my opinion that much. Like my replay of RE7, however, what really changed was my perspective on its gameplay and how the story fit in with the overall timeline. Not only did I better appreciate some of its improvements over certain gameplay systems from its predecessor, but also its influence from RE4 and one specific twist that prompted all of these RE reviews in the first place.

Second Look - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.

Following the mixed reception of Resident Evil 6 (RE6), in spite of its high sales, Capcom realized it needed a change in direction going forward with the franchise, which included cancelling a sequel meant to continue in RE6’s footsteps. Jun Takeuchi, who had experience with the series since the original Resident Evil (RE1) and produced Resident Evil 5, took over the project and helped brainstorm ideas for the next game, which led him to an isolated setting in the vein of both RE1 and The Evil Dead. As development proceeded with this concept in mind and under the direction of Koshi Nakanishi, which included a first-person viewpoint, the team created the RE Engine (“Reach for the Moon” Engine) for smoother next-gen game development and later made the game VR-friendly. Despite some misgivings from fans based on the Beginning Hour demo, the final 2017 release, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7), received near-universal praise and sold well enough to warrant a sequel of its own, Resident Evil Village.

As I’ve mentioned in other Resident Evil (RE) reviews, RE7 was my formal introduction to the series after a couple false starts. Despite some flaws and my general aversion to horror games, I loved it and played it multiple times across both the original release and the later Gold Edition release, which has all of the DLC on the disc (sans Not A Hero). My journey through all of the pre-Winters RE games inevitably led me to another replay of RE7, this time through the free PS5 upgrade. I had always viewed RE7 as one of my favorite survival horror games and, perhaps as expected, this latest playthrough didn’t really change that. What did change, however, was my appreciation for this entry’s accomplishments in light of the rest of the series’ ups and downs. As a consequence, however, some of its flaws did stick out a little more.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (PS4)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: Revelations and Resident Evil: Revelations 2.

Soon after the release of Resident Evil: Revelations (REV1), Capcom greenlit a sequel, Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (REV2), this time for home consoles and the PlayStation Vita instead of the Nintendo 3DS. For this entry, however, producer Michiteru Okabe suggested taking the episodic structure of REV1 one step further and releasing REV2 with a weekly episodic model like a traditional TV series, as popularized by Telltale Games. As such, the writing took more influence from episodic TV shows, which included ending each part with a cliffhanger to encourage players to download the next part. Each of the four episodes released as planned in 2015, followed shortly after by a complete retail release that also included both Bonus Episodes, originally released as DLC. REV2 garnered positive critical reception and, as of 2022, outsold REV1.

Since I committed to playing the Revelations games as part of my deep dive through Resident Evil (RE), I ended up at REV2 on PS4 after playing through Resident Evil 6 (RE6) instead of jumping straight to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (one of my personal favorites). Due to my disappointment with both preceding titles, I didn’t expect much from REV2 and thought I’d face another boring slog before “getting back to the good stuff”. Instead, much like how I felt going from Code: Veronica X to Resident Evil 0 (RE0), I found myself actually having fun with REV2, as it had learned from the mistakes of its predecessor and ended the pre-Winters portion of the mainline series (according to the Resident Evil Wiki) on a high note.

Resident Evil: Revelations (PS4)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil: Revelations

As the years wore on, so did Capcom’s development of the Resident Evil series. While Resident Evil 5 (RE5) felt like a sort of conclusion to the main story, the series’ popularity meant that Capcom would continue development of future numbered entries, including Resident Evil 6 (RE6). In between RE5 and RE6, however, came Resident Evil: Revelations (Revelations), which released in 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS. Developed at the same time as the controversial The Mercenaries 3D, the team behind Revelations wanted to take advantage of the 3DS’ capabilities for handheld while also providing a uniquely portable experience in both the story structure and optional Raid Mode, which would let friends talk to one another as they played the game together. Despite the game’s intention for portable systems, it would receive ports for seventh generation consoles in 2013 and eight generation consoles in 2017.

While I would have jumped straight from RE5 to RE6 for my journey through the series, I also included Revelations, both because it received a PS4 port alongside the other numbered titles and because the Resident Evil Wiki labeled it as a major entry. Playing the game for myself made me doubt its supposed “major entry” status, but I nonetheless found myself feeling mixed on the experience, largely in regards to its technical accomplishments versus its writing.

Silent Hill: The Short Message

For nearly a decade, Silent Hill was considered a dead franchise following the cancellation of Silent Hills and subsequent delisting of P.T. While I was already upset with Konami’s actions after their treatment of Hideo Kojima (who would have directed Silent Hills with Guillermo del Toro) came to light, the idea that the series would remain dormant didn’t affect me as much until I actually played through every main game back-to-back, as well as multiple times each. In a very timely coincidence, however, Konami would announce a full-on series revival in late 2022, which would include a new movie as well as multiple new video game projects. The official start of this revival would start with Silent Hill: The Short Message (TSM), a short experimental concept game that received a surprise release after Sony’s State of Play on January 31, 2024, the 25th anniversary of the original Silent Hill’s release (according to Konami, at least). Naturally, as someone excited at the prospect of more Silent Hill content, I downloaded TSM the instant I learned of its surprise release and played through it shortly after. While it’s not a perfect experience, and not as good as some of the series’ highs, TSM still felt like a step in the right direction and gave me confidence about the future of the revival.

Resident Evil 4 - Separate Ways (DLC)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 4 (2023)

In May 2023, Resident Evil 4 (2023) (RE4R), the modern remake of Resident Evil 4 (2005) (RE4), released to critical and commercial success, though with some criticism aimed at some of the cut content, including the lack of the original Separate Ways campaign. After nearly six months with no official word on any additional content apart from the free The Mercenaries DLC, Capcom would finally announce, and subsequently release, RE4R’s version of Separate Ways as DLC in late September 2023 for $10. While one could reasonably question the idea of holding this content back for later, I nonetheless bought the DLC on release and ended up loving the experience.

Resident Evil 4 (2023) (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 4 (2005) and Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Since 2019, Capcom has released remakes of the Resident Evil games, going beyond the remake of the original Resident Evil from 2002 (RE1), which had until then been the only game in the series with a substantial update. While this has produced some mixed results so far, with critical praise towards Resident Evil 2 (2019) (RE2) and mixed response towards Resident Evil 3 (2020) (RE3), it was inevitable that they would apply the same treatment to 2005’s Resident Evil 4 (RE4), which gradually gained (and earned) a reputation as one of the series’ best games. Although fans naturally had their reservations with the announcement of Resident Evil 4 (2023) (RE4R), it released to critical acclaim and became one of the fastest-selling games in the series.

Due to the timing of RE4R’s release, I had the unique opportunity to play both the original and the remake back-to-back, which I did for the sake of an easier comparison between the two in terms of both gameplay and story. Although that inevitably leads to the question of “Which one is better?”, I would instead say that although not perfect, RE4R manages to improve on many aspects of the original to the point that it’s overall a fantastic game in its own right.

Haunting Ground

 

Back in 2005, Capcom released the video game Haunting Ground, known as Demento in Japan, which shared many similarities to their prior Clock Tower series to the point it’s considered a spiritual successor. Although it received mixed reception when it originally released and sold poorly due to competition with the widely renowned Resident Evil 4 (RE4), is has gained a reputation as part of the “Trinity of PS2 Survival Horror” with Kuon and Rule of Rose, all three of which are known for their expense and rarity due to poor sales, as well as their (arguable) status as “hidden gems” of the PS2 library.

What drew me to Haunting Ground, however, was not necessarily its newfound reputation, but its relation to the development of RE4. The short version is that there were four previous attempts at developing RE4 before the final build. The first of these builds is informally considered the “stylish” build and would famously spawn the Devil May Cry franchise, while the other three builds were known internally as “Castle”, “Hallucination” (aka “Hookman”) and “Zombie”. “Hallucination” and “Zombie” were scrapped due to technical limitations, the latter also for sticking too closely to the traditional Resident Evil formula, while one of the “Castle” scenario writers, Noboru Sugimura, would donate his draft to Capcom Production Studio 1, who had started work on a Clock Tower game that morphed into what we know as Haunting Ground. The elements that ultimately made their way from “Castle” to Haunting Ground were a girl and a B.O.W. dog companion, both of whom would have helped Leon S. Kennedy as he infiltrated the castle of Oswell E. Spencer, one of the founders of Umbrella Pharmaceuticals.

Due to the cost of a physical English copy reaching $350-400 at the bare minimum (exceeding the value of even the most expensive Silent Hill game in my collection), I ended up buying the game through the Japanese PSN on my PS3, where you have to search for the Japanese name Demento (デメント). This did require creating a Japanese account and buying two digital gift cards through Playasia, though this meant I only spent ¥1257 (under $10 at the time of this writing) with tax. Since Demento had English audio but rendered all the text in Japanese (with no option otherwise), I had to play while following an English video guide (via Survival Horror Network on YouTube) and a GDQ speedrun while imperfectly filling in any gaps with the Clock Tower Wiki and the Google Translate app on my phone (as well as my own very limited knowledge of Japanese). Despite jumping through so many hoops, I found the experience ultimately worth the effort, even with its rough edges.

The version I actually played.

Resident Evil 4 (2005) (PS4)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Since its original release in 2005, Resident Evil 4 (RE4) has seen continuous praise and success, including over a dozen different hardware ports, enough that it is widely considered one of the greatest video games ever made. Of all the Resident Evil games, however, this one had one of the most troubled developments. The short version is that starting in 1998, four different versions were proposed and subsequently discarded before the final release. The first of these, and the most well-known, started as an attempt at a more “stylish” action game directed by Hideki Kamiya that was spun off and retooled into the original Devil May Cry, which released in 2001. The second, known internally as the “Castle” version, would include story elements that made their way into the 2005 survival horror game Haunting Ground. The third and fourth versions, “Hallucination” and the lesser-known “Zombie”, were scrapped for technical reasons, though elements from both would still make their way into the final game. Interestingly, “Hallucination” would have taken some influence from the Silent Hill series and “Zombie” was criticized by Shinji Mikami for being too similar to previous Resident Evil games, as he didn’t want to bore fans by relying on tired tropes.

This consistent desire for a different kind of Resident Evil game resulted in a more action-oriented game, a direction that had a ripple effect on the rest of the franchise until Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7). In the intervening time, I had tried getting into Resident Evil through the PS2 version of RE4 and the PS3 version of Resident Evil 5, but only got to around Chapter 2-1 in the former and barley got anywhere in the latter before I moved on to other games. However, with the release of Resident Evil 4 (2023), as well as a personal deep dive of the series following a playthrough of Resident Evil Village, I finally had an excuse to go back and finish what I had started in RE4, this time through the 2016 PS4 release. With this zombie from the past finally slain, I can safely say that while it’s a little rough now, RE4 has aged much better than many of its predecessors and has definitely earned its longstanding reputation.

Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster (PS4)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil (2002)

With the success of the original release of Resident Evil 2 (1999), Capcom greenlit multiple Resident Evil projects. Alongside the projects that became Code: Veronica and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, they approved Resident Evil 0, which would serve as a prequel for the original Resident Evil (1996) and the series as a whole. Though originally intended for the Nintendo 64 and its failed 64DD expansion, development restarted in earnest for the GameCube, solving a storage issue that had previously halted development and allowed for an eventual release in late 2002, the same year as the remake of the original Resident Evil, to critical acclaim save for the criticism of sticking with archaic tank controls. With the success of Resident Evil HD Remaster in 2015, this game would receive the same treatment, releasing in 2016 as Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster.

After playing perhaps the worst of the “classic” Resident Evil games, my journey brought me to the last, as Resident Evil 0 was the last based on the fixed camera angle style, which smoothed the transition between games compared with going from Resident Evil 3 (2020) to Code: Veronica X (CVX). While still flawed in its own right, this game still proved far more enjoyable than CVX in just about every way, to the point that I feel the classic entries ended on a high note.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X (PS2)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil (2002) and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X

What Resident Evil games deserve the “Remake” treatment? This question has floated around in the years since the release of the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2, as well as the 2020 release of the Resident Evil 3 remake. Among the different answers, one that floated up frequently was Code: Veronica, notably the only mainline entry that hadn’t seen a physical PS4 release. Based on my own experience, the demand for Code: Veronica grew louder as the release of the highly-anticipated 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 drew nearer. This coincidentally lined up with when I would play Code: Veronica for myself as part of my deep dive of the series.

Before we try answering the question of whether Code: Veronica deserves a remake, we should first consider its history. After the original Resident Evil 2’s (RE2) success, Capcom put more Resident Evil projects in development. One of these was a Sega Saturn port of RE2, but it was canceled because doing so would require sacrificing the game’s quality. To make up for this, the team went to work on an original entry for Sega fans. This entry, known as Code: Veronica, would release on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. Due to low sales, however, Capcom would port the game to the PS2 the following year as Code: Veronica X (CVX), followed by a 2003 GameCube port and an eventual release on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.

As my Resident Evil journey followed the order of each game’s release, I went from the remake of Resident Evil 3 to the PS2 version of CVX, fully expecting a jarring shift in experience going from a fairly polished game to one comparatively archaic. By virtue of age alone, CVX certainly deserves a remake. Beyond that, however, it desperately needs a modern update by virtue of being an overrated mess of a game that has coasted by for far too long on nostalgia alone.

Resident Evil 3 (2020) (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil 2 (1999) and Resident Evil 3 (2020).

Following the success of the original Resident Evil 2, Capcom put a number of Resident Evil projects in development to capitalize on its success. One of these projects was Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was developed as a standalone expansion to the story to the story of Resident Evil 2 and, after a rough development period that saw a number of concepts altered or scrapped, launched the very next year in 1999 (incidentally, this also led to Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami leaving Capcom). Later, in 2019, Capcom would officially announce a remake simply titled Resident Evil 3, though it was developed at the same time as the remake of Resident Evil 2. Like its predecessor, the remake launched to critical acclaim in 2020, but not without criticisms for its length and the extent of the changes made from the original.

After playing the remake of Resident Evil 2, the next natural step was playing Resident Evil 3. Like with Resident Evil 2, I did so through the 2020 remake, specifically the free PS5 upgrade, out of cost and accessibility. As such, I have no experience with the original release and can’t personally attest to the impact of any of the noted changes. That said, while flawed, I still had a blast from start to finish.

Resident Evil 2 (2019) (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil 2 (2019).

Shortly after the release of the original Resident Evil, development went underway on a sequel, Resident Evil 2. Thanks to a rough development period, however, the game wouldn’t release until 1998 and did so to critical acclaim. Following the 2002 GameCube remake of the original game, Capcom considered a similar treatment for this one, but Shinji Mikami didn’t want to take too much attention away from Resident Evil 4. Fast forward to 2015, where a full remake of Resident Evil 2 was formally announced. This project would finally see the light of day in 2019, when the remake would gain critical acclaim like its 1998 counterpart.

As part of my goal of properly exploring the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 2 was naturally my next stop. Instead of the original PS1 release, however, I went for the 2019 remake, as it was cheaper and more easily accessible. That means that I have no idea what the original game is like, but I can say that I pretty thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the remake regardless.

Resident Evil HD Remaster (PS4)

When Resident Evil originally released in 1996, it helped define the Survival Horror genre as we know it. It even reportedly had an influence on zombie storytellers like Alex Garland, who wrote 28 Days Later, and Robert Kirkman, who created The Walking Dead. Although the game was popular and released to critical acclaim, director Shinji Mikami, as part of Capcom’s GameCube exclusivity deal, decided to produce a remake, as he thought the original hadn’t aged well and wanted to bring it closer to his original vision. This version released in 2002 and despite its general status as one of the best video game remakes of all time, it sold poorly, which led to the action-oriented direction of later games starting from Resident Evil 4. The 2015 HD Remaster rerelease, on the other hand, would sell far better, with 2.8 million copies sold by June 2020.

As for my own experience with Resident Evil, I formally started the series with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, so I’m more familiar with the tone and style of the first-person entries. After a major lore reference made at the end of Resident Evil Village, however, I decided to do my due diligence and play through all of the mainline entries, much like I did with the Silent Hill series. Not only did I want a better understanding of the series’ lore, but also a greater appreciation of the developments that eventually led to the Ethan Winters storyline. Naturally, I started at the very beginning with the remake of the original Resident Evil and, after two playthroughs, I can see why it was so acclaimed, even if certain aspects didn’t age as well.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach – Ruin (DLC)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Although the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise remains as successful as ever, the most recent entry from Steel Wool, Security Breach, has fought an uphill battle. The game launched in a blatantly unfinished state, with glitches galore and a story too vague for its own good. Even with numerous patches that addressed countless issues, its reputation hasn’t quite escaped the one it had since launch. Despite its troubles, however, it still received a free piece of DLC, Ruin, that offered a glimmer of hope in addressing remaining questions from the base game. While it doesn’t quite fix everything within its roughly four-hour runtime (when playing normally), Ruin does still represent a substantial improvement over the original Security Breach to the point where someone would wonder why Steel Wool didn’t simply play to their strengths the first time around.

Silent Hill: Downpour (Xbox 360)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill: Downpour.

Like previous western-developed Silent Hill titles, especially Silent Hill: Homecoming (Homecoming), Silent Hill: Downpour (Downpour), originally released in 2012, has proven contentious, with a divisive reception from critics and longtime fans even to this day. It doesn’t help, of course, that Downpour ended up as the final main game in the franchise ever, with no future plans from Konami as of this writing. It also doesn’t help that its rocky development led to some notable changes. For one, Konami handed development to Vatra games, a Czech studio whose only other title was the critically-panned Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot, the 2011 sequel to Rush'n Attack (originally Green Beret) from 1985. Series mainstay Akira Yamaoka also left Konami around this time, with Daniel Licht of Dexter fame filling in as the composer and Korn set to provide a song, “Silent Hill”, that served as the main theme. Even the main concept of playing as a criminal, eschewing the series’ tradition of playing as ordinary people, met with some resistance during early development and focus testing, with those who didn’t want to play as “a bad guy” (ignoring James Sunderland’s actions in Silent Hill 2, it seems).

Since I played Downpour years after the fact, however, I went in without any nostalgia for the series, so the knowledge of its development didn’t affect my outlook that much, if at all. As for cost and accessibility, Downpour didn’t fare as well as Homecoming. When Sony announced the closure of certain storefronts, which they quickly backpedaled on, there was a brief point where you literally could not find a single North American PS3 copy on eBay and I couldn’t find it in the wild. As such, I bought a complete Xbox 360 copy (with a rather beat up case) on eBay for about $55, though that price may have gone up by the time of this posting. Like Homecoming, I also played it on an Xbox One to eliminate the possibility of a perfect circle scratch (a fate worse than death for a Silent Hill title). After three full playthroughs (more on that later), I honestly found Downpour the most underrated of the western Silent Hill titles, even with its very noticeable flaws, and believe the hate towards it is overblown.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)

If there’s one thing the Western Silent Hill games have in common, it’s that they started out nothing like the final product. In the case of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Shattered Memories), it actually came from a fusion of multiple concepts for completely different games. Shortly after Silent Hill: Origins (Origins) released, Sam Barlow’s team at Climax Studios wanted to create another entry for the PSP, though it was suggested that they instead make an FPS for the Wii. As a result, they pitched Brahms PD, a spin-off that featured an amnesiac police detective and combined shooting segments and sessions with a police psychiatrist. When this pitch failed, Climax came up with Silent Hill: Cold Heart, an original installment that starred 19-year-old Psychology student Jessica Chambers as its protagonist. Among other mechanics, this pitch featured melee combat, a body temperature system, scavenging and an updated version of the Psych Profile system with a therapist named Dr. Alan Fairchild. While this pitch never saw the light of day, it wasn’t due to rejection on Konami’s part, but rather Climax believing Konami would reject it.

What almost was.

At this point, Cold Heart turned into Shattered Memories, a reimagining of the original Silent Hill (SH1) that removed combat in favor of emphasizing the scenario, which released in 2009 for the Wii and 2010 for the PS2 and PSP to mixed reception. Nowadays, Shattered Memories, the seventh main Silent Hill entry, isn’t as easy to come by as the other Western-developed games, with my complete physical Wii copy setting me back about $81. While pricey, this version is still the cheapest secondhand, with the PSP and PS2 versions easily breaking triple digits on eBay. Much like Silent Hill 3, while Shattered Memories holds up as one of the better Western takes on the series, I’m not sure the price of admission is completely justified.