Silent Hill: Homecoming Preview

"Silent Hill V." First we get a hint of a fifth installment, then a still of a red logo/inscription we are all too familar with, then word that an American group, rather than Konami's Tokyo studio will be producing it, then recently a title change: "Silent Hill: Homecoming" and finally a September street date. Now, Konami Gamer's Day 2008 brings us a few more details on its progress.

First off, there's no questioning that this is a "Silent Hill" game - thick fog, eerie music, intense atmosphere, and deranged beasts. The producers make clear that the game will "represent an evolution of the series and not a revolution." Not much was revealed so as to keep the plot scary and surprising. As far as improvements go, one noteworthy element is the ability block and counterattack.

According to Gamestop's coverage, you play a man named Shepherd, who has just returned to his sleepy little town from war to discover that everything is covered in fog. His brothers are missing, and his haunted mother seems to be speaking from someplace far, far away, even though she sits right next to him, rocking in her chair, loaded revolver resting in her lap. "You've been gone so long," she says. You promise to find your brothers, but she doesn't seem to hear you. She is lost in the fog, and she's right in front of you. Does that make you lost, too?

Welcome back to Silent Hill...