Bloober Team, the studio helping Konami to remake its PS2 survival horror classic Silent Hill 2, has asked fans of the original game to "give us a chance" as it nears the October release date. The appeal comes from a new interview with Rolling Stone, where the developer's CEO Piotr Babieno speaks of his own emotional connection to the game and how much getting the remake right means to him. A lot of feedback has proved valuable so far, so Babieno is now asking fans to "give us a chance".
The complete quote reads: "I am dreaming that gamers will trust us, but I realise that trust is earned through actions, not through words. So that’s why we have a policy of not commenting [on the specifics of the game] and raising hopes. We want to show our ambitions through our work, so we can’t ask for anything more than ‘give us a chance'." Babieno claims Bloober Team allows its employees to focus on their work with "peace of mind", but feedback from outside the studio has still proved "invaluable in refining our project before its release".
Much of the fan concern stems from experiences with Bloober Team's past titles — The Medium in particular. The early PS5 title is criticised for its handling of mental health issues, especially in its ending. Given the fact Silent Hill 2 is a horror game more on the psychological side and deals with mental illness, there are worries that poor handling could carry over to the remake. Though, the team has been previously quoted as saying it hasn't missed "the point" of the original story and themes.
"We are not straying away from the original concept of making this cult classic; we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience," said chief marketing officer Anna Jasińska last year.
Silent Hill 2 launches for PS5 and PC on 8th October 2024. How do you feel about the remake as we near its release? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
[source rollingstone.com]
Comments 81
give it a chance 2months before is real reassuring 😅
Ok, I’ll give it a chance.
All we are saying is give peace a chance.
And also Silent Hill 2 Remake.
I don't think a lot of players will have issues unless it is really broken but games media and online buzz will likely be overwhelmingly negative given Bloober and Konami's reputation.
Personally it doesn't appeal to me but I've always thought SH was overrated but had great creature and atmospheric design.
Less talking and let the game speak for itself. I take it as a bad sign that they're asking for clemency. If they came out and said The Medium was totally *****, I'd listen to that.
@djape @riceNpea In this case I wouldn't necessarily see this as a bad sign, the difference being that this is a Remake and they've been harassed and written off from the beginning, which Is totally unfair in my opinion. The SH2 fanbase can be pretty rabid and hardcore, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was pure frustration on his part.
Even if it's amazing and scores high with critics, there'll be a section of the fanbase who despise it still. People will moan about QoL changes and combat changes because it's not like the OG......which i find stupid tbh. People should indeed, shut up and give it a chance. If it's rubbish, then fair enough, you're right.
Never played a SH game (unless you count P.T.) so I'm curious, but I'll be waiting for reviews.
Questionable messaging from the company aside, I think it's probably best to regard the remake as its own beast and not freak out whenever it doesn't slavishly imitate the original in every way.
Either way, it's a shame Konami didn't commission them to remake the original Silent Hill first. There's way more potential for improvement in that, and being more straight-forward as a story, they'd have more freedom to inject their own personality into it without significant backlash from fans.
@__Seraph all of those reasons you gave is why they should just keep their mouth shut and deliver a good game. It's impossible to please everyone so him saying what he did is a waste of time.
Whatsmore, the people complaining will mostly be people who aren't even interested in buying the game, so the dev should just crack on and shut everyone up by proving them wrong.
Realistically, the other Silent Hill projects from earlier this year convinced me to be very skeptical of this remake
I actually like blooper games really enjoyed the medium. yes it wont be AAA but AA is ok with me
i will give it a chance and play it
Why do they keep sandbagging their own game? From everything I've heard Blooper say about their remake since it's announcement it doesn't make them sound confident in their product.
Release a demo and let people decide. Lol.
That never bodes well if the devs have to beg for us to play the game, I am still optimistic for SH2 but still need to see more!
The real fans don't have concerns. Only those having crybaby meltdowns that the women in the game aren't sexy looking enough for them. I loved the Medium (hated their Blair Witch game) and pre-ordered SH2 a couple months ago.
@Ralizah As a fan of the series, I agree the original Silent Hill would've made for a much more interesting remake target. It's the one game that needs it the most and it comes with a lot less bagage; Silent Hill 2 is seen as something sacred and heavy criticism is almost unavoidable.
Unfortunately, Konami just went for the most popular entry in the series, instead of the one that would benefit the most. I fear this remake needs a minor miracle to be successful, meaning any further remakes, including the first game, are not very likely.
@djape if you'd actually read it within context, it reads as keeping an open mind rather than "I beg you to buy our game, because it's going to be as bad as you think it'll be". So great job stoking the negativity with a thoughtless comment and some for skipping straight to the comments and copying his empty words. Enjoy your negativity clout.
So they want us to turn a blind eye on what they have shown so far?
@Ainu20 This strategy of randomly remaking fan favorite sequels does strike me as incredibly odd. It's only good in the sense that Konami appears to actually be interested in utilizing its IPs again.
They could have potentially made a remake series out of Silent Hill. Instead, we're just... getting Silent Hill 2.
Really the only concerning thing for me is the character animations that still look stiff as a board. The rest of the game looks fine enough, but those animations look like they belong to a much older generation of games.
@Ralizah @Ainu20 Technically they’ve already remade the first one as Shattered Memories. So it’s similar to Resi in that they remade the first one years ago and now getting around to the second one. Also the original is one of the best games ever made. If this is even a fraction of the quality of it, it’ll be worth playing for newcomers but I could see myself being endlessly annoyed by it.
@nessisonett EH
Not really.
Different plot. Different universe. Wildly different gameplay.
It's a reimagining to the point where it doesn't feel even remotely similar to the original.
Maybe they should of gotten a different developer than crappy bloober team.. everything they've done was trash.. the Uwe Boll of game devs
Well we had Silent Hill Ascension which was a crime against humanity and The Short Message, which kicked a puppy off a bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Soooo... Honestly, the bar is pretty low. I'd settle for a passable game. I'm not expecting miracles from Bloober.
I am excited for Silent Hill Townfall though as the developer (No Code) seems like they are compatible with the type of psychological horror the originals are known for, based on their previous games.
@nessisonett Oh wow, I actually played and finished that game back on the Wii and completely forgot that it was a reimagining of the first one.
I disagree it's similar to Resident Evil though. The remake of Resident Evil 1 perfected everything the classic Resi games tried to do and, even despite how good the later remakes are, is probably the definitive classic horror game.
That's definitely not the case with Shattered Memories, which is a complete reimagining that doesn't even resemble a Silent Hill or survival horror game in general anymore. It's an extremely niche game. The REmake 1 treatment is basically what I'd wish for Silent Hill 1.
@Arumat
I was really disappointed when Bloober was revealed to be working on this. But I'll say their games aren't bad, just sorta average. The bigger issue though isn't their average output, it's more the type of horror they do isn't really in the same category as Silent Hill.
Well what can you do. Expect the worst, hope for the best I suppose.
@tameshiyaku I literally said I'm optimestic for the game...... but yeah say I'm clout chasing if that makes you feel better
we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience," said chief marketing officer Anna Jasińska last year.
Game is dead.
@Oram77 sorry, my bad. I'll edit you out.
The negativity around Bloober Team is growing tiresome. I thought The Medium was a solid game, and I’m excited to see them tackle Silent Hill. Let’s give them a chance, eh? I am hopeful that this will be their moment, and we’ll all have an amazing remake to play.
@Ainu20 @ralizah I agree, the first game is SO old and pretty archaic, would have made much more sense to start there. I tried playing it a few years back and it was ROUGH; put it down after a couple hours. SH2, on the other hand, is still very playable.
@riceNpea But it wasn't.
A real good comment on here is to view Silent Hill 2 Remake as its own game and judge it on the experience it is in and of itself.
I don't remember much about the story and never got anywhere to begin with, so if I read a strong score it gets on my 'interested in'-list. At any rate, you kinda want a Silent Hill-game to succeed. Realistically, it will be a technically and creatively limited product and inferior to Alam Wake II.
It can only surprise us in a positive way. Let's hope Blooper Team rises above their past pedigree.
@Ainu20 @Ralizah Oh don’t get me wrong, Shattered Memories is an odd duck. It’s still a sort of reimagining though, so my point was that Resident Evil didn’t bother remaking the first one as a 3rd person shooter before tackling the second. I’m pretty sure the real reason though is that Bloober would have to put in more effort to make the 1st one modernised. Silent Hill 2 has the pacing of a modern game with distinct areas and set pieces. The first one is a bit more ‘broad brushstrokes’, you can get lost a lot easier and the areas get pretty f**king weird even partway through the game. I’m not sure the Otherworld is as weird in 2 as it ever was in 1. Also they can ride off the coattails of the second game easier and make people do the ‘look Pyramid Head my favourite monster’.
@nessisonett The more exploratory feel and nightmarish tone of the original is a big part of why it's my favorite game in the series.
Also they can ride off the coattails of the second game easier and make people do the ‘look Pyramid Head my favourite monster’.
It never fails to entertain me how much Konami turning Pyramid Head into a sort of unofficial series mascot has irritated SH2 fans.
@Ralizah It’s so hard to avoid spoilers trying to explain why having Pyramid Head show up over and over is a terrible idea 😂
@nessisonett Yeah, there's no doubt a remake of the first would be a significantly larger undertaking. It's pretty rough not just in its presentation and movement, but also its pacing. I guess that's part of its charm though.
SH2 could be a straightforward remake and still feel fairly modern, which is probably what we're getting.
@nessisonett Just wait until they add Pyramid Head to Fortnite as part of a promotional strategy for the game's release on PS5.
to be fair, the fans did give it a chance with the initial reveal — the hype was through the roof in anticipation with years of rumours and speculation. the trailers have done this game no favours. the developers track record is not impressive, either. this damage control (before the game releases) comes across as desperate. if the game proves everyone wrong that would be great but the odds are stacked against it unless you are anticipating merely average results. one of the greatest horror games ever made deserves more than average results, though, and should be striving for greatness. anything less than universal praise and an 80+ metascore (not that review scores are everything but they are a good reference point, generally speaking) will be a grave disappointment.
I'm really hoping for the best.
The team has potential, the original story is great, and the original game could really improve with new visuals and gameplay mechanics.
The only real nitpick I have so far is in Maria's Design. The whole point of her design was to be sexualized, since she is a representation of a straight man sexual desires.... I mean, this was one point that really differentiated SH2 from games from that era... female characters were not just male gaze and had a meaning, and the new design makes me feel like all that went over their heads.
I never had the opportunity to play the original as a kid (parents wouldn't buy it) so I missed out and very interested in this but it is Bloober so i am on the fence. I don't know if the original aged well.
I don’t have a problem with remakes. Some of my all time favorites have gotten the treatment recently and at worst, they’re pretty great. It’s just that with SH2 it’s a very sparse script and the experience is had through its rich atmosphere, its ability to deal with difficult subjects, and willingness to leave much of it without direct explanation.
Bloober team has demonstrated with their works that they can occasionally put out good horror games, but even those frequently undermine the atmosphere they create with excessive exposition and narration. I don’t think they have it in them to give the players a chance to have their own experience or interpret the characters in their own way. The ability to leave those things open are big reasons why people still get worked up over the original Silent Hill 2 two decades later.
I've been cool with everything I've seen so far, but after they redid James' face, my hype has been elevated even more. I think it looks fantastic and people need to stop bandwagon-hating on Bloober until they actually see the final result. Yes, Bloober has never made a 100% amazing game but neither have a ton of other devs and they don't garner nearly as much hate.
October can't come soon enough!
@Phelaidar I’m absolutely dreading how they’re going to handle Angela if even Maria went over their heads. Especially if The Medium is anything to go by.
@nessisonett they did made her look younger... which could also be a misinterpretation... she acted childish in the original because of trauma, not age.
Nah, I'm ok bro thanks.
Already preordered the steelbook edition, after waiting this long for anything Silent Hill related I’m more than happy to give it a chance, let alone with myself being a fan of Observer (made by Bloober)
Anytime anything is changed for "contemporary audiences" it is almost always a change for the worse.
@nessisonett The new Resident Evil remakes aren't third person shooters they're survival horrors so the same as the RE1 remake. Shattered Memories isn't even an action game and is just a walking sim that you can't even really die in so it's not a survival horror at all on top of the plot and characters being completely different from OG. It shouldn't count as a remake in anyone's eyes.
@riceNpea Don't disagree with you at all, they definitely should've kept their mouth shut, my only point is that doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't think it's shaping up to be a good product. Could just be frustrated with purist backlash. Which Bloober has been sadly subjected to from the very beginning, sometimes unfairly.
Nothing has ever scared me as much as the original Silent Hill series' sound design and music.
I'm going to watch the reviews I never played the original. 😬
I'm good. Had more than enough of the 'modern audience' nonsense.
"Much of the fan concern stems from experiences with Bloober Team's past titles — The Medium in particular. The early PS5 title is criticised for its handling of mental health issues, especially in its ending."
Huh? The crap with the ghosts? The lady thought she saw ghosts or saw ghosts. Was as surface-level as you can get.
I’ll wait and ask for it for Christmas I think, have plenty to play at the moment and also wanting to get over the next few months
What about my uncle? Did you give him a chance? DID YOU?
I'm not worried. I grew up with the original Silent Hill 2 beig my second PS2 game. From what I've seen it looks great. Already pre-ordered too. Can't let other people's opinions shape my decision.
@Ralizah I completely agree that they should have remade the first game. It has so many improvement opportunities.
Lol no, konami already said the game is for "modern audience", maybe ask them to buy it instead.
I'll give it a chance. I loved silent Hill 2 so may aswel why not.
People criticise this team and mention there other games but they always but it down to the ending or the final third.
The games they have made. The first half was exactly what you'd want from a silent hill game, they are good at that they just don't seem to have the experience to close it out properly.
But truth be told how many games are out there just like that.
Even movies half fail in the final 3rd.
At least they have some originals working with them and silent Hill 2 already has the story in place so they can't truly get that wrong so the only thing they can get wrong is the atmosphere and pacing.
But they've been pretty good with that in their other games.
@__jamiie Yeah, what is it with developers starting with the second game with their modern remakes and HD remasters? Metal Gear HD collection, Resident Evil 2-4, and now Silent Hill 2...
@Almost_Ghostly Real fans is quite subjective. Fans don't all think alike.
@wiiware "Modern Audience" is certainly a red flag and I don't blame anyone for steering clear.
@Gamer83 Spider-Man 2 was where I had enough. Thankfully it leaves me plenty of time for games I didn't get around to.
@InsertUsername
I was disappointed in that game too. First Insomniac game I can remember that I didn't like at all and surprising because both Spider-Man 1 and Miles Morales are among my favorite more recent games.
@Gamer83
They went so balls to the wall with their DEI drivel. It all made sense when you realize that Sweet Baby Inc was involved. It's insane that these so called consultants are hired to simply destroy what would have been a great game.
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SH2 is my favourite game of all time but those god awful character models and the rumours of story changes have put me off entirely. No thanks, I'll stick with my unmolested PS2 copy.
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@KaiBrunnenG Most of the time it's best to just stick to the original. Most of these remakes apart from Resident Evil 2 and 4, tend to leave a lot to be desired. With this SH2 remake, it's more of them just chasing after this fictional "modern audience."
@InsertUsername Why do you need to be so rude about things? You brought up DEI and Sweet Baby Inc as reasons to hate on the game. After you made those comments an educated guess told me that along with a lot of other people, you don't like how they made the females look. It was a simple observation and you have lashed out ever since. You don't need to resort to personal attacks.
@KaiBrunnenG It's no different than movies being remade, or music, or books to movies. Sure they usually aren't as good as the originals, but the originals are still there. No one is talking them away. I have personally always enjoyed having more than one version of things I enjoy. It makes for variety. I'm excited to see what changes have been made. I don't want the exact same game twice. That would be completely pointless like the scene for scene remake of Psycho.
Audio/video looks good to me, keen to know if they are using screen space reflections or ray tracing?
@Almost_Ghostly I really don’t mean to hijack the topic but I’d like to share my opinion on your comment regarding all the “DEI” stuff. This is just a response to what you have said, and is not an attack on your viewpoint.
There is a very obvious trend occurring currently in the industry and there are many aspects ranging from character physical traits, fashion styles, dialogue and themes.
If we look at character design for example, I personally believe when it comes to good design everything matters. Whether that be race, sex, identity traits, physical traits, personality traits, fashion styles, behaviour and dialogue. It’s really important to drive a story. If you were to change any of those, the character suddenly can be perceived as entirely different.
That’s not to disrespect people’s creative view or to disallow others the right to create content, and there will be times when different traits are appropriate but when a franchise changes to cater to a particular style or demographic, it’s only natural that there will be people upset.
As for the Silent Hill 2 remake, we aren’t really seeing radical changes. You can’t generalise real fans into one category as I’m sure there are many different concerns held by fans of the original games. Design choices aside however, it does look good. I hope it stays true to the game roots and just focus on an accurate remake. The overall tone, theme and dialogue of the original game is apart of its charm.
Anyway, that's just my opinion. I’m sure there are others who agree and disagree.
@exit No offense taken whatsoever at your response as there's nothing in it to be offended by. My comments were due to the troves of people who HEAVILY bashed the female character models in the remake as looking ugly or too manly/butch.... yet the same people were complete crickets on James also having a new model. Perhaps that puts my comments in more of a perspective.
@Almost_Ghostly All good. I do understand your perspective.
@Almost_Ghostly I'm just very to the point. If you see that as a personal attack, then you need to really touch some grass. Just an observation. No, it's not about just the changes of character models that fans like myself don't like, it's the obvious pandering to get DEI/ESG investments. Of course, you can believe what you like, just as I can. That is all there is to say ,and I'll leave it at that.
@InsertUsername Oh, please. All of you "DEI" buzzword bandwagoning people need to stop with this nonsense. Ya'll want to make comments only about the female character model changes, but not the male character model change. Pandering? LOL! You haven't even played the game yet and you're making baseless accusations based on the female characters not being sexy enough for you. There's always Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball for you to play. That is all there is to say and I'll leave it at that.
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