Konami’sgreat big comeback tour is presently in full swing, with everything from an enormous undertaking in Virtuos' upcomingMetal Gear Solid 3 remaketo smaller-scale fare such as thoseSuikoden remasters. There has perhaps been no greater example of the publisher’s commitment to reviving beloved IPs than theirsterling remake of Silent Hill 2and the upcoming Ryukishi07-written blockbuster,Silent Hill f.
That’s all well and good. And believe me, as a JRPG diehard with a soft spot for Snake and a love of the psychological horror genre, I’ve been on cloud nine. But what about the original versions of Konami’s all-time classics? Like, say, the PlayStation versions of the earliest Silent Hill games, in all their pristine polygonal glory? A new video from digital distribution giantGOGhas many of us hyped for the high likelihood of precisely that - and quite possibly some further ports on other platforms entirely.
“This Game Shaped Me”
The video, which has beenthe talk of the townon sites like Reddit since its release on GOG Classics Vault’s official YouTube channel, is titled “This Game Shaped Me”. The all-CG footage begins with a few quick pans over napkins with a quote from community member @MaxZyrix over onGOG’s dedicated ‘Dreamlist’ pagefor the first installment of the Silent Hill series. “This game simply helped shape me in the person I am today,” their January 29 post began. Clearly, the team at GOG Classics appreciated the sentiment.
Notably, all three classic Silent Hill games are available to vote for on GOG’s site. As of this writing, Silent Hill has nearly 95,000 votes;Silent Hill 2 has a tad over that impressive number, andSilent Hill 3 has hit 45,000.GOG pays close attention to how many fans express their hopes for ports of the many games filed under its Dreamlist category. While the wheeling-and-dealing business aspects of getting the original publishers - in this case, Konami - means there’s never any guarantee, the enthusiasm expressed here has been nothing short of palpable.
It wouldn’t be the first time such exuberance has had tangible results for a cult-classic horror franchise. Last year,the first three games in the Resident Evil seriespopped up in all their nostalgically jaggy goodness, DRM-free (as is GOG’s custom). But here’s the coolest part of all: last month, duringSony’s June State of Play broadcast, it was announced that the originalResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3will be coming to PlayStation Plus at an undisclosed point in the near future.
With re-releases of Silent Hill 1-3 seemingly imminent on GOG, I’ll surely be first in line to scoop them up. But I’m a console gamer at heart, so the potential opportunity to replay them on myPlayStation 5is all the more tantalizing. GOG Classics has been the first step toward a wider launch on more than one occasion, so here’s hoping Konami is cool with showing them off on PlayStation, onNintendo Switch 2- wherever James Sunderland and his cohorts happen to spring up next.
