(Mature Content Ahead!) When the first teaser aired for Silent Hill Homecoming (known only as "Silent Hill V" at the time) during the 2007 E3 Conference anticaptions ran high. It had been nearly three years since Silent Hill: The Room was released and many fans, including myself, were quite wrestless for a new addition to the Silent Hill franchise. News was out on the PSP title Silent Hill: Origins, which would quench the hunger of devotees for awhile, but with the next generation consoles building momentum, a small screen just wouldn't satisfy the hunger for long.



Silent Hill: Homecoming
Teaser Posted July 11, 2007 @ 10:53 pm

The next several months seemed to crawl. Information about the new title was slow to come and many long time fans were anxious for anything. The fact that the reigns were handed over to a company who was not only outside of the Konami flock, but also in America (Foundation 9), worried many that the game would lose what made the series wonderful. The fact the early demos took only a week to produce showed hope that the team was serious about the project.



Silent Hill: Homecoming
Transition Gameplay
Posted September 26, 2007 @ 10:12 pm

More months slowly passed. Only a handful of pictures emerged from the darkness. It was over six months before any new video was leaked, but the big picture started coming together during the Konami Gamers' Day 08. The demos there showed us how the combat controls had evolved from the original games, giving the lead character more abilities to fight off monsters. Akira Yamaoka, the man behind the music for the series, spoke strongly about the teamwork between the Japanese and American developers. All seemed to be shaping up for the title.



Silent Hill: Homecoming
Konami Gamers' Day 08: Early Grave Gameplay
Posted May 15, 2008 @ 3:00 pm



Silent Hill: Homecoming
Konami Gamers' Day 08: Demon Dog Gameplay
Posted May 15, 2008 @ 3:00 pm



Silent Hill: Homecoming
Konami Gamers' Day 08: Interview Posted May 18, 2008 @ 12:35 am

It was at E3 2008, though, that all the real news emerged. It was our first chance to see a real trailer for the game.



Silent Hill: Homecoming
E3 2008: Cam Konami Press Conference Trailer
Posted July 17, 2008 @ 2:47 pm

We also got a chance to see some real, working gameplay for the game. Everything is looking really polished and ready to play.



Silent Hill: Homecoming
E3 2008: Joshua Gameplay (Cam)
Posted July 17, 2008 @ 4:30 pm


Silent Hill: Homecoming
E3 2008: Elevator Gameplay (Cam)
Posted July 17, 2008 @ 4:33 pm

It's only a few months until the release of Silent Hill: Homecoming on September 22, 2008 and if you're like me and into survival horror, then you're totally hyped about this one. Just make sure that when you play, you turn the lights out, crank up the volume, and get ready to jump. For a more in depth interview, please check out G4's Hands On: Silent Hill: Homecoming. To discuss the Silent Hill series in total you can always head over to The Silent Hill Resort Union and jump right into the fray.

Many thanks to Gametrailers for the great coverage they did for this game.

There's nothing that gets a gamer more excited than a great video (and it's an easy way to get out of writing a blog). Here's a few titles I'm personally excited about [playing] this year.

1. After the GS Stage Show Demo last night, Far Cry 2 has moved to the top of the list. This game looks and plays absolutely fantastic.

Farcry 2 *New Movie Update July 16*
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA
Visit the official web site at: farcrygame.ubi.com

2. Silent Hill will be near the top of my list until they show me otherwise, which I hope they never do. I'm just a little worried about how the character models look right now. The game is all about immersion and anything that looks remotely 'fake' will distract from that.

Silent Hill: Homecoming *New Movie Update July 16*
Publisher: Konami
Developer: The Collective
Genre: Horror Action Adventure
Release Date: September 2008

3. This game has had me excited since I saw the first promo. It reminds me of Doom, but looks a lot scarier. I also think random zero-g fighting is a great idea.

Dead Space *New Movie Update July 15*
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sci-Fi Shooter
Release Date: Oct 20, 2008
Visit the official web site at: www.deadspacegame.com

4. Come on, it's RE5! Anyone and everyone will be playing this, I think even more so than with MGS4.

Resident Evil 5 *New Movie Update July 15"
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Horror Action Adventure
Release Date: Mar 13, 2009

5. We've all seen and heard the hype, but it seems that the game is slowly living up to the expectations. Plus, it's a shooter and I'm a sucker for shooters.

Killzone 2 *New Movie Update July 16*
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Guerilla
Genre: Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter
Release Date: February 2009

6. The first game didn't necessarily have me reeling but I still had fun. Plus, large scale co-op alien wars on the PS3 sounds like a good time for all.

Resistance 2 *New Movie Update July 16*
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Insomniac Games
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Release Date: Nov 4, 2008

7. As I've been told repeatedly this is NOT Oblivion... but the FO3 host sure did mention that game a lot. Anyways, if it's anything remotely like Bethesda's previous RPG, then I'm in.

Fallout 3 *New Movie Update July 15*
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Genre: Role-Playing
Release Date: Q4 2008
Visit the official web site at: http://www.prepareforthefuture.com/

8. The SOCOM franchise seems to be a given with the friends I play with but playing online has waned a bit between us. Maybe this title will bring everyone back to the PS3. I call the sniper tower!

SOCOM: Confrontation *New Movie Update July 17*
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Slant Six
Genre: Modern Shooter
Release Date: Oct 14, 2008
Visit the official web site at: socom.us.playstation.com/

9. It's a scary title and, just like the shooters, I'm also a sucker for a good scary game. Episodal content is a buzz phrase these days, so I hope this game isn't just treated like a quick fad.

Siren: Blood Curse *New Movie Update July 17*
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEI
Genre: Horror Action Adventure
Release Date: Q3 2008

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10. A great looking action-rpg that I read about last year in Game Informer. It's been on my short list since.

Rise of the Argonauts *New Movie Update July 17*
Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Liquid Ent.
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Release Date: Q3 2008
Visit the official web site at: www.rise-of-the-argonauts.com

11. This game has a very euphoric feel to it; The character almost flies more than she runs. Mirror's Edge looks like it's going to take some elite controller skills so I hope they tie this title in with some creative trophies to make it all worthwhile.

Mirror's Edge *New Movie Update July 11"
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: EA DICE
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA 2008

12. It's Treyarch so it has me worried. Call of Duty 3 was decent, but definitely not as good as Infinity Ward's games. I'll be watching this one closely to make the last call.

Call of Duty: World at War
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Developer: Treyarch
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Release Date: TBA

13. This game is going to be a huge time-suck just like Everquest was. I have to be careful when I play these types of games. But you know, if I could fly around back then I probably would have saved a lot of time. [Ed: What's with all the comic tie-ins this season? Is everyone getting on the gaming band wagon now that video games are syphoning the entertainment dollar? I think we're inching ever closer to the full-blown complete entertainment console that Sony and MS envisioned years ago. So long printed comics, so long theatres, hello games with ever longer FMV.]

DC Universe Online
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Developer: WBIE
Genre: Fantasy Online Role-Playing
Release Date: TBA 2008

14. God of War titles have proved a great way to release stress, which is why the third installment makes my list.

God of War 3
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEA
Genre: Action
Release Date: TBA

15. With the original Ghostbusters cast scripting and starring in this title and it being called the next Ghostbuters "movie", this just might be a surprise fall blockbuster.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
Developer: Terminal Reality
Genre: Action
Release Date: Q4 2008
Visit the official web site at: www.ghostbustersgame.com

There are few games out there remaining somewhat silent. I'm still waiting on new videos from Saboteur & Splinter Cell: Conviction

So the game most PS3 owners were waiting for this year wasn't really a game at all, was it? I don't remember a game beyond those of the 3DO system or the Sega CD that over used so much FMV (and we know how those systems turned out). It really worries me about the future of the PS3. Just because developers have the ability to infuse high-def video into a game doesn't mean they should at every turn. You have ten years, make it last! I mean, what a way to go out. It was more like a whimper than a bang for Old Snake. Kojima decided to pander to anyone and everyone instead of building the future of the system for those who went out and spent a lot of money to buy it. He's even turned our hero into a shill for Sony and Apple (at what point did Snake turn into such a huge Mac fan?). It's a good thing that I didn't purchase a PS3 for this game only or I'd be a little sore right now.

Having played the series since the NES I'd have to say that I'm fairly disappointed in the level of playablity in this installment. It's a growing industry problem too, no one company is to blame. A few years ago the hype word was 'immersion". Shame on the game developer that takes control away from the player! It worked too.... There were games I couldn't put down because they were addictively fun, not aggravatingly testing. Some gamers may roll their eyes at me and tell me that a game is supposed to test my skill, but is that all? I don't think I've played too many games where the sequence of events involved 30 minutes of cutscene between two bosses followed by 10 minutes of 'sneaking' that involves basically being able to run from point A to point B. Can anyone seriously recall most of the non-boss battle sequences? They almost feel like distant memories to me already.

There were so many times while playing that I thought, "Man, I wish I could play that scene instead of the PS3. It looks like THAT could be fun" or "Why after all these years is Snake still so oblivious to danger? That's not how I would have done that!" They really could have just labeled this game an interactive movie because that's really all it was... a swan song for the MGS fans, not those looking for a game on the PS3 that finally shouts, "I've arrived!".

Comment: I turned Snake into a walking Apple logo and it looks like he's screaming.... I'd be screaming too if they put an Apple ad on my tombstone. Apparently you can't save the world unless you do it on a Macbook Pro.

I just don't know what to feel about this news. The original Tenchu was my personal reason for loving the Playstation and I associated the two together just as much as I linked Snake to Sony, Mario to Nintendo, or Sonic to Sega. But times have changed and I guess that I have to accept it. Snake and Sonic are going to battle Mario on the same system and Tenchu's going to be on a Nintendo. What bothers me more than Acquire, the original creator of series, finally coming back home and then deciding to jump ship is that ninjas and wiggling, waggling wiimotes don't equate to stealth in my mind. Now I have to decide if a third system is worth one game.... well, here's hoping for a port.

I was helping my sister clean her house this weekend and asked about the Playstation games stacked up on the front step. No one else was laying claim to them, so I grabbed all 25. The games aren't exactly what I'd call 'great' or even 'good', but I'm not one to look a game horse in the mouth. They'll eventually just pad my account once I start selling this winter.



She also pulled the following out and gave me it as well...



... a Nintendo 64 bundle with Super Smash Bros. I never owned an N64 before, so this is great! Time to live the childhood I never had .

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some [T-] viruses. (Wikipedia)

April 25, 1953... The importance of DNA became clear in 1953 thanks to the work of James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. By studying X-ray diffraction patterns and building models, the scientists figured out the double helix structure of DNA - a structure that enables it to carry biological information from one generation to the next. (www.genome.gov)

April 25, 2003... Completed on this day. the Human Genome Project (HGP) was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The goal of the project was to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA and determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA. (www.ornl.gov)

April 25, 2008... The Senate has passed a bill banning employers and insurers from discrimination based on DNA tests. The bill would bar health insurance companies from using genetic information to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility. Similarly, employers could not use genetic information in hiring, firing or promotion decisions. (NPR)

So what has DNA given us?


Agent 47


Solid Snake


Altair


Zombies!


Super powers


Mutants


Alli's superpowered mutants


Cloning

And most importantly, US! Happy DNA Day!