Honestly I don't know what to feel from this announcement. In one way, I'm happy that Silent Hill is finally making a comeback in the video game industry. At the same time, the revival is mostly fixated on Silent Hill 2 and its themes around "personal hell". We're not just getting one but TWO new versions of Silent Hill 2 (one remake and one movie adaptation), and honestly I'm tired of this boring obsession with Silent Hill 2. It has plagued the series ever since Konami handed over development to Western studios in 2007.
Out of all the four original games made by Team Silent, Silent Hill 2 was the only game that focused on "personal hell" IOW a main protagonist suffering from traumatic events who is pulled to the town in order to face punishment or simply "learn a lesson". 1, 3, and 4 were stories about the cult of Silent Hill, with more emphasis on religion, occultism and mythology. Yet still, ALL of the Western-developed games that came after were basically rehashes of Silent Hill 2 that featured broken protagonists suffering from amnesia. A far cry from Team Silent's original idea of featuring normal everyday protagonists. James was the exception, not the golden standard for Silent Hill protagonists.
We get it. Silent Hill 2 is everyone's favorite. But I'm so sick and tired of it being the only focus of the series. Although I knew beforehand that Silent Hill 2 was getting remade instead of the first game, I'm still heartbroken by the fact that Konami has completely ignored the original Silent Hill from 1999. If any game in the series deserved a remake, it's THAT one. Sigh. They're going for the safest financial bet. Some people are suggesting that Konami are simply testing the waters and if this remake is financially successful they'll remake the first game as well, but I'll believe it when I see it. If I know Konami well, the only reason they're remaking Silent Hill 2 is because director Christophe Gans approached them years ago about making a movie adaptation of it. Then they realized they could make some quick buck by squeezing out a remake just in time for the movie's release. Then in order to maximize profit and give the illusion of them taking the brand seriously, they quickly approached some low-tier developers that have little to none experience in making big budget titles, asked them to make some obscure cheap Silent Hill games (in this case Townfall and Ascension) and pretend that it's something worth to be excited about. Oh and speaking of, they're also focusing on merchandising and making loads of new dioramas and statues in order to squeeze even more money out of Silent Hill 2 nostalgia. It's literally all about Silent Hill 2. I don't even know why they brought back Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito to work on the remake, their old music and designs are unchanged so it makes me feel that they're just there to ensure fans that this will be respectfully true to the original. Like "Hey guys look! It's Yamaoka and Ito! Don't worry, we know what we're doing because we brought back these two guys! REMEMBER THOSE?".
Then there's of course Silent Hill f, the only thing from the announcement that peaked my interest. An original game with a fresh new concept that doesn't try to copy Silent Hill 2? Sounds promising, but I can't shake off the feeling that this looks like it was supposed to be its own original IP before Konami decided that they could make it a part of their Silent Hill "revival".
Lastly: I wasn't expecting, but I was perhaps hoping for the stream to annouce that the classic games were coming to PSN, but nope. Nothing. Nada.