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    Silent Hill

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    Silent Hill is a survival horror game franchise that revolves around the tourist town of Silent Hill; its dark link with the occult and its co-existence with its two other-dimensional forms, "Otherworld" and "Nowhere".

    Short summary describing this franchise.

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    Overview

    The creator of Silent Hill.
    The creator of Silent Hill.

    The Silent Hill franchise begun on the PlayStation in 1999, created by Keiichirou Toyama. During the development of the first Silent Hill game, developer Konami was looking to mimic the success that Capcom had gained with the Resident Evil series, which is quite evident in the franchise's first installment, but Silent Hill quickly evolved into something dramatically more emotional and moving.

    The series has become well known for its haunting music and gripping stories, and these very factors have set it apart from other horror franchises.

    Storytelling

    The stories often revolve around the main characters' conflicted emotions of guilt, portrayed as perverse creatures, blood stained walls or horrifying environments, and the torture of the twisted residents of Silent Hill. Silent Hill has always relied heavily on moving storytelling, and the stories told in each game are much more of a core element of the games rather than something hastily added to the graphics and gameplay. Unlike many game franchises, the Silent Hill games rarely make overt connections between its different installments, and there is no obvious overarching story that progresses through the sequels, though a variety of small and large connections can be made between the different games' plots.

    Gameplay

    Silent Hill has stayed close to the traditional survival horror game make-up which relies heavily on fixed camera angles and engrossing puzzles instead of fast paced combat. Melee combat or pure evasion of enemies have been dominant gameplay mechanics in all of the Silent Hill games, and in combat the available weaponry usually consists of more commonplace items such as baseball bats, golf clubs and metal pipes. As in most survival horror games, strategy, as well as item conservation, play a large role in Silent Hill, and both are concepts which complements the slower ace and thought-provoking storytelling. With the exception of Silent Hill 4: the Room, all of the games take place in the actual town of Silent Hill. The fourth game strayed slightly from the staple gameplay and location of the series in an attempt to innovate the franchise, but there are still strong connections to the eponymous town with in the plot. Early reviews praised the game for its first person elements and haunting settings, but it was eventually seen as a setback for the series when compared to the success of Resident Evil 4.

    The fifth game of the franchise, Silent Hill: Homecoming, was developed by the American based team The Collective, that merged into Double Helix Games, instead of the usual Japanese development team Team Silent. Homecoming was an attempt at returning to the original Silent Hill formula, but was at the same time attempting to advance the combat mechanics. This installment also gave the player the opportunity to select responses in conversations during certain encounters in the game.

    Game Developers

    The first four Silent Hill games were developed by Konami's Team Silent, but after the completion of Silent Hill 4: The Room, the team dissolved and the members moved on to other projects. Akira Yamaoka was the only Team Silent member who continued with the franchise as the series' composer, but in 2009 he left Konami to join Grasshopper Manufacture. In response to the dissolution of Team Silent, Konami announced that they would appoint other companies to develop the succeeding Silent Hill titles, while they remain as publisher for the franchise. This was when Konami stopped numbering the newer games.

    Silent Hill: Origins and Shattered Memories were developed by Climax, Silent Hill: Homecoming by Double Helix, and Silent Hill: Downpour by Vatra Games. These new titles were not as well received as their predecessors and they continued to decline in sales and popularity. Many fans criticized these games for not having the same visual style and feel as the first four Silent Hill games.

    Film Adaptations

    Silent Hill

    No Caption Provided

    A movie adaptation of Silent Hill was released in 2006 and had Akira Yamaoka listed as one of the producers. The film incorporated elements from the first three games, but then remained closest to those of the first game. One major change was changing Harry Mason as a parent-figure for a female protagonist named Rose da Silva (played by Radha Mitchell). Christophe Gans, the movie director, stated that he felt that the Mother and Daughter relationship was more compelling than the father/daughter connection of the original game. English actor Sean Bean also stars in the movie.

    The film received some praise for its visuals, but generally got mildly positive to bad reviews. In spite of this, it grossed quite well at the US box office, and is arguably considered one of the better examples of a video game film adaptation.

    Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

    A new Silent Hill movie is scheduled for release at some point during 2012, and it will once again feature both Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean. The game will however follow Heather Mason, who will be portrayed by Adelaide Clemens and will mostly follow the events seen on Silent Hill 3.

    Soundtracks

    Apart from Silent Hill: Downpour (the upcoming installment in the series), for which the music will be composed by Dan Licht, all the music for all the previous titles in the Silent Hill franchise was composed by Akira Yamaoka, in conjunction with a couple of guest composers and musicians for certain songs. However, while the soundtrack for the first two games was mainly composed of a series of short ambiance tracks and compositions, the remaining titles in the series were given a more thought-out approach, and they bear resemblances to actual movie soundtracks, bringing a more cinematic feel to the narrative of the game. Considering that the film adaptation had no original tracks made for it whatsoever, all of the music in the film was taken directly from the games, this could be seen as a successful attempt.

    The music tracks in the first two Silent Hill games were mostly instrumental, but for Silent Hill 3 Akira wanted to incorporate vocals to the soundtrack. He wanted a female vocalist that had a sound comparable to that of Garbage and PJ Harvey. He flew to Los Angeles and auditioned about fifty candidates, until he heard the voice of Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. Mary Elizabeth has since worked with Akira on several other Silent Hill soundtracks, along with lyricist Joe Romersa.

    The soundtrack compositions are varied and range from post-industrial to alternative rock, from pop to trip-hop.

    SILENT HILL

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    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Silent Hill02.51
    02All01.32
    03The Wait00.09
    04Until Death00.51
    05Over02.04
    06Devil's Lyric01.26
    07Ris ing Sun00.56
    08For All02.39
    09Follow the Leader00.52
    10Claw Finger01.32
    11Hear Nothing01.33
    12Children Kill00.19
    13Killed By Death01.25
    14Don't Cry01.29
    15The Bitter Season01.26
    16Moonchild02.48
    17Never Again01.01
    18Fear of the Dark01.13
    19Halfday00.38
    20Heaven Give Me Say01.47
    21Far01.14
    22I'll Kill You02.52
    23My Justice for You01.21
    24Devil's Lyric 200.25
    25Dead End00.17
    26Ain't Gonn a Rain01.12
    27Nothing Else00.51
    28Alive00.33
    29Never Again00.45
    30Die00.56
    31Never End. Never End. Never End00.46
    32Down Time01.38
    33Kill Angels01.16
    34Only You01.16
    35Not Tomorrow #100.48
    36Not Tomorrow #201.38
    37My Heaven03.17
    38Tears of...03.15
    39Killing Time02.54
    40She02.36
    41Esperandote (composed by Rika Munaraka)06.26
    42Silent Hill (Other Side)01.38
    43UFO Ending (bonus track) *02.29
    44Untitled (bonus track) *01.33

    * only available in special editions

    SILENT HILL 2

    No Caption Provided
    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Theme of Laura03.26
    02White Noiz01.25
    03Forest01.45
    04A World of Madness01.49
    05Ordinary Vanity01.41
    06Promise (reprise)01.47
    07Ashes and Ghosts03.10
    08Null Moon02.52
    09Heaven't Night02.06
    10A lone In the Town02.21
    11The Darkness that Lurks01.18
    12Angel's Thanatos03.19
    13The Day of Night01.39
    14Block Mind01.14
    15Magdalene01.54
    16Fermata In Mistoc Air02.18
    17Prisonic Fairytale01.56
    18Love Psalm04.28
    19Silent Heaven02.15
    20No One Loves You01.34
    21The Reverse Mill03.35
    22Laura Plays the Piano01.57
    23Terror In the Depths of the Fog04.33
    24True03.09
    25Betrayal02.32
    26Black Fairy01.14
    27Theme of Laura (reprise)01.53
    28Overdose Delusion04.33
    29Pianissimo Epilogue01.39
    30Promise04.42
    31UFO Ending (bonus track) *01.52

    * only available in special editions

    SILENT HILL 3

    No Caption Provided
    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Lost Carol (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)00.37
    02You're Not Here (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)03.46
    03Float Up from Dream01.22
    04End of Small Sanctuary01.42
    05Breeze - In Monochrome Night04.14
    06Sickness Unto Foolish Death03.06
    07Clockwork Little Happiness03.24
    08Please Love Me... Once More01.54
    09A Stray Child05.28
    10Innocent Moon01.38
    11Maternal Heart03.02
    12Letter: from the Lost Days (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)03.54
    13Dance with Night Wind05.21
    14Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me02.19
    15Prayer01.40
    16Walk On Vanity Ruins02.44
    17I Want Love (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)02.45
    18Heads #201.13
    19Memory of the Waters01.46
    20Rain of Blass Petals03.39
    21Flower Crown of Poppy02.13
    22Sun01.47
    23Uneternal Sleep01.00
    24Hometown (performed by Joe Romersa)06.04
    25I Want Love (studio mix)04.40
    26Rain of Brass Petals - Three Voices (bonus track remixed by Interlace) *04.55

    * only available in special editions

    SILENT HILL 4: THE ROOM

    No Caption Provided

    Disc ONE

    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Tender Sugar (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)05.32
    02Waverer02.54
    03Fortunate Sleep - No One Disturb Her Dead02.07
    04Melancholy Requiem03.53
    05Confinement02.27
    06Drops of Silence02.49
    07The Suicidal Clock Chime01.10
    08Silent Circus02.55
    09Traversing the Portals of Reality02.03
    10Into the Depths of Self Discovery02.55
    11Cradel of Forest (performed by Joe Romersa & Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)06.30
    12Resting Comfortably00.51
    13Nightmarish Waltz03.09
    14Pulsating Ambience03.04
    15Your Rain (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04.42
    16The Last Mariachi01.37
    17Wounded Warsong03.12
    18Underground Dawn - Never Come02.11
    19Fever Child02.28
    20Remodeling02.54
    21Room of Angel (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)07.08
    22Waiting for You - Live at Heaven's Night (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)06.19

    Disc TWO

    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Ichikotsu07.18
    02Tangin ( instrumental)01.37
    03Hyoujou08.47
    04Shozetsu05.35
    05Shimonu ( instrumental)02.19
    06Soujou04.26
    07Fushou04.38
    08Oushiki07.07
    09Rankei02.54
    10Banshiki03.39
    11Shinsen04.36
    12Kamimu04.08

    * This second disc features mostly just in-game dialogue, which is something quite popular in Japan, and a trend that spreads across various game titles, as well as to anime.

    SILENT HILL ZERO: ORIGINS

    No Caption Provided
    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Shot Down In Flames (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)03.59
    02Meltdown03.13
    03Evil Appetite02.05
    04Wrong Is Right02.25
    05Not Tomorrow #301.42
    06Monster Daddy02.26
    07King of Adiemus02.28
    08Don't Abuse Me01.39
    09Underworld #403.06
    10Acid Horse02.10
    11O.R.T. (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04.23
    12Insecticide02.11
    13Raw Power01.16
    14A Million Miles01.31
    15Battle Drums02.17
    16The Wicked End02.17
    17Blow Back (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)03.13
    18Real Solution02.55
    19The Healer02.52
    20Snowblind02.00
    21Behind the Wall of Sleep02.19
    22Drowning02.25
    23Murder Song "S"03.04
    24Not Tomorrow #402.15
    25Theme of Sabre Dance01.33
    26Hole In the Sky (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04.10

    SILENT HILL: HOMECOMING

    No Caption Provided
    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01One More Soul to Call (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)06.05
    02Homecoming02.51
    03Dead On Time02.48
    04Cold Blood (theme of Josh)03.13
    05Mellow02.09
    06Old Friend (theme of Elle) (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)05.28
    07Witchcraft03.57
    08Stillness In Shepherd's Glen01.30
    09Soldier's Orders (theme of Alex) (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04.55
    10Wandering03.12
    11Shadows In Shepherd's Glen02.16
    12Droning01.27
    13Ghost Town01.23
    14Hotel02.02
    15Whispers00.23
    16Sepulcher03.49
    17Not Going that Way00.14
    18Assault On the Police Station02.28
    19Sewers02.59
    20Hell Descent04.27
    21Scarlet04.12
    22Journey to Silent Hill (theme of Elle - instrumental)06.27
    23Shores of Silent Hill01.12
    24Dark Times02.44
    25The Prison05.26
    26Something Out There02.09
    27Asphyxia02.27
    28The New Order02.55
    29Breakthrough04.00
    30Underground Dawn #303.41
    31Amnion02.24
    32The Sacred Line (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04.40

    SILENT HILL: SHATTERED MEMORIES

    No Caption Provided
    Track No.TitleRunning Time
    01Always On My Mind (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)05:09
    02When You're Gone (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)03:11
    03Searching The Past02:31
    04Selfish Thoughts01:32
    05Creeping Distress02:15
    06Hostility01:55
    07Snow Driven02:30
    08Hibernation02:18
    09Devil's Laughter01:52
    10Lost Truth02:48
    11Angel's Scream02:40
    12Another Warm Body01:52
    13Forsaken Lullaby01:52
    14Raw Shock01:43
    15Lives Wasted Away02:03
    16Blackest Friday01:46
    17Endless Depths01:30
    18Different Persons02:30
    19Ice03:00
    20Acceptance (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)04:04
    21Hell Frozen Rain (performed by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)05:40

    Trivia

    • Silent Hill, the first installment of the franchise, was awarded first place in the GameTrailers "Top 10 Scariest Games" list.
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