"When we spoke to Atari about its reaction to the ban and plans for the game, the representative mentioned that they hoped to get Konami to tone down the high impact violence scenes so that it could be reclassified as MA15+ and allow the game to be released in Q1 2009. We'll let you know as soon as Atari is able to confirm these plans."

That's right folks. Another week, another round of new video games being released. Kotaku's put up a list of games we can expect to find on Super Tuesday this week. Among these are Age of Booty and WALL-E for the Mac. The good ol' mystery boys aren't quite dead yet either, as Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft makes its way to the PC this week as well.

We all know Silent Hill's iconic enemy has never had an 'official' name, though he is popularly known as "Pyramid Head" or "Red Pyramid Thing" by the fans and game-makers alike.

But that seems to have changed for Silent Hill: Homecoming.

A scanned page from the official guide reveals that Pyramid Head now has a new name ... "Bogeyman"!


Discuss in the Silent Hill: Homecoming forum

"With a quicker-than-usual turnaround, I have here the Classification Board's report on Silent Hill: Homecoming.

Those of you thinking that all the killing and violence involved in the series had something to do with the restrictions are correct - the Board found that the game contained violence that is "high in impact", and that is what prompted their decision.

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"The violence is considered highly impactful in such scenes as where an electric drill is explicitly forced through Alex's...

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"Well it seems the long awaited Silent Hill Homecoming title has received the cold shoulder from Australia's OLFC and Refused Classification.

This is yet another game to face the OLFC that has failed to pass due to their antiquated rating laws, where their highest rating for games is just MA15+, making many adult themed games, (no, not sexually based games) unable to gain classification.

Sure, some are then edited and then resubmitted, but why should they be. It's as if the world develop..."

At its 2008 Holiday Press Event in Manhattan, video game publisher Konami announced it's Fall/Winter 2008 lineup for North America, bringing games to all game systems and release dates.

• [NDS] Castlevania: Order of Ecclessia - Octtober 21, 2008
• [WII] Castlevania: Judgment - Fall 2008
• [360/PS3/PS2/PSP/PC] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 - November 11, 2008
• [WII] Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 - September 16, 2008
• [360] Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 - October 2008
• [PS2] Dance Dance Rev...

"Following up on some reports coming out of Leipzig, the company informs us that the time frame for the North American release is still September, and Europe will apparently need to wait until later in '08.

We have also been informed that Valve's Steam digital distribution service is "the only method of distribution" for Silent Hill: Homecoming on the PC. Konami currently has no plans for a retail box version, which certainly is an interesting strategy."

"Earlier this week I watched a Konami rep play through a bit of Silent Hill: Homecoming while we were awaiting the coming of Castlevania creator Koji Igarashi. The quick play through showed off the opening moments of the game, with protagonist Alex Shepherd waking up in Silent Hill and setting off on the search for his little brother. The game looked rather nice in motion, and creepiness immediately ensued as Sheperd's little bro seems to have a penchant for scampering in and out of shadows, a..."

"Tale of Tales (ToT): Silent Hill is still going. There’s been a Silent Hill 3, 4 and soon 5, all without your involvement. Silent Hill 3 was a lot less complex than Silent Hill 2. And Silent Hill 4 was completely different. How do you feel about the evolution in the series without you?

Takayoshi Sato (TS): It’s normal that a change of team changes the feel of the product. That’s what happened with Silent Hill 3 & 4.

ToT: What did you think of the Silent Hill movie?

TS: I like many of..."

"The Collective has refrained from “Americanizing” the “Silent Hill” franchise. They’ve taken something Japanese creators have traditionally done best (atmosphere), melded with something else America’s usually excelled at (refined combat).

“Homecoming” opens with an opening very much influenced by “Hostel.” Your character is shuttled through a grimy hospital, while unknown individuals are torn apart, their screams echoing as you’re shuttled to what seems to be your doom. It’s far less subtl..."

"Last night Konami offered a rather large group of gaming journalists the opportunity to finally get some hands-on with Silent Hill: Homecoming. We were second in line and found everything to be in working order; the eerie sounds, intentionally grainy visuals and unsettling environments are coming along nicely and even the new dodgy-slashy combat system works better than we thought. If you were around last month you'll remember our three-day blowout of Homecoming - it looked like this:

Day ..."

"GameSpot has confirmed with Foundation 9 that the Bram Stoker-inspired vampire-slaying action game has been put on permanent hiatus.

"The best way to put it is that the Harker team rolled into the Silent Hill V team," a Foundation 9 representative told GameSpot.
"Frequently, when you pitch original IP, a publisher sees your vision and says, 'You know, we don't quite want X, but could you do Z?' So, it's not like Harker was rolling along and killed; it's more like the team simply started..."

"Silent Hill V is no longer called Silent Hill V. Konami's just dropped us a line to let us - and now you lot - know that it's carrying a new name. Say hello to Silent Hill: Homecoming. Sounds like the title of a dodgy 'B' horror movie.

Along with the name change, Konami's confirmed a European release date of "end of September" for the survival horror sequel that's planning to scare the casing off Xbox 360 and PS3.

Homecoming follows the tale of Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown ..."

"Since its a survival horror game would you say Silent Hill 5 is the scariest narrative in the series so far?
I think when we talk about Silent Hill and a "scary" story we are talking about two different things. Overall, the game's scares will be the biggest we've had, and that's not just jump scares - the eerie feeling of dread will be heightened because the designers can really immerse you emotionally through amazing environments and wild-looking demons. However, story wise, Silent Hill has..."

"As part of an extended interview published today on Gamasutra, Konami sound director Akira Yamaoka has been discussing both progress on the Western-developed Silent Hill 5 and the state of Japanese development, suggesting "Japan is in trouble" when it comes to game development sophistication.

The interview, originally printed in the December 2007 issue of Game Developer magazine, has been expanded for its appearance on Gamasutra, and includes Yamaoka answering why Konami chose California-b..."