Grave Gamer News & Views — announcement

Hideo Kojima + Guillermo del Toro + Norman Reedus = Silent Hills

Now this is the kind of reveal that reminds me why I love this industry so damn much. It’s both a genuine surprise and manages to incite omega levels of excitement.

Sony’s whole ominous “P.T.” PS4 demo hyped up at Gamescom manifested today into a clever interactive announcement for none other than a continuation to Konami’s long-standing Silent Hill series.

That ain’t even the kicker. Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima and famed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s names are attached to the project with actor Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, Boondock Saints) set to lend his voice and likeness to the starring role. The game’s title? Simply: Silent Hills. Gives me a chill just pondering what the name could imply.

How Hideo and Guillermo are involved is a bit muddy at the moment but it’s no secret Konami has been courting Kojima-san to pilot the flagship survival horror franchise for some time now. Kojima’s even openly mused how much he’d like to see Silent Hill’s foggy, dilapidated world realized using the FOX Engine – Kojima Productions’ proprietary engine currently being utilized for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V.

Here’s the rundown: it looks next-gen, it has two of the most imaginative creative forces from their respective fields working on it, and it has a badass name. Silent Hill has needed a real kick in the ass for some time now – and I do mean a completely fresh angle on the material. This… this could be the one we’ve been waiting for, folks.

The MOBA Genre Infects Dead Island (Or is That the Other Way Around?)

Deep Silver’s undead romp has apparently outgrown its open-world, RPG-lite genre bending ways and is entering the online multiplayer battle arena.  Is that right?  Or is it multiplayer online battl–  Listen, it’s a MOBA.  We all on the same page?  Moving on.

The newly announced Dead Island: Epidemic sees the series’ signature zombie evisceratin’ take a chunk out of the free-to-play model in a PC exclusive title.  Details are as murky as the crimson fogged waters surrounding Banoi, but Deep Silver promises the game will deliver on Dead Island’s trademark style while focusing on a desperate fight for survival between three rival groups (humans vs. zombies vs…. island fauna?  Again, murky details).

The game’s publisher says it’ll have more substantial information on this mildly intriguing spin-off at this year’s Gamescom (Aug. 21st - 25th).  Hopefully that includes who’s developing this little diddy – Techland has their hands full at the moment – and some percolating imagery to give us an idea just how close to hacking distance Epidemic is to its cult forebearer.