Silent Hill

CHICAGO – You may be rolling your eyes. Oh, look, another critic ripping on a bad horror movie. But you may not know that not only am I a horror movie fan in general but I particularly liked the first “Silent Hill” film, to the point that I’m quoted on the DVD case for the flick. I approached the critically reviled “Silent Hill: Revelation” thinking that I might again be in the minority but would be happy to be so. I am not.

CHICAGO – With “Silent Hill: Revelation 3D” sucking rotten eggs in theaters both critically and at the box office while “Silent Hill HD Collection” gets more quality gameplay out of old titles remastered than the new “Silent Hill: Downpour” does out of a brand-new experience, it’s an odd time for this legendary franchise. Into the questions about the vitality of its future comes “Silent Hill: Book of Memories,” the first PlayStation Vita game in the series and, technically, the 9th game overall.

CHICAGO – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 15 pairs of guaranteed, anytime movie passes up for grabs for the new horror film “Silent Hill: Revelation 3D”!

CHICAGO – I keep going back to “Silent Hill” even though I so rarely find the scares that made this one of the most beloved franchises in the history of games. There have been eight “Silent Hill” games (with a ninth in May for the Vita) in thirteen years and a hit movie (which I’ll defend to the death, and not just because I’m quoted on the DVD).

CHICAGO – Konami Digital Entertainment made news yesterday when announcing one of its top selling franchises was returning to gamers not once, not twice, but thrice in 2012. The survival/horror series “Silent Hill,” which first premiered in 1999 on Sony PlayStation, will have its eighth and ninth installments released in the coming months, as well as a re-release of two of its classic tales.

Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – As “Shadows of the Damned” began to kick into high gear, I was pumped up. I thought that after numerous disappointments this season like “Shadows of the Damned” and “Duke Nukem Forever” that we finally had our first real gem of the summer. So, it’s a bit frustrating to report that “Shadows” doesn’t quite fulfill on the potential of its amazing opening act, but I can safely say that it’s worth a look for the target audience.

CHICAGO – I used to approach a new “Silent Hill” game with heightened anticipation but the franchise has been so lifeless for the last few years that I somewhat dreaded entering its world again in the alleged reimagining of “Silent Hill: Shattered Memories,” now available for the Nintendo Wii. Much to my surprise, Konami’s latest is an effective, atmospheric title with only a few flaws.

CHICAGO – The Nintendo Wii has never really been a system designed for atmosphere. It’s a party console, a machine built around social experiences that usually involve making fun of how silly your relative looks waving a controller around the room like he’s actually holding a tennis racket.