Video Games
Fans Discover Prototype Version of ‘Silent Hill 2’
Since I’m a sucker for these types of stories, for you long-suffering Silent Hill fans, a prototype version of the original Silent Hill 2 for the PlayStation 2 has recently been uncovered. Even better, it’s currently being hosted on The Hidden Palace, a repository “dedicated to the preservation of video game development media”.
The version of the game in question, build 0.10 VW047-U1, lists its build date of Jul 13, 2001. What’s significant about this build is that from exploring the disc’s contents, it shows that most, if not all, of the game’s data is included in this disc. Meaning, with some modding/hacking, you’d be able to explore early areas of the game.
Other small differences from the final build (which was released in August 2001) include different attack and enemy sounds, camera angles, removal/addition of certain items, dialogue removal and more.
What makes this all even more interesting is that if you remember the infamous Silent Hill HD Collection (who doesn’t?), Konami had lost the source code for the final version of the game. This in turn lead to Hijinx Studios having to work with an unfinished version of Silent Hill 2. It’s not clear yet if this is the version the team had to work with, but you have to wonder.
Definitely check out the prototype’s page on The Hidden Palace, along with other prototypes of games fans have discovered over the years. You can also hit up the Letters From Silent Hill fansite for additional info on the prototype.
I'm VERY HAPPY to announce that the SILENT HILL 2 VERSION 0.10 (VW047-U1) PROTOTYPE is now released for fans to play/hack/explore! I've been wanting to share this with all other SH2 fans for SO long and now I'm able to!
(Special thanks in comments)
Link: https://t.co/C8sF2ODDN6 pic.twitter.com/ZMBn0BpWzu
— Ratio (@theRatiocinator) October 8, 2019
Video Games
Co-Op Psychological Horror Title ‘CORDURA’ Plays with Your Sanity as You Race Against Time [Trailer]
Garage51 is putting their own spin on co-op multiplayer horror gaming with their psychological horror game CORDURA. During Future Games Show Summer Showcase, the developer released a new gameplay trailer that shows off the paranoia you and your team will experience as you work your way through a procedural mansion that preys on your teamwork.
“With CORDURA, we wanted to move away from scripted jumpscares and focus on the paranoia of not knowing who to trust,” explains Garage51. “In these scenarios, silence keeps you hidden, but if you don’t talk to each other, you won’t make it out.”
The story for CORDURA sees you and your team venturing into Victorian buildings to harvest the Rose of the Night, which is the source of the Ambrosia, a potent neurostimulant coveted by the aristocracy for their decadent gatherings. The problem is, these same buildings will eventually seal you and your team inside. Not only that, but the night begins to mimic your companions, using their bodies and voices to deceive you from within.
Every extraction becomes a tense race against the clock, as the mansion shifts and evolves throughout the night, growing darker and more disturbing as the bells toll. Procedural layouts, permadeath and unpredictable encounters turn each playthrough into a claustrophobic descent into paranoia, fear, and fractured sanity.
The Night hears you and calls you by name. Proximity voice chat becomes a double-edged sword: the darkness can mimic the voice and appearance of your allies to lure you into the abyss. As the night darkens, your sanity shatters. The only way to restore it is to physically reunite with a teammate. But a lingering doubt remains: has your ally truly arrived in time, or is the Night wearing their face to finish you off?
CORDURA is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam.