Konami released a remake for the fan favorite, horror classic on October 8th, just in time for Halloween season. The game has received primarily positive feedback from the gaming community and critics alike. Someone who has been very active on X in the days leading up the release of the remake, was the former director and creator of the original Silent Hill 2, Masashi Tsuboyama.
About Silent Hill 2 remake
Games and technology are constantly evolving, resulting in significant differences in constraints and levels of expression.
This is a common issue with media arts in general, but it is not easy to maintain and appreciate the environment of the time.— 坪山 優史/Masashi Tsuboyama (@tsuboyama2024) October 4, 2024
In the thread, Mr. Tsuboyama starts off by saying how happy he is that a new generation gets the opportunity to play the game he made over 23 years ago. He then goes on to critique some of the differences between the two games, calling changes like 4K resolution, photo realism, etc., “mediocre” and questioned who the appeal of the game is aimed towards.
However, the major difference he points out and compliments is the camera. He states:
The thing to note is the change in camera (perspective). The change in playable camera has a significant impact on many aspects,combat,level design, art creation,etc. While the impact on the story may be relatively small, it brings a big change to the playfeel of the game…To be honest, I’m not satisfied with the playable camera from 23 years ago. Depth and angle were limited by the processing load. It was a continuous process of hard work that was not rewarded. But that was the limit.
He goes on to say the over-the-shoulder camera used in the remake adds a deeper sense of realism than he was able to achieve with the original and how excited he is for the game. Mr. Tsuboyama has continued to enthusiastically support and promote the game since its release.