Konami’s suspended the Japanese release of Silent Hill: Homecoming.

That Japanese note just tells fans to “look forward to future titles in the series,” according to Kotaku.

At least you’ll be getting to see Silent Hill 6 before too long. You know; the one involving original Team Silent members in an effort to get back to proper survival horror roots?

What?

According to this MCV report, Konami will release Silent Hill Homecoming on February 27 in Europe.

Better late than never.

Wii fighter Castlevania: Judgement will also arrive on February 27.

Eledees: Adventures Of Kai and Zero has been given a date of February 20 date.

Other Konami titles, such as Rock Revolution and the Wii version of PES 2009, are still slated for a Q1 2009 release.

According to this CVG story, the European version of Silent Hill: Homecoming isn’t coming out till next year.

Konami’s given no reason for the slip, and there’s no new specific date given.

The title’s already out in the US.

Scarier by the second. More through the link.

In the wake of yet another refused classification in Australia, this time for Silent Hill: Homecoming, Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia head Ron Curry has said that the country’s lack of an 18 rating system “makes no sense” and complained that such restrictions would never be applied to other media.

“With the average age of gamers being 28,” he said in an interview with Aussie-Nintendo, “it makes no sense to censor games to a point where they are only appropriate for a 15 year old. Such censorship would not be acceptable on television, at the cinema or in print, so why apply it unfairly to another entertainment medium?”

And before you give a baffled “no shit, Ron,” and wonder why on earth Australia insists on being the laughing stock of the games ratings world, bear in mind he’s up against people like the Australian Industry Group’s Heather Ridout.

“Grand Theft Auto was one of the more famous games and seemed to turn everyone into a car thief,” Ridout said. “Violent games… violence, it breeds violence.”

Like, seriously.

More through the link. Thanks, GoNintendo.

Oh dear. The first Silent Hill: Homecoming review’s in, and the results aren’t pretty.

OXM’s given the Konami horror a less than stellar 65 percent. Snip:

From its leaden, cheap-shots-aplenty combat to its wild-goose chase through gray, same-y hallways filled with useless, placebo doorways to a story that takes much too long to get off the ground, its entire first half feels like a death march through a clunky hot mess.

“Whoops.” Expect more soon.

Pathetic. According to this XboxOz360Gamer story, the Australian OFLC has refused to classify Silent Hill: Homecoming, effectively barring the game from sale in the country.

Apparently Australian people can’t cope with adult videogame content, which is why Australia has no 18 rating for games. Getting 18-rated games from other PAL countries must be really tough for Australians with the immense knowledge of “parcels”.

Sort it out, Australian law people. The rest of the world’s looking on in complete bewilderment.

IGN’s put up a bunch of new Silent Hill: Homecoming videos, and it’s not looking halfway bad. The horror still doesn’t have a fixed date, but it’s promised for 360 and PS3 before the end of the year. Take a look.

Remember, release date is now November.

By Mike Bowden

The highly anticipated horror title was originally supposed to ship late September on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC but unfortunately we’ll have to wait another few weeks.

No reason for the delay was given.

Thanks, DarkZero

By Mike Bowden

GameDaily has published a top ten of “games that will probably suck,” and LittleBigPlanet leads the charge at number one.

“Despite the cute characters, this is nothing more than a glorified version of PowerPoint fuelled by gamers hoping to make their own ‘presentations’,” says the piece.

“Talented players will create interesting and perhaps fun designs. Everyone else will make horrible levels.

“If you could design several stages, string them together and make your own platform game, that’d be cool, but for now, all we foresee is tons of crap content.”

Other notables include Wii Music and Silent Hill: Homecoming. Genius.

Full thing through the link, obviously.

By Mike Bowden

Fans of the series will also be buoyed by the fact that Pyramid Head makes a return in this, the fifth iteration of the series.

More through the link.

By Mike Bowden

• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
• Castlevania: Judgment (Wii)
• DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 2 (Wii)
• DanceDanceRevolution Universe 3 (360)
• DanceDanceRevolution X (PS2)
• New International Track & Field (DS)
• Lost in Blue Shipwrecked (Wii)
• Rock Revolution (360, PS3, Wii, DS)
• Silent Hill: Homecoming (360, PS3)
• Time Hollow (DS)
• Elebits: Adventures of Kai and Zero (DS)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 (360, PS3, Wii)

By Mike Bowden

The firm will also “use the event to unveil a selection of new, unannounced titles for the first time, with regular showings, Q&A sessions, and product demonstrations within a dedicated stage area.”

“Konami goes into this year’s Games Convention with a very, very strong line-up that mixes familiar titles with exciting new concepts,” said Konami marketing boss, Martin Schneider.

“This year will see more of the fruits of our excellent European RnD push, in addition to stunning titles from Japan. As such, we feel Konami will deliver one of the most diverse and imaginative product lines-ups of the show, and look forward to unveiling our new titles in Leipzig.”

Press release after the link.

Konami readies Leipzig line-up
Publisher to unveil key new releases at key Euro event
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is promising a stunning line-up of new titles to be unveiled at this year’s Games Convention in Leipzig.

Held in Leipzig’s stunning Convention Centre from August 20th-24th, Games Convention 2008 is set to be Europe’s largest showing of new product. Konami will use the five-day event to showcase a number of new titles for the first time, including PES 2009, Silent Hill Homecoming and a massive area dedicated to the ever-popular DancingStage franchise. Konami will also use the event to unveil a selection of new, unannounced titles for the first time, with regular showings, Q&A sessions, and product demonstrations within a dedicated stage area.

“Konami goes into this year’s Games Convention with a very, very strong line-up that mixes familiar titles with exciting new concepts,” commented Martin Schneider, Sales and Marketing Director Germany for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “This year will see more of the fruits of our excellent European RnD push, in addition to stunning titles from Japan. As such, we feel Konami will deliver one of the most diverse and imaginative product lines-ups of the show, and look forward to unveiling our new titles in Leipzig.”

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH can be found in Hall 5, Booth F10.

Speaking to SilentHill5.net, Silent Hill: Homecoming lead designer Jason Allen has moved to allay fears that the latest in the Konami horror series won’t bear the trademark aspects of previous games.

Homecoming is the first Silent Hill title to be developed in the US.

“The Silent Hill series is all about narrative, exploration and atmosphere; even though this has been developed outside of Japan with an entirely new team (with the notable exception of Akira Yamaoka), we are still creating a Silent Hill game,” he said.

“Foremost in our design philosophy for this title has been a strong desire to maintain the trademark atmosphere of the game. If we were to change that part of the experience – in my mind – it would cease to be Silent Hill. For a lot of western horrors, the key components are gore, shock and brutality. Atmosphere in Silent Hill is much more about dread, loss of identity and a sense of the futility of struggle; it hits you in an entirely different manner and in some respects is much more frightening to behold. So in a roundabout way, yes, you can expect the same creepy atmosphere.”

There’s quite a lot more through there on combat, the inventory system, and so on.

Silent Hill: Homecoming releases for PS3 and 360 in September.

On GamesRadar. There’s been quite a lot of these recently, despite the fact the game’s not out until September. This lot’s from the UK Official Xbox mag, apparently.

After the break. They’re a mix from both the 360 and PS3 versions. There seems to be a lot of indecision about whether or not this is going to live up to the earlier games in the series, but the fifth Silent Hill outing certainly doesn’t “bad” by any stretch. See for yourself. Thanks, Blerk.

Konami just put out 11 new shots of Silent Hill V, a mix from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. After the break.

Konami’s titled Silent Hill V “Silent Hill: Homecoming,” according to the press release you can find after the link.

The sixth installment in the classic video games series, Silent Hill: Homecoming introduces another protagonist to the mythos. The story follows Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown of Shepherd’s Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his brother. From Shepherd’s Glen to Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, and confront the evil lurks in the seemingly empty streets of Silent Hill.

It’s out at the end of September for 360 and PS3. Read the full thing below.

The Homecoming of Silent Hill
Konami’s first Silent Hill® title for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced the official title of its first Silent Hill game for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360. Entitled Silent Hill: Homecoming, the game will be released end of September this year across Europe.

The sixth installment in the classic video games series, Silent Hill: Homecoming introduces another protagonist to the mythos. The story follows Alex Shepherd, returning to his hometown of Shepherd’s Glen to investigate the sudden disappearance of his brother. From Shepherd’s Glen to Silent Hill, Alex must face the darkest of horrors in order to find his brother. Struggling with his own grip on reality, Alex must unravel the mystery behind his nightmares, discover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, and confront the evil lurks in the seemingly empty streets of Silent Hill.

Homecoming is the first Silent Hill title for the new wave of ‘next generation’ consoles, featuring all-new graphics that bring the fear and terror of Silent Hill alive like never before. Alex must survive attacks from the misshapen denizens of the town using an all-new enhanced combat system that provides a wide array of attacks and counters. Along the way, Alex will encounter a variety of weapons to battle these horrific monsters and must also solve deadly puzzles as he uncovers the darkest secrets of Silent Hill.

Silent Hill: Homecoming also features an all-new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka.