Silent Hill: Shattered Expectations?

I have been rather lucky. Silent Hill, my favorite gaming IP has had a pretty steady flow of sequels and side projects over the past few years. Unlike it's big brother franchise, Resident Evil, most of these projects have been solid. None have strayed too far from the core concept and they have all stayed true to what makes Silent Hill such an appealing game. When I heard that Climax would be working on a remake of the original game on the Wii, I was instantly excited and skeptical at the same time. We all know what the Wii is know how usually happens to an IP when it is transitioned to the Wii (Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Dead Space Extraction). Then some details started to emerge. This game is not just a remake but is instead a re-imagining of the original game. The concept remains the same while many of the gameplay mechanics and approaches to the story have been altered to make a game that is still surprising to long time fans. I found this interview with the producers to be rather interesting:

I am a little worried about what they have done with the combat or "enemy encounters" but I will hold my judgements until I see it in action. Overall, I think that the game looks like they aren't cutting any corners in respect to the games looks by switching to the Wii. As long as Akira Yamaoka composes the music and the game is still a "semi open-world" gameplay style. then I shouldn't have too much to complain about when I pick this up later this year.

-Nick