SHHF Exclusive Interview with Tomm Hulett - READ IT HERE!

Post by **Kairu** » 21 Jun 2009

alone in the town wrote:I'm ever the more stoked for this game.

Big thanks to Mr. Hulett.

I wish I'd asked him why he leaves an extra 'm' on his name.

Thats how its written on his birth certificate...?

Post by **alone in the town** » 21 Jun 2009

Only he knows.

Or, maybe he lurks among us all the time and that's he way of hinting to us that he may actually be known in certain quarters as TOMMY.

Post by **Mephisto** » 21 Jun 2009

I'm sorry but I couldn't read it all, I'm witha fuckin' headache and that "white page" isn't helping

But I can't wait to play this game, thanks for answering all our questions Tomm, Sam and the rest of the team! Man, no health items? Shit...
As I can see this game will be based more on stealth then all, this game isn't even out and it's already giving me chills! Ow man!:lol:

Post by **rm2kking** » 22 Jun 2009

Have you watched the walkthrough? The flight scenes are so intense. God, and that scene in the trailer when Harry is hiding in the closet? Pure awesomeness. This game is going to be great.

Post by **DamienPales** » 22 Jun 2009

Silent Hill is very unique as a series, because the games themselves are about a subjective reality. Each game has multiple endings and an argument could be made that each one of them is the "real" ending. This makes it very hard to even identify the â€œcanonicalâ€ elements of the series as a whole. We know James went to Silent Hill looking for Maryâ€¦ but we donâ€™t know how or if he left. Not really. Shattered Memories, like the other games, deals with a subjective reality centered around the town of Silent Hill â€“ I would say itâ€™s just as canonical as any of the games. No, Shattered Memories doesnâ€™t replace SH1 in the continuity. However, that doesnâ€™t necessarily mean it isnâ€™t canonical. That, after all, is what sets Silent Hill apart from other video game series.

So it seems that this game might end up being canonical after all...I've been mindfucked twice by this game already, and I haven't even played it yet.

Post by **Burning Man** » 22 Jun 2009

GrievousGarland wrote:EDIT: I'm really starting to get the feeling that Lisa is Harry's wife this time around. He confirmed we'd find out her name, yet didn't tell us what it was. That leads me to believe that the name is one that is recognizable and therefore would ruin a surprise.

Yeah, in retrospect, Lisa's "Stay by me, Harry, please?" was very... Maria-esque? So, I guess the possibility is there.

For what it's worth, the closest to Konami giving Harry's wife an official name was Jody/Jodie from the official Silent Hill novelette.

Thanks to Vixx for the interview, by the way.

Post by **DamienPales** » 22 Jun 2009

Jody Garland...

Yeah, that reference would be really freakin' obvious.

Post by **Phantom Allure** » 22 Jun 2009

^Might also be a nod to Jodelle Ferland who played Sharon/Alessa in the movie

Post by **NanayaShiki** » 22 Jun 2009

I was already 98% sold on this game. Being as he gave the exact answers I wanted to hear from every single question that was asked of him... I'd say this will probably be the best Silent Hill in a very long time.

Also, I loved Max's first answer to my question about their favorite games. Silent Hill on the GBA. At least the man knows his history, haha. Although I have to say I agree more with Tomm.

I also LOOOOOOOVVVVEEED how and when he brought up the Angela's staircase scene. It is also my personal favorite moment in the series and it meant the same thing to me. I've always been behind the idea of getting away from the annoyingly overused rusty otherworld and exploring new ideas. After all, it was supposed to be Aleesa's otherworld. There was no point in Travis or Alex experiencing it.

I could go on and on about how much I would love to be Tomm's best friend, so I'll leave it at "SEPTEMBER 30TH COME SOONER!"

Post by **Harrys_Girl** » 22 Jun 2009

I am so happy 3 of my questions were anwsered. A big thanks to Tomm and Sam. After reading this:

I wrote: Why did you choose to change the plotline so that Harry and Cheryl live in SH? Doesn't making it Harryâ€™s hometown take away from the fear of being in an unknown area and alone? How can you tell the original story, of Alessa calling Cheryl to the town, if Cheryl has lived there the entire time? And by the age/physical appearance of Dahlia, the new plotline seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the original SH, so why not just make it an entirely new game, instead of tramping about on an already existing plotline? Was it to bring in old fans while still targeting old fans, or some other reason?

TOMM wrote: Silent Hill is about characters who realize that reality is not what they thought it was at the start of the game. James thought his wife died of illness 3 years earlier. Heather thought she was a regular girl. Henry thought heâ€™d bought a sweet apartment with low rent, a view, and convenient shopping nearby.

By reimagining the original game, we can place fans directly into Silent Hill. You think you know what "reality" is, and you think you know what to expect ... but you donâ€™t, because youâ€™re in Silent Hill now. Youâ€™re part of the experience on a level that newcomers canâ€™t be. When Dahlia showed up in the trailer, you didnâ€™t think "I wonder what role that character will play." like you did when you first saw Angela and Eddie. You probably thought â€œThatâ€™s not Dahlia! Whatâ€™s going on!?â€ You probably felt a bit like James when he first met Maria. This is at the core of why we chose to reimagine the original.

I am offical sold. I was planning (before this) to just rent the game, but I have been sold and am totally planning on buying, perhaps even pre-ordering this game. The plotline/devices look so amazingly well done that I can over look the Down Syndrom version of Harry and be completely happy w/ the game.

BTW: anyone know when the game will be ready to pre-order???

Post by **Clyde** » 22 Jun 2009

A big thanks goes out to Tomm, Sam, and Vixx for making this interview possible.

Post by **Kenji** » 22 Jun 2009

This was a great interview, certainly drummed up more interest in the game for me.

Also quite surprising to see one of my questions answered...

Post by **ivs** » 22 Jun 2009

wow he certainly knows how to talk and answer questions! Tremendous respect and the hype has begun! thx for this interview

Post by **leftshoe18** » 22 Jun 2009

BTW: anyone know when the game will be ready to pre-order???

you can already pre-order it at gamestop

Post by **rm2kking** » 22 Jun 2009

TOMM wrote: Silent Hill is about characters who realize that reality is not what they thought it was at the start of the game. James thought his wife died of illness 3 years earlier. Heather thought she was a regular girl. Henry thought heâ€™d bought a sweet apartment with low rent, a view, and convenient shopping nearby.

By reimagining the original game, we can place fans directly into Silent Hill. You think you know what "reality" is, and you think you know what to expect ... but you donâ€™t, because youâ€™re in Silent Hill now. Youâ€™re part of the experience on a level that newcomers canâ€™t be. When Dahlia showed up in the trailer, you didnâ€™t think "I wonder what role that character will play." like you did when you first saw Angela and Eddie. You probably thought â€œThatâ€™s not Dahlia! Whatâ€™s going on!?â€ You probably felt a bit like James when he first met Maria. This is at the core of why we chose to reimagine the original.

What a brilliant answer.

Website · Post by **Mr.FLOOT** » 22 Jun 2009

ENIKA: When working with the storyline, have you drawn any inspiration from the Silent Hill movie?

TOMM: The movie exists in its own reality outside of the games, so no.

THANK GOD FOR THAT! Tomm really seems to know what he's doing

I have high hopes for this game

Post by **Skele** » 22 Jun 2009

good interview. i especially liked the answer to Krysta's question about re-imagining SH2. i wouldn't even want to imagine the hell Climax/Konami would receive from fans.

Post by **The Adversary** » 22 Jun 2009

>TOMM: The movie exists in its own reality outside of the games, so no.
I'm not criticizing, but he said he worked on Silent Hill: Homecoming, and it took much from Silent Hill: Movie. I'm curious why he'd incorporate influences from a "reality outside of the games" into one of the games w/in the series canon, and then go to say he wouldn't use imagery from the film in a game that clearly isn't w/in the series canon.

Does that not make sense to anyone else?

Post by **Kenji** » 22 Jun 2009

He also seemed to imply this was the first Silent Hill game he had creative control over, as Producer.

Post by **NanayaShiki** » 22 Jun 2009

Kenji wrote:He also seemed to imply this was the first Silent Hill game he had creative control over, as Producer.

This.

Just because he worked on Homecoming and has praise for it doesn't mean he had any say in what the game looked like/played like/took influence from.

He also said that people shouldn't refer to this game as non-canon so much, bringing up the good point that every Silent Hill game itself has multiple canons.