Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: When was the first Silent Hill released?
Silent Hill is a survival horror video game for the PlayStation published by Konami and developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. The first installment in the "Silent Hill" series, the game was released in North America in January 1999, and in Japan and Europe later that year. "Silent Hill" uses a third-person view, with real-time rendering of 3D environments. To mitigate limitations of the console hardware, developers liberally used fog and darkness to muddle the graphics. Unlike earlier survival horror games that focused on protagonists with combat training, the player character of "Silent Hill" is an "everyman".
The series has since been taken over by external developers. Ōwaku and fellow Team Silent art designer Masahiro Ito went on to work together on "Silent Hill: Cage of Cradle" (2006), a digital manga published by Konami, downloadable for cell-phones and only available in Japan. This was followed by "Silent Hill: Double under Dusk" (2007). Ōwaku was also credited with another "Special Thanks" in "" (2007). This makes Ōwaku the longest-standing contributor to the "Silent Hill" series, behind composer Akira Yamaoka, who scored every game except for "".
1998 is seen as a turning point in gaming history because of the release of "Metal Gear Solid", as well as "" and "". The ninja-themed game "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins" was released several months before "Metal Gear Solid", making it the first 3D stealth based-game. The highly anticipated "Metal Gear Solid" transformed its modestly successful franchise into a large mainstream success. The increased power of the PlayStation console over previous platforms allowed for greater immersion in terms of both story and game environment. "Metal Gear Solid" has been credited with popularizing the stealth genre. The core elements of these games, such as avoiding confrontation, minimizing noise, and attacking antagonists from "the shadows", influenced many future stealth game series.
"Metal Gear" was the first mainstream stealth game, with the player starting the game unarmed, and sold over a million copies in the United States. "Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake" evolved the stealth gameplay of its predecessor and is considered one of the best 8-bit games of all time. "Metal Gear" and "Metal Gear 2" are credited with pioneering stealth mechanics. "Metal Gear Solid", which debuted at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show, was the first 3D stealth game, and is credited with popularizing the stealth game genre, as well as the hiding-behind-cover mechanic. The series pioneered the integration of cinematic techniques into video games, especially "Metal Gear Solid" which Eurogamer considers the "first modern video game".
An original unreleased "Silent Hill" graphic novel was completed in 2000 by comics publisher Com.X, but for an undisclosed reason the book was never published. Com.X and Konami have repeatedly officially stated that they still intend to publish the book, but no confirmed date has been set. IDW Publishing was unaware that this project existed when they pursued the license.
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and released for the PlayStation in 1998. The game was directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 video games "Metal Gear" and "", which Kojima also worked on. The game started development in 1996 and was officially unveiled in the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 1997, before eventually releasing in late 1998.
1998's "Half-Life"—along with its 2004 sequel "Half-Life 2"—enhanced the narrative and puzzle elements. In 1999, the "Half-Life" mod "Counter-Strike" was released and, together with "Doom", is perhaps one of the most influential first-person shooters. "GoldenEye 007", released in 1997, was a landmark first-person shooter for home consoles, while the "Halo" series heightened the console's commercial and critical appeal as a platform for first-person shooter titles. In the 21st century, the first-person shooter is the most commercially viable video game genre, and in 2016, shooters accounted for over 27% of all video game sales. Several first-person shooters have been popular games for eSports and competitive gaming competitions as well.
"The Legend of Zelda", the first game of the series, was first released in Japan on February 21, 1986, on the Famicom Disk System. A cartridge version, using battery-backed memory, was released in the United States on August 22, 1987, and Europe on November 27, 1987. The game features a "Second Quest," accessible either upon completing the game, or by registering one's name as "ZELDA" when starting a new quest. The Second Quest features different dungeons and item placement, and more difficult enemies.
In August 1999, SNK announced that they were collaborating with Sega to develop a "Sonic the Hedgehog" game for their Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld system. The game was developed by SNK, with supervision from Yuji Naka and Sonic Team at Sega. This marked the first time Sega was directly involved in the development of a "Sonic" game for a non-Sega platform. The team planned for "Sonic Pocket Adventure" to be a return to the classic 2D gameplay style found in the "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis. In particular, many game design and visual elements are borrowed from "Sonic 2". The game's background music tracks are also 8-bit renditions of music from "Sonic 3". "Sonic Pocket Adventure" was released first in North America on December 4, 1999. SNK released a system bundle with the game included for the holiday season. The game was released in Japan two weeks later, and in Europe in February 2000.
"Zelda" was first released in the early 1990s along with the "Super Mario Bros." cartoon. It was produced in the form of two-episode VHS tapes in four volumes; the gold color of the VHS slipcases matched that of the original NES games. The series was released on DVD in two volumes by the animation company "Allumination FilmWorks" The first DVD, "Ganon's Evil Tower", was released on July 22, 2003, including three episodes of the "Zelda" cartoon and two of "Sonic Underground". The second DVD was released on September 27, 2005, titled "Havoc in Hyrule", containing a further five "Zelda" episodes.
The first entry in the series "Tomb Raider" was released in 1996 for personal computers (PC), PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles. The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997. The second game, "Tomb Raider II", launched in 1997, again for PC and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version of "Tomb Raider II" and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000. The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998. "Tomb Raider III" launched in 1998. As with "Tomb Raider II", the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year. The fourth consecutive title in the series, "", released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on the Dreamcast. In Japan, both console versions released the following year. "Tomb Raider Chronicles" released in 2000 on the same platforms as "The Last Revelation", with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.
Written by Tom Waltz, Past life is a four issue Silent Hill comic published by IDW . The story chronicles events going back to 1867 and features a criminal gunslinger called Jebediah “Hellrider” Foster and his spouse Esther Monroe moving in to silent hill where they are haunted by their past.
Halo: Silentium is a military science fiction novel by Greg Bear, based on the "Halo" series of video games. The book was released in March 2013 and is the twelfth "Halo" book (the eleventh novel) and the last book in the trilogy of novels focusing on the Forerunners, called "The Forerunner Saga". "Silentium" was released in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook following 2012's "Halo: The Thursday War", the second book in the separate "Kilo-Five" trilogy. "Silentium" concludes the efforts of the Ur-Didact and the Librarian to stop the Flood from destroying the universe. The book reached number eight on the New York Times Bestseller List for Hardcover Fiction.
"Sonic the Hedgehog" is a video game series. It is published by Sega, with entries developed by Sega, Sonic Team, Dimps, SIMS Co., Ltd., BioWare, and Sumo Digital. The series debuted in 1991 with the video game, "Sonic the Hedgehog", released for the Mega Drive video game console (named Genesis in North America). Most "Sonic the Hedgehog" games have either been platform games or released for Sega video game consoles and handheld game consoles (handhelds) dating from the Genesis to the eighth generation of video game consoles (2012–present). However, some of the original games were ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. As of February 2013, the series has collectively sold over 85 million copies worldwide across both the platform games and spin-offs.
When Silicon Knights began work on "Eternal Darkness", their intention was to create a game "that was in the horror genre, but not categorized as survival/horror", with then later labeling it as a "psychological thriller" during an early interview with IGN, as opposed to, what they referred to as, the "B-movie horror plots" of "Resident Evil". At the same time, Denis Dyack remarked during an interview about his decision to design the game with the intention of "messing with people's heads", after being inspired by media reports. The game was initially planned for the Nintendo 64 and to feature several characters, including "a Special Forces commando deep behind enemy lines", with the developers showing off the early builds during the 1999 E3 Expo; Silicon Knights later changed their mind and rebuilt the game in order to make it a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube. It never made it as a launch title, as development was delayed.
Resident Evil, known in Japan as Biohazard, is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. Released for the GameCube video game console in 2002, it is a remake of the 1996 PlayStation game "Resident Evil", the first installment in the "Resident Evil" video game series. The story takes place in 1998 near the fictional Midwestern town of Raccoon City where a series of bizarre murders have taken place. The player takes on the role of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, S.T.A.R.S. agents sent in by the city to investigate the murders.
During and after the completion of "Dark Legions", Silicon Knights spent several months working on the design of "Blood Omen" without a particular platform in mind. Major inspirations behind the project included "The Wheel of Time", "Necroscope" and Shakespeare's plays, while the concept of the Pillars of Nosgoth was derived from cover art for "The Pillars of the Earth". Crystal Dynamics agreed to publish the game in 1993, and although there was indecision as to whether it should be produced for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer or the Sega Saturn, both parties settled on the PlayStation once Sony announced its impending launch. The game took over three years to develop, undergoing a substantial expansion mid-process which required Silicon Knights to increase its workforce—Crystal Dynamics sent several staff to assist them, including Amy Hennig and Seth Carus. Following "Herculean efforts", "Blood Omen" was released in late 1996. After its success, Silicon Knights contemplated creating a sequel in what they described as the "Blood Omen" series, but their relationship with Crystal Dynamics dissolved in 1997. Crystal Dynamics began developing "Soul Reaver" internally, and were acquired by Eidos Interactive during its production.
The game was publicly announced first at E3 2005, by means of a humorous and slightly abstract gag machinima using characters from "Metal Gear Solid 3", under the slogan of "No Place to Hide". The title was described as "essentially finished" by January 2008 and went through extensive beta testing. At Destination PlayStation on February 26, 2008, Sony announced that "MGS4" would be released worldwide on June 12, 2008, along with the special "MGS4" PlayStation 3 bundle. It was announced that "Guns of the Patriots" is the first PlayStation 3 game that uses a 50GB dual layer Blu-ray Disc even with the use of file compression.
Due to the success of "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis, the series was introduced to the Master System and the Game Gear. Sega began by releasing "Sonic the Hedgehog", a 2D platform game, in 1991. The game featured Sonic's ability to run and to jump at high speeds like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart but with notably different level design and music. Sega later released "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" another 2D platform game, in 1992. The game differed from its Genesis counterpart with different levels and music and by not including a "spin dash" maneuver. It also featured a different storyline in which Doctor Robotnik kidnaps Tails, who is non-playable in the Master System/Game Gear version. "Sonic Chaos"/"Sonic and Tails" (Japan), released in 1993, was similar to the earlier two Sega Master System/Game Gear "Sonic" games, but featured Tails as a playable character. A sequel, "Sonic Triple Trouble"/"Sonic and Tails 2" (Japan), a 2D platform game, was released in 1994 for the Game Gear and introduced a new character, Nack the Weasel, who, along with Knuckles and Doctor Robotnik, raced to collect the Chaos Emeralds. One of the last games for the Sega Game Gear, "Sonic Blast", was released in 1996 and featured prerendered sprites.
"The Legend of Zelda" is a video game series created by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is developed and published by Nintendo. The series debuted in Japan with "The Legend of Zelda" (known in Japan as "The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu") on February 21, 1986, and was later released in North America (August 22, 1987) and Europe (November 27, 1987). "The Legend of Zelda" video games have been developed exclusively for Nintendo video game consoles and handhelds, dating from the Family Computer Disk System to the current generation of video game consoles. Spin-off titles, however, have been released on non-Nintendo systems. The franchise consists of 27 video games, including original titles, ports, and remakes. Over 52 million copies have been sold since the release of the first game. The franchise also includes a cartoon adaptation, multiple comic book adaptations, and soundtracks.
First announced during an early July 1995 SoundLink Magazine broadcast of Hikaru Ijuin's , the official "BS Zelda" pre-release party was hosted by Hikari Ōta and took place during the August 3, 1995 SoundLink Magazine broadcast of Bakushō Mondai, and the first episode of "BS Zelda" was released on Sunday August 6, 1995 with new episodes broadcast every subsequent Sunday through the 27th. The game was re-broadcast on at least 4 subsequent occasions as reruns throughout the lifetime of the Satellaview.
"Silent Hill 4: The Room" was first released in Japan on June 17, 2004. The game was shipped for its subsequent North American and European releases on September 7, with pre-ordering customers receiving the soundtrack for free with the game in the former market. The game, alongside its two PS2 predecessors, was rereleased in 2006 as part of "The Silent Hill Collection" European boxset, as a tie-in with the release of the "Silent Hill" film, and again in 2009. Microsoft has confirmed that their Xbox 360 console is backward compatible with the game's Xbox port.
An interactive teaser for "Silent Hills" was released on August 12, 2014 as "P.T." ("Playable Teaser"), marketed as a demo for a horror game by the non-existent 7780s Studio. Published on the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 4 as a free download, "P.T." uses a first-person perspective, in contrast to the usual third-person perspective often found in the "Silent Hill" series, and centers on an unknown protagonist who awakens in a supposedly haunted house and experiences supernatural occurrences; the only actions available are walking and zooming as the player character explores the continuously looping corridor. After the player solves the final puzzle, a trailer reveals that it is a "playable teaser" for a new "Silent Hill" title being directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, with the protagonist portrayed by Norman Reedus. On 1 September 2014, Sony revealed during its pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference that "P.T." has been downloaded over a million times.
The seventh installment in the series is a reimagining of the first installment. Developed by Climax Studios for the Wii in December 2009, with ports for the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable released in January 2010. "Shattered Memories" retains the premise of the original game—Harry Mason's quest to find his missing daughter in the American town of Silent Hill—but is set in what appears to be a different fictional universe, following a different plot, with characters from the first game appearing altered alongside new ones. Gameplay takes place in two parts: a framing, first-person psychotherapy session with an unseen patient, and an over-the-shoulder perspective of Harry's journey through Silent Hill, periodically interrupted by the occurrence of a shift to an alternate dimension where he is pursued by monsters.
A film adaptation, also titled "Silent Hill", was released on April 21, 2006. The film, directed by Christophe Gans, was based largely but loosely on the game, incorporating elements from "Silent Hill 2", "3", and "". Gans replaced Harry Mason with a female main protagonist, Rose Da Silva, because he felt Harry had many qualities typically perceived as feminine.
When designing the film's visual elements, Gans was influenced by fellow directors Michael Mann, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg. The film's soundtrack includes music composed by Yamaoka. Although critical reaction was mostly negative, the film was a financial success and was praised by fans, especially for its visuals.