And let me tell you, that’s saying something.
This console generation has so far been defined by an incredibly overwhelming sense of “meh” that has led many gamers to feel like their big, fancy new consoles have been nothing more than high-tech paper weights. For this console generation to feel exciting, we really need an ambitious and impressive title from a beloved studio, with a beloved del Toro, and a beloved Norman Reedus. But that’s officially not going happen.
Super bummed about this was really looking forward to it. Hopefully it’ll come back around. Sorry everyone 🍕 http://t.co/drZJ8tBsSN
— norman reedus (@wwwbigbaldhead) April 26, 2015
With Silent Hills canceled, it’s hard to deny that many gamers’ faith in this console generation has been rocked to the core. The PS4-owning community feels robbed. Again.
Let’s face facts: it’s hard to keep the faith.
This Console Generation Is Barely Walking at 18 Months Old
The average human baby starts walking between 9 and 18 months old, and babies don’t need millions of dollars to make that happen.
The PS4 and Xbox One have been both primarily fuelled on a handful of decent titles each since release in late 2013. While some sales have been impressive, and the level of hype has been nothing short of extreme.. an exceptional number of new games have fallen flat or remain undelivered. Console gamers are reasonably disappointed that a year and half has only yielded a scant handful of decent games. So far, though, most flagship titles have been middling at best.
Remember when Titanfall was going to be the CoD killer?
Remember when we realized that Killzone: Shadowfall was really just a tech demo for the PS4? Same with Ryze for Xbox One?
How about Knack, Sunset Overdrive, or The Crew?
Drive Club is a mess, The Order 1886 was entirely disappointing, Assassin’s Creed Unity was a crapshoot even if you got past the technical issues, and No Man’s Sky might be ok if it ever even comes out.
So far, the only real successes on consoles have been HD re-releases, Bloodborne – if you’re a masochist, a handful games in long-established franchises, and the merry band of non-current-gen-console-exclusives like GTA 5 and Last of Us. Granted, Nintendo is still impressing fans with Wii U releases, but those have also been few and far between (and Amiibos only go so far).
While PC gamers were fawning over Five Nights at Freddy’s, P.T. was taking the PS4 by storm. Now, it’s gone.
Meanwhile, after all these disappointments, PC games have been thriving. Well, as long as you aren’t planning on installing mods anytime soon.
While Evil Within reviewed well, the game ultimately left many survival-horror fans unfulfilled and salivating for more. After nearly a year and a half of disappointing PS4 exclusives, P.T. and the subsequent Silent Hills was everything a PS4 owner could ask for. It’s an well-loved franchise with legions of fans, big names attached, and an impressive demo that was well-received across the board.
The P.T. demo gave console owners had a glimmer of tangible hope, if only for a second.
If Konami abandons one of their largest franchises, what’s the next franchise we’ll say goodbye to?
Konami is a big company; video games are just a part of their larger corporate landscape. If Konami decides Silent Hills is a bust, who is to say that Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes might not be the last MGS game? Will Silent Hill return to form at all? If so, when and in what capacity? P.T. was a rare success; like a meat thermometer to steak, P.T. took the temperature of PS4 owners and showed that *ding* they are ready for Silent Hills.
If even in such an ideal, rabid-fan environment, the game was still canceled.
That’s worrying, especially in a landscape where there have already been talks that Microsoft might abandon the Xbox and even Nintendo continues to struggle despite relentless innovation.
Konami axing Silent Hills is a big deal and is shaking console gamers to the core.
As long as a heartfelt love-letter like P.T. can be ripped away so easily, console gamers will be up at night, staring at the ceiling and questioning the future of every beloved franchise they cling to.
Img Source: Learning Difficulties
Published: Apr 27, 2015 11:59 am