Why Silent Hill 2 Remake’s Echoes Wouldn’t Hit the Same Way in a Resident Evil Remake

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 28, 2025 3 Views 7 Min Read
Why Silent Hill 2 Remake's Echoes Wouldn't Hit the Same Way in a Resident Evil Remake
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While it might not quite be the same mainstream force as it was 20 years ago, the survival horror genre is where some of the most recognizable names in the industry originate. Capcom’s Resident Evil has maintained a consistent presence and impressive numbers across mainline releases and spin-offs alike, but Konami’s recent remake of Silent Hill 2 has instead served to spark a resurgence of that IP. Coming after a decade of obscurity and a questionable future compared to its most notable counterpart, new hope for Silent Hill didn’t feel possible until the success of the remake.

As a full-fledged return to form after the detours taken after the end of Team Silent’s tenure, the Silent Hill 2 remake has managed to achieve a similar level of appreciation as the original. It’s also true that RE has similarly cashed in with its own ongoing set of remakes that tend to net notable sales of their own, but the differing circumstances of these two series make it so a Resident Evil remake could never feel like such a major step forward.

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Why Fans Should Keep Silent Hill f Release Date Expectations in Check

A recent ratings board listing makes Silent Hill f feel imminent, but this development isn’t the sole determinant of when the game is coming.

The Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Seemingly Revived a Dormant Series

Finally Sharing in the Success of What Used to Be Survival Horror Contemporaries

When RE5 was continuing the strong presence of Capcom in the horror market of the late 2000s, SH is typically seen to have been bogged down by titles that didn’t live up to its first four titles. The freshness of RE7‘s soft rebooting came after no Silent Hill titles had landed with players in years, even though it was potentially informed by P.T. prior to that project fizzling out. It genuinely seemed that Silent Hill: Downpour could have been the end of the IP, as it had moved too far from the nuance of its starting point in a decline reflected in sales and critical reception alike.

Now that the Silent Hill 2 remake has managed to achieve the status of a commercial success, however, the lull seems to officially be over. If Bloober Team continues with Silent Hill remakes and Konami is able to understand the core appeal of the series in a way that encourages similar projects, there’s a chance that it could one day rise up to match the status of RE once again.

The Hype of Silent Hill Remakes Wouldn’t Be Possible if the Franchise Shared the Prolific Status of Resident Evil

A Return to Form Following the Departure from Team Silent’s Vision

The degree of success that the SH2 remake has achieved is telling of interest in the franchise as a whole, as many of its sales can likely be attributed to fans who have been waiting over a decade for an authentic series experience. It came less than two years after the Resident Evil 4 remake marked another hit in the forefront again, but that project didn’t necessarily carry the same weight as Bloober Team’s sole effort at revival so far.

Resident Evil’s Largely Unbroken Streak Casts a Large Shadow

With a set of eight mainline numbered entries that have existed across every console generation since its debut, RE has never fallen into a similar dark period. Remakes have technically been present since the 2000s, with them possibly setting the precedent that SH follows. The enthusiasm behind the Silent Hill 2 remake and what it means for the future might be telling of just how much bigger of a brand Resident Evil has managed to be overall, but this current level of excitement might not even be possible if it wasn’t for the prominent decline that SH has appeared to recover from.

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