Ducky: I honestly can’t remember how I first discovered the games. I was probably just searching around online and I think I found a countdown list of the scariest moments in video game history, and SH had taken several spots. I experienced the games first through a text walkthrough/let’s play (partially because I was 13 or 14 at the time and knew my parents would never let me play the games…plus I was kind of a wimp and too scared to actually watch any videos) and I found myself instantly drawn into the story. I wanted to learn as much about the games as I could, so I pretty much read the entirety of the SH wiki in a few weeks, just gathering all the info I could. I have actually played the games since then (I own 1, 2, 3, and Origins) and I love them now more than ever. My favorite of the series story-wise is, no surprise, SH2. Even when I get the good ending, I cry like a wimp because the story is just that moving. I really want James and Mary to be happy and any game that can make you care about the characters that much has totally succeeded. As far as gameplay, I liked 3 and had a surprising amount of fun playing Origins too.

Ducky: The series (one person in particular) has actually inspired me in one big way. I’m currently attending collage for music technology in order to become a video game composer and sound designer, a career path I’m only following today because of Silent Hill. I had always had an interest in music, I’ve been playing the piano for about 5 or 6 years now, but it wasn’t until I head Akira Yamaoka’s music that I began to think that writing music was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I think it was a “making of” feature for SH2 that really made up my mind. Just seeing Akira walking around the studio, strumming on his guitar, working with different equipment, and knowing that all those things would eventually result in a beautiful piece of music was amazing to me. I wanted to know how it all worked. Seeing as how much I love video games, I think it’s quite a fitting career for me.

Ducky: But but….I’d be way too scared XD I fan girl’d for like an hour when he accepted my facebook friend request. As for covers, I haven’t done any actual covers. I can play promise reprise and Laura’s theme on the piano though. I did however make several songs for my old slenderblog that were very Yamaoka-inspired. I thought they fit the vibe of my blog and the other bloggers I wrote the songs for. It’s worth mentioning that as a slenderblog, the contents are all fictional…as evidenced by the fact that I am very much alive and I have not (to my knowledge) ever been stalked by a tall faceless man in a suit.

Ducky: I’ve been playing games since I could hold a controller. I remember as a child, my favorite thing to do was play Donkey Kong on the super Nintendo with my Dad all afternoon. I play a huge variety of games, but my current all-time favorites (aside from SH of course) are: Kingdom Hearts, Team Fortress 2, Portal, ICO, Bioshock, The World Ends With You, and Persona 4. My favorite console is defiantly PS2, if only because it has so many amazing games. DS would have to be a close second though.

Ducky: I’m not really active in the fandom as far as forums go. Mostly I just work on my own projects, the biggest one being the novel translations. It’s actually one of the biggest projects I’ve taken on ever XD I have actually cosplayed Heather and Pyramid Head, but I’ve gone to great lengths to make sure those pictures no longer exist ._.; I’m not all that crazy about how they looked on me. Though I was amused when I wore the PH costume to a local zombie walk and there was a Lady Gaga cosplayer who wanted pics of me strangling her. That was pretty….interesting.

Ducky: Since 1 and 3 are in chronological order, I think it makes the most sense to tackle 1 next. I’ve read quite a few interesting things so far. I won’t give away too much, but I will share one little thing that I found cool. In the scene where Harry and Cybil first meet, Cybil actually recognizes Harry’s name and says she’s a fan of his novels. I’m not sure how that will play out, but I thought is was a neat little addition.

Ducky: My initial thought was “I don’t have a PS3 or an Xbox so I don’t really care” but the whole voiceover debate did capture my attention. I just kind of applied the same philosophy as I do to remakes: they can change it as much as they want, but the original will still be there. Then I actually heard the new voices and…let’s just say I’m glad everything worked out with the original voice actors in the end.

Ducky: Ahh, the movie. I have pretty mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I was really not happy with the seemingly pointless changes (Cheryl=Sharon) and thoroughly disappointed with the huge changes to the story. I also through the inclusion of PH and the nurses was a little…fanservice-y and unneeded. But, I was really impressed with the set design, the monsters, and the atmosphere. Any movie that chooses practical effects over all CG earns a lot of respect from me and visually I think they captured the feel of SH very well. All I could think about was how bad I wanted to grab a health drink and a steel pipe and go running around one of those awesome sets! And I was also thrilled to hear Akira’s music used to such great effect. Overall, while it’s far from perfect, I had fun watching it.

Revelation…looks like it’s shaping up to be equally mixed. I don’t think it needs to be in 3D and I don’t think they need to bring Rose back, but at the same time, I can see why they would make those decisions. I think I’ll just reserve judgment until I actually see it. Besides, it looks like it’d make a cool movie to see at a midnight screening.

Ducky: After watching some playthoughs, I have high hopes for Downpour. I’m hoping it could go the route of Origins; even if I’m not really into the story, at least it will be fun to play. And it’s a damn good-looking game. One more reason to finally get around to finding a PS3 XD

Ducky: I think it’s just something as simple as enjoying the series. I considered myself a fan long before I actually played any of the games. To have been touched by the stories, moved by the music, or scared half to death by the monsters is enough to say that you’re a fan. As a series that’s made me laugh, cry, and spend many a night wide awake, it’s something really special to me and I hope that by making the novels available in English I can bring these stories to people who can’t play the games for themselves.