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Movies have been proving how cool prequels can be. Batman Begins and Casino Royale totally make up for the Star Wars prequels, and the new Star Trek is shaping up nicely. Now video games are getting into the prequel game. Silent Hill is going back to the beginning, before the beginning actually. Silent Hill Origins is a PSP exclusive title, and Producer William Oertel answered a few questions to preview the new look into Silent Hill.

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CraveOnline: Like movie prequels, what fun is there to be had in exploring pre-Silent Hill backstory?

William Oertel: Lots of fun! The ability to delve into the past and, in a way, put the blocks in place for what is already there, was very exciting. The most difficult part was determining how much. From the beginning, this wasn’t going to be a “tell-all” of everything in Silent Hill. It was going to, perhaps, a bit of fleshing out of the foundation of what is seen in the first game, but we also wanted to tell a unique story, of a new character. So one way to look at this is that it’s a new chapter in Silent Hill, for a new character, told around familiar events that tie to the first game.

CraveOnline: What easter eggs might fans of the series find in the prequel game?



William Oertel: Easter eggs? Hmmm…well, Silent Hill is always a layered experience, and it’s no different here. Something we’re particularly excited about is the accolade system. Depending on how you play the game, you can unlock different costumes for Travis. Fans will instantly recognize one of the costumes as Vincent from Silent Hill 3. We also have a costume that looks like the dog from the end of Silent Hill 2. There are countless other notes, artifacts, images and references to prior games, as well as some gameplay elements. People that have gone through the Motel level will now what I’m talking about!

CraveOnline: How has the Silent Hill movie impacted the story of this origin game?

William Oertel: Christophe Gans' vision of the way certain things occur in Silent Hill were really inspiring, and provided us with a level of inspiration. Of course, the primary source of inspiration were the previous games, primarily Silent Hill 2. However, the way the world transforms in the film, that’s a powerful scene and it’s something you can see as a sort of reference in one of the cinematics in Origins.

CraveOnline: What familiar locations, characters and creatures will fans see in Origins?

William Oertel: The very first location Travis enters is the Gillespie residence, where he sees Dahlia and meets Alessa. This is a great way to start the game since it poses questions to the new user, but the experienced fan will recognize right away the people they know and feel instantly familiar and, hopefully, intrigued, about what’s going to transpire.