Reducing the workforce is just bad news, no matter the industry. And with the economy the way it is ... everyone's losing jobs. :( Somebody I talk to at SOE is one of the ones who got cut. Really sucks.

Yes, I agree with you (albeit to an extent), but that wasn't necessary to bring up in this article. Stay tuned, Eric! I have something that's been sitting on my computer for a few weeks now, and it's bound to show up sometime soon. ;)

@Snake Link Sonic: Lol that makes him sound like a pimp! xD

I totally agree with you about the personalized hell aspect. Silent Hill games really hit a high when the focus is on the psychological in conjunction with the scares; SH2 is the shining example of that. I always enjoy the SH games more when they're about people who are ensnared by the town because of their sins rather than because they were unlucky enough to stumble into town or because of dark connections. I enjoy all the SH games, but it's most engaging and effective for me when the purpose lies with the character and his mind. SH2 made us feel like we were being dragged down into hell with James.

Of course, we can't forget why Pyramid Head was introduced in SH2 in the first place: James Sunderland needed someone to punish him. Go, go, personal hell!

Mmm yes, we can't forget that. So true.

I completely agree with you! I grew up playing games the exact opposite way: whether playing with my family or with my friends, it was all about having fun. If someone decided to get angry over not winning, we didn't want to play with them, because we'd spend hours battling Mario and Luigi over gold coins or who could last the longest in Super Mario Bros. 3—and we'd laugh our asses off.

Yet today, it's exactly how you described. People are so consumed with winning and with being "hardcore." Who the hell cares—unless, yeah, it's your career. Since when did playing a game for the first time start being such an intimidating experience because you're the "noob"? It seems like it's hard to find people anymore who don't care about that—who just want to play to have fun, despite whether your rock socks or get the crap beaten out of you. Everyone plays to win and likes to revel in their victory, but that shouldn't be the focus of the experience—and you should take it with an understanding of humility, not as if it's written in stone. Because of the way I grew up playing games, I can't stand it when I play with people who are all about competition. It's just plain depressing.