I Want Waypoint’s Return to Be Like the ‘Silent Hill 2’ Remake

“How do you follow in the footsteps of greatness?” It’s a question Bloober Team had to ask when it was announced the team would be remaking the beloved Silent Hill 2. I vividly remember the, at best, derisive skepticism and, at worst, impassioned indignation when everyone heard. If I’m honest, I was one of the people hoping it would fail. “You mean the people behind The Medium and Layers of Fear?

“Silent Hill 2 has deliberate symbology, enemy design, and character depth. Bloober Team is probably the last development studio to do the game any justice!” Then, the gameplay clips started rolling out over the months. Sure, there were critics. Maria’s outfit was criticized for what many perceived as a misunderstanding of her identity as a character and in relation to James’ struggles throughout the game. But gradually, opinions shifted. People were being won over.

It certainly helped that the developers respected Silent Hill 2, making it clear the goal wasn’t to usurp a classic. The objective was simply honoring and celebrating the original vision — adding their own unique ingredients into the mix. Piotr Babieno, Bloober’s CEO and creative lead, said as much to Rolling Stone. “I realize that trust is earned through actions, not through words. … We want to show our ambitions through our work, so we can’t ask for anything more than ‘give us a chance.’”

What does ‘silent hill 2’ have to do with waypoint?

Hi, I’m Dwayne Jenkins. I have a daunting task ahead of me. I’m the new Managing Editor for Waypoint, and, admittedly, I must’ve mentally written and revised this article a million times this week. I’ll do my best to articulate what I can and hope it’ll instill some confidence in Waypoint’s future. What I want Waypoint to be is simple: a home for creatives and writers to talk about everything in this troubled, crazy industry we love and entertain you guys along the way.

Silent Hill 2, as of this writing, has an 87 overall rating on OpenCritic. It’s acknowledged as a faithful modernization of one of the best horror games of all time. Sure, many hardcore Silent Hill fans dismissed the game entirely. But many people see that Bloober paid the proper respects and gave the devs their approval.

The games journalism space is fraught with layoffs, mismanagement, and woefully underpaid and overworked creatives whose dreams have been crushed into SEO-infused paste. Personally, I’ve witnessed firsthand the abuses and mishandlings of games journalism. The editors and writers on the ground are on strings, commanded by people who don’t care about games or the audiences that play them.

The Path ahead and waypoint’s future

I’m no genius. I don’t claim to know everything about the Wild West that is gaming in all its splendid forms. But I also adore gaming and cherish what Waypoint represented to believe I can lead the charge in making this real. Something chaotic without being crass. Critical without being cruel. Ambitious without being arrogant.

So, here’s my promise to you. I will do everything in my power to make Waypoint yours again. It’ll be fun, it’ll be wild, and maybe it’ll even make a meaningful difference in this tormented plane we call “games journalism.” But, if you’re willing to give it a chance? It’ll be something different that can hold its own while honoring its legacy.

So, how do you follow in the footsteps of greatness? One cautious, mindful step at a time!