Silent Hill 2 developers explain how they were still able to stay true James' character. 'He had to be neither too cool nor too good-looking.'

Bloober Team released a behind-the scenes video to celebrate the release of Silent Hill 2's remake. The video shows how much effort was put into the remake and its protagonist.

In the video, Andrzej Madrzak says, "I don't think it shows, but it's true that I was old enough to play the original Silent Hill 2 at the time it was released. It was a life-changing event." "I don’t think I would do what I do today if I hadn't been playing it at that time. The game's portrayal of James' inner struggle was groundbreaking.

Joshua Wolens, our news writer, was pleasantly surprised by the preview of Silent Hill 2. He said that the acting was very modern and faithful to the original. The dialogue of each character was rerecorded. This was one of the biggest differences in the remake. Some players might miss the slightly janky performances of old, but I prefer James' newfound presence on stage and slightly different design.

Mateusz Lenart, creative director and lead designer, says: "We wanted to stay faithful to the original design but also use modern technology to expand the concept of an everyday man being pushed into extraordinary circumstances." "Our version has three-day facial fur. You will see his clothes becoming dirtier and his skin more tired as you progress through the game." This is a small feature, but I think it makes the remake more enjoyable. Finally, James will look like I do after walking through the fog-filled, nightmare-filled town in Silent Hill.

Pablo Poliakov is the lead character artist. "He had to not be too cool, nor too good-looking. James has this aspect of being more of a pretender than a real hero.

Bloober has given James a Leon Kennedy makeover. James still looks like he's more used to fighting a broken coffee machine in the office than he is to fighting bloody monsters. The new James has had at least some retouches on his face. But something was going to change.

The behind-the scenes video also dives in to what it was like for James Sunderland's actor Luke Roberts. Lenart says that it was important to have a performer who could portray all those emotions. Luke Roberts was the best choice.

Roberts was up to the task, particularly since so many Silent Hill fans have praised the actor's renditions of the stilted and ethereal dialogue. "Luke Roberts, James' voice actor, absolutely nailed a near impossible task," one player said. Barbara Kciuk is a senior narrative designer and says that during Luke's first audition, "everything went wrong." "The audio was terrible. We were running late and the lines got muddled. There was something special about the actor who played this role.

The secret to James character hasn't changed despite the amazing graphics face-lift. It needs to be clear that James isn't cut out for all of this fighting and he's a lost in every sense. I'm so happy that Roberts understands this task so well. Roberts says that "[James] has a relatable character and is out of his element, which is my favorite scenario." "He's not a hero in any way--he's just a guy that is a bit lost."