Silent Hill 2 remake's James looks "kinda meow" now after what appears to be a slight redesign

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The new Silent Hill Transmission leaks a new James

Silent Hill 2 Remake screenshot
(Image credit: Konami)

Silent Hill 2 remake's protagonist James Sunderland looks to have a slight redesign.

Later today, May 30, Konami will hold a brand new Silent Hill Transmission broadcast, where it's assumed Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake will have a big presence. That assumption was confirmed by the Reddit post just below, which discovers that in auto-generating a YouTube thumbnail for the video, Silent Hill 2 protagonist James pops up.

New Look at James Sunderland in the SH2 trailer dropping tomorrow thanks to the Youtube auto-thumbnail generator. SH Transmission is 42 minutes long from r/silenthill

There's something... different about this remake-era James, though. When the protagonist was first revealed in late 2022, his look was pretty divisive, which led Konami's developers to comment on the redesign. Remake producer Motoi Okamoto revealed that James was specifically designed to be older than in the original game, because players of the original Silent Hill 2 are now older. 

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The James in the reveal trailer looked gaunt and tired, whereas the new James looks considerably more full of life. "His face isn't as long and narrow I think. But I could be wrong," reads one Reddit comment under the post. I think that about nails it - he looks more like a normal human being here, rather than someone who's undergoing severe mental trauma in the majority of Silent Hill 2.

So, yes, dear reader, the "hot" comments have begun in earnest. "He's kinda hot, right?" reads a Reddit comment, while another adds "He’s kinda meow 😼nvm," whatever the hell that means. Thirsting aside, James genuinely seems to be going down a treat with players new and old this time around, which is a big improvement on his initial look, even if the character model itself hasn't actually changed.

The Silent Hill Transmission begins later today at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET, and the following day at 12:00 am BST for UK viewers.

Check out our guide to the best Silent Hill games if you're wondering where to start with the iconic horror series.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.