Short answers, pulled from the story.
Alex Shepherd is the protagonist of Silent Hill Homecoming, but he is a delusion created by a childhood tragedy. The Special Forces veteran returning to Shepherd's Glen is a psychological construct, while the real Alex has been confined to a mental hospital since the accident that killed his brother Josh.
Silent Hill Homecoming was released on the 30th of September 2008 for the PS3 version. The PC version followed on the 6th of November 2008, and the game was released in Europe on the 27th of February 2009.
The curse in Shepherd's Glen originated from a pact made fifty years ago by the four founding families with a god they did not fully understand. The pact required the sacrifice of one child every half-century, and the failure of the Shepherd family to deliver their offering led to the town's current state of decay.
Josh Shepherd died when he accidentally fell into a lake while fighting with his brother Alex over a ring. The event occurred when Alex was younger and out of jealousy struggled with Josh to take the ring his father had chosen for him.
Double Helix Games developed Silent Hill Homecoming under the leadership of Jason Allen. Development on the game began in 2004 and concluded with its release in 2008.