Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Switch 4 with 0rigins and I'm sold.
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Silent Hill Downpour |OT| Rain, Rain, Go Away
- Thread starter brandonh83
- Start date
Switch 4 with 0rigins and I'm sold.
Snapshot King
Member
All this arguing has me realizing I never beat 4. I'm giving it another shot, and somehow Im enjoying it much more than I did way back. Maybe because I'm older?
Switch 0rigins with Silent Hill: The Arcade and I'm on board.
Switch Silent Hill: The Arcade with Silent Hill Play Novel and I'm game.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
http://www.oxmonline.com/silent-hill-downpour-review
Official Xbox Magazine review, they seemed to have really liked it.
Official Xbox Magazine review, they seemed to have really liked it.
Snapshot King
Member
Man, you really came out of nowhere to save this thread. First the detailed impressions and now review huntin. Thanks, I'm sure some of us (like myself) were wary of getting burned again and you certainly helped out more than these reviews.
Yep. We all know the true hero of the series is the kid from next door who was in the boot of Harry's jeep.
NOT. A. JOKE.
Snapshot King
Member
Wait what? I thought the play novel only came out in japan?
Dude, you spit the true knowledge. But you can't give away the true Silent Hill fans secrets like that. Let the peasants believe it's all about 1 to 3 damnit.
brandonh83
Banned
OXM review is great like Destructoid's, it comes from a fan perspective and the score reflects the pure "mechanical" value of the game (SH is more than the sum of its parts, for its fans of course).
And yeah DUSK GOLEM SAVED DOWNPOUR from disgrace here on gaf, and probably a lot of places, since gaf is an influencing community.
YOU man are fan of the year =3
And yeah DUSK GOLEM SAVED DOWNPOUR from disgrace here on gaf, and probably a lot of places, since gaf is an influencing community.
YOU man are fan of the year =3
brandonh83
Banned
Siren was more of a chore for me to play through than even Homecoming or Shattered Memories. Too bad, it almost had decent atmosphere but wasn't scary to me in the slightest.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
I played it via an emulator, and just selected random shit until I got past puzzles :lol I think there's a partially translated version that's playable online though. Either way, the game is clearly the best game in the series.
The GameInformer review seems to be the most balanced so far. Also seems to be inline with my impressions of the game so far, based on the previews that I've read and gameplay footage that I've watched.
Kind of hoping Konami doesn't can the franchise after the inevitable bomba. I'd like for them to give it back to Climax, but Vatra doesn't strike me as terribly incompetent either.
My dream scenario would be that they gave it back to a Japanese developer though. More in particular, Grasshopper Manufacture.
Kind of hoping Konami doesn't can the franchise after the inevitable bomba. I'd like for them to give it back to Climax, but Vatra doesn't strike me as terribly incompetent either.
My dream scenario would be that they gave it back to a Japanese developer though. More in particular, Grasshopper Manufacture.
What? Why Grasshopper? I don't think they would be able to do a proper scary game really. Specially not in the Silent Hill universe.
If Suda could restrain himself, I would be absolutely behind that. Or maybe they could try and steal some former Team Silent members from KCEJ.
Actually, they should just do that anyway and make a straight up horror game.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
GamesRadar Review: http://www.gamesradar.com/silent-hill-downpour-review/
EDIT: Reading through it, I warn the review does contain some minor spoilers.
EDIT: Reading through it, I warn the review does contain some minor spoilers.
plagiarize
Banned
true silent hill fans play all the games, and bitch about at least one of them at length.
that's all i'm conceding to.
SIREN is a seperate franchise completely, and despite sharing some traits with the original Silent Hill, they don't play anything like the same. obviously you can be a fan of both, but there's nothing to say a Silent Hill fan has to like SIREN.
i sure don't.
Killer 7 was really goddamn disturbing and psychologically scary. Grasshopper could do it. i haven't played their Fatal Frame games to confirm that, but yeah... they totally could. doesn't mean they *would* though...
TheJollyCorner
Member
I'd love to see Toyama take another crack at SH, personally.
brandonh83
Banned
if they gave it back to Climax I would probably finally be done with the series. Origins was stale with a forgettable plot and a haphazardly written connection to the original game and Shattered Memories wasn't much better although unique... I suppose. Sam Barlow is one of the worst contributors to the entire franchise and doesn't give a crap about any of the mythology.
However I do agree that Grasshopper might be a good fit, obviously they have the right guys for the art direction and music but I wouldn't want it to be silly like Suda 51 games are. His unhinged insanity is great for games like Shadows of the Damned but not so much SH. Not saying he couldn't take it down a notch though.
Killer7 is one of the most disturbing games I've ever played. Shadows of the Damned, though action-horror, had a great creepy atmosphere. Even the No More Heroes games have some haunting and desolate locations (the tunnel in the first, the appartments in the second). And certainly Suda Goichi can restrain himself. Fatal Frame 4 did not have any of his "wackiness" (though he was a script-writer). Plus, Akira Yamaoka.
Silent Hill, to me, has always been about creativity. Offering a game and horror experience different from the norm. A different level of gameplay, storytelling and visual design. GHM is just about the only contemporary studio that has that kind of creativity.
I would also love to see Amir0x' reaction.
I'm also curious what would happen if, say, a Nintendo studio tackled it. They've got some fantastic game designers in there and great artists. I wonder if those skills could be adapted for a dark horror game?
DryvBy
Member
I'm certain this is old [and a little ot] but wow... an 8-bit demake of Silent Hill 2.
http://dryvby.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/silent-hill-2-demake-soundless-mountain-ii/
http://dryvby.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/silent-hill-2-demake-soundless-mountain-ii/
What if we had a killer7/Flower, Sun and Rain era Suda? I imagine that guy could do something interesting in regards to story. I wonder if he's still alive under all the "Punk of Video Games" shit.
Criminal Upper
Banned
I agree. Killer 7 is really weird and disturbing. Much more so than anything in Homecoming, or Dead Space. Not to mention Grasshopper worked on Fatal Frame 4.
I can see what you mean really. I love Shadows of the Damned for example, but I wouldn't call the atmosphere great or creepy. But, I guess that's down to personal preference there. Killer7 is very disturbing, but in a very absurd and weird way.
Plus, Yamaoka. No. I'm glad he's left the series. It started really going downhill once he became the producer for the games, and his scores from Origins and onwards have been uninspired to say the least. He kind of lost it there.
But indeed, you have very good reasoning though. And I can understand why you would like it.
And to be fair, I really can't come up with other studios that should get a crack at it. Not off the top of my head at least.
No.. I'd play 4 over Siren any day.
Whitebison
Member
Goddamn European release date....actually I'm rushing Homecoming with a trainer (combat sucks) and hey....it's not that bad...
indigo-cyclops
Member
Great point about Yamaoka. For me, he peaked at SH2 - what a masterpiece of a score, really. I think in the end his work became more of an expectation, and I'm glad they gave someone else a chance to do something with SH. Turns out, Licht was the ideal replacement.
I think I'm going to rush Homecoming with a trainer as well, Eagle
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Can someone source this? I've heard from a few people Giant Bomb mentioned in some posting somewhere that they've given Silent Hill Downpour an 8.5 and said it's their favorite SH game since SH2, but I can't find the source for it so not sure if real or not.
EDIT: Durh, I just recalled that Giant Bomb rates on a 5-point scale so I'm going to assume the people saying this are bullshitting.
EDIT: Durh, I just recalled that Giant Bomb rates on a 5-point scale so I'm going to assume the people saying this are bullshitting.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Yamaoka very obviously was bored with whoring his style out endlessly on SH projects that were increasingly tired and lacking vision and originality.
Still, the smart thing would have been to get in artists to cover his signature style (its synonymouys with the franchise for heaven's sake) and branch out from there, rather than bring in a whole new composer.
Silent Hill is a real love/hate thing for me though. It is, without doubt, one of my all-time favourite franchises and as a life-long horror fan and professional designer I'd have LOVED to have been able to take a shot at it. Sadly its always eluded me, despite getting depressingly close (circumstantially) on at least 3 occasions during my career!
Ironic, but that's life for you.
Still, the smart thing would have been to get in artists to cover his signature style (its synonymouys with the franchise for heaven's sake) and branch out from there, rather than bring in a whole new composer.
Silent Hill is a real love/hate thing for me though. It is, without doubt, one of my all-time favourite franchises and as a life-long horror fan and professional designer I'd have LOVED to have been able to take a shot at it. Sadly its always eluded me, despite getting depressingly close (circumstantially) on at least 3 occasions during my career!
Ironic, but that's life for you.
Trent Strong
Banned
Wow, a 4.5 from IGN. Since most reviewers use a 7 to 10 scale, this is shocking. I'm still gonna buy this, but I'm a gambler at heart.
plagiarize
Banned
James got a letter everyone!
Wonder how far i'll get through SH2 tonight.
NO HE DIDN'T.
indigo-cyclops
Member
Have you listened to the soundtrack for Downpour? There's a few tracks I've heard that mirror that style quite a bit.
I think bringing in someone new was the right thing to do. As you said, Yamaoka was bored, and you could tell. One of the good things from 1 to 4 was the fact that there wasn't really a proper signature style for him. Except maybe for the guitar. The soundtracks for all 4 of them are very different in style. With 1 being very industrial. 2 being more, melancholic in lack of better terms. 3 being trip-hop inspired.
I also think that once he stopped being the sound designer, and instead focused on producing and music, he lost alot. Some of the best sounds and tracks from the first games are the non-musical ones, at least when it comes to atmosphere and creepiness. Like the butterfly room in Silent Hill 2. That sound design is wow.
But wow, this turned into a small rant. Sorry.
Indeed. Mirror it, and does it very, very well. Love how Licht incorporated the spanish guitar into the main theme for Downpour, without straight aping the Silent Hill Theme.
Don't listen to the IGN review. It's very uninformative and borderline poorly written. It reads like a review of a game the reviewer got on friday and had a deadline of sunday night for the review. IE, it's rushed and poorly edited containing factual inaccuracies.
I mean look at this...puzzles are supposed to be a huge part of the game, and this is all he has to say about them:
He doesn't saw they're good, he doesn't say they're bad, he just says they're there. Oh and sometimes you'll use weapons in them.
For a mechanic that is integral to the experience, there's a shamefully low amount of depth given to it in the review. I didn't learn anything about the puzzles. how many of them there are, the quality, their prevalence, etc and that's pretty unprofessional, and makes me question whether or not he played the game for more than an hour.
Do yourself a favor and read the Destructiod review. I normally think of Jim Sterling as a blabbering fool trolling for hits, but he really wrote a pretty thoughtful review of the game.
I trusted this particular Jim review because he's one of the most vocal cynical SH fans out there, one of those that represent the very bottom of that fanbase. And he loved it.
Trent Strong
Banned
That's good to hear.
Acquiescence
Member
Dem slender platinum legs.
Anticitizen One
Banned
I could. I didn't include it because 4 was made by a completely different team and it was supposed to be a new horror IP called "The Room" until very late in the game Konami forced them to slap the Silent Hill brand on it and they put it a very minuscule vague tie-in to the previous games. Siren is actually made by the former Team Silent people from what I remember.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
I haven't actually heard that much of it as yet, but what I have heard seemed distinctively different. Realistically I will buy Downpour sooner or later (I'm a fanboy, lol) so I'll get a chance to check it out then.
I always thought that Yamaoka's chosen sonic palette was the distinctive feature of his SH scores, more so than the actual composition. His real gift for me was creating a "dirty" sound, which is genuinely rare I think in game scores.
The other thing (and I got this talking with a musician) was his habit of using really basic drum loops as a base - the rest of the instrumentation often being quite layered and complex, but underneath it all was this super-basic machine beat. The sort of thing that most composers would use as a guide, but then replace it with something more "worked" in the final mix... yet Akira would just leave it there... cool shit.
indigo-cyclops
Member
The soundtrack for Downpour is stellar, and well worth bringing in someone new. It could have been disastrous, but it worked out. I agree with KAOz, once Yamaoka was moved from sound design, his perspective seemed to change. I think the things I love more about SH2 is the sound design/ambient soundtracks.
Dusk Golem has a bunch of game rips of the soundtrack on his Youtube site (search "Aesthetic Gamer"). It's really a great soundtrack from what I've been listening to.
Both 3 and 4 each had about half of the Silent Hill 2 era Team Silent staff on them. Silent Hill 2's director was the art director on 4, 2's drama director was the main director and scenario writer on 4, and 2's producer was co-producer on 4 with Yamaoka. About as many people from Team Silent worked on The Room as on 3.
That said, you're right about the whole troubled development. Konami really fucked them over, and many members of the dev team were vocal post-release about it, specifically citing the poorly-received aspects of the game being the direct result of having to sacrifice development time working the then stand alone IP into a Silent Hill game.
Konami has never really known what to do with Silent Hill though, in my opinion. It's their problem child IP in some ways, which I find ironic in that it was born from a team of problem child developers within KCET at the time. I honestly think Silent Hill 3 and beyond were hurt in regards to sales by the massive success of Silent Hill 2. That might sound stupid, but I always got the impression that Silent Hill 2's success was based on good reviews and word of mouth, with most gamers finding a very niche game that they couldn't enjoy instead of, say for example, Code:Veronica which was also released on the PS2 around that time. Hell, Silent Hill 2's about as close to an auteur video game as I can imagine. I mean, the game opens with a fifteen minute run from the outskirts of town, through a forest into Silent Hill. I know a lot of people bought it at the time and gave up on it quickly; that game was heavily traded-in.
She's on the Downpour soundtrack, just for you. And if you still want some Yamaoka/Mary Elizabeth action, hit up the Shadows of the Damned soundtrack.
brandonh83
Banned
SH music is the best driving music. I don't know how many times I've taken extremely relaxing drives at night to some of the music.
Breeze in Monochrome Night is just ethereal.