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Silent Hill Downpour |OT| Rain, Rain, Go Away

M

Mr. Enigma

Member
Does Blockbuster not put out new games on launch day? I went to rent it and they didn't have it, but they had all of last week's big releases (Mass Effect 3, MLB 12: The Show, Street Fighter x Tekken).

I haven't been to a Blockbuster in almost 3 years, :lol. Tempted to just buy it because of the surprisingly good reviews...but $65 (including tax) for a new game...yikes.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Yeah, 480p is the ticket here. I just played up through the tram and it ran at a near perfect 30 fps with no tearing. The section where you meet the mailman initially was so choppy and full of tearing with 720p enabled but is perfect in 480p.

You still run into hitches here and there when new data loads in, but overall, it runs very smoothly now. The image quality is pretty awful in 480, but at least it feels smooth. The "HD" mode ran like dog shit and certainly wasn't 1280x720 to begin with so it's definitely preferable.

In case there is confusion I'm referring to the display options within the PS3 itself (the game has no options). If you set the PS3 to 480p in the settings the game will render at a lower resolution. Thanks to AA, though, the game just appears very soft rather than jaggy (it's much cleaner than, say, a Wii game even in 480p).
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
one of my friends who is super anal about the SH games is loving this so far. he's been super pessimistic about it across the entire waiting cycle and thinks it's fantastic. we have similar views about the series, so it's good to know. for me at least.
 
C

Cudder

Member
Jesus, brandon, I'm re-reading the Homecoming OT right now and good GOD you absolutely blew your load for that game every chance you got. lol!

Does it still have your favourite OST of the series? Is it still the scariest game/most atmospheric game you've ever played?

Wish you would start already so I can hear your Downpour impressions. :mad:
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
Cudder said:
Jesus, brandon, I'm re-reading the Homecoming OT right now and good GOD you absolutely blew your load for that game every chance you got. lol!
Click to expand...

Change of heart happens. And the first time through a new experience has that fresh feeling when you don't know what's around the corner and such. But when you replay it and you do know what's around the corner, it can diminish the experience dramatically. What worked about the older SH games is that even despite knowing what's coming, the art direction, sound, music, and a lot of things came together in such a way that they were always disturbing. On multiple playthroughs of Homecoming, it just doesn't hold up.

I still like the game, I really do, but some of its flaws have become more glaring to me over time. About the soundtrack, I was really obsessed with a lot of its themes. I thought it was a great soundtrack.
 
C

Cudder

Member
brandonh83 said:
Change of heart happens.

I still like the game, I really do, but some of its flaws have become more glaring to me over time. About the soundtrack, I was really obsessed with a lot of its themes. I thought it was a great soundtrack.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with that. The Downpour soundtrack hasn't really "sunk in" yet, but I'm not feeling it yet. Though the 2nd track is just amazing!

I think I'm gonna start Downpour tomorrow. I'll get home at around 10pm tonight and have to get up early for work on Wednesday, so I don't just want to play for an hour then go to bed. On Wednesday night I'll have the whole night!
 
R

randomwab

Member
Let me drop some hyperbole right now; the town exploration and side-quests in Downpour is the best thing the series has done since 4. Loving that aspect of the game so far. Combat is pretty bad, but I'm starting to get used to it so I can't really complain. Loving the atmosphere and music too.

Really enjoying it so far, though. I wouldn't want to put it above any other games just yet, but I'm very positive on it.
 
C

Cudder

Member
randomwab said:
Let me drop some hyperbole right now; the town exploration and side-quests in Downpour is the best thing the series has done since 4. Loving that aspect of the game so far. Combat is pretty bad, but I'm starting to get used to it so I can't really complain. Loving the atmosphere and music too.

Really enjoying it so far, though. I wouldn't want to put it above any other games just yet, but I'm very positive on it.
Click to expand...

What about 4 do you consider a "best thing the series has done" ?
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
dark10x said:
Yeah, 480p is the ticket here. I just played up through the tram and it ran at a near perfect 30 fps with no tearing. The section where you meet the mailman initially was so choppy and full of tearing with 720p enabled but is perfect in 480p.
Click to expand...
What an interesting trick. Does this work with any game that suffers from tearing and poor framerate?
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
SRTtoZ said:
Having never played a SH game before, but loving the survival horror genre, would you suggest me buying SH: homecoming before downpour?
Click to expand...

Christ, no. Homecoming is a bad game made by a bad developer. Even the HD collection, despite being a trainwreck, would be better than Homecoming as an introduction to the series.
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
eXistor said:
I never thought Homecoming was that bad. Fairly unremarkable, but certainly not bad. I had fun with it anyway.
Click to expand...

I don't get the seething hatred for it, and I don't get the super praise for Shattered Memories. I guess I'm just middle of the road when it comes to these games. I like a lot of what Homecoming does but I also dislike several things about it; like you said, it's not bad just unremarkable, which is also how I feel about Shattered Memories. I like a few things about Shattered Memories but on the whole I felt that it left a lot to be desired.

In general though I just love the genre, I love horror so much that it's hard for me to truly hate something unless it's complete shit, and I found flourishes of greatness in Homecoming and in Shattered Memories despite their shortcomings.

lol, Silent Hill: Shortcoming
 
K

KorrZ

Member
Downpour get. All the talk in this thread convinced me. Now to just wait until it gets dark enough out to fire up this bad boy.
 
R

Ricker

Member
Ok completly stuck again...how do I get out of of the Devil's Pitstop...I went in every room I can and nothing happens...there is one door that only says unlock but nothing else happens...
 
R

randomwab

Member
Ricker said:
Ok completly stuck again...how do I get out of of the Devil's Pitstop...I went in every room I can and nothing happens...there is one door that only says unlock but nothing else happens...
Click to expand...

You need to go down to the basement and find a wire for the elevator. I think it might be behind a locked door which you need to break the lock on with a melee weapon.

INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
I'm not sure if this was answered, do you know if weapons break on Easy?
Click to expand...

Honestly not sure. Maybe they're just way more durable than on normal? Have you been using anything in particular for a long stretch of the game yet?
 
G

Ganondorfo

Junior Member
I bought it, because it had the silent hill name, thats how pathetic I am.

Silent hill 2-3 are one of my favorite games of all time, so I saw the newest silent hill at the store and bought it, even if the game turns into a terrible game. I just have fond memories of this franchise.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
randomwab said:
You need to go down to the basement and find a wire for the elevator. I think it might be behind a locked door which you need to break the lock on with a melee weapon.



Honestly not sure. Maybe they're just way more durable than on normal? Have you been using anything in particular for a long stretch of the game yet?
Click to expand...

I used some weapons for decent stretches as well as a 6-7 enemies in a row. Highly durable or unbreakable, either way, glad I didn't go harder on difficulty. I really have no interest in a challenge on that front. Thanks though!

Ganondorfo said:
I bought it, because it had the silent hill name, thats how pathetic I am.

Silent hill 2-3 are one of my favorite games of all time, so I saw the newest silent hill at the store and bought it, even if the game turns into a terrible game. I just have fond memories of this franchise.
Click to expand...

Not pathetic at all; I went with blind faith and the impressions in here, which was just one or two individuals. It is worthy of the title if you ask me.
 
R

Ricker

Member
randomwab said:
You need to go down to the basement and find a wire for the elevator. I think it might be behind a locked door which you need to break the lock on with a melee weapon.
Click to expand...

I tried that,the door you are talking about even had a padlock on it but that's gone now and it says unlock when I click on the door but it doesn't open...so I guess I am missing a key....I just hope if I quit I dont have to do that number puzzle again,got it by pure luck after trying for 15 minutes.
 
RedAssedApe

RedAssedApe

Banned
OXM Review: 7.5. Also contains the same minor spoiler in the first page as the Gamesradar review.

brandonh83 said:
I don't get the seething hatred for it, and I don't get the super praise for Shattered Memories. I guess I'm just middle of the road when it comes to these games. I like a lot of what Homecoming does but I also dislike several things about it; like you said, it's not bad just unremarkable, which is also how I feel about Shattered Memories. I like a few things about Shattered Memories but on the whole I felt that it left a lot to be desired.

In general though I just love the genre, I love horror so much that it's hard for me to truly hate something unless it's complete shit, and I found flourishes of greatness in Homecoming and in Shattered Memories despite their shortcomings.

lol, Silent Hill: Shortcoming
Click to expand...


I'm not sure why people think Homecoming was so terrible either. The graphics and sound were decent, it did an ok job of creating a spooky atmosphere. Combat was actually the best its been in a Silent Hill yet. The only thing I can think of is that the plot had elements that were way to close to Silent Hill 2 so people thought Double Helix basically didn't try anything different and just blatantly copied SH2. My one qualm was the lack of inverted FPS controls. :p

Strangely enough people seem to love SH3 when its pretty much Silent Hill 2 gameplay back to the less awesome Silent Hill 1 story.
 
S

Scythian

Member
The store I went to had run out of 360 copies :/ I'll probably get this like three weeks from now.
I'm also curious about the replay value, is there any incentive to play through it more than once?
 
R

Ricker

Member
The hell with this,I'm done for now,stuck inside the diner...the game keeps saving at different spots but if you quit and back out to the menu and come back,it sends you back a few puzzles you even did,bullshit save system again...
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
henhowc said:
I'm not sure why people think Homecoming was so terrible either. The graphics and sound were decent, it did an ok job of creating a spooky atmosphere. Combat was actually the best its been in a Silent Hill yet. The only thing I can think of is that the plot had elements that were way to close to Silent Hill 2 so people thought Double Helix basically didn't try anything different and just blatantly copied SH2. My one qualm was the lack of inverted FPS controls. :p

Strangely enough people seem to love SH3 when its pretty much Silent Hill 2 gameplay back to the less awesome Silent Hill 1 story.
Click to expand...

Silent Hill 3, a 2003 PS2 game, had better character models than Homecoming, so personally I wouldn't even call the graphics decent. I played the PC version, and it actually managed to look worse than SH3 PC with all bells and whistles on.

And the combat blew IMO :p

Scythian said:
The store I went to had run out of 360 copies :/ I'll probably get this like three weeks from now.
I'm also curious about the replay value, is there any incentive to play through it more than once?
Click to expand...

I assume it'll be like the older SH games, you can replay it for different endings.
 
RedAssedApe

RedAssedApe

Banned
Combichristoffersen said:
Silent Hill 3, a 2003 PS2 game, had better character models than Homecoming, so personally I wouldn't even call the graphics decent. I played the PC version, and it actually managed to look worse than SH3 PC with all bells and whistles on.

And the combat blew IMO :p
Click to expand...

Silent Hill 3 and 4 both have better character models than A LOT of current gen games IMO. I think that's more of a testament to Team Silent's awesomeness than a knock on other developers. But yeah...Homecoming's character models left a lot to be desired. :(
 
T

Trent Strong

Banned
KorrZ said:
Downpour get. All the talk in this thread convinced me. Now to just wait until it gets dark enough out to fire up this bad boy.
Click to expand...

Has the OT thread for any game been negative? You'll buy every game ever made if you base your decision to buy on the talk in a game's OT.
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Trent Strong said:
Has the OT thread for any game been negative? You'll buy every game ever made if you base your decision to buy on the talk in a game's OT.
Click to expand...
The Knights Contract OT (I think it was the OT, at least) didn't even get to 100 posts IIRC, and everyone who posted there, including me, slammed the game for being dogshit.
 
Z

zugzug

Member
man watching this game on Twitch TV is awesomesauce I've never played a Silent Hill game but I cannot dip in at $60 and i just know i would suck at later levels of the guy i was watching.

lol just watching DAnsgaming throw his hammer away when he went outside by mistake funniest thing.

Heh certainly reminds me of Alan Wake in the outdoor sections. Not a knock just saying I guess gloomy outdoors is hard to make unique, both are very good though.

I wish I had played the first few back in their day to be all caught up on the series. To bad some of the comparisons of the HD Collection look so bad.
 
J

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
So annoyed. Went to GS on Monday to pick up Mass Effect 3 and Kingdom's of Amalur... I KNEW they had this somewhere, but they wouldn't sell it to me :(

I wanted to start Downpour first, but ugh, now it'll have to wait as I already started ME. Bummer. SH:SM was my #2 GOTY and I actually enjoyed Homecoming... and while I've played Downpour at various events and did not like it, I'm still excited about it. I always enjoy each SH for what it is (vs what it isnt).
 
H

Hecatonchires Custom

Member
Ok so in Hillside
there's that house you can enter from the basement and there's a woman crying behind a closed door, when you open it and grab the item and that laughing shadow thing comes after you and you can't really fight it,
that was pretty damn unnerving. Had to get out of there fast.
 
V

Vrakanox

Member
If I was to base the whole game off the first few hours. 9/10 easily. So far it hasn't really gotten into my head a whole lot but it is one of the most tense games I have played save for the fatal frame series. Way more tense than dead space 1&2 anyway.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
Vrakanox said:
If I was to base the whole game off the first few hours. 9/10 easily. So far it hasn't really gotten into my head a whole lot but it is one of the most tense games I have played save for the fatal frame series. Way more tense than dead space 1&2 anyway.
Click to expand...

Definitely, without a doubt much more tense than Dead Space series - I really don't think many games can top Fatal Frame. Maybe Amnesia, but they are different, in my experience. I'm really quite happy with how this turned out in terms of atmosphere and design direction. As I've mentioned, the combat/enemy design is really lacking and somewhat frustrating, but it also has a strange charm about it.
 
H

Hecatonchires Custom

Member
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Definitely, without a doubt much more tense than Dead Space series - I really don't think many games can top Fatal Frame. Maybe Amnesia, but they are different, in my experience. I'm really quite happy with how this turned out in terms of atmosphere and design direction. As I've mentioned, the combat/enemy design is really lacking and somewhat frustrating, but it also has a strange charm about it.
Click to expand...

Since they're so hard to deal with, you need to run away most of the time and they seem to follow you everywhere. Looking back at chasing enemies somehow creeps me out a lot.
 
F

Futurevoid

Member
I received the game today and only played about two hours thus far (enough to activate the Skytram and pass the starting area). The technical problems are once again worth mentioning. It really is a bit of a mess. The framerate is all over the place the more you progress and it takes the worst hit in the outdoor areas. It also suffers from the texture pop-in we've become so familiar with for games that use the Unreal Engine. More proficient developers are able to reduce how noticeable it is or make it disappear entirely. Vatra isn't that developer. You can tell this is a team that hasn't had much of any experience with the Unreal engine and that's a shame, really. Even with the added time, they weren't able to correct these issue so I shudder to think what the state of the game was before the delay.

Having laid that out on the table, it's a frustrating problem because underneath the technical problems appears to be a pretty damned good Silent Hill game so far! The atmosphere is just drenching from every location and the music is spot on (Thank you Daniel Licht!). I was actually creeped the hell out exploring the motel! Something I truthfully haven't felt since Silent Hill 3 (the subway *shudder*).

The first time you're launched into the otherworld is wonderfully executed, too. Murphy distinguishes himself by being the first Silent Hill protagonist that actually comments on how things are spinning out of control. "What the hell is going on!?" he yells. Or "Christ, I'm losing my mind" he proclaims half in tears. The Otherworld is a combination of what we're familiar with in the first three games with an insane Andy Warhol painting. The chase sequences here are actually tense thanks to the level design (something Shattered Memories failed miserably at) and make for a nice change of pace from the slower exploration segments.

Most importantly, the game is a complete throwback to survival horror of old. Puzzles and exploration are the name of the game. It won't take long until your solving obscure riddles and exploring endless rooms and buildings. Thank god, too because the combat is terrible. It's downright clunky and at times unwieldy! Forgot taking on multiple enemies because you'll find yourself dead more often than not. This works in the games favor in that the enemies are actually menacing but it feels artificial.

For all of its warts, I'm genuinely engaged in its story and the stronger points of the experience. I *WANT* to explore the town and I want to find out the secret behind Murphy being drawn to Silent Hill. I'm actually excited to play this based on what Vatra has established early on and that's a good sign.
 
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