They've lost the iconic grotesque monster designs in favor of generic humanoids. The otherworld now looks like a cartoonish, rusty factory.
SH 1-3 created a blueprint for the bizarre and disturbing. It seems Vatra overlooked this and chose to pursue some very bland and obvious alternatives.
I really prefer that in SH games they use new types of locations instead of rehashing old locations used in other SH games. The Devil's Pit and Centennial Building have been good original locations so far.
They've lost the iconic grotesque monster designs in favor of generic humanoids. The otherworld now looks like a cartoonish, rusty factory.
SH 1-3 created a blueprint for the bizarre and disturbing. It seems Vatra overlooked this and chose to pursue some very bland and obvious alternatives.
Honestly, I didn't find anything too cartoony about the other world. Honestly it felt just dark enough but with the WTF is going on vibe. Which I think is important. It's twisted and messed up.
Personally just going off the whole Silent Hill mythos, I don't think any one game should have the same enemies or similar overworld to be honest. To me Silent Hill games should be very much about the town, and what it does to a person and their own personal demon and turmoil. Keep the core idea of exploration, puzzle, combat, and overworld , but everything else should be completely different. This reason alone is why I love DP so much. Not only does it do things differently, but it keeps the core elements of the old school survival horror games intact and some of the stuff they did was just great.
I really prefer that in SH games they use new types of locations instead of rehashing old locations used in other SH games. The Devil's Pit and Centennial Building have been good original locations so far.
They've lost the iconic grotesque monster designs in favor of generic humanoids. The otherworld now looks like a cartoonish, rusty factory.
SH 1-3 created a blueprint for the bizarre and disturbing. It seems Vatra overlooked this and chose to pursue some very bland and obvious alternatives.
Play the Siren games if you're looking for "Silent Hill". Theyre not the same, but theyre the closest you'll get, especially given the Siren teams group members having once been a part of Team Silent.
Went exploring pretty far north before I realized I'd missed the monastery, whoops. Was so used the game blocking off all paths except to the next dungeon that I was surprised the town was so open to explore.
Really liked parts of the otherworld in the
clock tower. The part where you walk on the clock hand and the parts in the prison with the cells breaking through the floor to reveal the area underneath and the last bit with the giant mechanical blades were all great.
I think the only problem with the otherworld in this one is it's not scary. In every other SH the otherworld was the "scary version" of the areas. In Downpour the regular version of the areas is often really scary, but then the otherworld version is just weird and spooky and cool but not scary or oppressive like the rest of the game. I think that's fine because the normal areas have that and the otherworld gives you something dreamlike and cool. But I can see people being disappointed by that.
One of the reasons why the otherworld sections are not scary in this one is because they usually have no enemies! Hard to be scared when you're just doing chase sequences and puzzles and dodging environmental traps. Also the chase scenes are kind of pointless. Running from a red light is not scary and just running running running down qte like linear corridors just doesn't feel like it has any place in SH. Those kind of scenes were also bad in SM and the weakest part of that game so I'm not sure why Konami pushed for them again.
Honestly, I didn't find anything too cartoony about the other world. Honestly it felt just dark enough but with the WTF is going on vibe. Which I think is important. It's twisted and messed up.
Personally just going off the whole Silent Hill mythos, I don't think any one game should have the same enemies or similar overworld to be honest. To me Silent Hill games should be very much about the town, and what it does to a person and their own personal demon and turmoil. Keep the core idea of exploration, puzzle, combat, and overworld , but everything else should be completely different. This reason alone is why I love DP so much. Not only does it do things differently, but it keeps the core elements of the old school survival horror games intact and some of the stuff they did was just great.
Totally agree with you on this post. Technical issues aside I am enjoying the hell out of Downpour. I like the elements that are pure SH combined with the improved camera and controls remind me of what that HD collection could have been built like.
One of the reasons why the otherworld sections are not scary in this one is because they usually have no enemies! Hard to be scared when you're just doing chase sequences and puzzles and dodging environmental traps. Also the chase scenes are kind of pointless. Running from a red light is not scary and just running running running down qte like linear corridors just doesn't feel like it has any place in SH. Those kind of scenes were also bad in SM and the weakest part of that game so I'm not sure why Konami pushed for them again.
A) The chase sequences should have been something besides a Red Vortex that isn't even threatening because it literally takes FOREVER to kill you. The side quest Dead Man's Hand
was what the chase sequences should have been. I ran and was panicking like crazy down in those..sewer things, not because I was forced to like the otherworld sequences, but because I was genuinely terrified and wanted to get the fuck out of there
B) They should have had more exploring in the otherworld. A few of them are literally just the chase scene and then you're pretty much out of the otherworld.
A) The chase sequences should have been something besides a Red Vortex that isn't even threatening because it literally takes FOREVER to kill you. The side quest Dead Man's Hand
was what the chase sequences should have been. I ran and was panicking like crazy down in those..sewer things, not because I was forced to like the otherworld sequences, but because I was genuinely terrified and wanted to get the fuck out of there
B) They should have had more exploring in the otherworld. A few of them are literally just the chase scene and then you're pretty much out of the otherworld.
I can see that theory, which is cool. Still though, it doesn't really matter cause even though that's an interesting idea..it just isn't scary. It doesn't give you a reason to feel like you should be running from this thing, except for the fact that the game makes you.
After you pick up the thing in that side quest...You don't need to run you WANT to run and get the fuck out of there as fast as you can.
I can see that theory, which is cool. Still though, it doesn't really matter cause even though that's an interesting idea..it just isn't scary. It doesn't give you a reason to feel like you should be running from this thing, except for the fact that the game makes you.
After you pick up the thing in that side quest...You don't need to run you WANT to run and get the fuck out of there as fast as you can.
I agree that it isn't scary though forme personally it always make me feel overwhelmed or like "Fuck I don't know where to turn or go and I don't have time to think" Sorta like twitch reaction gaming.
As for the sidequest... the thing I loved about it was I was nervous as hell all the way to the object
then the moment you grab the heart you hear some weird noises and look around and there is a screamer just standing there... then the noises of all the enemies screaming kicks in and HOLY SHIT it sounds like they are coming! Then I really liked how as running back the game throws enemies from the directions your not supposed to go... so in a way shoehorning you out of there but so intense.
I remember climbing up that ladder and taking a breath.
And it would have been even more so had what you encountered there been something you'd never encountered before. Seriously, unique enemies for the different segments of the game would have taken it so far.
I agree that it isn't scary though forme personally it always make me feel overwhelmed or like "Fuck I don't know where to turn or go and I don't have time to think" Sorta like twitch reaction gaming.
As for the sidequest... the thing I loved about it was I was nervous as hell all the way to the object
then the moment you grab the heart you hear some weird noises and look around and there is a screamer just standing there... then the noises of all the enemies screaming kicks in and HOLY SHIT it sounds like they are coming! Then I really liked how as running back the game throws enemies from the directions your not supposed to go... so in a way shoehorning you out of there but so intense.
I remember climbing up that ladder and taking a breath.
I agree, I felt the same way. I liked the twitch reaction and just having to take a guess where to go, often running in circles. It's just a shame to me because that feeling would have been amplified if you had to make those twitch decisions when you're actually scared of whats chasing you and what'll happen if it catches you.
And yeah, I really can't say enough good things about that side quest from a terror perspective. I didn't even notice about the enemies, which is a testament to how scared I was. I got lost for quite awhile because I was just running and praying that I'd find the way out lol.
Despite all of the technical problems, I really enjoyed the game. Just finished and KoRn is playing during the credit roll, so I'm assuming I got the worst ending possible.
Dude was executed right after I smashed that girls face in.
I didn't even get to finish most of the side quests. :/
I usually don't play games like this more than once, so I'll just YouTube the other stuff. 7.5/10
Got my PAL-copy yesterday, and have been playing just a tiny bit of it so far. Maybe two or three hours at most.
As a huge Silent Hill fan, I really enjoy this so far. Maybe it's my age kicking in, but I find myself having to take small breaks now and then just to get rid of that uneasiness that showers all over me. Plus, Murphy is probably the best Silent Hill protagonist (well, from what I've seen so far) in the series. Or at least the most human of them all.
Can't say I am too bothered by the technical issuses, except for the sound. There is a massive fuckup if I decide to have the audio coming through the tv with hdmi, rather than my receiver. Because the tv makes it sound better.
Yeah.
All in all, chuffed so far, and can't wait to end work and go home, wait for nightfall, and play the shit out of it some more.
And it would have been even more so had what you encountered there been something you'd never encountered before. Seriously, unique enemies for the different segments of the game would have taken it so far.
I hope Vatra gets another SH to their name and takes some of the constructive criticism to correct some of the small bleamishes on an otherwise awesome SH entry.
For those that beat the game, did you see this in the game? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQyJGHPt2w&feature=fvst 3:14. I remember that area but what's happening to him did not happen to me. Guessing something they cut or changed.
Also another thing I noticed watching this. The screamers in the old videos and also this video have hair that moves and swings around. Compared to the screamers that now simply have a solid peice of hair that doesn't move. I know one of the guys from Konami is on this forum. Is there a reason this was changed?
I really prefer that in SH games they use new types of locations instead of rehashing old locations used in other SH games. The Devil's Pit and Centennial Building have been good original locations so far.
The fact that this review is just downright wrong in many aspects makes it a joke honestly. Saying there is no radio (while there is not the walkie talkie serves the same purpose), saying there is multiple times where you loose all your stuff (really only twice), complaining of using the lighter (when your really only forced to use it once the entire game), saying the story is convuluted (when having played all the other I felt this story was interesting and not hard to grasp at all) , and the way they showed them camping for bricks and throwing them at the enemy was just dumb, (who does that?) They say the scares are just jump scares (while there is plenty jump moments, they offer plenty slow and suspensful creepy moments.) Then they gotta throw in the KORN song issue which isn't an issue at all.
Yeah the game has technical issues, and the enemy design def needed some work. I just can't beleive this review. WOW.
The fact that this review is just downright wrong in many aspects makes it a joke honestly. Saying there is no radio (while there is not the walkie talkie serves the same purpose), saying there is multiple times where you loose all your stuff (really only twice), complaining of using the lighter (when your really only forced to use it once the entire game), saying the story is convuluted (when having played all the other I felt this story was interesting and not hard to grasp at all) , and the way they showed them camping for bricks and throwing them at the enemy was just dumb, (who does that?) They say the scares are just jump scares (while there is plenty jump moments, they offer plenty slow and suspensful creepy moments.) Then they gotta throw in the KORN song issue which isn't an issue at all.
Yeah the game has technical issues, and the enemy design def needed some work. I just can't beleive this review. WOW.
I was also surprised to see them complain about constant enemy encounters as I felt the opposite. I'm halfway through the Centennial Building and the stats are reporting that I've killed just 15 enemies.
I thought what the hell and ordered this from shopto. It should be with me tomorrow. Looking forward to returning to Silent Hill for the first time since the originals release.
Hahaha, more like worst review ever. I believe the guy who wrote the review was one of their interns...Which shows. The guy is an absolute joke of a reviewer who can't even get his facts straight. Just awful and a horrendous review. If you want a REAL review of this game you need to check out shidoshi's review.
So this thread is pretty dead sadly. I'm on my third playthrough for the final 3 achievements. Absolutely enjoyed this game and will df be keeping this in my gaming collection.
Ok, Monastery was another great dungeon. Just like the Clock Tower and Devil's Pit. I'm really enjoying the dungeons in this game and I'm really enjoy the overworld in this game, why are reviews so negative? Technical stuttering aside from bad streaming, this is the BEST survival horror type game we've had in years (I even prefer it to Amnesia/Penumbra, though those were great too). Really enjoy it.
I wonder if the stage play turning into a real scene was a nod to the same scene happening in Origins? And if the Gas Mask Rain Coat with Sledgehammer Dude is a reference to Deadly Premonitions or Clock Tower 3 or maybe that's just a generic horror image.
Even though the story is far too straightforward for the twin peaks weird SH they're attempting, I'm enjoying watching it play out.
Although, since I don't fight ANYTHING I'm getting my ass kicked a bit at this point in the game. I had 10 first aids at some point in the Monastery and now I have 5. There are some really close quarters rooms where I just get knocked from one enemy to the next And the load times when you die are REALLY LONG, which can be annoying if you die on an environmental damage thing or you keep dying on a boss fight like I just did
I think my only disappointment comes from the fact that it says my completion is already 70% and now that I have
boat key and have lowered the bridge
I'm guessing this is endgame so I better go around and do sidequests because there's probably only a dungeon or two left in the game. Since I really really like the dungeons in this one, I'm kind of sad there's only like
4 or 5
. To be fair they are all quite long and meaty, I'm 6 hours in, so I'm guessing even if I skipped the sidequests it'd be a full 8-9 hour game, which is about normal length for the genre. But it just feels like a small city
basically 3 "areas" connected by subway
and not a lot of dungeons. Probably the best they could do with a small team and small budget. Still good, but because it's so good I want more more more
PS. One last thing. I said before I really liked the music on the radios. Then in one of the cutscenes I recognized a radio song as a SH2 song by Yamaoka. Umm, are all the vocal radio songs just licensed from other artists? Because outside the Radio stuff, there isn't a whole lot of actual "music" in the game so far. Maybe 4-5 songs that are solid, but that's not a lot for a SH. Maybe they couldn't afford a big soundtrack from a successful composer with their budget? I dunno; no clue what the budget restraints were, but yeah, not a ton of music.
PSS. I'm guessing the best way to save while doing sidequests is just go into random houses since it seems to save when you enter a building and leave one.
So this thread is pretty dead sadly. I'm on my third playthrough for the final 3 achievements. Absolutely enjoyed this game and will df be keeping this in my gaming collection.
I think my only disappointment comes from the fact that it says my completion is already 70% and now that I have
boat key and have lowered the bridge
I'm guessing this is endgame so I better go around and do sidequests because there's probably only a dungeon or two left in the game. Since I really really like the dungeons in this one, I'm kind of sad there's only like
4 or 5
. To be fair they are all quite long and meaty, I'm 6 hours in, so I'm guessing even if I skipped the sidequests it'd be a full 8-9 hour game, which is about normal length for the genre. But it just feels like a small city
basically 3 "areas" connected by subway
and not a lot of dungeons. Probably the best they could do with a small team and small budget. Still good, but because it's so good I want more more more
PS. One last thing. I said before I really liked the music on the radios. Then in one of the cutscenes I recognized a radio song as a SH2 song by Yamaoka. Umm, are all the vocal radio songs just licensed from other artists? Because outside the Radio stuff, there isn't a whole lot of actual "music" in the game so far. Maybe 4-5 songs that are solid, but that's not a lot for a SH. Maybe they couldn't afford a big soundtrack from a successful composer with their budget? I dunno; no clue what the budget restraints were, but yeah, not a ton of music.
PSS. I'm guessing the best way to save while doing sidequests is just go into random houses since it seems to save when you enter a building and leave one.
Make sure before you use the key on the boat you do everything else you need to! As for the dungeons yes they are great. The story is a bit more simple but some more details at the end put a good spin on things for the most part! Also the final dungeon is just as awesome as the rest imo. So finish up the sidequests and then finish the game and get working on the rest of the endings. As for the music, I thought Mary did a vocal track for the game but did they not use it?
Eh, I've never done multiple plays for endings in any game, let alone a SH game. I think it's a gimmicky thing so make you replay entire games just for a different ending. I always just youtube them, and will do the same after I finish this one But I will try to do everything I can in this run re: sidequests before finishing it since I like to get everything I can out of a game the first time I play it (because I generally don't replay games). I did replay SH2 for the extra episode in the greatest hits edition; I'm ok with replaying games for new content during the game itself if it's substantial.
Eh, I've never done multiple plays for endings in any game, let alone a SH game. I think it's a gimmicky thing so make you replay entire games just for a different ending. I always just youtube them, and will do the same after I finish this one But I will try to do everything I can in this run re: sidequests before finishing it since I like to get everything I can out of a game the first time I play it (because I generally don't replay games). I did replay SH2 for the extra episode in the greatest hits edition; I'm ok with replaying games for new content during the game itself if it's substantial.
Well you can technically see three endings in one go if you reload after you beat it. The other 3 would have to be another playthrough. Though def check out all the side quests you can. There is a few really awesome ones in there.
Finally got my PS3 copy yesterday in the mail. Played for a couple of hours and stopped at the very beginning of the devil's pit. Set combat on easy and riddles on normal.
Not super excited for the moment. Game is not very scary. The other world is too "clean" to make me feel uncomfortable like in the first 3 games. Monster design is really uninspired and I'm not a big fan of the chase sequences (already died once during one of them cause I took the wrong path, I know, I suck XD, and Murphy's screams kinda make me laugh).
Story seems interesting though so I'll continue tonight...
Youll be tempted to bail out early, but wed urge to wait until youve witnessed Downpours one genuinely astonishing set-piece, which involves an abandoned childrens production of Hansel and Gretel. Its a sequence that bends reality so deftly youll feel like Lucy backing through wardrobe coats until she feels Narnias branches scratching her neck.
Think I've finally made up my mind, on if I'm going to pick this up at launch tomorrow. I think I will. Despite the review scores being startling across the board, I've been pretty won over with word of mouth from Neogaf and watching some early Lets Play videos. It seems like there's a lot for me to like in the game and really the only thing that I think looks very poor about it, is the performance. But if I can finish Dragon Age Origins on the PS3, this should be a cake walk.
EDIT: I'm guessing the 360 version is the one to go for, for better performance? I normally buy Multiplatform games on the PS3 these days. But for sake of picking up the version with the least atmosphere breaking hitches, I'd go 360 for sure.
Today the sun is shining, and my mailbox held a postcard from a very dear friend of mine, Silent Hill: Downpour and the SH PS1 Downport Collection, so it's a good day. Can't wait until I get home from work. I'll start with the Downport Collection to see how badly Hijinx messed up SH3, and when I'm done crying I'll play Downpour.
Today the sun is shining, and my mailbox held a postcard from a very dear friend of mine, Silent Hill: Downpour and the SH PS1 Downport Collection, so it's a good day. Can't wait until I get home from work. I'll start with the Downport Collection to see how badly Hijinx messed up SH3, and when I'm done crying I'll play Downpour.
Interestingly enough, the glitches and problems in the Collection are generally less severe than the technical hitches in Downpour. It's more of an issue simply because the games were previously solid on older platforms while Downpour was a mess from day 1.
No. If they fix the game's issues and commit themselves to the concepts and ideas that made the beginning of the game so promising instead of retreating into the same old status quo at the end then a sequel would have a very good chance.
I played the game three times. Once on hard, and then the other two play throughs on easy. I swear I didn't have as many performance issues on easy versus hard. Maybe just coincidence.
So I finally decided to start paying attention and I'm actually hearing some pretty encouraging things about this game. Enough to throw it into the GameFly Que (or buy it for $30). 360 or PS3?
