Silent Hill Downpour : 6 more images

Commented on 2011-01-28 13:13:48

Really dont know why they are calling this Silent Hill, they've completely ruined the whole atmosphere of the first four games. What a waste of a franchise.

In reply to

Sebastian

Commented on 2011-01-28 13:52:36

A bit presumptuous, don't you think?

In reply to

GFreeman

Commented on 2011-01-28 15:02:07 In reply to Sebastian

Posted by Sebastian

A bit presumptuous, don't you think?

Sorry but the screenshots, the music clip and the trailer scream "we might as well not call this Silent Hill"

In reply to

Jollipop

Commented on 2011-01-28 15:14:04

Just as we should stop calling Resident Evil .. Resident Evil ?

In reply to

digi_matrix

Commented on 2011-01-28 15:14:15

That black dude has a nice detailed face.

In reply to

deafwing

Commented on 2011-01-28 15:20:30

a friend pointed out recently that this game looked kinda clunky (i can see the not so smooth edges) but damn that's a great 3D model

In reply to

digi_matrix

Commented on 2011-01-28 16:50:14

Reminds me of Jolee Bindo from KOTOR http://tinyurl.com/628oqwe

I have like, zero expectations for this game. There's no way I can be disappointed!

In reply to

VegaMan

Commented on 2011-01-28 18:10:03 In reply to GFreeman

Posted by GFreeman

Sorry but the screenshots, the music clip and the trailer scream "we might as well not call this Silent Hill"

Why bother yourself then? Play SH 1-4 ignore the other. Kind of strange for you to still expect something from the franchise by now, don't you think?

In reply to

Xion4360

Commented on 2011-01-28 20:54:31 In reply to GFreeman

Posted by GFreeman

Sorry but the screenshots, the music clip and the trailer scream "we might as well not call this Silent Hill"

creepy old foggy town. looks like it to me.

In reply to

SimonM7

Commented on 2011-01-29 00:46:09 In reply to GFreeman

Posted by GFreeman

they've completely ruined the whole atmosphere of the first four games.

They've really just moved on. Do you laugh at the same joke over and over and over? Fear is a form of anticipation, and at some point the unknown becomes familiar and there's nothing unnerving nor anything fascinating about it anymore. If you want to play games that harp on the same things as 1-4, Origins and Homecoming are readily available and go wild with more rust and shambling nurses than you can shake a stick at. Many people get angry with those and go GRR they're not as gooodddd! And sure I agree with that, but to me there's nothing wrong with their quality, it's just that they're Silent Hill eating its own tail.

If you read the interview with the producer and Varta on this here site you'll see that they are fully aware of what made the previous games tick, and they have a very sober, very informed idea of what they want to do with this one.

Silent Hill isn't ultimately about murky apartment complexes full of body condom dudes out of Naked Gun. Silent Hill is about conflicting/contrasting tone, a looming inevitable painful catharsis, aswell as things being unnerving, askew, surreal yet symbolic. Does this mean that Downpour will definitely be awesome? No, it doesn't. Is the fact that it actually looks *different* a negative? No, it just means that there isn't the factor of crossing trademark Silent Hill elements off a list.

There are of course gameplay elements to get right, too, but since you mention SH4 as an example of SH done right I'm guessing you're on exclusively about the presentation and narrative, because SH4 is by far the absolute worst Silent Hill game you can (barely) play. Problem solving and adventure elements are effectively removed, and the focus on terrible combat in that game is the most puzzling bit about it. Brilliant in terms of setup and narrative though, a beautiful and gripping mindfuck - the latter pair of qualifiers really being applicable to nearly all of the good SH's. Silent Hill 2 and Shattered Memories in particular.

In reply to

[quote=GFreeman]they've completely ruined the whole atmosphere of the first four games.[/quote]

They've really just moved on. Do you laugh at the same joke over and over and over? Fear is a form of anticipation, and at some point the unknown becomes familiar and there's nothing unnerving nor anything fascinating about it anymore. If you want to play games that harp on the same things as 1-4, Origins and Homecoming are readily available and go wild with more rust and shambling nurses than you can shake a stick at. Many people get angry with those and go GRR they're not as gooodddd! And sure I agree with that, but to me there's nothing wrong with their [i]quality[/i], it's just that they're Silent Hill eating its own tail.

If you read the interview with the producer and Varta [url=http://www.videogamer.com/ps3/silent_hill/preview-2855.html]on this here site[/url] you'll see that they are fully aware of what made the previous games tick, and they have a very sober, very informed idea of what they want to do with this one.

Silent Hill isn't ultimately about murky apartment complexes full of [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YFC0O393DQ]body condom dudes out of Naked Gun[/url]. Silent Hill is about conflicting/contrasting tone, a looming inevitable painful catharsis, aswell as things being unnerving, askew, surreal yet symbolic. Does this mean that Downpour will definitely be awesome? No, it doesn't. Is the fact that it actually looks *different* a negative? No, it just means that there isn't the factor of crossing trademark Silent Hill elements off a list.

There are of course gameplay elements to get right, too, but since you mention SH4 as an example of SH done right I'm guessing you're on exclusively about the presentation and narrative, because SH4 is by far the absolute worst Silent Hill [i]game[/i] you can (barely) play. Problem solving and adventure elements are effectively removed, and the focus on terrible combat in that game is the most puzzling bit about it. [i]Brilliant[/i] in terms of setup and narrative though, a beautiful and gripping mindfuck - the latter pair of qualifiers really being applicable to nearly all of the good SH's. Silent Hill 2 and Shattered Memories in particular.

jackdoe

Commented on 2011-01-29 07:23:34

Haha. For me, a Silent Hill game just has to take place in Silent Hill and be scary. That's it. So this game qualifies. Whether it would be good or not is anybody's guess.

In reply to

Zerby

Commented on 2011-01-29 07:34:18 In reply to SimonM7

Posted by SimonM7

If you read the interview with the producer and Varta on this here site you'll see that they are fully aware of what made the previous games tick, and they have a very sober, very informed idea of what they want to do with this one.

Why believe that when the developers of Homecoming and Shatter Memories said the exact same thing and didn't deliver? No the problem with these new games is they don't even tackle the primary story of what is Silent Hill. Shatter Memories "re-imagining" of the first game did exactly as the title imply but for bad reasons. The games need to stop taking the SH2 approach would be one good step and go but to the primary story of Alessia, God, Heather. I'd really like to play Heather again really because they totally left 3 with and ending that could be continued from.

Another problem is the less focus on the symbolism and psychological aspects of what the series should have and instead constantly focusing on gore as the means of horror. Yes the first few Silent Hill had extreme gore for it's time but that was a benefit not the core of what made the game scary. The lack of atmosphere by providing too many characters that are empowering doesn't help much either.

The Puzzle have been another major problem and I mean REALLY a major problem of the last 3 games. The puzzles were never ones that you'd have to sit there and find meaning to them with the theme of the game and then solve it. The recent ones version of "puzzles" are pretty much. 'Go here, read this memo, okay got password/keycode, now go back to door. Puzzle! Hurh!' Homecoming had a only one good one and that was the Prison Puzzle that had the rhymes and matching symbols to them.

Thing is this game series has no reason to have sunken this far when a series like Fatal Frame has managed to keep it's spirit because they stuck to what the series was about. Now every "horror" game are cheap none psychological none scary 'BOO!' in your face actions and this is not what I want.

In reply to

[quote=SimonM7]
If you read the interview with the producer and Varta [url=http://www.videogamer.com/ps3/silent_hill/preview-2855.html]on this here site[/url] you'll see that they are fully aware of what made the previous games tick, and they have a very sober, very informed idea of what they want to do with this one.
[/quote]

Why believe that when the developers of Homecoming and Shatter Memories said the exact same thing and didn't deliver? No the problem with these new games is they don't even tackle the primary story of what is Silent Hill. Shatter Memories "re-imagining" of the first game did exactly as the title imply but for bad reasons. The games need to stop taking the SH2 approach would be one good step and go but to the primary story of Alessia, God, Heather. I'd really like to play Heather again really because they totally left 3 with and ending that could be continued from.

Another problem is the less focus on the symbolism and psychological aspects of what the series should have and instead constantly focusing on gore as the means of horror. Yes the first few Silent Hill had extreme gore for it's time but that was a benefit not the core of what made the game scary. The lack of atmosphere by providing too many characters that are empowering doesn't help much either.

The Puzzle have been another major problem and I mean REALLY a major problem of the last 3 games. The puzzles were never ones that you'd have to sit there and find meaning to them with the theme of the game and then solve it. The recent ones version of "puzzles" are pretty much. 'Go here, read this memo, okay got password/keycode, now go back to door. Puzzle! Hurh!' Homecoming had a only one good one and that was the Prison Puzzle that had the rhymes and matching symbols to them.

Thing is this game series has no reason to have sunken this far when a series like Fatal Frame has managed to keep it's spirit because they stuck to what the series was about. Now every "horror" game are cheap none psychological none scary 'BOO!' in your face actions and this is not what I want.

SimonM7

Commented on 2011-01-29 07:54:35 In reply to Zerby

Shattered Memories had no gore, nor did it take the Silent Hill 2 approach. I think you might be confusing it with Origins. Shattered Memories is an extremely unique entry in the series, yet it fully exemplifies all the traits that the series is funamentally about. It's main weakness is that it's not ever "scary" per se, as the chase sequences boil down to legging it and you're fine. It is however moody as hell, and there's a melancholy to it that lingers long after the credits roll.

SM has almost nothing BUT symbolism and a flowing, carefully woven, surreal narrative (shattered, if you will!) that hits all the chords you want from a SH experience. In some areas it offers more satisfying follow through than the mighty SH2 even.

I don't want to assume that you never played SHSM, but a lot of people kinda brush it off because it's got a spinoffy vibe and it's on a system that many dismiss outright, and there's a lot of half-arsed, cobbled together opinions floating around out there about Shattered Memories that are far from fair.

Homecoming was blasting SH2 on all cylinders, and Origins was essentially "alright, random team, put *Silent Hill* as performed by a Playstation 2 on this here little system", and Climax essentially cooked up a stew with ingredients from 2 and 3. You can almost pick that game apart and put some bits in a SH2 basket and some in a SH3 basket.

In reply to

Shattered Memories had no gore, nor did it take the Silent Hill 2 approach. I think you might be confusing it with Origins. Shattered Memories is an extremely unique entry in the series, yet it fully exemplifies all the traits that the series is funamentally about. It's main weakness is that it's not ever "scary" per se, as the chase sequences boil down to legging it and you're fine. It is however moody as hell, and there's a melancholy to it that lingers long after the credits roll.

SM has almost nothing BUT symbolism and a flowing, carefully woven, surreal narrative (shattered, if you will!) that hits all the chords you want from a SH experience. In some areas it offers more satisfying follow through than the mighty SH2 even.

I don't want to assume that you never played SHSM, but a lot of people kinda brush it off because it's got a spinoffy vibe and it's on a system that many dismiss outright, and there's a lot of half-arsed, cobbled together opinions floating around out there about Shattered Memories that are far from fair.

Homecoming was blasting SH2 on all cylinders, and Origins was essentially "alright, random team, put *Silent Hill* as performed by a Playstation 2 on this here little system", and Climax essentially cooked up a stew with ingredients from 2 and 3. You can almost pick that game apart and put some bits in a SH2 basket and some in a SH3 basket.