Konami has just published these new images of Silent Hill: Downpour. Some details about the gameplay are also revealed, thus the game will feature mind-bending puzzles, some side quests and the gamer will be able to use everyday objets, such as bottles or chairs, to defend himself.
Loakum @Driftwood Awesome! I’m loving it! It does show a much crisper picture and the frame rate looks good! I was playing Stella Blade and Dragonball Soarkling Blast! :) (2 Weeks ago)
Driftwood @Loakum: enjoy, the one Sony sent us will be there on launch day. Coverage will follow asap. (2 Weeks ago)
Loakum *takes a large sip of victorious grape juice* ok….my PS5 pro arrived early! So much winning! :) (2 Weeks ago)
Driftwood @reneyvane: non ils l'ont publié le 1er octobre et je crois que tu l'avais déjà linkée. ;) (6 Weeks ago)
CraCra Y a un souci sur les forums ? (9 Weeks ago)
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All comments (15)
I have like, zero expectations for this game. There's no way I can be disappointed!
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.
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.
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.