[Marco1]

It's the small amount of enemy designs that is putting me off this game.
Why on earth did they skimp on this yet put so much into everything else ?

[Acquiescence]

It's the small amount of enemy designs that is putting me off this game. Why on earth did they skimp on this yet put so much into everything else ?

To be fair though, Silent Hill 2 had the same amount of monsters. You had the lying figures, the nurses, abstract daddies, mannequins and creepers to fight against - that was it. I know the big determining factor is that the enemies in 2 were way better designed, but still.

[Nemesis_]

How about some spoiler bars next time. I didn't need to know how many boss battles there are approximately in the game.

Sorry I didn't realise something so minor would be considered a spoiler. I'll be more careful next time =/

To be fair though, Silent Hill 2 had the same amount of monsters. You had the lying figures, the nurses, abstract daddies, mannequins and creepers to fight against - that was it. I know the big determining factor is that the enemies in 2 were way better designed, but still.

Not including bosses

Silent Hill 2 had around about nine (Abstract Daddy - Bubble Head Nurse - Creeper - Flesh Lips - Lying Figure - Mandarin - Mannequin - Prisoner)

Silent Hill Downpour has about five (or seven if you think the prisoner enemies are unique when they really aren't or "The Void" which isn't really a design =/) (Doll (Shadow) - Prisoner Juggernaut - Prisoner Minion - Screamer - The Void - Wall Corpse - Weeping Bat)

Even Homecoming, which I absolutely hate, has eight. (Not including the bosses which are so much better than in Downpour)

It's the small amount of enemy designs that is putting me off this game. Why on earth did they skimp on this yet put so much into everything else ?

It is rather perplexing, but to be honest it's probably the only thing I actually have a problem with beside what I've already posted here previously. At least they are original enemies and not ripped straight from the film, I guess.

[Acquiescence]

Not including bosses Silent Hill 2 had around about nine (Abstract Daddy - Bubble Head Nurse - Creeper - Flesh Lips - Lying Figure - Mandarin - Mannequin - Prisoner) Silent Hill Downpour has about five (or seven if you think the prisoner enemies are unique when they really aren't or "The Void" which isn't really a design =/)

Flesh Lips was a boss. Mandarins, okay I'll give you that, even though you only encounter them twice during the course of the whole game. The prisoner though; that is a huge stretch, especially if you don't think The Void constitutes as an enemy design. It is after all a single, invisible, unthreatening monster in a cell.

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

Man... this game. People around here know that I'm picky as all hell when it comes to SH games. I think I had some members here wanting to punch me over my opinions of Shattered Memories. Downpour... this might be the first time since SH2 I've legitimately been excited by a Silent Hill game. If only it did a few things differently! ARG! I'm currently at like 8 hours of playtime, and I don't think my stats have hit 50% completion yet. The Silent Hill presented here is just such a joy to explore.

Those few things are definitely a let-down, especially the bland and overall lame monster design. Honestly, give VATRA another chance, and put some more imagination behind creature design. I believe they've got a winning formula. I think with a solid gameplay foundation, the team would have a chance to dive head first into the aesthetics, and the symbiosis between things like creature design and the environments, narrative, etc.

[Quikies83]

I see.. Any idea about the manhole? I'm trying to get to the north part of map but I can't find a open route.. I need to head back to the bridge you see when crawling out of the manhole after St Maria's.

I can't find the fucking manhole that you come out of when you exit St Maria's. Can anyone please give me more information than "just head north"..

[legacyzero]

I'm really surprised at how awesome the final boss fight was. Simple, yet difficult.

Man... this game. People around here know that I'm picky as all hell when it comes to SH games. I think I had some members here wanting to punch me over my opinions of Shattered Memories. Downpour... this might be the first time since SH2 I've legitimately been excited by a Silent Hill game. If only it did a few things differently! ARG! I'm currently at like 8 hours of playtime, and I don't think my stats have hit 50% completion yet. The Silent Hill presented here is just such a joy to explore.

THIS. I remember almost getting banned over comments I made on GAF about Shattered Memories lol. Decent game on its own, TERRIBLE Silent Hill game. And I agree that there were some bad design choices in this game. But the way I see it: For everyone ONE bad design choice, is TWO awesome ones.

My biggest upset with this game was the Nightmare portions of the game just weren't.....good. Not scary, oppressive, or devilish enough for me. It's around the quality of Silent Hill 4. Everything was too lit up. I demand DARKNESS when the Nightmare sets in! It's the darkness and the ambiance that scares the living shit out of me. But then i fall back to my first point. Even though the Nightmare world didn't do it's job like I remember it in the old days, I feel like the NORMAL world picked up its slack. Going into random house's or apartments were genuinely creepy. Dark and scary basements, etc. Totally terrifying!

I want to hate Tomm Hulett so much! But when I finished Downpour I felt.....Satisfied.

[Ridley327]

I can't find the fucking manhole that you come out of when you exit St Maria's. Can anyone please give me more information than "just head north"..

There's no reason to find the manhole again. All you need to do is literally head north.

[dark10x]

You know what really makes me lament the poor technology behind this game? Ace Combat Assault Horizon. I know, that sounds crazy, right? Hear me out.

So I'm stuck sick at home and decided to pop in a borrowed copy of AC just to see what it was all about. Immediately I'm struck by how effortlessly they are able to display whatever they want with incredible slick, smooth running visuals. Seamlessly cutting between gameplay, cutscenes, and other bits without a single hitch. Their vision for this game was supported by the technology they created for it and I always felt as if their vision was being propelled forward by this. There is something in the game that recalls the glory days of Japanese development on PS2 where developers were able to acutely focus on what they wanted to achieve and delivered the best technology to pull it off. Silent Hill was most certainly one such game.

Naturally, the two games have absolutely nothing in common, but as I was just playing Downpour last night the difference really struck me. Downpour is one of the worst cases I've seen this generation of a game idea that is completely limited by its poor engine implementation. I constantly feel as if their ideas were nipped and cut in order to stick within the limits of their technical know how. Downpour is so full of compromises that it becomes hard to enjoy. If the content and ideas weren't hot I would find it hard to care, but I feel like they were really onto something here. If they weren't so technically inept Vatra may actually have delivered a world class Silent Hill game. I'd love to have some insight into the development process for Downpour in order to understand what went wrong. I can't think of any other recent game that is so technically poor as to interfere with the experience (outside of, ironically, MGS3D perhaps).

I'm still managing to enjoy the experience despite all this, but man, it feels like such a wasted opportunity and I don't think I'll ever be able to go back. This is going to age SOOOO poorly as well.

Of the three SH products releasing in the span of a month I actually believe that Book of Memories stands the chance of being the best game simply because WayForward have proven themselves to be excellent game developers time and time again.

Just for kicks, take a look at the 2010 trailer for Downpour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybM3C0GwhZM

Going back now I'd imagine they were having a lot of problems at that point as the trailer is clearly pre-rendered using in-game assets. I can't imagine how poor the framerate must have been on their dev kits back then.

[Levito]

I beat the game last night...

I feel it's very much a step in the right direction from the developers. It's seriously flawed in a lot of ways, and it's still not in the same league as Silent Hil 1-4, however I thoroughly enjoyed the game.



I think it's about a 6.5/10, would be 7.5 or 8 if the technical issues weren't there.

[Ahasverus]

I just hope Vartra take a good amount of time in Unreal Engine learning, is there a College or something teaching Graphics design? They should go, all of them.

Then come back with the Best Silent Hill ever. They can deliver.

[Quikies83]

There's no reason to find the manhole again. All you need to do is literally head north.

The reason to find the manhole is for location purposes (all i'm getting from you guys is head north) -- well north bound roads are blocked for me - i can't find a gate or low building to duck under that would get me passed these blockades.. I'm standing in front of St Maria's right now with no fucking clue where to go.
There is a little bit more than "just head north"... clearly. Give me a street name or something..

[Ridley327]

The reason to find the manhole is for location purposes (all i'm getting from you guys is head north) -- well north bound roads are blocked for me - i can't find a gate or low building to duck under that would get me passed these blockades.. I'm standing in front of St Maria's right now with no fucking clue where to go. There is a little bit more than "just head north"... clearly. Give me a street name or something..

Go to Rice Street.

[Acquiescence]

The Gramophone side-quest lived up to expectations.

I panicked like crazy when that dude came out of the portrait and started attacking me. I love gnarly shit like that.

[Cudder]

Is it me or is this kind of immature of a major gaming site? Does GT do this regularly?

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/te...nt-hill/728249

[KorrZ]

Is it me or is this kind of immature of a major gaming site? Does GT do this regularly? http://www.gametrailers.com/video/te...nt-hill/728249

It's Gametrailers, home of Shane "All you do is wander around the desert for hours" Satterfield(in reference to Fallout New Vegas). Also IGN gave it a bad score, and they can't be expected to form their own opinions.

[brandonh83]

did we ever decide if the 360 version performed any better than PS3?

[KorrZ]

did we ever decide if the 360 version performed any better than PS3?

I believe the PS3 version gets those frame rate stutters slightly more frequently.

[brandonh83]

I believe the PS3 version gets those frame rate stutters slightly more frequently.

so it's either the same or at least a tad superior. gotcha.

[Combichristoffersen]

Is it me or is this kind of immature of a major gaming site? Does GT do this regularly? http://www.gametrailers.com/video/te...nt-hill/728249

What the... you guys really weren't lying when you said the enemies weren't particularly interesting.

[henhowc]

Is it me or is this kind of immature of a major gaming site? Does GT do this regularly? http://www.gametrailers.com/video/te...nt-hill/728249

To be honest this cracked me up.

[brandonh83]

damn, I actually think Downpour performs way better on 360. I've played through about an hour of it, right before you get to town, and there's maybe been like... 2-3 times, at best, of some framerate drops. other than that it's been pretty smooth.

[Cudder]

damn, I actually think Downpour performs way better on 360. I've played through about an hour of it, right before you get to town, and there's maybe been like... 2-3 times, at best, of some framerate drops. other than that it's been pretty smooth.

You exchanged your PS3 copy? No wonder I don't see you on PSN playing it. :P

[brandonh83]

You exchanged your PS3 copy? No wonder I don't see you on PSN playing it. :P

yeah. if you have an Xbox you can hit me up there too.

[KorrZ]

So finally finished it. The ending could have been better, but I really enjoyed the game overall (if you guys haven't figured that out already, ha ha). The last boss was much, much easier than I expected it to be, but the story pay off was pretty good. Time to go back and play my hard/hard no enemies killed run! Silent Hill is back baby! Between this and the HD Collection I'm going to be a permanent resident of the town.

[Truant]

Wait wait wait

Someone please shed some light on this, very early game spoilers.

I'm watching a Let's Play of this game, and the player skipped right past the diner. He just went for the tram thing and didn't trigger the otherworld sequence that occurs when you're in the diner. Is the entire game "open" like that?

[Ridley327]

Wait wait wait Someone please shed some light on this, very early game spoilers. I'm watching a Let's Play of this game, and the player skipped right past the diner. He just went for the tram thing and didn't trigger the otherworld sequence that occurs when you're in the diner. Is the entire game "open" like that?

Did he actually enter the tram to go to the next area? Because I don't know how he'd be able to do that without going through the diner, as the item you need to get on the tram happens at the very end of that section.

Otherwise, you do have to go the tram station to pick up an item that you're going to need to get the ticket for the tram. Whether that happens before you go in or after doesn't matter.

[Truant]

Did he actually enter the tram to go to the next area? Because I don't know how he'd be able to do that without going through the diner, as the item you need to get on the tram happens at the very end of that section. Otherwise, you do have to go the tram station to pick up an item that you're going to need to get the ticket for the tram. Whether that happens before you go in or after doesn't matter.

Oh, you're right. I was just baffled at that, so I paused the video and posted my question. He does indeed get stuck, and heads back to the diner. Sorry for that!

[B-Dex]

Caved and got it for PS3. Runs a lot better than the vids I've seen of people playing through it.

Still just in Devil's Pit but enjoying it so far!

[Ridley327]

Caved and got it for PS3. Runs a lot better than the vids I've seen of people playing through it. Still just in Devil's Pit but enjoying it so far!

Yeah, that's not where the performance issues are going to be. :)

[B-Dex]

Yeah, that's not where the performance issues are going to be. :)

Well I was referring to the fact that the vids of the opening and this part of the game that I saw had massive tearing and weird other things going on but I haven't seen any of it. But yeah I will wait till the actual town then to make another assessment :P

[Acquiescence]

I think the What's Your Sign? side-quest is bugged :s

For the symbol under the draw bridge, I've got the two fragments in place. Problem is the game won't let me turn them; it just says 'Open Inventory'. That can't be right - has this happened to anyone else?

What fucks me off is that this is literally the last thing I had to do to finish off all the side-quests.

[Cudder]

I think the What's Your Sign? side-quest is bugged :s For the symbol under the draw bridge, I've got the two fragments in place. Problem is the game won't let me turn them; it just says 'Open Inventory'. That can't be right - has this happened to anyone else? What fucks me off is that this is literally the last thing I had to do to finish off all the side-quests.

Use the first one, shine your light. use the second one, and shine your light on it in 2 different positions.

[Acquiescence]

Use the first one, shine your light. use the second one, and shine your light on it in 2 different positions.

Not possible - they're both in place now and I can't remove them. At first I thought I had to find a third fragment or something so I left it til later, but now I can see I'm royally fucked.

[Cudder]

Not possible - they're both in place now and I can't remove them. At first I thought I had to find a third fragment or something so I left it til later, but now I can see I'm royally fucked.

They're both in place? When you walk up to it does it give you the option to Turn or not?

edit: re read your post. wow that is definitely not right.

[shidoshi]

I feel it's very much a step in the right direction from the developers. It's seriously flawed in a lot of ways, and it's still not in the same league as Silent Hil 1-4, however I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

I'll keep to myself on the argument of Downpour versus SH3, but SH4? No, just... no. I mean, you're right, SH4 and Downpour aren't in the same league, because SH4 can't even begin to wish it was an enjoyable as Downpour.

It's the small amount of enemy designs that is putting me off this game. Why on earth did they skimp on this yet put so much into everything else ?

Were I supreme overlord of the Silent Hill series (instead of that no-good Tomm Hulett), I'd have scrapped the entire idea of generic enemies in this game. Rip them all out, and put in more one-time unique encounters like the "turn back time" event. I know that's a scary idea for a developer, but do it! This game would have been so, so much better had every fight been meaningful.

[Cudder]

Were I supreme overlord of the Silent Hill series (instead of that no-good Tomm Hulett), I'd have scrapped the entire idea of generic enemies in this game. Rip them all out, and put in more one-time unique encounters like the "turn back time" event. I know that's a scary idea for a developer, but do it! This game would have been so, so much better had every fight been meaningful.

I'd be ALL for an exploration based Silent Hill where you arrive in town and it's just you vs. the town, and the encounters are special cases just like the Turn Back Time quest. Downpour KINDA steered in that direction by giving you the objective *Escape SH*, which I thought was cool. I snickered when that popped up. Also the quasi-free roam was enjoyable.

Kinda nice now that I'm thinking about it.

[scitek]

I haven't followed this thread, but has this review been posted? It's from Dead Pixels, the gaming side of Bloody-Disgusting, the site I contribute to now. They liked it. http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/videogames/2353

The Final Word: If you've been patiently waiting for a true Silent Hill experience then look no further, because it's here.

[Futurevoid]

I just finished St. Marias

Oh boy that was fantastic. There's such a great game hidden under all of the technical issues. The hobo quest bugged out on me, too. The fishing rod won't appear in the any of the three locations it's supposed to be (I checked a guide) so I proceeded onward and figured I'd hit it up on a second playthrough.

Maybe Vatra will do a PC version in the near future that fixes all of these issues and provides the performance the game needs. The tech side, enemy design and clunky combat are the only thing that lets down the experience. The fundamental game (exploration, atmosphere, narrative) is /fantastic/ thus far.

[dark10x]

damn, I actually think Downpour performs way better on 360. I've played through about an hour of it, right before you get to town, and there's maybe been like... 2-3 times, at best, of some framerate drops. other than that it's been pretty smooth.

Seriously?

Might have to look into getting that version then. :\

Fuck the PS3 release.

[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

I just finished St. Marias Oh boy that was fantastic. There's such a great game hidden under all of the technical issues. The hobo quest bugged out on me, too. The fishing rod won't appear in the any of the three locations it's supposed to be (I checked a guide) so I proceeded onward and figured I'd hit it up on a second playthrough. Maybe Vatra will do a PC version in the near future that fixes all of these issues and provides the performance the game needs. The tech side, enemy design and clunky combat are the only thing that lets down the experience. The fundamental game (exploration, atmosphere, narrative) is /fantastic/ thus far.

Are you playing on Hard puzzle? If so look "north" of where you enter the boardwalk, and down the side of a house that is split with metal fencing is where I found the fishing rod. I had the same issue. Are you also unable to use the door to the tunnels where the hobo is? It makes that station useless.

[WoodenLung]

Played it for about two hours now. A lot of things I really like about it, it sure as fuck got a great atmosphere and Lichts music fits it really well, also a hell lot of small details everywhere that I love going through and looking at. Techical issues are a bit of a disgrace though, so many frame rate drops everywhere but worst of all : that huge ass fucking freeze whenever you get a trophy, just what the fuck. Of smaller things that are imo not that great is Murphy reacting to stuff, understand the logic behind it being silly if he was just completely mute while crazy stuff is happening around him but having him scream "what the fuck, aaaaaaaaaarh" gets on my nerves, especially since it's not done very convincingly.


So yeah, unless the game suddenly goes really stupid I would really like to see Vatra get another try, just give them some more QA time next time. But knowing konami they will ship it off to yet another developer.

[BladeRunner12]

7.5/10 from Strategy Informer.

Not sure about this one, I may pick it up. I'm going to pick up the HD Collection first though, can't wait to replay Silent Hill 2 again :)

[RadioHeadAche]

7.5/10 from Strategy Informer. Not sure about this one, I may pick it up. I'm going to pick up the HD Collection first though, can't wait to replay Silent Hill 2 again :)

That HD collection is crap.

[WoodenLung]

Not sure about this one, I may pick it up. I'm going to pick up the HD Collection first though, can't wait to replay Silent Hill 2 again :)

You might want to check out the thread called "Silent Hill HD Collection |OT| PS2 Downport" first.

I would link you to a specific post in it but there's just so many gems in there, it's a mess and you are probably better off playing your old versions of the game.

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Seriously? Might have to look into getting that version then. :\ Fuck the PS3 release.

Seriously, being a PS3 owner can be pretty annoying at times where multiplat releases are concerned. The frame drops in the town are definitely more prevalent than the previous portions

[Futurevoid]

Are you playing on Hard puzzle?

Normal. I looked at the guide and checked all three locations it's supposed to be for each of the difficulties and it just won't spawn. For me, it's supposed to be in the spillway in Pleasant River but nothing shows up. It's been reported at a few sites so it looks like it's a bug. An annoying one at that as I was trying to get the achievement for all side quests but I suppose that will have to wait for the second play through (which I think you have to do to get the dig sites anyway).

[ThaneKrios]

6/10 @ Eurogamer

Downpour struggles with all of this because, with its doors that close automatically a few seconds after you've entered a room, its flickering shadows as textures update, its wonky frame-rate, its screen-tearing, and its weapons that disappear from Pendleton's hands when he climbs a ladder (and pop back into existence when he reaches the top), it's already messing with its own reality by sheer accident. It has the naff sense of the uncanny that comes with cost-cutting - the dreamy disconnectedness of direct-to-video dramas and German soap operas. Vatra can't scare you because it can't actually control your experience enough in the first place. It can't make you truly believe in its world, with its recycled monsters and its simplistic button-prompt moral choices, so it can't then shake that world until your brain starts to rattle. With nothing truly thrilling in store, this is still a stoically acceptable video game. It may not shock you, but it can at least build a thick, oppressive atmosphere as the relatively clever plot keeps twisting and the grot and grime pile up and threaten to choke you. It can't handle fear - but it does a neat line in mild intrigue. Silent Hill: Downpour won't freeze you to your seat, but it will probably keep you playing to the end.

[brandonh83]

Seriously?

I haven't gotten to the town yet where it gets "worse" but up through Devil's Pit it definitely performs better.

[Futurevoid]

The Eurogamer review has a "harsh" score for those used to the 7-10 scale, but I can't disagree much with the content of the review itself and I'm enjoying the hell out of the game, too. Though I'd disagree that there aren't genuinely scary moments. I've felt tons of tension and creep factor. Especially in the main storyline areas.