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Silent Hill: Downpour information from Game Informer

Amir0x

Banned
Combichristoffersen said:
I.. don't mind QTEs *blush*

Unless they're shitty QTEs like the 'shake off the naked rapist molester groping you' QTEs in Shattered Memories.

Well, here's my thing about it

why don't they just let us play through these sections instead of taking control away and forcing one random button press here and there?
 

snoopers

I am multitalented
Relaxed Muscle said:
Yes, and still there's not a single point on the game that I felt truly opressed, tense or scared, yeah the plot is certainly quite gruesome in some parts, but still compared to other classical Japanese survival-horror games like Clock Tower, SH and Fatal Frame, the whole experience comes as a bit tame.

yeah ok, I see where you're coming from.
it's true that DP doesn't offer the kind of scary experience you can find in SH, Clock Tower or Fatal Frame. but it's still a true survival-horror game at heart. just... not very scary :)
 
I'm going to take a shot in the dark, lore-wise, in explaining the subway system. The town itself always has two shades; the town as you and I see it (the regular place where you can go to Pete's Bowl-a-Rama and have a game and a beer), and the town that exists to the punished (Harry, James, Heather, Henry, etc.) Furthermore, the normal town seems to exist in present day (SH2 was maybe mid-90s, SH3 taking place in 2003, the same year it released, same for Homecoming and Shattered Memories). It's somewhat logical to conclude that Downpour is following SH3's trend. It's feasible that the town grew in population, perhaps enough to support a small subway transit system. I don't think it's going to be gigantic, but big enough to support a fledgling town/city. Shattered Memories also presented a rail yard as a small area that Harry traversed.
 
disappeared said:
I'm going to take a shot in the dark, lore-wise, in explaining the subway system. The town itself always has two shades; the town as you and I see it (the regular place where you can go to Pete's Bowl-a-Rama and have a game and a beer), and the town that exists to the punished (Harry, James, Heather, Henry, etc.) Furthermore, the normal town seems to exist in present day (SH2 was maybe mid-90s, SH3 taking place in 2003, the same year it released, same for Homecoming). It's somewhat logical to conclude that Downpour is following SH3's trend. It's feasible that the town grew in population, perhaps enough to support a small subway transit system. I don't think it's going to be gigantic, but big enough to support a fledgling town/city.

A town with the background/lore of SH just does not fit in with the idea of a growing population or becoming into a city.
 
BattleMonkey said:
A town with the background/lore of SH just does not fit in with the idea of a growing population or becoming into a city.

True, and believe me I agree to an extent. But the town is modernizing. Look at SH3, Shattered Memories, and Homecoming. Even the first Silent Hill had that giant shopping mall with all those TV displays when you first walked in. It's not necessarily a mid-50s town in straight-concept.
 
disappeared said:
True, and believe me I agree to an extent. But the town is modernizing. Look at SH3, Shattered Memories, and Homecoming.

Modernizing for the audience perhaps, but still it's a massive stretch for a subway. Nothing in any of those previous games indicated the need for such a thing. Many cities don't even have subway systems when they could need one. SH is still a town.
 

MiniDitka

Member
Amir0x said:
Well obviously, but I disagree strongly with the individuals who think Shattered Memories is a good Silent Hill game - it shares virtually none of the strengths of the series - so we'd probably just grumpily debate about it for a few posts or something ;)

I mean, SM shares far less in common with the Silent Hill series than Resident Evil 4 did with the rest of the RE series.
Silent Hill:SM isn't a good game....its a great game! Then again I've been playing Homecoming and enjoying it and didn't really think SH2 was that great so what do I know :lol


brandonh83 said:
Of course, Homecoming was his worst nightmare and I think he more or less destroyed his Wii remote during Shattered Memories.
He might have liked the PS2 version since it it was pretty much the same except you used buttons instead of motion to shake off enemies.
 

Amir0x

Banned
MiniDitka said:
Silent Hill:SM isn't a good game....its a great game! Then again I've been playing Homecoming and enjoying it and didn't really think SH2 was that great so what do I know :lol

Yeah, everyone's different. No doubt about that.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
ULTROS! said:
Since I'm a blind-buying Silent Hill fan, I'll buy it even if does not end up to my liking (screw you Shattered Memories).

To be fair you did buy one of the two gimp ports of the game!
 
MiniDitka said:
Silent Hill:SM isn't a good game....its a great game! Then again I've been playing Homecoming and enjoying it and didn't really think SH2 was that great so what do I know :lol

Them's fightin' words.
 
brandonh83 said:
It's a fictional town in a videogame. I don't really give a fuck if it has a subway system or a CompUSA.

Indeed. Wherever the team takes the town's design is fine, so long as they keep it logical in respect to the overall theme of the series.

Shopping Malls, two schools, and Amusement park, a large catacomb-sewer system, a giant lake, hotels galore, gas stations, two hospitals... the town obviously offers a large amount of services for its size.
 
Amir0x said:
Well, here's my thing about it

why don't they just let us play through these sections instead of taking control away and forcing one random button press here and there?

Isn't it actually the other way around, in (good) QTEs you gain more control/gameplay as the death of bosses would be non-interactive cutscenes instead?
I mean, how would the QTEs in God of War be possible if they were really 100% player controlled? Move to the enemy, press select to switch to arm movements, move the analog sticks to point Kratos' arms to the enemies belly and use the shoulder buttons to cut it open, use the digipad to move the blade, e.g. cut in a Z if you want?
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
MiniDitka said:
Silent Hill:SM isn't a good game....its a great game! Then again I've been playing Homecoming and enjoying it and didn't really think SH2 was that great so what do I know :lol

1292445937754.jpg
 
There must be more to this Subway thing.. Never mind the town planning angle, Having any kind of functioning public transport system in Silent Hill seems weird. Does the character with a troubled past work out how to drive it themselves, or do they just hop on and off the demonic nightmare train because it's quicker than walking?
 
Dascu said:
Where was this confirmed?


- Penumbra series
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Cryostasis
- Scratches
- Metro 2033
- The Void
- Cursed Mountain
- Deadly Premonition
- Condemned series
- Dead Space series
- BioShock series (arguable)
- STALKER series (arguable)
- Resident Evil series
- Left4Dead series
- Fatal Frame 4 and upcoming 2 remake (not localized, but easy to use translation patch)
- Three Silent Hill games and this one

There have been plenty of horror games this generation, especially on PC. The quality of horror games from Japan has been lower than past generations though. I miss games like Haunting Ground.

OMFG, you missed out Siren, aka GOTY 2008, aka best horror game this gen >_<
 
Graphics Horse said:
There must be more to this Subway thing.. Never mind the town planning angle, Having any kind of functioning public transport system in Silent Hill seems weird. Does the character with a troubled past work out how to drive it themselves, or do they just hop on and off the demonic nightmare train because it's quicker than walking?

Heather did it.
 

MiniDitka

Member
Amir0x said:
Yeah, everyone's different. No doubt about that.
I've been called that on more than a few occasions :lol So whats the general opinion on Origins? I got a PSP during black Friday and was thinking of checking it out.

Combichristoffersen said:
Not the first time I've been given that look :D
 

snoopers

I am multitalented
disappeared said:
True, and believe me I agree to an extent. But the town is modernizing. Look at SH3, Shattered Memories, and Homecoming. Even the first Silent Hill had that giant shopping mall with all those TV displays when you first walked in. It's not necessarily a mid-50s town in straight-concept.

and let's not forget what silent hill 2 taught us: the town is cursed because of what happened before it was ever built.
if I remember the lore correctly, the name of the town itself, "silent hill", supposedly goes back to the time when it was still an indian sacrifice site.
building a massive city instead of a small town above this place doesn't make it less evil.
 
snoopers said:
and let's not forget what silent hill 2 taught us: the town is cursed because of what happened before it was ever built. the name of the town itself, "silent hill", supposedly goes back to the time when it was still a land used by indian tribes to commit sacrifices. building a small town or a massive city above it doesn't change the past.

Indeed. Oddly enough, the town even went through several "overhauls", after fires and crooked residents caused destruction and unrest. The town as we see it these days is just one "version" of what has consistently existed there for nearly two centuries.
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
MiniDitka said:
I've been called that on more than a few occasions :lol So whats the general opinion on Origins? I got a PSP during black Friday and was thinking of checking it out.

0rigins is OK. Not as good as SH1-3, but on par with, or slightly better than, SH4. The graphics are somewhere around SH2 level, and the combat is kinda eh (due to breakable weapons), which forces you to run a lot (but beware that enemies will follow you, and gang up on you). The game also includes a Pyramid Head knockoff, but at least that's more original than reusing PH just because in Homecoming. Also, the game is ridiculous in the amount of weapons it gives you (at the end of the game I was lugging around three file cabinets, two drip stands and some other stuff) :lol
 

MYE

Member
Amir0x said:
YES! :D The game seems to be doubly effective. It's removing all the Shattered Memories fans from the equation, so we don't have to hear the number of ways they have no idea what makes a Silent Hill a great Silent Hill!

If it's any consolation, though, we all hate QTE. Down with QTE!


Imma gonna go replay Shattered Memories and enjoy the hell out of it in your honor, Amirox

*emails Konami about SM's awesomness*
 

MiniDitka

Member
Combichristoffersen said:
0rigins is OK. Not as good as SH1-3, but on par with, or slightly better than, SH4. The graphics are somewhere around SH2 level, and the combat is kinda eh (due to breakable weapons), which forces you to run a lot (but beware that enemies will follow you, and gang up on you). The game also includes a Pyramid Head knockoff, but at least that's more original than reusing PH just because in Homecoming. Also, the game is ridiculous in the amount of weapons it gives you (at the end of the game I was lugging around three file cabinets, two drip stands and some other stuff) :lol
Thanks for the info. Think I'll check around to see if anyone has it to rent.
 

Truant

Member
I bought Origins at a GAME at the airport in Thailand, played it on the plane, and returned it at a similar store when I landed. Good times.
 

Teknoman

Member
FunkyPajamas said:
Huge YES on that. Recommended. Though it might be a bit aged in the graphics department by now, it's still a very good survival horror game.

I NEED SCISSORS said:
OMFG, you missed out Siren, aka GOTY 2008, aka best horror game this gen >_<

Looks like i'll be downloading the full chapter pack.
 
I guess it could be a manifestation of a subway system that the player uses, not that it would be there in the "real" Silent Hill.

And :lol at East Silent Hill Liberty City map
 

Amir0x

Banned
MYE said:
Imma gonna go replay Shattered Memories and enjoy the hell out of it in your honor, Amirox

*emails Konami about SM's awesomness*

That's like cutting yourself in my honor! Don't do it, MYE! Life matters!

We love you MYE!

SolidusDave said:
Isn't it actually the other way around, in (good) QTEs you gain more control/gameplay as the death of bosses would be non-interactive cutscenes instead?
I mean, how would the QTEs in God of War be possible if they were really 100% player controlled? Move to the enemy, press select to switch to arm movements, move the analog sticks to point Kratos' arms to the enemies belly and use the shoulder buttons to cut it open, use the digipad to move the blade, e.g. cut in a Z if you want?

Well, the thing is that these sections are just random button prompts and then if you fail you might have to restart entire sections over again for what is basically a really retarded, unfun gameplay system.

But I generally think if you have the idea to make these really over the top death scenes that the player must watch, a good developer could come up with a compelling way to make it playable.
 

MiniDitka

Member
Dascu said:
- Penumbra series
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Cryostasis
- Scratches
- Metro 2033
- The Void
- Cursed Mountain
- Deadly Premonition
- Condemned series
- Dead Space series
- BioShock series (arguable)
- STALKER series (arguable)
- Resident Evil series
- Left4Dead series
- Fatal Frame 4 and upcoming 2 remake (not localized, but easy to use translation patch)
- Three Silent Hill games and this one

There have been plenty of horror games this generation, especially on PC. The quality of horror games from Japan has been lower than past generations though. I miss games like Haunting Ground.
You can add The Grudge and Calling to that list.

uvs091016-001.jpg
 

Dascu

Member
MiniDitka said:
You can add The Grudge and Calling to that list.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o252/MiniDitka/uvs091016-001.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
I tried to limit my list to games of above average quality. I have not played [I]The Grudge[/I] or [I]Calling[/I], but as far as I'm aware, the critical reception to those titles was not positive. MMV is publishing another Wii J-horror game, [I]Night of the Sacrifice[/I], but I doubt it will be any different than the former two titles.
 

Ricker

Member
Barakov said:
As long as the game doesn't have any QTE underwater levels we might have a return to form on our hands.


Seriously,if this happens I swear I quit gaming... :lol


Besides the QTE`s though,it sounds and looks great.
 

Barakov

Member
I've been thinking this over and I suppose I could get over the inventory thing. But the breakable weapons thing might be a deal breaker for me. Add in the QTE thing and that's just all kinds of bad.

Too bad everything else sounds so promising.
 

Teknoman

Member
Dascu said:
An underwater escort-mission/chase sequence with QTEs and breakable weapons. Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Whats bad is that I could see how that would play out :lol

EDIT: QTEs can work fine if done right. Bayonetta had QTEs where you werent really punished that much if you missed them, same for Vanquish.
 

snoopers

I am multitalented
Barakov said:
I've been thinking this over and I suppose I could get over the inventory thing. But the breakable weapons thing might be a deal breaker for me. Add in the QTE thing and that's just all kinds of bad.

Too bad everything else sounds so promising.

breakable weapons may not be so bad. it will only affect close range weapons I guess, and you should be able to find plenty in the environment.
I don't want to sound obsessive but it does work well in deadly premonitions :) and it keeps the game from becoming dead rising. (even though there ARE unbreakable close range weapons, but only available through the sidequests).
 

Barakov

Member
snoopers said:
breakable weapons may not be so bad. it will only affect close range weapons I guess, and you should be able to find plenty in the environment.
I don't want to sound obsessive but it does work well in deadly premonitions :) and it keeps the game from becoming dead rising. (even though there ARE unbreakable close range weapons, but only available through the sidequests).

I definitely see where you're coming from in regards to Deadly Premonition. The only problem is Deadly Premonition had an inventory screen....... I really hope Downpour at least has a quick select.
 
Dascu said:
I tried to limit my list to games of above average quality. I have not played The Grudge or Calling, but as far as I'm aware, the critical reception to those titles was not positive. MMV is publishing another Wii J-horror game, Night of the Sacrifice, but I doubt it will be any different than the former two titles.
the grudge was a terrible game.

but it also scared the shit out of me, so i like it :)
 
brandonh83 said:
-prominent locations in the older installments like schools and hospitals will not return

Awesome. Silent Hill: Homecoming didn't seem very scary to me because everything felt so familiar.
 
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