Silent Hill: Downpour - New Screenshots and Info

[Archelon]

Saying it'll be more like SH2 than the other games probably wasn't a very good idea, either.

[Guest]

A summation of PR speak from all previous Western Silent Hill developers:

Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2! Silent Hill 2? Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 2?? Silent Hill 2!!! S-I-L-E-N-T H-I-L-L 2!!!!!!!!!!

[Pikminister]

Also, how the hell are we supposed to empathize/sympathize with an escaped convict? I guess the side quests, interaction with enemies, and other behavior will decide the ending, i.e. whether or not Murphy here is guilty.

I don't remember having a problem with Billy Coen in Zero. Probably because he didn't really behave like the mass murderer he was suppose to be. And he was much less annoying that Rebecca and much more useful.

Manhunt, on the other hand... I simply couldn't sympathize with the lead. Didn't help that the gameplay was monotonous and not very exciting.

So I guess it all depends on the way such characters are fleshed out for you. And how it affects the game itself (does it make a difference that he's an escaped convict?).

Anyway, the real problem SH has to fix is making the game scary again. That was the real problem in the last one. It wasn't the weapons issue. There just was no fear factor involved in the experience.

[rewak]

A summation of PR speak from all previous Western Silent Hill developers:

Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2! Silent Hill 2? Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 2?? Silent Hill 2!!! S-I-L-E-N-T H-I-L-L 2!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that and the classic phrase "There will be some nods to old school fans in there" which translates as "Pyramid head makes another cameo".

Alan Wake was a lot better done than the last few Silent Hill games. I know a lot of folks on the forums have really, really enjoyed it. Me included. And of course, I suspect Carnivol hasn't posted because right now he's trying to get a clear shot at you with a high powered rifle.

I thought Shattered Memories was a lot better than Alan Wake (largely due to it getting the pacing dead on whereas Wake just got tedious fast). Next to Origins and Homecoming though Wake wins, but then Deadly Premonition came along and blew Wake straight outta the water Wake made a lot of promises in the beginning it didn't deliver on and that made it a disappointment for me, but it was an alright game.

A music sample was from the game was put out today - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3azKGQZZpI

Yeah i want Akira back please

[MeganGrass]

A music sample was from the game was put out today - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3azKGQZZpI

I like Daniel Licht's work. Kinda haunting, really... but when I heard the piece linked above, I couldn't help but to think it was an unreleased b-side for the Dexter soundtrack.

Maybe, the guy needs a different approach. Like, one that doesn't involve Dexter/Miami culture.

[Dracarys]

PROTIP: If you would like your game to be judged on its own merit, develop an original game and don't license a series.

Yeah man, SH2 was crap because it didn't follow on from SH1, SH3 had to fix the abomination that was SH2.

[Rombie]

The original games were done inhouse and largely by the same development team, judgment placed on those is entirely different to the outside judgment placed on a new development team taking on an existing franchise, especially one which has been lackluster in recent years.

It's not like the directors on later Silent Hill games came out whinging that their job was too hard basket due to expectations, I leave those sorts of complaints to Jun Takeuchi when taking on a new Biohazard game.

The games producer is complaining that the game won't get fairly judged, and he's right. But he shouldn't whine about it because he put himself there. The tip is correct.

Back OT, Licht sounds like he's trying to mirror work previously done on Dexter; probably the reason he was hired, with the existing "sound" expected of a Silent Hill game, as if they gave him a pile of the games soundtracks and made him listen - seems like a mistake to me, should be creating something new and different.

[Stu]

Yeah man, SH2 was crap because it didn't follow on from SH1, SH3 had to fix the abomination that was SH2.

Such naivity

[leftshoe18]

Yes, that and the classic phrase "There will be some nods to old school fans in there" which translates as "Pyramid head makes another cameo".

Except Tomm Hulet has stated that Pyramid Head won't be in it.

[Darkmoon]

Hopefully they won't, but it wouldn't shock me if they caved and added him anyway. He's the closest thing the game has to a mascot. I bet some producer or another is campainging for his presence 'because it's not Silent Hill without him' or something equally dim.

[leftshoe18]

Pyramid wasn't in the last game. And he wasn't in two of the three non-Team Silent games. Double Helix was the only company who threw him in there. At least they showed that they somewhat understood the character and used him as Adam's punisher unlike the movie who just threw in PH for absolutely no reason.

[Dracarys]

PH was wrote into Homecoming fitting in perfectly with SH lore.

[Mr. Spencer]

SH2 was the best game in the series.

[rewak]

Pyramid wasn't in the last game. And he wasn't in two of the three non-Team Silent games. Double Helix was the only company who threw him in there. At least they showed that they somewhat understood the character and used him as Adam's punisher unlike the movie who just threw in PH for absolutely no reason.

PH was shown in a painting in Origins as well as being the games OST cover and James and the Dog were in Shattered Memories, if only as a joke. 3 out of 3 games developed outside Konami have had SH2 throwbacks in them. PH was also in Silent Hill Arcade, and Walter Sullivan was referenced quite a few times in SH2, and then became the focus of SH4. Even SH3 had James cameo in the UFO ending. Basically since it was made, there hasn't been a game in the series that hasn't referenced SH2 in some way and it's getting a bit old.