Interesting take

Ten years after the original game and Harry's still searching for his daughter.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
phix95
Just Passing Through
Posts: 105
Joined: 27 Mar 2009

Interesting take

Post by phix95 »

I read the preview on Gamespot and someone made a very long comment about what they thought. I thought he had some good things to say, though I don't agree w/everything. I'm guessing perhaps all this has been said already but I just thought it was interesting.:

(general link is here: http://www.gamespot.com/events/konami09 ... ws;title;4)

----------------

remf18

Posted Apr 26, 2009 6:03 am CT

Hardcore SH fan am I (Yoda gets props). I've been dying for a really good sequel to the series. Homecoming and Origins just weren't it, and The Room was a pile of phail in every sense of the word (should have been a Frighteners spin off for how lame it was. Funny that the only good parts in the game took place in "the room"). While I was excited at the announcement of this game's existence, the screens and news are quickly extinguishing the flames of passion that once burned. This game looks terrible. And no, not in a technical sense, but artistically, the look is the polar opposite of the look this game should have.

It's obvious this is a cheap cash-in attempt for the joke console, the Wii. Real gamers don't take the system seriously. They recognize the Wii as the casual party game experience it is. Which begs the question of why a game series aimed at older hardcore gamers is being built from the ground up for a system that was never designed for that market? It's like making a 30,000 dollar sports car for minors. But, while that does partially affect the graphics, it's more of an issue for the controls department, and ironically, it's guranteed that even though it is being built for Wii, the PSP and PS2 variants will control and look better (ouch!).

But back to the graphics: This game has a very colorful and vibrant pallet, which makes it look CG cartoony. This game reminds me of Gamecube games with the type of visuals most of its serious games had. Even RE4 suffered from it to an extent. This is probably the only game series that I would say justifies the type of grainy brown/gray smeered visuals that we saw in (the atrocious) GTAIV. You know, that rule that real = colorless, drab, bipolar shadow and lighting, and a grit filter with a brown or gray film lens. This game series practically demands that kind of treatment. Notice how Origins, SH1, 2, and 3 are all the most atmospheric games of the series. The graphical limitations of the system actually added to he game's visuals and atmosphere. Less was more, and indistinguishable was scary. Now look at The Room and Homecoming. Their visuals are too clean and almost cartoony (though, to be fair, Homecoming had the awesome scarring of its fleshy beasts even if it failed in most every other regard). This game's visuals are not heading to a good place, unless the grit filter that will be placed over the final product really conceals how cartoony and clean everything looks. At the moment, the visuals remind me of Fatal Frame 2 and Resident Evil 4 for Gamecube, and that's not a compliment.

As for actual play mechanics; the focus on the flashlight and gimmicks like the cell phone makes this sound like it will be a Fatal Frame wannabe with Wii-mote friendly controls. That would be a huge mistake. SH die-hards don't want a sham of a Fatal Frame experience. If we want FF, we'll buy it (by the way: go buy FF, it's cool in its own right, but not as cool as SH XD). The removal or minimal use of the pipe is very disturbing, too. It really sounds like Harry may become a Clocktower character; unarmed and spending the game running away and hiding. No thank you. I might have to start sending flaming bags of dog poo to the next dumb-butt game producer or reviewer who tries to justify crippling the SH characters by saying "They are Joe every man characters, so it makes sense..." News flash: Joe everyman, when confronted with danger, will grab anything within arm's reach and improvise a weapon. Joe everyman is also compenent enough to use anything within his/her strength capacity as both a projectile and a melee weapon (specifically a bludgeon).

Further, unless your name is Honeypie and you fell from the Feast universe, you can probably operate any and all firearms; perhaps even being smart enough to know how to aim, relaod, and actually use with effectiveness at point blank range (unless you are so gangsta that you hold your gun sideways while punching). I give credit to Homecoming's character, and spit in the faces of all the dumb-butts who flung poo like enraged chimps because this character was too "not Joe Everyman". That was the most realistic depiction of a Joe in a SH game, although if Travis didn't have Alacard's black hole pockets, he would be the true "Joe". Tossing TVs and grabbing anything and everything as a weapon = Joe in times of diress. I recall basic combat training, and the instructor makes it perfectly clear: If you want to live, you bite, scratch, attack the eyes, genitals, use anything as a weapon, and do whatever you have to to survive. It's pure animal instinct, and everyone's got it. Saying Joe Everyman is too normal to pick up a pipe and beat a monster to death when threatened by it is about as smart as saying dogs are too domestic to survive if they get lost outside (points to wild dog packs and the legacy of the dingo).

This game is a ways off, so there's always hope, but I'm preparing for the worst, and maybe I'll be shocked by getting something that is at least decent. The biggest shame of this re-imagining is that we could have gotten a next gen SH redux that featured SH1, 2, 3, and Origins all in one. They do all use THE SAME SETTING, so why not? 1 huge open world, 4 game experiences in a single disc, and modern graphics (assuming the developers figure out that Silent Hill should look like crap, not like a beautiful snowflake), and we'd have ourselves a real reason to celebrate.
Last edited by phix95 on 29 Apr 2009, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
ww_andi
Brookhaven Receptionist
Posts: 978
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Gender: Male
Location: texas

Post by ww_andi »

Well he has some good points but there were a few things i disagreed with. His every joe comments were right on que. However i look forward to not being able to fight back cause silent hill isn't as scary as it used to be. Of course after playing sh2 13 times, sh 3 32 times, sh 16 times, origins four and homecoming 5 it doesn't really tick the ticker as easily. So i do look forward to the running in a sense but i will miss the pipe. I also have hopes for this as you go the world changes thing. If they pull it off all badass maybe they can implement it in future games and add replay value. Imagine if the monsters in sh 2 changed slightly depending on which ending you were headed to
Image
User avatar
angelofROOM302
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 3073
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Gender: Female
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

Post by angelofROOM302 »

I couldn't get past the part when he trashed all three latest games. :x
User avatar
Jonipoon
Subway Guard
Posts: 1718
Joined: 06 Mar 2008
Location: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
Contact:

Post by Jonipoon »

>The Room was a pile of phail
I stopped reading.


Edit: Read it. Aaaw, pessimism. . .
I EAT GALAXIES FOR BREAKFAST.
User avatar
Kenji
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 5077
Joined: 19 Jul 2007

Post by Kenji »

Real gamers don't take the [Wii] seriously.
About here, I knew this guy was full of shit.

As I mentioned before, you don't tell a MegaTennist who loves his Wii that "real gamers don't play the Wii."
Last edited by Kenji on 29 Apr 2009, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
SHACKled89451
Gravedigger
Posts: 586
Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Location: Lake Tahoe, U.S.A.
Contact:

Post by SHACKled89451 »

Jonipoon wrote:>The Room was a pile of phail
I stopped reading.
Me too.

I personally loved the room...

While of course not everyone shares this POV, SH4 is by no means a bad game, and certainly not a pile of "phail" whatever the fuck that is.....

If this guy judges a game by preliminary screenshots and press releases, he's probably missed out on quite a few gems...
revalations 23:16
User avatar
Jonipoon
Subway Guard
Posts: 1718
Joined: 06 Mar 2008
Location: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
Contact:

Post by Jonipoon »

>"phail" whatever the fuck that is
- [Phail]; British english which practically means shit/crap.
I EAT GALAXIES FOR BREAKFAST.
User avatar
nopar
Just Passing Through
Posts: 67
Joined: 18 Feb 2004

Post by nopar »

He's right about the Wii, though. Is it really worth sacrificing the graphical capabilities of the 360 or PS3 just for a few gimmicky control features? Despite what Nintendo says, I've never felt closer to a Wii game just because the character on screen swings his sword when I swing a remote. Silent Hill ought to have the best presentation possible. It's one of the few series where hyper-realism is a necessary part of the experience.
User avatar
Bishop Sasarai
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 3453
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Gender: Male
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Post by Bishop Sasarai »

You don't know that the controls are gimmicky yet, though. They could end up enhancing the experience one way or another. Just because the Wiimote feels tacked on for some games doesn't automatically make it a complete gimmick.

And graphics shouldn't really even be part of an argument anymore unless they're really, really bad.
"In relation to [animals], all people are Nazis; for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka." - Isaac Bashevis Singer
--
Proud member of the Asiatic hordes. SEANZ.
User avatar
KageReneko
Subway Guard
Posts: 1561
Joined: 02 Aug 2005
Gender: Male
Location: My own personal hell

Post by KageReneko »

Jonipoon wrote:>The Room was a pile of phail
I stopped reading.
SAme here...
Mauruneko
Just Passing Through
Posts: 7
Joined: 19 May 2006

Post by Mauruneko »

Yet, what he says is almost what I think.
There is always a simple solution for a
complex problem - and it's wrong!!
User avatar
AuraTwilight
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 11390
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Location: I'm here, and waiting for you
Contact:

Post by AuraTwilight »

I stopped reading when he said he was a hardcore SH fan. No one who really is tends to say it outloud unless they're a mega-douche about to rag on the games.
[quote="BlackFire2"]I thought he meant the special powers of her vagina.[/quote]
crucifix
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2121
Joined: 24 Jun 2007

Post by crucifix »

phix95 wrote:It's obvious this is a cheap cash-in attempt for the joke console, the Wii. Real gamers don't take the system seriously.
no need to read any further; the kid's just another whiny nerd with a superiority complex - for playing certain video game consoles.
no longer active. thanks for the memories.
User avatar
Kenji
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 5077
Joined: 19 Jul 2007

Post by Kenji »

crucifix wrote:the kid's just another whiny nerd with a superiority complex - for playing certain video game consoles.
Y'know, you made that sound so wonderfully banal that I almost wish he had a superiority complex for being a certain race. :lol:
User avatar
phix95
Just Passing Through
Posts: 105
Joined: 27 Mar 2009

Post by phix95 »

crucifix wrote:
phix95 wrote:It's obvious this is a cheap cash-in attempt for the joke console, the Wii. Real gamers don't take the system seriously.
no need to read any further; the kid's just another whiny nerd with a superiority complex - for playing certain video game consoles.
That was not my quote; it was someone else's
User avatar
Nyarlathotep
My Bestsellers Clerk
Posts: 356
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Nyarlathotep »

I stopped reading once I saw "gamespot comment."

Oh wait.
User avatar
woofy
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1053
Joined: 26 Aug 2008
Gender: Male
Location: Australia

Post by woofy »

Sounds like a fucking tool to me. Who gives a fuck what he thinks lol
User avatar
nopar
Just Passing Through
Posts: 67
Joined: 18 Feb 2004

Post by nopar »

Clearly, this site is not the place to voice dissent. No matter how well thought-out it is, no matter how much the dissenter backs up their claims, it always gets met with a few pre-packaged responses. "He's just whining." "If you want to complain about the series, then you're not a fan, so just go die." "I stopped reading the second he said anything bad about any of the games." Isn't it possible that the dissent comes from love of the series? The same place the unconditional fans are coming from, but from the opposing side? Both sides care about the games, otherwise, neither side would be saying anything.

I hate the direction this series has gone, but I still love it for what it brought to gaming. If I hated the whole series, I wouldn't be posting anything here. That's why I'm not on any Halo forums. I know there are a lot of people who would agree with the gamespot poster in question, it's just that none of them are here. What's the point of a one-sided discussion?
Burning Man
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2476
Joined: 15 Jul 2003

Post by Burning Man »

nopar wrote:Clearly, this site is not the place to voice dissent.
Nah. Had the post been about someone chanting how awesome it is, some people will find a way to say that he's a fanboy. . .

Just because voices of dissent are met with criticism doesn't mean that "this site is not the place to. . ." whatever. Voices of consent can be met with as much criticism.
© 2003-2022 Burning Man.
The contents of this post may only be used within the boundaries of www.silenthillforum.com.
Any usage outside of the aforementioned forum is strictly prohibited.
User avatar
woofy
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1053
Joined: 26 Aug 2008
Gender: Male
Location: Australia

Post by woofy »

I'm proud to say that I love the whole series. There, I said it
Post Reply