40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Murphy's been a bad boy ...

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Below
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by Below »

They stated pretty directly a while back that the Otherworld wouldn't be a "remixed" version of previous locations.
...nothing really unusual down there.
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Catch22
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by Catch22 »

Yuki wrote:I'm going to agree with this. It disheartens me to see people say things like "no that's not Silent Hill" when in fact it could actually work pretty well... we just don't know yet.
Exactly. I applaud them for actually taking chances and mixing things up a bit, especially within a series with such dedicated fans (similar to what Shattered Memories did). It's something that could bite them hard in the ass if not done right, but from what I've seen they have the ability to churn out something enjoyable and creepy.

Regarding the video itself--fantastic playthrough. I enjoyed the Otherworld and how it isn't just a rusty/altered version of the "normal" world. Getting rid of that trend will allow for some serious aesthetic creativity, which I believe we saw plenty of in the playthrough. The combat, while somewhat clunky looking, seemed tense and manageable. And as others have said in the Youtube comments section--Murphy's voice actor is great. Other than the glitches and bugs, I have little negative to say about the footage.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by thy_butcher »

Hurry up with a release date already! I'm dying over here, geez!
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by Pleasant Sinner »

I'm loving what I see so far! And the part in the basement when the music stopped actually had me spooked. That and the otherworld looks interesting which was something I couldn't say about Shattered Memories. Keep the good stuff coming, Vatra!
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by LuLu »

I'm very pleased with this demo! :D It looks interesting and scary with some depth to it. Love, love, love.

I question the monsters, but we'll see how they are when the game is released. Either way, I don't judge much on combat systems if the game itself is good and interesting overall. :) More of a story person when it comes to my favorite video games.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by phantomess »

Awesome that you got to do this- and share it with us, Whitney. I watched the first several minutes and I skipped ahead to see other brief glimpses, but I didn't watch the whole thing. I don't like to know exactly what to expect on my first playthrough. But I did like what I saw! :)
Definitely more encouraging than that trailer was.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by David01 »

Awesome playthrough of the demo, love the atmosphere, and I actually like the Monsters, well the ones that we actually saw. I liked the breakable chairs and things of that nature, very realistic. And from what I could tell, it actually seems to make more sense than putting TVs and microwaves in your pockets. It seems more polished in how the mechanics are handled compared to say Origins.

I'm liking the direction that this game is taking, or appears to be taking thus far. I like how when you went down to the basement, the music that was playing stops, and it gets almost dead silent, very creepy and unsettling. I like how the D.J. on the radio mentions Murphy by name out of nowhere.

I like how the first monster makes it appearance. I like the first otherworld transition. The only thing I"m not liking, is the simplistic puzzles that we saw in the demo. I would like to see some real brain busters, like the ones in Silent Hill's 1-3.

But other than that, it's looking interesting and looks like it will be a decent Silent Hill game. Something we really haven't seen in a good while, I just hope that the Devs understand that the puzzles were something that made up Silent Hill lore as well.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by thy_butcher »

^ I'm certain there will be difficult puzzles in Downpour.
If Vatra put really hard puzzles in the sections of Downpour that the public have been allowed to play, it would have been a mistake.
People who have been allowed to play Downpour were under time restrictions. Who wants to try out a new game before its release and be stumped on a puzzle the entire time?
I enjoy the difficult puzzles, & I'm sure most people that love Silent Hill do too. Which is why I think fun yet challenging puzzles will be in the full retail version of Downpour. But overall, I think it was a smart move that they didn't have them in the playthroughs that people have had.
They showcased gameplay mechanics, combat, art direction, music, environments, and atmosphere instead.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by KiramidHead »

I think the puzzles should be challenging, but more like SH2 than SH3. I don't think it's particularly fair to expect the player to have such a vast knowledge of unrelated subjects. All IMO, of course.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by David01 »

Yeah I agree, alot of the puzzles in silent hill 3 were completely unrelated to the subject matter of the game itself. Silent Hill 2 on the other hand, fit right into the general story line and subplot of the entire game itself.

I just hope that we don't get key goes here, open this door kind of puzzles through out the entire game. I'm hoping that the puzzles in this game, actually take some thinking to figure out.

And i can understand where you're coming from. As far as Konami and Vatra not wanting to show the really difficult puzzles. It would indeed be a mistake, because it may turn away the newcomers to the series, as well as even fans of the series.

I was happy to see, that in a couple shots of the demo. Devin put in there "Light needs rebuilt" that was very encouraging for me, to see that they're paying attention to such small details and things such as light and things of that nature.

And yes I saw some glitches in there, but that is to be expected, considering that all they were playing was a specific build of the game, and not the finished product.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by JehanSunderland »

This video was one of the first times that I've been really really pleased, gameplaywise, with what I've seen from Downpour, and it makes me really excited. If this video is indicative of the rest of the game, Downpour is going to be absolutely amazing.
While I'm not a fan of the flashing objects, it isn't as distracting as I had expected after seeing its implementation previously. Still not a fan of the screen going red when you get hit, but I can overlook it. Hopefully we'll be able to turn it off.
I, for one, really really love everything we've seen of the Otherworld. I'm really glad they're going for a completely twisted version of reality, instead of just a re-texture. The Escher-esque stuff is absolutely beautiful, and it looks like the Otherworld itself is actually going to be scary again, instead of its fear just coming from the monsters.
The waterslide was a really nice effect. Something I've always loved about the Otherworld is how chaotic it is, and how much it feels like you're losing control as soon as you step into it, something that this version of the Otherworld definitely seems to be exhibiting.
I actually really love the Void. It's chase sequences are brief enough, and seem to be legitimately terrifying. Infinite pursuit by an enemy that you would be incapable of killing, no matter what weapons you obtain is always cool. That was my biggest problem with the chase sequences in Shattered Memories. In SM, I felt like if Harry could get some weapons, he could dispatch these things pretty easily. Plus, there's a lot more than just chase sequences here. I'm also really glad that SM's door mechanic is returning, as I've always thought it would be a great mechanic if there was actually anything threatening around.
The Void is sufficiently chaotic to suit what we've seen of this game's Otherworld. It reminds me a lot of the chase sequence with the red light in SH3's Haunted House.
I'm very very pleased with the combat. The monsters are difficult enough to actually make them properly frightening. You always have that feel of "will-I-survive-this-fight" that has been missing in the past few games, and even in SH2. I'm looking forward to always being on edge, even if I only see a single enemy. And the part where Murphy is running to the train depot and several Screamers start pursuing is absolutely chilling.
This demo restores my faith in the fact that Silent Hill is actually going to be scary again.
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by Monster »

Yeah I agree, alot of the puzzles in silent hill 3 were completely unrelated to the subject matter of the game itself.


You might think so, but
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I noticed after playing a few times that at least some of the puzzles are actually symbolic of what is going on, particularly the ones where you have to grab the key with the tongs, and where you have to pull down the ladder with the clothes hanger, both are symbolic of abortion. And the part where you have to poison the moths and turn on the fan surely have something to do with Alessa and the rebirth theme. I can't remember all the puzzles in that game, but I'd be willing to bet most of them had something to do with the story in some hidden way
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Re: 40 Minutes w/ Downpour – Thoughts, Video & New Screens

Post by clips »

Monster wrote:
Yeah I agree, alot of the puzzles in silent hill 3 were completely unrelated to the subject matter of the game itself.


You might think so, but
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
I noticed after playing a few times that at least some of the puzzles are actually symbolic of what is going on, particularly the ones where you have to grab the key with the tongs, and where you have to pull down the ladder with the clothes hanger, both are symbolic of abortion. And the part where you have to poison the moths and turn on the fan surely have something to do with Alessa and the rebirth theme. I can't remember all the puzzles in that game, but I'd be willing to bet most of them had something to do with the story in some hidden way
.

Wow....regarding that spoiler, in all of the years that i have played that game...i never really thought about that until you just mentioned it here....and it makes complete sense...i completely missed those symbolic connections.... :shock: ...... :mrgreen:
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