Anyone ok with Vatra doing another Silent Hill?

[leftshoe18]

Which isn't really that odd when urban sprawl happens. In my neighborhood, the interior of every house is built exactly the same, customized only by furniture choices.

This. When there's a lot of houses built at the same time, the layout tends to be identical or at least very similar to the others around it. There were a lot of unique interiors as well (movie theater, art gallery, shadow-mark place, etc.).

[Droo]

I'm not talking about the layout. I'm talking about the interiors and how they looked. And for the most part they looked exactly the same.

[wonder's boy]

The abandoned apartment where you can do the thief quest had the best variety in my opinion, but I agree with Droo on the interiors of most the others. There were a couple I liked, but most were unremarkable, though I wouldn't necessarily call them bland. I was actually relieved to find the apartment easter egg, where you go up the fire escape.

[clips]

Yeah..i wouldn't call them bland either. If you look at the amount of detail that was in each apt, they really did a solid job in that regard. The boxes and debris that was shrewn about felt and looked natural and wasn't to the point to where it seemed like they were using the same furniture models and objects.

And even if they were, which i'm sure they did, it wasn't like if you went into every apt and all of the apt's looked the same,.. as in if all of the set pieces were in the same place in every bldg or apt you went in to. They camoflauged it very well and mixed up the set pieces to give it some variety...and quite honestly every game does it (use the same furniture set-pieces..etc) it's just how they position them and certain viewpoints that gives the illusion of making them look different.

[pink_isnt_well000]

I was very pleased with Downpour. I went in expecting to be let down but boy was I surprised. I have very few complaints. So I would be happy to see another title by Vatra.

[thy_butcher]

Vatra might shut down?
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012- ... of-closure

It's "understandable," I guess... but still... no

Not just because of their involvement with SH, it's so saddening when any studio closes.
I don't think I can imagine how horrible it'd be for the team to go through that...

I guess you really have to either be a "AAA" blockbuster game or an indie downloadable to succeed nowadays. Downpour didn't review that badly... it got above average scores from most of the reviews I've seen. Perhaps it's all about sales. That's smart business-wise, but sad from a more human perspective.

[Silent Fantasy]

It's gotten insanely expensive to develope games anymore, and yet Sony and Microsoft still want to "upgrade" and make even more powerful consoles. Alot of game come companies have had to be shut down due to costs these days, so this isn't surprising. I'd say it's gonna get worse when the unnecessary PS4 and Xbox 720 (?) hit shelves. More companies shut down and the rest making cookie cutter games due to fear of being different and not selling as well. (an issue that's been present this generation already)
It will be sad if Vatra gets shut down though. Not like Konami would go back to them for another SH title though,; they'd rather throw darts at the random developer board.

[RivenZero]

Vatra might shut down?
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012- ... of-closure

It's "understandable," I guess... but still... no

Not just because of their involvement with SH, it's so saddening when any studio closes.
I don't think I can imagine how horrible it'd be for the team to go through that...

I guess you really have to either be a "AAA" blockbuster game or an indie downloadable to succeed nowadays. Downpour didn't review that badly... it got above average scores from most of the reviews I've seen. Perhaps it's all about sales. That's smart business-wise, but sad from a more human perspective.

Kudos on the news update Butcher. That really does suck to hear. Silent Hill Downpour was a relief for the series in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen more SH titles from them.

[Droo]

I feel very sad for the people losing their jobs, but there is a silver lining here. Vatra won't have the opportunity to make another bland, buggy SH game and Konami may give the series back to Climax.

[Number 7]

Will this affect the plans to release a patch for Downpour?

[Droo]

I imagine it would. Vatra would be best equipped to work with the code as they created it. I can't imagine it would be easy for a different studio to come in at this point to try and fix it.

[Augophthalmoses]

Would have been nice if Downpour was at least able to turn into a minor hit. But multiple reasons compound that problem. The fact that it's a survival horror game in a market that's become so oversaturated with shooters that many other genres outside of that (save for MMOs) seem like a risk to developers. The genre's popularity reached its peak back in the days of RE1-3, Silent Hill, and Dino Crisis. It's a niche genre. Always has been and always will be sad to say.

Then you have Konami who is too stupid to realize that they need make people aware of the fact that their upcoming game exist. Not just rely on their fanbase to spread word of mouth especially a fanbase that is as bitchy, diverse, and mentally fucked up beyond repair as the Silent Hill fandom.

Hopefully they pull through as they've shown some real talent and can go places. But I guess we'll see what happens. I wouldn't be surprised to see them close doors. Such as shame too as I really thought they produced on the best SH games in ages and would have the natural fit to continue the series.

[The Chauffeur]

^Lol... nicely said.

It is a niche game - you are entirely right. No amount of marketing changes that. People wanting to include all manner of fucked up things in an already fucked up storyline doesn't help matters either. The developers read shit and are aware of the following it gets and it's hardly surprising that this one is hitting the skids and losing interest imo. That, combined with a shitty shoot-em-up only selection out there doesn't help.

Sorry to say it, but other games hold far more appeal if they're slightly different and follow current trends. I'm afraid that even with the films and the games being reworked and re-released, maybe there isn't enough interest out there in this kind of material any more. Ah well... it was still good for its time.

[Skele]

Eh, like Droo said, it'll suck for the folks losing their job if Vatra is indeed shut down... However, I won't miss them at all. The survival horror genre may be all but dead, but that does not erase the fact that Downpour was a poorly made game. I won't get into whether it's a good game or not, but it's filled with glitches/bugs, and technical issues that there's really no excuse for.

Im no fan of Climax either. I hope they never get to make another SH game.

[Droo]

If Origins was all Climax had made, I'd agree. However they really pulled a 180 from the awful Origins and developed the gem that is Shattered Memories, which is my third favourite in the series.

So maybe Vatra would have been able to turn things around in similar fashion if given a second chance. Oh well. I guess we'll never know.

[Augophthalmoses]

Well, I wouldn't have a problem with Climax taking over once again. They'd be the next in line after Vatra I'd want working on the series. So long as they never do anything like Shattered Memories ever again, drop the chase sequences, and don't buy into this 'we need to make the combat intentionally crappy for the sake of immersion, atmosphere blah blah blah" I see regurgitated in the fandom so much these days.

[Droo]

Wait, so you're a fan of Climax but hated Shattered Memories?

That means....you're a fan....of Origins....

*brain shuts down*

[Augophthalmoses]

Long story short I did not like how the gameplay was stripped down so much in contrast to its predecessors with more development focus on presentation, storyline, and arbitrary phone features. But I do praise it because it shows Climax aren't afraid of trying something new and Origins shows they can tackle traditional Silent Hill just as well. They've proven themselves enough with their two games to be the natural replacement for Vatra and vice versa.

That is if Konami feels like releasing another Silent Hill game in the future that is. And even if they did would they repeat their same disastrous lack of advertising and kill yet another SH games' sales? Probably.

[Skele]

I didn't care for Origins or Shattered Memories, tbh. Although i'll admit, i've never played Memories, which is why i can't really bash it. it's just a game that doesn't appeal to me at all. I've watched a complete walkthrough of it on Youtube, and not once did i get the urge to go buy it so i could play it.

Origins was bad, but i did have fun punching monsters. Isn't Tomm from Climax?? he had a hand in Downpour as well didn't he? I suspect Climax will get another shot, i just hope they create something that the majority of fans, and critics love.

[The Chauffeur]

I'm a fan of Origins AND Shattered Memories. I detest The Room and I've gone off SH2 (not that I was ever that much on it to begin with) but d'you know what? That's okay. Really. Some people love The Room and SH2 and that's their prerogative to do so. It's really time all the bitching stopped about who prefers what game and why and who they were made by and etc. etc. etc. (ad infinitum). I know that I've done my fair share of bashing The Room ever since Adam was in naps but I was wrong -- everybody is entitled to like and prefer what they wish without the rest of us coming down on it like a ton of bricks all the time.

This epitomises what Augophthalmoses was saying about the SH fanbase -- it's bitchy and non-productive.

I don't give a monkey's who makes the games as long as they're good. But then I have a dinosaurs view on it, so who cares? It's okay, I can hear you saying it. I don't give a toss.

All I do know is, even for me, the best thing is to actually play Downpour and see what I think of it, so that I can give an educated opinion. Reading some people praise it and some people slag it off will not put me off of playing it eventually because I still consider myself to be a SH fan. This is why the "mine's better than yours" opinion doesn't work.