Vatra closing?

[clips]

The only aspects i hated with Downpour was the chase sequences and weak enemy designs...they nailed the atmosphere (Hansel and Gretel and the dark creepy basements and hallways never get old).

For me the series was finally starting to head in the right direction again. If Konami was smart they would snatch these guys up. The game just needed a wee bit more polish to tighten up the performance issues, because the visuals were solid.

[Skele]

haha, Castlevania is dead? smh...

anyway, I figured there'd never be a patch. I'm glad i sold my copy of Downpour when i did. TBH, Downpour was such a mess technically that i hope Konami just lets Vatra die. The series itself is pretty much dead, and i don't think any well known developers would want to take on the project. Climax will get another go at SH, but im sure all they'll come up with is some kind of a spinoff from the first game. Or, maybe they'll move on to "reimagining" the second game.

[thy_butcher]

^ I doubt they'd play with fire that hot

I'm already anticipating SH's next console release. I just hope it's for current gen.

[Mephisto]

There's no point in arguing with you guys why I think Castlevania is dying. It was more easy for me to accept the direction that Silent Hill took than this.

Lords of Shadows was ridiculous, who cares if it was the Castlevania that sold more? I sure as Hell don't.

At least the sequel looks promising... But we'll see.

[Skele]

Lords of Shadows was a really good game, and the majority pretty much feel that way (critics and gamers).. however, this isn't the right section for debating about it.

anyway, i kid about Climax reimagining SH2. I just hope that if they really do work on the next SH game, that they come up with something original. I don't want another prequel, or reimagining to another game in the series.

[Augophthalmoses]

There's no point in arguing with you guys why I think Castlevania is dying. It was more easy for me to accept the direction that Silent Hill took than this.

Lords of Shadows was ridiculous, who cares if it was the Castlevania that sold more? I sure as Hell don't.

At least the sequel looks promising... But we'll see.

Ah, the classic "it's dying because I didn't like x and x game(s)". That's about what I figured.

[Droo]

Okay, let's put an end to the Castlevania discussions, shall we? This hardly seems the thread for it. Thanks!

[Falconv1.0]

It's as if Konami should stop trying to hand off a franchise to a completely unknown and untested dev team or something.

I dunno, just a thought.

[Droo]

Sometimes unknown and untested developers pay off big time.

Examples: Rocksteady (Batman: Arkham) and Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex 3).

[Augophthalmoses]

^ Indeed. I guarantee nobody knew who the hell Rocksteady was before the Batman games came out. They only made one game prior to the Arkham games and that was a FPS game called Urban Chaos: Riot Response which was actually a very fun, underrated game.

I wouldn't go as far as to say Eidos Montreal is unknown though.

[Droo]

I wouldn't go as far as to say Eidos Montreal is unknown though.

People had heard of Eidos, but Eidos Montreal's FIRST GAME was Deus Ex 3.

[Falconv1.0]

Sometimes unknown and untested developers pay off big time.

I wasn't implying that they don't sometimes work, but it's a gamble that generally implies that they simply want to give the series to who ever will do it for the least amount of money. Konami, from what I have seen, does not have a good track record with picking out unknown developers.

[Droo]

I think it's all a balancing act. The big name developers are all so risk-averse that everything they pump out seems a bit generic these days. I worry that a more well-known developer would RE6 the franchise.

[Calamity]

I can definitely agree there. It's been happening for ages really. Publishers just want to stick with what's comfortable and not really take a chance on the little guy, or even new ideas for that matter. That's why, for me, learning about new developers giving a shot at something usually manages to interest me. It's why indie games and Kickstarter funded projects are doing so well these days, a lot of gamers seem to be bored with what is "safe".

[wonder's boy]

Sad to hear this. My two cents is, Vatra did respectable work with Downpour, and even exceeded my expectations in a few parts of the game. I was worried that (excluding Shattered Memories), the newer games would just be living evidence of the creators repeating the same mistakes over and over. Downpour's resulting atmosphere, gameplay, original story, and even the environments and some monsters, all make me more optimistic for new groups taking over the next Silent Hill game.

[AuraTwilight]

I have to second Wonder's Boy. If not for the success of Downpour, I was legitimately considering cutting my losses with Silent Hill and accepting SM as the last great game.

[Droo]

It was.

[NanayaShiki]

I have to second Wonder's Boy. If not for the success of Downpour, I was legitimately considering cutting my losses with Silent Hill and accepting SM as the last great game.

But there wasn't any game between Shattered Memories and Downpour. How can you go from loving a great game in the series to instantly deciding to leave it if the next one isn't great too?

To be honest, I doubt I'll ever cut my losses with Silent Hill. I enjoy playing video games and keeping up with what's going on in the video game industry, so there's no reason why I won't check out what one of my favorite franchises is doing if it comes out with a new game. I'd be very aware of it even if I wanted to be or not.

[AuraTwilight]

Nanaya, two words: Dot Hack. I've told you that story, I think.

[NanayaShiki]

Nanaya, two words: Dot Hack. I've told you that story, I think.

Yeah, we just had that conversation. That's different, though. That's a case of the series story doing something terrible that, to paraphrase your words, betrayed the series and killed what you loved about it. But you loved Shattered Memories, right? And it didn't ruin the story of the series or betray anything. So why after a game you loved were you on the verge of leaving? I may be misunderstanding what you said, but I read it sort of as "You made a great game that I love but now that I've played it I don't think you'll ever make a good one again so I'm done with you". Regardless, I'm glad you liked Downpour enough to change your mind and stick with it for now.