To me the game is the best in the franchise despite the mixed reviews from professional game journalists. And here is my review of the game
http://www.giantbomb.com/silent-hill-downpour/61-30645/
which isn't shamelessly posted for the sake of attention, as I'll base my opinions greatly on what I've written there.
In order to me more concise, I'll just address the big complaints by Silent Hill fans.
Here it goes:
What doesn't feel like a Silent Hill game? It has fog, metaphorical monsters, gruesome twists, sinners, and the possibility of redemption. Thematically is as Silent Hill as Silent Hill can get.
Graphically-wise there is little comparison between each iteration of Silent Hill and the next, so to me there is little reason here.
Sound-wise the soundtrack seems a lot like Akira Yamaoka's compositions. Although without voiced themes.
2. The gameplay sucks!
Tell me which game in the franchise had a better gameplay. Silent Hill 2 had tank controls and bad shooting mechanics, similar in style to the early Resident Evil games, same as Silent Hill 3, 4 and Origins. Silent Hill Homecoming had an interesting although overly used melee fighting system, and similar shooting.
On the other hand Silent Hill Shattered Memories has a different gameplay which influenced Downpour, as the bigger part of the game is past exploring the nooks and crannies of Silent Hill. The escape sequences also heavily influenced Downpour, as the Otherworld is most of the time lived through similar sequences.
3. It isn't scary!
Personally I didn't find Silent Hill 2, 3, Origins, Shattered Memories or Homecoming scary. There were creepy moments in them, but the games were pretty tame for the most part. Although Silent Hill 4 was scary! Zombies felt as an hoovering menace over my head with their moaning, a particular enemy was scary because she slowly advanced towards me with its over-extended hair.
4. The story isn't on par with the first Silent Hill games!
Personally I thought the story was as twisted as the first Silent Hill games, featuring adult and complex themes, and redemption, which is a prevalent idea in the franchise.
5. The game is dull!
I can't argue here. It is at its core an adventure game. So there isn't much fighting, mostly exploring. Similar to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Also when was Silent Hill about combat?
I think Silent Hill: Downpour suffered from the very low expectations of the public, that combined with the first average to mediocre reviews, convinced of the poor quality of the game. This is a pity, because Downpour is a genuinely good game, and to me the best of the franchise.
I may be biased, but I think people think so highly of Silent Hill 2 and 3 because they haven't played them recently. The graphics are from the PS2 era, the gameplay continues to suck, although the music is great.
If you like horror games, try Silent Hill: Downpour. It is worth your time!
Take care guys!
J.
Well today I finished RE5 for the first time. I liked it, playing co-op with players who had more experience than me, but it made me question something. Do players really enjoy being paired with someone who has much lesser or more experience than you?
While I did enjoy every second of the game, the increased dificulty and complexity of the enviroments of the two last chapters made me feel uncomfortably confused and lost in some sections. I feel that it has to do with the harder challenge they provide counterbalanced by the greater experience of my co-op partners. While I died less, due to that advantage, I had to learn quicker than I would in a singleplayer game, which brought me to the question at hand.
Do players really enjoy being paired with someone with a much different array of experience?
Personally I don't think so. From a greenhorn perspective, I didn't enjoyed being babysitted through some of the sections, and making people go through quicktime events multiple times. And even felt guilty for not skipping cutscenes. ahah While I can see someone enjoying playing and helping less experienced players, I find this lack of thoughtful pairing jarring. I maybe reading to much into it, but I think Resident Evil 5, and probably other games suffer from lack of suitable pairing system, matching people of comparable experience. This makes me feel there is little thought and love directed for people that start playing the game some time after the initial release.
What do you think about this phenomenon?
Tom always thought he was late for everything. He ran, jumped and rushed in his life, but always felt out of place, like he made some mistake along the way, that made everything feel wrong.
But one day he changed.
In a moment lost among others, his eyes and heart met, and looked in the same direction. What he wanted to see his eyes showed him, the idea he felt comming was finished in what he saw. He felt harmony, harmony between what he was and what he experienced. He felt for the first time, he was on time.
What makes words inspired?
Our ability to connect with what is said. There is a part of us that reads those words and understands its meaning. It reaches us... That deeper level of pure understanding is what makes something inspiring, and inspires us.
From the heart.
Photo Credit: liz-green.com
Everything is changing,
faster,
slower,
nothing remains the same.
-
In a moment
what was
is not anymore,
a rebellion explodes
reshaping reality
through new eyes.
-
What were we?
What are we going to be?
We are the fleeting moment,
ever born,
ever living,
ever dying.
The gaming industry has risen to be so prosperous, moving billions of dollars, yet it maybe declining its health.
When a beloved franchise delivers a game, say Assassin's Creed, Diablo, Starcraft, Call of Duty, the flaws tend to be overlooked in showers of praise towards such games, raising them to the state of near perfection, nay, true perfection. When this happens the flaws are allowed to thrive and evolve within a righteous attitude of "this is the cost of perfection" or "this is the future", so while such characteristics may be hampering the experience, they get accepted and even become cherished by consumers. Example of this is the DRM requiring a constant connection to the internet.
This forgiving atitude leads to an industry that moves away from improving the experience provided by the product and instead focusing on sole profit. While people might be indulging and consider it normal, as "a company wants to improve its profit", the further they neglect the consumer experience the less appealing the industry becomes to the people who consume it. And this atitude is hurting the industry, and may dictate its decline.
Explorer is the being who seeks in the darkness of ignorance that which lies forgotten and ignored. The missing links of a truly Universal wisdom.
How many of us let our minds and senses meander around?
How many times do we consciously dream?
From personal experience, not many times. we accept the visions and perceptions the world give us, and we let ourselves be entertained by the visions of others. But how many times we dream ourselves?
Because of this, I propose that we close our eyes for moments and see where our minds and senses take us.
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