let's talk about the graphics

[Doo-glas]

now maybe I'm just being a graphics snob, but in all of the screenshots I've seen so far the graphics have not wowed me

now keep in mind I'm not saying that they are bad, they are already waaaaay better than Homecoming's, it's just that the graphics in 2 and 3 (and to a lesser degree, 4) were absolutely stunning for their time and they still look great to this day, I remember when Silent Hill 2 first came out it almost looked REAL

it might seem shallow, but I feel that the excellent graphics were a big part of the experience, I mean the more real something looks the scarier it is and I don't mean to beat this dead horse yet again, but I can't imagine what Team Silent could have done with modern hardware, it makes me drool just thinking about it

I remember seeing screens of 3 in magazines like EGM and OPM and being amazed, when I look at screens of Downpour I think "it looks better than Homecoming" but they don't blow me away

of course maybe the finished game in motion will be impressive, maybe I'm just mad that there wont be a PC version and after all, the original Silent Hill has PS1 era graphics and is still scary and worth playing, so we'll see

so what's your opinion, do the graphics impress you or not?

[redrum]

They impress me, the detail is what gets me more, the little broken parts of the town really stick out

[saevitia]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the graphics as seen so far, really. They look up to par to me. Not necessarily pushing the hardware to new frontiers, but I rather like that maybe they've focused their development attention elsewhere in the process. I would rather have a stunning story and gameplay, than graphics, if I had to choose between them.

[Aerith Gainsborough]

I'm not fond of them, I'll admit. In my opinion, the graphics have gotten worse and worse starting from The Room. The characters look too...waxy?

[jdnation]

The Room had pretty awesome graphics and art direction. Silent Hill 3 was definately the best one though, thanks to being exclusive to PS2 and that they had an awesome programmer who knew how to get the most out of the system.

Also you'll have to remember that when you have fixed camera angles you can use certain tricks to make more impressive scenery and decor, but when you give camera control over to the user then everything must be renderable and so you can only use so much geometry etc.

The graphics look pretty good for what we've seen for Downpour, I'm pleased. Are they the best? No, this can be for several reasons:
-The game is multiplatform. So they can't push specs on either console, well they could technically, but that'd make things more tricky and difficult...
-Using a middleware engine. UnReal Engine can do some nice things if you know how to get in there and change things greatly, but at the end of the day it's usually best to make your own engine and know the ins and outs and how to tweak it which you can't do with a licensed engine. But building your own engine, especially for a multiplatform development, will be difficult if you don't have the talent or budget. But if you're using an engine that's not your own then of course you have restrictions.

I just hope both versions 360 and PS3 are the same. It looks as if they might've used 360 as the lead and this usually results in poorer results for the PS3 version if they don't optimize for its architecture and utilizing blu-ray instead of tossing the DVD footprint onto it. Hopefully there are no installs and they use proper streaming.

[amphreded]

I generally find still graphics underwhelming. However, once you get to play the actual game, the motion and added effects will make thing look smooth.

[jak5C0lon]

I don't know what it is honestly, but graphics just stopped impressing me a looong time ago, and especially with a silent hill game I don't think they are that important. I think the overall look of the game, art direction, and atmosphere is way more important. This game has decent looking graphics though and they have definitely improved from the E3 2010 trailer

[The Adversary]

I don't care about graphics. If the game has to look like Silent Hill with a solid story, great. I don't play video games for any visual "wow" factor.

[Tillerman]

When it comes to graphics, I think that people care too much about technical qualities, and not enough about aesthetics. A game doesn't have to have cutting edge graphics to look good, and games with cutting edge graphics can look bad.

[Monster]

When it comes to graphics, I think that people care too much about technical qualities, and not enough about aesthetics. A game doesn't have to have cutting edge graphics to look good, and games with cutting edge graphics can look bad.

This. I still think Shattered Memories actually looks better than Downpour. It seems to me like the higher fidelity of the graphics ends up making it indistinguishable from any similar game on the market, and yes it DOES resemble Alan Wake's murky, glowy atmosphere, which isn't particularly impressive. I mean who knows, maybe there's a way to make it feel like Silent Hill while having up to date graphics, but I sure haven't seen it. Again I cite the look of old horror films from the 70s versus the special effects slathered modern films. The graphical limitations that SH2 and 3 faced actually forced them to get the most out of what they had, and it was perfect.

Silent Hill 3 is still, hands down, THE best looking SH game to date. Anyone not agree?

[Piers909]

I dunno, I think that looks pretty amazing.

[Monster]

I don't think anyone's saying it doesn't, just that it doesnt feel like silent hill.

[redrum]

Don't forget, the trailer footage is probably from the same demo previewers have been playing since Jan

[CondescendingMan]

Actually I don't think SH3 looks the best. I honestly trthink this one looks the best . AI really like what I have seen with this one however I want the footage to not be released verry much so as to to keep the surprise aspect that I feel has been removed during the last few games. I think if we really got a big surprise I will appreciate that.

[Doo-glas]

Also you'll have to remember that when you have fixed camera angles you can use certain tricks to make more impressive scenery and decor, but when you give camera control over to the user then everything must be renderable and so you can only use so much geometry etc.

yeah, that's true, I forgot about that

tell me, why did Silent Hill have to lose the fixed camera angles again? they were not annoying in 2 or 3 and neither were the controls, it wasn't like Resident Evil with the 2D pre-rendered graphics

oh wait, because every game that comes out these days has to fit some standard of "modernity" no matter what oh well...

[Tillerman]

Silent Hill 3 is still, hands down, THE best looking SH game to date. Anyone not agree?

I agree if we don't include Downpour. I don't think it's fair to judge this game until we actually play it. But yeah, I think SH3 is better looking than both SM and Homecoming.

tell me, why did Silent Hill have to lose the fixed camera angles again? they were not annoying in 2 or 3 and neither were the controls, it wasn't like Resident Evil with the 2D pre-rendered graphics

Well, it's been said that fixed camera angles are coming back for Downpour, which would be a huge plus. Very few modern games have those anymore, being that they're nearly all FPS's or have RE4 style cameras... I guess the trend is to favor control over cinematic style. But personally I don't think complete control is necessarily good for a horror game, and it'll be nice to play a new game in the old style. And it'll probably go a long way towards recovering that lost "Silent Hill" feel that the past few games have been missing.

[Doctor Eggnog]

When it comes to graphics, I think that people care too much about technical qualities, and not enough about aesthetics. A game doesn't have to have cutting edge graphics to look good, and games with cutting edge graphics can look bad.

Silent Hill 3 is still, hands down, THE best looking SH game to date. Anyone not agree?

Me. In my opinion: 2, 1, 3, Homecoming, Origins, 4 for Graphics. I know I'm odd. Something about 3's graphics were off-putting to me. I just didn't enjoy looking at the game nearly as much even if the graphics were technically better than 2.

It's sortof like the difference between Gran Turismo 3 and 4 for me. I just liked GT3's graphics better even though they're older.

[Silent Fantasy]

God of War has fixed camera angles. As did Dantes Inferno (the same games basicly) but other than those action games, not even RE uses fixed angels anymore. (DMC4 did actually. lol tho also an action game. ) So I think a return to that will be great for Downpour. Its what a real horror game needs. the graphics are fine as they are. the camera is more important to me. i miss it. lol

[PoemOfTheLastMoment]

The graphics look dated, especially at this point in the console life-cycle. I'm not asking for the game to resemble God of War 3, but at least i expect the frame-rate to stay conistent. Judging from the teaser i saw on the facebook page last night, they REALLY need to work on the game's frame-rate issues....

[Yuki]

Silent Hill 3 is still, hands down, THE best looking SH game to date. Anyone not agree?

I agree if we don't include Downpour. I don't think it's fair to judge this game until we actually play it. But yeah, I think SH3 is better looking than both SM and Homecoming.

tell me, why did Silent Hill have to lose the fixed camera angles again? they were not annoying in 2 or 3 and neither were the controls, it wasn't like Resident Evil with the 2D pre-rendered graphics

Well, it's been said that fixed camera angles are coming back for Downpour, which would be a huge plus. Very few modern games have those anymore, being that they're nearly all FPS's or have RE4 style cameras... I guess the trend is to favor control over cinematic style. But personally I don't think complete control is necessarily good for a horror game, and it'll be nice to play a new game in the old style. And it'll probably go a long way towards recovering that lost "Silent Hill" feel that the past few games have been missing.

Sliiiight nitpick: /some/ fixed angles are coming back. Some of the game will be free-camera, if I remember correctly.