Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Murphy's been a bad boy ...

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KiramidHead
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by KiramidHead »

Axel_98 wrote::( Ran across my first bug. invisible turnie thing.
Was that in a chase sequence? That migh be intentional to throw you off, since
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
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LastScion
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by LastScion »

Welp; was gonna do a massive review/analysis where I went over what every object lying around (boxes, posters, discarded papers, signs, etc.), the story, characters, monsters, and my overall impression of the game - but that's nuked before it even started so, let's just go with my review being:

"Looks good so far, the music is fantastic, it has that 'Silent Hill' feel to it and (thus far) I'm glad it hasn't been a style for style rip-off the of the movie."

Gonna dig around the tubes for a bit and try to find a place that I can actually get away with such an analysis, I'll come back and leave a link.
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leftshoe18
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by leftshoe18 »

I absolutely adore this game. It's currently my favorite in the series and, in my opinion, has a very similar feel to Silent Hill 1. I've already beat the game once and am currently going on playthrough number two. My only complaint is the frame-rate issues that sometimes pop up.

Oh, and the Otherworld is AMAZING!!!
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by warfare315 »

So far I'm really enjoying this game. I am kind of surprised. It's not that scary, but it's at times tense, and very atmospheric. So far it's got that constant unease and buildup of dread good Silent Hill games have. And honestly, I have no idea why people are saying the combat is bad. It's simplistic, yes, but compared to all of y'alls favorite SH games, the controls are better and honestly add to the game a bit for me (the breakable weapons aspect.) And I anticipated hating the breakable weapons.
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five5sixers
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by five5sixers »

WOW, this game had a lot of ups and downs for me.

I literally just beat it (the credits are still rolling) and I have to say... I really enjoyed this game. I was hoping I would going in, so I didn't have a negative vibe to start with, but I definitely got very wary at parts. The monsters were pretty bland, I got stuck a few good times and was frustrated, combat was a bit clunky but I have to say I felt it handled better than Homecoming's to me and they also handled the weapons deg FAR better than 0rigins could ever have hoped. I was a little put off by certain elements I found in dialog, memos and such that left me confused (at one point I thought they might have been playing off that the townsfolk disappeared 'cause they were all turning into monsters and I was going to be PISSED if that were the case).

Even though this game was an emotional roller coaster for me in terms of a Silent Hill title and it was by no means perfect, I can safely say I loved this game despite its faults and I really enjoyed this play through. It makes me comfortable in replaying it and attempting to fish out all of its secrets. It took me a while, and at some parts I had to turn a blind eye to some things lest I get too testy about lore, but if you can just enjoy it for what it is instead of trying to compare it to the "greats" of the series with checklist in hand, I think you'll really be able to get a kick out of this game.
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clips
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by clips »

Good to hear alot of positive responses to the game. I already have a somewhat idea of how the game plays, but i like the fact that alot of folks are saying that in some instances this game has SH returning to it's roots and not only that...even the reviews i've seen on the net in terms of the story itself, i see alot of critics say that Vatra has huge potential and that they told a very interesting story.

I'm still a bit concerned with the combat and creature designs, and while i was going to pick this up regardless of reviews, i feel a bit more confident in purchasing the game and it's encouraging to hear the overall positive vibe coming from this title.
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by David01 »

I will add, without spoiling anything, that there are some truly frightening moments in this game. Seriously, the entire time I've been playing this, I've become paranoid and uneasy. Just walking through a door, will make you feel paranoid in this game trust me on that.

The creatures yeah are dull, and the combat is clunky as I've stated before myself. But damn the atmosphere, and the way the camera moves around, and the storyline are just sublime.

There is one particular sidequest that actually gave me nightmares, no joke. I won't go into it in great detail, but the way it's presented is truly frightening.
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by MeatyDistraction »

Arachnid1 wrote:This games been damn near perfect so far. The atmosphere is great, the puzzles are nice, and the story so far is pretty interesting. I don't like the monster designs at all, but I can get over it thanks to everything else being almost perfect. This game is the perfect blueprint for future Silent Hill games. It just needs a bit of tweaking. Better monsters (this is IMO a very important part of silent hill), no void chasing you through the otherworld (it's not very scary or intense, just annoying) and tweaked combat (it doesn't need to be homecoming great, but the combat right now pretty much relies on luck).

Also, Murphy is already one of my favorite protagonists in the series. Him and Alex are my top two because of their human reactions. They shit bricks when they see a monster and pretty much go 'WTF?' when the otherworld transitions happen. All the characters in general is this game and homecoming have been pretty compelling. All in all, keep it up! Just make a few tweaks for the next Silent Hill game.
Agreed. I really like Murphy, he seems like a real person, especially when he yells "FUCK!" when a monster shows up on screen sometimes. :D
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by dawnclover »

I'm going through an epic first run of the game. 11h30m in, 39% of the game complete (+ 3 sidequests). I'm literally looking at every nook, corner, wall, poster, everything! I'm loving this game (I walked 38km already and ran for 5km xD).

Also, I found another bug. While inside a sidequest house, I was just walking around and died. Literally, walking around, normaly, 100% health and BAM, died. Thank god the save system didn't spawn me too long before that (it didn't happen again).
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by Doo-glas »

better than Homecoming, but not as good as Shattered Memories are my thoughts so far....

however, the combat is pretty bad and the game is not really creeping me out at all so far....
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KingCrimson
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by KingCrimson »

Picked this up last night. The presentation, from the moment I load it up, does everything wrong. I don't want to see a random hint about the subway system before I even get to the title screen. The Vatra logo pops in with a clunk, and then I'm greeted with what I at first thought was an intentionally hokey, B-movie title screen. Every element is a cliche: an overcast sky with haunted-house thunderclaps, a Big Ben clocktower on the horizon, and worst of all... corny screaming noises mixed in with the generic Danny Elfman style music? I was not a happy fan. But then I played it.

So far, I'm glad to say the game itself is drawing me in a lot more than the front end. Books and covers and all that. I really, really like Murphy's comments during gameplay, and the animations are very lifelike. I'm willing to give the otherworld the benefit of the doubt so far, but like Homecoming and the film, some places look a little too big to be scary. The foggy/normal areas are a little creepier at this point because of the decay and stuff. I haven't gotten sick of the combat yet, and the story (while possibly predictable--I think I already figured it out) is well-paced and interesting. From what I hear, the game only gets better near the end, so I'm optimistic.

But that title screen... man, what were they thinking?
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by SGTCOOL »

Am I the one playing this game for "all the wrong reasons" branj70? I think I had great reasons for playing, namely to have a good time. Which I am not having much of during this playthrough. What did I expect? Not much really, but I really wanted to give it a chance. What bothers me is that this game definitely has potential, and is even pretty damn good from time to time. But for every cool moment I find there are several poor ones, like near the beginning
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
near the end of the roller coaster ride (that was pretty cool) that giant talking head from that old shitty trailer appeared and said something lame, ruining the entire scene for me.
Decent moments punctuated by something subpar.
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by dawnclover »

I liked the title screen (minus the screaming, I thought that was too cliche). The clocktower etc seem to have a connection to the story, so don't be so quick to say it's out of place. I also think I have the story figured out.. but I also thought I had the story from SH2 figured out until the ending played out. :D
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by branj70 »

There were some cheesy shit in almost all of the SH games. To me it seems like your just nit picking. I'm not saying it's the best game ever, not even the best SH game ever, but I do think it's damn good compared to the past, what 4 SH games? It's original, not much (if anything) was recycled, and they managed to capture the fear & psychological aspects of the town nicely.

I'm not even on the bandwagon of 100% LOVING or HATING the game. I've expressed my views on it including what I do hate about it. If I wanted to I could go through and pick out a bunch of things from SH2 through 0 that were cheesy, unappealing, glitches, or things that were just flat out dumb. But I won't because with every game, any game, there will be those things to hate. Just saying, never expect perfection because you'll always be let down.
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by EmilietheStrange »

I got this last night, and I just arrived in the centennial building. I'm really enjoying the game so far. It's very different from previous titles, but not in a bad way, and I'm taking my sweet time exploring every crevice. I've seen two other world transitions, and I thought both were pretty sweet. The characters seem interesting so far, and I'm anticipating on how the plot unfolds. Monster designs could be better, but they aren't horrible. I was rather weary of the designs of the screamers and prison monsters at first, but their weird twitchy movements make up for that somewhat.

Overall, I only have a few gripes with the game so far, and all of them are minor.

1. The brief freezing/lag that occasionally occurs. It was a bit annoying at first, but not a game breaker.
2. It can sometimes be hard to tell how much damage you've taken, especially in dark areas.
3. Murphy doesn't offer comments or opinions on objects or environments he examines. That was one of my favorite things about SH3: Heather won't just say that there's a picture on the wall, she'll say that she thinks it sucks.
4. I miss the press triangle to view the map function. Pressing select + R2 + R2 every time I need to view the map is kind of tedious.

Other than those small quips, the game is great so far.
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by dawnclover »

EmilietheStrange wrote: 2. It can sometimes be hard to tell how much damage you've taken, especially in dark areas.
Look at your flashlight's spotlight. If it's bloody (blurry red splats), you probably need to heal. If it's still clear, you're still good to go!
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by mjm800 »

[quote="EmilietheStrange"]


2. It can sometimes be hard to tell how much damage you've taken, especially in dark areas.
3. Murphy doesn't offer comments or opinions on objects or environments he examines. That was one of my favorite things about SH3: Heather won't just say that there's a picture on the wall, she'll say that she thinks it sucks.
4. I miss the press triangle to view the map function. Pressing select + R2 + R2 every time I need to view the map is kind of tedious.
[/quote]

Yeah, I agree with these comments. I also do not like that often I get the Pick Up X but I cannot see what I'm supposed to be picking up. I don't know if it's a brick or something I need to progress through the game.

Minor gripe I hate that I can only carry one melee but I get it in the real world I would not have a coat rack, four TV sets, a tool box, 3 fire extinguishers on me at all times. :lol:
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Re: Downpour Review Thread

Post by Arachnid1 »

SGTCOOL wrote:Am I the one playing this game for "all the wrong reasons" branj70? I think I had great reasons for playing, namely to have a good time. Which I am not having much of during this playthrough. What did I expect? Not much really, but I really wanted to give it a chance. What bothers me is that this game definitely has potential, and is even pretty damn good from time to time. But for every cool moment I find there are several poor ones, like near the beginning
PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:
near the end of the roller coaster ride (that was pretty cool) that giant talking head from that old shitty trailer appeared and said something lame, ruining the entire scene for me.
Decent moments punctuated by something subpar.
Really? I liked that part. Everything up to that felt like the build up, and then that scene just comes out of nowhere and punches you in the face. It was the perfect 'HOLY SHIT.' cherry on top. Oh well. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Also, I'm starting to get used to the combat too. They main reason the system messes up is that Murphy's swings get caught on his surroundings and that's basically an opening for the enemy that they always take. I find that if I anticipate how he's going to swing, I can guide his arm away from any obstructions and get the hit, not to mention that blocking is pretty effective. I'm slowly starting to get better it this. But that's only against one, maybe two enemies. Anything more and I get destroyed, so I just run away most of the time. I also originally thought that I'd hate my weapons breaking, but the way they did this mechanic is nice, and I hope it returns in future games.
Last edited by Arachnid1 on 16 Mar 2012, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by SilentMadness »

EmilietheStrange wrote: 3. Murphy doesn't offer comments or opinions on objects or environments he examines. That was one of my favorite things about SH3: Heather won't just say that there's a picture on the wall, she'll say that she thinks it sucks.
This is what I miss as well, there are a lot of these objects or places that I wish he could comment on, like the wheelchair on the roof. I know he did comment on it when they showed the video demo, but maybe they took it out before release. Shattered Memories had this problem too. Hell, I'd even take those "this table is useless" comments any day!
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Re: Got Downpour? Want to share impressions? Post them here!

Post by Herr Shaun »

EmilietheStrange wrote:1. The brief freezing/lag that occasionally occurs. It was a bit annoying at first, but not a game breaker.
I'm pretty sure it has to do with the constant autosaving, but I've noticed this too.
EmilietheStrange wrote:2. It can sometimes be hard to tell how much damage you've taken, especially in dark areas.
You can check your total health percentage by going to Statistics in the pause menu. This is especially useful because you can get beat on and look horridly bloody but still be at 90% health (medkits heal 50% each, so stock up on them!).
EmilietheStrange wrote:3. Murphy doesn't offer comments or opinions on objects or environments he examines. That was one of my favorite things about SH3: Heather won't just say that there's a picture on the wall, she'll say that she thinks it sucks.
Murphy seems very reserved throughout the game, so it makes sense that he wouldn't have much to say.
EmilietheStrange wrote:4. I miss the press triangle to view the map function. Pressing select + R2 + R2 every time I need to view the map is kind of tedious.
I agree with this, although I've noticed the journal will stay on whatever you left it at, so as long as you don't leave it on objectives or newspaper clippings you should be able to get back to it easily enough.
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