Konami doesn't give a fuck about Silent Hill

[4]

^Yeah but let's face it, the fixed save points would also be 10-30 minutes away from where you died, except it would be all the time. This game will often keep you very close to where you left off. There are only a few rare instances like when you initially get into town, and you die on a balance beam. Now that's something else I wanted to bring up...I have no problems with the balance beams whatsoever. Maybe it's all of the Tony Hawking I've done, but even then I think people are just reading the visuals wrong. Generally when you're on a beam the screen will go completely top down. When you look at the very top of your screen, you want to keep the board in the middle of the top screen. Hitting left will make it turn to the left, hitting right will make it turn to the right. Use that visual like the arrow meter on skateboard games(ala keeping the arrow in the center of the meter). Generally you can just read his body language too. If he's swinging his arms wildly, you're clearly fucking up. You're not alone in complaining about the balance boards, but I never quite got how so many people are having trouble with these things.

I just wrapped up the monastery level and I think that the game has been getting better as it progresses, which is good news for those that stick it through. Even the negative reviews have said that the final portion of the game almost makes up for whatever else they had to complain about. And I'm about to head to that final area right now. I've completed all of the sidequests except one so far, and some of them are more than worth the trouble in completing for the experience alone. The movie theatre sidequest probably being my favorite one of the bunch. I would recommend trying to pace out the sidequests so you do a couple in between each major area(they're placed on the map in a way that they want you to naturally do this) instead of just sitting down one afternoon and bombing through every single one in a row. It'd take a lot of the enjoyment away.

So far I still stand by this being the best Silent Hill since 3. While the performance isn't there with the stuttering issue, the content and modern Silent Hill experience that I've wanted this entire generation is. The monastery level really delivered that classic Silent Hill feeling with its bounty of scare rooms and completely off the wall puzzles that feel like they came out of 1-3.

Here's a nice short spoiler free interview with the producer of Downpour as a bonus http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/53814/ ... -and-hd-co

And some cool Silent Hill cosplay as well(skip past the 5 minute mark to see the end result) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJtDuqdLbEw

[Midnightlight]

So, I guess if I stick with this, I'll be doing alright, and I think I'll like it, more or less.

I'm pretty happy about the game, overall. I just have a couple of minor complaints, and I guess it's just me.

[gobbleskat]

I definitely have complaints, but they are pretty pale in comparison to how the game is shaping up as a whole. I'm at 70% completion, but there are still an ass ton of sidequests to do so it could be a while before I head out to the last story area.

highlights so far:
-Unique Otherworld design, no more movie derrivations! woo!
-Lots of subtle homages, without needlessly cramming in elements that don't belong (pyramidheadcough).
-Game keeps moving forward at a steady pace, with nice varried setpieces (not ANOTHER hospital).
-Despite destructable weapons I have only twice found myself up shit creek because of a weapon breaking. Almost always something available, and almost never see something and go "well why can't I use that?"
-Story so far has kept me pretty involved.
- Telltale Heart sidequest was totally unexpected and the scariest thing I've done so far.

Complaints:
-Town feels kinda small.
-Chugging frames are irritating, but not impeding me.
-Inconsistent ladder activation.
-Enemy design is....not terrible, but not terribly creative. I like the Dolls and the Weeping Bats, but usually I'm fighting Prisoners and Screamers.
-No boss fights. Homecoming really did excellent with its bosses.

[4]

So, I guess if I stick with this, I'll be doing alright, and I think I'll like it, more or less.

I'm pretty happy about the game, overall. I just have a couple of minor complaints, and I guess it's just me.

Oh it's not just you. This game is being torn apart critically, so it's safe to say that you share a popular opinion so far. But at least you're giving it the shot that it deserves.

- _______ sidequest was totally unexpected and the scariest thing I've done so far.

That fucking sidequest nearly gave me a heart attack which is appropriate. I got stuck in the dark maze surrounded by crap and it was making me way too tense. Glad I'm done with it and never have to touch it again. Still giving my props to the movie theatre sidequest as a fun and interesting idea.

I am now officially done with the game and have nabbed two of the endings so far. I have mixed feelings about the final portion of the game, but am certainly pleased with the overall experience. I personally think that it peaks at the monastery, but to each their own.

SUPER OMEGA SPOILERS SORTA - READ WHEN YOU FINISH THE GAME BITCH

I'm specifically not too pleased with the final segment where you get to play as the "bogeyman." This section makes you this all powerful badass, but manages to make you feel like a frustrated helpless dude because you can't move or swing your weapon fast enough. What should have been a badass climax where you wreck everyone's shit in a fun over the top way is turned into this cat and mouse chase where the cat is a boulder covered in super glue on a floor of molasses. This is a moment that a fan should look forward to doing again for the endings, not groan in agony at the thought of it. Great idea, poor execution. Just make sure you manage to catch up and hit the mouse, or you'll get the shitty shit ending.

ENDU SPOILERUUUU

So now that I'm done with it I'm officially sticking by my assessment that this is the best SH since 3. Though I never did play Shattered Memories...I should look into emulating the Wii version on PC with mouse control instead of the waggle. As a fan of Silent Hill and Clock Tower, I probably really need to consider doing this. Anyways, I'm looking forward to the next podcast. Hopefully we get a little bit of Silent Hill with some thoughts on Sine Mora as well!

[gobbleskat]

Just finally wrapped my playthrough. Overall I felt like the Prison was pretty lackluster. I just didn't feel like the atmosphere was there, and although it had some high points it didn't get that 'everything is wrapping up' sense of closure that I was looking for.

I liked the IDEA of the final boss, but the execution was spotty. The enemies weren't too much of a problem once I realized just how much shotgun ammo I was being handed, but the hit or miss nature of the life support shifting out, and the super arbirtary, unblockable HULKSMASHing made it feel more like a headache than a challenge. I miss BOSS fights, and still feel that Homecoming owned that arena.

I didn't have any problems with the final section, in fact I thought it was pretty easy and that I was (wah wahhh) totally overpowered. I was easily mowing dudes down and caught her twice for the A and C endings.

I'll give it another playthrough for the UFO ending, but not for a while. The game was too stressful for not enough payoff.