Well the embargo for Downpour has lifted and the reviews are rolling it! Here are just some of the reviews I found so far and as I find more I will continue to update this post!
We finally have a clear look at cover created by Masahiro Ito! Tell you the truth I’m pretty disappointed and I’m not fond of this cover at all. I much prefer the US and PAL ones… I think what bothers me most about is how the game logo is just slapped on there. It’s not integrated with the artwork at all. The cover should have stuck with the text only logo like the US and PAL covers did. I find the logo with the town background really takes away from the impact of the artwork and over all it looks way out of place. I’m not really digging the subject matter of this cover either as I’m getting neither a Silent Hill or much of a water feel from the screaming and slightly distorted person.
What do you guys think?
UPDATE
Thanks to Alchemist pointing out in the comments that this is actually a Korean cover using Ito’s artwork. It was late and I just assumed it was the Japanese one lol. I updated the title 🙂
Rely on Horror Facebook posted what seems to be the cover art for the PAL release of Book of Memories. It’s not up on Amazon.co.uk nor the Konami Europe website and it lacks any rating on it so I’m not sure how official this is.
I picked up the Official Xbox Magazine this evening hoping for a Downpour review but instead found a review for the HD Collection. Unfortunately this review didn’t really focus on the new things HD Collection brought to the table instead it was mainly a review of Silent Hill 2/3 as if they had come out today. So Basically the game got a 7/10 because it played like Silent Hill 2/3 from years ago…
In a nutshell: Uh yes it’s still clunky combat and you have to do boring stuff like backtrack for keys and crap. 😉 (Also the reviewer person vaguely spoils the one of the most “WTF” scenes in Silent Hill 3)
The Good
HD visuals reveal extra detail
New, well-done voice acting for Silent Hill 2
Both games are as freaky as ever.
The Bad
Performance dips in crowded environments.
Both games look great. The high-definition visuals let you pick up on small details, such as shop signs and the deformities of a monster’s face, that were easy to miss in the original games. Fog remains prevalent but has been pushed back to reveal more of the scenery. The lighting effects have also been improved. Previously, darkness was darkness: black, oppressive, and nearly impossible to see through without the intense beam of your flashlight. Now the darkness isn’t as thick, and the light sources have been softened to make everything easier on the eyes.
Silent Hill 3 doesn’t include any audio annoyances, but what it does have is frame-rate lag. This typically occurs in large, open areas with lots of enemies. Everything eases into slow motion until you either kill the monsters or duck into a new area. This problem isn’t exclusive to Silent Hill 3, but since Silent Hill 2 has more claustrophobic environments with fewer enemies, it doesn’t occur as often in James’ neck of the woods. By no measure do these performance dips render either game unplayable, but they are noticeable.
I’m worried about Silent Hill 3’s frame rate lag mentioned in the review…also regarding the comparison video uh… WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE FOG AND THE FILTER LIGHTING IN SILENT HILL 3?!
Seriously…I don’t remember it looking that different back in September. Sure Cj and I ran through earlier builds but man, neither game looked that washed out! Yikes! What happen between now and then Konami?!
Well I’m getting the game regardless, I holding on to hope that the strange missing fog and lighting won’t be so bad when I play it in person on the 20th. 🙁
They also have a video of Douglas and Heather’s meeting at the mall:
I think the voices are fine but from the comments it looks like a lot of fans aren’t happy. What do you guys think?
Daniel Licht’s Downpour soundtrack is a different beast from Akira Yamaoka’s previous Silent Hill scores. If you were hoping Licht would be Akira 2.0, blindly copying Yamaoka’s style and calling it a day you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, Licht an accomplished composer of his own right, blazes his own trail with Downpour’s soundtrack and the result is nothing like what we’ve heard before in a Silent Hill game. (more…)
In this very special fourth episode to gear up for the Month of Silent Hill I’m joined by fellow Silent Hill fan Cj Melendez from Rely on Horror and we interview Silent Hill producer Tomm Hulett!
During the interview we discuss Tomm’s start at Konami, including the what Silent Hill Homecoming could have been (oh God…), the upcoming Silent Hill releases this month and various other general Silent Hill topics.
I want to give a big thanks to Tomm Hulett for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak so candidly with us fans. It was a real treat and I hope you all enjoy 🙂
UK retailer Zavvi.com has an awesome Pre-Order bonus for ordering Silent Hill Downpour and HD Collection a Toluca Lake T-Shirt! How adorable is that? I’m happy to see there’s cool swag to be had for UK Silent Hill fans!
Now for some more great news we have official word from Konami on FB that Downpour is scheduled for a March 29 release. I hope we will get some sort of official press release soon.
