Silent Hill: Downpour

[Just Jeans]

So it somehow slipped my radar that a new Silent Hill game was announced at E3.

Unfortunately, I'm not very optimistic. The trailer looks good, but it's being developed by an unheard over developer and Akira Yamaoka has been replaced by Rolfe Kent as the game's musical composer (Yamaoka recently left Konami to explore other avenues).

Info. (http://4playerpodcast.com/2010/06/16/e3-2010-new-silent-hill-from-vatra-games-confirmed/)

My most anticipated moment of this year’s convention has arrived. I just left the Konami Press conference with a big grin on my face. Konami has just confirmed that Vatra Games, a studio the Czech Republic, is the development studio behind the next entry in the Silent Hill series.

Simply titled “Silent Hill” (for now atleast), the new game looks like a true entry in the series with some heavy atmosphere and cryptic storytelling. I was so concerned that the game would deviate too far from what Silent Hill is and instead enter into another genre that the game doesn’t belong in. For awhile, rumors were flying around the game was a FPS. Luckily, this is not the case and instead, we have what looks to be a true Silent Hill title with emphasis on exploration and storytelling.

While official plot details are scarce, it does seem that the protagonist will be an escaped convict who finds himself trapped in the hell of Silent Hill. The game showed brief glimpses of third person exploration but left the combat completely untouched. While Vatra games did reveal that their approach to combat would be closer to that of Silent Hill Shattered Memories, they weren’t exactly forthcoming with the details.

Overall, I am pleased with the direction the game is going and aside from a few visual annoyances, I think the game looks promising. Of course, the actual gameplay wasn’t discussed much and all we have to go on right now is this trailer. However, I am more excited than ever to jump back into the world of one of my favorite gaming IP’s in history.

UPDATE** In all of my excitement I almost forgot to mention one of the most interesting pieces of news. As you all should know, famed Silent Hill music composer, Akira Yamaoka left Konami recently to pursue other endeavors. This was easily one of my greatest concerns when I heard that the series would continue. Yamaoka’s music was one of the most prominent aspects of the series and I was terrified of continuing on without him. Konami has chosen to replace him with Rolfe Kent, the composer for one of my favorite television series, Dexter. I will hold my judgements until I hear his score in union with the gameplay but my first instinct is to say that it is a great fit. Any thoughts?

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I'm trying to be optimistic, but the longer the series goes on, the less Konami seem interested in telling an on-going story. Team Silent haven't been involved for too long. Still, I've always got Shattered Memories to look forward to.

[Sean [The Wildcard]]

I honestly cannot form an opinion yet. The trailer did nothing for me, and I am a die hard Silent Hill fan.

It's just that the past few games really haven't been very "great" for me. They start off amazing, but towards the end they all seemed to have trailed off into "blah" territory. Especially "Homecoming"...the ending was TERRIBLE. I'm playing Silent Hill, not Hostel.

[Just Jeans]

Silent Hill: Downpour Gets Wet (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/114/1145603p1.html)

Konami has unleashed a monsoon of screenshots as it details Silent Hill: Downpour, the next installment in the long-running survival horror series.

Having taken a brief sabbatical from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – in which time the impressive Silent Hill: Shattered Memories released on the Wii – Downpour marks a return to the HD consoles.

Czech developer Vatra is behind the game, first scant details of which came earlier this month.

Now the trickle has turned into a downpour (sorry) as Konami reveals official screenshots and details some of the philosophy behind the game.

"Having a compelling story is the key element to a good Silent Hill game," said associate producer Tomm Hulett, "It's what set SH1 apart from the other early survival horror games, why SH2 is so fondly remembered, and so on. Of course, an important aspect of this is how the story ties into the horrific things the player encounters."

Producer Devin Shatsky went on to explain how Silent Hill: Downpour's environment differs from that of previous games. "We have this huge city at our disposal, yet in the past, it was comprised primarily of locked doors," he said. "We wanted to give players a bit more incentive to search around and check those doors without facing a constant barrage of discouraging locks."

To that end Silent Hill: Downpour will feature side missions: "This gives the player a greater sense that they are 'exploring the town' and then rewarded with these mini-stories," saud Shatsk. "We've been very careful to keep these immersive enough to make the player feel like they're still a part of the main story, yet separate enough that they aren't forced into completing all of them in a linear fashion to reach the ending."

Silent Hill: Downpour releases this Autumn.

I like the idea of side quests. I've always wanted a Silent Hill game that had a little more of an open world feel to the town.