On Silent Hill Downpour

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Okay so I love just about all Silent Hill games, even Homecoming. Favorite is Silent Hill 3, and 4&2 can cage-match for second place.
And I finally got around to getting Downpour, and after watching the ZP on it, I was ten kinds of exciting.

...and...I'm kinda' struggling to find any of the positive points Yahtzee liked.. I just rage quit, early on too, about ten minutes after I actually got to Silent Hill after the train section. I'll list a few of my major gripes.

1. In a loading screen I was told I could hide in buildings from the rain(read: monster time), but I ran up and down probably 6 streets, dozens of houses and buildings and never once found an open door or a barricade to I could cut down. And I was being chased by monsters the whole time, which brings me neatly to...

2. Yahtzee and other reviews say you can run from combats that aren't going too well. And I think that's a lie. Most enemies are blocking your path, literally, and you're required to kill them to continue. Or their in rooms with intricate puzzles and you can't finish the puzzles with some grinning zombie chick screaming at you.
Or or you're trying to leg it, and oopp. The two most common enemies(the screaming chick and the burly dudes) are all faster than you(and yes, I am holding down the run button). So running away is moot. And they never stop chasing you! They're always there until you kill them, so I glance behind me and I have a full-on MMORPG conga line of aggressive monsters and I'm just looking for the NPC guards to kill them for me!

3. The voice acting. No Silent Hill has ever had good writing or dialogue, so I won't harsh that. But the actually spoken lines...I can hear the echos of the room the actors were in. Even in normal conversations in a room between two dudes, they're voices echo and are distorted. Its really distracting!

4. The big red/black space hole that chases you? I'm finding that very cheap and weak. Having it hurt you constantly and then having 4 open doors, 3 of which close when you reach them, taking damage the entire time...
its a very lazy way to make me feel tense. Like, why not just reduce my starting health instead of these overlong scripted life drain sessions?

Anyway, anypony got any advice? Tips, tricks?

 

[Lufia Erim]

Did you seriously say anypony...
...
...
I swear if that catches on, god help me.

OT: i'm in the same boat as you. Silent hill 3 being my favorite and enjoying most of the other ones (i think 4 is underrated). But downpour bored me to tears. It was the one SH game i couldn't finish. I got no tips for you, other than count yourself lucky you raged so early. Cut your losses man, put down downpour Ol'yellar style.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Eh, I didn't think Downpour was that bad honestly.

I mean, it wasn't good, but I think it was a hell of a lot better than the majority of silent hill games released after 3.

I only had 2 problems with the game, the first being the space orb thing you mentioned (I fucking hated those sections), and the second being the pretty weak monster design. None of the monsters were particularly scary looking, there was nothing like Silent Hills 3 where I would see a monster and not even understand what I was looking at.

Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and the levels were interesting and varied enough to keep my attention even if the monster designs were pretty "meh" overall.

And I have no idea how you're having trouble running away from the monsters. I never had any issues booking it from them. I don't know what you're doing but they are definitely not faster than you.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Did you seriously say anypony...
...
...
I swear if that catches on, god help me.

If it makes you feel any better, I read over it and didn't think twice, so I'm already lost I fear.

I played Downpour. Nowhere near as good as 3, which, like you two, is also my favorite. And I too quit in the beginning. I kept reading about side quests and stuff, and yet I couldn't find any. I was just going through this weird mining/amusement park place with no optional paths, so I gave up.

Then, I picked the game back up a while later and actually got to Silent Hill and, for me at least, the game got much better. Now, keep in mind that I have not played the game in a few years so my memory is a bit rusty, but I'll try to recall some info.

1) You can indeed hide in building. However, the game makes it sound like there are plenty of buildings to hide in. There are not. As you noticed, the vast majority of buildings are just there for display. I do remember hiding in the police station and one of the brawlers just hovered outside, to frightened to come in. There is also another building which doubles as a safe house. However, to unlock it, you need to have a very specific weapon. It's the pole with the hook on the end. You use it to pull down the fire escape. The buildings to hide in are there, but they're hard to spot. I suggest that once you do find one, memorize its location so you know how to get back to it, until you find another building. I have the guide so I knew where to look, but yeah...

2) I was able to book it from enemies just fine. Did you shut down the police cars? Because that will help reduce enemy encounters. However, I rarely ran. This has to do with what you said--safe spots were a bit hard to find sometimes in the beginning--and because I took great satisfaction in smacking the monsters upside the head. When I did run though--and there were times I remember for sure--I made sure I had a brick, bottle, or something else ready. I threw that to stun an enemy, whether they were too close or blocking my path, and ran. I made sure I was close to a safe zone when I chose to run though, or at least an area that resulted in transitioning to another area of the town, because the enemies wouldn't follow then. I don't recall enemies constantly chasing me until waaaaay late in the game, and at that point they chase you because it's scripted and damn I hated that part.

I'm curious what you mean by NPC guards killing the monsters. I never had anything like that happen in my game. Can you explain? Because I'm curious.

There is a tomahawk you can get if you complete a certain quest. If you decide to stick it out with this game, get that thing. Because it is the monsters bane.

3) I got nothing on the voice acting. I can't even remember it.

4) That stupid black hole mass thing can suck and die. Because yeah, it DOES keep damaging you, and even if you do a flawless run, knocking over everything to slow it (which barely slows it and makes me wonder if it's even worth the effort), and hit all the right paths and such, the damn thing still manages to nip at your heels and take your health. I hated those parts because they weren't fun and whenever I finished one I always had to heal.

Tip: There are multiple endings that change depending on three key scenes in the game as well as whether or not you kill monsters. It's like Silent Hill 3's endings, but there are more of them. If you choose to continue with this game, keep that in mind.

Tip: If I remember right, you can use your gun as a weapon. I remember using the shotgun as a club/melee weapon and since it doesn't break (I don't think), it was a good a backup weapon. Also, when things started getting really bad, I'd fire a round or two into a monster, and then beat them down. Bullets kind of work like stun shots--unless you unload on a monster or beat it and then shoot it.

Tip: Like the Tomahawk, there's a special gun you can get (It's gold!). Hot damn, pick that sucker up. Because I had it when I came across the first boss fight, and down he went.


Anyway, that's all I got. Hope it helped. The game is very alienating at first, no doubt. Too much so for its own good I think. However, if you stick around a bit--maybe even look up a guide or a video for some starting locations--then you'll get the hang of it. And, if you're like me and end up wandering around the town making sure you get everything--the town will become easy to navigate and monsters will stop being a problem. You will become unstoppable, with plenty of healing items, ammo, and that Tomahawk.
Of course, the game doesn't like that, so late in the game it decides to change the rules and then its back to 'by the skin of your teeth', but by then you should be good enough to survive.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

You say you don't like the "red/black space hole that chases you", yet your favorite entry is Silent Hill 3.

 

[Post Tenebrae Morte]

I actually really like downpour, it's in my top 3 and yes, I have played all the silent hill games. It had some technical issues, but the story is wonderful and the atmosphere is top notch. Not to mention, it has a good bit of side quests that have their own stories to enjoy as well. It can be hard to get into for some people (I dove in quite well), but it is unique in its feel, like 2 and shattered memories before it. I'm a more psychological thriller and horror fan, but I did love 3 as well (my number 4).

As others have said, there are buildings to hide in but they are sparse and sometimes have their own foes to face.
I'd reccommend keeping on hand, regarding enemies, a heavy weapon and a gun. But don't use them as much, the good ending requires you to just knock them down and run elsewhere. It may seem tough, but it is actually doable.

Running away is quite easy, so I don't understand how your having so many issues. Just have to maneuver and use your environment to your advantage. Even then, they will stop following you. I've ran form them all and, unless you go in circles, the screaming women will be outran, as will the disfigured prisoners. Maybe you'd like them more if you looked up lore and speculation?

As for the voice acting, I disagree. The best voice acting was in shattered memories, but downpour, 3, and homecoming are wonderful as well. Maybe it's your audio? Because I've never had the echoing issue.

The void, as it is called, is only in the game a few times. But it has meaning and represents Murphy running from his crimes (one of the reasons I like the game is that you initially perpetrate the act in game instead of the story).

 

[Evonisia]

1: Given that you are in the first area, the buildings you can enter are the Police Station (the one with a big hole in the wall near the bottom of the map) or climb the building which leads you to the next area. The other three areas of the map have more buildings in them, because most of the side quests are there. The subways also stop monsters from spawning and usually stop the rain. In the second area you can also hide in the Silent Hill 4 easter egg room provided you have the hook. Conveniently, the police station is the place where you can stop the Police Cars from spawning.

2: The only places I found that you can't run away are in the actual missions (and most of the missions at least let you run to another room). Unless you've managed to corner yourself in the foggy streets, it's really easy to run away, even with the Screamer's stun lock.

3: Didn't notice this issue in my playthroughs, so I can't help you there =/

4: I agree, it's cheap. Some of the later chase sequences are less cheap and none are as bad as Silent Hill 3's red light death sequence, but it's still cheap.

The best way to tackle monsters I've found is get any weapon bigger than a brick, and hit them twice and then block, whereupon they'll hit you three or four times. If you think you can dodge, sprint around them and either run or continue hitting them. Screamers can be avoided if you run behind them when they scream. Prisoners won't headbang you if you back far away enough before they hit.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I freaking hated the red/black space hole segments myself but Downpour is one out of exactly one Silent Hill game I've ever played through to completion. I actually played through it a few times because something about it clicked with me. I don't know why you were unable to run from combat for one thing but I can agree with you about the fact that no, you can't run into most houses. I do like the SH4 Easter Egg though.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Yeah, I couldn't finish it, either; I certainly didn't like that damn red/black space hole, but for me the biggest issue were the damn breakable weapons-having to constantly replace them was bad enough, but it also made exploration a chore by making me constantly pick up and put down crappy weapons while searching for items I actually wanted, and then making me remember precisely where those weapons were so that I didn't have go over the same real estate twice, all the while fending off or running away from the enemies!

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

You say you don't like the "red/black space hole that chases you", yet your favorite entry is Silent Hill 3.

Well that part in the amusement park was the most annoying part of that game. But it was a 100% linear corridor, with only the camera angle to work-through. You knew exactly where to go, which was forward.

In Downpour, there are at any given time 2-4 passages to decide between, with no hints or clues as to which is which. And trial/error gameplay in a horror games just feels lazy.

 

[Skops]

I've played through Downpour about 4-5 times (Platinum trophy).. And I liked it less and less through each playthrough. And it has everything to do with how the story is presented. And the story is that there is no story until you reach the Prison. Everything up until that point is entirely pointless (except for the two "help or don't help" choices in the first 30 mins of the game they more less determine if you get a good or bad ending).

I'm going to put this all in spoilers:

Spoiler

probably the worst thing you can do is make the most confusing/stupid ending, completely available on a first playthrough. In Homecoming, my first playthrough ended with the UFO Ending, which is ridiculous. This time, my ending was the "It was all a dream, none of it happened, and Murphy wasn't even the main character, the chick was." And that ending completely makes her story and motivations through the other "endings" make absolutely NO SENSE. The whole game is about getting Murphy to atone for his crimes, but in the best ending, it is revealed that Murphy's worst crime is stealing a cop car for 10hrs just so he can go to prison. He didn't kill Nader, he didn't kill his son, he didn't the cop, and he didn't kill or beat up the prison guard.

Downpour's story is ludicrously convoluted and retarded.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I thought Downpour was decent. I liked it a lot more than Homecoming, not that that's hard, Homecoming was pretty bad. Story was, okay, monsters were rather bland, combat was decent even if destructible weapons and inability to carry things got annoying. I remember I accidentally dropped my weapon quite a few times. I hated how the game kept taking away my stuff, I was saving a shotgun for when I'd need it, a boss or something and then the game took it away without me ever using it. Also the run away other world red orb parts were just bad.

I find it funny to think the Silent Hill monsters are driving police cars around looking for humans and keeping a DJ hostage and calling in to make requests for him to play on the radio. I liked the idea of getting requests to you played on the radio. I didn't like that the DJ was a real person apparently being kept hostage and forced to DJ by the monsters.

I've played through Downpour about 4-5 times (Platinum trophy).. And I liked it less and less through each playthrough. And it has everything to do with how the story is presented. And the story is that there is no story until you reach the Prison. Everything up until that point is entirely pointless (except for the two "help or don't help" choices in the first 30 mins of the game they more less determine if you get a good or bad ending).

I'm going to put this all in spoilers:

Spoiler

probably the worst thing you can do is make the most confusing/stupid ending, completely available on a first playthrough. In Homecoming, my first playthrough ended with the UFO Ending, which is ridiculous. This time, my ending was the "It was all a dream, none of it happened, and Murphy wasn't even the main character, the chick was." And that ending completely makes her story and motivations through the other "endings" make absolutely NO SENSE. The whole game is about getting Murphy to atone for his crimes, but in the best ending, it is revealed that Murphy's worst crime is stealing a cop car for 10hrs just so he can go to prison. He didn't kill Nader, he didn't kill his son, he didn't the cop, and he didn't kill or beat up the prison guard.

Downpour's story is ludicrously convoluted and retarded.

Spoiler

I got the UFO ending when I played Homecoming too, icing on the crap cake that was Homecoming.

I didn't like how it changed what Murphy did, he should have killed the guy who killed his son no matter what. Really have to question why he's there. If it's meant to be the town punishing him like James from Silent Hill 2, then what is it punishing him for in the best ending?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Okay so I've been playing a little bit more, and I guess I've gotten past the monsters thing. I mean the screaming women still scream and jump on your back and being hurt slows you down, but I've gotten to ignoring any/all combat with monsters.

And I spend my time running around, bored out of my mind. There's nothing engaging here! I found a basement, unlocked a door by destroying a TV(obviously), found a pistol in a arm-chair and fought off a laughing shadow woman and...

and nothing. It just kinda' stopped right when I was getting interested! Who was she? What's with the gun? and the "Missing Child" thing on the milk gallon, and the mannequin with the wig?!

What/Why?!

I want to be entertained and creeped out and...

and I'm bored.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Okay so I've been playing a little bit more, and I guess I've gotten past the monsters thing. I mean the screaming women still scream and jump on your back and being hurt slows you down, but I've gotten to ignoring any/all combat with monsters.

And I spend my time running around, bored out of my mind. There's nothing engaging here! I found a basement, unlocked a door by destroying a TV(obviously), found a pistol in a arm-chair and fought off a laughing shadow woman and...

and nothing. It just kinda' stopped right when I was getting interested! Who was she? What's with the gun? and the "Missing Child" thing on the milk gallon, and the mannequin with the wig?!

What/Why?!

I want to be entertained and creeped out and...

and I'm bored.

What you found is a Doll. They are a type of monster, and are rather troublesome. They don't attack, but instead send out their shadows again and again. To beat them, you need to attack their physical body (the mannequin), which doesn't move. They are both really easy and really tough. That is supposed to be the first time you face one.

Next, the gun is just bait to lure you in. "Oh, weapon!" Surprise attack, new enemy. I can't remember the if there's anything special about the milk cartoon though, but I think there's a safe or something else in that room after you kill the doll. You might have to come back to it later though.

EDIT: And I realized something last night just before I fell asleep. The milk carton missing child notice does indeed have something to do with the story. However, explaining it will spoil the story. If you really want to know, I'll tell you.