Monday 12 March 2012

Silent Hill Downpour Review


This review will contain minor spoilers

I have played many Silent Hill games over the years with Silent Hill 2 being my favourite of all time but lately i feel the series has not been what it once was the made some good games but nothing close to the calibre of Silent Hill 2. After playing Silent Hill Downpour for a few hours I can say its not on the same level as Silent Hill 2 but lets see if this game can at least hold up as a good game in general.

Before getting into the game you have the option to choose how hard you would like the game to be and not just that you can choose how hard the puzzles are as well. The story for this Silent Hill is about Murphy Pendleton who is new to the Silent Hill universe. The bus that Murphy is on is sending him to a new prison but during the drive their the bus crashes which kills many of the people on the bus.The bus that crashed ended up crashing in Silent Hill. Before all that happens though you start the game in the first prison
and acts as a tutorial to the main game you will learn the basics like melee attacks and other things.


When i first started playing Downpour I thought the graphics were not the best but I don't care much for great graphics but to people who are reading this review who like amazing graphics then you will be disappointed. Once you get off the crashed bus you will be introduced into some of the gameplay features that you will come across throughout the game one of the first you will see is having the option to save or kill someone. These options most of time do not effect the story much and end up being pointless it could have been an awesome feature if it completely changes the story making a second playthrough worth it.

Now onto the combat system you will find yourself mostly using melee combat against enemies as guns/ammo are not a common find in Silent Hill Downpour. You can find all kinds of weapons to use to fight off enemies it can be things like a Wrench, a stick or even bricks/rocks. These weapons are not only used for fighting but they can also be used for other things like being able to crack the lock from a door. I liked the addition of using weapons to not only fight but to advance through the map. Melee combat for me is very hit and miss I do like that sometimes you will find yourself asking should i fight this or should i run? But the combat its self isn't good at all.


One of my favourite parts of the game is the "Otherworld" parts. These parts of the game are very intense as you have to run away from this glowing red light that will drain your life if it gets too near to Murphy. You have to act quick and turn in the right directions, getting the right direction will take time and you will find yourself retrying these parts a few times  before getting it right. The "Otherworld" sequences are easily the high points of Downpour. As you progress through the game you will start to learn more about the main character Murphy and his past again no spoilers but keep playing to find out bits and pieces about the characters past. For me Murphy is a welcomed addition to the Silent Hill universe I can't really say anything bad Murphy.

I ended up finishing the game in about 7 hours which is kind of short but this is without doing many side missions. Doing these side mission will boost your end time into the 10 hour zone which isn't bad. I unfortunately had some pretty bad  bugs/glitches when playing Downpour like freezing which will range from short 2 second freezes to flat out freezing and not coming back on. There was also some other minor bugs that most will not even get.

The Final Verdict

Silent Hill Downpour is the closest return to the Silent Hill roots in years by adding old elements and new elements to make a completely new but familiar Silent Hill adventure. There was some real down points for me though like the pretty bad Melee combat to the choices in the game meaning pretty much nothing. But then there is things like the amazing Otherworld sequences that pushes the score up some more. This game is a must for Silent Hill fans and I would even recommend it to people who like the horror genre of games. Silent Hill Downpour for me is a good game that has some big faults and missed opportunities but i would say give it a try for sure.

+ Otherworld sequences
+ Interesting main character

- Bad melee combat system
- Graphics are not the best

Final Score

7/10

2 comments:

  1. Great review, a good read. I'm gutted that this turned out the way it did. Shame but at least we have sh2 and 3 coming out soon in hd which will be awesome.

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  2. Thanks for the comment.

    Don't be gutted about it. Its still a good game that you should defiantly play if you are a SH fan.

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