• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Silent Hill: The Short Message | Review Thread

Doom85

Member
I thought we already agreed that the events of Silent Hill are not exclusive to Silent Hill, did people forget SH4 and 3 for that matter

True, but:

1) all the events of 3 and 4 are still within the US, in fact they might not even be that far from Silent Hill
2) SH 3 doesn’t really count in terms of that as Heather is a unique case compared to most SH protagonists

Technically, Homecoming did it too, but a lot of us would prefer to forget Homecoming.

But yeah, I dunno how I feel about the town being able to influence anyone ANYWHERE in the entire world. Starting to feel a bit too much at that point. Same shit with the American Ju-On/The Grudge sequels where the ghosts follow the protagonists to the US and can just kill whoever they please. Given the whole deal prior was you were safe as long as you didn’t enter that one house in Japan, it just felt off brand to have the ghosts now being able to do whatever they want basically.
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I thought we already agreed that the events of Silent Hill are not exclusive to Silent Hill, did people forget SH4 and 3 for that matter
4 had that photo of Silent Hill in his apartment. He’s at least aware of the town. In 3 you play the daughter of the main character of 1. I don’t quite get The Short Message’s connection unless I missed something. I did see a sign that could be thought of as a Welcome sign for the town.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TGO

RhyDin

Member
I bought a PS5 to play FF7 Rebirth this month. Silent Hill The Short Message was the first game I played. The bad black levels during the FMV showing blocky artifacts and bad compression, the stuttering during transition scenes, the goofy player model of the antagonist with her hair clipping through the frame of her glasses. I have to say that this game reaffirmed my belief that the PS5 has so little to offer on a technical level.
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I bought a PS5 to play FF7 Rebirth this month. Silent Hill The Short Message was the first game I played. The bad black levels during the FMV showing blocky artifacts and bad compression, the stuttering during transition scenes, the goofy player model of the antagonist with her hair clipping through the frame of her glasses. I have to say that this game reaffirmed my belief that the PS5 has so little to offer on a technical level.
Just you wait.
 

Eiknarf

Banned
I bought a PS5 to play FF7 Rebirth this month. Silent Hill The Short Message was the first game I played. The bad black levels during the FMV showing blocky artifacts and bad compression, the stuttering during transition scenes, the goofy player model of the antagonist with her hair clipping through the frame of her glasses. I have to say that this game reaffirmed my belief that the PS5 has so little to offer on a technical level.
Wait
Is that the fault of the console or the Silent Hill game developer
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I bought a PS5 to play FF7 Rebirth this month. Silent Hill The Short Message was the first game I played. The bad black levels during the FMV showing blocky artifacts and bad compression, the stuttering during transition scenes, the goofy player model of the antagonist with her hair clipping through the frame of her glasses. I have to say that this game reaffirmed my belief that the PS5 has so little to offer on a technical level.
You brought a PS5 and downloaded a free game a developer made as a development exercise prototype and decided to tell people the PS5 has little to offer......
161383.gif
 
I honestly didn't know what to expect with current Konami, but decided to give it a shot. What a mistake. This has to be one of the worst iterations of a loved franchise in history. It might be on the level of Metroid Prime: Federation Force. I didn't finish it either, and I'm fine with that. Free download or not, the tonality is deafeningly stupid.

We went from a dude with a literal pyramid on his head trying to kill you with a fan blade, beating infant undead kids with a crowbar and trying to live with that, and being cast into literal hell with reality peeling away at the seams, to.....not getting enough likes on social media? What?

P.T. really was the last great Silent Hill.
 

Tarnpanzer

Member
Played through this yesterday and somewhat liked it.

I actually don´t see a reason to shit on a free 2h game by giving it bad reviews.
 

StueyDuck

Member
Played through this yesterday and somewhat liked it.

I actually don´t see a reason to shit on a free 2h game by giving it bad reviews.
Yeah it's not great but you could absolutely see the skeleton of a decent game in it.

If Konami greenlit a full title, tightened up the story and horror elements with less chase sequences and more to the world in general it could easily be a decent full game.
 

StueyDuck

Member
I bought a PS5 to play FF7 Rebirth this month. Silent Hill The Short Message was the first game I played. The bad black levels during the FMV showing blocky artifacts and bad compression, the stuttering during transition scenes, the goofy player model of the antagonist with her hair clipping through the frame of her glasses. I have to say that this game reaffirmed my belief that the PS5 has so little to offer on a technical level.
Did console wars write this?
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Modern Konami’s one of the worst publishers in the industry. How this name can still carry weight with anyone is baffling.
 

Bojji

Member
For such small environments game has bad performance, constantly going out that small VRR window ps5 has:

7hzWLo4.jpg
 
Last edited:

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.


adamsapple adamsapple can do a better job but for now..

- Unreal Engine ( Doesn't specify which version I'm assuming UE4 )
- Native 4k with an uncapped framerate (goes from 60fps in most scenes right down to 25fps)
- Cutscenes & Chase sequences have the biggest drops
- FMV's are 30fps with frame pace issues
- Cherry Blossom Monster has missing frames by design

Game is highly detailed and Tom seems impressed by it but the framerate is a problem
doesn't know why they pushed for a native 4k60fps with UE when the game has as much detail, thinks they should have went with a dynamic solution and maybe capped the framerate
 
Last edited:

Bojji

Member


adamsapple adamsapple can do a better job but for now..

- Unreal Engine ( Doesn't specify which version I'm assuming UE4 )
- Native 4k with an uncapped framerate (goes from 60fps in most scenes right down to 25fps)
- Cutscenes & Chase sequences have the biggest drops
- FMV's are 30fps with frame pace issues
- Cherry Blossom Monster has missing frames by design

Game is highly detailed and Tom seems impressed by it but the framerate is a problem
doesn't know why they pushed for 4k60fps with UE when the game has as much detail, thinks they shouldn't have went with a dynamic solution and maybe capped the framerate


Dynamic res would fix it, or just drop the whole thing to 1440p if for some reason dynamic res is not available. Or... just give players options, 1440p 60 mode (that would be almost locked) and 4k30.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?


adamsapple adamsapple can do a better job but for now..

- Unreal Engine ( Doesn't specify which version I'm assuming UE4 )
- Native 4k with an uncapped framerate (goes from 60fps in most scenes right down to 25fps)
- Cutscenes & Chase sequences have the biggest drops
- FMV's are 30fps with frame pace issues
- Cherry Blossom Monster has missing frames by design

Game is highly detailed and Tom seems impressed by it but the framerate is a problem
doesn't know why they pushed for a native 4k60fps with UE when the game has as much detail, thinks they should have went with a dynamic solution and maybe capped the framerate



It's about as good as I would have done, played this when it came out and it performs like shiiiiiiiiit.
 
Last edited:

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Dynamic res would fix it, or just drop the whole thing to 1440p if for some reason dynamic res is not available. Or... just give players options, 1440p 60 mode (that would be almost locked) and 4k30.
I think the very nature of the project is probably why they didn't and why it is the way it is
This is a free slice of their work, a full production retail release would probably have more polish and options for Quality & Performance.
Same with the everything else, they wasn't gonna earn from this so they obviously didn't go all out on most stuff like voice actors and everything which would increase the budget more then it needs to be for such a project.
That's what makes it very hard judge and a bit ignorant to be harsh against some of those things.
 

engstra

Member
Thought it was pretty good for what it is. Think the setting is interesting and the environments are nice.

Someone care to explain what this has to do with Silent Hill though? There's that one article you can find mentioning the Silent Hill effect but that can't be it right?
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
Thought it was pretty good for what it is. Think the setting is interesting and the environments are nice.

Someone care to explain what this has to do with Silent Hill though? There's that one article you can find mentioning the Silent Hill effect but that can't be it right?
What’s weird is the sign that looks like it says Silent Hill doesn’t say Silent Hill. Nothing sticks out at all.
 
I think it would have been better recieved if it used all the motifs of the original series, but now konami make have any weird bizarre horror game made and say its a silent hill
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom