[No_Style]

Weeks after it debuted at the top of the Japanese charts, Silent Hill 4: The Room is poised to scare American gamers senseless. Konami announced this morning that the game has shipped for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. Rated "M" for Mature, the self-developed sequel retails for $39.99; the PC version will ship on a DVD-ROM.

Like its predecessors, Silent Hill 4 puts its emphasis on spooky atmosphere. The game follows an all-new protagonist, Henry Townshend, as he awakes to find his apartment sealed by otherworldly forces. To escape, he must venture through an inter-dimensional portal. On the other side, though, await a series of undead beasts and evil specters, whom he must defeat while unlocking the secrets to open his apartment. The game itself will shift from first- to third-person view, depending on the situation.

For now, GameSpot's previous coverage has more information on Silent Hill 4, with a full review coming soon.
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Source: Gamespot

[No_Style]

Konami knows how to work it Giving PC version of the game as well. I hope it's as good as SH3

[MIG-31]

very much liked sh 1 on the psx......never got to play any of the sequals...have these games improved or simply more of the same.

[No_Style]

SH2 wasn't so good.. SH3 simply rocked. I never played SH. Heh, kinda like me and the RE series, played RE: Code Veronica, RE2, RE3, but never RE.

I'm giddy for this game

[snake]

I'm a big fan since the first one

I can't wait to try this new nightmare

[Dark Lord]

should be good, cant wait for this weekend to go and rent it.

[BWX]

I've played them all, more than a few times. I like all of them too- Back before my PC gaming days, those games were the sh.... Those and MGS, GT, GT2- Played all of the PS1 RE games and one of the PS2 ones- can't remember the name.. Anyways those were all pretty good too (for console games)

[mainman]

Well played all RE games so far the only one i havent played is RE1 remake and RE 0. About Silent Hill i have SH2 for the Xbox, i love survival horror games, cant wait for this one.

[Dom]

It's out, already?

[No_Style]

It's out in Japan. But now the N.A. version is shipping

[Dark Lord]

Originally Posted by BWX

... all of the PS2 RE games and one of the PS3 ones- ... (for console games)

so..... how is that PS3? and where the hell can i get one?

[No_Style]

Silent Hill is a town where pure evil permeates the air and the soil and eventually consumes the people. It's a soothing vacation spot that masks demon-worshipping cults and dark purpose. Each of the previous titles in the Silent Hill series of horror games has either outright taken place in the titular small town or has gradually been pulled there through some terrible inertia. Silent Hill 4: The Room breaks this trend, because it takes place in the neighboring city of South Ashfield and centers mainly on an ill-fated apartment building, a cursed apartment, and the man who lives in it. That's not the only series tenet the game breaks. Silent Hill 4 pairs third-person and new first-person gameplay with an emphasis on combat and item management. The resultant hybrid has some flaws, but The Room retains the dark, disturbing soul that is the unsettling center of the Silent Hill experience.
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Read More/Source: GameSpot

[Rayder]

Since I have and enjoyed the first 3 SH games(the SH1 that I have is an 'install-and-run' Playstation emulation for the PC made by some peeps that wanted SH1 for PC), I'll be getting this one. I just hope the change in gameplay doesn't screw up the experience for me.....I really don't like FPS games, I hope it doesn't degenerate into that.

[Rayder]

Originally Posted by No_Style

SH2 wasn't so good.. SH3 simply rocked. I never played SH. Heh, kinda like me and the RE series, played RE: Code Veronica, RE2, RE3, but never RE.

I'm giddy for this game

Really? I thought SH2 was the best. I don't know, maybe I've just been desensitised to the genre or something, but SH3 just didn't give me that creepy feeling the SH2 did. Don't get me wrong, I liked the game, but thought SH2 was the best of the bunch so far.

I have all 3 older ones for PC (yes, a PC version sorta kinda exists, PS emulator thingy...)

I really hope this game is good, I'm gonna go out and get it if it's in stores today.

.....hmmm......you know.....I played SH3 (and both previous ones) when I had an 8500.....now I have this 9800....hmmmm......I may just have to have myself a Silent Hill marathon soon.

The fact that they added an FPS mode worries me. I don't really care for FPS games and preferred the 3rd person view and control scheme. I hope it doesn't destroy the overall 'feeling' of the Silent Hill.

[clicker666]

I couldn't stand the camera in Silent Hill 3. In fact, I hated it so much, I stopped playing. Hopefully the first person will give you better control over combat, which IMHO, was the only thing I didn't like.

[No_Style]

SH2 was retarded in my opinion. There were so many times that I questioned the game, that I threw me out of the game. SH2 was also bad for the camera as well, but number 3... oh Number 3 was well polished. I liked it a lot more than SH2. I didn't question the game, I just sat back and enjoyed it

[BWX]

Originally Posted by another-user

so..... how is that PS3? and where the hell can i get one?

Oh I meant PS1 and PS2- I fixed it-

[Rayder]

I got SH4 today. 3+ gigs to install from the DVD. Only the beginning...where you are in your room, is first person, the rest is third person. The game has some nice graphics and runs great on my rig at 1280x960 with everything slammed. Seems a bit tougher than previous SH's because you have multiple enemies attacking you from all directions.

Other than when you are in your room, the game plays just about like the previous SH's, bad camera angles and all. The camera is REALLY annoying as enemies will comes up behind you while you're fighting someone in front of you and you won't even know it. You can't adjust the camera angle other than to snap the camera to directly behind you.....except when it decides to use a fixed camera....AAAARRRGGGG!!!!

It works fine with a game controller, but the analog sticks don't function in analog mode...you just push them in a direction until it suddenly causes movement. No push a little to walk and alot to run, you have to push a button to run.

Another annoyance is the inventory.....you can only carry a very limited amount of stuff before you have to drop it in a box in "the room". (even bullets take up seperate slots as opposed to just combining into one slot. You can only save in "the room" too.
These two things are probably the MOST annoying aspects of the game as you may need an item that's all the way back in "the room" or you may be getting your butt kicked and have to restart from a save that is MILES back from where you were.

Since I just got the game today, I haven't played too much into it yet, heck, I barely got out of "the room" at this point. (and already got my arse killed) So I can't really comment on the game itself, but this is what I've noticed so far.

You can find many reviews on the net about the game to learn of it's annoyances and quirks.

All in all, I'd say they kept the "feel" of SH pretty well intact, as far as I can tell at this point. I think the few 'annoyances' were put there intentionally to make the game seem longer or more difficult or something.

My guess is that if you hated the previous SH games, you won't like this one either. On the other hand, if you DID like the previous ones, you'll like this one just fine. It's pretty much the same thing as before, with a few new surprises.

[No_Style]

Nice overview, Rayder, thanks! You basically summed up the GameSpot review and their feelings about that game.

[BMG_Cya=-]

I played one of the console versions, can't remember the console
or the version, but...remember I didn't care for it that much.
Reminded me, not gameplay wise so much, but in graphics and
style of Nightmare Creatures.

Thought that Nightmare Creatures, 1 & 2 was better done.

Still, hopefully alot of people will buy this, as there are just not
enough 3rd person action/advent games being made right now.

[No_Style]

Initial Impressions:

Configuring the game was easy enough. I really liked how Konami allowed me to assign every single button and stick on my Gamecube controller. Absolutely FANTASTIC!

The game runs great at 1280 x 960, like Rayder mentioned Options were nicely laid out like previous SH games for the PC. Consistency is a very good thing here.

The game starts out very nicely by laying out the situation Henry is in. The controls are like in any SH or RE game.. If you can't adapt to it, then the game would be horrible, but I adapted to that control scheme since the days of playing RE. The whole person thing isn't all that necessary, but I guess they developers wanted to immerse the player into the room Henry was in by doing this..

Soundtrack usage is pretty good so far. I recognize Room of Angel which is a very good song..

After playing forty minutes of it I can already complain about some issues.

1) SH3 had seamless transitions. This game doesn't. I'm walking a long and then out of nowhere the screen goes black and then shows me the same hall way I was in but at a different angle. Yes, the angle helps me see better, but they should have did the whole angle transition thing by just moving the camera. I'm guessing they did this to load the rest of the level..

2) There's no switch target command or at least I can't find one. That makes the game more difficult to manage multiple enemies. It's not absolutely necessary though since you can pretty much lure them towards you in a single line..

3) Henry's lack of emotion or panic is starting to make me question the game.. like I did with SH2. I hope that doesn't happen...

[classic_leon]

I have Silent Hill 4 on playstation2. it is good game.
I have been waiting for MGS3.it is the best i want.

[classic_leon]

unfortunately, Capcom game, Biohazard4 won't be released on pc, i really don't wanna buy NGC.

[Regs]

Anybody notice that this game does not work wit 6800 series graphic cards? Im happy I just bought a game I cant play.

[Dark Lord]

Originally Posted by classic_leon

unfortunately, Capcom game, Biohazard4 won't be released on pc, i really don't wanna buy NGC.

and thats one of the main reasons i got my self a GC for xmas last year. that, and for the RE remake which is absolutly amazing. and for metroid. now im just waiting for RE4, metroid 2, and the new zelda.