Silent Hill: Downpour Dev Calls Alan Wake Comparisons "Odd"

[Logan Westbrook]

Silent Hill: Downpour Dev Calls Alan Wake Comparisons "Odd"

Downpour's producer says that it is actually much more varied than Alan Wake, as people will soon realize.

Following the release of a new batch of screenshots, a number of people - myself included [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109330-New-Silent-Hill-is-a-Dead-Ringer-for-Alan-Wake] - noted how much Silent Hill: Downpour [http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-Downpour-Xbox-360/dp/B003O6G47U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1303391654&sr=8-2] looked like Remedy's Alan Wake. Vatra Games, the studio behind Downpour, has now responded to those comparisons, saying that they're not really fair and more than a little odd.

Producer Devin Shatsky said that he didn't blame people for making the comparisons, adding that they only had the screenshots to go on at the moment. He was bemused by them though, as he thought that Alan Wake has clearly taken inspiration from the Silent Hill series in terms of how it looked and felt. He was confident that any comparisons would go away once people saw more of the game however, as Downpour contained a much wider variety of environments than Alan Wake had.

To be fair to Vatra, there have been plenty of other Downpour screenshots that have been much more in keeping with the Silent Hill franchise. What's more, what we know about the gameplay makes it clear that the two games have very little in common. It doesn't appear for a second that Vatra is really copying Alan Wake, it's just that at least one section of Downpour looks a great deal like it.

Silent Hill: Downpour comes out for PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

Source: Hell Descent [http://helldescent.com/2011/04/18/devin-shatsky-on-downpours-alan-wake-comparison/]



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[ace_of_something]

They're just both using the same tropes lost woods creepy forest.

 

[Ghengis John]

I dunno f anyone made a big deal of it or was sore either way but, as an asides what's wrong with being like Alan Wake? I liked Alan Wake.

 

[uguito-93]

I dunno f anyone made a big deal of it or was sore either way but, as an asides what's wrong with being like Alan Wake? I liked Alan Wake.

nothing wrong with it at all, it was a good game, its just that its strange that a silent hill is being called similar to Alan Wake when in retrospect it should be the other way around, that and the fact that they will most certainly be completely different, at least gameplay wise.

 

[Chewy2nd]

In a further post on HD's forums he mentioned that he took the comparisons as a compliment, great article

and he's right, the enviroment's are more varied, this screenshot below looks the most Silent Hill-esque one since Silent Hill 4

 

[Bobbity]

SIlent Hill: Downpour?! What's next, Silent Hill: Light Shower? Subtitles about the weather are somewhat uncreative.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I never thought Alan Wake ever really felt like Silent Hill where it's environments were concerned, it certainly went about the "horror" aspect more like Silent Hill (tension over jump scares) but I never really felt like I was in a Silent Hill-esque landscape, the Pacfic North-West setting felt more original.

Either way if there is any comparison between the two then that can't be a bad thing.

I'm surprised Vatra felt they needed to respond to this at all, after all we've only seen screens so far and they DO look like AW in places. This must mean that Vatra are really listening to what we're saying, which can only be good for long time Silent Hill fans such as myself.

So Vatra, if you're reading this, DON'T acknowledge the SH movie in this game. PLEASE don't link the two together, just look what that did for Homecoming. That is all.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

it looks pretty Alan Wake-y (though admittedly Alan Wake wasn't a very good game, so maybe this comparison isn't exactly a good one)

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

He was bemused by them though, as he thought that Alan Wake has clearly taken inspiration from the Silent Hill series in terms of how it looked and felt.

Because "Evil intangible darkness in the middle of nowhere in which you must fight to stay alive while solving the mystery of WTF IS GOING ON!?" was totally started by silent hill, and Alan Wake is SOOOO taking inspiration from just because it's a mystery/thriller set in the middle of no-where with a creepy, intangible darkness....

Seriously? You're use THAT card? Just say you believe the game will be more diverse, don't claim it took inspiration from you unless you KNOW it has because you could CLEARLY be wrong.

All I read from that entire sentance was "Silent Hill is creepy and and dark, and Alan Wake is creepy and dark, so we clearly inspired them"

 

[dibblywibbles]

Alan Wake was a good game(you can hate all you want but it was fun and creepy and stephen king like). Silent hill was entertaining but I haven't played one since silent hill 3. who cares if there's a cottage near a lake or in the mountains...what makes for better creepy atmosphere? I don't know about you but wooded forests and creepy cabins always make for a good setting for spookiness! don't forget abandoned warehouses and lumber yards too. even abandoned schools and the DMV(they let you take the eye test until you pass even if you are blind!) add to spooky locales

 

[Woodsey]

They do look very similar - the lighting in particular (especially in that shot) is very reminiscent of Alan Wake.

As for Alan Wake taking inspiration for Silent Hill in that department, I don't really see it. Silent Hill is far more grungy.

 

[Dora]

I swear, fans can be the weirdest. "Oh my God! This game has a forested area! THAT OTHER GAME HAS A FORESTED AREA! What a rip-off! Guess I'll form an opinion based on two staged images and let the elitism commence!"

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I never thought Alan Wake ever really felt like Silent Hill where it's environments were concerned, it certainly went about the "horror" aspect more like Silent Hill (tension over jump scares) but I never really felt like I was in a Silent Hill-esque landscape, the Pacfic North-West setting felt more original.

Either way if there is any comparison between the two then that can't be a bad thing.

I'm surprised Vatra felt they needed to respond to this at all, after all we've only seen screens so far and they DO look like AW in places. This must mean that Vatra are really listening to what we're saying, which can only be good for long time Silent Hill fans such as myself.

So Vatra, if you're reading this, DON'T acknowledge the SH movie in this game. PLEASE don't link the two together, just look what that did for Homecoming. That is all.

I'm with you on both accounts. I thought it was strange that they felt the need to comment on that. And I hope to GOD that they don't do what Homecoming did, that game left a bad taste in my mouth.

OT: I thought the comparison was not only weird but unfair. I mean, yeah in places they do LOOK alike, but I think that's where the comparisons end. It would appear that they are listening to the fans, but I'm hoping they don't go down the road of Origins and make it a fan game.

 

[Chewy2nd]

Devin only responded because he was asked for a response

 

[AgentNein]

SIlent Hill: Downpour?! What's next, Silent Hill: Light Shower? Subtitles about the weather are somewhat uncreative.

At least it's not "Silent Hill Revelations", or fuckin'...wait. Revelation is the title of the new movie isn't it? Groan. That honestly wasn't intended as a joke. Just stream of thought. God damnit. Such a stupid title.

 

[Bobbity]

SIlent Hill: Downpour?! What's next, Silent Hill: Light Shower? Subtitles about the weather are somewhat uncreative.

At least it's not "Silent Hill Revelations", or fuckin'...wait. Revelation is the title of the new movie isn't it? Groan. That honestly wasn't intended as a joke. Just stream of thought. God damnit. Such a stupid title.

At least it's not just these guys that are doing it.

Wait, that's not a good thing. :S