Konami Offers Exchanges on 360 Silent Hill HD Collection

[The Wooster]

Konami Offers Exchanges on 360 Silent Hill HD Collection

Konami won't patch the 360 version of Silent Hill HD Collection, but it will let you trade it for a different game.

So, the 360 release of Silent Hill HD Collection is broken and Konami isn't going to fix it. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.384493-No-Patch-for-360-Silent-Hill-HD-Collection] The company isn't offering any refunds, but it will allow affected users to exchange their copies for another title. Another Konami title, just to be clear.

The offer is only available to North or South American customers who bought the Xbox 360 version of the game before August 8th, 2012. You'll need to contact the company's customer service department and request an exchange in writing before October 7th. The exchanges are subject to availability.

Silent Hill HD Collection was launched earlier this year and was met with a decidedly mixed response from critics, largely due to the game's poor framerate, out-of-sync voice work and numerous graphical issues. While the PS3 version has since been patched, Konami decided not to offer the same service to 360 owners, citing "technical issues and resources." Konami insists that the reported issues are only being encountered by a minority of users. It also confirmed that the patch for Silent Hill: Downpour is still in development for both the 360 and PS3 releases.

Source: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=460984113922652&set=a.112260008795066.12170.112170395470694&type=1]



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[RvLeshrac]

Well that's way more than I expected them to do. Now all those people should turn it in for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, the one Konami gave a shit about.

Yeah, that'll show them, they release a piece of shit and don't actually lose anything.

 

[Easton Dark]

Stand up guys. Other companies would tell people to suck it up.

Sad that that's my perception of most game companies.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

Stand up guys. Other companies would tell people to suck it up.

Sad that that's my perception of most game companies.

To be fair, a company that actually cared would actually try to put out a patch rather than shrugging and going "can't be done". Or y'know, put it out in a decent working condition in the first place.

That said, the line "The exchanges are subject to availability." kind of gives me the suspicion that by "pure coincidence" the only games they'll have in stock for exchanges will be less popular titles or games that have been out for two years or longer. Just so that you'll still have to buy the MGS HD collection or the latest Pro Evolution Soccer anyway.

Also, way to leave European customers out in the cold. (And the ten Japanese people who bought a 360)

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

WHAT? A full scale product recall and exchange is cheaper than making a patch?

what is wrong with this world?

 

[Evil Smurf]

how scary to live in a world where devs are too lazy to make patches for games

 

[Easton Dark]

Snip

Words in my mouth. No, I wouldn't think releasing a half-finished game for full price would make them stand up guys if they give you another game in return.

And I'm not supporting this behavior. But I'm not affected, and they could have done much worse.

 

[Vrex360]

What's the actual problem with it? I own the Silent Hill HD and have played some of the 'original voices' (which I think is just the original version of the game) Silent Hill 2 and so far it seems to be just fine.
I think to understand the issue I need to know what the problem is and so far reading these articles they haven't explained. Let me tell you if it turns out I'm playing a broken incorrect version of SH2 I won't be a happy Vrex.

That said if I as an Xbox player with no PS2 want to play Silent Hill 2 I kind of need to get this HD collection, it's pretty poor sport to then let it break and not bother to fix it.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Snip

Words in my mouth. No, I wouldn't think releasing a half-finished game for full price would make them stand up guys if they give you another game in return.

That's pretty much what they are doing here. The Silent Hill: HD Collection is bugged like crazy. Not game-breaking bugs, but it has frame rate drops, graphical glitches, sound loops, audio glitches, and reduced transparency of fog, glass, and other particles.

Why does it have these issues? Because the code they were using was from an unfinished version of the games [http://www.1up.com/features/the-problem-with-preservation?pager.offset=1]. But rather than properly finish the code, they pushed the game out, and then refused to patch it on the 360, and now are saying that they will take the broken copies in exchange for a different game. What game? Who knows, that's up to Konami.

 

[Easton Dark]

Snip

Words in my mouth. No, I wouldn't think releasing a half-finished game for full price would make them stand up guys if they give you another game in return.

That's pretty much what they are doing here. The Silent Hill: HD Collection is bugged like crazy. Not game-breaking bugs, but it has frame rate drops, graphical glitches, sound loops, audio glitches, and reduced transparency of fog, glass, and other particles.

Why does it have these issues? Because the code they were using was from an unfinished version of the games [http://www.1up.com/features/the-problem-with-preservation?pager.offset=1]. But rather than properly finish the code, they pushed the game out, and then refused to patch it on the 360, and now are saying that they will take the broken copies in exchange for a different game. What game? Who knows, that's up to Konami.

Aw god, really? I was thinking unfinished as in missing the second act completely or something, not buggy, but... I look like a dick now, huh.

 

[antman890]

its when i hear about things like this that i wish the death penalty for stupidity was legal.

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

Why is this easier or more effective than them just patching the damn game? I honestly don't get their strategy here at all.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

What's the actual problem with it? I own the Silent Hill HD and have played some of the 'original voices' (which I think is just the original version of the game) Silent Hill 2 and so far it seems to be just fine.
I think to understand the issue I need to know what the problem is and so far reading these articles they haven't explained. Let me tell you if it turns out I'm playing a broken incorrect version of SH2 I won't be a happy Vrex.

That said if I as an Xbox player with no PS2 want to play Silent Hill 2 I kind of need to get this HD collection, it's pretty poor sport to then let it break and not bother to fix it.

Believe me when I say that you are so much better off tracking down either a refurbished PS2 and both Silent Hill games or just getting them on the PC. The voice issues are a small part of a mountain of problems with the re-release on both platforms, and a lot of them aren't just visual or audio issues too. A lot of them happen to be gameplay-related, rendering both HD ports glitchy and virtually unplayable.

I don't care that Konami is offering an exchange program for the Xbox 360 version, that really doesn't change the fact that Konami knowingly shipped a broken HD re-release of two games from eight-nine years ago. But cancelling it due to "technical issues and resources" only to offer an exchange program the following day smacks of incompetence, laziness, and hypocrisy.

There is no excusing laziness on the part of a shitty developer and publisher that doesn't know what the fuck it's doing, especially when you consider that this HD re-release was Konami's chance to bring two of (arguably) the best games ever made to a brand new audience and that they FAILED to do so.

I'll give them credit by saying that other companies would've said "Eh, tough luck" if the same thing happened, but that's really just damning with faint praise at this point.

 

[antman890]

its when i hear about things like this that i wish the death penalty for stupidity was legal.

You'd probably be the first to go then, eh?

OT: The inner machinations of their minds are an enigma. Surely patching it would be the easier route to take?

unfortunately pompus ass wipes like urself don't seem to understand that companys dont care which way is easier for customers, just the cash in their customers pockets. if costomers don't get out the dosh why do anything? instead make customers do the work to fix company mistakes. its pretty pathetic business model but what can you do?

I think that you don't make any actual sense. First you say that you want the government to kill/murder "stupid people", and now you're railing against shitty business practices.

my original point is that this type of business practice is bad, retarding and stupid and whoever came up with it is stupid, and therefore should be shot and their family should pay for the bullet. it might be business savy to save a few buck but its stupid to alienate ur customer base no matter what business ur in and thats exactly what they're doing.

understand????????????

 

[Roofstone]

Well that's way more than I expected them to do. Now all those people should turn it in for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, the one Konami gave a shit about.

Agreed, it is a splendid collection!

 

[Ickorus]

"technical issues and resources." likely meaning "Microsoft won't let us do it unless we force you to pay for it."

 

[Britisheagle]

If other devs can afford to patch their games, even those who are less well established than Konami, then surely they could afford to fix this one. Especially as these are their loyal customers who purchased it.

Shocking.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Now this may just be because I hadn't played it when either came out originally, but the only problem I've noticed is the the chainsaw sound.

Although if it is as bad as people are saying it is, then it confuses me how the same company could fuck up one HD collection (Silent Hill, apparently) and then make one that is excellent (Metal Gear Solid)

 

[antman890]

These bastards should be fined to hell for bullshit like this. I absolutely hate how the software industries get special treatment by the law. Makes me sick.

i hear you. its all because of intelectual property laws. i don't think that it will change in the next 30 years. i used to think that it customers of products with strong intelectual property ties (i.e. gamers, music lovers, etc.) tried to petion for a change in favour of customers, something postive might happen but now i think their just gonna keep going until the act of looking at a game means the company owns your soul. lol

 

[antman890]

These bastards should be fined to hell for bullshit like this. I absolutely hate how the software industries get special treatment by the law. Makes me sick.

i hear you. its all because of intelectual property laws. i don't think that it will change in the next 30 years. i used to think that it customers of products with strong intelectual property ties (i.e. gamers, music lovers, etc.) tried to petion for a change in favour of customers, something postive might happen but now i think their just gonna keep going until the act of looking at a game means the company owns your soul. lol

There's still hope. When our generation gets in governing positions, there will finally be people who actually know what the fuck they're talking about in a position to fix things. The retards today are all like "wuts firefox? Is it like irnternets xploder? People us it to steal shit?! OH NO! THEFT IS WRONG! GOTTA BAN EVERYTHIGN!"

As evidences by all the SOPA/CISPA/ACTA/whatever the latest version is named-circus.

true that once technology fluent generations come into power there will be more ability to stop this silliness but what would stop influential companies from fighting tooth and nail to protect "their" intelectual rights? they've got the money to hire hoards of lawyers to defend their rights as money hungry useless middle men and their right to control everything even though they have created nothing (execpt a confusing and dodgey system of keeping everything for themselves).