Silent Hill is one of the scariest game franchises out there, and has been since Silent Hill came out for the original PlayStation back in 1999. Silent Hill: Downpour is the eighth instalment in the series, and is due for release on 25th October 2011.

Playing as Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner whose prison transport vehicle crashes in Silent Hill, you are faced with puzzles and combat with horrific creatures, all in an attempt to escape Silent Hill. And, for the first time, the game is set in the south eastern region of Silent Hill, which hasn't been featured in any of the other games. Murphy needs to use simple objects such as chair legs and glass bottles.

The game is said to appeal to fans of the classic Silent Hill games, due to the way the story grips the player. Using the new Unreal 3 game engine, Silent Hill: Downpour really does bring the best graphical display of the series yet and with crisp imagery, Downpour really is a treat on the eyes. There is also now the possibility of playing the game in 3D, which will go well with the HD graphics.

The author of the Silent Hill comics, Tom Waltz, has written the storyline for Downpour, and there is original music, too, with composer from TV's 'Dexter', Dan Licht coming on board. The talent doesn't end there either, with the game's theme song being performed by Hard-Rock multiplatinum selling band, Korn.

And for all Silent Hill fans that thought it went downhill after the first few, due to Team Silent handing over the reins to Climax Studios, this is what producer Devin Shatsky had to say on the matter, 'Let me start by pointing out something which a lot of fans haven't grasped yet: there was no homogenous 'Team Silent' that worked on all the silent hills, Team Silent will make a Silent Hill game when Sasquatch returns to Bluff Creek, or Plesiosaurs once again inhabit Loch Ness'. It looks as if the new producers want fans to forget Team Silent, and greet the newer games with open arms. We'll see how that goes.

Tom Holgate

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