Recent reviews by Brinkus

The issues I have with this game are probably reasons why most people like it. I am a big fan of the first game. Every character felt wildly unique and how much expression you can put into your character. Although it wasn't exactly perfect, this game is a major downgrade in almost every way. The business practices that Aether Studios informed us about are awesome, the special get-ups and pummels are actually really neat and the netcode is pretty good, but I don't like anything else.

The movement is weird, there's just something wrong about the flow of the game too. I played the beta for a decent amount of time and I just couldn't get in a rhythm. I also played for many hours with my friends and then bought my own copy, but it didn't help. Sometimes moves just don't come out and you just die. Also the art style is trash, I know the pixel-based art from Rivals 1 isn't for everyone, but I thought it was great. The characters did not transfer over to 3D well. The roster is tiny at this given point and I absolutely despise the new characters added to this game (elephant and fleet).

My biggest issue with this game is just that it feels like a lot of personality is gone. Combos just don't seem to work as well and most characters have a very strict combo route, which for a platform fighter, is lame. So many mechanics were added, but for no other reason than; "because smash has it". There appears to be no thought when adding grabs, ledges, shields, shield dropping, ledge hogging, etc. By far the worst offender here is the addition of crouch cancelling, or in this game "floor hugging". I know this game is derivative of melee and wouldn't exist without melee, but did we really need the worst part of melee added?? All those combos you've been practicing don't matter when your opponent can just hold down and negate all knockback and start their own combo. They also thought it was a good idea to add a reverse hitbox to like every move for no reason. I like when my back air sends the opponent back, not forwards. The reverse hitboxes in smash at least make sense. DI'ing is random and drift DI was taken out. Rivals 1 would give you a white flash if you were at probable risk of death and the DI felt very consistent. Almost no visual clarity in this game and I just die after feeling I DI'd well. I hate to compare this to its predecessor so much, but is warranted when I feel this is such a step back.

It really pains me to say, but in short, don't waste your time or money if you're expecting anything like Rivals 1. This game is between Rivals 1 and Project +, but feels way more like the latter, just very unpolished. This game was not made for Rivals of Aether fans, it was made for smash fans who were skeptical.

I was skeptical when this was first announced, given Konami’s recent handling of their game franchises, along with their lack of support or new entries. Despite this, I still bought the game the day it came out and I have no regrets. There's no doubt that this drew inspiration from the recent Resident Evil remakes, but that is a very good thing in this case.

As for gameplay, this is exactly what you would want from a modern survival horror game. Although I love the unique camera angles and tank controls from the original game, the free cam works great in this game, even though it's claustrophobic at times. The combat definitely does not have deep mechanics, but it's more than serviceable. Every single boss fight is improved and even some that were added, were done so very well. They aren't particularly difficult, but they are very intense. Where the game really shines in its gameplay is its level design and puzzles. The overworld of Silent Hill itself is much more interactive than the original. Although it might not actually be bigger, it certainly feels better and I had a sense of accomplishment just checking out everywhere I could on the map. The 5 main areas of the game (apartment complex, hospital, prison, labyrinth and hotel) are all much larger and more complex. This undoubtedly made the experience more immersive, as when I was first able to glance at the map of a restricted area, I knew I would probably have to go in almost every room. I was also a big fan of the puzzles. They are somewhat similar to the original puzzles, but more intricate and fulfilling, not to mention, many more added. The enemy design is more or less the same, but I will say the Mannequins constantly kept me on edge, especially the crawling ones you encounter in the late game. I really didn't think that they were going to be able to get the atmosphere right, but somehow they did. The game is just beautiful to look at, the sound design is immaculate and the soundtrack has been re-recorded from the original. I personally consider the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack to be possibly the greatest game soundtrack of all-time, it was an absolute pleasure to hear and it brings a vibe to this game that no other can replicate. I'd say the voice acting was also a large improvement over the original, as Luke Roberts absolutely killed it as James. Thankfully, not many elements of the story were changed. This is a powerful, smart, thought-provoking, eerie and disturbing story, and like I said in the title, it's very faithful. Equipped with 8 different endings, I think the game has really good replayability, as the outcome is heavily determined on how you play the game and I know for a fact I will be playing again soon.

I only have two negative things to say, one being the performance. My PC isn't exactly the most powerful and I had to run the game on its absolute lowest setting to maintain a consistent framerate. Since then, the game's performance has been addressed, but I know people with much higher specs than me who struggled running it as well and that must be fixed. I was able to run it at about 40-50 fps, but at times it would still drop. The other issue I have is much more minor, but it can really influence people who have no idea what this game is about. Before you can even play the game, there's essentially a trigger warning about the themes of the game and it gives almost gives away some major plot point before you even start. I understand how it can be upsetting for some people to be blindsided by the events in the game, but it truly takes away from some of the mystery.

Regardless, it was amazing. I know 70$ is a steep asking price, but if you're a horror fan, this is a must. And if you're thinking about getting it, it has went on sale twice as of writing this so pick it up when you can. I just hope that the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake can be as good as this. There's a reason this was remade, it's one of the greatest games ever made

it's okay... sometimes

it's pretty good