Holy shit, at this point, the screenshots are doing the game a disservice. Might as well stop releasing them.
http://www.famitsu.com/image/3910/qJx4637Uo1y1G597w2IbVbjDX5Dos6D3.html
I think these are new PSP/2 screens
^
I think you're right. They don't look bad enough for Wii screens.
Video exclusive gameplay and preview videos
Harry Mason
While driving through the spooky streets of Silent Hill, Harry's car skids on a patch of ice and veers off the road into a ditch. Upon waking from the crash, he realizes his daughter Cheryl is missing and sets out into the dark, freezing night to find her.
Cheryl Mason
Harry's daughter who has mysteriously disappeared, causing him to brave the streets of Silent Hill. She's a cheerful girl who loves her father very much.
Cybil Bennett
After years on the police force, Cybil has seen a lot of crazy things, but she's not quite sure what to make of Harry Mason. She decides early on to keep an eye on him, and their paths cross repeatedly.
Dr. K
A friendly, relatable therapist who shows up periodically to evaluate the player. His therapy sessions consist of interactive psychological test which players will actually take part in.
Michelle
Michelle meets Harry at her High School reunion, however he doesn't remember it. Tired of waiting to meet up with her boyfriend, she decides to aid Harry in finding his daughter.
Dahlia
A tough, street-wise young girl, Dahlia seems to know quite a bit about Harry. The fact that he can't remember anything about her confuses Dahlia as much as it does Harry.
Lisa
Lisa is a nurse at Alchemilla Hospital. Although she's young, lines of experience are already evident on her face. Despite her cynicism, Harry finds himself protective of Lisa and offers to lend her a hand.
First review from Nintendo Power
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - 8.0
+ good use of Wiimote
+ great graphics
+ psychological profile which affects game based on choices
+ creative and varied puzzles
- not particularly scary, lacks sense of danger
After playing Overlord DL I'm not entirely suprised it isn't a blockbuster. Still sounds good though.
Wtf. It's a silent hill game.
Well the good points sound very good to me, great controls, graphics and puzzles. I dont find any games scary really so it wont bother me and I'm not a silent hill fan so I have no preconceptions about what this game should be.
The previews were great, but then I played Dark Legend and realised that while these guys can talk the talk, they came up short not only technically with that game but also in terms of pacing and bringing everything together.
So my hype meter for this was tapered a few months ago.
http://shshatteredmemories.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/pg1.jpg
http://shshatteredmemories.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/pg2.jpg
Reviewer said that as a game it was great, but it's not a Silent Hill game.
I have never read such a self-indulgent first page, half of the review is a waste of space. Like reading some nerds diary, angry because he couldn't make a Silent Hill game.
Last parting shot (bottom right hand corner of 2nd page) is basically the review. Thank heavens I haven't played a Silent Hill game before so I have no pre-conceptions.
I tracked down the full Nintendo power review.
Scans:
http://shshatteredmemories.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/review.jpg
Link:
http://shshatteredmemories.com/nintendo-powers-silent-hill-shattered-memories-full-review/
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a bold, ambitious attempt to reinvent survival-horror. It’s a game of big ideas, intended to break the shackles of genre tradition and create a more convincing nightmare. That if falls just short of those lofty goals is a disappointment only because we have to settle for something merely good when the potential for greatness is so explicit.
Still, this return trip gaming’s creepiest zip code is worth taking. Few, if any, Wii titles provide a more immersive experience. For starters, wielding the Wii Remote as a flashlight works brilliantly (no pun intended), and the lighting effects that accompany it are truly impressive. So, too, are your surroundings, which boast an amazing level of detail- each locale feels unique and realistically adorned (if a bit dilapidated, of course). The game also uses the remote as a phone to great effect, with calls and voice mails playing through the controller’s built-in speaker. I was so strangely compelled by this particular feature that I couldn’t help but call every number I found printed on a sign or billboard (all of which actually work). A GPS and other relevant applications are accessible from your phone, as well, eliminating the need for any sort of onscreen display. Plus, the ways you interact with the world are very organic, making intelligent use of the Wii Remote without going overboard. It’s all in the name of creating that suspension of disbelief- making you feel like you’re really in Silent Hill.
To pull you in even further, Shattered Memories employs a psychological profile, kicking off with a therapy session in which you, the player, must fill out a personality survey. Your answers will affect the game in a number of way, from the appearance of certain character to how the story unfolds. Additional session are sprinkled throughout, acting sort of like thematic chapter breaks and building on your profile. The Silent Hill series has always had a strong psychological component, but this novel approach makes it more personal. The game really does get in your head, and you’re constantly wondering what you’ve done to make things a certain way. (Fair warning, though: the therapist asks you some pretty personally and potentially embarrassing questions, so you may not want to play with friends in the room.)
Yet for all the great work it does drawing you in, the game is never able to leverage that into something truly scary. It’s uncomfortable and unsettling, to be sure, but doesn’t leave your nerves completely frayed like the first three games in the series did so effortlessly. The main source of terror is supposed to be the chase scenes, which are triggered when you reach certain points in the adventure that have you running away from monsters. It’s a great idea in theory, and I certainly don’t miss the awkward combat from previous installments, nor the mood-breaking tedium of scouring the town for weapons and ammo. But the fact that you’re in danger only during these scenes removes a lot of the tension from the rest of the game. They’re not very dynamic either; aside from knocking over the occasional bookshelf and picking up flares to keep the monsters at bay, you’re really just running from point A to point B. A few more items or environmental interactions would have gone a long way.
The reduced emphasis on horror puts greater importance on the game’s puzzles. Fortunately, they’re some of the best in the series- creative and varied, yet never obtuse. Plus, the clues are always cleverly integrated with your surroundings and do a nice job of encouraging exploration. The narrative is quite engrossing as well, and concludes with an inspired twist that you’ll never see coming.
So though it may not be the unqualified success we were hoping for, Shattered Memories proves an audacious and ultimately compelling experiment. We only wish it put our extra pairs of trousers to better use
This means that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a game that will be different for everyone who plays it. At its heart, the mystery of main character, Harry Mason's missing daughter Cheryl remains, but the game is centered on the notion of family relations, and subtle plot elements and situations in the game outline a series of circumstances related to Harry's plight.
During the game, an all-new bespoke Wii control system allows the user to fully interact with their surroundings, and explore the sprawling town of Silent Hill. A mobile phone doubles as a GPS unit, and can also be used to stay in touch with those you come to meet, and receive mysterious messages related to Cheryl's disappearance. For the first time ever in the series' history, Silent Hill is presented as a genuine location, inhabited by believable characters each driven by the evil undertones they live within.
The series' renowned horror elements are delivered in nightmarish sequences, where the world around the player is gripped by ice, and where misshapen creatures - again inspired by elements from the player's psychological profile - relentlessly chase and attack until the world unfreezes. This frozen nightmare can appear when least expected. Harry is unarmed, so is forced to use all his wits to escape his pursuers, which maximizes the suspense and feeling of helplessness, creating a truly unique horror experience.
"From the very beginning, we planned to re-invent the horror-genre, getting deeper into the player's minds and taking a new approach for videogames," commented Tomm Hulett, Producer of Silent Hill Shattered Memories for Konami Digital Entertainment. "The development team took a long time studying all kinds of psychological elements, and created a unique system to monitor all player actions - even small things like how long an object is looked at. The result is a diverse experience, which adjusts itself all the way through the game and creates a story-driven experience like never before in any video game."