Silent Hill Shattered Memories IGN Review
Closing Comments
Shattered Memories isn't your typical Silent Hill game. Some devoted fans will undoubtedly raise a fuss over every difference whether subtle or grand, but I believe this re-imagining succeeds as both a sequel and a departure. The overarching narrative, characters, and monsters will all seem faintly familiar to Silent Hill purists, but Climax has taken the series and run with it, crafting a title refreshingly different yet still at times terrifying.
The game looks fabulous, the controls feel tailor made for Wii, the flashlight mechanic is stunningly atmospheric and useful, and the decision is to omit weapons results in chilling chase sequences. There is simply a lot to love about Shattered Memories, which is why it's so easy to recommend the title despite a couple of shortcomings.
I feel that the separation between safe exploration and puzzling and run-for-your-life monster scenarios is too transparent and as a result you will inevitably come to fear the ice and few things else. And despite a unique psych profile system that allows for multiple endings and various changes throughout the adventure, the game runs a bit short -- perhaps too short for some.
Even so, there are some incredible moments encapsulated within Harry's icy journey and you will be both wowed and scared as you finally uncover the truth about his daughter's disappearance and the nightmarish goings-on in the creepy town.
gamingeek said:I dont really mind. I prefer puzzles to combat anyway.
I don't want combat necessarily, but if you know when the chase is going to begin it won't be as tense.
Foolz said:gamingeek said:I dont really mind. I prefer puzzles to combat anyway.I don't want combat necessarily, but if you know when the chase is going to begin it won't be as tense.
I understand that but think about the way the chases are set up. If you were in one location and suddenly some baddy randomly appears you have to run halfway across the city to avoid him. Then do what? Trek back to that location?
I have a feeling the chases are staged so that you progress through the game in the way the developers want you to.
brandonh83 said:I don't want to start waving the victory parade just yet. I have things to say, some good, some bad, but mostly good. The bad will be explained more than the good because in order to explain the bad, I have to get into it.
First, the bad. I've clearly voiced criticisms about how the way the game looked in the trailers and screens and whatnot; that it lacks the Silent Hill "punch." You see, it's impossible to get around the fact that SH operates in a very deep mindset when it comes to being scary. It understands that context and execution is more important than anything else. It creeps you out to the core by showing you bizarre things that don't make much sense at first glance, it lets you hear noises... it really rattles your senses. Shattered Memories does not do this. At all. There has been nothing yet that I find truly brilliant when it comes to the horror department. Some things, sure, which I'll get to in a minute, but I want to clarify that this is not a Silent Hill game, it's not nearly as scary or brilliant as a Silent Hill game, and no one should expect anything more than that. In this regard, it's very disappointing because as I've said before, I think it would be very easy to translate the nuances of the past titles to the changes on display here and I really think Climax dropped the ball bad in that aspect.
Secondly, and this is as I predicted, the chase sequences... aren't that good. I thought the first one was okay, but the second time around when it shifted to the icy dimension, I really thought the atmosphere was creepy and I wanted to sort of explore around and run into weird cool shit that the series is known for, but instead I'm being forced to dash through the environments like some Olympian trying to beat a record or something, and the game has frozen on me twice while doing so. Not very fun at all. It's okay, there is certainly a level of panic but all in all I don't think this is as well executed as it could be. I'll have to see how it goes later, but as for now, don't mark me down as a fan of the chase gameplay. Oh, and the fact that they had to highlight, in blue traces, what obstacles you can climb and what doors you can barrel through is extremely tacky and incredibly poor level and game design in general. It's ugly and makes everything like 20 times more "gamey." So, no, Climax, please try something else, or try a lot harder next time.
Finally, the shoddy attempt at scares themselves. Or, rather, the fact that all the "scary" stuff they've tried to do so far has been highly repetitive. It goes like this: you see a static representation of a ghost, or memory even, and when you approach it the static gets louder and then there's a flash and the ghost/object in question moves around and there's a loud crash on the soundtrack that makes it seem like they're trying really hard to be scary. Problem is, this happens every single time. It made me jump a bit the first time, but by the... tenth time, I'm pretty used to it and now it just seems like an extremely cheap scare tactic that I'm not fond of. I know that these things are purely informational sequences so far, as in, each of these encounters provides you with some backstory of the memory you're experiencing, but I sort of feel that these could have been handled a lot better and after so many it gets tiring.
I also just feel that there's no art direction in this game at all. The characters look good, but they don't look unique. The environments look good, but I feel that there's too much of a reliance on the lighting and shadow effects instead of solid art design. It's a very good looking game, but it also looks very shallow, like they didn't really take the time to look at how sort of boring everything looks. But I'm still early in, so that could change.
However.
The graphics, controls, dialogue, voice acting, overall presentational value, and atmosphere is 100% authentically holy fucking shit. I'm truly blown away with everything else in the game aside from the lack of horror nuance and the bad-so-far chase sequences. When you're not in the icy realm, you have some very large environments to explore and so far they have been thick with heavy in the dark, lonely atmosphere department. The way the story has played out so far has been fantastic. The characters are very realistic and wonderfully portrayed. The psychiatrist scenes have been great so far and the way that the game weaves in and out of them is very well handled and I love how things you do in the office ends up relating to the following section of gameplay. IGN and others have complained that the choices you make are purely cosmetic, in that it only changes things visually, but I think it's been rather neat so far and I can't wait to see what they do with it later on.
But playing the game just feels so good. Moving the flashlight around in the dark rooms, how you can control the manner in which you go through a door, the puzzles, the cell phone functionality and Wii remote speaker usage-- it's all wonderful. It's so cool that despite my opinions that there are many shortcomings in the horror department I think it's worth playing the game for this stuff alone. I've been having a blast sending Harry through these amazingly realized environments and I really think Climax hit a home run with the gameplay.
The game not being that scary is a very low blow to me and its as I've predicted, but the atmosphere, storyline, and gameplay is so incredibly fantastic that I'm willing to keep trudging through the game with a positive state of mind.
slasher thrasher71 said:Well I have put in about 5 hours now. Game is definetly solid. Framerate is smooth for the most part. Game looks really really nice. The story is very interesting, I still am shaking my head trying to figure it out. The game definetly has a different vibe then the other Silent Hill games. The key things are indeed here. The town, the mystery, the creatures, and famous SH locations like the school and hospital. Yet there are all presented differently. The psych bits are interesting and I think features like this in future games would be great, and I'm anxious to complete the game and try totally different answers to these questions and seeing how it effects the game. Game was light on puzzles until I hit the school where I got stuck on one perticular puzzle for a good while. Felt good to figure it out.
The no combat works really well and I don't really miss it. The chase scenes are intense for me. They don't provide the same fear as the original games but damn when I finally get back to the real world I let out sighs of relief. Pushing the things off you as they hoard up on Harry is nerve wracking as well. I feel like I'm really trying to shove these "things" off of me.
Now I haven't finished it but I can tell why this game would indeed make some hardcore fans pissed. This game seems to be going for more of a mystery/ghost story then cult, evil way of things. Again, I can't say for sure but thats my vibe after 5 hours. I just had a scene where my outfit on my character changed and I've heard that depending on what outfit you have on gives you a clue to what ending your going to receive. Again this must all be done behind the scenes on how you do stuff in the game, etc.
Overall, loving this game. Its different then a straight up remake and while part of me does indeed cry out for more of a similar SH experience from the past, SM actually brings a totally new feeling and vibe to the series. I can see some people really enjoying this re-vision and thats exactly how this feels. A totally new take on Silent Hill. This will jade some hardcore fans, others will embrace it or at least enjoy it for what it is. Thats about where I fall. Its a really great game so far. I am enjoying the hell out of it, but this is Silent Hill unlike what the fans are used to. The line has definetly been placed... now will see where many people stand.
The enemies do change a bit based on the psych stuff but really... when it comes down to the nightmare parts. You don't want to see them cuz your constantly running the fuck away. Also the first nightmare sequence seems linear and straightfoward. The other ones. Not so much. More open areas to run and I even got turned around and was back at the start. I was pissed because I just wanted to be the hell out of there and to realize that I was at square one was devastating. Also, I love the flares in this game, they are few and far between but they can save your ass for sure.
Well the modern world parts, like I said, have some rare moments. Though the overall feeling of lonliness and creep factore is high! As for the ice world, basically one the world transforms in front of you, the game goes silent. Then the static happens. Then suddenly you might be running towards a door and BAM a monster comes through and its like "Fuck" and then the crazy music kicks in and Harry runs with more of a urgent feeling in his steps. The icy sections can last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes so far it seems.
The thing about this game is that, even taking away the "how does it stack up as a Silent Hill game?" question. The game is solid and fairly polished in my eyes. I did run across one time early on where all my sound dissapeared and simple required a restart.
Though because the game lacks combat, I do feel like this Silent Hill is more like a classic point and click adventure game since its all about the mystery, the puzzles, characters, and the setting.
Also for the ice nightmare parts, when you die, you just have to restart from when the icy world first transformed. While some might dislike that, one cool bonus is that as far as I can tell the enemy layout is random. I've had to restart some nightmare sections a few times and enemies always came from different areas, sometimes not where they were before, or popping throw doors. So it doesnt appear realy scripted in that aspect. Which is awesome cuz it adds to the random "oh shit" moments.
GAF impressions:
NintendosBooger
Storyline/Theme: A+
As a HUGE fan of H.P. Lovecraft, this is precisely the game I’ve dreamed about. Anyone familiar with the author knows that all of his stories emphasized unnatural monstrosity and human madness, two themes that often overlapped while other times were separated by a blurry line. The protagonists in his horror tales were always helpless and fleeing for their lives against whatever it was that haunted them, real or not, and outside characters, as well as the rest of the civilized world, always looked at these victims with a strong measure of skepticism and doubt regarding the authenticity of their plight.
All of this and more is presented in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories: the insanity, the monsters, the doubts, the skeptics, and the sheer helplessness of the victim. Others might not like it, but I definitely do. It's like I'm playing a HP Lovecraft game, no BS.
Game play and Controls: B-
The controls are well-implemented, but gamers unaccustomed or unattracted to waggling might find themselves annoyed by the shaking, pointing, and turning that is required in the game. Some strong arm movements are required to shake monsters off you, and at times you’d have to re-center the pointer after a lot of waggling or else your character’s movement will be all over the place.
Scariness: B-
The game really hasn’t scared me up to this point but it definitely has unnerved me. Some have commented on the predictability of the game as a result of the absence of the monsters from the normal world. While this is true, I don’t think it would have been feasible to have the monsters hunting you in both the normal world and the ice world since your character is virtually unarmed through the whole game and you wouldn’t have the opportunity to properly explore the town if you have them chasing you at every corner.
Let me emphasize that the implementation of the two worlds isn’t like Zelda: Twilight Princess when you see some dimensional portal and jump through it. No, nothing like that. In this game, your character is suddenly enveloped in the nightmare world following a certain point in the story. You could be doing X or just walking across the street, when suddenly everything starts to transform around you, and you're fucked.
I am having a good time with the game. I’m definitely glad I purchased it, and hope to see more games like this on the Wii.
robio said:Short or not, I'm looking forward to the game. I've never played a Silent Hill game before. Survival Horror was never really my thing, but this game looks very different and much more up my alley.
Me too, I think fans are going to be upset at this game. But I have no connections to the franchise so I will take it as it comes.
It'll be tough for fans, how is Shattered Memories ever suppossed to stack up to the original?
*searches pics*
Wait..... what?
Anyhow, Eurogamer 9/10 review
Eurogamer said:Then it's onto the action, and the almost-immediate realisation that Shattered Memories is, by some margin, the most creative and engaging game to emerge in Konami's horror series since the perversely unsettling Silent Hill 3 back in 2003. Indeed, by the end of it, you're left mulling over the highlights of one of the most compelling and sure-footed offerings the genre has ever seen.
The first thing to stress is that Shattered Memories is a whole lot more than a remake. While it retains some of the main characters and basic premise, developer Climax has changed so much along the way that calling it a 're-imagining' is more in line with the end result. Gone is the obsessive-compulsive map-checking and handle-turning trudge as you establish a route through festering, dimly-lit corridors in abandoned asylums and schools. Gone is the hapless and ungainly combat, and out goes the need to check every empty room in the search of anything not nailed down too. Gone, in short, is all the tedious stuff.
Initial good ideas are nothing compared to some of the excellent ones implemented as the game progresses.
The phone implementation really is fantastic, and quickly becomes an integral ingredient in the game's appeal.
A Silent Hill game wouldn't be complete without the usual dosage of nightmarish apparitions and otherworldly scares, of course, and Shattered Memories delivers on that front too.
Although it doesn't feel like it when you're caught in a blizzard of panic, throwing them off is also intuitive. If they come at you from the front, throwing the controller in a forward motion flings them off, while the opposite is true if they climb on your back. As soon as the penny drops, a lot of the stress of these nightmare sequences dissipates and you can focus on things like checking the waypoint on the map, or charging forwards in search of an exit. To help make the process of barrelling along at top speed easier, the game allows you to move through a door in one swift motion as long as you're running and holding forward at the same time
some of the real standout moments are reserved for one-off interactive sequences where, for example, you find yourself trapped underwater in a sinking car, desperately fighting for survival using only quick thinking and motion controls. The panic this inspires is almost unparalleled, and even casual observers reported feeling unsettled as I grappled furiously with the controls. Being trapped in a sinking car appears to be a unifying nightmare.
Another thing to celebrate throughout Shattered Memories is the pacing. What it lacks in terms of length it more than makes up for in how well it holds your interest. By switching regularly between analysis, puzzle exploration, one-off set-pieces and nightmarish escape sequences, nothing ever outstays its welcome. As soon as you've seen enough of one particular location, you're off to the next, and, crucially, without any of the tedious backtracking and laborious map-checking that characterised all previous entrants in the series.
Shattered Memories also pushes the technical capabilities of the Wii to the max. One thing Silent Hill was particularly good at in its heyday was striking facial detail, and Climax has evidently worked hard to come up with techniques that recapture that style. At first glance during the psychological profiling phase you might have trouble believing it's a Wii release, and it's a standard that's maintained once you start wandering the snow-ridden world outside.
The flashlight effect is also mightily impressive, as well as being exceptionally intuitive to control via the Wiimote. Comparisons to Alan Wake spring to mind as you roam the detailed, gloomy environments admiring real-time shadows and recoiling from the menacing atmospherics. The importance of the audio conjured by Akira Yamaoka cannot be overstated, either, and if it does prove to be his swansong it will be a worthy one, demonstrating an understanding of exactly what's required to build tension. Excellent voice work and characterisation back this up, with Climax doing a fine job of creating a credible cast that does justice to the series.
It has been a rocky road getting Silent Hill back on track after the unexplained decision to remove development duties from the original Team Silent, but with Shattered Memories, Climax has found its feet in some style. Packed with inventive ideas and one engaging sequence after another, it's a spirited, poignant and unsettling game that not only delivers a long-overduereturn to form, but reinvigorates horror adventures in the process.
Interview
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=20508
NWR: After having spent lots of time with the Wii while developing this game, do you feel you pushed the system to its capacity? Is there more you would like to have included but didn't have time to implement? Is it possible that those features/elements could make their way into the sequel?
TH: There are small ideas that you always wish made it into a game, but I think all our big ambitions were achieved. A sequel would likely be refining these ideas before expanding them to new and exciting places. As for pushing the Wii to capacity... I don't know. It's a powerful little box. We'll have to see! 
NWR: Now that you are done working on this game, what is next on the agenda? Will your next project also see a release on the Wii?
TH: For the near future, I'll be knee deep in Rocket Knight, which isn't for a Nintendo platform. After that, we'll see. I'm hoping to work on the Wii or DS again; they're platforms I'm very passionate about.
http://gameinformer.com/games/silent_hill_shattered_memories/b/wii/archive/2009/12/08/review.aspx
Gameinformer review
Good thing the story is so redeeming, because most of the gameplay is divided into mediocre exploration and infuriating evasion. In the effort to find his daughter, Harry trudges through the town at the speed of a 40-year-old pickup truck with flat tires attempting to ford a swamp of molasses. Clunky, tank-like movement is dictated by the nunchuk, while the Wii remote directs the flashlight’s imprecise beam, and thus Harry’s dubious trajectory.
Controlling Harry is an awkward affair that’s exacerbated by instances when you’re chased by meat monsters. Just when you thought negotiating your escape through the confusing environments couldn’t get worse, the underwhelming monsters pounce on you, initiating a frustrating and unresponsive motion-control prompt. Miming the action of throwing off enemies after being dogpiled taxes your patience, which is further amplified by Harry’s decreased speed after surviving an encounter. Instead of guns or rusty pipes, you’re reduced to using flares to temporarily stave off the creatures. These chase segments grow tired very quickly, leaving you missing weapons or any other option to dispatch your pursuers.
Harry’s fancy phone plays a big part in navigating the convoluted town, with your reliance on it rivaling that of the annoying guy who texts during movies. Mysterious calls require you to lift the Wii remote to your face like an idiot, effectively annoying anyone in the room with the noises its tinny speaker produces. In contrast, interesting new layers of interactivity involving phone number puzzles and capturing pictures of ghosts exercise your brain to satisfying results.
Shattered Memories’ frustrating control flaws and dull pacing make it a hard game to recommend. Its engaging characters, improved story, and unique profiling mechanic only make it worth checking out for diehard Silent Hill devotees willing to wade through the muck. If you’re a Silent Hill fan interested in a fresh take on the stale formula, this Wii entry may be the Cheryl you’ve been searching for – but it comes at a cost.
6.25
Gameinformer sucks.
http://g4tv.com/games/wii/61989/Silent-Hill-Shattered-Memories/review/
These chase sequences offer very little in the way of compelling gameplay. You’re mostly just trying to run to a predetermined location on the map before you get hit with too many skinless children. It’s not particularly scary or tense, and your primary foe is actually the maze-like map design coupled with the fact that Harry walks like he’s out for a Sunday stroll as soon as he pulls out his cell phone to check the map. The reset after death means there’s no real penalty for running around to scout the area, dying, then beelining to the exit on your second try. It’s hard to feel any terror when there’s nothing at stake.
Sponsored by MagLite
To make the game more enjoyable, it may have been a wiser idea to eliminate combat and the chase sequences completely, because the exploration elements of the game are much more successful. The path through Harry’s troubles is linear, but the use of the Wiimote to directly control the movement of his flashlight is an inspired touch. The main character’s light source has always been a key element of Silent Hill, and turning it into the primary game tool makes for a satisfying way of interacting with the world. The Wii isn’t quite powerful enough to fully render shadows particularly well, as many freestanding objects project weird floating shadows that seem to hang in midair in a very unnatural manner. It could be argued that the town of Silent Hill is just weird like that, but it definitely looks more like a mistake or a technical limitation more than an artistic choice.
Puzzles, long considered he hallmark of Silent Hill’s cerebral side, have been horribly neutered in Shattered Memories. A surprising number of them consist of finding the key to a locked door, and often the key is less than ten feet from the door. In one instance the location of the key is actually written on a note posted on the locked door. It runs the gamut from silly to insulting and every one of them involves some kind of gimmicky Wii remote motion. There are one or two clever ones, mostly incorporating the cell phone, but anyone hoping to be challenged by Shattered Memories’s puzzles will be sorely disappointed.
It’s curious that Konami felt compelled to make Silent Hill: Shattered Memories a “reimagining” of the original game. So little of it is connected to the first title in the series that it seems like it would have been far more creatively liberating to simply tell a story about brand new characters. This would have freed the game from the need to pay homage to the original 1999 characters instead of having them enter and exit the narrative with nothing to relate them to their predecessors but nomenclature.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories isn’t a disaster so much as a disappointment, mainly in the “lost potential” sense. There’s the kernel of a interesting story here, and one much more psychologically-focused than most of the other games in the series. This could have been the most interesting character study in a Silent Hill game since the masterpiece that was Silent Hill 2, but it just never gets there and is constantly dragged down by gimmickry in the same way Harry is harangued by the shrieking skinless children in so many filler chase sequences.
2/5
Ouch.
gamingeek said:http://g4tv.com/games/wii/61989/Silent-Hill-Shattered-Memories/review/
These chase sequences offer very little in the way of compelling gameplay. You’re mostly just trying to run to a predetermined location on the map before you get hit with too many skinless children. It’s not particularly scary or tense, and your primary foe is actually the maze-like map design coupled with the fact that Harry walks like he’s out for a Sunday stroll as soon as he pulls out his cell phone to check the map. The reset after death means there’s no real penalty for running around to scout the area, dying, then beelining to the exit on your second try. It’s hard to feel any terror when there’s nothing at stake.
2/5
I'm shocked by this review. Absolutely shocked!!
I had no idea G4 even existed anymore.
http://www.gamepro.com/video/videore...-video-review/
1up review Silent Hill Shattered Memories C+ Complains about chases
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177239
Gamesradar review 7/10
If you read the Eurogamer review it says about the chases:
"Although it doesn't feel like it when you're caught in a blizzard of panic, throwing them off is also intuitive. If they come at you from the front, throwing the controller in a forward motion flings them off, while the opposite is true if they climb on your back. As soon as the penny drops, a lot of the stress of these nightmare sequences dissipates and you can focus on things like checking the waypoint on the map, or charging forwards in search of an exit. To help make the process of barrelling along at top speed easier, the game allows you to move through a door in one swift motion as long as you're running and holding forward at the same time"
phantom_leo said:Wow! Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is GOOD! Really, REALLY GOOD!
I've never been a big fan of the originals, mainly due to the tank-like controls of the characters, but this one is totally different.
The flashlight mechanic works brilliantly. Where you point with the Wii-Mote is where the flashlight shines.
The Wii-Mote speaker is used as the static detector of the game to warn you of nearby paranormal anomalies or enemies. It also doubles as your cell-phone ear-piece. You put it up to your ear to hear incoming calls.
Your cell phone (which simply wouldn't have existed when the first came out) has a touch screen that leads to a camera, a GPS, and of course your phone, voice-mail and notes that you may have gathered.
I love the way you hold up your cell phone side-ways and need to keep a steady hand to take a good picture!
I love the way this game makes use of all of the features of the Wii. I love the amount of interactivity the wii-mote now allows. You need to throw your enemies off of you. You need to "pinch" objects between your thumb and pointer finger (A + B on the controller) to interact with them, then motion to use. ALL. VERY. COOL.
The psychological evaluation near the beginning of the game has you even nodding or shaking your head with the wii-mote!
All of this is EXTREMELY important to the game-play, as the more you PHYSICALLY interact with the game, the more you FEEL you are part of the world, and the more you get "into" it! AWESOME ! ! !
Extremely atmospheric. Totally perplexing. I LOVE the way your decisions "color" your world (sometimes literally!)... This is the type of game the Wii was MADE to play and SHOULD BE a resounding success for anyone who is able to or willing to play it!
It should go without saying, but if you own a Wii you owe it to yourself to at the very least PLAY this game!
I had to post this for Leo.
1up review
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177239
Developer Climax Studios calls Silent Hill: Shattered Memories a "re-imagining" of the original Silent Hill, but that's a bit disingenuous. The only thing that ties this game to Silent Hill, the series or the game, are the characters' names, a few of the location names, and the fact that you start out by searching for your daughter. Otherwise, Shattered Memories could have been set anywhere, and called "Icy Ghost Journey." It's a good-looking game, and it makes great use of the Wii Remote, but it's not scary or challenging enough to make a real, lasting impression.
The game is very short, which speaks more to excellent pacing and a streamlined approach rather than a lack of gameplay. My first playthrough didn't take more than six hours, and I appreciate how Shattered Memories abandons fetch quests (a staple of other Silent Hill games). But the few puzzles the game contains are childishly simple.
Throwing enemies off when they jump on you involves jerking your remote and Nunchuk as if you were actually trying to cast the them off of you. But it usually takes several throws to get even one enemy tossed, and they gang up and surround you very quickly. Pair that with the fact that it's too easy to get lost in the game's frozen, nightmare sections, and it just sets you up to die over and over again, in frustrating succession, until you've learned the path the game wants you to take.
Altogether, Shattered Memories presents something that will drive away Silent Hill veterans, who could care less about the plot that completely redefines what Silent Hill is, while newcomers will find a confusing, muddled tale with frustrating chase sequences. It's praiseworthy that Climax tried to take the franchise in a new direction and created such a beautiful world, but Shattered Memories' faults stand out too starkly. If the developer had tried to keep anything from Silent Hill, they should have ditched the faux plot relationship to past games and gone after what makes Silent Hill truly unique: the psychological scares.
GG... you gotta stop posting things with that shade of blue text! It's nearly unreadable!