Absolutely worth your time
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Wii | 8.90 |
| Overall | 8.90 |
|
"So I just played over an hour of Silent Hills Shattered memories. Wow, wow, wow, wow." This was my first impression of Shattered Memories, eerily reminiscent of Leo's first impressions too. Innovation and polish, combined with a moody atmosphere and unique gameplay hooks grab you from the start. This feels like a game I would have made given the wii remote. Mechanically this is very well thought out and exactly the sort of thing I wanted to play. Firstly the graphics are really great, the pictures don't do them justice, the character animation, particularly the facial mo-cap is very high quality. You can even zoom in and don't get any horrible PS2 like textures like some games. I'm guessing that the grain filter helps, but it masks any of the usual playing wii on an HDTV problems you usually get like jaggies. The torch lighting is wow. Just fantastic the way you use the wii remote to move the torch about. They got the controls spot on, there is no tweaking that needs to be done and moving a light source about yourself is a very different experience to walking into a static almost movie set like environment with static light sources or where they put a fan or something there breaking up the light sources. Very innovative. The snow effects are lovely, you can see individual snowflakes fall and stick to the ground and the ice, when you shine the torch over them, are amazing looking. The phone is great too, it feels just like a phone, the way you use the remote and the d-pad and all the functions you operate. I even adjusted the ringtone And you listen to it by putting it to your ear. These mechanics subtley draw you into the game. There could and should be more puzzles. From reading the interviews I understand that they wanted the puzzles to all be realistic real world things. Its not like Resident evil where you will come across some ornate puzzle box with symbols. You need to find a key so you go into someone's room and start looking and manipulating bags and coats and cuboards for instane. Its very simple type stuff. There are two more intricate and clever puzzles in there that will suprise and delight. Moar puzzles would help. I loved chases too and unlike some gamers/reviewers have had no problems with it. I turned off my torch like I read on forums, so I didn't attract the bad guys. Then they saw me and my heart was pumping furiously. I ran and ran as fast as possible and the chase was seamless. I was caught at least 4 times but the motion recognition for throwing them off was 100% perfect, so unless some reviewers had dodgy nunchuks or were doing some weirdo motion, I have no idea what the problem is. Here is an in depth look at one of the chases and its gameplay: http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/silent-hill-shattered-memories-95-destructoid-9-10-eurogamer-9-10-nintendo-life_214_11.html&perPage=20#comment60322 What I love most of all is how seamless everything is, a great comparison is Metroid Prime the transition from ball to first person, its as smooth as that doing everything. I love how you seamlessly transition through doors or into and out of puzzles, or how you leap over objects seamlessly, more so than RE4. How there are no loading screens and everything feels realistic. It is true that tension is reserved for when the world ices over though. It could use some kind of tension outside of that world, like a real world human killer who is after you, that you can fight off or escape from. I'm almost shocked at this games mechanics it feels so natural and polished and seamless, its like this is the game the wii was made for, this is the kind of thing I wanted to be made since the system was first announced, the torch, the phone, the first person interaction and puzzles in a proper game? Great graphics too. I have to mention the story and ending. The actual story wont wow you with its intricate twists and turns and deep characters, but everything is brought into focus in an amazing ending that may stick with you for years to come. Most people who finish it, at least appreaciate that much. You can also replay the game many times answering to the virtual psychologist differently and getting subtle and not so subtle changes to the game world, dialogue and environments. If you're thinking about getting the cheaper PS2/P versions, be warned that they are incomplete versions with various bits of the levels missing. Also that the mechanics of using the wii remote, play a huge part in this games atmosphere and enjoyment. The graphics are also quite a bit better too. |
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Posted by gamingeek Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:47:00
Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:07:31
Very nice review and I am very eager to try this game out. Though I know a part of me will be complaining cause I won't be able to let the memory of SH go. This is going to be a tough game for me to review.
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:08:00
Hmm, I'm thinking what it would be like if I played a Resident Evil game that had Jill and Wesker but was completely different from RE. Would I be pissed? Could I look past that? Not sure.
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:25:20
Since I'm not man enough to play spooky games, I'll probably never play my copy.
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:27:00
Can I have it then Aspro. I'll give it back.
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