| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Wii | 5.00 |
| Overall | 5.00 |
|
Silent Hill Shattered Memories is a strange experiment with the SH franchise using the first game has a starting point. While it is called Silent Hill it has almost nothing to do with any of the games except names and locations. But lets forget about that, I want to focus on the game on its own merits, what little merits it has. It is hard to describe this game but the best way I can is that it is a sort of guided experience where you perform limited actions and solve the most basic of puzzles. There are the chase sections but I will talk of that later. The majority of the game has you walking down a very linear path with NO ENEMIES, no items, no anything really. You essentially do nothing but walk and look at crap. You will come across puzzles that use the wiimote in very simple ways like turn a can over or move the wiimote like you are opening a door. You'd think that with the devs removing all aspects of the action they would put all their focus on the puzzles, I guess not. This game has the worst puzzles in the entire series. Most of it is basically a locked door and an object that is highlight by a big arrow, there is practically nothing to interact with in this world do I really need an arrow telling me where the object I need is. So you walk to the object, move the wiimote about, get a key and open the door. That is basically 80% of the puzzles, no puzzles are not what they are, that is basically the only actions you perform. There are some places where you do what I would classify as an actual puzzle that requires simple brainpower and if the entire game was filled with them it would have been much better. You also carry a cell phone which is used to flesh out the story and in certain areas used to solve a puzzle. The game world is filled with numbers to call, most of it is nonsense but it does add some immersive quality to the game. And that is basically all this game cares about, to take you on a journey but with as little input from you as possible. There are entire scenes where the game tries to be tense but in reality there is no way to fail, no way to change the outcome, everything is completely totally scripted. Now lets get to the chases which is the only part of the game where the player actually has some sort of role. These sections begin when Silent Hill turns to its hell version the difference being that in this game the world is all ice rather than industrial. These sections are the only part of the game where enemies show up and all you can do is run away from them. Think of this as a sort of rat maze, where you are a rat being chased by skinless things. You run from room to room trying to get to the exit before the creatures kill you. You have a few options here like turning off your light so that you attract less attention, knocking over objects that are clearly marked to impede the progress of enemies and finding flares which can create a sort of instant force field from the enemies. There are spots where you can hide but these are totally pointless as the second you leave that room the enemies will be all over you again in an instant. There is no way to really stealth these segments, the enemies will ALWAYS find you and chase you no matter what you do. All you can do is make it harder for them to get to you. The best strategy is always to find the fastest route out of the maze, the game gives you a map to do this. Sadly the map is complete crap as it has no real detail. Most of the time you are in buildings with multiple rooms, the maps only show the outlines of those buildings. Even though you can see the destination you never can tell the route you have to take, it is totally random so you really cant plan your run until you know where the blocked paths are. You can only access your map if you walk which means using your map is extremely dangerous, its better to just memorize the route yourself, its not hard. If you die in these segments the game simply takes you back to the start of the maze, in the end it is simply trial and error until you learn the route. What I have done so far is simply breakdown the gameplay, what little there is. That is why I play games, to enjoy the gameplay, not to go on some scripted journey. That said this scripted journey is pretty cool and I actually really loved the wiimote controls. It controls like what a traditional action adventure game would control but with nothing to do. The wiimote controls your flashlight and it works so well, I imagine what Alan Wake could have been like if I had this level of control. And the stuff they could have done with puzzles, I can manipulate objects in any way... and that is what you give us. I loved controlling this game but they gave me so little to do. The story is pretty decent as well and keeps you going. Psychology supposedly plays a part in telling the story, you answer questions and the game changes depending on your personality. I played the game twice (its really sort) to try out different options, the truth is the changes are almost all cosmetic. Some characters will change their clothes to be more slutty and personalities will change including Harry's. Basically this changes the dialog in certain scenes but the story basically plays out the exact same way each time you play. All in all the psychology aspect is a total waste. I dont care what this game could have been called, its a poor game, Silent Hill or no Silent Hill. That said it is a Silent Hill game but misses the point of Silent Hill entirely. This feels like a PG-13 SH, it is not scary at all. There is almost no gore, no demonic imagery, and the town itself has no real role. This is simply a psychological drama, it has nothing in common with the series and it is such a shame they used the amazing original as the basis for this "remake" I think Shattered Memories is a piss poor game but a decent experience. Honestly it a very painless game to play, like a casual stroll through a park. I cant say any mechanics in the game are bad, it just doesn't have many. It controls beautifully, looks amazing and has a decent story. I never had a bad time playing the game, I was just utterly disappointed in the total lack of any compelling gameplay. This game is the very definition of what a 5 is to me, its not good, its not bad, its just there. |
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Posted by Dvader Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:40:49
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VGpressers who did not enjoy Shattered Memories:
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VGpressers who enjoyed Shattered Memories:
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Edgecrusher
You should be forced to play Cursed Mountain again!
"While it is called Silent Hill it has almost nothing to do with any of the games except names and locations."
That's why it's called: Shattered Memories.
"You essentially do nothing but walk and look at crap."
Don't know if you missed it, but the game has lots of visual and audio clues as to what it going on in the story. Actually investigating the gameworld in detail yields more background information about the story.
"There is no way to really stealth these segments"
Actually there is, using the various elements from the scenes you can avoid most enemies and stealth about. That's missing the point about the chase anyway, they are chase segments, the gameplay is about the chase.
"The map is totally random so you really cant plan your run until you know where the blocked paths are"
Not really, I used the map a lot and with great effect. You just have to get it in your mind that the straightest point is not from A to B.
"You can only access your map if you walk which means using your map is extremely dangerous"
Not really, you can zoom the map full screen and take as much time as you want to look at it.
"All in all the psychology aspect is a total waste."
It's not a total waste, the changes are minor but welcome. There are a few different endings too BTW and one of them reveals a lot more detail too.
"I dont care what this game could have been called, its a poor game, Silent Hill or no Silent Hill. "
It got quite a few 9/10 reviews and some 6/10 reviews.
Can you tell me more about the "looks amazing" part as I remember you cussing down the graphics a lot based on released media. You played on an HDTV? Luckily for you the game has that filter which makes it far less painful to play on an HD set, but of course it still looks better in HD. I thought it was pretty cool how you could zoom in really tight on the character models and see all the detail there.
That totally falls under the look at crap category. Ok so you look and listen for crap. Yes I did everything.
Actually there is, using the various elements from t"he scenes you can avoid most enemies and stealth about. That's missing the point about the chase anyway, they are chase segments, the gameplay is about the chase."
That is my point, these segments pretty much lock you in to play one way. The options are there to delay being chased but no matter what you do you will be chased, you can never not fully stealth the segment. It is a very one dimensional.
"Not really, I used the map a lot and with great effect. You just have to get it in your mind that the straightest point is not from A to B. "
I said you could plan it out before you actually went out on a run. You have no clue what so ever what routes the game will allow or not so it becomes trial and error.
"Not really, you can zoom the map full screen and take as much time as you want to look at it."
I know that, I was saying that you cant run and have your map out meaning its practically useless during the chase. Yes you can stand still and look at it but only for short moments cause something will find you. Hell you cant even use your map when your hiding, that would be the perfect time to look at it.
"It's not a total waste, the changes are minor but welcome. There are a few different endings too BTW and one of them reveals a lot more detail too."
When it comes to comparing it to other similar games like a Heavy Rain it is mostly a wasted opportunity. Also its Silent Hill, it should have been using psychology to scare the crap out of you like if you fear water have half the game be about flooding and shit. The whole point of SH is to face your inner demons.
I dont care what others reviewed it, there are many people that like simple story based games. As for the graphics, easily one of the best looking Wii games. Most Wii games dont even try to look realistic, most of them went the cell shaded look. This I would put up there with some of the better looking games of the gen (meaning last gen).