Post by sithlibrarian on Jan 5, 2010 20:12:22 GMT
Hey everyone,
I got to spend some time with the game during some time off from work and thought I'd share my opinion.
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Now that I'm back after an unannounced week off, let's start the year fresh with a game review! Today, we're going to look at Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Nintendo Wii, a game that I had gone on record suggesting that it was a bad idea. However, after hearing the praise it received within the gaming press, I thought I'd give it a chance. In short, while the idea behind the game is intriguing, it ultimately falls short due to the removal of combat and less than stellar Wii controls.
Story:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a "re-imagining" of the first Silent Hill, but when it comes right down to it, the only connection this game shares with the original Konami title are the character names. The game opens with a therapist's office from the perspective of the player. Using the Wii-mote, you'll be able to glance around the office as well as nod and shake your head in response to the therapist's questions. You're then presented with a short questionnaire of True/False questions that, depending on your answer for each, will affect the course of the game. The story proper then begins: Harry Mason gets into a car crash after his vehicle begins to spin out of control. After coming to, he finds that his daughter Cheryl is nowhere to be seen. With flashlight in hand, Harry begins to search for his child within the Silent Hill, which has become eerily empty due to a heavy winter storm. Throughout the course of the adventure, the narrative will cut back to the therapist's office where you are to complete a psychological exercise that will have some effect on an upcoming chapter.
Gameplay:
For the most part, Shattered Memories plays like a point and click adventure. As you explore the town, you'll encounter puzzles that require some degree of Wii-mote interaction (lifting and turning over a soda can or repositioning objects, for example). Harry has brought his iPhone along for the adventure, which allows you to snap pictures of puzzle keys for later use, access a map of Silent Hill, save the game and contact various people (phone numbers litter the town, all of which can be reached).
The game changes gears when Harry enters the Nightmare world. Instead of the franchise's trademark rusty, bloody, grime-filled world, Shattered Memories instead covers the area with a non-threatening layer of ice. During this time, the monsters in Silent Hill come out to play and Harry must flee for his life in order to reach a specific spot where the Nightmare will suddenly end. Harry cannot defend himself, so you'll be running around the map, keeping an eye out for glowing doors and edges that denote places Harry can go. Even though you can't fight, Harry can drop objects to mar his pursuers' progress and find flares that will keep the monsters at bay for a short while. Should Harry get caught by a creature, you'll use the Wii-mote and nunchuck to throw them off (gesturing to the left will throw off creatures you cling to the left side of Harry's body, gesture to the right if they latch on to the right of his body, etc.).
These chase sequences are an absolute chore and quickly grow tiresome thanks to the weak response of the Wii-mote gestures. I managed to die frequently just because the remotes didn't react to my gestures (which also causes the nunchuck cable to smack me in the face every time). It's gotten to the point where I'd much rather prefer to play the PS2 version, since I'd be able to rely on its control scheme. Adding to the frustration of these chase sequences is the inability to know where to go. I recall during the Nightmare Woods chase, I discovered that I was running in circles three times before I was able to make sense of where to go. You can bring up a map using the phone, but unless you quickly zoom in, the game doesn't pause. And with no detailed maps like in previous games (you're always looking at a city-wide map of Silent Hill), it's incredibly easy to get lost. If you're killed during a chase, you're sent to the beginning of that section, but the monsters don't reset, which means when you get to the spot where you died, expect to find the creatures milling about.
Graphics:
Shattered Memories looks pretty good for a Wii game, featuring detailed character models and excellent lighting effects. The game's monsters are supposed to change their design throughout the course of the game (depending on your therapy sessions), but because you're running away from them all the time, the only instance you see any monster detail is when you're killed. The franchise's film grain effect is here, but it is supplemented with VHS-style film tears and scratches, giving it all a home video vibe.
The models for certain characters will change depending on the answers you give for each of the therapist's tests. For example, based on the initial answers you provided on the True/False test, the character of Cybil Bennet will either wear prudent police wear or look very sexualized. The second test has you coloring in a picture of a house, car and man and wife. The colors you use will be reflected on the real house, car and couple. It may seem gimmicky, but it's also pretty clever. The game comes with a "psychology warning" that states "the game plays you," but honestly? Eternal Darkness did a better job at playing the player. When I think about how I got the Blue Screen of Death or a healing potion caused my character to explode or the walls started to bleed, I think about how awesome I thought it all was because of how unexpected these actions were. The problem with the psychology tests in Shattered Memories is that once they interrupt the game's narrative, you know that whatever you do will have an effect in the upcoming chapter. There's no real surprise to be had and, if anything, the tests prematurely reveal the nature of the game's upcoming twist (unlike previous games, I was able to figure out what the climax was before reaching the ending).
Sound:
The game's sound design is good, and I give Climax credit for recording a lot of dialog (especially for the many phone numbers you can dial). Unfortunately, the one significantly lacking element here is the somewhat lackluster score by Akira Yamaoka. He's done some great work in the past, but the stuff here isn't nearly as good as Silent Hill 2 or Silent Hill: Origins.
Shattered Memories is a Silent Hill game in name only. It would have been a decent title if it were it's own game, especially since it really doesn't borrow much from the franchise except for character names. If anything, this game has showed me exactly how most Silent Hill fans felt about Silent Hill 4: The Room. Spotty response time with the Wii-mote and annoying chase sequences make what could have been an interesting experience fall a flat. Combat has never been Silent Hill's strongest suit, but to remove it completely paves the way for additional problematic issues.
As a Silent Hill fan, I have a hard time recommending the title. I'd say play the game if you're curious, but don't come in expecting it to revitalize the franchise like Resident Evil 4 did for the Resident Evil franchise. Non-Silent Hill fans might find something to enjoy here, especially the novelty involving the in-game psych tests.
I got to spend some time with the game during some time off from work and thought I'd share my opinion.
---------
Now that I'm back after an unannounced week off, let's start the year fresh with a game review! Today, we're going to look at Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Nintendo Wii, a game that I had gone on record suggesting that it was a bad idea. However, after hearing the praise it received within the gaming press, I thought I'd give it a chance. In short, while the idea behind the game is intriguing, it ultimately falls short due to the removal of combat and less than stellar Wii controls.
Story:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a "re-imagining" of the first Silent Hill, but when it comes right down to it, the only connection this game shares with the original Konami title are the character names. The game opens with a therapist's office from the perspective of the player. Using the Wii-mote, you'll be able to glance around the office as well as nod and shake your head in response to the therapist's questions. You're then presented with a short questionnaire of True/False questions that, depending on your answer for each, will affect the course of the game. The story proper then begins: Harry Mason gets into a car crash after his vehicle begins to spin out of control. After coming to, he finds that his daughter Cheryl is nowhere to be seen. With flashlight in hand, Harry begins to search for his child within the Silent Hill, which has become eerily empty due to a heavy winter storm. Throughout the course of the adventure, the narrative will cut back to the therapist's office where you are to complete a psychological exercise that will have some effect on an upcoming chapter.
Gameplay:
For the most part, Shattered Memories plays like a point and click adventure. As you explore the town, you'll encounter puzzles that require some degree of Wii-mote interaction (lifting and turning over a soda can or repositioning objects, for example). Harry has brought his iPhone along for the adventure, which allows you to snap pictures of puzzle keys for later use, access a map of Silent Hill, save the game and contact various people (phone numbers litter the town, all of which can be reached).
The game changes gears when Harry enters the Nightmare world. Instead of the franchise's trademark rusty, bloody, grime-filled world, Shattered Memories instead covers the area with a non-threatening layer of ice. During this time, the monsters in Silent Hill come out to play and Harry must flee for his life in order to reach a specific spot where the Nightmare will suddenly end. Harry cannot defend himself, so you'll be running around the map, keeping an eye out for glowing doors and edges that denote places Harry can go. Even though you can't fight, Harry can drop objects to mar his pursuers' progress and find flares that will keep the monsters at bay for a short while. Should Harry get caught by a creature, you'll use the Wii-mote and nunchuck to throw them off (gesturing to the left will throw off creatures you cling to the left side of Harry's body, gesture to the right if they latch on to the right of his body, etc.).
These chase sequences are an absolute chore and quickly grow tiresome thanks to the weak response of the Wii-mote gestures. I managed to die frequently just because the remotes didn't react to my gestures (which also causes the nunchuck cable to smack me in the face every time). It's gotten to the point where I'd much rather prefer to play the PS2 version, since I'd be able to rely on its control scheme. Adding to the frustration of these chase sequences is the inability to know where to go. I recall during the Nightmare Woods chase, I discovered that I was running in circles three times before I was able to make sense of where to go. You can bring up a map using the phone, but unless you quickly zoom in, the game doesn't pause. And with no detailed maps like in previous games (you're always looking at a city-wide map of Silent Hill), it's incredibly easy to get lost. If you're killed during a chase, you're sent to the beginning of that section, but the monsters don't reset, which means when you get to the spot where you died, expect to find the creatures milling about.
Graphics:
Shattered Memories looks pretty good for a Wii game, featuring detailed character models and excellent lighting effects. The game's monsters are supposed to change their design throughout the course of the game (depending on your therapy sessions), but because you're running away from them all the time, the only instance you see any monster detail is when you're killed. The franchise's film grain effect is here, but it is supplemented with VHS-style film tears and scratches, giving it all a home video vibe.
The models for certain characters will change depending on the answers you give for each of the therapist's tests. For example, based on the initial answers you provided on the True/False test, the character of Cybil Bennet will either wear prudent police wear or look very sexualized. The second test has you coloring in a picture of a house, car and man and wife. The colors you use will be reflected on the real house, car and couple. It may seem gimmicky, but it's also pretty clever. The game comes with a "psychology warning" that states "the game plays you," but honestly? Eternal Darkness did a better job at playing the player. When I think about how I got the Blue Screen of Death or a healing potion caused my character to explode or the walls started to bleed, I think about how awesome I thought it all was because of how unexpected these actions were. The problem with the psychology tests in Shattered Memories is that once they interrupt the game's narrative, you know that whatever you do will have an effect in the upcoming chapter. There's no real surprise to be had and, if anything, the tests prematurely reveal the nature of the game's upcoming twist (unlike previous games, I was able to figure out what the climax was before reaching the ending).
Sound:
The game's sound design is good, and I give Climax credit for recording a lot of dialog (especially for the many phone numbers you can dial). Unfortunately, the one significantly lacking element here is the somewhat lackluster score by Akira Yamaoka. He's done some great work in the past, but the stuff here isn't nearly as good as Silent Hill 2 or Silent Hill: Origins.
Shattered Memories is a Silent Hill game in name only. It would have been a decent title if it were it's own game, especially since it really doesn't borrow much from the franchise except for character names. If anything, this game has showed me exactly how most Silent Hill fans felt about Silent Hill 4: The Room. Spotty response time with the Wii-mote and annoying chase sequences make what could have been an interesting experience fall a flat. Combat has never been Silent Hill's strongest suit, but to remove it completely paves the way for additional problematic issues.
As a Silent Hill fan, I have a hard time recommending the title. I'd say play the game if you're curious, but don't come in expecting it to revitalize the franchise like Resident Evil 4 did for the Resident Evil franchise. Non-Silent Hill fans might find something to enjoy here, especially the novelty involving the in-game psych tests.
SHF Scribe '10
