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Post by zombienm on Aug 24, 2010 22:06:12 GMT
Normally in a Silent Hill game, they terrify you both mentally and with just scary monsters, and it tends to work pretty well, but after playing Shattered Memories, I almost feel like it'd be an amazing game if it was simply the psychological aspect alone.
The ice world segments of this game are my least favourite part. I absolutely LOVE exploring though, having every little choice I make change the game to fit my personality more, and discovering all of the dark and disturbing secrets about the characters and city. Imagine things like Silent Hill 2, what would that have been like without the monsters, but instead if it somehow focused that plot line around your own fears rather than just James'? It's kind of weird, but I think it could actually be a pretty decent game. It'd really make you think, it could be even more disturbing and twisted, really getting into your mind, but no combat.
I have no idea how well it'd work really, but in Shattered Memories I feel more concerned and intrigued during the normal parts of the game. The monsters chase sequences are actually just kind of an annoying speed bump to me.
Thoughts? Any ideas on how else they could make a game that's more psychologically involving, but maybe not the same way I mentioned?
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Post by Lolli on Aug 24, 2010 22:28:21 GMT
I personally enjoyed the chase sequences, they made the game more exciting and unexpected. When it first frosted over I was terrified because I knew what was coming but I didn't know exactly which direction the creatures would come from. After that it was an adrenaline boost because when the ice came and you could hear the high pitched screams, you knew you were in trouble.
They also provide a major part of the game. Without the monsters there would be nothing to stop Harry from discovering the truth and without anything to hold him back what use is there in Cheryl being at a psychiatrist's office?
If there were no monsters and just exploring to do I think the game would be dull. Silent Hill is all about scaring the player and making them feel closed in and isolated so with nothing to frighten you or make you uneasy, it wouldn't be Silent Hill because I don't believe the town would be scary without monsters.
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Post by dreggnog on Aug 24, 2010 23:05:51 GMT
I'm interested about what you said on Silent Hill 2. I still felt like I had plenty of time to explore, because that game was for me the easiest in the series, and I would typically kill just about every monster I could and then look around. I found myself running from a lot of monsters in 3, but generally the most interesting and important rooms in the game had less or no enemies. Things changed with 4, when there were ghosts you had no choice but to run from, and now in Shattered Memories there's also parts where you have no choice but to run and not take in the scenery.
What I would like (not having played the game, just a concept) is exploring the entire area of an ice world, and then the monsters appearing. Therefore, you would pretty well know the layout of the area, and the chases could be more challenging, exciting, and enjoyable.
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Post by zombienm on Aug 25, 2010 1:38:21 GMT
I personally enjoyed the chase sequences, they made the game more exciting and unexpected. When it first frosted over I was terrified because I knew what was coming but I didn't know exactly which direction the creatures would come from. After that it was an adrenaline boost because when the ice came and you could hear the high pitched screams, you knew you were in trouble. They also provide a major part of the game. Without the monsters there would be nothing to stop Harry from discovering the truth and without anything to hold him back what use is there in Cheryl being at a psychiatrist's office? If there were no monsters and just exploring to do I think the game would be dull. Silent Hill is all about scaring the player and making them feel closed in and isolated so with nothing to frighten you or make you uneasy, it wouldn't be Silent Hill because I don't believe the town would be scary without monsters. I see your point about it loosing some of it's fear and uneasiness by knowing there are no monsters at all. However, I did find many parts of the game very uneasy even though I knew there were no monsters because I was in the normal world. The story telling and mystery solving was my favourite aspect of this game. Though the game would definitely have to be built differently to keep it creepy, I think it'd be pretty neat. I'm not saying the games shouldn't have monsters anymore, just that I simply think the way they did Shattered Memories' mystery and exploring segments were great on their own. |
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Post by AlexY on Aug 25, 2010 9:59:19 GMT
No, Raw Shocks are very much needed. Both from a gameplay and story standpoint.
See, they aren't just OH LOOK GAIZ IT'S SILENT HILL LET'S PUT MONSTERS HURR DURR (thankfully) and they have their well-deserved point in the story. That's number one.
Number two, while going around exploring and taking in the atmosphere of SH is nice and dandy, chase sequences make you go OH SHIT and are an excellent way of picking up the pace and shaking you up, especially if you're new to the series.
Exploring the ice world alone would be...sort of boring? It's just ice. Everything is frozen. It would either have to be littered with puzzles, made into a bigger and more challenging maze, or both to compensate for the lack of a 'direct' threat.
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Post by dreggnog on Aug 25, 2010 11:51:16 GMT
^ I kinda like that maze and puzzles idea, but I agree that raw shocks are a requirement. Some people might think that simple "jump scares" so to speak are too Resident Evil-ish, but the first game did it to perfection (remember the school locker) because there was a lot of excellent tension and creepy exploration built up behind each moment. Sorry, not sure how much that relates to SM.
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Post by alx on Aug 25, 2010 20:11:47 GMT
It seems to me that a game with both elements should be superior to a game which only focused on puzzles or fighting. Hell, even FPSs usually have door keys and such. Should anyone crave a more puzzle heavy survival horror, then I would definitely recommend the Penumbra series; since there was no combat engine you can only flee or hide from your opponents (sometimes trapping is an option, but I consider that puzzle based, not melee) and because of this the puzzle after puzzle routine could become monotonous. Especially when the developers arbitrarily decided to some random puzzle at you since "This room needs one" and it became less of a 'try and reason your way out of this' and more 'guess what the developer was thinking' which gets extremely frustrating
Don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed the series enough to buy and finish all three and the Lovecraft inspired plot was just another bonus. That having been said, Penumbra for me is a perfect example of why games without combat are not entirely fulfilling
On the other end of the spectrum, Quake 3: Pure FPS, next to no problem solving (there are ways to leverage the environment to gain the advantage, but none which preclude victory) but thoroughly enjoyable in its sheer bloody mindedness... Which also gets old after a while, leaving the player ultimately unfulfilled
Then we have Silent Hill; a near perfect blend of the two. Delivering both mental and physical challenges, it appeals to both sides and brings the best of both worlds to the table and sets a feast for the discerning gamer. Should that delicate balance be upset? Not in my opinion...
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Post by zombienm on Aug 25, 2010 21:28:51 GMT
Then we have Silent Hill; a near perfect blend of the two. Delivering both mental and physical challenges, it appeals to both sides and brings the best of both worlds to the table and sets a feast for the discerning gamer. Should that delicate balance be upset? Not in my opinion... I see what most of you are saying, and it makes sense. I was simply thinking that personally the rest of the game seemed eerie enough as it was, but I didn't really stop to think about what it'd be like if it was ONLY that. On a related note, does anyone know of a game similar to Shattered Memories? Where it's a heavy dose of mystery and puzzles with some scary and disturbing aspects added in occasionally? |
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Post by alx on Aug 26, 2010 0:33:11 GMT
You mean other than the Penumbra series? How about Myst? On a related note, does anyone know of a game similar to Shattered Memories? Where it's a heavy dose of mystery and puzzles with some scary and disturbing aspects added in occasionally? |
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Post by zombienm on Aug 27, 2010 19:40:15 GMT
They also provide a major part of the game. Without the monsters there would be nothing to stop Harry from discovering the truth and without anything to hold him back what use is there in Cheryl being at a psychiatrist's office? When I posted this thread I had actually yet to beat the game, and now that I have I see what you mean by this. Now they seem deeply rooted into the plot rather than just a scare tactic. |
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Post by mr. worncoat on Nov 29, 2010 22:12:36 GMT
They also provide a major part of the game. Without the monsters there would be nothing to stop Harry from discovering the truth and without anything to hold him back what use is there in Cheryl being at a psychiatrist's office? When I posted this thread I had actually yet to beat the game, and now that I have I see what you mean by this. Now they seem deeply rooted into the plot rather than just a scare tactic. If I may add onto this, I've always seen the beasties as an adaptation to the Grey Children from SH1. This has always seemed like a natural take for me, exactly because of the fear, mentioned here, on Cheryl's part, enforced on the recreated Harry's movements. The Grey Children were a warped perception on the backstabbing children Alessa, and I would assume Claudia, had to deal with growing up until the attempted sacrifice. It was also probably one of the the connections between her and Harry that would've assisted in a better recreation of what her father went through. If she wanted the closest possible design, to really fit into her father's shoes, what better than the horror of being faced down by mutant children with unkind intent? The thing is, being older, the perception would have shifted to make up for being applied to years gone past. She's not dealing with kids, she's dealing with trust issues with people her own age. Douglas, in whatever place he might still be playing as, is the only real personal confidante she's been shown to have outside of Harry. That these things show up when she/Harry get most panicky doesn't just feel right, it's spot on. Mounting anxiety that goes into a panic attack (the ice realm), I'd say the developers knew what they were handling. And with Kaufman, who better to be the shrink other than her biological father? My only question in all of this is whether she will ever know on anything outside of a subconscious level as to what part this person played with her life. That'd be an interesting trip. |
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SHF Comedian '10
