Just got this game and I am loving it. Not very far but far enough to be impressed. One complaint is the frame rate. One more complaint is that shaking the monsters of could be a bit more responsive. Loved the first chase sequence, and I'm loving the wiimote functionality/psychological tests.
One, note user whose opinion is offending you (oh nos, negativity!)
Two, skip over post and posts responding to it (oh nos, negative discussions run away!)
Three, respond to posts which do conform to your rainbows, fairies and unicorn world or start a new fairytale post of love and magic.
Yeah, the game giving a description based on my answers made me retroactively tense and creeped out while playing the game. :lol j/k
The couple of chase sequences where you actually had to backtrack were actually cool moments in the game. Maybe I just like the challenge and the sense of dread. (Hell, if someone told me about it earlier, the dread since the start of the game of having to do that would've added to the experience).
SH3 had some pretty creepy music at times, like some prayer gone wrong, and the random screams and animal sounds were amazing, but I'm not sure if it would've fit into the game, aside from the chase sequences (which had good music).
Finished the first chase sequence, the second psych session (my house color was amazing :lol) and got the first picture/text message. So yeah, at this point I'm already in love. The game oozes with atmosphere, and it manages to build tension in really appropriate ways. Everything they've added (wii function, the calls/phone, some of the gameplay segments) are fucking ace and I like the limited exploration. Hell the forest allowed for some creepy woods jaunting and the tunnels after were PITCH BLACK if you turned you flashlight off. I'm digging the story thus far, too.
I should say that anyone complaining this game is not Silent Hill enough should go in for their own evaluation or at least rethink their silly position.
I should say that anyone complaining this game is not Silent Hill enough should go in for their own evaluation or at least rethink their silly position.
OK, I've made it past the mall sections and I'm wondering, just how much of the game is left?
I'm enjoying it quite a bit, though I'm still disappointed by the technical shortcomings. I find myself running around without the flashlight simply to keep the framerate smooth, for instance. I don't like thinking about that kind of stuff while playing a game like this. It's just annoying when it goes from 60 fps to sub-30 fps just by turning around.
So earlier in this post, I made a comment about how Silent Hill 2 was a once in a lifetime thing.
I was wrong.
Not only was I wrong, I might even be as bold to say that Shattered Memories outdoes Silent Hill 2 for me. OK, I can appreciate how that last sentence might boggle someone's mind. This is really difficult to articulate without me spoiling the game but to understand what I mean, I need to explain why Silent Hill 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, and it's somewhat the same reasons as to why Jacob's Ladder is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you don't get what then feel free to completely disregard my now glowing opinion of Shattered Memories, and let me say why I can completely understand why most people might think I'm full of shit... I can also completely understand the polar opposites the game seems to be getting review-wise. This sucker is so under my skin, it's as short as hell but it's gonna be with me for a long time to come...
It really is difficult to explain to someone who hasn't played the game, or has only tried the game out, why it is what it is without spoiling it for them. There's a reason the game is the way it is, right down to the whole "ice world" thing. It sounds like a terrible idea on paper, but after playing through the game, it wouldn't make any sense to do it any other way.
I'll admit, the game had me fooled the whole way though... the mystery got more interesting as the game moved on, by about 3/4 of the way through I was full of all kinds of ideas about what was going on, I was sure pretty early that
the story was taking place some time after the actual car crash
, but I was focused on it being all about
Harry, maybe it was his atonement for being a bad father, I was even thinking at points that maybe he had abused Cheryl at some point
. Boy, was I wrong. I had no idea the twist was going to be what it was. And in my ending (which appears to be known as the "good" ending) when
Harry said "I will always been with you" then turned to ice
, that gave me the same punch in the gut as
Mary's "In my restless dreams..." monologue
at the end of Silent Hill 2. No other game has ever made me feel that way.
Ironically, I spent the majority of the game agreeing with the "not your father's Silent Hill" in the topic title. It turns out in the end that this was my Silent Hill after all.
Regarding the scare factor, Shattered Memories is not a survival horror game. It gave me the creeps, as mentioned before, like Jacob's Ladder gives me the creeps. Horror is subjective, but I will say that horror and fear of death are not mutually exclusive. I can understand why it may be to some people, but not for me. In fact it's quite interesting to realise that
there isn't a single piece of extreme violent imagery in the whole game
, when I started playing I thought that was a bad thing but now it makes complete sense. It's not because they couldn't out-do Team Silent in that regard (though maybe they couldn't), it's because it doesn't make quite as much sense to try and do so in the context of this game. I also didn't notice as I played the game, but there's a really good reason why
Harry can't die
.
Argh, I've got so much I want to discuss about my journey through the game and why I feel the way I do about the game but I don't want my posts to be overly tl;dr... I haven't even touched on the mechanics of the game, like the Wii controls, graphics or nightmare sequences... :lol
Just one more quick thing for those of us interesting in theorizing... I've got a pretty clear opinion on a lot of the symbolism in the game, but one thing I'm not quite clear on is
why the character of Cybil exists. Is she symbolic of anything at all, or is she merely a plot device to keep the player fooled and the story moving
Just one more quick thing for those of us interesting in theorizing... I've got a pretty clear opinion on a lot of the symbolism in the game, but one thing I'm not quite clear on is
why the character of Cybil exists. Is she symbolic of anything at all, or is she merely a plot device to keep the player fooled and the story moving
what happened really could have happened in Silent Hill and was a result of Cheryl's feelings being amplified through the town, creating the Harry she wanted
she changes slightly depending on how Cheryl the player perceives things
.
I just find it really odd though that
she's the only character in Harry's world that could be genuinely "real" - she doesn't do anything really unusual, unlike for example Lisa who behaves in a completely nonsensical way. You can tell something isn't right from the other character's disregard for realistic responses to the world, even Harry himself doesn't respond rationally to the world around him - but Cybil doesn't ever behave like that, or at least she didn't in my game. Everything she says or does could believably happen. She's also the only character to question things that don't seem right - accepting at the end of the game that there's no way Cheryl's Harry could be the real Harry, even going as far as saying it doesn't make any sense
. She puts some reality into
a world that could just be written off as a figment of Chery's imagination
.
Maybe she's just like that to throw us for a loop, to make the ending more ambiguous.
Seriously though, I think it's very Silent Hill but updated for modern logistics. I would say that it's an evolution if anything. Not quite the RE4 comparison (that analogy doesn't work) but in terms of added elements, it's quite the step the series needed.
Also, the cell phone is the single most important part of the 21st century horror film, making it the focal point in gaming is brilliantly logical to me. Plus the way you open doors is fuck awesome :lol
Maybe that's why I don't like 21st century horror films. But yes, the integration is nice, just overdone. I mean how many phone numbers can you call and how many texts and voicemails do you get through the game? It's staggeringly ridiculous IMO. Not exactly what I would call a "flaw" but not necessary either.
Maybe that's why I don't like 21st century horror films. But yes, the integration is nice, just overdone. I mean how many phone numbers can you call and how many texts and voicemails do you get through the game? It's staggeringly ridiculous IMO. Not exactly what I would call a "flaw" but not necessary either.
I don't like most 21st century horror either, it's mostly shit. I'm only about an hour into the game and I just got the first text/picture attached so I haven't had a chance to see if it's overdone. Even if it is a bit too much in the end I think the integration is novel and a pretty cool way to reveal the story.
Like other's have said, I'm getting a very Jacob's Ladder feel from the game so far.
There is so much cell phone usage in this game that it would not surprise me if Climax went to a local mall and asked groups of teens what they would like to see the most in a new Silent Hill game.
There is so much cell phone usage in this game that it would not surprise me if Climax went to a local mall and asked groups of teens what they would like to see the most in a new Silent Hill game.
But is that a bad thing? The cell phone is your connection to the real, and is representative the postmodern memory. We do everything with these things, so why WOULDN'T the cell phone be in there? Even if
Harry has been dead for 18 years, he's still representative of Cheryl's memory, and thus is infected by modern times
. In addition, the use of the cell phone as an interface piece is utterly brilliant and breaks down barriers to further immerse the player.
I don't think any of us are saying there's a correlation it's just changed the many of the logistics of horror films. Think about classic horror films if cell phones existed, things change drastically.
When it's pretty much the only thing the game relies on, to me, yes. I don't think it's the worst thing ever, I was just making fun of how much cell phone usage is in the game.
When it's pretty much the only thing the game relies on, to me, yes. I don't think it's the worst thing ever, I was just making fun of how much cell phone usage is in the game.
You really overreact to every post I make. I've said plainly that I like the game. Hell, I quite love the story and I think the atmosphere is really spooky. Am I NOT allowed to have criticisms? I seriously dislike how almost everything is tied to the phone. Ghostly apparitions? Take a picture using the phone. Plot information? Text messages and voicemails. Plot progression? Mainly getting phone calls. These are facts that cannot be argued. You can like it; that's fine. But the game does heavily rely on the cell phone for pretty much everything. I think it's well-integrated and smart, but very much overdone. It's not a huge deal. I still like the game. I just think the amount of phone usage is a bit much.
Since when did valid criticism begin to equate into grasping at straws?
she changes slightly depending on how Cheryl the player perceives things
.
I just find it really odd though that
she's the only character in Harry's world that could be genuinely "real" - she doesn't do anything really unusual, unlike for example Lisa who behaves in a completely nonsensical way. You can tell something isn't right from the other character's disregard for realistic responses to the world, even Harry himself doesn't respond rationally to the world around him - but Cybil doesn't ever behave like that, or at least she didn't in my game. Everything she says or does could believably happen. She's also the only character to question things that don't seem right - accepting at the end of the game that there's no way Cheryl's Harry could be the real Harry, even going as far as saying it doesn't make any sense
. She puts some reality into
a world that could just be written off as a figment of Chery's imagination
.
Maybe she's just like that to throw us for a loop, to make the ending more ambiguous.
You really overreact to every post I make. I've said plainly that I like the game. Hell, I quite love the story and I think the atmosphere is really spooky. Am I NOT allowed to have criticisms? I seriously dislike how almost everything is tied to the phone. Ghostly apparitions? Take a picture using the phone. Plot information? Text messages and voicemails. Plot progression? Mainly getting phone calls. These are facts that cannot be argued. You can like it; that's fine. But the game does heavily rely on the cell phone for pretty much everything. I think it's well-integrated and smart, but very much overdone. It's not a huge deal. I still like the game. I just think the amount of phone usage is a bit much.
Since when did valid criticism begin to equate into grasping at straws?
The cellphone is just a way to avoid having gamey menus that take you out of the game.
And most modern horror movies haven't really changed because of cell phones. Much like the internet, most movies just ignore it or get it out of the way quickly:
- Oh great, our car broke down in front of this scary mansion and nobody brought a cellphone?
- Oh no, my cellphone fell down this dark manhole...let's split up and look for it.
- Man, too bad there's no reception here down at Lake Terror, oh well, let's go skinnydipping!
You really overreact to every post I make. I've said plainly that I like the game. Hell, I quite love the story and I think the atmosphere is really spooky. Am I NOT allowed to have criticisms? I seriously dislike how almost everything is tied to the phone. Ghostly apparitions? Take a picture using the phone. Plot information? Text messages and voicemails. Plot progression? Mainly getting phone calls. These are facts that cannot be argued. You can like it; that's fine. But the game does heavily rely on the cell phone for pretty much everything. I think it's well-integrated and smart, but very much overdone. It's not a huge deal. I still like the game. I just think the amount of phone usage is a bit much.
Since when did valid criticism begin to equate into grasping at straws?
You really overreact to every post I make. I've said plainly that I like the game. Hell, I quite love the story and I think the atmosphere is really spooky. Am I NOT allowed to have criticisms? I seriously dislike how almost everything is tied to the phone. Ghostly apparitions? Take a picture using the phone. Plot information? Text messages and voicemails. Plot progression? Mainly getting phone calls. These are facts that cannot be argued. You can like it; that's fine. But the game does heavily rely on the cell phone for pretty much everything. I think it's well-integrated and smart, but very much overdone. It's not a huge deal. I still like the game. I just think the amount of phone usage is a bit much.
Since when did valid criticism begin to equate into grasping at straws?
I'm not really understanding why everyone seems to be getting on your case either. Although my stance on the game is a bit different from yours, I agree with what you are saying, and everyone's opposing arguments as well, simply because it is your choice to believe so in the end, and most of the replies between everyone have been well said. You don't come across as being overly negative for the sake of it, or being uninformed nor ignorant to the game you have just experienced. It seems a few have taken your words a bit too literally and a tad out of context. That, or I'm the one who has misunderstood you.
I'm a huge Silent Hill and Final Fantasy fan living in Europe. Americans are playing Silent Hill and the Japanese are playing FFXIII, and I'm... depressed T_T
I'm a huge Silent Hill and Final Fantasy fan living in Europe. Americans are playing Silent Hill and the Japanese are playing FFXIII, and I'm... depressed T_T
What ever you do, please, DO NOT read anything regarding the story. Nothing at all, not even characters met. Please. You have been warned...and this is not something you want to ruin.
an always present map at the bottom of the screen (the phone interface) would have been lovely, just so that I'd always know if I was heading backwards without having to slow right down
What ever you do, please, DO NOT read anything regarding the story. Nothing at all, not even characters met. Please. You have been warned...and this is not something you want to ruin.
Yeah, I'm being really careful around these parts. The urge to highlight a spoilertag is always there, though. But I haven't been spoiled -or spoiled myself- so far.
I just like to enter this thread and read some impressions.
I really can't wait to play this. "Only" two months away.
an always present map at the bottom of the screen (the phone interface) would have been lovely, just so that I'd always know if I was heading backwards without having to slow right down
Its also a good idea to try and avoid wide open areas in chase sequences too. The layout of some of the nightmare worlds make this unavoidable, but the enemies are faster than you and they will catch you if there is nothing in their way. Climb up ledges to higher ground, knock over objects, go through doors, whatever it takes to put something physical between you and the enemies.
Using the audio cues from the pointer will tell you if there is an enemy behind a door as well and let you plan ahead a little bit.
Yeah, I'm being really careful around these parts. The urge to highlight a spoilertag is always there, though. But I haven't been spoiled -or spoiled myself- so far.
I just like to enter this thread and read some impressions.
I really can't wait to play this. "Only" two months away.
To be honest, I feel that the game is one of those cases where it is "bigger than the sum of its parts". It does have some missed potential, and the chases are certainly average in design, but it really is one of those instances where you almost want to learn to love it. For what ever reason, I felt like this game grew on me, even outside of the story(I usually HATE gaming stories). I'm probably being over dramatic here, but its like knowing someone that's is a good person with a few flaws, only to accept and eventually like the flaws simply because they are a part of said person. The only gaming comparison I can personally compare it to would be the framerate drops in SotC. Lord knows they happen, and at times it leaves a lot to be desired, but there is no way I would change that game. Its one of the few titles I would never want to see remade...at all. There really is no reason to not want it better technically, but I wouldn't take it. This is kind of like that, but to a lesser extent.
My tip with the chases is to take a mental not if the direction you're running and always try to move the furthest away from where you started. By default you'll make it to the end pretty quickly. It's the moment that you forget where you're going or where you are that they become really tedious.
Anyway, as for the plot, I do like to think that
Harry is something spat out by Silent Hill. The nightmare of Silent Hill is all Cheryl's, but Harry is just another part of that nightmare. For Cybil, Lisa, and Michelle, I think they may have existed. Cybil is certainly the most realistic, and Michelle has some grounding in that she went to school with Cheryl. Lisa potentially works too.
I think though that they are trapped in Cheryls nightmare, each representing something in her past. Michelle's relationship destruction and reference to school is obvious, and Cybil could represent the officer who both told her of her father's death and her run-ins with the law. Lisa is harder, but I believe Cheryl's nightmare kills her off as she's one of the few women in the game who uses Harry to comfort her. Jealousy, maybe.
I really found half of the game's appeal to be the connection with the pointer and the flashlight. I could literally look around in the game all day like that were there more to see. So addictive.
As much as I love this game there are some gripes I can think of if I were trying to be nitpicky.
The world and "rooms" are quite small... there aren't a lot of things to interact with save for 1 or 2 objects in a single room on average with the obvious grey arrow. Most of the time you are wandering around in a dark poorly lit area... if this room was lit up entirely without need of the flashlight... you would see how limiting and unimpressive each area really is. The flashlight lighting effects makes it seem interesting limiting your field of view to the lit outlines but in daylight... this would be an N64 game in scope. Having said all that... it gets kinda redundant and silly how many areas have no power or lights on anywhere, but I'm just being picky. But of course all these comments, I am missing the point or whatever...but it's something to think about.
yeah, I find myself wishing that Harry had more to say about the environment. I love the flashlight function, and if it was coupled with more dialogue it would be even cooler.
I hope Climax get to make another SH game. They're onto a winning formula here.
oh, and it would also be great if my current objective was a little clearer. I mean, obviously in the 'second area', the goal is to get back into town, but randomly walking around until I trigger a nightmare world scene that requires me to run to some arbitrary point back through and area to an new area that has opened up is a bit too vague. I mean, maybe the story will reveal why the world changed at that point later and all that, but as it is it's kind of aimless. Which I guess is the point. All it would take is a simple sentence saying "get back to town" or Harry looking at a map and saying "ah, that must be the way" or something.
Granted, I've only just completed the Ranger Station area, so a lot of this is probably intentional and in-line with the game's themes. With that being said, SIREN: New Translation did an excellent job of conveying a traditional Silent Hill-esque tone while including a clear objective. Nothing was sacrificed in that game as a result; the world still felt unknowable and vague.
Just played through the High School and the Bridge Sequence and attempted the chase-sequence following before dying a few times and quiting.
Wow! Great, great game despite the obvious flaws. I'm super-glad something like this has been made.
I'm becoming accustomed to the chase sequences. They don't stress me out much anymore, instead they just become kind of tedious. It would have been neat if they were all 'event' sequences, like
in the sinking car, or the beginning of the hospital bit in the wheel-chair.
While the adventuring or character interaction post-chase are really worthwhile rewards, I'd have been fine simply playing through more adventure puzzles like the shadow thing or the password (both of which were great, in fact, the latter was outstanding) than have to dread the annoying chases.
I'm not the developer. I don't know. I know that all the other Silent Hill games implemented stuff in different ways without relying on one singular function. And before you go off saying "but this isn't like the other games!" yes, I know that, but I'm just saying that there is, creatively speaking, a plethora of ways to go about presentation and implementation, and I just feel that the game was way too heavy on the cell phone usage. Everything about the game was so very much centered around it and that's just not... good to me? It's as simple as that, I just didn't think it was effective. I mean, it really sucked away a lot of the paranoia and tension because you know that when you snap a photo of some kind of visual distortion, it's going to do that FLASH effect with the same sound effect. Every single time. It's just a creatively bankrupt direction to me.
I'm not really understanding why everyone seems to be getting on your case either. Although my stance on the game is a bit different from yours, I agree with what you are saying, and everyone's opposing arguments as well, simply because it is your choice to believe so in the end, and most of the replies between everyone have been well said. You don't come across as being overly negative for the sake of it, or being uninformed nor ignorant to the game you have just experienced. It seems a few have taken your words a bit too literally and a tad out of context. That, or I'm the one who has misunderstood you.
No, you hit the nail on the head. I never intended for any of my posts to be taken on the level that some seem to be; I mean just judging by some of the replies. But yes. I am a huge SH fan, I love the series with all my heart, body, and soul. And yes, I have been very vocal about the negatives I had with this game. However, I believe I have heartily expressed extreme enthusiasm about some aspects, such as the storyline and the spooky atmosphere. I think the plot left more to be desired, but in the end it was very clever and I loved the twist. A lot. I don't hate this game. At some points during my first two playthroughs, I sort of did. But once the overall direction settled in with me I learned to appreciate what values it does have, and they are strong.
I'm not the developer. I don't know. I know that all the other Silent Hill games implemented stuff in different ways without relying on one singular function. And before you go off saying "but this isn't like the other games!" yes, I know that, but I'm just saying that there is, creatively speaking, a plethora of ways to go about presentation and implementation, and I just feel that the game was way too heavy on the cell phone usage. Everything about the game was so very much centered around it and that's just not... good to me? It's as simple as that, I just didn't think it was effective. I mean, it really sucked away a lot of the paranoia and tension because you know that when you snap a photo of some kind of visual distortion, it's going to do that FLASH effect with the same sound effect. Every single time. It's just a creatively bankrupt direction to me.
Well, then what wouldn't be creatively bankrupt? The cell phone is a necessary game element. Climax decided to go for the most organic level of exposition, i.e. just looking at things for comments on them, or being able to read signs and investigate things more carefully. To place a different sort of background exposition would be difficult, considering they wanted the most organic method of interaction possible. Now, the ability to pick up and read notes or newspapers would be interesting, but ultimately difficult to come up with a method of looking back at them without taking the player out of the game. So basically, the phone is the most effective, organic interface with menus and story exposition within the realm of interactivity with the game. The reason you can't come up with an equal or better way is because it doesn't really exist within the context of the game. What you're essentially doing is looking through a mechanic in the game, which is not inherently bad, it's just mechanics aren't usually meant to be looked through, so paying heed to it only hurts your playing of the game, and because the phone is a natural and sensible thing to have and use, it does take effort to look through it. I hadn't even noticed how much the phone was being used until it was brought up.
Ugh I hate these chase sequences. I'm at the high school one and I keep dying cuz I don't know where I'm going. An on screen mini map would have helped.
Well, then what wouldn't be creatively bankrupt? The cell phone is a necessary game element. Climax decided to go for the most organic level of exposition, i.e. just looking at things for comments on them, or being able to read signs and investigate things more carefully. To place a different sort of background exposition would be difficult, considering they wanted the most organic method of interaction possible. Now, the ability to pick up and read notes or newspapers would be interesting, but ultimately difficult to come up with a method of looking back at them without taking the player out of the game. So basically, the phone is the most effective, organic interface with menus and story exposition within the realm of interactivity with the game. The reason you can't come up with an equal or better way is because it doesn't really exist within the context of the game. What you're essentially doing is looking through a mechanic in the game, which is not inherently bad, it's just mechanics aren't usually meant to be looked through, so paying heed to it only hurts your playing of the game, and because the phone is a natural and sensible thing to have and use, it does take effort to look through it. I hadn't even noticed how much the phone was being used until it was brought up.
I just think there's a multitude of ways that the scary stuff and plot information could have been handled aside from reducing literally everything to text messages and voicemails. Imagine if it didn't do that and you're exploring the ice world in the dark and you're in dead silence and then all of a sudden you get a cryptic text message. You're creeped out, you keep going, and then you get a voicemail which relates to the text message and it's creepy as shit. You don't think that would be more effective? Really? I fail to understand that. Instead the entire game is the same crap recycled over and over in the exact same manner and it's not very long into the game when you realize that it's essentially the only tactic they're going to use. To me, personally, that negates any sort of suspense or tension the otherwise nice atmosphere could have made for itself, but since the scares were incredibly predictable and redundant, thanks to the phone, I wasn't exactly moved to the edge of my seat.
There's just such a stale wash-rinse-repeat method going on and that's why I'm saying it's creatively bankrupt. There's no diversity in how things are presented thanks largely in part to the heavy reliance on the phone. I can't put it in better words. This is the best you will get out of me. If you're not satisfied with it just say so and I'll throw in the towel. :lol
I just reached the high school. If this game weren't called Silent Hill (or if it was on an HD console lol) I think it would be getting unanimous praise. A lot of the stuff it does is unique and interesting. On it's own, despite the relative lack of fright, I think it taps into the player's consciousness pretty well. The psychology stuff is perfectly executed and I think the game really catapults you into a what the fuck is happening situation very, very well. Like it's been said: Jacob's Ladder, although I think it feels like take on Alice in Wonderland as you meander into this world you're neither you sure remember or know is real.
I can't wait to finish it and play it again to be honest.
Also, I really dug the simple puzzle in the middle of the second chase sequence. The combination of elements really stood out to me, especially when considering Wii functionality.
The more I think about it the more I like the separation of chase sequence and exploration. When I'm walking around I feel I'm figuring things out, and getting to closer to knowing wtf is going on. It's made better because I feel like I'm getting to know me due to the psychological scenes. Those are shaping my character's interactions and the world and most likely (judging by skimming some posts in this thread), the ending of the game. Then, when I'm (suddenly) thrust into the ice world where I know there is a multitude of insane no-faced-naked-penisless-pre-teens that have nothing better to do than to wander and ruin me. They won't stop, they can't care, and they will never have a better moment than killing me. Plus they chase me through doors woot. But when they give up and the world changes, fuck is it a relief.
whats the word on this game from people not so familiar with the previous silent hill games? i know about pyramid heads in haunted town and that's about it...is that ok? Haven't bought a wii game in forever and thought this sounded interesting.
