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[hellclerk]

1. It's a mature third party game for the Wii
2. Barely any marketing, so the game is pretty much sent to die
3. The Silent Hill franchise is as good as dead nowadays

Well, it's not about #1. This is the GOOD kind of mature, i.e., without blood and guts. #3 might even be set aside if it were for some good marketing. This may as well be a franchise reboot if they were able to pull off #2.

Course they didn't, so it's all moot...

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Well, it's not about #1. This is the GOOD kind of mature, i.e., without blood and guts. #3 might even be set aside if it were for some good marketing. This may as well be a franchise reboot if they were able to pull off #2.

Course they didn't, so it's all moot...

Oh, absolutely, I'm not knocking its status as a genuinely mature title, but for some reason mature Wii games overall tend to.. not be that hot in terms of sales. They could absolutely push it more, but didn't Konami say, prior to the launch of the game, that they weren't going to put any marketing push behind it? And as for franchise reboot.. I dunno, I think it's OK to do this sort of thing for a spinoff game, but if they completely remove the cult aspect and the combat for all future iterations of the franchise.. yeah, no thanks.

 

[hellclerk]

Oh, absolutely, I'm not knocking its status as a genuinely mature title, but for some reason mature Wii games overall tend to.. not be that hot in terms of sales. They could absolutely push it more, but didn't Konami say, prior to the launch of the game, that they weren't going to put any marketing push behind it? And as for franchise reboot.. I dunno, I think it's OK to do this sort of thing for a spinoff game, but if they completely remove the cult aspect and the combat for all future iterations of the franchise.. yeah, no thanks.

Well, with that kind of attitude, the game may as well bomb. They could always bring 'cult-like stuff' back in, but what matters most in a Silent Hill game is the town and screwing with the player. I felt that SM really did it well. Also, the no-combat is a better solution as far as I'm concerned. What they really needed to do with it was to flesh it out better, as in stealth, misdirection, and more puzzle-oriented nightmare encounters. Ultimately, it would have made the game better.

edit: as for the "mature" sales, most M rated games on the Wii have not been all there with quality, effective marketing, or both. The failures are quite sad, but only because of so much lost potential...

 

[dimb]

I really wish the game just ditched having enemies completely. It's like they threw in the nightmare sections to make it like a video game, and it just tarnishes an otherwise very approachable experience.

Rather than just being an interactive sort of fiction Shattered Memories still tries to be a video game with those segments. Without them not only would the game be more approachable but they'd be wholly more enjoyable. Would it be so terrible to have a videogame without any enemies? The hulking deformed monstrosities seem a little played out at this point.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Well, with that kind of attitude, the game may as well bomb. They could always bring 'cult-like stuff' back in, but what matters most in a Silent Hill game is the town and screwing with the player. I felt that SM really did it well. Also, the no-combat is a better solution as far as I'm concerned. What they really needed to do with it was to flesh it out better, as in stealth, misdirection, and more puzzle-oriented nightmare encounters. Ultimately, it would have made the game better.

edit: as for the "mature" sales, most M rated games on the Wii have not been all there with quality, effective marketing, or both. The failures are quite sad, but only because of so much lost potential...

To a certain extent I agree that the most important part of the series is the town itself and the game messing with the players' mind, but personally I like to have some sort of background story to explain why the town is corrupted and evil, and that's where the cult aspect comes to play (incidentally, it was the cult thing that originally made me interested in the series when SH1 was first released). If they just make it out as 'the town is bad, shit goes down' without no real explanation, it kind of loses one of the major aspects that makes the franchise interesting to me.

And I'm generally no fan of games where you have no means of self-defense, and have to run away from enemies, which is why I'd prefer to have some sort of combat, however clunky the combat in SH1-4 might have been.

And yeah, most M rated Wii games are either tosh or lacking in marketing. And as Konami apparently thinks of SH:SM as dead on arrival.. :/

Still, I'm looking forward to playing this (PS2 version). European release dates be damned!

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I think having enemies was fine, and yes it did justify why this game exists as a game instead of something else, like a book. However, they grew a bit stale. Would have liked to see more variation like the

Spoiler

high school

segment. That part was a little scary to me, you had a goal to achieve (beyond Race to the Finish) so it meant more when you were taken down.

Edit- Huh, doomed and I seem to have similar thoughts. Now that's scary.

 

[timetokill]

I really wish the game just ditched having enemies completely. It's like they threw in the nightmare sections to make it like a video game, and it just tarnishes an otherwise very approachable experience.

I think it's still very approachable, and actually I think they weaved it into the story very well. The monsters actually mean something psychologically to

Spoiler

the main character

, which was something that 2 was commended for and then the series started to get away from (in its descent into mediocrity).

Anyway, I hope they make a sequel to this one, using the Vitality Sensor

 

[Kevtones]

Eh, I'm not entirely sure. To borrow a bit from Gnarls Barkley a bit,

Spoiler

It's like wandering around in a dark corridor, seeing monsters and fearful creatures wherever you turn, so you start running, frantically searching for a light in your pitch labyrinth, and when you finally do manage to find the light switch (at the end of course) you turn on the lights and you find yourself in a house of mirrors. The whole time the monster was you. When falling from a mountain, you know generally what's going to happen and what's happening to you. not so much in a dark house of mirrors.

Spoiler

But falling down a mountain has an inevitable outcome. One, that taken in the context of the game, was similarly pre-determined from the very start.

 

[hellclerk]

To a certain extent I agree that the most important part of the series is the town itself and the game messing with the players' mind, but personally I like to have some sort of background story to explain why the town is corrupted and evil, and that's where the cult aspect comes to play (incidentally, it was the cult thing that originally made me interested in the series when SH1 was first released). If they just make it out as 'the town is bad, shit goes down' without no real explanation, it kind of loses one of the major aspects that makes the franchise interesting to me.

They never really say "this town is evil" or anything like that, more that it's just weird around there. I won't go into it any deeper because I don't want to spoil anything.

And I'm generally no fan of games where you have no means of self-defense, and have to run away from enemies, which is why I'd prefer to have some sort of combat, however clunky the combat in SH1-4 might have been.

And yeah, most M rated Wii games are either tosh or lacking in marketing. And as Konami apparently thinks of SH:SM as dead on arrival.. :/

Still, I'm looking forward to playing this (PS2 version). European release dates be damned!

In a way, you could call your self defense getting away. They could have just had infinitely respawning enemies and you with a pistol with a finite amount of ammo, but that would just end up being more frustrating. How it works now is fine. And I'm sure you've heard it before, but if you possibly can, play it on the Wii. You won't regret it.

Spoiler

But falling down a mountain has an inevitable outcome. One, that taken in the context of the game, was similarly pre-determined from the very start.

Spoiler

Except that when you're falling down the mountain, you already know what's going to happen to you as soon as you trip and fall into the abyss. Not so much with mine...

 

[disappeared]

Four days and this finally drops for the PS2. The wait has been too goddamned long!

 

[UrbanRats]

It's March for Europe instead(Wii, ps2 and psp)thank god i got the US version -.-

 

[Miburou]

I checked the GOTY voting thread and I can't believe that both brandonh83 and I voted for this game while Rez, doomed and EatChildren didn't. :lol

 

[hellclerk]

I checked the GOTY voting thread and I can't believe that both brandonh83 and I voted for this game while Rez, doomed and EatChildren didn't. :lol

I didn't vote. I planned on it, but it skipped my mind. I would have easily given it 2 points though...

 

[faridmon]

holy crap, its march for Europe now, they delayed it again those tramps. It should come out in January. Flipping hell., i might have a go and kick my dog now, by the way its name is Konami

does anyone know if it sold well in the NPD charts?

I checked the GOTY voting thread and I can't believe that both brandonh83 and I voted for this game while Rez, doomed and EatChildren didn't. :lol

yeah shame, i have been following this thread from the start. too bad not many included this game in thier chosen ones.

 

[Kevtones]

Spoiler

Except that when you're falling down the mountain, you already know what's going to happen to you as soon as you trip and fall into the abyss. Not so much with mine...

Spoiler

But in the case of this game, you were dead from the moment you started, just like falling down a mountain :lol

 

[Ridley327]

In case anyone was wondering, SM sold less than 50k in December. Disappointing, but it was determined that it's actually selling on par with Homecoming, despite being on just one system.

...yeah, this franchise is screwed.

 

[hednik4am]

I've read a fair amount on this game but I'm still wondering how this will shape on the PS2. How odd persay would it make this game if you had played it on PS2 instead ? I recently nabbed a 3rd ps3 and it s 60 gig so I'm looking at playing this, actually I can't wait. Silent Hill 2 was the last one I played and it was amazing but its been several years.

Would the flashlight and the cell phone parts be just something that would completely change the feel of the story and the ambience persay ?

 

[Ridley327]

We really don't know at this point; it's a port of the PSP version, but it's possible that might have some of the same aspects as the Wii version. Hope for an early review to go up or have someone be brave enough to pick that version up next week and take one for the team, so to speak.

 

[MiniDitka]

We really don't know at this point; it's a port of the PSP version, but it's possible that might have some of the same aspects as the Wii version. Hope for an early review to go up or have someone be brave enough to pick that version up next week and take one for the team, so to speak.

As I mentioned before I might double dip and pick up the PS2 version as well and if I do will post some impressions and PS2/Wii comparison vids.

 

[hednik4am]

As I mentioned before I might double dip and pick up the PS2 version as well and if I do will post some impressions and PS2/Wii comparison vids.

Well I'll assume an analog stick will control the flash light and the what not but other than that what Wii specific controls like the speaker in he wiimote are there ?

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

I'm still waiting for the PSP version of this shiz. So close...

 

[oracrest]

I'm still waiting for the PSP version of this shiz. So close...

I can't imagine how the PSP version stands up to the Wii version.

they do a really good job of making the wiimote feel like it relates to objects in the game, the flashlight, the Ipod, "pinching" levers, and as a phone.

Its really the best game I can think of that breaks the fourth wall with the controller.

 

[Fantastical]

I can't imagine how the PSP version stands up to the Wii version.

they do a really good job of making the wiimote feel like it relates to objects in the game, the flashlight, the Ipod, "pinching" levers, and as a phone.

Its really the best game I can think of that breaks the fourth wall with the controller.

Agreed. If all you have to play it on is PSP/PS2, then go ahead, but I would never choose those versions over the Wii. This truly is a game where the Wiimote adds something to the experience.

I laughed out loud when you

Spoiler

have to wheel yourself around in a wheelchair

. So good. :lol

 

[adamsapple]

The PS2 version might as well replicate the camera with the right analog stick, but there is absolutely no media on it at all

I doubt it'll even get released on the 19th ..

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

I can't imagine how the PSP version stands up to the Wii version.

they do a really good job of making the wiimote feel like it relates to objects in the game, the flashlight, the Ipod, "pinching" levers, and as a phone.

Its really the best game I can think of that breaks the fourth wall with the controller.

From all the preview so far it seems like the transition is better than expected but of course the Wii version seems like the "true" version. Too bad I don't have one!

 

[timetokill]

I laughed out loud when you

Spoiler

have to wheel yourself around in a wheelchair

. So good. :lol

That bit was hilarious to me too :lol but also very cool. I enjoyed that.

 

[adamsapple]

1UP's review of the PSP version

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177588

C+

 

[EmCeeGramr]

1UP's review of the PSP version

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177588

C+

The guy goes out of his way to mention the sex thing again, like in his first review. He went off on a tangent during that one about how the game was "obsessed" with sex, but I never really saw it as more than necessary, especially in a series that's rampant with vulva and phallic imagery.

 

[dimb]

The guy goes out of his way to mention the sex thing again, like in his first review. He went off on a tangent during that one about how the game was "obsessed" with sex, but I never really saw it as more than necessary, especially in a series that's rampant with vulva and phallic imagery.

If you're taking the "family" route the psychiatrist reprimands you for not having enough sex in your life. It was one of the most entertaining moments of the game for me.

I feel like it's easy to misconstrue the game as focusing on sex because ultimately the game is about relationships. His reviews (especially his Wii one), seem to demand a specific answer to everything. It's the fans of the series effect probably, the guy probably wants some cult to pop out and claim up responsibility for the monsters and this and that. But maybe I'm just saying that as someone who wasn't confused by the story in the slightest. The plot progression is laid out in a very clear manner with apparent metaphors. Often times the psychologist will lay out the topic for the player to clearly focus on.

As many problems as Shattered Memories carries with it I think it deserves praise for its ability to elicit an emotional response from the player. It makes players reflect not only on the story in the game but also in relation to their own life experiences. For me at least, that seems like a pretty big triumph for a video game.

 

[Fady K]

okay dumb as hell theory time

Spoiler

Silent Hill 1 and 3 never happened.

If Fantasy-Harry knows all about his life before the car crash, why doesn't he instantly remember that he lives in Silent Hill, something he should know? Because for the last 18 years, he's been "in town on vacation" visiting Silent Hill, fighting demons, and saving his daughter. When the charade suddenly changes (as a result of the real Dr. Michael Kaufmann's work) he's confused because even his real life had been distorted. Cheryl has such terrible memories of Silent Hill that she denies that she and her father ever even lived there.

Dahlia wasn't just "a monster" in this game, depicted as both a slut and a pathetic senile old woman; she was turned into a monster in Cheryl's previous delusions, a cult leader who doesn't care for her daughter. That's why in Silent Hill 1, Harry's wife is almost an ideal: a woman who passed away a long time ago, with no identity. It's why Allessa Gillespie's father was never named. The idea of her loving father and terrible mother being together made no sense, so she seperated them. In her earlier delusions, Dahlia ends up dead, struck down by her own machinations; Cheryl's own desire to see her mother dead.

At the amusement park, Harry "saved" Cheryl from a dragon in the cut-out board. He tries to joke with her in flowery medieval speak about how he saved her from being "consumed" by the red horned winged beast, but Cheryl acts embarrassed and points out that it's just a painting, it's not real. But later, Cheryl herself accepts it as real. The cartoony horned winged beast becomes a much darker and twisted threat: the God of Silent Hill. Yet it's still just a paper tiger, a "painted dragon," not real.

The figures of Lisa, Kaufmann, and Cybil all stem from Cheryl's ambivalence towards the authority figures in her life: policemen, doctors, psychiatrists. They try to help her, but in the end they're just getting in the way. Lisa and Cybil may have been constructs that persisted through various states of her delusions, or were inspired by real people she knew. Kaufmann, heck, she might have just seen his name in a phonebook and found the evil doctor working with her mother to be a useful idea. Her mother is asking for a psychiatrist for her daughter? Well, those doctors must be against her too. The cops, too. They think they're doing the right thing, but they're just puppets of that horrible Dahlia.

Cheryl's own role in SH1, if it is indeed a delusion, is also telling. She "dies" and is "reborn" in a new form after Harry defeats the evil god. Of course she entered a new life: after Harry died when she was seven, her life totally changed.

SH3 may have been a more advanced stage of denial: no longer a child, she wasn't able to continue pretending that Harry was still around. So she invents a new, tragic, and heroic death for him: he was killed by the cult of Silent Hill, the symbol of her hated home (we know from her mugshot in Shattered Memories, where she's wearing clothes like Heather/Cheryl's in SH3, that she spent time away from the town) and of her mother. She personally defeats the evil this time.

At least, that's the delusion she presents to her previous psychiatrists. They indulge her, nod while she blabbers nonsense about how cultists tried to kidnap her and her father saved her from monsters. They may have suggested alternate viewpoints, which became the alternate endings of Silent Hill 1:
"Yeah, but Cheryl, your dad was still dead in that car crash wasn't he?"
"Cheryl, after defeating the god, your dad must have been abducted by aliens, right? Because that's about as believable."

"The other therapists didn't work out for you."

So the real Kaufmann takes a different tack. He focuses on Cheryl and Harry's relationship. Not on her and her father's imagined fights against evil, but her everyday life. He provokes her, cuts through the bullshit, and it shows. Her fantasy Harry grows weaker and confused as Cheryl's various delusions grow out of control and can't keep themselves straight as Kaufmann gets closer to the truth. Harry can't fight against the monsters anymore. The monsters themselves become as disjointed and irrational as Cheryl's fantasies themselves, and are revealed to be nothing but children attempting to cling to Dad like snowflakes, keep him from shattering the ice where he's been frozen in time for 18 years.

^^^^^dumb bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^

I don't post much but i came to say this - dumb bullshit? Really??? Are you freakin' kidding me? This was THE best SH-related interpretation i have ever seen that i feel better about the series with it in mind. EXCELLENT stuff, well done man.

 

[snap0212]

1UP's review of the PSP version

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177588

C+

Who the hell is this guy? There's almost no information about the psp version given. He could have made a list

a) Good graphics
b) Wii controls are awesome, PSP ones are okay
c) Shattered Memories is Shattered Memories.

That's all he says in the review about the PSP game. And that's nothing new for me...

 

[cann3dheat]

So, I'm sure this has been driven into the ground at this point, but I was really enjoying this game almost non-stop today until I hit the nightmare sequence after the

Spoiler

high school.

I mean, for the love of all things decent, that section was just ridiculous. The first half alone was ridiculous with it sending you in circles as the enemies just kept piling on, and then I just gave up on the second half, because there was no way I could go out and

Spoiler

get those pictures.

I mean, it's an interesting mechanic, and I enjoyed them before that point, but I just hated that sequence, and I hope that's the only one I dislike. The controls really don't work well with it, especially if you get attacked, and I wonder if it'll translate over to the PS2 better than the Wii.

 

[Miburou]

I just realized that this will be the 5th Silent Hill game to be released on the PS2. Wow!

So did anyone figure out what collecting all mementos nets you? I think I'll start my 3rd playthrough and go for the

Spoiler

good

ending and get all mementos.

 

[Hiltz]

I'm at the

Spoiler

that nurse's apartment after the hospital section

on my second playthrough.

Spoiler

The wheelchair part was cool thanks to the Wii controls.

I wish that part had lasted longer.

The enemies in the nightmare sections weren't that bad. I mean, you basically get screwed if you end up taking the wrong path where it is easy to get tackled by multiple monsters. I've only died 3 times on my first playthrough and once on my second so far. It's a shame that a lot of Wii gamers are missing out on playing Shattered Memories.

It's a good looking game, the controls work well, the voice acting is terrific and the story and exploration gameplay are enjoyable.

 

[pakkit]

Spoiler

Realizing that the monsters are very childlike suddenly makes a lot of sense.

Climax really did think of everything. If David Lynch made a video game, this would be it.

 

[CaVaYeRo]

It's a shame that a lot of Wii gamers are missing out on playing Shattered Memories.

It's a good looking game, the controls work well, the voice acting is terrific and the story and exploration gameplay are enjoyable.

What can we do?

It's Konami's fault.

 

[Luigiv]

What can we do?

It's Konami's fault.

Yep, still waiting until March 4th. I honestly don't get why PAL gamers have to wait so long when this game was developed by a British studio. Well I guess it at least gives me time to try out some of the older SHs first.

 

[Kiriku]

I mean, it's an interesting mechanic, and I enjoyed them before that point, but I just hated that sequence, and I hope that's the only one I dislike.

I didn't like the backtracking either, but there's another nightmare sequence later on I disliked a lot more. Luckily, I realized you can get past it without having to backtrack (with a walkthrough).

 

[Hellsing321]

So, I'm sure this has been driven into the ground at this point, but I was really enjoying this game almost non-stop today until I hit the nightmare sequence after the

Spoiler

high school.

I mean, for the love of all things decent, that section was just ridiculous. The first half alone was ridiculous with it sending you in circles as the enemies just kept piling on, and then I just gave up on the second half, because there was no way I could go out and

Spoiler

get those pictures.

I mean, it's an interesting mechanic, and I enjoyed them before that point, but I just hated that sequence, and I hope that's the only one I dislike. The controls really don't work well with it, especially if you get attacked, and I wonder if it'll translate over to the PS2 better than the Wii.

Spoiler

Taking the pictures is significantly easier because there are less enemies around, and you know the path to get back out. I only ran into one enemy when I went to take pictures on my first playthrough.

 

[1138]

I always wanted to get into the Silent Hill series, and it looks like this game is perfect for that. I like what i read in the reviews, so im definatly picking this up when it releases in europe.

 

[Xater]

Who the hell is this guy? There's almost no information about the psp version given. He could have made a list

a) Good graphics
b) Wii controls are awesome, PSP ones are okay
c) Shattered Memories is Shattered Memories.

That's all he says in the review about the PSP game. And that's nothing new for me...

It's just one paragraph, but it makes it sound like the conversion is actually pretty good. He gave it the same score as the Wii version. I am also interested in the PSP version because it's my only way to play this.

 

[kinggroin]

The more I think about it, the more I realize this was my favorite Wii experience right behind No More Heroes and the first time I played Smooth Moves with my family (near Wii's launch).


Hopefully PAL land does for this what it did for NMH. Maybe the PSP and PS2 versions can pull the title's numbers up?


Damn.

 

[Biff Hardbody]

Nightmare sequences are killing this game for me. I'm at the point where I just

Spoiler

Went past the bridge/fell off my wheelchair

and its really aggravating. Back to back nightmare sequences.

Aside from that, I'm really enjoying the game and haven't played anything quite like it. Its highly enaging and make sme push aside recent purchases liek Uncharted 2, Infamous, and AC II...its just the not fun at all nightmare sequences that suck me out of the game and make me stop.

 

[John Harker]

Just make sure you tell all your friends :lol It needs to do more than it did this month than last in sales haha

 

[sphinx]

I am in the part where

Spoiler

I leave the nurse's aparment but I gave her accidentally a yellow pill besides the 3 green pills

. Did I just kill her?? and also, how much game is there left? How much percent of the game have I already cleared?

A great experience, I am getting along with the nightmares but it's definitely not my favorite part. Puzzles are clever, cinematics are just like they had to be

 

[MiniDitka]

I decided to double dip and pre-ordered the PS2 version along with NMH today. Will have vids and impressions up on Wednesday(I think thats when it comes out)

 

[voodoopanda]

I found the nightmare sequences to maybe be simpler than people think. I've watched other people play and I see them keep making rights and lefts at random, since they think it's a complicated maze. Going straight towards the exit is usually a better idea.

Really, the best thing to do is look at your map, which if you go full screen I believe pauses the game, at least I was never attacked while I had it up, and mark a general course. Compare what's available door-wise with whats on the map then just head in the direction of the exit. Best advice I can give is use the map a lot and basically head in a straight line towards the exit.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

I am in the part where

Spoiler

I leave the nurse's aparment but I gave her accidentally a yellow pill besides the 3 green pills

. Did I just kill her?? and also, how much game is there left? How much percent of the game have I already cleared?

A great experience, I am getting along with the nightmares but it's definitely not my favorite part. Puzzles are clever, cinematics are just like they had to be

You have 2-3 more chapters to go through.

As for the first question,

Spoiler

well... did you or didn't you? If you had given her the right pill, do you think it would have saved her?

 

[RedSwirl]

Anybody else notice how

Spoiler

Lisa can have different reactions to you peeking at her

?

 

[MiniDitka]

Anybody else notice how

Spoiler

Lisa can have different reactions to you peeking at her

?

Yep - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udiyakVdjlE