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[ShockingAlberto]

At what price is it selling on Wii?

Last sale I saw dropped it to $30, don't know if it stuck around at that price.

 

[Mesijs]

I recently reviewed this for Gamer.nl and gave it a 9. I really, really loved the incredible plot and atmosphere. Beats Heavy Rain in both aspects to me.

 

[Mael]

Last sale I saw dropped it to $30, don't know if it stuck around at that price.

ah ok,
I say that since here we're very price conscious so a game starting at 50 has a better chance of selling than the same game at 60 (SH SM started at 39€ here, 10€ less than anything big release by Nintendo, 20€ less than 3rd parties, don't how it went though we only have the top5 here :lol )

 

[Vagabundo]

Do we have any info on how it's doing sales wise?

It's not lighting up the PAL charts. It was hovering in the Wii top ten for a while. while means it is probably selling a couple of k a week. WW I could imagine this selling 100k in it's lifetime.

 

[UrbanRats]

That's sad.

 

[Tab0203]

A good story can add a lot to a good video game. Having said that: Stop making video games more like movies! Focus on gameplay and controls. Remember Denis Dyack's thoughts on this issue? My goodness...


http://www.destructoid.com/why-heavy-rain-proves-ebert-right-165034.phtml

"Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control."

How do I know this? How many games have I played? I know it by the definition of the vast majority of games. They tend to involve (1) point and shoot in many variations and plotlines, (2) treasure or scavenger hunts, as in "Myst," and (3) player control of the outcome. I don't think these attributes have much to do with art; they have more in common with sports.

It depends on genre, gameplay, control scheme and implementation, but essentially he's right. Didn't Will Wright say something along the lines of "only a game can make you feel guilty, or proud – no other medium can do that."? I couldn't find a source.

It's much easier to watch a mediocre movie than to play a mediocre game, let alone finish ("beat") it.



What makes a good movie?

Story/script > acting > music/sound > cinematography, art direction, picture quality, special effects, resolution etc.

I'm sure there are exceptions.



What makes a good video game?

Gameplay >>> controls (control scheme, no input lag/60fps) >>> picture quality (display, no LCD lag) > image quality (stable 60/30fps/no tearing, no texture pop-in, etc.) > graphics (art direction, animation, special effects) > music/sound > physics > widescreen > story/script, voice acting > resolution

I haven't even mentioned quiet hardware, load-, save-, install-, patch-times, game breaking bugs and glitches. I'm not sure where to put 3D w/o glasses. Probably somewhere in between graphics and widescreen. We'll see.


Re. input lag, LCD lag, update rate:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1942/programming_responsiveness.php
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3725/measuring_responsiveness_in_video_.php
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-lag-factor-article

Players, and sometime even designers, cannot always put into words what they feel is wrong with a particular game's controls. Often they will try to do something that requires some synchronization, but will fail, and they won't be able to tell you "the event happened 0.10 seconds after my input," but will instead say the game felt "slow" or "not tight" or "difficult."

Or they might not be able to tell you anything concrete, and simply say the game sucks, without really understanding why it sucks.

Designers and programmers need to be aware of response lag and the negative effect it has on a game, even if test players do not directly report it as a factor.

Games ≠ movies

The same is true for cinematic or story driven games. I'm not just controlling the character. I can move at my own pace and control the camera. I can say "cut!" and replay scenes differently. I'm both director (more or less) and cinematographer thanks to gameplay and controls. I can alter the atmosphere. Silent Hill for Wii is a good example, plus: the story is actually pretty good, unlike 99% of all games out there. 99.9% is probably closer to reality. Resident Evil 4's story is so bad, even the developers/script writer didn't take it seriously, (at least the voice acting is fine) yet, it's one of the best games of all time and most people finished it more than once. A quality single-player game that lasts 15-25 hours.

I actually like cutscenes (exception: MGS/FF series) as long as they're in-game, skippable, don't look better than actual gameplay (Mario Galaxy) or work similar to Half-Life 2 (PC).

 

[SovanJedi]

Alright, so I'm not actually detailing specific spoilers here (hence why I'm not using spoiler tags) but this is from having beaten the game so be careful reading what I write nonetheless.

So a friend of mine - a really avid Silent Hill fan no less - came over and we played through the whole game in one 7-hour sitting with next to no insight on what happens during the game beforehand. We were both in agreement that it's a pretty incredible game and a really nice reimagining of the Silent Hill concept but in different circumstances without having to rely on any of the obvious fallbacks like ancient Satanic cults or more cameos by Pyramid Head. Personally I am upset that they didn't have at least some kind of combat or cool boss battle though... outside of my desire to see more unique and freaky Silent Hill monsters, I feel that the Otherworld sections were a bit too samey after a while so I was hoping there'd be a way to mix it up with something more ghoulish. But I respect what they were doing and why they didn't do that.

That's actually something that would sum this game up: respectable. The psychology tests and attempts to get into your mind were really effective I found, even with multiple people playing the game and influencing the decisions. Some of the scare scenes were a little lame (oh no, the 17th flapping poster!) but some of the REAL scare sections were top quality stuff. It still had that air of uneasiness I get from playing a regular Silent Hill game, and the ending plot twist was really out of the blue and changed the whole damn game around for me. For all that, I have to really respect what Climax did with the game considering their previous game was lambasted for being an unambitious rehash of Silent Hill concepts with very little care or thought put to it. This, however, is intelligent.

One thing I didn't find too appealing, and I feel guilty in saying this, are the game's graphics. Now, I do love the Wii pointer controls and the waggle being used, and I actually find the shaking the enemies off to be quite effective in giving me the heebie-jeebies, but all the same I didn't always feel the graphics accurately portrayed what I expect I was meant to be feeling at the time. The Otherworld sections are a neat touch and after playing Penumbra the idea of cold lonely places sounds even more horrifying than before, but here they kind of looked blah and didn't really do the job as far as I'm concerned. If they ever decide to upscale this to the PS3 with really really chilly-looking and uninviting environments but keep the motion controls on Move, I'd be up for that. However considering that Penumbra did the same trick but with about similar tech, I'm guessing it's just the art team not quite doing their job properly.

Too long/didn't read: very ambitious game with some repetitive gameplay but an absolutely amazing take and a respectable reboot to the Silent Hill series. I hope they make more SH games like this in the future.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Tapped out at 50k in America, last I heard.

Don't imagine it did better anywhere else.

The PS2 and PSP versions may have brought the whole thing up to 65k at best.

It was 50K first month. It didn't "tap out" at 50, as far as I know. Who knows where it's at. It's much lower than it should be either way, though.

 

[itsinmyveins]

Despite me having a ton of games I'm in the middle of playing or haven't even started yet, I'm gonna go out and buy this during my lunch today. I feel like I gotta support the game and it seems like a decent one at that.

 

[Antagon]

Despite me having a ton of games I'm in the middle of playing or haven't even started yet, I'm gonna go out and buy this during my lunch today. I feel like I gotta support the game and it seems like a decent one at that.

Same for me (except after work). I'm a bit bummed that I read a couple of big spoilers a while back thinking that I wouldn't be getting the game anyway though.

 

[The Hermit]

Finally finished... and I kinda expected the twist (especially when he asked me

Spoiler

if I was a slut)

Now what really scared me was the "profile" a the end.

Spoiler

Hell I am (almost) a doctor, I know that psychological profile is not that hard... but reading most of me that easily by a videogame, is quite enervating

BTW, after "dying" a few times by a bunch of monster, I reallized they were cuddling him, when he was on the floor... is that because

Spoiler

those monsters are actually Cheryl's defense mechanism trying to keep her dad, or better, herself from reaching the truth?

Probably already discussed, but well what wasn't! :lol

EDIT: is that ok?

 

[Skiesofwonder]

woah now baiano19, some of that is very "revealing" info, close to spoiler territory.

We don't want to ruin this amazing experience for anybody that has yet to play.

 

[itsinmyveins]

I just started playing the game today and so far -- and hour or so into the game -- I'm very impressed. While the graphics sometimes do look a bit dull due to it being a Wii-title (especially considering I'm right now playing God of War 3), I think they manage to build quite a creepy atmosphere and I enjoy all the little puzzles, gadgets and looking around with the flashlight. Listening to voicemails on the Wii mote works surprisingly well too. Sure, that first time I had to flee from the enemies was a bit confusing since I just ran around and couldn't find my way out to the correct street. All in all though, based on the little I've played, I'd say this is the most interesting game in the series since SH2.

 

[Antagon]

I played it for a couple of hours yesterday and took it to a friend today where I played it for three and a half hours in a row. The game just seems to get better and better. I love the atmosphere and the locations. It's amazing how well everything is realized. And while I thought that the first nightmare was a bit boring, the second one was extremely intense.

The profiling system is fantastic. The chances it makes to the game are actually bigger then I expected.

The biggest downside to me right now are the puzzles. Most of them are extremely simple, though the

Spoiler

shadows puzzle

was absolutely ingenious.

 

[Kevtones]

Those playing it for the first time, try dialing 911/411

 

[SlipperySlope]

Those playing it for the first time, try dialing 911/411

Better yet, dial Konami's support number (it's in the manual).

 

[Combichristoffersen]

BTW, after "dying" a few times by a bunch of monster, I reallized they were cuddling him, when he was on the floor... is that because

Spoiler

those monsters are actually Cheryl's defense mechanism trying to keep her dad, or better, herself from reaching the truth?

I took it more as

Spoiler

Cheryl clinging on to the memory of the father she barely knew

 

[magicalsoundshower]

Got this yesterday, I'm at the school and I think it's pretty brilliant overall and I'm loving the psychotherapy angle of the game. It seems like a great effort to "un-clutter" Silent Hill and make more of an adventure game out of it that is also more accessible to people who wouldn't touch a game that forces you to micromanage ammo and health drinks.

The chase sequences are also a lot less annoying than I expected as you get unlimited tries but they're still intense as hell. I know I should probably be checking my GPS to see if I'm on the right track but I still keep bolting around like a huge idiot so the monsters won't get me. :lol

The graphics are also really impressive in places (particularly the texture work and lighting), too bad about the frame rate drops when opening doors but I guess this is because the Wii has to de-compress the data of the next room. The motion controls when operating levers and such are sometimes bad though.

Plus, is it wrong that I don't seem to care that much about Cheryl but would prefer to know what the hell happened to Harry, though, because there's no way he can be all that sane?

My biggest gripe with the game is that I'd like to see a bit more interaction and actual gameplay other than exploring the environments and finding my way to the next goal, no matter how atmospheric doing so may feel, though. While the small motion control puzzles are neat, there don't really seem to be a lot of them. My guess is that anyone consulting a FAQ or forum because they think they're stuck is doing themselves an especially huge disservice in this game.

OK, that was my two cents, time to blow this popsicle stand to escape the nigh-inevitable spoilers.

 

[Kevtones]

I took it more as

Spoiler

Cheryl clinging on to the memory of the father she barely knew

My take as well. The fact they develop boobs over time helps support this theory :lol



Also, I'm going to play it again just to call Konami :lol

 

[mantidor]

My take as well. The fact they develop boobs over time helps support this theory :lol

Spoiler

Another awesome bit is that the enemies change as well, the start very plain but depending on your actions and diagnosis they change, at the end I got monsters with faces opened up that looked like a gear with very wide cogs

 

[SlipperySlope]

Got this yesterday, I'm at the school and I think it's pretty brilliant overall and I'm loving the psychotherapy angle of the game. It seems like a great effort to "un-clutter" Silent Hill and make more of an adventure game out of it that is also more accessible to people who wouldn't touch a game that forces you to micromanage ammo and health drinks.

The chase sequences are also a lot less annoying than I expected as you get unlimited tries but they're still intense as hell. I know I should probably be checking my GPS to see if I'm on the right track but I still keep bolting around like a huge idiot so the monsters won't get me. :lol

The graphics are also really impressive in places (particularly the texture work and lighting), too bad about the frame rate drops when opening doors but I guess this is because the Wii has to de-compress the data of the next room. The motion controls when operating levers and such are sometimes bad though.

Plus, is it wrong that I don't seem to care that much about Cheryl but would prefer to know what the hell happened to Harry, though, because there's no way he can be all that sane?

My biggest gripe with the game is that I'd like to see a bit more interaction and actual gameplay other than exploring the environments and finding my way to the next goal, no matter how atmospheric doing so may feel, though. While the small motion control puzzles are neat, there don't really seem to be a lot of them. My guess is that anyone consulting a FAQ or forum because they think they're stuck is doing themselves an especially huge disservice in this game.

OK, that was my two cents, time to blow this popsicle stand to escape the nigh-inevitable spoilers.

Glad you like it so far. Also glad there's new people buying the game.

This is probably my favorite game this generation (I don't consider HL 2 to be of this generation, too old).

 

[itsinmyveins]

Seriously, what the fuck? There's so much thought put into some of the things in this game yet that damn ice world is there. It's not fun, it's annoying and it's bad -- they should just have made those whole parts QTE instead. How am I supposed to be able to find my way when there's constantely four guys on my tail? How the hell am I supposed to get them off me when there are four guys hanging on me like I was made of glue -- nothing seems to happen no matter how much I waggle the controller?

 

[Swittcher]

Seriously, what the fuck? There's so much thought put into some of the things in this game yet that damn ice world is there. It's not fun, it's annoying and it's bad -- they should just have made those whole parts QTE instead. How am I supposed to be able to find my way when there's constantely four guys on my tail? How the hell am I supposed to get them off me when there are four guys hanging on me like I was made of glue -- nothing seems to happen no matter how much I waggle the controller?

lols

Wii games are hard.

 

[pakkit]

It's not fun, it's annoying and it's bad -- they should just have made those whole parts QTE instead.

Eww...

How am I supposed to be able to find my way when there's constantely four guys on my tail?

You're not supposed to know exactly where to go. You're supposed to pick a direction and gun it.

How the hell am I supposed to get them off me when there are four guys hanging on me like I was made of glue -- nothing seems to happen no matter how much I waggle the controller?

Well, if there four monsters on you, you're pretty much fucked. Make succinct, pushing movements with the controllers to throw the monsters off of you. Something is wrong with your motion if you're not throwing off the monsters (also, waggle in the direction they've grabbed on to you).

 

[mantidor]

protip: don't waggle.


Strong, firm movements in the opposite direction the monsters jumped at you is enough. I used to put the controller closer to my chest and moving them away, like, if I was trying to get rid of the monsters in real life, it worked well.

 

[Tab0203]

Random 5/10 review:

All of this changes, of course, in the "nightmare" segments of the game, where the town freezes over so that everything turns blue except the army of monsters that appear out of nowhere. Harry cannot defeat these monsters, or even fight them in any real way. The best the player can do when he gets cornered is to throw them off using a Wiimote gesture that, for me, worked almost four out of five times.

The real nightmare, of course, is that these areas are almost impossible to navigate. The reduced palette and repeating artwork have a tendency to make every part of a given nightmare look roughly the same. If the player chooses to walk rather than run, making himself more vulnerable to the monsters, Harry can open his phone's map feature, but it doesn't contain any useful detail. The resulting disorientation is appropriately dreamlike and frightening, but this pervasive sameness will likely result in the player running around in circles for a good long while before getting killed and having to start over again again. Frustration quickly wins out over fear in such circumstances.

This is not to say the design doesn't have potential. One of the last nightmare segments, one that essentially abandons the literal world of Silent Hill completely, shows off what might have been. The key feature here is a repeating-room maze. It's something of a cliché, of course, but the repeating room has the advantages of being both nightmarish and self-resetting so that the player never gets too lost.

Simple and obvious actions rendered awkward and difficult by obtuse motion control might have passed for gameplay in December 2006, but three years into the Wii's life cycle we should be well past the point where tech-demo crap like this is viewed as praiseworthy, or even acceptable. Motion control offers no intrinsic intrigue or gameplay value ...

Gamefaqs:

I was really enjoying th atmosphere of the game and the subtle psychological horror it was playing on right until the second nightmare. But after dying several times and eventually cranking up the brightness on my TV to get past them I feel like the atmosphere has been shot to pieces. Are all the nightmares like this, was that a difficulty spike or do they just get even harder. To me repeatedly killing the player is just about the worst sin a survival horror game can do other than making the player feel invulnerable, and Nightmare 2 basically just did both.

Does the game let up after this or is it just constant "Do It Again Stupid" throughout?

*sigh*.........Does anyone else find this segment extremely frustrating? I just died about 5 times in a row...keep going in circles near the house. I........I'm so pissed off right now..

GAF:

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.

I played 20-30 minutes of this on a break from another little game and I got to the part where I had to do the full body waggle and I died three times.

Can't get past the second nightmare sequence. Fuck this game and series along with it.

Sure, that first time I had to flee from the enemies was a bit confusing since I just ran around and couldn't find my way out to the correct street.

Random 'Let's play' videos (blind):

'Running in circles'

Let's Play Silent Hill Shattered Memories 005

(1:59) - "Ugh, it's right in front of me!" (AI hasn't even kicked in yet) He turns left and... left again!? What the fuck? The same mistake at (2:31) and a nice u-turn at (5:35).


The first nightmare only lasts 2 minutes.

Pt.3 - Let's Play Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Blind)

This guy thinks he found the exit after 43 seconds, "Exit - yes! Oh what, it's not over.", asks "how do I get 'em off?" (0:50), doesn't read the help screen (0:51), and doesn't even know that you can't strafe run in this game. (1:01) "Run, you idiot! What the fuck, run!"


Pt.32 - Let's Play Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Blind)

He's just getting ready to bitch about the controls (7:05) during the final nightmare sequence until he finally realized that you're supposed to die: "What's going on? Why can't I knock 'em off? Wow, just kill me already. I can't believe I'm still alive. Wow, pathetic! That reminds me. Some guy ... saying the controls aren't terrible, just... WHAT? What the hell? So I was meant to die?" No shit. Swimming sequence: "No! Are you serious? OK, at least these controls work." *sigh*



Unbelievable.

I ran in a circle once and died two or three times on my first playthrough. No skill required. No frustration. I didn't even know about the ice "telling" you where to go. They could have tweaked the controls here and there, but they do work. Stop blaming the Wii remote for your own shortcomings. The game has many flaws - controls isn't one of them.



Obvious:
-The map pauses the game. Use it and draw a path to the exit.
-Don't go left or right! (there are exceptions) Run straight ahead!
-It's impossible to avoid them completely (exception: 1st nightmare). They're meant to grab you a few times. Also, sometimes it takes more than one flick to throw them off, which has nothing to do with responsiveness. Never had a problem shaking them off.
-Don't flail your arms around.
-As you run you'll leave a faint trail which can help you find your way.
-Pick up the flares.
-Turn off your flashlight every once in a while.


Not so obvious: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19060518&postcount=1222

Another tip for the chase sequences is to look back with D-Pad down - when there's one of those things close behind Harry, he'll freak out and run a bit faster for the next couple seconds. Works even if his health is down and he's limping. It's a real life-saver in some situations.

Couple that with the very useful knocking shit over mechanic and the map pausing whenever you go fullscreen (which takes about half a second)... yeah, the chase sequences aren't that hard from a gameplay perspective."

 

[itsinmyveins]

So, according to your post a lot of people are having troubles with a segment of the game and to you that's unbelievable because you only died three times? Great for you!

I've died something like 5-10 times times during the first four nightmares I've played through (although four of those deaths were during one particulary annoying nightmare where I managed to get pinned down by several monsters a whole bunch of times). Granted, I did not know about that last bit in your post nor about the game pausing when you bring the map up -- I wrongly assumed it didn't because it doesn't when you bring the phone up. So yeah, that's probably gonna make it a bit easier not getting lost, which has been one of my main complaints about it so far.

But apart from that there's still the fact that I just don't care for those parts of the game. I find them boring and tedious no matter how well I manage to run through one. Other than that I'm enjoying the game a lot.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Seriously, what the fuck? There's so much thought put into some of the things in this game yet that damn ice world is there. It's not fun, it's annoying and it's bad -- they should just have made those whole parts QTE instead. How am I supposed to be able to find my way when there's constantely four guys on my tail? How the hell am I supposed to get them off me when there are four guys hanging on me like I was made of glue -- nothing seems to happen no matter how much I waggle the controller?

Well, use both the wiimote and nunchuk to shake them off. Perhaps that's your problem? And like someone else stated, use a large swing motion, like you're actually trying to get them off of you. Works for me.

Also, when beginning the ice world sequences, the first room is usually safe. You can study the map in this room without fear of attack. (switch to full screen map to pause the game and study it to your hearts content).

From the map, you can get a general idea of where to go. For me, the hardest ice area was the school. That's mostly because I wasn't paying attention to the indicators and hints.

The game sometimes gives you hints about where to go. For example, doors you're supposed to go through will sometimes have some kind of indicator. Like a light above it, or something else that hints you towards that door. Following the lights is normally the way to go. Or sometimes there's a terrain change. In one area, there was a wall with a huge hole I could walk through, where pre-ice world, it was normal. That indicated where to go.

The last hint I can think of is to push over everything you run across. It helps. And use the flares

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I'd say death is assumed in the chase sequences.

Not everyone is going to like that

 

[itsinmyveins]

Yeah, it was the school nightmare that made me post that message you're quoting :lol

The next nightmare I did get through on my first try, surprisingly enough. I generally don't have any trouble shaking one or two monsters off but during the school nightmare I got caught by 3-4 monsters a couple of times and I couldn't get them off me.

And about the flares, can you throw them and if so then how?

 

[SlipperySlope]

So, according to your post a lot of people are having troubles with a segment of the game and to you that's unbelievable because you only died three times? Great for you!

I've died something like 5-10 times times during the first four nightmares I've played through (although four of those deaths were during one particulary annoying nightmare where I managed to get pinned down by several monsters a whole bunch of times). Granted, I did not know about that last bit in your post nor about the game pausing when you bring the map up -- I wrongly assumed it didn't because it doesn't when you bring the phone up. So yeah, that's probably gonna make it a bit easier not getting lost, which has been one of my main complaints about it so far.

But apart from that there's still the fact that I just don't care for those parts of the game. I find them boring and tedious no matter how well I manage to run through one. Other than that I'm enjoying the game a lot.

Oh yeah, the flashlight thing. That helps a lot. Makes it harder for them to see you. For me, I only turn it on when needed. The ice worlds are usually bright enough to make your way around without a flashlight.

For me, I keep the flashlight off until I need to because I can't see. Then I turn it on. When I figure out which way to go, I turn it off again. I didn't know about this in my first playthrough.

Hell, even in my last play through, I forgot about the flash light for like half of the nightmares in the game It just skipped my mind.

And don't feel bad. I died about 20 times the first time in the school nightmare. I couldn't figure out where the fuck to go. (wasn't following the hints, had flashlight on, etc).

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Yeah, it was the school nightmare that made me post that message you're quoting :lol

The next nightmare I did get through on my first try, surprisingly enough. I generally don't have any trouble shaking one or two monsters off but during the school nightmare I got caught by 3-4 monsters a couple of times and I couldn't get them off me.

And about the flares, can you throw them and if so then how?

You can drop them with the C button, I think

 

[SlipperySlope]

Yeah, it was the school nightmare that made me post that message you're quoting :lol

The next nightmare I did get through on my first try, surprisingly enough. I generally don't have any trouble shaking one or two monsters off but during the school nightmare I got caught by 3-4 monsters a couple of times and I couldn't get them off me.

And about the flares, can you throw them and if so then how?

You can't throw the flare, as far as I know. And, why would you? It's better to have the flare on you.

All the flare does is keep them off of you. If you walk up to one with the flare on, you'll see them shielding themselves. They cannot attack you when you are using the flare. So, why throw away your only protection?

The only downside to the flare is you can't bring up your phone. So you'll generally want to know where you want to go before lighting one.

 

[itsinmyveins]

I think a lot of my frustration about the nightmare scenes might come not so much from having to repeat them if I fail -- I've played through far harder games than this -- but that I don't think they fit too well into what I want out of this game.

The environment is bleak and hardly noticable when you're running past it, often it could just be grey wall after grey wall and it wouldn't make a difference. While the idea of having a flight instead of fight based game mechanic may be sound in a horror game I don't know if I'm so fond of how it's used here. I like the rest of the game because of the atmosphere, the slow pacing and the story but then you're suddenly thrown into a mad gauntlet run.

That being said, I like the direction of this game in general compared to some of the recent ones in the series.

 

[itsinmyveins]

You can't throw the flare, as far as I know. And, why would you? It's better to have the flare on you.

All the flare does is keep them off of you. If you walk up to one with the flare on, you'll see them shielding themselves. They cannot attack you when you are using the flare. So, why throw away your only protection?

The only downside to the flare is you can't bring up your phone. So you'll generally want to know where you want to go before lighting one.

Well, if I drop a flare I guess it gives me some time to bring up the map and take a look without being attacked if there are enemies nearby.

 

[SlipperySlope]

I think a lot of my frustration about the nightmare scenes might come not so much from having to repeat them if I fail -- I've played through far harder games than this -- but that I don't think they fit too well into what I want out of this game.

The environment is bleak and hardly noticable when you're running past it, often it could just be grey wall after grey wall and it wouldn't make a difference. While the idea of having a flight instead of fight based game mechanic may be sound in a horror game I don't know if I'm so fond of how it's used here. I like the rest of the game because of the atmosphere, the slow pacing and the story but then you're suddenly thrown into a mad gauntlet run.

That being said, I like the direction of this game in general compared to some of the recent ones in the series.

Spoiler is safe for you, not for those that haven't passed the 4th nightmare

Spoiler

So, how did you like the drowning part? I loved that part myself.

 

[Boney]

I believe you throw the flare with the plus button, and it works great, because they stay behind the thrown flare as opposed to following you without grabbing you. This way, you can lose them completely.

 

[SlipperySlope]

I believe you throw the flare with the plus button, and it works great, because they stay behind the thrown flare as opposed to following you without grabbing you. This way, you can lose them completely.

Really?!?!?!

I'll have to try that my next play through. I never even thought of that. And there I was talking about how throwing away the flare would be useless a few posts back

 

[itsinmyveins]

Spoiler is safe for you, not for those that haven't passed the 4th nightmare

Spoiler

So, how did you like the drowning part? I loved that part myself.

Spoiler

I was kinda freaking out because I didn't know what to do. I opened windows just to shut them right away and tried to open the doors -- which I guess is impossible until there's enough water inside. Then you got that whole deal where you see one of the monsters outside and writing on the windows which took me a bit by surprise. Then I managed to get out. All in all a well done scene.

By the way, how long is the game?

 

[MYE]

Whats so complicated about the Ice World?

I died once in about 3 or 4 nightmare sequences and thats because i had two monsters grabbing me and i kept pushing the controllers to myself instead of thrusting them in the opposite direction they where attacking me from.

And for fucks sake people, use the map and draw paths in it.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Spoiler

I was kinda freaking out because I didn't know what to do. I opened windows just to shut them right away and tried to open the doors -- which I guess is impossible until there's enough water inside. Then you got that whole deal where you see one of the monsters outside and writing on the windows which took me a bit by surprise. Then I managed to get out. All in all a well done scene.

By the way, how long is the game?

6-7 hours, I usually land at closer to the 7 hour mark.

 

[Boney]

Really?!?!?!

I'll have to try that my next play through. I never even thought of that. And there I was talking about how throwing away the flare would be useless a few posts back

Well, if you could beat the game just fine, I don't see why you would need it. And sometimes, just like turning the flashlight off, I forgot about throwing the flare.

By the way, how long is the game?

Spoiler

5-6 hours. Perfect for multiple playthroughs.

 

[pakkit]

Spoiler

Can you die in the car scene?

 

[itsinmyveins]

Really, that short? I don't mind that, but I thought it'd be longer. I guess I'm a bit past halfway through it then, at least?

SPOILER:

Spoiler

I just met that nurse in the hospital.

 

[Hiltz]

Spoiler

Can you die in the car scene?

Spoiler

You can't die

during it.


I finished the game the first time in 9 hours and a second time a little over 8 hours.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Spoiler

Can you die in the car scene?

Spoiler

You can "not escape", but the game continues like normal. Basically, if you can't figure it out, the game skips over it and assumes you escaped.

 

[SlipperySlope]

Really, that short? I don't mind that, but I thought it'd be longer. I guess I'm a bit past halfway through it then, at least?

SPOILER:

Spoiler

I just met that nurse in the hospital.

The game's halfway point I think is

Spoiler

the school nightmare.

I think the 2nd half of the game is better than the first half.

 

[itsinmyveins]

I'm not trying to review the game, I'm just a bit eager to talk about it. I like the game, maybe more for what it tries to do and direction it's taking than the actual result (which I still think is good, I just don't know how good).

The Good:
Hands down, I love the new direction of a more exploration focused gameplay. It's exactly what I want from a game like this; heavy with atmosphere and more about the vibe than the cat in the closet type of scares. I've never been a big fan of horror per se but I thoroughly enjoy the settings in the Silent Hill games when they're not transformed into a rusty mess of chains and steel walls.

"Ordinary" Silent Hill is mysterious and ominous and you just know there's something beneath the surface waiting to be found out. I'm a big fan of shows like Twin Peaks and X-files and books by Stephen King and I don't think any game has yet to really set out for that style in the manner I'd like to see. A lot of these games, whether we're talking about earlier Silent Hill iterations or upcoming titles like Alan Wake, are good but in my opinion also bogged down by clumsy action or repetitive labyrinths dressed as old building or hospitals or sewers. What I'd like to see is a more adventure based game with maybe some instances of action. In that regard I think Shattered Memories takes a step in the right direction, apart from the Nightmares then.

The whole psychology aspect is also a fun idea and even though it may seem a bit silly to color a picture of a house it's pretty cool to see the next scene being based on your own choices like that. And unlike Bioshock, where the story is largely told through audio tapes conveniently found all over Rapture, it's told through voice messages (which work surprisingly well here, I think), texts and pictures that fit in the context of the game. Of course, there are cut scenes in there as well.

The Bad:
The nightmares. Again, I see the idea behind it and I suppose it could work but not when it's such a frequent and intrusive one in terms of the gameplay. Had it been a bit more varied, say one chase sequence mixed with other types of action elements (driving a car, shooting, platform inspired moments or whatever) throughout the game I wouldn't mind. Now though, it's a mad dash to the exit in a gauntlet that offers little to no variation and it totally throws of the pacing. Going from the slow exploration to that just feels off and instead of a streamlined experience that furthers you to new areas it acts as a in-between level regurgitating the same formula. So instead of repeating the chase scenes I would have like them to offer a bit more variation there, allowing for different styles of action sequences but not in a way that makes the game feel so structured.

The Ugly:
It's a Wii game so naturally I was a bit suspicious about the graphics. But it's not that bad, really. In some of the cut scenes the characters look rather good and the fact that you throughout the game rely on a flashlight also works in the favor of the game. A lot of the areas you're in are shrouded in darkness apart from where you're shining your light at that given moment. This, with the shadows and effects of the light, definitely makes it look a lot better than it would have had the lighting been turned on in every room. I think I generally like games where the character is allowed to look around with a flash light. It does a lot for that feeling of looking for something. In fact, the thing I remember the best about the old Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is the flashlight :lol

 

[SlipperySlope]

I'm a little confused. How are the graphics under "ugly"? They're some of the best on the system. You'll notice that you can visibly read any sign in the game, all by looking at it. The textures are high-resolution. You don't click a button to view the sign, and read it in a separate message box.

Also, where are you in the game?

 

[itsinmyveins]

I'm a little confused. How are the graphics under "ugly"? They're some of the best on the system.

Also, where are you in the game?

"The ugly" is just a small title referring to the classic movie (The good, the bad and the ugly) and not meant to be taken seriously, although I do think that a lot of people are probably gonna assume that it is. I mean, it's a Wii game. They rarely excel in the graphics department. I didn't think it would look good going for a realistic tone either, considering that most of the good looking Wii-games use very stylized visuals or celshading (which usually works well for a system lacking in power). It does look good though -- more so than any other Wii game and that's exactly what I wrote too. I actually went out and bought a component cable just because of this game to make sure I got the most out of it :lol

Spoiler:

Spoiler

I've just taken that nurse home and I'm supposed to go somewhere now. Haven't had time to play anymore yet since I just got home from work.