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Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - |OT| of Not Your Father's Silent Hill

kittoo

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
TunaLover said:
Just finish the game, the end blow my mind. It was pretty sad thought, it leave me with a sour sensation =(
Click to expand...

Which ending did you get? I got the
weak father
one.
 
S

SabinFigaro

Member
My God, what a fantastic game. I really don't see any of the major criticisms here: Chase sequences too confusing? The only one where I "died" more than twice was Midwich High School. Removal of combat? Perfectly implemented, thus removing the series' Achilles' heel. Too short? Perfect length for the narrative. And the big one: not scary enough? The emphasis on the narrative and psychological aspects far outweigh the need for the "scare factor". Even during the normal sequences, I still found the atmosphere unnerving due to the echo placements and the "shadow girl".

As a massive fan of the series, SM stands among the best. I'm so glad they got rid of the cult focus; it worked in the beginning, but quickly wore out its welcome. SM was a simple story, but just so well-told. I found the characters to be well-written, and the VA was extremely well-done.

One of my only criticisms concerns the lack of real puzzles. Although the series tends to be quite obtuse with their solutions, the ones present in SM were brain-dead. However, it didn't interrupt the flow of the game, so I guess that's a plus.

I figured out pretty early that
Harry was dead, probably around the High School. The clues left behind, including momentos, voice messages and pictures, came together quite convincingly to portray Cheryl's life as one without her father. However, I didn't know it was Cheryl being interviewed until the end. I thought the game was meant to be Harry's personal hell, reliving his guilt for having abandoned his daughter.

Overall, what a fantastic game, and one worthy of bearing the Silent Hill name much more than some of its predecessors. I hope people will come to experience it over the next few years.
 
F

farnham

Banned
so i started playing this today. i really dig the atmosphere created through music, sound effects, graphics etc. the whole psychological thing that is going with the story is well implemented. and i really like some of the smaller aspects of the game (how the main character can actually make phonecalls, how the flash light works etc.)


so far i the only thing i dont like is the chase sequences. Its just that the monsters are too annoying when i get caught. you really have to make the right motions to get them off. waggling wont help here. unfortunately you have to know what the specific motion is but the indicator doesnt helpt that much.
 
S

SabinFigaro

Member
farnham said:
so far i the only thing i dont like is the chase sequences. Its just that the monsters are too annoying when i get caught. you really have to make the right motions to get them off. waggling wont help here. unfortunately you have to know what the specific motion is but the indicator doesnt helpt that much.
Click to expand...
Actually, it's quite simple once you know the trick. Whatever direction a monster hangs on you, that's the direction you have to "push", i.e. if one grabs your left side, push to the left; from the back, bring the Wiimote into your chest.
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
Still waiting on some kind of expanded soundtrack. Someone here was kind enough to rip the creepy forest music for me but I'm still looking for it in crispy clear quality. I hate when soundtracks get shortchanged.
 
M

mjc

Member
Would this be a good game for someone who's never played a SH game like me? Would I be missing out on story ties or anything?
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
mjc said:
Would this be a good game for someone who's never played a SH game like me? Would I be missing out on story ties or anything?
Click to expand...

You wouldn't miss anything. Its basically its own story.
 
D

Dascu

Member
mjc said:
Would this be a good game for someone who's never played a SH game like me? Would I be missing out on story ties or anything?
Click to expand...
You wouldn't really miss out on anything. Go ahead and jump in.
 
B

brandonh83

Banned
mjc said:
Would this be a good game for someone who's never played a SH game like me? Would I be missing out on story ties or anything?
Click to expand...

Yes, especially since you wouldn't have any of the other games to compare it to. Go for it.
 
F

fernoca

Member
Well, after a long hiatus (Super Mario Galaxy 2, Prince of Persia, Trauma Team..got in the way :p).... I just finished the game.

What a journey..an amazing one actually..kinda touching too at the end.

Apparently got the best ending with the
"you've been with me so long" dialog and Harry leaving/divorcing saying how is not Cheryl's fault and that he still loves her...
..though it still left me with a ":(" face..

I need more games like this..apparently sales were not that great..not even good...hope it was still on expectations considering the barely to no advertising and a small shipment.
Does anyone knows a way to contact the developers? Anyone has sent emails..and got any response?

Though, after finishing..one thing that I just thought...
Does that means that
the girl being spied on, taken pictures by other girls in school and having a relationship with his teacher, was Cheryl? :O!!
 
Z

Zihark

Member
fernoca said:
Well, after a long hiatus (Super Mario Galaxy 2, Prince of Persia, Trauma Team..got in the way :p).... I just finished the game.

What a journey..an amazing one actually..kinda touching too at the end.

Apparently got the best ending with the
"you've been with me so long" dialog and Harry leaving/divorcing saying how is not Cheryl's fault and that he still loves her...
..

I need more games like this..apparently sales were not that great..not even good...hope it was still on expectations considering the barely to no advertising and a small shipment.
Does anyone knows a way to contact the developers? Anyone has sent emails..and got any response?

Though, after finishing..one thing that I just thought...
Does that means that
the girl being spied on, taken pictures by other girls in school and having a relationship with his teacher, was Cheryl? :O!!
Click to expand...
In their financials, Konami lists ddr and this game as their biggest titles of the quarter.
 
B

Boney

Banned
F

fernoca

Member
Nice read! Dated June 3rd.


Exclusive Silent Hill Shattered Memories Post-Mortem Interview with Tomm Hulett
From: Silent Hill Heaven
Silent Hill Heaven said:
Once again, Silent Hill Shattered Memories Producer Tomm Hulett invited your questions and comments about the game, and my GOD did you all come forward and tell him what you thought!

The full Post-Mortem interview – in its entire epic-length glory – can be read right here. Just be warned – the interview is full of unmarked spoilers, so PLEASE make sure you’ve completed the game before you proceed! We don’t wanna ruin those surprises for you.
Click to expand...
The producer talks about releasing the game, the reviews, reception from fans, endings, anecdotes..really cool, long and spoilerific read.


EDIT:
RE: Sales
Q: How well did Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, sell? Did it outperform expectations or did it sell badly?

Tomm – I can’t really go into detail about this. Shattered Memories is neither the best-selling nor the worst-selling Silent Hill title.
Click to expand...
That and the talk of them having ideas and being inspired to try even more different things for a possible next game..hope they get to do it. :)
 
F

fernoca

Member
What I posted in another thread.. :p
Wow..finished Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii) some moments ago..and...what a sad ending. :(

It made me want to hug my parents (which I did :p)....the expression on "that character's face" when "it" learns the truth.. :(
Click to expand...
Getting the best ending, reading around..I actually didn't' did anything..on purpose..played and answered everything just normal..and the profile you get at the end described me..really well (worry about others, but also about what others think, focused, love relationships, lousy in bed (?!!).. )..etc.
 
T

timetokill

Banned
fernoca said:
What I posted in another thread.. :p

Getting the best ending, reading around..I actually didn't' did anything..on purpose..played and answered everything just normal..and the profile you get at the end described me..really well (worry about others, but also about what others think, focused, love relationships, lousy in bed (?!!).. )..etc.
Click to expand...

Spoilers?
 
F

fernoca

Member
timetokill said:
Spoilers?
Click to expand...
What I spoiled? ..tried to be as..vague as possible..unless "character's face" is a spoiler..and the profile-thing as far as I know is no spoiler... :/

Spoiler-tag it..so I know..
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
I'm avoiding reading any posts in this thread given how little I want this game spoiled. I am REALLY liking it so far too, despite knowing there is no fear of death outside of the chase sequences, I am still on edge just exploring the creepy town and witnessing all the ghostly moments.

I enter each SH game with full optimism but always scoff at how horrendous the games actually are. This one finally seems to strip away all the garbage and deliver a really uniquely gratifying experience...well in the few hours I've played so far. I've always wished SH would fully remove combat and focus on it's true strenghts, and this is ALMOST there. Also impressive how great the flashlight looks, especially coming off the amateurish tech that powered the nu-gen Homecoming flashlight.

The chase sequences are a weakpoint however, coming off of Alan Wake it would be nifty if I can at least use the light to stun creatures rather than just waggle to throw them off my body. I love the flashlight pointing and wish it could at least be used defensively. The chases as they are feel shoehorned in and needless when the rest of the experience is rather well devised. They mess with the momentum and haven't come across nearly as unnerving as likely intended.

Looking forward to seeing where this tale goes.
 
D

Dascu

Member
fernoca said:
Nice read! Dated June 3rd.


Exclusive Silent Hill Shattered Memories Post-Mortem Interview with Tomm Hulett
From: Silent Hill Heaven

The producer talks about releasing the game, the reviews, reception from fans, endings, anecdotes..really cool, long and spoilerific read.
Click to expand...
Very interesting read. Loved it.
 
M

magicalsoundshower

Member
I put this down for a while as I didn't really feel like playing games during the last couple weeks but I just picked it up again the day before yesterday and I'm intent on finishing it, come what may.

Brandon F said:
The chase sequences are a weakpoint however, coming off of Alan Wake it would be nifty if I can at least use the light to stun creatures rather than just waggle to throw them off my body. I love the flashlight pointing and wish it could at least be used defensively. The chases as they are feel shoehorned in and needless when the rest of the experience is rather well devised. They mess with the momentum and haven't come across nearly as unnerving as likely intended.

Looking forward to seeing where this tale goes.
Click to expand...
I too disliked the chase sequences at first but slowly warmed up on them, they definitely feel intense enough for me, especially the later ones as you really have to work with your map to get anywhere and time is never frozen when you're ogling your GPS, trying to figure out if you're on the right track. Plus, I really like the motion controls in them as they seem to always work as intended. The motion controls that are used when you're manipulating objects are another story though, they could've used a bit more fine tuning.

I must say I'm sorta curious how some of the weirder assignments your shrink gives you affect the gameplay, I kind of feel like checking a FAQ but I think I'm gonna beat the game first.

Oh yeah, I also like the storyline, it's trippy as hell (I'm aware not everyone may like this though) and it's pretty awesome how they stripped the entire convoluted cult nonsense from the storyline of the original and made it into something a lot more barebones and effective.
 
M

mantidor

Member
fernoca said:
Though, after finishing..one thing that I just thought...
Does that means that
the girl being spied on, taken pictures by other girls in school and having a relationship with his teacher, was Cheryl? :O!!
Click to expand...

Everything was Cheryl's memories, including the school, but that also means she is the girl in the forest, the girl in the whore house, in the mall etc, etc etc, once you pieced everything together is a pretty bleak picture of her life. However as everything with the game is open up to interpretation
 
F

fernoca

Member
mantidor said:
Everything was Cheryl's memories, including the school, but that also means she is the girl in the forest, the girl in the whore house, in the mall etc, etc etc, once you pieced everything together is a pretty bleak picture of her life. However as everything with the game is open up to interpretation
Click to expand...
:O!
Also
the "frigid" girl that didn't wanted to have sex with her boyfriend, in the car..
...darn.

Also found interesting what the producer said in the interview about Michelle....
and how her relationship with John was basically a mirror of Harry and Dahlia's relationship (high school sweethearts, no love, just were together for the sake of being with someone, never talking about how they felt), which kinda explains why Dahlia appeared out of nowhere instead of Michelle, when you go to look for her keys....kinda also explains the whole thing about Cheryl not liking her mother, how she sometimes appeared as an old drunk, while in the good ending she's blonde and wearing normal clothes..and they hug; meaning it was the kind of mother she wished for..

So awesome anyway.
 
M

magicalsoundshower

Member
Just beat it and I thought the plot twist at the end was so awesome it gave me chills. Overall an amazing trip and I'll gladly forgive the game the couple of flaws it has thanks to the awesome story and presentation. Thinking back, the subtle hints the game dropped, such as
Harry's clothes changing to the color you chose during one of the early assignments
were quite neat as well. Plus, I thought the gameplay wasn't that bad either. Time to scan this thread and finally hover over the spoliers, I guess. :lol
 
S

SlipperySlope

Banned
fernoca said:
Well, after a long hiatus (Super Mario Galaxy 2, Prince of Persia, Trauma Team..got in the way :p).... I just finished the game.

What a journey..an amazing one actually..kinda touching too at the end.

Apparently got the best ending with the
"you've been with me so long" dialog and Harry leaving/divorcing saying how is not Cheryl's fault and that he still loves her...
..though it still left me with a ":(" face..

I need more games like this..apparently sales were not that great..not even good...hope it was still on expectations considering the barely to no advertising and a small shipment.
Does anyone knows a way to contact the developers? Anyone has sent emails..and got any response?

Though, after finishing..one thing that I just thought...
Does that means that
the girl being spied on, taken pictures by other girls in school and having a relationship with his teacher, was Cheryl? :O!!
Click to expand...

Yes, it was Cheryl that got pictures taken of in the high school. What you're doing is you're traveling through her mind. Traveling through her memories. Every area of the game represents something significant in her life. Some kind of vivid, usually negative, memory. In the high school, there were some other bad memories, but the most vivid one for her was the pictures.

How you can tell vivid memories from the less memorable ones, are the vivid ones require you to take a picture of a ghost. The ghost memories are the most crucial for her. Like the ghost of her swinging on the swing-set as a child wishing for her father to come back.

Another big ghost message is the one in the Mall. That one's easy to miss, but very crucial to the game's story and to her mental state.
 
F

farnham

Banned
im holding this game right now because i am currently playing fragile dreams on my wii

anyone who loved shattered memories should give fragile dreams a try though

awesome game
 
D

disappeared

Banned
This was probably brought up and discussed already, but out of boredom I tried the Konami Hints and Tips hotline 800 number on Harry's phone. Sure enough...
 
T

Timekiller

Member
i'm about to make a second playthrough. Can anyone explain the differences between the ps2 and the wii versions, besides the obvious wiimote moves?
 
S

SlipperySlope

Banned
Timekiller said:
i'm about to make a second playthrough. Can anyone explain the differences between the ps2 and the wii versions, besides the obvious wiimote moves?
Click to expand...

The main differences lie in graphics. Lower poly models, some effects totally removed (the icy bridge transformation is gone in the PS2 version), and other such things.


On another note, I have plans to take a friend who doesn't play games through this game. Hope he'll like it.
 
L

Labombadog

Member
So I just got this game from gamefly yesterday, and beat it today. And overall the game was superb. I REALLY loved the story, music was well done, and enjoyed the pacing of it.

Also, the ending.... =O One of the best endings I ever saw in any format. Such an epic plot twist...i never saw it coming.

Bravo Climax...you guys fucking killed it.
 
Garcia

Garcia

Member
This thread just reminded me I must finish this game. IIRC my save file stands at 6 hours right now, so I'm quite sure it's almost done.

I love the game btw. The chasing is intense and some of the scares I got from the monsters made me jump several times.
 
M

Mystery-white-boy

Member
Well, I finally got round to ordering this a few days ago. I don't really have the money, but when I found a 24-hour online sale which had this listed for £16, I couldn't resist. If I'd had the money, it would've been a day one purchase for sure. I don't really get excited for games pre-launch these days, but SM was one of the rare exceptions. I've read the reviews, I followed this thread quite closely when it first started (congrats on being so awesome with the spoiler tabs!), and...I don't know, something just tells me this is a game that might really hit home with me.

The game should arrive tomorrow or the day after. Before I start, though, there's one question that you guys can help me with. I know the rough length of the game, and I fear if I don't make a conscious effort I might well end up running straight through it in one sitting, maybe two. No, not this time; I want to savour my first run. So GAF, help me out. Is the game divided into chapters? If there's nothing quite so overt as that, are there any simple ways to break the game up into similarly-sized chunks -- would stopping after every nightmare, for instance, make for a series of relatively even play sessions?

I'll definitely be posting my thoughts once I've got my hands on it. In the meantime, though, I await your advice!
 
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