Silent Hill Shattered Memories

[Frank]

So I rented this shit yesterday and well, it's a total waste of 8 bucks (fuck have rental prices skyrocketed). I always thought the combat was the worst part of Silent Hill, who knew taking it out would make the game so insufferably boring so as to make me not want to play for longer than 30 minutes at a time, which is good, because it's like 5 hours long. All this vaunted bullshit about the game psychologically profiling you was pretty lackluster too, it changes some little bits about the game but nothing really worth picking up again. Mix it with some wonky controls (making the same button cause your character to yell the same three lines over again as well as to interact with or pick up stuff in the environment was a fucking AWESOME idea) and a very, very awkward retelling of the original Silent Hill....the changes are...just...ugh and you get, once again, a fucking terrible western developed Silent Hill.

I don't understand why the only Silent Hill they haven't revisited the style of is 2. 2 is easily the best game of the series. Who fucking cares about Cheryl and Alessa and Sybil and Harry and the cult etc, etc, etc? But the most egregious thing at all is this game fails in every conceivable way to evoke the sheer misery and discomfort that the series is known for. I was never freaked out by anything that was happening and the ghost/monster ghoulie things are the lamest enemies to ever grace the series. The ash babies from the first game are spookier and they were censored.

I give this game one Ugh....out of 5.

 

[Soliloquy]

Maybe the reason they haven't revisited #2 is that they feel like they did it right the first time?

 

[Frank]

I don't mean remake, but continue doing Silent Hills in the vein of 2 (the town makes it's own personal hells for the people that it suckers in) rather than continuing to play around (terribly) with the original's version of the town (Alessa's hell as being the vessel for some unborn evil cult god etc.).

 

[AshburnerX]

I don't mean remake, but continue doing Silent Hills in the vein of 2 (the town makes it's own personal hells for the people that it suckers in) rather than continuing to play around (terribly) with the original's version of the town (Alessa's hell as being the vessel for some unborn evil cult god etc.).

They've been doing it in the comics instead, with some mixed results because both the artist and the writer suck. Also, some of us like the cult story line and want to see it resolved before they do something else, if only because we want to know WTF is going on.

 

[Frank]

I don't mean remake, but continue doing Silent Hills in the vein of 2 (the town makes it's own personal hells for the people that it suckers in) rather than continuing to play around (terribly) with the original's version of the town (Alessa's hell as being the vessel for some unborn evil cult god etc.).

They've been doing it in the comics instead, with some mixed results because both the artist and the writer suck. Also, some of us like the cult story line and want to see it resolved before they do something else, if only because we want to know WTF is going on.[/QUOTE]

Well, then you'd hate this game, since it's just the first game, but different and just as vague.

 

[Fun Size]

For someone who has never played a Silent Hill game it won't suck though, right? Because I pre-ordered the fucker based purely on the desire to finally play one of these things.

My PSP awaits your answer nervously.

 

[figmentPez]

They've been doing it in the comics instead, with some mixed results because both the artist and the writer suck.

Linkara's review of Silent Hill: Dying Inside was hilarious. (More here, here and alternate endings.) More Silent Hill comics are on the schedule for 2010, if the teaser trailer is to be believed.


Also, I wonder if Yahtzee's head will explode trying to review Silent Hill Shattered Memories? He loves the series so much, and if he reacts to it the same way Frankie... well, I'll just keep an ear open and see if I can hear him screaming all the way in Australia.

 

[Frank]

For someone who has never played a Silent Hill game it won't suck though, right? Because I pre-ordered the fucker based purely on the desire to finally play one of these things.

My PSP awaits your answer nervously.

If you're talking about Origins for PSP, then that's an alright game. Not great, not terrible. This is the Wii game and it's fucking awful.


More thoughts on the game. The sexual themes are completely ridiculous. There's a sequence in a cabin and you can see a used condom hanging out of a glass by a bed. If you look at it with the flashlight your character will say, and I'm not kidding, "Looks like they don't go bareback in the woods." Jesus Christ.

Oh, also, apparently Akira Yamaoka has left Konami, so the guy completely responsible for the sound design (and general design in the older games) in Silent Hill so there's almost no chance a good Silent Hill will ever be made again. Awesome.

 

[Fun Size]

For someone who has never played a Silent Hill game it won't suck though, right? Because I pre-ordered the fucker based purely on the desire to finally play one of these things.

My PSP awaits your answer nervously.

If you're talking about Origins for PSP, then that's an alright game. Not great, not terrible. This is the Wii game and it's fucking awful.


More thoughts on the game. The sexual themes are completely ridiculous. There's a sequence in a cabin and you can see a used condom hanging out of a glass by a bed. If you look at it with the flashlight your character will say, and I'm not kidding, "Looks like they don't go bareback in the woods." Jesus Christ.

Oh, also, apparently Akira Yamaoka has left Konami, so the guy completely responsible for the sound design (and general design in the older games) in Silent Hill so there's almost no chance a good Silent Hill will ever be made again. Awesome.[/QUOTE]

Nope, I'm referring to the same game you are. PSP release got pushed back to January. Ah well, I'll play it anyway. Maybe as a virgin to the series it won't be quite as painful.

 

[fade]

Man, I still love the bombshell line from ... 3 was it?

"They look like demons to you? Huh."

That was truly a well played line, and thankfully never explained (in as far as I've played).

 

[Chibibar]

I hope they remake SH2 for the Wii (as is)

 

[Frank]

Alright, I've decided I was a little hard on the game. It's not atrociously terrible, and it's kind of a neat little adventure game. It just fails to illicit any real fear or apprehension whatsoever since you know exactly when you are safe or in really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really annoying danger. There's nothing more emasculating than getting hugged to death by supermodel skinny hump monsters.

 

[AshburnerX]

Did we lose posts?

 

[figmentPez]

Did we lose posts?

Yes.
http://www.halforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11128

 

[Chummer]

I loved this game.

Yea it's not as good as SH2 but none of the other games are.

This game does a good job of being somewhat "deep" like SH2, especially once you've beaten it and find out whats really going on and all the symbolism in the game.

 

[Fun Size]

Given all the talk, I wish they would get together and do SH2 for the PSP, as it's the only platform I really get to play games on and I've wanted to try it forever.

I really ought to buy a cracked one one of these days...

 

[Frank]

I loved this game.

Yea it's not as good as SH2 but none of the other games are.

This game does a good job of being somewhat "deep" like SH2, especially once you've beaten it and find out whats really going on and all the symbolism in the game.

Honestly, it boggles my mind that anyone can love the chase sequences. At all. Worst part of any game ever.

 

[Chummer]

I loved this game.

Yea it's not as good as SH2 but none of the other games are.

This game does a good job of being somewhat "deep" like SH2, especially once you've beaten it and find out whats really going on and all the symbolism in the game.

Honestly, it boggles my mind that anyone can love the chase sequences. At all. Worst part of any game ever.[/QUOTE]

I loved it despite those chase scenes. ALthough once you know how to actually shove the monsters off you they weren't too bad.