Wow.

Post by **rm2kking** » 18 Jun 2009

Despite the drawback of having no combat (though whether or not it actually IS a drawback remains to be seen), the ideas that they have incorporated into this game are amazing. One of my favorite aspects of Silent Hill has always been the fact that the dimension or force or whatever it is that governs the supernatural activity in the town (Xuchilbara?) tailors the otherworld to the characters psyche. The fact that Shattered Memories tailors it to YOUR psyche is just simply breathtaking. I don't know about you, but I for one have always wondered what form my otherworld and monsters would take. This is a breath of fresh air into a great, but lately stale (Homecoming, I'm looking at you) series. I personally cannot wait to play!

Post by **DrainDeimos** » 18 Jun 2009

Remember the last area of Silent Hill, Nowhere? Wasn't it a construct created from Alessa's mind. What if we get custom ones from our profiles?

Post by **rm2kking** » 18 Jun 2009

Holy crap I hadn't even thought of that!

Post by **DrainDeimos** » 18 Jun 2009

Yeah, I think this psyche profile has a lot of potential. It may be the greatest thing to visit a horror game in a long time.

Post by **JKristine35** » 18 Jun 2009

I think they're implementing A LOT of very good ideas in this game, though whether 'good idea' translates into 'good game' is still to be seen.

Post by **Skele** » 18 Jun 2009

^ I agree

and even with all the good ideas, they're still incorporating a few bad ones. The blue highlighted edges to show you where to go, the glowing items similar to RE4-5, arrows pointing to objects that can be examined, that circle that's onscreen all the time, etc. these are minor things, but they do hurt in some way and just remind you that you're playing a videogame.

im opting for the PS2 version, so hopefully some of those things won't make it in there. that, or there's an option to turn that stuff off.

Post by **rm2kking** » 18 Jun 2009

My fear is that the PS2 version will just be a watered-down version of the Wii game, or at least that it will be altered overmuch. It's like when I owned Zelda: Twilight Princess for gamecube, its original platform, and then after I had lost the disk, bought the Wii version. While the game remained essentially unchanged, the Wiimote-sword-swinging was retarded and I ended up just hitting the A button anyway and rolling around when i should have been fighting. This and the fact that they mirror-imaged the entire game in order to accommodate right-handed players, who are the majority. Though this situation is almost the exact opposite of the one presented here, I always prefer to get games on the platform they were intended to be played on. Thank God I own a Wii.

The things mentioned are naggingly annoying, especially the arrows pointing at things that can be examined. Im so used to overlooking the same detail many times in Silent Hill before I realize that it is not just decoration, but an examinable item. This adds to the atmosphere, and the arrow and highlights would take away from that (though I did enjoy the highlights in Homecoming when it came to finding health drinks). But they are also doing much to add to the atmosphere, such as this psychological profile and actively tailoring the game to the player all throughout.

Great ideas often go amiss, especially in the world of videogames. My greatest hope in the matter is that, in my opinion, there really isn't a bad Silent Hill game, and like most series' in which there isn't a bad game among them, the new ones have been consistently been passable and enjoyable (games like Metroid and Zelda). Hopefully Silent Hill is no exception.

This game is taking the series in the right direction even if it turns out to have been executed poorly. The ideas have staying power.

Post by **DrainDeimos** » 18 Jun 2009

I agree. I like the psyche profile idea, lack of combat and interactive environmental pieces but the gamey icons(glowing object, button prompts, blue outlines) bothered me a little. Especially since the developer interview stated that these sort of things would not be in the game. Hopefully they will tone these down, provide a way to turn them off in the options screen or have them gradually strip away as the game progresses.

Post by **rm2kking** » 18 Jun 2009

Yes that would be more than acceptable. They had better get something fantastic and new into this Silent Hill, its literally like the fifth time we've visited the same story; SH1, SH3, SH Origins, the SH movie, and now this. That's a lot of Alessa. but I have a lot of faith in this game, and hope for the best.

Post by **DrainDeimos** » 18 Jun 2009

Hmmm. I have a weird feeling that Alessa might not be a part of the story. I don't know why but I get the impression that there won't be any cult or flauros material in the game. It might be more about a crazy guy named Harry that may or may not have a daughter but suffers from delusions and recurring nightmares. Dahlia could just be the town slut who was forced by the community to give her child up for adoption whom she intended to name Alessa.

Post by **Dark Sky** » 18 Jun 2009

DrainDeimos wrote:Hmmm. I have a weird feeling that Alessa might not be a part of the story. I don't know why but I get the impression that there won't be any cult or flauros material in the game.

Well I absolutely really hope that this is true. I think the last thing the Silent Hill franchise needs is another boring retread of the Alessa storyline. If people want that stuff again surely there's enough of it in SH1, SH3, Origins, and the movie!

Post by **rm2kking** » 19 Jun 2009

I think that it will revisit the Alessa story, though in a form totally alien to that which we have come to know. This will be like the Dark Knight to Tim Burton's Batman.

Post by **Revolverhawk** » 20 Jun 2009

Um...in the Dark Knight, Batman says he is going to save Rachel. Afterwards he saves two-face. Then he says he intended to save two-face all along. The Dark Knight was poorly written crap. To say this will be like the Dark Knight compared to anything isn't doing it justice, because it looks like it will be a good game.

Post by **rm2kking** » 20 Jun 2009

Okay, but you missed the point entirely.

Also, you apparently didn't pay attention to the movie. Joker switched the locations. but I do not mean to veer off topic. What I meant by that was that it was same basic plot, (Batman vs. Joker for the first time) in both, but people had come to know and love the Tim Burton one, and then The Dark Knight came along and told the same basic story in a new and unexpected way, Just as this game intends to do. Any further nitpicking would be irrelevant, so kindly refrain.

Post by **Revolverhawk** » 20 Jun 2009

I know Joker switcehd the locations. But batman says he always intended to save Harvey anyways...despite saying he was going to save rachel.

let me simplify:

Commissioner Gordon: Who are you going to save!?

Batman: Rachel

(30 minutes later)

Harvey: Why did you save me instead of her!?

Batman:(this is roughly what he said) I CHOSE to save you instead of her because this town needs a hero who doesn't wear a mask.

Batman says he is going to save Rachel initially, so I thought the Joker simply switched the locations. But later Batman EXPLICITLY SAYS he chose to save Harvey.

It is a contradiction. Sure saying the Joker switched them explains why Batman would wind up Dent's after saying he was going to Rachel's. It would not explain why Batman would say he intended to go to Dent's after saying he intended to go to Rachel's.

Post by **rm2kking** » 20 Jun 2009

He was speaking of saving Harvey's soul, if not for him, for the sake of Gotham. Also, Batman didn't speak to Harvey as Two-Face until the last few minutes of the movie. Remember that the movie is essentially Dent's story because it is a rough adaptation of The Long Halloween, and like in The Long Halloween, Batman witnesses the case (the Holiday Killer in the comic, The Joker in the movie) affecting Dent negatively, culminating in his insanity upon becoming scarred. Batman wanted to save him from this fate, something both he and Gordon stated they wanted to do.

But I digress.

The point I was trying to make has not been lost on you, correct? you know what I meant by the comparison?

Post by **DrainDeimos** » 20 Jun 2009

I do.

rm2kking wrote:told the same basic story in a new and unexpected way

Kind of like John Carpenter's The Thing(1982) vs The Thing From Another World(1951).

Post by **rm2kking** » 20 Jun 2009

Yes, or the two different iterations of Dawn of the Dead.

Post by **phantomess** » 02 Aug 2009

Revolverhawk wrote: It is a contradiction. Sure saying the Joker switched them explains why Batman would wind up Dent's after saying he was going to Rachel's. It would not explain why Batman would say he intended to go to Dent's after saying he intended to go to Rachel's.

They were at the police station when the original exchange took place. Batman knew that police heard what was said, too, and would head for the location of whichever he didn't head for. Maybe he suspected the Joker switched the locations, and said he was going to "Rachel's location" simply for conversation's sake (though he was looking for Dent), so the cops would know where he was going and would head for the other location.

A bit more on topic, I'm with the OP in that I look forward to seeing a retelling of SH1. I love SH1 and wouldn't change its original form for anything, but Shattered Memories really has my interest! I personally am not anywhere near sick of cult-related Silent Hill games, although I guess I'm a bit sick of Alessa-related. However, as has been stated, this will not be SH1 over again. It'll be way different, and while I hope they haven't (and kinda doubt they have) decided to just completely cut Alessa out of the picture, I wouldn't be surprised if she's involved less or somehow differently this time.

In other words: it's probably not going to be the same Alessa story. It'll be something new. Yay!

(Not to mention how different the gaming experience as a whole is looking to be.)

Post by **Shannen the Manic** » 02 Aug 2009

I don't know whether I will enjoy all of the new implementations (Is that a word...?

)
The psych profile is innovative but it will have limits. There are only so many things you can squeeze in before you end up getting the same thing more than once. Guess we'll have to wait and see...