The Review Thread

[angelofROOM302]

Don't beat me up, but I'm not understanding the whole deny sex thing.
To deny death is to deny sex? Sex as in male/female or sex as in getting it on?
It does not make sense to me. You don't need to have sex to live.

The repetitive music would have been okay if it was actually good. If I didn't already know that the music was composed by Yamaoka, I would have been surprised. It was incredibly bland.

THANK YOU Ryoshockwave for understanding what I'm talking about!

[AuraTwilight]

And I'm not saying that a brothel was going too far, but brothels are extremely unusual. Maybe not to you.. but I've never heard of brothels. I know what it is, but sheesh I really guess there are not many out there in the world. So out of place in a town like Silent Hill, but I guess that's what the creators were going for. Creepy, out of place and unusual.

You're saying this, even though Silent Hill also has Heaven's Night. Sexual debauchery is nothing new to the town, and brothels aren't that uncommon.

Don't beat me up, but I'm not understanding the whole deny sex thing. Embarassed
To deny death is to deny sex? Sex as in male/female or sex as in getting it on?
It does not make sense to me. You don't need to have sex to live.

It's a symbolic, psychological thing. It's about what sex represents moreso than actually engaging in sex. Sex is comparable to death in that they're both feared unknowns to the human psyche.

As for the music, I felt it was Akira Yamaoka's finest work.

[angelofROOM302]

Yeah brothels are probably not that uncommon if you live in LA or somewhere mad popular, but here yes they are.

It's a symbolic, psychological thing. It's about what sex represents moreso than actually engaging in sex. Sex is comparable to death in that they're both feared unknowns to the human psyche.

I can't imagine sex being as fearful as death. Rape maybe, but sex no and I don't think they are talking about that in the game. So if he's saying that if you deny death (because it's scary) you are denying sex? (which I guess is scary the first time) I understand what you guys mean a bit, but I don't understand how they compare or why it's so important to the game. They could have come up with a better comparison than that.

[SasaYamaoka]

Don't beat me up, but I'm not understanding the whole deny sex thing.
To deny death is to deny sex? Sex as in male/female or sex as in getting it on?
It does not make sense to me. You don't need to have sex to live.

To see how much did her fathers death suppress her desire for life. Ctivity/enjoyment/sex ... one of the things ... (I would asume after beeing explaind and retought it it couple of times.)
http://www.silenthillforum.com/viewtopi ... 230#505230

Like she is denying death ... yea, her fathers death, or becauze her father is dead ... obsessed about it ... and therefore does not live her life. Clinging to the past and makebelifes ... not living her life.

[cascade88]

I think that this quote from the above linked page summed it up pretty well, if it helps.

The one he flipped over in my game had a skull on the back, but I chose it because I could tell from the blot that it was clearly a skull.

That test through me for a loop, cause I couldn't comprehend his discussion about sex=death. To me, if anything, sex=life, but that's another matter.

"To deny sex is to deny death." Sex for a species is reproduction. Sex/reproduction exists because of death, to keep the lines going. To deny sex is to deny the need for it.

Sex=life=death, so sex=death. As a great... lion... king said, it's just about "the circle of life."

[ww_andi]

First i would like to start by saying that i played it on the ps2 and that i fucking loved this game. I will get this short and not get into details

Graphics: There were great although homecoming still holds the title of best graphics.
I loved the otherworld and all the little details in it. The regular was great too all the little things and the things they change like when my bro went to teh cabin and all the sudden it was empty with a dead bear OMG shocked me.

Gameplay: Since i did play this on the ps2 the gameplay made me wish that some of the aspects were used in prev titles. Like the grasping of things and interacting and reading memos. Also moving the flashlight with the right joystick is the best damn thing to happen to the gameplay of silent hill ever. Also the nowhere part was fucking great in all its glory. i loved the psych profile, those that are giving it shit mind you that no one has ever done this before. The puzzles are siumple yes but better then homecoming. Also i had no prob with the keys being close cause i always hated looking for godamn keys also the free roaming was there and great.

Atsmophere: the atsoshpere was great in the snow world i fell uneasy and the game was creepy. In the otherworld things were scary very much so. The music very much helped some of the best part in the games was the bridge scene and the wheelchair OMG. Also the godamn sewer i kept waiting for that shit to change and it never did lol.

Music: I clearly think that is was the best fucking music in the whole series. The music was perfact for it. The music in the office scenes was great and had a sense of forboding the entire time.

Story: Truly fucking great i loved it and it was captivating and suspencful. The twist mad me so sad. Kauffmen was one of my faverite charectors in the game.

I loved it.

[AuraTwilight]

Also i had no prob with the keys being close cause i always hated looking for godamn keys

THANK YOU!

It always made me laugh how people can be really disappointed with an aspect of the series until something changes it. Anyone else remember people calling Silent hill's shitty combat a strong point, so Homecoming was blasphemy?

[angelofROOM302]

Okay..
I still don't understand what Kaufmann's talking about.
Mucho fail. Lol!

[AuraTwilight]

That's your own fail, then, not the game's.

[DirtyNorris]

I completed the PSP version a half an hour ago, and it still hasn't sunk in. It'll take many more play throughs to work out how it ranks compared to the rest of the series, but right now I could not hold a higher opinion of it.

I'll get the worst out of the way; the psyche profile was a bit of a letdown. My expectations were probably too high, but I found it predictable. When I said a drink helps me to relax, I didn't expect to find alcohol as a major theme throughout my playthrough. My ending analysis was about 60% wrong as well, but most people were happy with theirs, so I'll give it another go.
Despite all of that, I would much rather have played the game with the psyche profile than without it. It enriched the game and gave it a more personal touch.

I don't know where to begin with the positives. The story stood out the most; it was the most interesting, captivating and genuinely shocking since SH4. I've had a dozen different theories running through my head since SHSM's announcement, and not one of them came close. It wasn't like Climax pulled it out of their arse either; it was subtly weaved throughout the game.
I assumed the mementoes were interesting, but unnecessary insights into the townsfolk, but only pieced it all together at the end.

The graphics are certainly a massive improvement on 0rigins, bar the occasional blurry texture and pixelated sign. The environments were creepy, the otherworld was a visual marvel (I just wish there was more time to explore), and the town flowed together seamlessly. I've always found Silent Hill to be a beautiful, if bleak place to be, and it certainly was in SM.

The flashlight wasn't as powerful as it is in the Wii version I thought, and there is a slight fog to prevent you seeing too far into the undeveloped distance (which I didn't mind in the slightest). The lighting was mostly well done, bar the very occasional glitchy shadow. You can't control the flashlight on the PSP unless you zoom in which can get a little annoying.

Like every other game in the series, Shattered Memories has its own distinct atmosphere. The traditional "Silent Hill" feeling hasn't been lost entirely, but it does have a fresher, more modern touch. The peeling paint, rusting metal and general decay of the town remains intact.

This was the first game that I found the otherworld to be fun; I'm not sure if that's a good thing. For the most part, the nightmares are not frustrating on the PSP, just intense, fast-paced, and sometimes very very scary. The transitions aren't as magnificent as they are on the Wii, but otherwise the Nightmares are just as stunning.
My only complaint was that the brilliant Devil's Laughter was only used in the forest Nightmare, though the music that replaced it did a good job of creeping me out too.

Puzzles were sometimes clever and original (The Art Room, Gumball etc), but mostly they're dull (especially without the novelty of the Wiimote).

I loved the little call-backs to the previous games that are scattered around, and there are plenty of details to be found if you stray off of the beaten path.

The town flowed together seamlessly, the story was subtly weaved throughout the game, the soundtrack featured some of the best vocal and instrumental tracks from the series overall, the whole thing was stunning to look at, and it was often bloody scary. It had the balls to experiment, without abandoning the general feel of the series. Well done Climax. Well bloody done.

[amphreded]

Review for Shattered Memories on Wii.

The first aspect of the game that drew me was the graphics. For a Wii game, this is breathtaking. There are certain areas where space seemed to empty and repetitive, but overall, Climax did a great job and I found myself spending time admiring the details in the game. The only downpoint is the amount of interactions (especially puzzle) on Wii mote is limited, boiling down to grab and twitch.
The cell phone function is well-designed. Although the numbers you can dial throughout the game rarely serve to enhance the story or symbolism, they are good additions. The map is alright. It could have been better if you can run during map screen, and if the map can be made bigger while playing (i.e. blow up the map for an entire screen but make it on 20% opacity). Save was fast, thus good.
Puzzles were too easy and rarely relevant to the story. I understand that Shattered Memories does not involve the cult, thus eliminating the usefulness of puzzles to enhance SH symbological universe, but at least Climax could have done puzzles based on Cheryl and Harry at least.
The music is underwhelming for me. I do like the tracks, and the flow of music once you've changed an area have nice fades; but it seemed like there are too much music and not enough ambiance during some areas. At the mall, for example, in one area there is a jazzy track going on, thus the new area has a darker music. I'm not explaining this very well, but in short, while the music is decent, the ways music is timed against another isn't.
The chase sequence is a let down for me. I'd prefer if the chase sequence have more symbolic values, i.e. you can evade and spend time finding echoes during the sequence. Everytime the chase sequence pops in, all you do is really try to find an exit, and that becomes rather annoying since there is nothing learn on the sequence, and all I want is to end this quickly to continue with the story. Also the blue lights that guide you are convenient, they become a give-away, reducing the scary factor, the sense of lost you could feel (have I been to this area yet?).
I have mixed feeling on the lack of fighting. I do love to explore areas without having to worry about monsters, but on the other hand, Shattered Memories becomes a cakewalk and the sense of suspense is miniscule. Giving the storyline, I understand while Climax didn't put monster in, but still the scare factor was really lacking.
The best thing about Shattered Memories are cut scenes and other creative scenarios. Getting drowned, falling into the void, and other scenes are well-done, though some of them can be tedious. I like the cut-aways to Kaufmann's office, and think that such scenarios enhance the cinematic goodness in the game.
Overall, I like Shattered Memories. There are lacklusting aspects for my part: story, music, suspense, chase sequences; but the goods: graphics, creative functions and scenes, and the mood outweight the short-comings. Usually my criteria would be story and symbolism having higher priority, but since this is a fresh take on Silent Hill, the lack of symbolism and below (my) standard storyline did not bother me much.
Good job Climax! I'm buying your next game too.

[angelofROOM302]

I didn't say it was the game's fail, it was mine.
Geez Aura. Relax

The best thing about Shattered Memories are cut scenes and other creative scenarios. Getting drowned, falling into the void, and other scenes are well-done, though some of them can be tedious. I like the cut-aways to Kaufmann's office, and think that such scenarios enhance the cinematic goodness in the game.

I agree! I did like the cutscenes a lot!
I forgot to mention that in my review.

[AuraTwilight]

I didn't say it was the game's fail, it was mine.Cool
Geez Aura. Relax

Sorry, your post is kind of vague. And you're not the first person on this forum to blame a Silent Hill game for their own faults. "I don't get the story, this game sucks." or "I always assume a character is dead when I play, so this game sucks for proving me right."

[Mr.FLOOT]

I'm on my second run through of the game and I have to say I absolutely love it!
It doesn't replace any other SH game and it deffo doesn't replace the 1st game because it's not even a part of those I feel.

Because of it's dramatic difference, I appreciate the game for what it is, a brilliant new game that draws on some Silent Hill elements. It's fantastic and mixing things up and the psyche profile is pretty cool. I'm still trying to figure out how to change things.

As for the puzzles, yeah they could have been a bit more complex but to be fair, that isn't what the game is about.

The ending of the game was fantastic! I had no idea that

PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER_SHOW PRIME_BBCODE_SPOILER:

it was Cheryl in Kaufman's office! The game had me thinking that Cheryl had died and Harry was repressed, not the other way around

Overall this game is a brilliant one! Fantastic additon to the series yet it's not trying to be like the other games (I'm looking at you Homecoming).

I just hope that Climax make the next one because I have complete faith in them now.

[pj]

At the risk of coming dangerously close to opening a sticky can of worms, I just want to say three things:

1.) Its not the subject matter of this story that makes it creative, its the story it tells and how it tells it. No one's claiming that the high school level psychology issues are what makes it so creative, but no one claims the high school level sociological issues of Alfred Hitchcock's films are what makes them so creative, either. Its the stories that are placed in those contexts that are interesting and creative, not the contexts themselves, and whether or not you find those stories creative is a subjective issue.

2.) SH:SM's sole reason for existing is for entertainment. At the very most, it presents a fictional story with a specific, individual point of view. At the end of the day, it should be judged solely on whether or not it entertained you. If it didn't, that's fine, if it did, that's fine. But don't expect it to do something that entertainment shouldn't, or can't.

3.) Just because you don't go to therapy over what you've experienced doesn't mean that other people in analogous or even less extreme situations wouldn't. People go to therapy all the time, for issues that other people might judge as trivial or insignificant. I know. But it doesn't mean anything other than the fact that everyone's different, and everyone deals with different things in different ways.

[ww_andi]

Well PJ i am opening the can of motha ****ing worms and now you are gonna pay


mind you not from me

i agree with you tho

[angelofROOM302]

And you're not the first person on this forum to blame a Silent Hill game for their own faults. "I don't get the story, this game sucks." or "I always assume a character is dead when I play, so this game sucks for proving me right."

I never said I was.

[AuraTwilight]

I know, I'm just saying that if you were, it wouldn't be surprising. It was hard to tell what you meant, so I made an assumption based on precedent.

[Krysta]

been a while since I posted anything here, mainly because recent SH games forced me to believe that 'this is it'. I didn't expect much from Shattered Memories, I approached this game with a complete 'don't give a fuck attitdute' and maybe that's why I really did enjoy it, if not to say loved it so much, to my biggest damn surprise. Wow Climax, that's a god damn good work right there, this was very refreshing sh experience. Overpowered plot twist prepared me for almost everything and still I got fucking surprised at the end. When credits started to roll I realised I'm feeling it again. This good ol sh-feeling that I used to had when I was finishing SH1,2,3 and 4. I'm out of words for now, completed it once so far, gotta admit game had its flaws, but for now overall experience is very positive. Need to run couple more playthroughs. They really fucking did it, this franchise in this new form may actually be reborned to at least half of it's glory

[phantomess]

I've finally finished reading this thread!
PJ, you seem like a pretty wise person.

I finished Shattered Memories the day after I received my PS2 copy of it in the mail, and I was overall pleased. Actually, it's not very often that I'll sit down and beat an entire game in just a couple of gaming sessions. Luckily I had the time to devote to this one, and it had me hooked. I loved that it kept me wondering what in the world was going on until the end; I can't say the same for the previous two installments in the series. (That statement wasn't meant as bashing, as I did still enjoy and appreciate the last two games, at least for certain aspects.)

While I'd say Shattered Memories was somewhat decently lengthed, it could definitely have been made longer with more areas to pass through and explore. I did enjoy what exploring there was. I liked that we could leave the path in the forest area, and I liked that when swimming across the lake, we could look down and see things. Despite the lack of monsters in the regular realm, I found that it still had a good atmosphere and enjoyed moving through it, especially outdoors. Sometimes when I'd enter an area and think I heard something, I found myself somewhat expecting a monster, even though I knew better.

The otherworld, on the other hand, wasn't quite a winning point with me. The flee sequences were alarming and frustrating at first, but then they got kind of annoying. I sometimes tried to avoid them by being stealthy, but that never really worked for long.
I don't think the otherworld looked so great, either, but I don't think that was a main point.
I was a a bit disappointed by the enemies, as I found their "transformations" to be much less drastic than I expected and difficult to see well (or sometimes even notice!) while fleeing. I also think it would have been nice to have at least a couple or a few different types of enemies in the game instead of always encountering tons of the same damn thing. Their noises kept reminding me of Jurassic Park raptors.
I don't mean to say I thoroughly disliked the otherworld and the raw shocks- I think they could have been better, but they were great concepts and not executed badly. I consider them worthy parts of the game.

I love the concept of things changing based on how you play and how you answer Kaufmann. I find lots of replay value in it. Usually I feel like waiting a while (weeks, months, sometimes even more) to replay a game, because I don't get as much out of a game if I've just recently played it. But I felt like starting this game again pretty much right after finishing it, and only partly because of the obvious incentives. The game is just somehow addictive- there's something about it! I'll be going through it again very soon.

I've read about some of the things that can change in the game, but I'm anxious to experiment with the possibilities myself. I think it's awesome that not only do characters and monsters look different, but some cutscenes also play out differently and some of the surroundings will be different. Also the fact that in the mall you can enter one place or the other, but only one on each playthrough because the other place will be closed to you. I think little separations of pathways like that are really cool. Also the fact that you can go a little bit out of your way to discover something, but that you can also just go past it. I hope to discover more!

I didn't really expect that the whole cult aspect would be completely absent, and while I find that kind of sad, the game did fine without it. The story kept me interested, and the ending really caught me off guard. I really appreciated that. I can't say I was moved to tears or anything, but I was pretty blown away. I've spoiled some things for myself on here regarding other endings and the like, but that's okay. I got a lot out of my first playthrough and I think I'll still get a lot out of my next playthroughs.

The (PS2) graphics weren't what I'd call great, but I wasn't going into this game expecting or caring about great graphics.

The puzzles were probably a bit underdone, but I thought it was pretty cool the way the one in the art room worked out. And I doubt this was supposed to be a puzzle, but in the store with the safe, I assumed I had to enter a 3-number combination on the lock. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the combination was supposed to be, and my frustrations were increased by the fact that the dial couldn't even be turned all the way. I gave in and looked that part up in a walkthrough, which told me to turn it to 70. I wasn't sure where 70 came from, but I went with it!

To be honest, the phone messages got a little annoying. There were just so many of them, it got old. It might have been nice to learn things more through a mixture of notes/documents and messages, or something. Some of those messages, though, I didn't even think of being related to Cheryl until reading about them on here, and so now I can look forward to listening to them next time with that new light.

To wrap up, Shattered Memories was really a good game that I look forward to playing more and to reading more about on here. I've been pretty pleased with both of Climax's contributions to the series and am hopeful.
Sorry my "review" was so long, but I say if I'm going to bother doing it, why not express all of my main thoughts?