|
Written by Steven McKay
|
|
Monday, 08 March 2010 15:20 |
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the seventh game in the Silent Hill series, and is the second game by developers Climax, who were responsible for the PSP/PS2 game Silent Hill: Origins. However, Shattered Memories is a unique entry into the Silent Hill series for a couple of important reasons: it is the first time the series has appeared on a Nintendo platform; and the game is also a re-imagining of the first Silent Hill game, and marks the start of what could essentially be a series re-boot for the franchise.
As another first for the series, the game plays distinctly differently from all of the others, in that it has been developed from the ground up to make use of the Wii remote, whilst the game itself is split into two distinct gameplay types: slow-paced search segments, and more action-orientated chase segments.
In terms of the game's control scheme, the developers have opted for a Resident Evil 4 style, over-the-shoulder camera, and the Wii remote is used as a pointer to aim your flashlight at objects of interest on-screen. For the vast majority of the game, you'll find yourself creeping through the darkness with your flashlight in hand. During the search sequences, the control scheme works really well, and really lends itself to helping create an eerie, foreboding atmosphere. By contrast the chase sequences – while being the game's sole method of putting you in any real sort of danger – only really manage to dilute the atmosphere created by the search sequences, and often the difficulty of these sequences makes them almost no fun to play through.
Previous titles in the Silent Hill series have all offered some form of combat with which to defend yourself from the nightmare creatures you encounter; Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is unique in that it does not give you this ability. Instead, your only defence is to flee, and these chase sequences see you running through what is essentially a large maze to escape your pursuers.
Whilst these sequences initially do a good job of instilling a sense of panic in the player, they often end up being difficult, frustrating, and generally not much fun to play. This is mainly due to the fact that the maze-like environments are a little too convoluted, and you lack any real method of navigating them; whilst your phone does have a GPS system, using it forces you to stop moving, and in doing so, allows the creatures ample time to catch up to you. The result is that you'll probably end up forgetting about the GPS system and just resorting to trial and error, in which case you can expect to have to replay these sections over and over again until you stumble upon the right path.
As frustrating as these sequences can be though, the fact that they occur relatively infrequently (and become slightly easier toward the end of the game) makes them less irritating than they first appear, and stops them from spoiling the experience.
While these chase sequences can be particularly grating at times, it's easy to see why developer Climax opted to include them; although the search segments are extremely atmospheric, they never actually place you in any real danger, essentially defusing any of the tension generated by the game's atmospheric environments. However, you can't help but feel that the main reason is because the game's engine probably wouldn't handle combat very well. Though the combination of the viewpoint and control scheme would lend itself well to ranged combat, the Silent Hill series has always been more focused on melee combat.
As well as being the first Silent Hill game to eschew combat, Shattered Memories strives to break new ground in other areas too. Most surprisingly, it is the areas that are the most entrenched in the Silent Hill canon that Climax have altered the most. Obvious examples of this are the visual representation of the nightmare world – depicted as a frosty, barren world, replete with snowbanks and thick walls of ice – and the story. Given that the game is branded as a re-imagining of the first Silent Hill game, these changes are all the more surprising, especially the story. Though the story does a good job of innovating – especially the therapy sessions, which, as well as being used to bridge the chapters of the game, are used to psychoanalyse the player and tailor the game specifically to them – the abrupt ending to the story makes the twist ending fall slightly flat.
Evidently then, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a bold, adventurous take on the franchise, and one that, for the most part, works very well, and manages to provide a unique, atmospheric experience from start to finish. The game clearly has its fair share of flaws – the most prominent being the chase sequences – though if you can tolerate these you'll find a lot here to like. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a bold experiment, and though the new format feels like it would possibly be the wrong avenue for the series to pursue in the long term, developers Climax should be commended for being so daring with such an established franchise.
|
|
Disagree with us? Got an idea? Want to put up your own post with full credit? Click here to send it to us and we'll post it...as long as it doesn't suck.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!