The black sheep in Silent Hill

             In December of 2009, Konami released another Silent Hill game.  This one was for the Wii, PS2, and PSP.  The game was clearly designed for the Wii and was the first and to date only Silent Hill game to be released on a Nintendo console.  I decided to take a moment and chat about Shattered Memories as it is one of my favorite games on the Wii.

            The game was not a port of the original, but rather a re-imagining, and if I do say so myself, a better version than the original to debut the series on the Playstation back in 1999.  The original Silent Hill was great in its own right, but Shattered Memories seems to take the series in a better direction.  Everyone knows that Silent Hill games have never been the point at the top of the pyramid that is Survival Horror combat.  So with Shattered Memories it was removed completely, giving a tip of the hat to the idea that the player character is not a musclebound hero that can destroy whole cities with a fart and a lighter on a dare.  (Yes, that was a bit of a reference to the new Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 5) Granted, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is not everybody's cup of tea and did not live up to the high expectations laid forth in the idea that the game profiles the user and changes the game to better scare and push fear in the subconscious of the player.  Honestly, I was afraid and at the beginning was scared enough because it's a Silent Hill title alone that if just a small enemy showed up on screen; I probably would have wet myself.  Opening doors slowly, looking for anything to even cast a shadow.  Then found out that enemies don't show up until the ice world comes.  I wouldn't say this is a bad thing, just a bit annoying when you know when the scares are coming.  Other than that, it is a nice stroll through an abandoned, snow covered town.  Not only does this give a good atmosphere, but also a nice amount of downtime between the action points; lending to a chance to explore the pieces of Cheryl's history and add to the history of the town itself.  Despite the difference of the build for Shattered Memories, and the original Silent Hill, the lack of broken combat and off the wall puzzles requiring weird keys, when you have the equipment and firearms to break a tank, let alone a cheap or rusted door; Shattered Memories sets itself apart from the rest of the series making a unique experience without the usual Silent Hill broken combat the series is famed for.

          If you want a good game with some amount of  immersion, and fright (some) this may be the game for you.  If you don't like or have a Wii, or don't want motion, I also have the PSP version and it's just as good without motion controls.  As far as story is concerned, now that the creepy cult is gone it's a simple case of father chasing his daughter.  But you find out at the end that its actually Cheryl right there in in the seat at the psychiatrist answering these questions, dealing with the separation of her parents and Harry's death.  Yes, death, you are controlling a figment of her imagination.  Sad, but crazy great twist to the story.  Hopefully we will see more of these coming from Konami in the future.

Thanks for reading ^_^  Thanks to Wikipedia for the dates of release of games.