Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

They should just rename the series SIGH-lent Hill cause it looks like Konami has officially murdered it.  Origins, Homecoming, and now this??  Yeah, it was nice knowing you Silent Hill, you shall be missed.  *leaves to go hug his copies of Silent Hill 1, 2, 3, and 4*

-Mike

Last edited by the_miker (Apr 02, 2009)

the_miker wrote:

They should just rename the series SIGH-lent Hill cause it looks like Konami has officially murdered it.  Origins, Homecoming, and now this??  Yeah, it was nice knowing you Silent Hill, you shall be missed.  *leaves to go hug his copies of Silent Hill 1, 2, 3, and 4*

-Mike

So did you play SH Origins and Homecoming?
I've noticed some people love to complain about how gaming is going down the toilet... I played SH 1-4, and the first three were very fun. As for SH IV, that's one of the MOST boring games I've played! I've yet to play Origins and Homecoming, but from what I've read they're nowhere near as bad as IV.

-avatar!

Jay wrote:

there is no combat. You can only run.

So basically they said f-it when it comes to re-inventing this aspect of the series. That screams lazy to me.

Adam Corn wrote:

Ashley Winchester wrote:

Jay wrote:

there is no combat. You can only run.

So basically they said f-it when it comes to re-inventing this aspect of the series. That screams lazy to me.

Hm I thought it sounded like a cool idea.  I'm not an SH fan or anything (never played it) but it seems to me that a survival horror game would make a lot more sense and be a lot more scary if you can't actually fight back.  And as far as I know this is an approach that still hasn't been taken very often in gaming.

No?

I agree, that does sound like a cool idea. It hasn't been done often (the notion of not being able to fight back), but Clock Tower implemented this idea beautifully! You were stalked by a seemingly immortal creature, and you had to hide or fend him off. If you fended him off, you would lose some health in the process, and if you kept fending him off, eventually you would die. Thus, you really had to hide or figure out other means to get him off your track. You could never defeat him though, and he would always come back. Sometimes (of course) he would show-up in places out of nowhere, and you could always hear him coming... a unique and wonderful take on the survivor-horror game

cheers,

-avatar!

edit: http://www.mobygames.com/game/clock-tower

Last edited by avatar! (Apr 03, 2009)

I'm not the biggest SH fan (gave up partway through 3 because I was tired of the gameplay and confused as all hell by the story), but I did hear one neat tidbit - allegedly the types of enemies you encounter are based on a profile of your phobias the game creates with a set of questions at the start. That seems pretty cool, like the flexible enemy setup of Eternal Darkness but with a deeper sense of responsibility than touching-the-green-one. .

Amazingu wrote:

I think the immortal enemy thing is a totally cheap way of making a game frustrating and not worth playing, and it tends to take all the fun out because it sucks. Like, hard.

There we go. That's how I feel about the matter.

Clock Tower was a good game. I played it a little with a friend, and while I didn't like it as a gameplay experience I have to say that as a piece of horror fiction, it was quite well done, irregardless of being low-tech.

And Fatal Frame remains my favorite horror game series of all time. I've never been truly scared in a video game other than those titles. It gets props, big time!

I wonder if Akira Yamaoka is composing...

Amazingu wrote:

Idolores wrote:

Clock Tower was a good game. I played it a little with a friend, and while I didn't like it as a gameplay experience I have to say that as a piece of horror fiction, it was quite well done, irregardless of being low-tech.

And Fatal Frame remains my favorite horror game series of all time. I've never been truly scared in a video game other than those titles. It gets props, big time!

A quick search on Gamefaqs tells me there's a PS game and an SNES game.
Are they both good?

And yeah, I love Fatal Frame too!
The second game scared the shit out of me, and the 4th one (on Wii) is every bit as good.
You'd better pray that it ever hits Western shores.

The SNES version was never released outside of Japan. The PSX version is the one I played, and it's great! I really enjoyed the gameplay, but it is different than what most people are used to. It's essentially a point-and-click horror adventure. Very well executed, very cool story, and just fun to play!

cheers,

-avatar!

Hmm... Don't know what to think about this. I have developed a very strong feeling of ambivalence towards the Silent Hill series. On the one hand, its probably my favourite game series overall, the first two games were true masterpieces of the horror genre, and I love the music, atmosphere, and aesthetics of the series. On the other hand, the quality of the series has been in steady decline, and the decent thing to do would probably be to bury it... which Konami won't do, since its a cashcow franchise now. I did like Homecoming, but it still lacked the greatness of the first two. Some of the changes they've announced for Shattered Memories sound interesting, but there's also the real possibility of a complete screw-up, and I'd cry bloody tears if they botch my beloved SH1.

Still, I don't have a Wii and don't plan on getting one, so I'll be skipping this.

And about Clock Tower: there are four CT-games, one for the SNES, two for the PS1, and one for the PS2. I like the series (especially the first two), but it is a little dated and slow, definitely the kinds of games you have to have patience with. From what I know of your tastes, Amazingu, I don't think you'd like it.

Idolores wrote:

Daniel K wrote:

And about Clock Tower: there are four CT-games, one for the SNES, two for the PS1, and one for the PS2.

Ah, Ghost Head on PSX. I forgot to mention that one. I'd heard it wasn't that great. And I completely forgot about the PS2 game. How is it? Anyone know?

Ghost Head was pretty terrible, the PS2 one (Clock Tower 3) was an OK but kind of mediocre game. The first two are where its at.

Hm, might get the PS2 version then.

Or then again, I might not. The few pictures I've seen so far look goddamn awful, and I've been getting really bad vibes. The original Silent Hill is my favourite game ever, I'm not sure if my poor old heart could stand seeing it massacred. Maybe its better to leave well enough alone and pass on this one.

Jay, what are your thoughts? Have you given up on the series entirely, or will you try this?