Great game! I'm a long time fan of the entire Silent Hill series (though, anything after 3 lost a bit of the series' luster) and Shattered Memories is just the kind of "revamp" the series needed. I feel that Climax really managed to bring back the mystery, intrigue, and terror the series lacked in the last few entries.
While I do miss some elements of combat, I think that almost a complete lack of a means to protect yourself from relentless, pursuing hordes of creatures only adds to the tension created by the town and its ominous, ghostly ambience. If you really allow yourself to become immersed in the game world, Shattered Memories can be a very haunting experience. There are moments in the game where I literally had chills and got freaked out and had to take a moment to catch my breath. A game hasn't done that to me since the first time I played the original Fatal Frame.
That being said, PLAY THIS GAME ALONE AND IN THE DARK WITH THE SOUND CRANKED!! As with any self-respecting horror title, ALOT of the immersion factor has to do with the environment around you while you're playing. This game REQUIRES that you play it in the correct atmosphere, otherwise many of the games visual and auditory elements will have an immensely dimished effect and will not garner the intended reaction from the player. The game is intended to scare you and keep you on your toes for what comes next. Make sure you set yourself up so the game can do its job proper.
I don't know, i've read a review or two where the reviewer(s) claim they are "huge" Silent Hill fans and "know everything there is to know about the series" yet they say this feels nothing like a Silent Hill game. I completely disagree with those accusations. This feels VERY much like a Silent Hill. I picked the game up yesterday and played for a solid 5-6 hours and can say this, without a doubt, IS definitely Silent Hill. Other than the obvious references (i.e. characters and set-pieces) to the original game, something about SM constantly reminds me of SH2 (my, and most everyone elses, favorite game in the series). I can't quite pinpoint what it is, theres just "something" about it that is reminiscent of the second game.
So yeah, I dig the game. I think its definitely one of the better Wii games we've seen in a while. Outside of that, Shattered Memories is a fantastic and extremely welcomed return to true survival-horror regardless of what system it may have released on. I've had no trouble what-so-ever with the controls (even when trying to shake off a clutching enemy, which I know some people have had problems with.), the visuals are some of the best we've seen on Wii (when it comes to acheiving "realism" on the system), the audio is top-notch (fantastic ambient music and sound-fx as always with an SH game) and it contains an intriguing new take on the original games story and fills it with all kinds of twists and "WTF?" moments that will no doubt have you pushing on to the end.
If you're "on the fence" about picking up a copy, i'd say just go for it. You may be as pleasantly surprised as I am with how good Shattered Memories really is!
Can't wait to get home and finish my first playthrough and start all over again with a completely different psych profile!
Oh, and the changes are actually more than merely cosmetic. I've seen videos where the first person you meet is Cybil in the diner. On my current game, the first person I met in the game was the bar tender at the "Good Ol' Days" bar across the street from the diner. The conversations in each scenario yielded the same result, but they were two completely different conversations. So depending on your psych profile, the final summation of the game will remain the same but the story, routes you take, and personalities you meet on your way to it will vary.
And that was really long winded. Kudos if you read it all! ;)
Hope it helped!
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