Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on the Wii follows our protagonist Harry Mason as he searches the deserted streets of Silent Hill, looking for his daughter, Cheryl, who has disappeared after a car accident. Sound familiar? Well think again - this is not a remake by any means, it is more of a complete reboot or re-imagining of the series, replacing the ash-covered streets with a blizzard-struck ones. The town is cut off from the rest of the world by fifteen foot high snow drifts this time.

The first thing that I thought when starting this game was how good it looked - for a Wii game, I don't think I have seen a game that looks as detailed and sharp as this one. If you look at posters on the walls, objects that are littered about and just the environment all around you, you can really see how much effort has been put into this. It is very atmospheric too, in fact is one of the most atmospheric games I can remember playing. The subtle yet haunting soundtrack by returning Akira Yamaoka adds to this perfectly too.

Next, the controls - the Nintendo Wii Controller (Wii) is mainly used as Harry's torch and also controls where you look. In the Nightmare sections, it is used to shake off the creatures and knock down obstacles to block their path. It is also used as his phone, used to look at the map, save the game, call people, take photos and receive messages. When you receive or make a voice call, the person on the other end of the line can only be heard by putting the Wii Remote up to your ear and hearing them through its speaker, making it feel like you're really on the call. The Nintendo Wii Nunchuk Controller add-on (Wii) is used to walk about and run.

The story is the best thing about this game - as well as the gripping main story, as you explore you'll come across many mini stories telling you some of the tragic tales of the town. This is where it becomes very creepy. You'll need to take photos of the static ghosts that you'll catch a glimpse of in the corner of your eye, or look very closely at certain areas when the radio-static starts crackling on your Wii Remote and then you get a text message or voicemail revealing another part of the story. Some of these (especially the voice calls) are very disturbing and this is where the game hit me as being very scary indeed, (rather than the usual shock-scares that all of the previous games went for), making everything feel even that bit more sinister and unsettling. If you're after cheap frights then you'll likely to be disappointed here.

The Nightmare scenes happen every hour or so, where the whole town turns to ice, as opposed to the usual decaying environment in all the previous games. Here you need to basically just run. You have a goal to get to to escape the Nightmare, where you'll need to dodge and shake off the creatures that chase Harry. There is no combat in the game, which may not be too everyone's taste but I personally thought that it is better than constant combat, like there was in the recent Silent Hill Homecoming (PS3).

In a summary -

PROS:
- Some of the best graphics and presentation I've seen on the Wii so far.
- Very responsive and easy to use controls.
- Extremely creepy and a very unsettling story.
- Breathes fresh new life in the long-running series.
- Multiple endings.
- Makes the most out of all of the Wii's capabilities.

CONS:
- It's a little too short.
- The Nightmare sequences sometimes drag on a bit too long.

I've played all of the games in this series and I personally think that Silent Hill :Shattered Memories is the best since the original Silent Hill Platinum (PS) and Silent Hill 2 (PS2). It is probably the best single player game I've played on the Wii so far and is one that I will definite play through again and again to view the various endings (which I believe are based on the therapy sessions that you get between the game). I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the series, likes survival horror or is just after a very good Wii game.

Played the original Silent Hill? Want to play a remake? Don't buy this game. It shares the location, character names and the initial premise that Harry Mason has lost his daughter. Beyond that it bears little resemblance.

This game stands on its own as a genre defying work of art. I would go as far as saying it barely qualifies as a game. This is more like a work of interactive fiction. You experience it rather than play it. But it's a worthwhile experience.

The town of Silent Hill has never been better realised. Detail has been lovingly lavished on every corner of every room regardless of whether you are likely to see it. Giving Silent Hill an eerie lived in feel that makes its deserted state all the more disturbing. The detail carries over into the technical aspects. The characters are detailed, animation realistic, lip sync spot on, Harry's breath creates little condensation clouds, his torch casts believable shadows and illuminates individual snowflakes as they fall. Every effort has been made to make this a completely immersive experience. Your disbelief will be suspended. You will believe Silent Hill is a real place and you will wander around in unsettled awe as the story unfolds to the sound of Akira Yamaoka's excellent subdued soundtrack.

The story as it pans is smart and adult oriented with strong sexual themes. I would not call it normal either. There's no gore to speak of but Shattered Memories is heavy in twisted psychology. Some might find it distasteful. If you have a stomach for these things you will find a simple but surprisingly human story that will surprise and move you.

In conclusion. Don't buy this as a game. Buy it if you will as a work of art and as a story that you will want to experience a few times over like you would a might a really good book.

This series has always impressed me with the atmosphere it manages to create, taking survival horror to the next level and this title is no exception. The new moves they've pulled out for this one have earned it it's five stars. Here are they key things that bring the world to life and create that all important mood:

1. NO WEAPONS. At first this might serve to put you off as it did me. DON'T LET IT! The fact that the wii remote becomes a flashlight means that you feel more immersed and more conscious of your vulnerability. If you're in to survival horrors THIS IS A GOOD THING!

2. THE CELLPHONE. Make sure you've got your wii remote speaker switched on for this all important mood setter (I didn't for the first hour of the game and thought there was a bug when I couldn't hear anything!). This is quite frankly genius in terms of player immersement in the world. The game turns the remote in your hand into the cellphone meaning you have to put it up to your ear to listen to calls. Amazing! (Plus that classic static that freaked you out from game one now starts coming from right there with you in the real world...CREEPY!)

3. EVOLVING PLOT. I'm on my first fun through, so I don't know how much it shifts, but the franchise has always loved it's multiple endings, so I'm assuming a lot. The clever thing this time is all the decisions come from therepy sessions with a psychologist that occur frequently throughout the game (also immediately making the player question the reality of what is going on and an intriguing psychological element to the proceedings.

Anyway, I've babbled on enough. If you're a fan of Silent Hill or survival horror in general then BUY THIS GAME.

If you scare easy and like unicorns in place of faceless monsters hunting you through a maze of ice, probably best you give it a miss.