Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PSP) review"The major failing of Shattered Memories is its predictability. The whole point of a survival horror game is to keep a player on his toes. The formula that the game establishes early on never undergoes much change or deviation, allowing the player to become too comfortable. Not having weapons or a combat system keeps the focus on atmosphere but it is a misused concept. Had the designers broken up the monotonous exploration of the environment with a few well-timed scares they could’ve captured the full potential of their innovation and delivered a game that was truly unique in the genre, instead of just being a quirky diversion." |
First things first. If you’re looking for Silent Hill: The Remake, then you’re going to be drastically disappointed. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories does involve Harry Mason looking for his daughter Cheryl, but right there the similarities between it and the first game stop. There are no cults, no Alessa, and many of the main characters have gone through drastic changes (ie. Dahlia is now a deviant hottie with a thing for Harry). Furthermore, there are no weapons, very few enemies, and the entire focus is on atmosphere, puzzle solving, and character development. Sounds odd at first, but if one considers the psychological theme of the majority of the Silent Hill games, then Shattered Memories seems the natural destination of the series. I do question whether or not Konami has gotten it right, though.
Speaking of which, the game opens with the following warning:
Freelance review by Jonathan Stark (February 08, 2010)
Zipp has spent most of his life standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox there. Sometimes he writes reviews and puts them in the mailbox. |
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