Silent Hill: Shattered Expectations

So I rented Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. I went in with the lowest of expectations after Homecoming, and somehow this game managed to be much worse than Homecoming. It's got some cool ideas, and I appreciate all the touches that were implemented to modernize the original game, which I loved.

But the 'creature chase' sequences are such a tremendously bad idea. Their egregious inclusion literally ruins the game.

For the first time in a Silent Hill game, there is absolutely no sense of fear while roaming during the game. None. Because you're completely safe since enemy attack sequences are like scheduled dentist appointments.

Do some walking around solving small puzzles and then -- it's MONSTER TIME! Mad dashes in the darkness, following blue lights -- like footraces in underground parking garages. This is tantamount to Leon Kennedy exploring a Spanish village devoid of activity in the near dark when suddenly the sky changes and he straps himself in a go-kart to race through a haunted house.

Seriously.

These parts aren't scary either, because a. the monsters look like teenagers in suits made of bubblegum, b. they don't make scary sounds, c. as far as I can tell, their devastating attack is to latch onto you, and d. it's not that hard to stay away from them.

Not scary AND annoying, if anything, because it's hard to see, and shaking off monsters lucky enough to embrace you gets tiresome. Jesus, what a car wreck.