You were always on my mind
"This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore" is the message that survival horror games of old used to greet us with. In doing so our horror taste-buds would tingle at the thought of blowing off zombie heads and such. Once you load up Shattered Memories, the juicy screen message ignores hardcore violence and dismemberment and tells you it "plays you as much as you play it." The 'in your face' horror has been replaced with psychological mind mess. Something we haven't seen in Silent Hill since James Sunderland ventured into town looking for his dead wife.
The way things have changed with the genre over recent years, it was only a matter of time before Silent Hill reinvented itself, much like Resident Evil has done. Thankfully for the Hill faithful, the game hasn't become all-out action with a new camera. Instead, Silent Hill: Origins developer, Climax Studios has chosen to emphasise the "survival" in survival horror and made the game a bit closer to reality. By that I mean, if any normal human would find themselves in a deranged town full of monsters, they'd run like hell. Yes sir, psychology and running like a girl is what Shattered Memories is all about. It knows how to create the same eerie atmosphere and game tension that the series is famous for, only it's executed in an entirely new way. Sure it works very well, but I'm not entirely sure it'll please everyone.
Shattered Memories' emphasis on retelling the original story opens up the game to newcomers and veterans. The basic plot remains the same: Harry Mason is driving towards the resort town of Silent Hill with his daughter Cheryl, only to skid on the ice and crash. When he awakens, Cheryl is nowhere to be seen, and he has to venture into town and find her. It turns out Silent Hill isn't an ordinary town, as the streets are deserted and strange things are afoot. As Harry you must explore the town and solve the mystery of Cheryl's disappearance. However, anyone who has lived this plot in the very first Silent Hill can expect the familiarity to dwindle, perhaps with the exception of locations, although even these have had a makeover and a redesign.
Of course, the title "Shattered Memories" also emphasises the retelling details. Everything seems familiar, but the memories aren't quite the same as before. It's not clear from the outset, however, why you are sharing these shattered memories with a psychologist, who turns up at frequent points in the game to quiz you on sexual choices and other such psycho evaluations. It's these grillings that make Shattered Memories as interesting as any other game in the series, if not the Wii as a whole. So, true or false: I make friends easily? I always listen to other people's feelings? I have enjoyed role-play during sex (well that explains the fishnets - Ed)? I have never cheated on a partner?
Not a question some of you would like to be asked if the other half is sat right next to you, but each choice you make determines outcomes in the game, whether it's character looks or how they act towards you, even subtle changes make a difference to how you hold up in the psycho evaluations. In fact, everything you do is watched with a close eye by the game itself, affecting events as you progress. With this in mind, no two play-throughs will be identical. Sure, the locations and story will remain the same, but the looks and confrontations will differ, making each play as unique as the last.
