Fun fact, the "creepy unrelated voice mails" are actually related to the events Cheryl went through during her childhood all the way up to her adult life. Depending on your choices, the voice mails actually changes to reflect what Cheryl went through, and gathering them is a core part of gameplay which also determines the ending of the game. In a way, those voicemails are "shattered memories"
This was my first game too! I was just getting into Silent Hill (the og trilogy and it’s lore specifically) and was young enough to not really understand all the developer drama going on behind the scenes. I’d never actually played an SH game before and I ended up picking this one up! Im thankful I did honestly- fresh eyes let you appreciate it for what it is. A little janky, not really SH, but still very well told story (that definitely had an impact on me). Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought it was pretty good!
This is a small bit of trivia: this game wasn't going to be a "reimagining" of the first title, the studio's original pitch was a side-story of sorts but Konami mandated it to be tied with the original series. The themes of the freezing otherworld were present, but it was going to be a very different product.
Good choice opening with the theme. So evocative. For me shattered memories isn't really enhanced by its aging graphics in the same way as the mainline titles, but someone clearly cared about this one. There's a lot of neat touches in tying the therapist framing device into the main game and back and the gimmicks don't detract from the whole. Imo shattered memories feels closer to a watered down Alan Wake in its structure and tone, but compared to homecoming and downpour feels like a masterpiece.
You're right. The feeling I got when I first experienced this in 2010 was that it had 'soul'. Aka, the creators really cared about this project and had their own vision. It was implemented so well.
You are actualy very wrong in terms of the tests having only little impact, evey character you met has up to 3 diferent versions, with even diferent personalitis, depending on what you choose, cybil goes from a bored town cop ( with a town sherif uniform without a hat), to the regular cop you met, to a blonde and busty show-off
Yeah, seems like he didn't do his research for this one. When he stated that Cybil was uptight in this version I was assuming he would circle back to it and go 'actually', but no, appears he wasn't aware how the start can change, the type of cop she is, the place you meet, etc. Which is a little disappointing considering how well Avalanche does most of his videos and it being one of the main selling points of the game.
yep it changes EVERY characters look,buildings colors, the way characters act and talk to you,even the monsters looks so yeah...he's missed half of the game as usual...I start to hate his vids because of how poorly they done
I hated this game's gameplay, overall I really enjoyed the story and the more "realistic" take on the first game. this game definitely deserves more love than it gets. Also I believe you miss how the answers of the therapy can also change the personality for the characters, particularly Cybill, even tough some times it seems a bit random
@@AvalancheReviews If you play it differently, you get different endings indicating who Harry was to Cheryl. Good dad, bad dad, bod husband, etc. What you look at changes your progress too and the monsters, people's clothes, etc. change to indicate your eventual ending.
@@AvalancheReviews you actualy did play multiple times enough to see the changes! you played until you met cybill, and that would have been enough if you had changed your responses to the first test
@@AvalancheReviews aren't those kind of twists what makes things replayable/watchable actually? Like, when you know the twist and revisit it, you see hints you missed and view things with a new angle. I am playing MGS V right now and knowing its twist from youtube videos makes it a little weird like how every sentence you hear around the start actually spoils it(though a reviewer i follow guessed the twist before even the game gives you the control, soooo)
The story was directed by the amazing Sam Barlow, who had previously done many experimental narratives games and is now best known for amazing fmv game Her Story
I think what they did with this game was really cool. All the small elements that alter the game based on your choices and actions vibes super well with Silent Hill, and the re-imagining was actually handled well.
It's like when Hollywood remakes a Japanese film. I played this one and enjoyed this odd take of the Silent Hill but like all the western developed SH, doesn't feel like the first 3 games.
Please stop treating the room like the red-headed step child. Its good ideas were better than both the first and 3rd game. Granted, it had many duds too, but I'd rather have that than stagnation.
This might sound crazy, but this is actually my favorite Silent Hill game. Yeah, the chase sequences aren't great, but I really like the story and how the game profiles you and changes the game world based on your choices and what you stare at. Things like going full pervert and getting sexy Cybil and other characters is fascinating and makes sense in the context of that being how Cheryl views her father. I also find the variations of character models and the way cutscenes play out to be pretty impressive and gives nice replay value.
Cariss Mcbober this game is massively underrated and is also one of my favourites of the franchise, and I’ve been playing since the original came out in 1999
Vault Dweller Silent Hill game for kids? Alright you really didn’t play this game Man it deals with themes of depression, grief, and mental illness. I don’t see how any of those things are directed towards children
Wild enough how Shattered Memories' mechanics became PT's shining and defining gameplay loop. This game here definitely deserved more credit for the footprint it drew up for the series. Not exceptional, but an all around cool game where you can smell the passion for the project.
Little Hope’s twist ending felt like a reverse of Shattered Memories’ twist. Considering the therapy sessions from Until Dawn were clearly inspired by Shattered Memories, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.
They could have kept the Silent Hill on the box but also not force it into a re-imagining of the first (which is also bad PR). Make the game, do use the first game as inspiration internally, but still let it be its own independent game that is a SH game only in terms of theme.
nexusshark If you look at the website “Silent Hill Historical Society,” there’s a page where they compare both of the game’s stories along with certain elements and show that they’re more similar than we think. I’ll post the link later. Update: Here’s the link- silenthillhistoricalsociety.com/sh-vs-shsm/
I actually enjoyed this game at first, had played it like 6 years after it came out cuz I sure as hell never owned a Wii, but when I found out there were no enemies at all during the regular adventure game gameplay it just burst my bubble and still to this day cannot understand why they chose to do so. Once you find out there are no enemies during regular gameplay nothing was at all scary or even a little creepy for me in the game again, also the part with "enemies" that just aggressively hug you to death had no enjoyable aspect for me
I can kind of see why they did that. The atmosphere in the exploration parts, was so damn good, that it didn't really need to have enemies stalking you. I was just interested in exploring, and I didn't really need a fail state to motivate me.
@@AvalancheReviews yeah I loved exploring too, that's why I really liked it at first and I think that maybe even if I just simply had not been told the situation of no threat from enemies I probably would have kept playing but there was just something about knowing I was never going to be in danger that really effected my interests. Also I say all this under the presumption I am going to be playing an SH game when I bought this. So when you make the point that this didn't necessarily need to be a SH entry and could have stood by its own merit then I feel I may have had a different approach to the game
@@AvalancheReviews I was surprised by your overall positive opinion of the game in this video, just considering how you had regarded and referenced it in other content. you had led me to believe you hated this game and I was always about to become a little defensive when you mentioned it, since in terms of gameplay quality and story I feel this is one of the best Western developed SH games and I know that sounds odd since I said I stopped playing after discovering no enemies. But I think that's more a psychological aspect of my love for horror games that contributed to me losing interest in completing this gam
@@AvalancheReviews Except that fail state is what added to the horror of the original, the sound of the radio crackling to life as something out in the fog started stalking you. It completely removes those tense moments and leaves JUST the exploration, which the original already had. So it literally just removed one aspect and didn't add anything to replace it...unless you want to add those stupid chase scenes. Which I do not.
It has to do with the lack of control of the wiimote, I'm pretty sure. They probably couldn't decide on a good work around, so they didn't wanna ruin it with bad gameplay.
What I kinda liked was how nostalgic the town is in this game. From the actual mainline SH games, Silent Hill is usually a pretty sinister backdrop to the story, but in Shattered memories it's almost cozy and dreamlike. The VHS filter helped as well, in selling the feel that you are walking through a distant memory, trying hard to see things you liked within it, but ultimately the bad stuff creeps up alongside the nostalgia and just becomes so depressing. Really an excellent game.
I love this game's soundtrack, i think in some ways i like the ost more than the other games, seems like Akira Yamaoka wanted to go out of SH with a bang
I'm really glad you liked Shattered Memories. It's surprisingly good. I mean, it doesn't exactly match up to the quality of the original four, but that's a nigh impossible bar to reach, and it is definitely good and very much worth playing. Of course, unfortunately we'll be moving back into trash pretty soon. After all, I noticed you haven't done a review of Homecoming yet. 😞
Thank you for reviewing this! I was actually surprised how good the game was. I agree with everything you've said. The chase scenes were really dreadful, and not in a good way. Looking forward to your new content!
This game was one of my first games on the Wii and as fan of SH1 and 3, I can say that this game is great as an spin off of the original. Mostly because I was trying to mix my knowledge of the first game with the story of this one and started to feel like a crazy conspiracy theorist. Also this game has one of the funniest and creepy ufo ending of all SH.
Yeah I caught that too, the Wii is much, much more powerful than the ps2. I can't think of any advantages it would have. Same media, more powerful processor and gpu, more ram, from what I know it's easier to program for too. I can't think of anything he could be talking about.
That's to be expected from someone who doesn't like motion controls. Hell, earlier in the video he says we're wrong if we defend motion controls. As a primary pc gamers, motion controls are the next best thing for genres like fps.
Some developers who were really adept at programming for the ps2 really spoke highly about some of the things the ps2 was able to pull of that others systems couldn't when it came to overlays and post processing effects. That's why a lot of PC ports of ps2 games have trouble recreating the experience 100%. I've heard people say the ps2 had some magical aspects. I never really understood how that could be true, but you have to admit, some ps2 games really didn't deserve to look anywhere near as good as they did.
I always place this game right up there with the original 3 in quality, I loved every bit of it playing it at launch. Depending on the day of the week it might even by my favorite. It's the only SH game I played through multiple times back to back, making drastically different decisions to see all the various differences. I'd highly recommend reading a guide on how to manipulate the game and replaying it again to get the additional paths. It gives you an entirely new appreciation for the mechanics of how it all works. I'd also recommend playing it on actually hardware, it solves those weird loading hitches you were seeing and maybe would solve some of the issue you had in the chase sequences. For me the motion controls were part of what pushed it ahead of a lot of other games. Motion controls, when done right, can really push a games immersion to the next level. In the video you talked about how good it feels to aim the flashlight but kinda glossed over all the other interactions that it's used for, only showing footage but not talking about them in detail. The interactions like opening draws and cupboard, and interacting with things like the the car door and window switches with natural hand motions as opposed to a disconnected button press really elevate the experience more than words can describe. Also, that one scene when you have to use the motion controls to roll your wheelchair was one of the most thrilling scenes in any game I ever played. Just the pure physicality of it really heightens the experience. The other aspect that I think needs more attention was using the Wiimote as your phone for conversations. Holding the Wiimote to your head like an actual phone when listening to voicemail was a really cool experience you couldn't get on other systems at the time. This game was really ahead of the curb on the immersion angle. Really only a few steps short of VR. On the escape scenes, I really enjoyed those when I played, but from the footage it appears they went much smoother for me than they did for you. It was pretty rare that I'd get piled on by more than one enemy or run into a wall, or get turned around, or get stuck at weird angels. You can't think of shaking them off as a button prompt, they don't always come off in the first push, it's best to think of it as something actually holding on to you and shaking it off with the correct arm motion. Once you forget about the mechanics and do what's natural it works really well. I think the issues you experienced could be chocked up to not being used to motion controls yet or fighting them maybe? Or perhaps this wasn't native hardware and things weren't running correctly? You mentioned running it off a hard drive, not sure if it was some sort of USB drive connected to a Wii or played via an emulator. By time I'd played this game I'd played a ton of Wii games so running and turning with the motion controls was pretty much second nature. I never understood the hate motion controls got back in the day. I really loved the use of the Wiimote in games that were made by devs who knew what they were doing. This game, Resident Evil 4, Red Steal 2, Ghostbusters, Metroid Prime 3, Okami, PunchOut, and the list goes on. Done well, the Wii's motion controls were a great step in chipping down the abstraction that buttons put between the player and the world of the game. There were some bad implementations, but that was mostly just in shovelware garbage and multiplatform developers that were in over their heads and didn't have the time or budget to get it right. There were so many examples of good usage if you stuck to high quality games. The hand tacking controls in VR are built on the foundations lain buy the Wii and offer experiences you can't even come close to approaching in traditional games. The Wii was a good attempt though for the time.
First video I’ve seen of yours. Just randomly looking for a shattered memories review and stumbled on your retrospective. Had me hooked for the full 40 minutes. In depth, expertly presented !
I got this game for PS2, and I loved (almost) every bit of it. Looking back the chases were the worst part of it, but damn if I didn't Love this game back then and if I dont Love it now.
I can completely agree with you on chase sequences. They are extremely frustrating and even infuriating at times. However, for me they were also the most stressful and horrifying because for me to get lost somewhere is one of the most scary feelings. To create a feeling of disorientation in a place swarming with monsters, where you can’t do anything but run where your eyes lead you was a genius idea. Too bad the final result was far from perfect, but I really appreciate the effort.
It's been years since I played this! Awesome review as usual. I could be wrong, but since we were going through her memories of her life; I assumed the lil snippets like the boy drowning and such were small town events. Things that might of stuck with her from newspapers, personal friend experiences or local radio. What you think?
Most people don't like the run scenes, but I love them. They signify the main characters refusal to accept reality. Also, what you look at and the decisions you make change the creatures chasing you. Also getting killed by them and waiting may show what they do to you. They caress you. It really freaked me out.
@@AvalancheReviews I was a lot younger in my defense, haha. But I still don't want to see those things caress you, as if saying that their fantasy or oblivion is inescapable.
I think there is one area _Shattered Memories_ that should have been praised: As a remake, the game does everything people say a remake should - make it a brand new experience. It would have been so easy to just up-res the graphics, improve the gameplay, and add in a few nods to future storylines. Instead Climax Studios rang that bell, completely subverting the original game's story, overhauling the gamplay, and even changed the genre. I feel the game should get more praise just for taking more risks since this so rarely happens.
I have to say the highlight of this game for me was the setting (Not so much Silent Hill itself but a frozen, desolate town, which you don't see many snowy settings in Horror games), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for the game's theme "Hell Frozen Rain" (my favorite SH theme) and somber cover of Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind". Can never get enough of her voice.
I consider myself a Silent Hill fanatic. This is up there for me as one of the best non team silent games. Even witbout the combat. The ending floored me the first time I played it, and the motion controls felt immersive and responsive. The story and profiling system were both good.
I know this is basically a reimagining of sh1, which is cool, and this is gonna sound funny, but I would love a "reimagining" of this game in VR. The atmosphere is great, and the phone gimmick is actually used really well. Love snowy silenthill at night, and the flashlight is top notch in this game. Just get rid of the constant running sessions, and add in some genuine enemies with basic combat (nothing too action oriented), expand the town, using more technical juice, and keep the puzzles comin! I think it would be great, and almost an ideal SH experience that could exist without being in the shadow of SH2. I think exploring with this esthetic could really boost up the dread and isolation this series needs. I desperately miss genuinely good and eerie SH games. It's been far too long.
I first played this game back when I hacked my wii and could load usb games. It was the middle of winter here in Canada and me and my buddy were walking back to his place with my wii in my backpack. Playing shatterd memories with the blizzard coming down in the streetlights from him sliding glass door made it even more amazing, fell in love with it but still wonder was an actual faithful Silent Hill psx remake could be like. Now Sh shatterd memories is a part of my sh collection and every winter I do a playthrough when the snow starts falling heavily.
I'm not gonna lie, this actually looks really good. The facial animations look super impressive.And it generally seems like an interesting game. Your right though, this could have been a different title rather than an SH game. I was kinda thinking the same thing. I was actually considering getting this a while ago, and I didn't realise how rare it was, the ps2 version is crazy expensive on ebay lol.
The soundtrack as well as the small little touches around the game make this underrated in my opinion. There is much to find, this didn’t feel lazy like homecoming or downpour did. I see it as a reimagined version of the original that may not have been as good but wasn’t bad either. I hate that many people completely overlooked this game. To this day when I play it in the dark just like I used to as a kid it gives me chills. I still get anxious when there is no real way to fight back. I honestly think that worked well here just like it did in Outlast. You feel vulnerable, and on that first playthrough you’re not sure when the next chase will happen so you’re constantly on edge. And the soundtrack is so good, just like the other silent hill games. I can’t imagine where this game would be without the amazing soundtrack. The over the shoulder flashlight gameplay is great imo. Yes Wii controls are a bit clunky but it’s different than the usual silent hill game controls and I loved that element of the gameplay(for the most part). I don’t think people should automatically throw this in with konami’s failures with this series, like downpour and homecoming. Both of which barely felt scary at all, and were horrible at building tension. Both games had a lot of potential but just felt lazy, especially homecoming. Most of what scared me in both those games was the anxiety of trying to kill monsters with clunky controls, but that’s about it. When there was a big boss fight in either game it was extremely underwhelming, moreso in homecoming. And again the only terror I experience from it now is the clunky controls which make it hard to fight. I had no idea what to expect as a kid but I loved what this game ended up being. A very different experience from the usual silent hill game. The otherworld in this game fits the theme of the game because of the constant heavy snow. I appreciate the creative touches, and the subtle differences depending on your choices. Which is what homecoming and downpour often lacked. I hope more people can pick this up at a retro games store and give it a chance. It was and still is underrated to me. And many seemed to overlook it because it was trying to recreate the story of the first game. The basic plot points are the same, guy loses daughter, guy looks for daughter, blah blah you get the gist. But it doesn’t feel like a bad rehash of the first game to me. It follows a similar storyline but provides a much different experience. Well, this comment is long enough already so I’m going to end my novel. I hope anyone reading this gives it a chance.
I'm not certain but I believe all the texts and voicemails had to do with Cheryl's childhood without a father. All the experiences and stories she knew of that impacted her. If you view them separately, yeah, they seem unnecessary... But if you view them as part of the picture, they really help paint the whole thing.
Unless I missed it, I'm kind of surprised you never mentioned how the Raw Shocks (dumb name, can't lie) change based on your psychological profile, turning into sort of visual metaphors for whatever mental issues the game thinks the player character has. If you're an alcoholic, they become more decrepit and diseased looking, if you're schizophrenic they look more abstract and bizarre, etc, etc. Also, when you complete the coloring puzzle in the therapy session, the following scene's dialogue will change, with Harry's reaction changing based on the colors you chose for their shirts. Red makes Harry react more aggressively, blue more passively, and I believe black made you act more crazy but I can't really remember. There's a puzzle in the therapy session which changes the kinds of puzzles you have to solve as Harry, and a bunch more, they actually affect the game quite a bit more than you mentioned. There's also multiple paths you can take that change the progression and character interaction in the game a surprising amount. It really surprised me how much replay value the game has, and I agree with you that it's the most surprisingly well made and enjoyable entry in the western Silent Hill games despite the terrible chase scenes. In my opinion SM is the only one that's really worth playing after SH4, though Origins is alright if you can ignore how much it fucks with the lore. Also the soundtrack is phenomenal and it's worth checking out due to SM being the last SH game Akira Yamaoka did the soundtrack for.
Personally, my favorite "post-trilogy" entry in the franchise. If you sever any connection to Silent Hill 1, the result is a brand new expounded take on the concept of "born from a wish", and could easily have been a stand alone entry. Also, as someone who dislikes motion controls, I love them in this game. One of the only justified uses of the Wii.
Your retrospectives have been downright cathartic to watch and I'm very grateful for your input this late since these games' release. you have good opinions, I love you, have a good day
I knew threatening to fund a third film would make you see the light.... In all seriousness I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as I did. Even if the eventual twist is kinda predictable, the ultimate reveal was not, and the manner in which they did it was absolutely magnificent. Maybe I'm taking it too far but I genuinely think this games ending is up there with the very very best in the medium like SOMA and the likes in terms of how well its done, the many hints you got during the game and how much sense it makes. Just brilliant. 1 or 2 killer tracks also as always.
Actually originally SHSM pitch wasn't a remake but an original SH story called 'Silent Hill Cold Heart'. In fact, you can find the pitch booklet the team made online. Storywise it was going to be about a college girl suffering from worsening mental issues driving home to visit her parents only to get caught in a blizzard and ending up in Silent Hill where she would struggle to survive against monsters (which she would be able to fight) and against the cold weather (with survival mechanics). The sessions with Dr. Kaufman (though presumably the Doctor would have a different name) would have still happened as the pitch notes that she was seeing a Psychologist prior to the game with the sessions being flashbacks. We don't have much more the pitch and some concept art but it would have been an interesting thing to see. In fact, I would love if Konami would, if they ever do return to the franchise, revisit that pitch because there is potential there.
I never really got into the Siren games, but I loved the first Dead Space. I do plan on covering those games soon. As for Fatal Frame, I'm considering it.
Great video, as always. This time though, I have a small gripe with it. Your behaviour during the psychology sessions and gameplay affect much more than the clothes of the characters. It affects their behaviour towards Harry as well. My Cybil for example looked pretty much like the Cybil from the first game (although less buttoned up) and was, from the get go, very inclined to help Harry with none of that "Not my jurisdiction" stuff. Dahlia can be pretty different too. And the game features multiple endings, and SH typical, most of them are not that happy.
It makes sense I didn't notice that. I don't know that I'll ever play it again. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but knowing the end twist kind of ruins the wonder of playing through the game.
As much as this game doesn't seem to be a silent hill game, I rate this one in high regards as this is one of those games that made me felt emotion especially at the end. I love story based games, but this is one of those that actually made me shed a bit of tear. I just love this game
I disagree, this game absolutely deserves the Silent Hill name. It's the only one since part 3 that feels like it captures some of the heart of Silent Hill. I really enjoyed the repurposing of characters too. This could have been a cool alternate universe series.
I remember when I got this for PS2. holy cow I was too scared to play but loved every minute of it! Thanks for bringing up memories man! Love your channel!
I always thought that instead of the chase scenes they should have had the enemies creeping around in some areas that you had to hide from and avoid while exploring. It would have kept you on your toes a bit more and if you get caught they should have had you run away and hide and then go exploring again when they give up. Loved this game though and really wish for a successor some day, though it may never happen. I never knew it was meant to be a remake of SH1. It really should be its own side series in the franchise.
Great retrospective as always, but I'm quite surprised there was no mention of the fantastic soundtrack. Literally the one thread through all SH games that remains consistantly amazing!
I remember really enjoying this game despite never touching an SH game before. I distinctly remember playing the PSP port and just generally having a good time with it. It's an underrated game, though I'd agree that it'd work far better without the SH attachment
13:41 My initial interpretation of the voice message you get through out the game, after taking the pictures was a mix of things that happened to Cheryl as she grew up and the Stories Harry wrote.
Damn, imagine if they remade this game in VR? You'd probably have to remove the chase segments, though I don't think too many would mind that. Walking through Silent Hill, looking in through windows with your flashlight....It'd be damn cool.
I only played the PS2 port and I went into it with a similar opinion that you did. However as I played through it I really appreciated why it had Silent Hill in the title. I mentally categorise it as a spin-off game to the franchise and with that mental divide in place I thin k it deserves to SH in it's name. The reason being that anyone familiar with at least the first and third games can get more out of the story than someone who doesn't know anything of the series. This game plays with your expectations of the people that share the same names or similar events that are turned on their heads, it is the odd familiarity with the happenings in the game that really adds to the impact of the twist when you realise just how _much_ of a reimagining this game is. This game is a spin off with no connection to the canon of the series but a completely different take on the premise of its origin. PS, Dark City is such a great movie, one of my favourites - top 3 easily.
Thanks for the review dude, I loved that you didn't totally crap on it. I have a lot of time for this entry (moreso any day than Homecoming) as I was able to show it to my folks who had a Wii and it made them realise that story gaming isn't just relegated to PC point and click adventures. Great video man, look forward to the next as always
There’s a nice little Easter egg where you can call the Konami customer support line in game. I won’t spoil it but it’s a nice little addition to the immersion if you’re unfamiliar with it. Great video btw! I’ve been binging these SH retrospectives lately. Great stuff! 🤘
Just doing SH1 from a different character POV would have been fine. THeir is so much depth to Sh1 plot that it could provide almost a completely different story from Dr. Kaufman's view, even while being axiomatic to the dictates of the original plot.
I've been waiting for you to get to this one specifically, it's just a fantastic piece of work, and you can tell the people who worked on it really cared about what they were making. Also, I could have sworn there was an XBOX 360 version of this game... or is this one of those Bearstain bears things... Also, since you're maybe a little more open to the Wii, definitely check out Pandora's Tower and The Last Story sometime. They're definitely worth your time and may even warrant a Trashed Classics episode ;D (They also have Classic Controller support, so you don't have to use motion control at all)
Yeah, playing through this kind of got me back into playing my Wii. I have Iso's downloaded and ready to go. Definitely would like to play through all 3 of the really famous rpgs on the platform. I've actually never played any rpg on the wii accept for Arc Rise Phantasia.
@@AvalancheReviews I really enjoyed Arc Rise Fantasia (though it... really could use a new English dub...), and the Operation Rainfall trilogy, as they are affectionately known, are part of what made me fall in love with the console. Those and the PSP fantastic RPG library are what got me through the RPG "dark age" of the seventh console generation
I just finished this on PSP. I'd played the wii version a few times before, and I know exactly what you mean about the motion controls. I lost count of how many times I hit myself in the face with the wire flailing the controls about trying to get the enemies off me! I must say I'm shocked at just how good the PSP version is. Aside from a slight graphical downgrade (nowhere near as much as I thought it would be) the game is ported perfectly! Plus, not having to fight with the wiimotes is a godsend. Following the button prompt to throw the monsters off instead is so much easier. It's such a good game! I'd forgotten how good it was. That ending had me choked up the first time I played and I still hold it highly as one of the saddest endings I've ever seen in a game. It's a real gut punch!
I fully agree with every single thing you just said! It's crazy how good the PSP port is, and not having the motion controls basically makes it my favorite port.
11:10 this instills hitting me like a truck even after all these years... I wasn't interested in this game at all but after I listened the OST, I finally decided to play it. When I reached this and acceptance started to play, it caught me so bad. It wasn't a perfect silent hill and had a very tedious gameplay but a killer history and beautiful in some way. Good video by the way. I just found your channel and I am having a blast with this series
Because I was going through some shit with my mom when playing this game I always assumed the kid who hung himself had a serious fight with his mom that morning and was sick of her disingenuious concern and killed himself because their fight broke him. Though that was probably projection on my part.
I came back here after finally playing this wonderful little gem today on the Wii and you absolutely nailed it on the head on how guuud this SH was. While not perfect in any way, but enjoyable and I loved how they changed the formula a bit.
I had an absolute blast going through this game with a friend, we really got into the stort and pur bantering made the few low points easy to get through. Still one of my favorite playthroughs of any game. Played the original SH1 with a different friend and that also holds a special place in my heart. I prefer the original SH1 as a game, but I have always loved Shattered Memories for different reasons, particularly the psychological analysis aspects. Each game and the time spent in it with my friends will live on as some of my favorite gaming memories
Glad I bought it when it came out at the end of the PS 2’s life cycle, but still haven’t even opened it, same for Origins but I don’t consider Shattered Memories as canon, I see it as a side story like a “what if” scenario.
Was it expensive? I bought this game back in 2010 for PS2 for $30. Lost it at some point and no idea how. Then was forced to re-buy it for $90 in 2017 on eBay. I mean, the fact that I was willing to spend that much the second time kind of tells you how enjoyable this game is.
Just found your channel and I like the high detail reviews you do. Don't know if you would ever see this but there is an game called Darkwood I think you would absolutely fall in love with it.
I am very happy that you uploaded this , this was my entry to silent hill , i got it on psp and didnt want to play it because it scared me so much , i had nighmares of it haha. This is very underrated game , it has very complex story , different endings , quite good gameplay and mechanics. It was very nice to hear your take on things
I love that you reviewed this, mainly because I never played it (the idea of no enemies turned me off as soon as I heard that) but I was always interested in what they actually changed with the game.
The moments when you run from the enemies in the PS2 version works waaaaay better. It's still stiff, but it's easier to beat the enemies and shove them off.
This was my first Silent Hill game, but I also went into it knowing the gist of the series’ lore, but on its own, I really liked some of the changes it did and the psychological aspects, while shallow, were decently minor enough for repeated playthroughs without changing the overall story, minus the ending. I loved how versatile Harry’s phone was, especially with calling phone numbers and actually getting responses, and I really liked the snowy environment of the town. It felt less like a dead town shrouded in a dense fog and more like it was briefly abandoned in the wake of a terrible snowstorm, which I find the hidden specters and voice messages you find of SH citizens helps add to the setting, even though they have no importance to Harry’s story. I’d say my major problems is the Otherworld itself. I like that instead of turning into a world of rust and pipes, it becomes a dark world of ice, lending to the snowy theme, but it also means that all the blue colors and quietness makes the game feel more calm rather than the growing tension you’d feel from the rustic world instead. It also lessens the horror when the monsters only appears in the Otherworld, that and the monsters essentially just being small children, which only change to have cross-shaped heads or voluptuous breasts, for example, depending on your psychological changes. I find this game helped popularize the run and hide style of horror you seen nowadays in Amnesia or Outlast, and sadly, it’s not as good either when you just have to swing the Wiimote and nunchuck in a direction to shake them off, but then the motion controls become unresponsive after you have to do this one too many times during the same chase. Like you’ve said, this game would’ve been better not having these chases and focused on the exploration and puzzle-solving, especially with how good the motion controls are for the exploration. On another note, I like SM’s hidden UFO ending the most out of the other games, both in the steps required to complete it and story-wise, with the text messages of a crazy guy locking his wife in the basement and it itself getting wacky with the ending, going from the intention young woman confronting the painful loss of her father to going all “my dad got kidnapped by aliens! I’m super serious, doc!” in a hilarious way. This game could’ve been so much better, and I do like the major changes it made with the Silent Hill formula, despite its major flaws. I’d personally recommend it to non-Silent Hill fans or, like me, for those who need an introduction to Silent Hill.
I think overall it's a really good game. Half of what made the Team Silent games so good was how great the stories were, and I think Shattered Memories came pretty close to the OG games' quality in that regard. The gameplay isn't bad, but the lack of enemies kills the scare factor. It does have pretty great atmosphere though. Shattered Memories is my favorite of the post-Team Silent games.
Fun fact, the "creepy unrelated voice mails" are actually related to the events Cheryl went through during her childhood all the way up to her adult life. Depending on your choices, the voice mails actually changes to reflect what Cheryl went through, and gathering them is a core part of gameplay which also determines the ending of the game. In a way, those voicemails are "shattered memories"
He also got wrong that looking at specific things changes nothing. It changes appearance of monster as well which is cool
This was actually my first silent hill game, played through it when i was around 10 or so. I love it, thought it was fantastic.
This was my first game too! I was just getting into Silent Hill (the og trilogy and it’s lore specifically) and was young enough to not really understand all the developer drama going on behind the scenes. I’d never actually played an SH game before and I ended up picking this one up! Im thankful I did honestly- fresh eyes let you appreciate it for what it is. A little janky, not really SH, but still very well told story (that definitely had an impact on me). Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought it was pretty good!
I was 16 and pre-ordered the original silent hill from EBGames! Those were the days
My first game in the series was 4 something about it drew me in hardcore and now I've played all the console games except downpour.
I had the same experience too!
Played it when I was 7
Jared:
"I am once again asking you to join me in that foggy little town"
WAIT im coming let me get my shotgun and some hot coffie
lmao
You must be talking about St.John's lol
This is a small bit of trivia: this game wasn't going to be a "reimagining" of the first title, the studio's original pitch was a side-story of sorts but Konami mandated it to be tied with the original series. The themes of the freezing otherworld were present, but it was going to be a very different product.
That makes sense. You can feel that while you're playing it.
I don't think it's a perfect game by any means, but it's easily the most interesting SH game after the Team Silent run.
Yeah I agree with that
Good choice opening with the theme. So evocative. For me shattered memories isn't really enhanced by its aging graphics in the same way as the mainline titles, but someone clearly cared about this one. There's a lot of neat touches in tying the therapist framing device into the main game and back and the gimmicks don't detract from the whole. Imo shattered memories feels closer to a watered down Alan Wake in its structure and tone, but compared to homecoming and downpour feels like a masterpiece.
You're right. The feeling I got when I first experienced this in 2010 was that it had 'soul'. Aka, the creators really cared about this project and had their own vision. It was implemented so well.
I agree with every part of this!
Yes! I agree, SM and Alan Wake feel similar, but I would have to say AW wins!
This Silent Hill entry is grossly underestimated.
It sure as hell is
Vault Dweller Is it? I’ve heard nothing but bad things about this game before playing it. I’ve only found like, two positive reviews before.
oh yes, its my first SH because i got a PSP back in the day and the game port for it. still in my heart until today
@@AvalancheReviews what if SH2 is a book Harry wrote after the events of 1?
I think this game is awful. Both, gameplay and story are really bad.
You are actualy very wrong in terms of the tests having only little impact, evey character you met has up to 3 diferent versions, with even diferent personalitis, depending on what you choose, cybil goes from a bored town cop ( with a town sherif uniform without a hat), to the regular cop you met, to a blonde and busty show-off
Yeah, seems like he didn't do his research for this one.
When he stated that Cybil was uptight in this version I was assuming he would circle back to it and go 'actually', but no, appears he wasn't aware how the start can change, the type of cop she is, the place you meet, etc.
Which is a little disappointing considering how well Avalanche does most of his videos and it being one of the main selling points of the game.
yep it changes EVERY characters look,buildings colors, the way characters act and talk to you,even the monsters looks so yeah...he's missed half of the game as usual...I start to hate his vids because of how poorly they done
Not only Cybil, but even the enemies can change and have more obvious female features when the player focuses on sexual stuff.
@@NecromancerAdr I know but since ,unlike with characters, it never changes their personality, I never thought it was worth mentioning
@@emulation2369 He is doing a marathon. Trying to cover the whole series. His first time playing it. I doubt he had time to play it more than twice.
I hated this game's gameplay, overall I really enjoyed the story and the more "realistic" take on the first game. this game definitely deserves more love than it gets. Also I believe you miss how the answers of the therapy can also change the personality for the characters, particularly Cybill, even tough some times it seems a bit random
Yeah that makes sense. I only played it once, since knowing the twist kind of ruins future playthroughs.
Never cared for Silent hill but have to agree the gameplay was bad. I had my brother play it as I watched him and helped him solve the puzzles.
@@AvalancheReviews If you play it differently, you get different endings indicating who Harry was to Cheryl. Good dad, bad dad, bod husband, etc. What you look at changes your progress too and the monsters, people's clothes, etc. change to indicate your eventual ending.
@@AvalancheReviews you actualy did play multiple times enough to see the changes! you played until you met cybill, and that would have been enough if you had changed your responses to the first test
@@AvalancheReviews aren't those kind of twists what makes things replayable/watchable actually? Like, when you know the twist and revisit it, you see hints you missed and view things with a new angle.
I am playing MGS V right now and knowing its twist from youtube videos makes it a little weird like how every sentence you hear around the start actually spoils it(though a reviewer i follow guessed the twist before even the game gives you the control, soooo)
The story was directed by the amazing Sam Barlow, who had previously done many experimental narratives games and is now best known for amazing fmv game Her Story
I think what they did with this game was really cool. All the small elements that alter the game based on your choices and actions vibes super well with Silent Hill, and the re-imagining was actually handled well.
It's like when Hollywood remakes a Japanese film. I played this one and enjoyed this odd take of the Silent Hill but like all the western developed SH, doesn't feel like the first 3 games.
Yep, I could not agree more.
Please stop treating the room like the red-headed step child. Its good ideas were better than both the first and 3rd game. Granted, it had many duds too, but I'd rather have that than stagnation.
*First 4 games
Different, but good.
This might sound crazy, but this is actually my favorite Silent Hill game. Yeah, the chase sequences aren't great, but I really like the story and how the game profiles you and changes the game world based on your choices and what you stare at. Things like going full pervert and getting sexy Cybil and other characters is fascinating and makes sense in the context of that being how Cheryl views her father. I also find the variations of character models and the way cutscenes play out to be pretty impressive and gives nice replay value.
Cariss Mcbober this game is massively underrated and is also one of my favourites of the franchise, and I’ve been playing since the original came out in 1999
My favourite too. I didn't like the running sequences much, the exploration and way it played on your emotions was genius.
Man I love this game’s story way more than SH 2 so....
Vault Dweller Dude what were you smoking while playing SM. Replay it, it’s really good
Vault Dweller Silent Hill game for kids? Alright you really didn’t play this game
Man it deals with themes of depression, grief, and mental illness. I don’t see how any of those things are directed towards children
Wild enough how Shattered Memories' mechanics became PT's shining and defining gameplay loop. This game here definitely deserved more credit for the footprint it drew up for the series. Not exceptional, but an all around cool game where you can smell the passion for the project.
now that i looked at it, shattered memories gave me that feel of those "pick your own horror story" game
until Dawn or man of medan
It does, in much less pronounced ways for story and more for gameplay.
Little Hope’s twist ending felt like a reverse of Shattered Memories’ twist. Considering the therapy sessions from Until Dawn were clearly inspired by Shattered Memories, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.
This is my favorite post-Team Silent entry by far.
What surprised me the most is how this game maintains (mostly) a 60 FPS, and the twist ending surprised me with Cheryl
It actually slows down a lot, especially during the chase scenes, but I totally agree with you about the twist ending. I liked it a lot.
Homecoming is so bad that even Avalanche has chosen to skip it. Don't blame you.
How about a Clock Tower Retrospective ?
I'm actually playing Homecoming right now....... It's exactly as bad as I remembered.
Question is, are you playing it with or without the post-release patches that fixed some crucial game breaking bugs?
@@alsybroth No patch can ever save that stain on the SH name
BouncingblueSoul Sterry I second clocktower. There are some gems in that series
David Ornelas agree... a shame most of them flew under the radar of most people.
The soundtrack for this game is absolutely beautiful too
It's worth getting the UFO ending in this game (or at least looking it up elsewhere on TH-cam) as it's hilarious, especially for fans of SH2.
-Wrong day again?
-See you tomorrow James.
That scene killed me xD
@@GohanZ-jq9jy You and Mary both!
"Why did it need to have Silent Hill on the box?"
Brand recognition. The devs probably thought it wouldn't sell if it wasn't an SH game.
CuteGlassesWaifu it’s rhetorical.
They could have kept the Silent Hill on the box but also not force it into a re-imagining of the first (which is also bad PR). Make the game, do use the first game as inspiration internally, but still let it be its own independent game that is a SH game only in terms of theme.
@@louisvictor3473 it’s not that bad
Please consider making videos on The Suffering and Dead Space franchises.
Suffering could be cool. Unfortunately Dead Space 3 was so bad it soured the whole franchise for alot of people.
Bioshock and FEAR would be cool too.
@@Bl4ckD0g Dead Space 3 isn't even a bad game, it's just disappointing. Still worth playing though.
I definitely am considering both of those series.
@@regeneregetta9189 I agree. While it was clearly inferior to the other two games, I still enjoyed it.
11:32 Damn....
the end of this game is very sad, it always catches me every time
Yeah it really hit me hard
Not surprising to see a Silent Hill fan also likes Jacob's Ladder ;-)
Oh for sure. I love movies that deal with psychological shit like that.
@@AvalancheReviews Hey Jared, you ever thought about doing a video on Jacob's Ladder since it is a huge inspiration for Silent Hill?
One of the strangest "remakes" ever considering the original game.
They called it a "reimagening", which is their way of saying "in name only".
nexusshark If you look at the website “Silent Hill Historical Society,” there’s a page where they compare both of the game’s stories along with certain elements and show that they’re more similar than we think. I’ll post the link later.
Update: Here’s the link- silenthillhistoricalsociety.com/sh-vs-shsm/
@@troin3925 I know there are similar elements, but that's not enough. The most important elements are still missing.
It’s not a remake and they never said it was.
@TheLastOfUsSucksDick Yea, I still have them, but I don't really have any use for them really.
I actually enjoyed this game at first, had played it like 6 years after it came out cuz I sure as hell never owned a Wii, but when I found out there were no enemies at all during the regular adventure game gameplay it just burst my bubble and still to this day cannot understand why they chose to do so. Once you find out there are no enemies during regular gameplay nothing was at all scary or even a little creepy for me in the game again, also the part with "enemies" that just aggressively hug you to death had no enjoyable aspect for me
I can kind of see why they did that. The atmosphere in the exploration parts, was so damn good, that it didn't really need to have enemies stalking you. I was just interested in exploring, and I didn't really need a fail state to motivate me.
@@AvalancheReviews yeah I loved exploring too, that's why I really liked it at first and I think that maybe even if I just simply had not been told the situation of no threat from enemies I probably would have kept playing but there was just something about knowing I was never going to be in danger that really effected my interests. Also I say all this under the presumption I am going to be playing an SH game when I bought this. So when you make the point that this didn't necessarily need to be a SH entry and could have stood by its own merit then I feel I may have had a different approach to the game
@@AvalancheReviews I was surprised by your overall positive opinion of the game in this video, just considering how you had regarded and referenced it in other content. you had led me to believe you hated this game and I was always about to become a little defensive when you mentioned it, since in terms of gameplay quality and story I feel this is one of the best Western developed SH games and I know that sounds odd since I said I stopped playing after discovering no enemies. But I think that's more a psychological aspect of my love for horror games that contributed to me losing interest in completing this gam
@@AvalancheReviews Except that fail state is what added to the horror of the original, the sound of the radio crackling to life as something out in the fog started stalking you. It completely removes those tense moments and leaves JUST the exploration, which the original already had. So it literally just removed one aspect and didn't add anything to replace it...unless you want to add those stupid chase scenes. Which I do not.
It has to do with the lack of control of the wiimote, I'm pretty sure. They probably couldn't decide on a good work around, so they didn't wanna ruin it with bad gameplay.
What I kinda liked was how nostalgic the town is in this game. From the actual mainline SH games, Silent Hill is usually a pretty sinister backdrop to the story, but in Shattered memories it's almost cozy and dreamlike. The VHS filter helped as well, in selling the feel that you are walking through a distant memory, trying hard to see things you liked within it, but ultimately the bad stuff creeps up alongside the nostalgia and just becomes so depressing. Really an excellent game.
Funny you should comment on this video now. I'm actually capturing footage for a video talking about this game again.
@@AvalancheReviews Awesome! Looking forward to it
I love this game's soundtrack, i think in some ways i like the ost more than the other games, seems like Akira Yamaoka wanted to go out of SH with a bang
I'm really glad you liked Shattered Memories. It's surprisingly good. I mean, it doesn't exactly match up to the quality of the original four, but that's a nigh impossible bar to reach, and it is definitely good and very much worth playing.
Of course, unfortunately we'll be moving back into trash pretty soon. After all, I noticed you haven't done a review of Homecoming yet. 😞
This was the only video game I ever played that really got to me with the ending. I cried. Like a baby.
Honestly, that ending fucked me up real good too.
Thank you for reviewing this! I was actually surprised how good the game was. I agree with everything you've said. The chase scenes were really dreadful, and not in a good way. Looking forward to your new content!
Glad ya liked it!
Dude it’s such a joy when I see you’ve uploaded a new one
This game was one of my first games on the Wii and as fan of SH1 and 3, I can say that this game is great as an spin off of the original. Mostly because I was trying to mix my knowledge of the first game with the story of this one and started to feel like a crazy conspiracy theorist. Also this game has one of the funniest and creepy ufo ending of all SH.
OMFG how I miss our PSP...This and Origins are soooo good especially when you're in an airconditioned room with the lights all shut off 😍🤧👌
PS2 had advantages over Wii? Wasn't Wii basically a bit more powerful Gamecube which was more powerful than PS2 back in the day?
Yeah I caught that too, the Wii is much, much more powerful than the ps2. I can't think of any advantages it would have. Same media, more powerful processor and gpu, more ram, from what I know it's easier to program for too. I can't think of anything he could be talking about.
That's to be expected from someone who doesn't like motion controls. Hell, earlier in the video he says we're wrong if we defend motion controls. As a primary pc gamers, motion controls are the next best thing for genres like fps.
Vault Dweller Give the wii credit where it’s due, do you remember the Kinect?
yea and it wasn't even a down port of the Wii version it was an up port of the PSP
Some developers who were really adept at programming for the ps2 really spoke highly about some of the things the ps2 was able to pull of that others systems couldn't when it came to overlays and post processing effects. That's why a lot of PC ports of ps2 games have trouble recreating the experience 100%. I've heard people say the ps2 had some magical aspects.
I never really understood how that could be true, but you have to admit, some ps2 games really didn't deserve to look anywhere near as good as they did.
SH Shattered Memories is a beautiful, well told story about loss and denial. I enjoyed every second of it until the final shivering twist.
I always place this game right up there with the original 3 in quality, I loved every bit of it playing it at launch. Depending on the day of the week it might even by my favorite. It's the only SH game I played through multiple times back to back, making drastically different decisions to see all the various differences. I'd highly recommend reading a guide on how to manipulate the game and replaying it again to get the additional paths. It gives you an entirely new appreciation for the mechanics of how it all works. I'd also recommend playing it on actually hardware, it solves those weird loading hitches you were seeing and maybe would solve some of the issue you had in the chase sequences.
For me the motion controls were part of what pushed it ahead of a lot of other games. Motion controls, when done right, can really push a games immersion to the next level. In the video you talked about how good it feels to aim the flashlight but kinda glossed over all the other interactions that it's used for, only showing footage but not talking about them in detail. The interactions like opening draws and cupboard, and interacting with things like the the car door and window switches with natural hand motions as opposed to a disconnected button press really elevate the experience more than words can describe. Also, that one scene when you have to use the motion controls to roll your wheelchair was one of the most thrilling scenes in any game I ever played. Just the pure physicality of it really heightens the experience.
The other aspect that I think needs more attention was using the Wiimote as your phone for conversations. Holding the Wiimote to your head like an actual phone when listening to voicemail was a really cool experience you couldn't get on other systems at the time. This game was really ahead of the curb on the immersion angle. Really only a few steps short of VR.
On the escape scenes, I really enjoyed those when I played, but from the footage it appears they went much smoother for me than they did for you. It was pretty rare that I'd get piled on by more than one enemy or run into a wall, or get turned around, or get stuck at weird angels. You can't think of shaking them off as a button prompt, they don't always come off in the first push, it's best to think of it as something actually holding on to you and shaking it off with the correct arm motion. Once you forget about the mechanics and do what's natural it works really well. I think the issues you experienced could be chocked up to not being used to motion controls yet or fighting them maybe? Or perhaps this wasn't native hardware and things weren't running correctly? You mentioned running it off a hard drive, not sure if it was some sort of USB drive connected to a Wii or played via an emulator.
By time I'd played this game I'd played a ton of Wii games so running and turning with the motion controls was pretty much second nature. I never understood the hate motion controls got back in the day. I really loved the use of the Wiimote in games that were made by devs who knew what they were doing. This game, Resident Evil 4, Red Steal 2, Ghostbusters, Metroid Prime 3, Okami, PunchOut, and the list goes on. Done well, the Wii's motion controls were a great step in chipping down the abstraction that buttons put between the player and the world of the game. There were some bad implementations, but that was mostly just in shovelware garbage and multiplatform developers that were in over their heads and didn't have the time or budget to get it right. There were so many examples of good usage if you stuck to high quality games. The hand tacking controls in VR are built on the foundations lain buy the Wii and offer experiences you can't even come close to approaching in traditional games. The Wii was a good attempt though for the time.
First video I’ve seen of yours. Just randomly looking for a shattered memories review and stumbled on your retrospective.
Had me hooked for the full 40 minutes. In depth, expertly presented !
I got this game for PS2, and I loved (almost) every bit of it. Looking back the chases were the worst part of it, but damn if I didn't Love this game back then and if I dont Love it now.
25:40
that's some very interesting game world 😏
( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )
I would use the words "deep" and "supple"
I can completely agree with you on chase sequences. They are extremely frustrating and even infuriating at times. However, for me they were also the most stressful and horrifying because for me to get lost somewhere is one of the most scary feelings. To create a feeling of disorientation in a place swarming with monsters, where you can’t do anything but run where your eyes lead you was a genius idea. Too bad the final result was far from perfect, but I really appreciate the effort.
22:08 - That awkward moment when you're being chased by a bunch of deadly creatures but need to order a pizza
It's been years since I played this! Awesome review as usual. I could be wrong, but since we were going through her memories of her life; I assumed the lil snippets like the boy drowning and such were small town events. Things that might of stuck with her from newspapers, personal friend experiences or local radio. What you think?
Ya know, that's a solid theory. I still would have preferred for them to have been tied to her in game though.
Most people don't like the run scenes, but I love them. They signify the main characters refusal to accept reality. Also, what you look at and the decisions you make change the creatures chasing you. Also getting killed by them and waiting may show what they do to you. They caress you. It really freaked me out.
They never did much for me. Not sure why, but they just never scared me.
@@AvalancheReviews I was a lot younger in my defense, haha. But I still don't want to see those things caress you, as if saying that their fantasy or oblivion is inescapable.
I think there is one area _Shattered Memories_ that should have been praised: As a remake, the game does everything people say a remake should - make it a brand new experience. It would have been so easy to just up-res the graphics, improve the gameplay, and add in a few nods to future storylines. Instead Climax Studios rang that bell, completely subverting the original game's story, overhauling the gamplay, and even changed the genre. I feel the game should get more praise just for taking more risks since this so rarely happens.
I have to say the highlight of this game for me was the setting (Not so much Silent Hill itself but a frozen, desolate town, which you don't see many snowy settings in Horror games), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for the game's theme "Hell Frozen Rain" (my favorite SH theme) and somber cover of Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind". Can never get enough of her voice.
I agree on both points. I love Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and the setting really was awesome. It was so isolated and dark. It really got me interested.
I consider myself a Silent Hill fanatic. This is up there for me as one of the best non team silent games. Even witbout the combat. The ending floored me the first time I played it, and the motion controls felt immersive and responsive. The story and profiling system were both good.
Jared to Jared: thank you.
As a fellow Jared, you're very welcome.
I know this is basically a reimagining of sh1, which is cool, and this is gonna sound funny, but I would love a "reimagining" of this game in VR. The atmosphere is great, and the phone gimmick is actually used really well. Love snowy silenthill at night, and the flashlight is top notch in this game. Just get rid of the constant running sessions, and add in some genuine enemies with basic combat (nothing too action oriented), expand the town, using more technical juice, and keep the puzzles comin!
I think it would be great, and almost an ideal SH experience that could exist without being in the shadow of SH2. I think exploring with this esthetic could really boost up the dread and isolation this series needs.
I desperately miss genuinely good and eerie SH games. It's been far too long.
I first played this game back when I hacked my wii and could load usb games. It was the middle of winter here in Canada and me and my buddy were walking back to his place with my wii in my backpack. Playing shatterd memories with the blizzard coming down in the streetlights from him sliding glass door made it even more amazing, fell in love with it but still wonder was an actual faithful Silent Hill psx remake could be like. Now Sh shatterd memories is a part of my sh collection and every winter I do a playthrough when the snow starts falling heavily.
I'm not gonna lie, this actually looks really good. The facial animations look super impressive.And it generally seems like an interesting game. Your right though, this could have been a different title rather than an SH game. I was kinda thinking the same thing. I was actually considering getting this a while ago, and I didn't realise how rare it was, the ps2 version is crazy expensive on ebay lol.
From what I've been hearing, it was originally slated as its own IP, but it got turned into an SH game during development.
The soundtrack as well as the small little touches around the game make this underrated in my opinion. There is much to find, this didn’t feel lazy like homecoming or downpour did. I see it as a reimagined version of the original that may not have been as good but wasn’t bad either. I hate that many people completely overlooked this game. To this day when I play it in the dark just like I used to as a kid it gives me chills. I still get anxious when there is no real way to fight back. I honestly think that worked well here just like it did in Outlast. You feel vulnerable, and on that first playthrough you’re not sure when the next chase will happen so you’re constantly on edge. And the soundtrack is so good, just like the other silent hill games. I can’t imagine where this game would be without the amazing soundtrack. The over the shoulder flashlight gameplay is great imo. Yes Wii controls are a bit clunky but it’s different than the usual silent hill game controls and I loved that element of the gameplay(for the most part). I don’t think people should automatically throw this in with konami’s failures with this series, like downpour and homecoming. Both of which barely felt scary at all, and were horrible at building tension. Both games had a lot of potential but just felt lazy, especially homecoming. Most of what scared me in both those games was the anxiety of trying to kill monsters with clunky controls, but that’s about it. When there was a big boss fight in either game it was extremely underwhelming, moreso in homecoming. And again the only terror I experience from it now is the clunky controls which make it hard to fight. I had no idea what to expect as a kid but I loved what this game ended up being. A very different experience from the usual silent hill game. The otherworld in this game fits the theme of the game because of the constant heavy snow. I appreciate the creative touches, and the subtle differences depending on your choices. Which is what homecoming and downpour often lacked. I hope more people can pick this up at a retro games store and give it a chance. It was and still is underrated to me. And many seemed to overlook it because it was trying to recreate the story of the first game. The basic plot points are the same, guy loses daughter, guy looks for daughter, blah blah you get the gist. But it doesn’t feel like a bad rehash of the first game to me. It follows a similar storyline but provides a much different experience. Well, this comment is long enough already so I’m going to end my novel. I hope anyone reading this gives it a chance.
I'm not certain but I believe all the texts and voicemails had to do with Cheryl's childhood without a father. All the experiences and stories she knew of that impacted her. If you view them separately, yeah, they seem unnecessary... But if you view them as part of the picture, they really help paint the whole thing.
I play this once a year. Just finished it again in 2022. The ending will always bring me to tears.
It’s so powerful!!
Unless I missed it, I'm kind of surprised you never mentioned how the Raw Shocks (dumb name, can't lie) change based on your psychological profile, turning into sort of visual metaphors for whatever mental issues the game thinks the player character has. If you're an alcoholic, they become more decrepit and diseased looking, if you're schizophrenic they look more abstract and bizarre, etc, etc. Also, when you complete the coloring puzzle in the therapy session, the following scene's dialogue will change, with Harry's reaction changing based on the colors you chose for their shirts. Red makes Harry react more aggressively, blue more passively, and I believe black made you act more crazy but I can't really remember. There's a puzzle in the therapy session which changes the kinds of puzzles you have to solve as Harry, and a bunch more, they actually affect the game quite a bit more than you mentioned. There's also multiple paths you can take that change the progression and character interaction in the game a surprising amount. It really surprised me how much replay value the game has, and I agree with you that it's the most surprisingly well made and enjoyable entry in the western Silent Hill games despite the terrible chase scenes. In my opinion SM is the only one that's really worth playing after SH4, though Origins is alright if you can ignore how much it fucks with the lore. Also the soundtrack is phenomenal and it's worth checking out due to SM being the last SH game Akira Yamaoka did the soundtrack for.
Personally, my favorite "post-trilogy" entry in the franchise. If you sever any connection to Silent Hill 1, the result is a brand new expounded take on the concept of "born from a wish", and could easily have been a stand alone entry.
Also, as someone who dislikes motion controls, I love them in this game. One of the only justified uses of the Wii.
Your retrospectives have been downright cathartic to watch and I'm very grateful for your input this late since these games' release. you have good opinions, I love you, have a good day
The chase sequences from the PSP version are an absolute ride. Thanks for the in depth look at this gem!
I knew threatening to fund a third film would make you see the light....
In all seriousness I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as I did. Even if the eventual twist is kinda predictable, the ultimate reveal was not, and the manner in which they did it was absolutely magnificent. Maybe I'm taking it too far but I genuinely think this games ending is up there with the very very best in the medium like SOMA and the likes in terms of how well its done, the many hints you got during the game and how much sense it makes. Just brilliant.
1 or 2 killer tracks also as always.
I took that threat very seriously! Yeah, I didn't think it would hit me this hard, but I'm glad it did.
Actually originally SHSM pitch wasn't a remake but an original SH story called 'Silent Hill Cold Heart'. In fact, you can find the pitch booklet the team made online.
Storywise it was going to be about a college girl suffering from worsening mental issues driving home to visit her parents only to get caught in a blizzard and ending up in Silent Hill where she would struggle to survive against monsters (which she would be able to fight) and against the cold weather (with survival mechanics). The sessions with Dr. Kaufman (though presumably the Doctor would have a different name) would have still happened as the pitch notes that she was seeing a Psychologist prior to the game with the sessions being flashbacks.
We don't have much more the pitch and some concept art but it would have been an interesting thing to see. In fact, I would love if Konami would, if they ever do return to the franchise, revisit that pitch because there is potential there.
Very underestimated. It's gaining value quick on ebay. $300+
Also, I've seen higher rez textures on PSP; both Obscure games for example
Great work! Is Siren a franchise you can do a retrospective on? Dead Space, Evil Within or Fatal Frame as well.
I never really got into the Siren games, but I loved the first Dead Space. I do plan on covering those games soon. As for Fatal Frame, I'm considering it.
Fatal frame would be a great idea
Great video, as always.
This time though, I have a small gripe with it.
Your behaviour during the psychology sessions and gameplay affect much more than the clothes of the characters. It affects their behaviour towards Harry as well.
My Cybil for example looked pretty much like the Cybil from the first game (although less buttoned up) and was, from the get go, very inclined to help Harry with none of that "Not my jurisdiction" stuff.
Dahlia can be pretty different too.
And the game features multiple endings, and SH typical, most of them are not that happy.
It makes sense I didn't notice that. I don't know that I'll ever play it again. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but knowing the end twist kind of ruins the wonder of playing through the game.
As much as this game doesn't seem to be a silent hill game, I rate this one in high regards as this is one of those games that made me felt emotion especially at the end. I love story based games, but this is one of those that actually made me shed a bit of tear. I just love this game
I disagree, this game absolutely deserves the Silent Hill name. It's the only one since part 3 that feels like it captures some of the heart of Silent Hill. I really enjoyed the repurposing of characters too. This could have been a cool alternate universe series.
I remember when I got this for PS2. holy cow I was too scared to play but loved every minute of it!
Thanks for bringing up memories man! Love your channel!
I always thought that instead of the chase scenes they should have had the enemies creeping around in some areas that you had to hide from and avoid while exploring. It would have kept you on your toes a bit more and if you get caught they should have had you run away and hide and then go exploring again when they give up.
Loved this game though and really wish for a successor some day, though it may never happen. I never knew it was meant to be a remake of SH1. It really should be its own side series in the franchise.
Great retrospective as always, but I'm quite surprised there was no mention of the fantastic soundtrack. Literally the one thread through all SH games that remains consistantly amazing!
I remember really enjoying this game despite never touching an SH game before. I distinctly remember playing the PSP port and just generally having a good time with it. It's an underrated game, though I'd agree that it'd work far better without the SH attachment
13:41
My initial interpretation of the voice message you get through out the game, after taking the pictures was a mix of things that happened to Cheryl as she grew up and the Stories Harry wrote.
That actually makes a lot of sense. I just wish that was communicated in game. Otherwise, they just seem unconnected.
Damn, imagine if they remade this game in VR? You'd probably have to remove the chase segments, though I don't think too many would mind that. Walking through Silent Hill, looking in through windows with your flashlight....It'd be damn cool.
Honestly, that would sell me on VR alone.
I only played the PS2 port and I went into it with a similar opinion that you did. However as I played through it I really appreciated why it had Silent Hill in the title. I mentally categorise it as a spin-off game to the franchise and with that mental divide in place I thin k it deserves to SH in it's name. The reason being that anyone familiar with at least the first and third games can get more out of the story than someone who doesn't know anything of the series. This game plays with your expectations of the people that share the same names or similar events that are turned on their heads, it is the odd familiarity with the happenings in the game that really adds to the impact of the twist when you realise just how _much_ of a reimagining this game is.
This game is a spin off with no connection to the canon of the series but a completely different take on the premise of its origin.
PS, Dark City is such a great movie, one of my favourites - top 3 easily.
About a year late but you never mentioned the near feature of having phone calls come through on the wiimote speaker which felt more immersive for me.
The memory stories (the auto-asphixiation kid) indicate where your playthrough is headed. They have differences based on your choices.
Thanks for the review dude, I loved that you didn't totally crap on it. I have a lot of time for this entry (moreso any day than Homecoming) as I was able to show it to my folks who had a Wii and it made them realise that story gaming isn't just relegated to PC point and click adventures.
Great video man, look forward to the next as always
I was hoping you'd like this one. It surprised me how cool this game was.
Yeah it surprised the hell out of me.
How "cool" it was?
Because of this game's ice theme?
:D
There’s a nice little Easter egg where you can call the Konami customer support line in game. I won’t spoil it but it’s a nice little addition to the immersion if you’re unfamiliar with it. Great video btw! I’ve been binging these SH retrospectives lately. Great stuff! 🤘
Just doing SH1 from a different character POV would have been fine. THeir is so much depth to Sh1 plot that it could provide almost a completely different story from Dr. Kaufman's view, even while being axiomatic to the dictates of the original plot.
I've been waiting for you to get to this one specifically, it's just a fantastic piece of work, and you can tell the people who worked on it really cared about what they were making. Also, I could have sworn there was an XBOX 360 version of this game... or is this one of those Bearstain bears things...
Also, since you're maybe a little more open to the Wii, definitely check out Pandora's Tower and The Last Story sometime. They're definitely worth your time and may even warrant a Trashed Classics episode ;D
(They also have Classic Controller support, so you don't have to use motion control at all)
Yeah, playing through this kind of got me back into playing my Wii. I have Iso's downloaded and ready to go. Definitely would like to play through all 3 of the really famous rpgs on the platform. I've actually never played any rpg on the wii accept for Arc Rise Phantasia.
@@AvalancheReviews I really enjoyed Arc Rise Fantasia (though it... really could use a new English dub...), and the Operation Rainfall trilogy, as they are affectionately known, are part of what made me fall in love with the console. Those and the PSP fantastic RPG library are what got me through the RPG "dark age" of the seventh console generation
I just finished this on PSP. I'd played the wii version a few times before, and I know exactly what you mean about the motion controls. I lost count of how many times I hit myself in the face with the wire flailing the controls about trying to get the enemies off me! I must say I'm shocked at just how good the PSP version is. Aside from a slight graphical downgrade (nowhere near as much as I thought it would be) the game is ported perfectly! Plus, not having to fight with the wiimotes is a godsend. Following the button prompt to throw the monsters off instead is so much easier.
It's such a good game! I'd forgotten how good it was. That ending had me choked up the first time I played and I still hold it highly as one of the saddest endings I've ever seen in a game. It's a real gut punch!
I fully agree with every single thing you just said! It's crazy how good the PSP port is, and not having the motion controls basically makes it my favorite port.
11:10 this instills hitting me like a truck even after all these years... I wasn't interested in this game at all but after I listened the OST, I finally decided to play it.
When I reached this and acceptance started to play, it caught me so bad.
It wasn't a perfect silent hill and had a very tedious gameplay but a killer history and beautiful in some way.
Good video by the way. I just found your channel and I am having a blast with this series
I have a real soft spot for this game; glad to see it getting some love!
Because I was going through some shit with my mom when playing this game I always assumed the kid who hung himself had a serious fight with his mom that morning and was sick of her disingenuious concern and killed himself because their fight broke him. Though that was probably projection on my part.
Just started the video, but I'm curious to hear what SH fans think of... what was actually my first SH game.
The best post team silent entry by a longshot. It had no right to as good as it is.
I came back here after finally playing this wonderful little gem today on the Wii and you absolutely nailed it on the head on how guuud this SH was.
While not perfect in any way, but enjoyable and I loved how they changed the formula a bit.
I just cant help it. Everytime hear I Silent Hill SM my mind goes "Silent Hill: Sado-Masochist"
... I was about to bring up the improvements to the iceworld segments in the PS2 and PSP versions when I saw you do so xD
I had an absolute blast going through this game with a friend, we really got into the stort and pur bantering made the few low points easy to get through. Still one of my favorite playthroughs of any game.
Played the original SH1 with a different friend and that also holds a special place in my heart. I prefer the original SH1 as a game, but I have always loved Shattered Memories for different reasons, particularly the psychological analysis aspects. Each game and the time spent in it with my friends will live on as some of my favorite gaming memories
It's a shame SHSM didn't get much appreciation. The investigation parts could have made a great adventure game
I actually loved the game when I played it in 2010, it had a good story and great music by akira yamaoka. Also the graphics were great for a ps2 game
Glad I bought it when it came out at the end of the PS 2’s life cycle, but still haven’t even opened it, same for Origins but I don’t consider Shattered Memories as canon, I see it as a side story like a “what if” scenario.
Just picked up the PS2 version of this game. Looking forward to playing it. Thanks for the Retrospective!
Was it expensive?
I bought this game back in 2010 for PS2 for $30. Lost it at some point and no idea how. Then was forced to re-buy it for $90 in 2017 on eBay.
I mean, the fact that I was willing to spend that much the second time kind of tells you how enjoyable this game is.
@@raziax9603 I pieced mine together. Had to buy everything seperate because a straight game was like 100 plus complete. So I paid about 60
I played the PS2 version of this, bear in mind it can be a bit buggy at times, not a great port but functional enough to tell the story.
In the text messages, isn't the boy drowning his little brother a reference to another silent hill game?
Just found your channel and I like the high detail reviews you do. Don't know if you would ever see this but there is an game called Darkwood I think you would absolutely fall in love with it.
I am very happy that you uploaded this , this was my entry to silent hill , i got it on psp and didnt want to play it because it scared me so much , i had nighmares of it haha. This is very underrated game , it has very complex story , different endings , quite good gameplay and mechanics. It was very nice to hear your take on things
I love that you reviewed this, mainly because I never played it (the idea of no enemies turned me off as soon as I heard that) but I was always interested in what they actually changed with the game.
The moments when you run from the enemies in the PS2 version works waaaaay better. It's still stiff, but it's easier to beat the enemies and shove them off.
I agree. The lack of motion controls makes it much better to play.
This was my first Silent Hill game, but I also went into it knowing the gist of the series’ lore, but on its own, I really liked some of the changes it did and the psychological aspects, while shallow, were decently minor enough for repeated playthroughs without changing the overall story, minus the ending. I loved how versatile Harry’s phone was, especially with calling phone numbers and actually getting responses, and I really liked the snowy environment of the town. It felt less like a dead town shrouded in a dense fog and more like it was briefly abandoned in the wake of a terrible snowstorm, which I find the hidden specters and voice messages you find of SH citizens helps add to the setting, even though they have no importance to Harry’s story.
I’d say my major problems is the Otherworld itself. I like that instead of turning into a world of rust and pipes, it becomes a dark world of ice, lending to the snowy theme, but it also means that all the blue colors and quietness makes the game feel more calm rather than the growing tension you’d feel from the rustic world instead. It also lessens the horror when the monsters only appears in the Otherworld, that and the monsters essentially just being small children, which only change to have cross-shaped heads or voluptuous breasts, for example, depending on your psychological changes. I find this game helped popularize the run and hide style of horror you seen nowadays in Amnesia or Outlast, and sadly, it’s not as good either when you just have to swing the Wiimote and nunchuck in a direction to shake them off, but then the motion controls become unresponsive after you have to do this one too many times during the same chase. Like you’ve said, this game would’ve been better not having these chases and focused on the exploration and puzzle-solving, especially with how good the motion controls are for the exploration.
On another note, I like SM’s hidden UFO ending the most out of the other games, both in the steps required to complete it and story-wise, with the text messages of a crazy guy locking his wife in the basement and it itself getting wacky with the ending, going from the intention young woman confronting the painful loss of her father to going all “my dad got kidnapped by aliens! I’m super serious, doc!” in a hilarious way.
This game could’ve been so much better, and I do like the major changes it made with the Silent Hill formula, despite its major flaws. I’d personally recommend it to non-Silent Hill fans or, like me, for those who need an introduction to Silent Hill.
I think overall it's a really good game. Half of what made the Team Silent games so good was how great the stories were, and I think Shattered Memories came pretty close to the OG games' quality in that regard. The gameplay isn't bad, but the lack of enemies kills the scare factor. It does have pretty great atmosphere though. Shattered Memories is my favorite of the post-Team Silent games.