We've had our share of laughs around the office about the upcoming Silent Hill title for the Wii, Shattered Memories. After all, the Silent Hill franchise is pretty beloved to some of us around here (ahem), and seeing what sounds like essentially a reimagining of the first title is sensitive subject matter indeed.
IGN got a good look at the game last night though, and it sounds like the first feedback is glowing. There are lots of new details to read up on, including the lack of loading screens, the use of an iPhone lookalike for everything from voicemail to taking pictures, and impressive lighting effects that are reminiscent of a title you would see on the PS3 or 360. Yep, you heard me right.
Director Mark Simmons talks about the engine created for the game:
One key new feature we've added is the streaming world. Our Silent Hill is now one large joined up town. There's no loading screens or long fades to black screens while the disc is accessed anymore. The creatures in the nightmares can now follow you across the entire location, the doors are no longer barriers for them. Our snow is amazing. Every snow flake is illuminated by the flashlight and casts a shadow onto the environment. It feels amazing just to point your flashlight into the sky and watch the snow falling down through the flashlights' beam. Our dynamic ice effects are amazing too, we can freeze up an entire street with lamp posts twisting over, park benches buckling in two, and whole buildings getting encased in amazing refractive glacial ice forms.
It's at this point that I have to cast off my grumpy old gamer costume and admit it: not only does this sound really interesting and really good, but there's quite a bit here that's boldly original. Climax could just follow the same old formula and people would probably play the game because of their love for the series, but by making some major changes, they're taking a chance on possibly making that formula better, and there's nothing I can give more heartfelt support to than that. Do you agree?
Contest:
12:20 PM on 04.10.2009
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*Looks at RE5*
Nevermind.
I've personally never bought/played a whole Silent Hill game but this sounds incredible.
Everybody should check out the interview there is some really cool insight on the psychology of the game. Players will fill out a psychological profile and that, coupled with their actions throughout the game; such as looking at women on a poster, will change the game- women's breats will be bigger for example.
I'm actually really excited for this, did not expect such effort. Flashlight controls ftw also! If I can't have Fragile, I'll take this...
But I still want Fragile...
But really? Looks like a 360/PS3 title?
And you will have the same graphics on the PS2 and PSP!
I never played the original, so I don't know what to expect, but it looks good.
The fact that so many people here are already hating on thisg ame makes me sad. You won't even give it a chance. This is what gaming has become.
Depressing. Utterly depressing.
prinny: I hear ya
I always wanted a remade version of SH since RE got one on the GC. Even if its terrible, I'm going to play it, whether I buy it or not. I see some pretty cool concepts that they are working into the game. I just hope its incorporated throughly. The psychological test you take at the beginning sounds like a cool way to play orf randomization based on how you would play. It also seems like they are trying for a bit of Fatal Frame with the 'iPhone' camera mechanics. I hope the lack of combat is at least as good as the chase sequences in Call of Cthulhu. Jack had no weapons at the start of the game, yet when you get chased out of the the inn during your first night in Innsmouth, wow. That game had some stunning scenarios. I'm glad that Wii is forerunner here. And I hope that means they are building it for Wii, and developing the PS2/PSP version from that, not the other way around (which usually happens) I do miss the hellish look of nowhere, but at least the icy look may breathe some fresh life back into SH. Another question that has crossed my mind now is that if this is sort a different game now, and Silent Hill games now decided to include a certain popular character in other Silent Hill games, could that mean we may see our favorite SH baddie included in the game too? He seems like he would fit well into the no combat gameplay. Not sure how I'd feel about that, but we'll see I guess.
Obviously he needs to say its gonna look great.
I just wonder how the game will flow without fighting. There is still no fighting, right? I wonder if I will feel like something is missing when I play it. I guess I really won't know until it is in front of me, but it is interesting to think about.
PS3 had itself a new Silent Hill game. Unfortunately, it seems most gamers would rather forget about it.
Then again, it was all very pixely and grainy and old, so maybe I'm wrong.
Still, I'm interested in this. Only problem is I know one person with a Wii and he probably won't buy it because he hates his Wii (except for No More Heroes).
Also Wii
Boooo!
Gen Eric never once said that the Wii is the most powerful system of this generation. He simply said it's not crap, and much more powerful than most deveolpers are willing to invest in it, and that's completely true.
Yup, that's who was referring too. I only started thinking that after I read that article. He was a staple character in the SH mythos. They started putting him in other Silent Hill related things. And since running from his was the nature of his character, makes me wonder if he would make an appearence. Like I said, I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. But the way the game would be played makes me wonder if they are going to play that card.
I once thought RE remake wouldn't be that great, but was surprised. Bring SH back up to scratch, in this Wii version.
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Actually he specifically said, and I quote: "This should look like a 360/PS3 game running in SD. That's the idea."
Funny how so many D'toid writers conveniently leave out the full context of the quote, just to get people arguing over it more in their posts. Then they call us the stupid fanboys, even though its them who gave us the misinformation in the first place.
I'll reserve my judgement until after I see a video and get a better of idea of how the game plays. I'm hopeful about this but damn skeptical, especially with the iphone thing. Maybe it's nitpicking but I just have trouble of someone snapping pics with their Iphone in a world like Silent Hill. It's not like Harry's a Myspace whore. However, I'll give it a chance cause it would be badass if the game turned out to be good and could maybe even open the door for more survival horror games to come out on the Wii.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of how good a game looks is up to the art direction. In my opinion, MadWorld easily looks as good as any of the PS3 or Xbox 360 games I own, even though technically, the game's graphics are clearly inferior to pretty much all PS3 or Xbox 360 games.
So yeah, we'll just have to wait and see. It's certainly possible to make Wii games that rival PS3 and Xbox 360 games in the visual department, despite the fact that the Wii is the vastly weaker system.
IMO, World of Goo has better graphics than Resident Evil 5. I think that was Gen Eric and Pedrovy were trying to say, and i agree with them. Does this sound crazy to everyone? i know it does to you MotoRobo, and that's fine. And if we talk about untapped potential, objectively, it makes sense that if a game on the wii plays and looks similar to a PS2 port, then there must be an untapped potential, unless there is another explanation...conspiracy talk aside.
Unless those screenshots are Red Steel-style fake, I have nothing to worry about. I guess the PS2/PSP ports are going to have downgraded graphics, because those screens are definitely of RE4:Wii quality.
I am now officially excited for this game.
Wow, somebody is ahead of himself. I don't care for graphics as long the story is good. But it just a reimagining right? Bad F'ckin' choice, dudettes.
When I look at the first part and the third, I have to say that there isn't much interesting story to re-develop. Especially, since everything was just confusing and boring. I want a new story. Or a "Silent Hill Puzzle" game.
That they're utilizing the Wiimote to its fullest is awesome and I'm pleased that somebody is finally trying to utilize the thing to its utmost to help immerse the player in the game's world in ways that the other two consoles can't. That was the ultimate promise of the Wii and we're finally seeing devs like Climax take chances with the tech and really try to do things that are unique and impossible to replicate on the other consoles.
And the fact that it *should* be out this year has given me something to look forward to in an already rich year of quality Wii game releases.
Climax has already produced two Silent Hill games, and neither of them set anyone on fire. In fact some people were downright apathetic to this company that made several changes that completely clash with the Silent Hill mentality. Yahtzee has made several good points against the companies' efforts on Zero Punctuation which I personally agree with.
Whenever these guys have tried to do anything other than follow the Silent Hill formula, it was widely regarded that they failed. Why should I believe that the changes they intend to make NOW won't be failures as well?
Yeah, it's possible that the Silent Hill remake will be hard to mess up because the foundation is already established. It's also possible this company is going to produce a decent game that doesn't impress many people for the third time in a row.
FAIL.
Tell you what, PS360 trolls: if you own a wii, go out and buy this game. Decide for yourself. But don't go trolling until you do. It is a brilliant looking game.
And just to kill all comparisons with RE5: this may not have as much crazy lighting and crap, but at least this is actually what it was supposed to be: scary.