COMPANY INFORMATION:
Konami is a popular Japanese entertainment company founded in 1969 by Kagemasa Kozuki. At the time, it was a jukebox rental / repair business. From 1973, it began its climb into the game industry, distributing video games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Castlevania, which were quite successful. Upon its success, it proceeded to create a wide variety of games, from Yu-Gi-Oh! Card games to the Dance Dance Revolution games to the Silent Hill series.
A small company in Japan at first, it branched its way into many different continents / countries, receiving popularity from all around the world. Upon the success of its video games, movies were planned to be released. The Silent Hill movie was released in 2006, with its sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D to be released in 2012; Metal Gear Solid movie, and Castlevania movie is also awaited for release.
~Interesting Facts~
Konami produces a wide variety of slot machines and fitness machines.
Konami had a special team designated for Silent Hill called Team Silent. Team Silent participated in the creation of the first four Silent Hill games. It was first believed that Team Silent broke up because they believed that they had taken the Silent Hill franchise as far as it could go. However in the past year it was revealed by a former member that the team was broken up because their ideas conflicted with that of Konami’s. Konami wanted to take a new direction with the games which can be seen in the more combat oriented Silent Hill: Homecoming and Downpour. The games are now developed by other companies, the latest being Vatra Games who produced Silent Hill: Downpour.
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AVAILABLE PLATFORMS:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is available for the Playstation 2, PSP, and Wii.\
GENRE:
All of the games in the Silent Hill series are categorized under Survival Horror, which is a sub-genre of action-adventure and inspired by horror fiction.
ESRB RATING:
This part in the Silent Hill series is rated M for Mature which is due to the amount of blood, coarse language, drug reference, sexual themes, and violence.
STORY AND CHARACTERS:
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the seventh part of the Silent Hill series. It is a re-imagination of Silent Hill 1, and features Harry Mason as the main character (player) who gets into a car accident and winds up in Silent Hill. His daughter, Cheryl Mason, disappears after the car accident, and he is on a search to find out what happened to her. Along his way Harry encounters frozen memories of the past and many mysterious characters one named Dahlia, who claims to know him even though Harry has no recollection of her. Throughout his journey Harry stumbles into monsters. The monsters are able to sense Harry’s warmth and chase after him in order to gain it. Harry is unable to do combat with the monsters (called Raw Shocks) and is only able to run away through the maze-like nightmare sequences, which occur often in the game. There are many differences between Silent Hill 1 and Shattered Memories. In Shattered Memories, Harry would have sessions with Doctor Kauffman, a psychologist, where the players would have to answer questions on behalf of Harry. The games changes according to these answers—Harry and the other characters do as well. For example, if the player chooses what is considered “bad” answers, the game accommodates them and morphs Harry and the monsters to suit his developing personality as well. Character designs change according to his answers, if the player answers the test questions with what are considered sexual answers, the characters such as Cybil Bennett the police woman also becomes sexual in appearance. The Raw Shocks then take on the form of ladies, and Harry’s personality changes into that of a womanizer and his clothes change to suit his personality. Harry may also change the game depending on how he interacts with characters around him. Another difference is the addition character Michelle Valdez who does not appear in Silent Hill 1. There is also the addition of the Harry’s cell phone, which allows the player to call the numbers he or she sees around town. The phone also has a camera which can take pictures. This function of the phone can be used to reveal hidden memories in the world of Silent Hill. The phone also contains a map of Silent Hill and replaces the iconic radio which appears in all of the previous Silent Hill games, which hisses static when monsters are near. As mentioned before the game also contains no form of combat either, the player can run from the Raw Shocks, or use a flare to keep them at bay or drop the flare in front of a door to act as a barrier. The player may also topple over shelves to create obstacles for the Raw Shocks. One last difference is in the story. Although both games have the same characters, the characters in Shattered Memories take on different roles, such as Dahlia Gillespie who becomes Harry’s wife. Some characters shown in the game may or may not have been involved in Harry’s real life (this depends on the ending). However if they were a part of Harry’s life in some way, the versions of them shown in Silent Hill are twisted versions/memories of the real thing, created according to the player’s choices. Locations in Silent Hill 1 are also mentioned in this game. However they are designed completely differently. For example Levin Street which in the original contained a house with three locks, now contains Harry’s house. The Balkan Church in Silent Hill 1 is also transformed into the The Balkan, a nightclub and bar. Silent Hill itself however is the same as it always has been. Silent Hill has always created an “other world” based on one of the characters of the game. In Silent Hill 1, it was Alessa’s painful and turbulent past which was reflected in Silent Hill’s otherworld. This time in Shattered Memories, Silent Hill conforms to Cheryl’s past memories. The world is shown as frozen, as Cheryl’s memories of her past have been frozen since she has been living in a delusional state. Also, staying true to the previous Silent hill games Shattered memories has different endings. This particular installment has 5 different endings, the love lost ending, the drunken dad ending, the sleaze and sirens ending, the wicked and weak ending and the UFO ending. All endings however contain the same twist. This game also contains music composed by Akira Yamaoka who has composed the iconic music Silent Hill since the first game.
Harry Mason: A father who is searching for his daughter who went missing after a car accident. His personality will change, depending on how the player answers Dr. Kaufmann’s psychology tests. Along with that his clothes will change depending on which personality he acquires. Whichever outfit he obtains corresponds to which ending the player will receive. Pictured here is the outfit which corresponds to the Sleaze and Sirens ending where Harry is shown as a womanizer and cheater.
Cheryl Mason: Harry’s daughter, who was adopted after he and his wife found her abandoned at 7 years old. Ever since her father’s death she has lived in a world where she believed her father was a chivalrous knight, who would come to her rescue. She paints her mother in a bad picture because she divorced her father. She becomes a delinquent as she grows older, her delusion growing stronger as well. She visits Dr. Kaufmann in order to help change her path in life. As she goes through the sessions, her frozen memories of her father are unlocked.
Cybil Bennett: A 28-year-old police officer, who repeatedly helps Harry on his search for his daughter. Or is aggressive towards Harry, depending on how the player answers Dr. Kaufmann’s tests. This picture shows her in her “police woman” form. This form displays her aggressive side, who is reluctant to help Harry find Cheryl. Her other forms include “brown-haired” Cybil and “sexualized” Cybil.
Dahlia Mason: Harry’s wife and mother of Cheryl who owns an antique shop in Silent Hill. This pictures Dahlia in one of her otherworld forms. As Dahlia is a character that actually appears in Harry’s real life this not her actual appearance, but a twisted version. This pictures her in her “punk” form. Her other forms include, “tomboy” Dahlia and “seductive” Dahlia.
Michael Kaufmann (Dr. K): The therapist who helps Cheryl by trying to overcome her father’s health. He starts off gentle but becomes aggressive in his techniques, constantly pushing his way to gain deeper access into the memories of Cheryl, and putting her off balance with his relentless questions and accusations about her feelings towards her father.
Lisa Garland: A nurse at Alchemilla Hospital. Harry meets her after she is involved in a car crash, and follows her to her home. She calls Harry back to her apartment later, and is either dying or already dead by the time he arrives. She can be flirtatious towards Harry or defensive.
Michelle Valdez: A mixer and singer at the Balkan. Harry finds her at a class reunion at Midwich High School where she tells Harry that she knows his daughter and then helps him to break into the principal’s office to look up Cheryl on the school’s computer system. She is pictured here in her “lady in red” form. Her other forms include the “prom queen” and “plain Jane”. She can either be out going in her personality or gentle.
RATINGS:
Graphics: 7/10
The graphics in this game are so-so. Considering this was made after games such as Rogue Galaxy and Final Fantasy 11 came out which both have beautifully rendered graphics, this game cannot even compare. Water tends to look like floating jelly and the textures tend to look fuzzy and poorly generated. This can be seen in areas such as the school, where close up inspection of posters, graffiti and even clocks reveal nothing but pixels. But that does not mean the graphics are completely horrible. The surrounding areas aren’t bad to look at. Areas such as the school and the mall are very nicely made and structured, the falling snow managing to look soft and fluffy. Ice on this game isn’t too bad looking either and the change from normal world to the otherworld is almost flawless as the ice travels across the screen, enveloping buildings and light posts. The change is not Silent Hill Homecoming flawless, but it is still pretty to look at none-the-less. One of the most striking scenes in this game is the underwater scene where the player is trapped in a car as it slowly fills up with water. Here is where the graphics look its prettiest and the game is its most immersive. Here the player can see the ice take over the car from close up, and also watch as the water rises around them, and also as a monster scratches out letters on the car window. The jelly water is non-existent here and neither are the horrible textures. This scene is what makes the game and wonderfully displays its graphics. One has to wonder why this was not translated to other areas of the game.
Gameplay: 6/10
The gameplay of Shattered memories revolves around Dr. Kauffmann’s psychological tests and the use of Harry’s cell phone as the player travels through the game, he or she is often interrupted by Dr. Kaufmann to take one of his tests. These tests may be as simple as colouring a picture or it could be more complicated, such as putting the characters of a story in order according to who is responsible for the murder of a princess. These tests affect many different factors of the game such as character personalities, clothing, areas which are accessible to the player, the look of the raw shocks and the ultimately the ending of the game. Harry can also use his cellphone to call numbers throughout Silent Hill in order to gain more information on the town. Numbers may be displayed on bilboards or posters or even written on walls. However calling numbers tends to get tedious and the rewards of calling the numbers become boring. One memorable call involved a long seven minute speech from the answering machine of the park ranger telling me it was snowing, which I had already known since I was standing outside. Also, like in any Silent Hill game there are puzzles which the player has to complete. However the puzzles in this game have been made almost infantile compared to those of past games. One memorable puzzle had me walk about a metre away to find a key which was in a highlighted pop can. Along with calling numbers, Harry’s phone can also take pictures. In some areas the player may be able to see fuzzy shadows. It is in these places that Harry can take a picture and get a glimpse into a hidden memory. These are actually very interesting, as the pictures reveal more and more about Cheryl’s past and paint the picture of how she became a delinquent. Finally there are the nightmare sequences. These fun little nightmares involve the player being chased relentlessly by raw shocks. The player must do all that they can to evade the raw shocks and find their way out of the maze-like nightmare. Doors and ledges are painted light blue, in order to stand out from the rest of the blue and black background. The player can use flares to keep the raw shocks at bay or push over objects to create obstacles for the raw shocks. These sections are actually quite terrifying and nerve wracking, testing the player’s patience and reaction time. Despite the boring exploration of the game, the nightmare sequences and Dr. Kaufmann’s sessions make up for those faults.
Difficulty: 6/10
Compared with other Silent Hill games, Shattered memories isn’t very difficult at all. The puzzles are very simple, and the gameplay is very straight forward. The only difficulty can be seen in the nightmare sequences. These sections of running and evading the monsters can cause a player to rage if they are not done right. It is very easy to get cornered in a room, or trapped in a sticky situation where there are raw shocks in front of you and behind you at the same time. But other than the nightmare sequences, there isn’t much of a challenge to the game, it’s very bland at times. It’s missing a more expansive map with more areas to visit and more things to do. Perhaps that would fill the hole for what’s missing in this game.
Audio: 8/10
As always his music directly affects the game, making a seemingly quiet forest seem eerie, or the nightmare chase sequences more chaotic. However the music in this game is more subtle, surrounding noises are sometimes reduced to just the seemingly random strums from a bass guitar. This very unlike past games where player is forced to travel around a hospital full of the noises of clattering, banging, squealing monsters and breaking glass. However this different sound that Akira takes on represnts the “frozen” and “cold” feeling this game has, making the player feel as if they are not alone, no matter where they travel. Akira is able to use his music to influence the emotions of the player, and without it this game would not be scary at all. Also his remake of “Always on My Mind” is chilling when heard sung by character Michelle Valdez. The opening song “Acceptance” sung by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, perfectly reflects the inner feelings of Cheryl and the game’s overall story. Overall the music is what helps make this game better, and therefore is one of the highlights of the game. Even if someone hasn’t played this game, or the other Silent Hill games, I would recommend that they listen to the games soundtracks for the simple enjoyment of Akira Yamaoka’s emotionally stirring arrangements and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn’s strong vocals.
Overall: 7/10
Overall this game is just ok. I found myself playing to reveal more of story rather than because I was having fun. The story and the different messages the game sends with its different endings are the best reward for completing the game. The only reason to play through this game again would be to hear its atmospheric music and to obtain the different endings. If it were not for those features, I would probably not pick it up again. This game is not like other Silent Hill games, but I do not mind that. I don’t want Silent Hill to be a franchise of games that stay on the same track. I want developers to keep its core ideas and try different things with it, like what Team Silent did with Silent Hill 4: The Room. However I feel like this game could have been better and that more time should have been spent on developing it. From that, a really great product could have been created, if more time was spent on the development of the Silent Hill area, puzzles and basically on things to do within the game. With that extra detail, exploration wouldn’t be as tedious as it sometimes feels in this game.
SOURCES:
~Images~
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http://www.gamingbus.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/konami.jpg
http://jeenlun.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/hm_cheater.jpg
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http://jeenlun.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/robotcybil.jpg
http://alchemillahospital.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/ch_michelle1.jpg
~Information~
http://www.konami.com/games/shsm/#
http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025039.html
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