Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - Tom Hulett Interview.

So I was rummaging through YouTube today and I came across the beauty of a video about the upcoming Silent Hill game, Shattered Memories.

Online gaming Magazine G4tv (http://g4tv.com) had the chance of meeting Tom Hulett, Associate Producer at Konami, US when they were over at E3 earlier this year.
Tom gives a whole load of new information on the game and how it works and you can find the video below. However, here are the highlights:

• Alternate Silent Hill has changed from a hellish abyss to an Ice World of some sort. This is the only change I am particularly wary of.



• The Monsters that have been shown so far are not the be all and end all. Monsters start of formless but change in appearance depending on the gamers actions. This is to go with the overall idea that the Monsters of Silent Hill represent the Protagonists conscience.



• The Monsters are much more intelligent than Monsters in the previous games. They will work as a team in order to get at you, splitting up to catch you off guard.



• Even though combat isn't available in this game, you can shake them off when Monsters dive on top of you. You can also barricade doors, a la RE4 to stop them from following you and Flares can be used to keep them at a distance - Tom says they don't like the heat.



• The Wii version of the game allows you to pick up items and manipulate them yourself. One scene shows you having to pick up cans and see if there's a key in any of them by shaking any of them.



• Harry has a mobile phone in this game which has a variety of features. You can dial phone numbers if you come across one. You can receive voice mails and messages to freak you out even more. There is a camera, a phonebook and your map can be accessed as well. Your menu is also on this phone so you can change your settings and save the game.



• Maps can viewed on the move like a GPS system. When you move, your character position moves with you whilst your still viewing the map. The Wiimote also allows you to make notes on the map such as places of interest.



• Fatal Frame has influenced your camera mode. In some places in the game there are some things that can only be found when you take a picture. There is a scene with a swing set that shows you an example.

There is no doubt that the Wii version will be better than the PS2 and PSP versions. The Map function where you can circle or write memo's won't be available without the use of the Wiimote and nunchuck and I doubt you'll be able to pick things up without the motion censor. The Wii version will make the experience more real and this video has persuaded me to get the Wii version over the other two.

See for yourself:

I also found a trailer from E3 on YouTube too which shows you a bit more of the plot. Watch out for the woman at the end with short hair. Maria from Silent Hill 2 seems to be the inspiration but who is she? If there's one character Silent Hill fans won't want messing with it's Lisa Garland so let's hope that's not her.

What do you think so far? I can't wait. It looks amazing although there are some things I'm not keen on such as the ice and even character design. Cybil isn't looking too good and if that is Lisa Garland at the end of the trailer, I won't be happy at all. EDIT: That's not Lisa. I've just realised that she calls herself Dahlia. Uh Oh, what do you think of that?

Silent Hill being remade for the Wii.

In 2008, Forbidden Siren was successfully remade for the PS3. The game had moved to better graphics, the story line was changed slightly and some new areas were added to the mix.

Now, it seems that it is Silent Hill who is having the make over under the name Shattered Memories.

The source can be found HERE.

The most interesting parts of the story is as follows:

"The characters play different roles, things don't necessarily happen in the same order, and the story is taken in lots of new directions."

I don't quite know what they mean when they say this. Will alliances change? Will Dahlia actually be a nice person? If so, that will mess up the series plot a lot. Does the order relate to the various levels so you will go to the Hospital before the school for example.

"One of Shattered Memories' most significant and intriguing additions-your answers actually affect how the game unfolds."

This isn't much new, all Silent Hill games end depending on what you do - James, in SH2 had to do different things to get the different endings E.g. Angela's knife, his photo of Mary and the Blue gem. Maybe more will be revealed.

"The last interesting tit bit from the article says that fans of the series will also be delighted to learn that there's a way through every locked door."

This will make the game much longer if you're a magpie gamer (you have to collect EVERYTHING). It could also make it tedious if some rooms have nothing in them.

Eurogamer has also put an article about this game.

They also quoted some very interesting facts:

"Konami goes on to ambitiously tout no load times, and claims players will only flee rather than engage baddies during combat. And while fleeing, the Z button will handle context-sensitive manoeuvres like breaking down doors, hopping fences and crashing through windows."

Will the game be challenging at all if you cannot combat the Monsters that show up? Will this take away some of the tension you usually get when playing Silent Hill games?

"Specifically, players will move Harry using the control stick and aim the torch by waving the Wiimote. Then, when Harry spots or uncovers something of interest, he'll vocally respond."

This will be a very good aspect if they do decide to do this. You'll get a better idea of how the character is feeling as the game progresses.

I'm disappointed that it's for the Wii - unfair seeing that the Playstation has had every Silent Hill game since release.

Here is an interesting read. It shows some screen shots of the game ans well as full information as how the game is going to work. There are some good points and also some bad but I'll leave it up to you to decide which you think are the negatives and positives.
It seems that a lot has been done for the games so far so a release should be imminent - Personally I am looking forward to it.

So, what does everybody think?

Is the Wii a good move?
Will it sell more than Homecoming did?