PSP Version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Posted By: Whitney   January 28th, 2010 | 2:11 pm

Okay I played a bit of the PSP version last night and I got it say it look like much more effort was put into this over the PS2. The controls are pretty much like the PS2 version but I did notice whenever I took out the camera phone I could only move it side to side and zoom in.

As for the graphics there were items missing from several areas but overall it looked more polished than the ps2 version. I wish I could take screens but I have an older PSP and I can’t take recordings from it 🙁 But here are some things that jumped out at me in comparison to the PS2 version:

– in the PSP version a lot of the ice was translucent…meaning we could clearly see the monsters in the alley which wasn’t the case with the PS2 version.

– More details in the environments. Items were removed but the items that stayed had added details. I’m not sure if the smaller screen had something to do with it but overall the graphics looked richer on the PSP. For example in Theresa’s with the red prom dress their were more details on the mannequin and a drawing of a red dress was added to “Formal dress, Good as new, worn once” poster. So even though the details in the actual dress were about the same as the PS2 version the total environment looked fuller.

– When I colored the happy family I noticed the pencils in the PSP version were on the right instead of the left.

– There was snow falling outside the windows while riding in Cybil’s car.

To me it looks like the PS2 is a port of the PSP version…which just seems bizarre… you think it would be the other way around. It’s like Climax decided to make the PS2 version at the last minute and weren’t able to add quite as much polish.

So in my opinion if you are going to play SH:SM:

Wii > PSP > PS2


Posted in My Playthrough, SHSM PS2, SHSM PSP, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories  

PS2 Version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (video and screens)

Posted By: Whitney   January 26th, 2010 | 11:19 pm

Wow I was able to get the PS2 for only $20 thanks to cash I had left over on an amazon gift certificate (thanks Alexis and Justin!) and oh boy am I glad I got the wii version! This version is definitely lacking a lot of graphical details I was shocked.

First the controls:

The wii version is definitely more immersive since I could move the flashlight freely but I think the actions of the PS2 Harry were still worked well. You can still zoom in and look at things and I got to say it was nice not having to twist my wrist every which was to try and get a can to turn over properly :).

The only big difference I’ve seen is the inability to shake and nod your head or turn things over, all of which have button prompts instead of movements. It wasn’t a bad thing to tell you the truth since the doc was quicker to get my yes and no responses.

Completing puzzles by grabbing things wasn’t that hard either, sure it was a little slower because my movement was restricted to the analog stick and I couldn’t just flick a wrist every which way but it still worked.

Oh and something weird happened when I left Theresa’s I’m sure you can see it on my video Harry hit an invisible wall at one point and I couldn’t walk through a large opening..not sure what that was about.

My coloring was also a whole lot nicer on my happy family picture since it was impossible to go outside the lines!

Sound/Music

Didn’t really notice that big of a difference

Graphics

Okay now we get to the not so great part. The graphics I’m sad to say weren’t anything special. If people thought the wii version looked “bad” they aren’t going to like the PS2 one. Here are things that really jumped out at me:

-The lack of shadow effects. When I was in Theresa’s I was surprised not to see a shadow appear behind the dress mannequin (you should be able to see in my quick playthrough video below). I thought I was standing at a bad angle at first but nope it never showed up.

– Characters have less detail in their textures. Harry and Cybil had less blemishes and marks.

– Echo photos should be a whole lot easier to spot since you have several white staticey lines that appear through echo subjects…even through Harry.

– Background details removed. For example in the first nightmare when you jump into the pool there’s a large frozen puddle to one side in the wii version…this wasn’t so in the PS2.

– In the nightmare level there seemed to be less ice but it could be that I’m tired but a lot of it wasn’t translucent like in the wii version. This was especially apparent at the part where Harry runs from a monster in the alley. It was pretty funny since you can’t actually SEE a monster behind the ice and you can barely see one above Harry so it looks like he’s running from nothing.

-While inside Cybil’s car it didn’t snow outside (it did in the wii version right?) and I could see things clearly out the window.

I also have the PSP version now thanks to my brother who pre ordered it for my birthday, I haven’t played that yet but I will tomorrow and write my thoughts.

Gameplay Video

(if anyone is curious I just answered yes to anything asked)

Some screens


Posted in SHSM PS2, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories   Tags: , ,

More interviews regarding UK release!

Posted By: Whitney   January 24th, 2010 | 9:14 pm

Lots of news sites are now stating Silent Hill : Shattered Memories has a March release in Europe so I’m going to get with that release date!

http://wii.nintendolife.com/news/2010/01/interview_climax_silent_hill_shattered_memories
Interview: Climax – Silent Hill: Shattered Memories -Nintendo Life heads to Konami HQ to talk to the studio behind the storming new Silent Hill title (thanks PieceofSheet666!)

http://www.videogamer.com/psp/silent_hill_shattered_memories/preview-2170.html
Videogamer.com’s Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Interview (thanks PieceofSheet666!)

The EGTV Show: Silent Hill Shattered Memories


Posted in SHSM Release Date, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories   Tags: , ,

Site update and Shattered Memories Japanese Release Date and cover art!

Posted By: Whitney   January 24th, 2010 | 9:03 pm

Hi guys! Sorry for the lack of updates this week. Hopefully my new little comparison page makes up for it. I have a lot more in the works to fill out the rest of the site 🙂

In other exciting news The official Japanese Silent Hill: Shattered Memories website has not only revealed the games cover art but also gives March 25, 2010 as it’s official release date! I like the cover. What do you guys think?


Posted in SHSM Release Date, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Site Related  

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories PS2 Screens

Posted By: Whitney   January 21st, 2010 | 5:53 pm

I don’t have a PS2 copy yet but someone on NeoGaf took some screens of the differences between the Wii and PS2 version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19371796&postcount=1634


Posted in SHSM PS2, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories   Tags:

US Silent Hill Shattered Memories PSP and PS2 versions released!

Posted By: Whitney   January 19th, 2010 | 11:03 am

The US Silent Hill Shattered Memories PSP and PS2 are now released 🙂 Still not sure if the Europe release is February 5 or March 7, 2010…


Posted in SHSM PS2, SHSM PSP, SHSM Release Date, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories  

1up’s Silent Hill: Shattered Memories PSP Review: A triumphant port that still doesn’t fix a flawed game (C+)

Posted By: Whitney   January 15th, 2010 | 2:09 pm

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177588

Reviews
A triumphant port that still doesn’t fix a flawed game.
By Justin Haywald 01/15/2010
It’s been a little over a month since Silent Hill: Shattered Memories came out for the Wii, but Konami has soon followed it up with ports to the PSP and PlayStation 2. While that’s given me the opportunity to mull over the game and play through a few more times, my basic opinions haven’t changed: There weren’t any major changes to the game itself, so I still have the same gripes as before. However, that doesn’t mean these aren’t excellent, carefully-crafted ports. As a rendition of the game on much less powerful pieces of hardware, it’s a technical triumph.

For one, they retain the same wonderful voice acting. The scaled-down graphics, while nowhere near as good as on the Wii, still look stupendous. And even without the excellent, intuitive Wii controls, getting around the world is easy whether you’re using the PS2’s dual sticks or the PSP’s one. I still enjoy the narrative-heavy idea of the game, and exploring the Silent Hill in Harry’s mind, even if it’s not a particularly scary place.

But Shattered Memories also suffers from the same problems as on the Wii. The “run away from danger” mechanic sounds terrifying: a game that leaves you powerless and vulnerable against relentless, dark creatures. However, it becomes a rote series of trial-and-error missteps to find the path the game wants you to take through icy, samey labyrinths. Throwing off your oppressors is easier with a controller (you just tap the button corresponding to the direction they attack you from), but you still take damage quickly no matter how quickly you toss your enemies aside. And using the map in these situations is just as clunky and useless as before: You’re given an endpoint, and that’s it — it’s up to you to locate the dead ends and navigate the circuitous road to safety. That’s not frightening or stressful; it’s annoying, and that’s still the feeling that sticks with me every time I play the game.

While the emphasis in Shattered Memories seems to be more on the game’s often sexual story than on survival action, I don’t feel any more impressed now than I did after my first playthrough. I’ve finished the game a total of five times across all these iterations, but it’s just disappointing that I don’t get anything different or deeper out of those trips. Sure, the game itself changes, and your psychological profiles affect how characters react to you, but I personally don’t want a different story each time I play. In a game like this, on my second or third playthrough, I want to understand things more deeply. Instead, you just reset at the beginning each time.

Regardless, Shattered Memories gives you something to think about, even if you don’t feel like you have direct control over how events transpire — a result of the game’s non-binary, open-ended decisions, both in how you play the game and in the “psychological profiles” you undergo. That’s not bad, but it makes it difficult to understand how exactly your actions change the story’s progession. It’s not the worst Silent Hill game by a long shot, but the unavoidable action sequences still sour this excursion to Silent Hill for me.


Posted in SHSM PSP, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories   Tags:

Gamespot Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Hands-On PSP Hands On

Posted By: Whitney   January 13th, 2010 | 11:58 pm


http://www.gamespot.com/psp/action/silenthillshatteredmemories/news.html?sid=6246328

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Hands-On
By Giancarlo Varanini, GameSpotPosted Jan 13, 2010 1:14 pm PT

We take a trip through the PSP version of the latest Silent Hill game.

The Wii version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories received widespread praise for its reimagining of the original Silent Hill, as well as its new take on the Silent Hill formula, particularly the way characters confront the town’s ghoulish denizens. Instead of whacking enemies over the head or pumping them full of holes with any sort of firearm, Harry Mason (the game’s main character who’s looking for his missing daughter) can only hope to evade them–either by running in a different direction or throwing various objects to the floor while running away–or throw them off his back by gesturing in various directions with the Wii Remote. The motion controls also come into play during puzzles as you grab cans and tip them on their sides to retrieve keys or as you move various objects into position to find a secret number used to open a locked door. And, of course, you can also use the Wii Remote to move Harry’s flashlight around much as you would an actual flashlight.

Of course, the PSP has no such technology; thus, it has to make do with its single analog nub, face buttons, and shoulder buttons. Surprisingly, the controls seem like they’ve been adapted pretty well. When enemies cling to Harry, he can simply throw them off by pressing one of the designated face buttons that’s prompted at the bottom of the screen. As for moving the flashlight around, you can’t do it while Harry is walking (as you can in the Wii version). So, instead, the PSP version lets you hit the right-shoulder button, which takes you into a first-person view that gives you a closer, first-person view you can manipulate with the analog nub without moving Harry around. As for puzzles that require grabbing objects and rotating (or moving) them around, you can solve them by grabbing the object with one of the PSP’s face buttons then rotate it using the left- or right-shoulder buttons.

Naturally, other concessions had to be made to accommodate the PSP’s hardware, but one aspect of the game that hasn’t changed much at all is the visuals. The PSP version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories looks nearly identical to its Wii counterpart, but there are some slight differences. It seems like you can’t see quite as far into the distance in some scenes. There are also some textures and areas that aren’t clear as those found in the Wii version. The PSP version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is scheduled for release on January 19.


Posted in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories   Tags: ,

Kotaku – Darkness Lifts On Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Australian Release Date

Posted By: Whitney   January 12th, 2010 | 2:44 pm

Look like Silent Hill fans in Australia will have to wait a bit longer to play SH:SM 🙁


http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/01/darkness-lifts-on-silent-hill-shattered-memories-australian-release-date/

Konami’s reimagining of the original Silent Hill, which was released in North America late last year, has finally been given a firm release date for Australia.

The delay is partly the result of Konami finding a new distributor in this country. They’ve now signed up with Mindscape, who’ll also be looking after the release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow later in the year.

For now though, the focus is on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the Wii, PS2 and PSP remake makeover of the first game in the series.

All three versions will hit Australian retail on March 5.


Posted in SHSM Release Date, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories  

Behind the scenes for recording Silent Hill : Shattered Memories music

Posted By: Whitney   January 4th, 2010 | 8:02 pm

How cool is this! Joe Romersa filmed and put this a two part documentary together of some behind the scenes footage of their recording sessions for the SH:SM soundtrack! Big thanks to Jon for letting me know this was on youtube!


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