Konami’s Australian distributor, Mindscape, have announced that several titles have been delayed due to the volcanic ash cloud – caused by the ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland.

According to Mindscape, the Wii version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will definitely be delayed along with Puzzle Chronicles on the DS and PSP, not to mention Karaoke Revolution on the PS3 and Wii.

Scene It? Twilight on the Wii and DS, GTi Supermini Fiesta on the Wii, and Sports Island on the DS may also be pushed back.

Mindscape told Kotaku: “Due to the second eruption of the Iceland volcano and further disruption to flights, our shipment of Wii stock will be delayed. One of the world’s leading freight forwarders, Expeditors, has advised this morning that, due to the substantial freight shipments that are building up around the world, they are uncertain how quickly the backlog will be cleared.”

You may have noticed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is out on store shelves on PSP. But did you notice where it isn’t on sale? You guessed it – the European PlayStation Store. Now, that may not be big news for the majority of PSP owners, but it is big news for anyone who spent £230 on the PSP Go. These premium customers simply cannot play this new PSP game.

It’s not the only Konami game to miss the store since the Go’s launch. Looking back to November, PES 2010 was another notable no-show. Co-incidence? We contacted Konami for comment and were told:

“Konami does not have a general approach on this, but we decide all products on a case-by-case situation on a European level.”

A ‘case by case situation’? That doesn’t sound good. We’ll almost certainly be getting Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in digital form (the demo’s already on the store), but how many other games won’t be made available for the Go? Is this the start of a trend where third-party publishers shun the store and therefore PSP Go?

Concerned, we asked Sony about how much it costs publishers to have a game hosted on the store and whether there are any incentives in place to make sure new games can be purchased on PSP Go. Mike Kebby from the PlayStation Store team told us:

“We can’t answer [that] as we don’t discuss our business model.”

However, he was allowed to tell us:

“All 1st party games are published digitally, for other publishers it is their decision if they want to release a digital version.”

Why is it their decision? How hard would it be when licensing a game to appear on PSP that it’s stipulated by Sony that a digital version must also be provided for download?

The store’s inadequacies were understandable when the PSP Go first launched and the vast majority of back catalogue games were unavailable for purchase. Licenses change which prevent them from being published again. And at least most of our favourite old games are now on the store. But for new games to be unavailable? There’s no excuse. Sony needs to address this situation fast.

Not even the most loyal fans will continue to pay more for less forever. That small existing install base may just uninstall if this trend continues, especially as 16GB memory cards can replicate the Go’s biggest selling point in a PSP 3000 at a fraction of the cost. Even though the Go is a beautiful piece of hardware, reverting to the Slim & Lite looks like a mighty attractive proposition from here.

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has today confirmed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available in Australian stores on April 22nd on Wii, PS2 and PSP.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill with all new twists. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories begins much like the beloved original. The game opens to the scene following a car accident where the central character, Harry Mason, wakes to find his daughter Cheryl missing. Harry sets out into the snowy streets of the haunted town of Silent Hill to find her, and that’s where his living nightmare begins as he not only discovers the truth about his daughter, but also about himself.

The Wii , PlayStation2 and PSP versions include an all-new user interface featuring a mobile phone which acts as a story telling device, map and camera as well as an all-new psych profiling system that plays upon the player’s innermost fears. The game constantly watches the player’s every move and adapts to their actions, offering a customised intense horror experience each time.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is rated “M” and will be available in retail stores from April 22nd. The recommended retail price will be $69.95 for PlayStation2 and PSP and $79.95 for Wii

Wow that’s a hefty price to pay for a re-make of the original. Of course, that’s Aussie dollars.

Sydney, Australia, 25 March 2010: Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has today confirmed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available in Australian stores on April 22nd on Wii ®, PS2® and PSP®.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill with all new twists. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories begins much like the beloved original. The game opens to the scene following a car accident where the central character, Harry Mason, wakes to find his daughter Cheryl missing. Harry sets out into the snowy streets of the haunted town of Silent Hill to find her, and that’s where his living nightmare begins as he not only discovers the truth about his daughter, but also about himself.

The Wii ®, PlayStation®2 and PSP® versions include an all-new user interface featuring a mobile phone which acts as a story telling device, map and camera as well as an all-new psych profiling system that plays upon the player’s innermost fears. The game constantly watches the player’s every move and adapts to their actions, offering a customised intense horror experience each time.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is rated “M” and will be available in retail stores from April 22nd. The recommended retail price will be $69.95 for PlayStation®2 and PSP® and $79.95 for Wii ®

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available at JB Hi-Fi, Gameswarehouse.com.au, Gamesmen, selected Harvey Norman stores and selected game resellers. It is currently available for pre-order via GAME’s website at http://www.game.com.au/silent-hill-shattered-memories/nintendo-wii/E108145

About KONAMI CORPORATION
KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of “Digital Entertainment Business”, “Health & Fitness Business” and “Gaming & System Business”. KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com/games

Australia Contact:
For more information, please contact Rebecca Tannous at Mindscape Asia Pacific on +61 2 9964 0476 email rebecca.tannous@mindscape.com.au

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.