Although the Silent Hill franchise has been around for quite a few years, the franchise did become a little stale as a game. Fortunately, developers Climax Studios have decided to re-address this franchise by not only paying homage to the original game but updating the gameplay with a few 21^st century twists and turns along the way. Consider it a reimagining or reboot of the original game!

Although not as survival horror as the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill Shattered Memories is more of a psychological horror and what worked originally, once again works quite well. With three platform releases available that include the Wii, PlayStation 2 and the PSP, we are looking at the Wii version which is easily the superior the version.

With all this talk about Alan Wake, in my honest opinion, Silent Hill does it better and straight from the get go, the story has its hold on you. The story begins with a car crash near the strange town of Silent Hill and when our protagonist awakes, Harry Mason cannot find his 7-year old daughter anywhere and apparently she was in the car with him during the accident. As panic sets in, Mason grabs his flashlight and begins searching for his daughter as he meets the inhabitants of Silent Hill which causes a distortion of his own reality. The questions begin early in the game, is Mason dead? Are there supernatural forces at work here? Or perhaps Mason is in a comma? The questions are almost endless.

As you explore this strange city from ghostly streets to crazy Amusement Parks, memories or imaginations will be play a large part because just when you think the city is real, something strange occurs and then all of a sudden, your search for daughter Cheryl becomes a game of cat and mouse as you encounter what appears to be the undead and to make matters worse, they want you dead. When reality becomes a nightmare in Silent Hill, the best thing you can do is flee and as you attempt to outwit these nasties.  Why? Because you don't really fight in this game, it's more about evade and find the clues.

Apart from the rather ho-hum Alan Wake, Shattered Memories takes on a different tactic as certain parts in the game require you to talk to a psychiatrist. These moments are littered throughout the game and once again opens a whole new can of worms (or questions) as you need to answer questions and perform some basic exercises. The interesting thing is that some of your answers actually affect how certain parts of the game will play out which means this game can be played at least one more time.

The control system is interesting on the Wii with the motion controls as you use the wiimote like a flashlight with the environment (like a real one) to lighten up certain areas in the game. The motion controls of the game really immerse you into the game as it becomes quite an interactive experience and best of all, the controls were not just designed as an afterthought but actually work hand-in-hand with the gameplay. Another great use of the Wii controls is that the speaker of the wiimote is sometimes used, generally more so when something paranormal happens but once again, this only makes the title even more engaging. Apart from exploring this large world from its buildings to the items that are steeped in paranormal activity, there are even some great mini-games that breaks up the sometimes frustrations of the gaming environment and gives you a well deserved break until the next challenge.

Graphically, Silent Hill Shattered Memories is a good looking title on the Wii and it seems that Climax Studios have pushed some of the capabilities of what the Wii can do. From the realistic lighting effects, weather and supernatural effects, the game has a very dark atmosphere to it that would put some horror movies to shame. With well animated characters that only compliment the gameplay, we only found a few graphical glitches in the title but nothing too serious. Add in some professional voice acting and great sound effects, the final piece of the graphic and audio puzzle is the soothing soundtrack, thanks to Akira Yamaoka who was also responsible for the original tunes.

If you ever want to create a horror game for a console gaming machine, than Silent Hill Shattered Memories should be used as your template. Not only it is an extremely well written game but the gameplay is quite sturdy on the Wii and is easily one of the better titles available at present. Although not steeped in action as some games, the atmosphere will keep you on the edge of your seat as you attempt to piece together this mystery and ultimately discover whether you’re sane or insane. Even though most gamers will finish this title in around 8 hours, you can easily play it again for some different interactions with the strange assemble of Silent Hill. If you do decide to buy this game, do yourself a favour and play it in the dark… and make sure you don’t have any heart conditions.

Recommended!