Shattered Memories IGN Review

[CrimsonOutlaw]

I just finished playing through the game two days ago, though it was the psp version, so I'm not even sure my opinion counts?
Its not that bad, actually, but I did find it a little shorter then I was expecting it to be.
In the beginning I was put off some by the fact that you can't attack the creatures in Nightmare mode, but after a bit, it sort of hit me that maybe the point was to convey desperation? I could be completely wrong, but sometimes it did that for me. The game did tend to annoy me some when I would run through a door into a room with two blue doors, pick one, only to find myself back where I started. And I know I could've just looked at my GPS, but by the time I thought "Hey, maybe I should take a look at that GPS thing" I had seven Nightmare creatures trying to give me a hug.
I was told there are five different endings, as well, the fifth being based on a mini game/side quest. I've only gotten one ending so far, so I'm playing through again to see what the other endings are all about. I was also hoping for the whole psychiatrist interaction to be more, I don't know, more present, I guess, in changing the storyline? I mean, but the answers you give really don't affect the gameplay too drastically, do they? It seems it just changes some of the dialog. I have only played once, though, so I probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Because that's probably why there are five endings, heh.

[rewak]

I started replaying and changed answers, so far its changed the cut scenes dialogue, Cybils appearance, and where you go at the start (Diner or Bar). Thats all it does though, the game play itself doesn't change so much, it just changes where you can go. I didn't like the looping rooms either, it wasnt very well done, if you could pause the game and look at the map it would be a different story, but because the game keeps going when you're looking at it you just end up getting mobbed by monsters like you said.

[CrimsonOutlaw]

I think you can already do that, though, as in where you can start (diner or the bar). Course, once again, could be wrong, but I think you can pick. Like if you go to the dress shop in the beginning as opposed to going to the electronics place, then that determines which place you can enter, diner or bar.
I honestly kept pausing the game for that same reason, to look for the map. Because I've played games where pausing the game will bring up the map, but it doesn't work that way with this game, and that kind of makes being able to use it in Nightmare mode pointless, since you can't very well stop to look at it without getting attacked. And whats more irritating about that is even though you can still see where you're walking as you look at the GPS, you are walking. Walking, while the creatures are right behind you. I wouldn't even mind not being able to see the map in your pause menu as much, if they let you run while playing with your phone's GPS. But they don't, so to me it does ends up being pretty useless in the Nightmares.

[rewak]

Played through the game 5 times and got all 5 endings, my thoughts.

Spoiler:

show spoiler

Really liked it on the first play through, after that i enjoyed the differences in cut scenes but the nightmare sequences got real old real fast, by the end they were just completely boring and tedious. As for the endings, most i felt weren't good, and all of them way too short, the UFO ending especially, it felt seriously unrewarding and it wasn't even funny. Plus they came so close to making a game that didn't reference SH2 for the fan squeals then all the UFO ending turned into was a SH2 reference! Idiots. Even after 5 playthroughs i think there are some scene variations i've still to see, for example Lisa has never asked me for a red pill yet, i've only seen 2 versions of Cybil and Dahlia, and i've not been in the bar at the start when it's just a bar, i've only got in when it's a sports bar. But honestly i don't think i'll be playing through it again to see these little tweaks, 5 was more than enough. They made a good game and the shortness didn't bother me at all, i admired the way they created their own story. The nightmare scenes are all that holds it back from having a lot of replay value really, the story is good and its nice you can pick and choose what you want to change as it goes, but on replays the story is all that's going for it and the nightmare scenes hold this back and make it so tedious that it doesn't feel worth it. So, if you want a score out of 10, i'd give it maybe a 7.5? It's not up there with the likes of SH1 or 2, but it's better than Origins and Homecoming.

I was playing on the PS2 if that makes a difference

[Rancid Cheese]

Got the Wii version awhile back completed it once getting the good father ending. Overall I was very impressed the flow was good the atmosphere was consistent and eerie the only niggle I had was with the controls. The little things like unlocking the car door or winding down the window at sometimes very difficult to tell if it was locked or if I was "gesturing" wrong same with nightmare time which was quite sketchy when you try to shake them off. I have to applaud the mobile phone though that was very well implemented and getting texts and so on was really immersive and in particular dialling the numbers which with the wiimote against my ear was genuinely fun to do granted it had been seen before in No More Heroes and maybe something else but never felt as interactive as this and the phone became pretty intuitive really quickly. I think the boldest move in Shattered Memories was the monsters when you consider that there is no threat unless hell has frozen over so-to-speak that I felt there could have been environmental hazards to deal with in the real world to change the threat but keep the tension up. Ultimately it did leave me feeling like okay nothing can attack me here and as creepy as the shadows and texts et all were I knew I was safe until it got cold which i also have to add was a nice counter to the usual "grime" that generated in previous installments I'd like to see the ice return in future games. I really wasn't impressed by the momentos completelypointless and underused to be polite about them I'd hoped they would unlock some concept art at least . . . I also found the static that went with points of interest would drown out the dialogue either with characters or phone calls at certain times and while i could turn down the wiimote the sound came from the tv >: .

The themes of broken families and the unspoken pain it can cause was quite well handled it was impressive and truly gripped me at times you know the more i write about this the more i want to go back and play it . . .

I hadn't even touched on the psyche tests which at times I think I put far too much thought into but were really clever although I can't say for sure if the game really changed and as has been said the variables at times seem pretty minor.