I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Silent Hill buff. I've played bits and pieces of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 4: The Room just enough to get the gist of it, but I don't have a clue about the stories. It's been a long time since I "played" a Silent Hill game, but being a hardcore Wii owner who stays loyal enough to buy just about every core game third parties throw out there, I was pretty hyped for Shattered Memories ever since Nintendo Power's revealing cover story. I made sure to order this the day it released. I can now safely say that this is one of the best horror games I've experienced in a while and it sucked me in like the Wii only can.

Now I'm going to nit and pick over Mr. Tim Turi's "review" throughout this review simply because he gets so many things wrong. Obviously he's a hard man to please, but there's no denying how well made this game is. The game starts out by(and intermittently throughout the game) doing a psych evaluation with you through a shrink in a firelit office. The questions are personal, yet the method is so intriguing. The purpose is to get inside your head and break that fourth wall. It does just that and really makes the game more about you, the player. The story itself is interesting itself and I constantly wondered what was around the next corner. The characters, the setting, and the atmosphere are all worth caring about and absorbing. I never played the orginal Silent Hill, so I can't compare this story to the original, but I've enjoyed it.

The controls is the first area Tim is wrong about. I found Harry's movement fluid through the nunchuk. If you want tank-like, then you've got the wrong horror game(that'd be Resident Evil). Tim must have not realized also that for speed, Harry can run by holding down the Z button on the nunchuk. I found the pace just perfect. He doesn't blaze through the landscape, but he does move swiftly enough to get you going. The point is this is a horror game and slower movement ensures a more unsettling experience along with the fact that you won't run right pass the scares. The flashlight control is amazingly smooth. I was actually shocked when I first used it and saw how perfect the beam glided through the air. I really did try everything to make the controls bad, but all I could do was technically disrupt it by obscuring my Wii's sensor bar.

The biggest debate in Shattered Memories is the lack of combat. Instead of wielding a weapon and killing the monsters, there are periods when the enviroment will freeze and grotesque monsters give chase. All you can do is run. These are the most heartpouding moments to me. You have no defense, unless you find a flare to ward them off. I can remember just gripping the nunchuk and Wii remote so tighting as I ran. By simply using a throwing motion, you can release Harry from the grips on the monsters when grabbed. It works well, and it helps make these sections more visceral. After the first two encounters, I didn't miss the combat. In fact, I've probably enjoyed this game more due to it's absence. 

Harry's phone is the final piece that separates this from other Silent Hill games. Harry possesses an iPhone like cellphone that you can use to receive calls and messages on, navigate the map, take photos, and toggle the game's settings. It's a cool accessory to toy with, and it adds the next layer of immersion. Occasionally the phone rings or a voicemail or text message comes in. The cool part is that voices come through the Wii remote's speaker. Now, unlike what Tim said, you don't have to hold the remote up to your head unless you want to(which I did sometimes for fun). As long as the volume is up, you'll hear everything just fine from your normal playing position. I don't understand what Tim's point was in trying to say the speaker's sounds annoy anyone else in the room. Isn't this the type of game you play alone?

From a technical standpoint, this game shines. You can tell a lot of work went into putting a high production value in the game. The graphics are excellently crafted with plenty of detail. It's so far one of the best looking Wii games in my opinion. A cool effect that was added is a layer of film-like grain which adds to the perception that you are playing through a horror movie or controlling scenes recorded on a videotape. I love it, and true gamers will appreciate it. The sound is also well done. The game can be very ambient at times. It's just enough so as to send chills down your spine when some odd tune plays or sound effects like bourds creaking unsettle you. The best part to me is the static emitting from the Wii remotes speaker. It has really freaked me out every time.

So really, from a gamer who can have his pick of any game for any console, this is still a must have for me, and I recommend it for any hardcore gamer. This is an experience that I believe only the Wii can provide, and anyone who passes up yet another excellent third-party Wii title is simply missing out. Go buy this now, immerse yourself, and get ready for some good scares.