Canon, New Canon, or just out there?

[God's Condemned]

So, Shattered Memories is out for Wii and PS2/PSP. For those who have played, what do yu think? Are they trying to come up with a new canon? As far as I know, this isn't canon, so what's going on with this storyline?

[JpD]

It's just out there. Good nonetheless, but out there.

[achtung]

Well... its a re-imagining... so, I think its not canon. New canon perhaps, maybe a new sub series like the Crystal Chronicles in Final Fantasy...

Great game!!!

[God's Condemned]

I was thinking along the lines of new canon also. I wonder what this means for SH3. Is there a possibility that there could be a remake of that as well? Where dies Alessa fit into SM?

[Whitney]

From what I understand it's not supposed to fit with the established sh canon...it was just a reimagining. I see it as it's own canon

[Piece0fSheet666]

Well, it's just a different take based on the first game. It has "mementos" of the previous games but it stands on its own. They put some "old" elements but on a different level and based their ideas on them. But I think too it might be the start of a new canon, considering that Climax wants to make a possible next game, so there is a chance they'll keep this same recipe and try to evolve it more. I'd like to see another one like SH1 or SH3 though...

P.S. A SH3 "re-imagining" I think is quite unlikely as a sequel to Shattered Memories (except if you play as grown-up Cheryl ) 'cause it didn't really have any elements that a sequel could be based on. Now if it is a remake of the original SH3 story it wouldn't obviously be connected to SM story-wise but maybe in terms of game-play...

[God's Condemned]

Being its own canon is interesting. That way there can be different looks at a single thing. Silent Hill (PS) was one thing, where Harry took Cheryl to Silent Hill, and her mother was dead. In SM, Harry wakes in Silent Hill, without his daughter, just like the original, but

REVEAL SPOILER:

he never really finds his daughter, seeing as it is all a recreation of her father by Cheryl herself

. Interesting twist. What do you think of Dahlia in the game? Which form do you think suits her? I think I've gotten all the different versions, and I've got to go with the blonde.

[God's Condemned]

I dunno. I tend to agree that it really didn't live up to the SH Series. There was no real boss or anything to prove problematic, except for throwing the other enemies off. That was about it. I had a problem finding the dirty ice on the doors in the last puzzle before going to the lake, but that's because I didn't know what to look for. Other than that, there was really no challenge. On the first playthrough, I had to figure out where to go, but that turned out easy after a bit.

[Redrummm]

I think it is just out there, it could be new canon, which could be interesting

and for it not living upto Silent Hill, I dont personally get that as each SH game is different, I mean is SH1 the same as SH2 (which has a very different kind of otherworld...or maybe no otherworld), is SH2 the same as 3? 3 the same as 4? 4 the same as 0rigins? ect.its very much Silent Hill to me, just a new breed of Silent Hill

[ralsar]

I think it is more than worthy entry into the Silent Hill series. Certainly more than Origins and Homecoming. I thought the story was masterfully crafted. The lack of combat, based on the piss-poor combat of previous games, is more a blessing then anything. Though the puzzles were mostly pathetic, they really need to give us better puzzles next time! Sheesh. But to each their own. I know a lot of people enjoy action elements in survival horror, I'm just not one of them. Maybe put Kratos in the next Silent Hill and I'll change my tune.

I do have a hard time envisioning a follow-up to this game though. Seems like it should exist alone.

REVEAL SPOILER:

Since the town of Silent Hill is never established as a "dark entity" as it is in the main series of games, they don't really have a reason to make another story in Silent Hill itself. The game could have been titled 'Misc Small Town: Shattered Memories'. If we take out thenon-Harry-centric memories shown in the game, the rest are all rather mundane even when horrific. The choking game is common, drug & alcohol abuse is common, suicide is common, etc.

A world full of nothing but sexy woman is sadly uncommon...

So really the town itself has no real importance as it is all within Cheryl's delusional mind. A mind that was not fractured or altered by any demonic forces or freaky drug-dealing cults. She was just a young girl who lost her daddy and spent 18ish years vilifying her mother and idealizing her lost father.

Without Alessa's torment, I'm sure the real Silent Hill is just as normal as any other town.