I have to agree that Shattered Memories is "good-ish," mostly because it's the most polished and re-playable game of the Tomm Hulett series of games (SH0; SHH; SHSM). However, in all honesty, the reason that that is so, is that it does interactivity better than any of the games in the entire series and probably better than most video games to date. Almost all of the scenes in the game are in some way interactive. If not in the way that the player affects the story, some aspect or another is interactive, whether it be what objects you pick up (or don't), to which places you go (or avoid), or simply to what you look (or not). Even in situations where the dialogue is constrained and/or predetermined, the player is still given the option to follow what line of sight they wish to see. For example, on two different play-throughs, in the scene of the car ride with Dahlia from the Balkin to the drawbridge (probably one of the most uninteresting scenes in the game), I first played it indifferently, looking out the window in order to avoid eye-contact with her and hardly listening to what she had to say, which gave me a very detached look at her throughout that play-through; while the next time, I played the scene very intently, staring at her expressions, watching her actions, and I admit I began to warm up to her and took a greater interest in her well-being.
While I admit that the level of attachment that I formed is purely subjective and not something that everyone is going to experience, it's the fact that the game allows you to choose your level of interaction that helps you to formulate your opinion, which lends itself greatly to subtlety and nuance. In that aspect alone, Shattered Memories excels extraordinarily above the series.
However, that being said, the plot is par for the series, looking deeply at the emotions, motivations and events that drive the main character to be the person they are by game's end. What the plot fails to offer is an adequate reflection on the conclusion to the story. What did it all mean? What did I learn about the character and myself throughout the process? What did I take away from all of it? I think the last scene in the game (regardless of ending) says it best: [minor spoiler]Packing away a box of trinkets that once held significance because they are important to the character, but in retrospect, loses meaning once you walk away from the box.[/minor spoiler]
I did really like the ice motif as well, not merely because it's a metaphor for the main character locking up about their denial, but also because it re-establishes the series' defining feature as the nightmare of one's mind. That nightmare can take whatever form is most descriptive/appropriate to the character's state of mind, be it fire, darkness, flesh, machinery, ice or whatever. The nightmare is what drives the fear, what is hardest to define, and what can frighten all of us. And, by using a motif that is thematically opposed to the previously established motifs, Shattered Memories makes it apparent that fear is the true theme that ties the series together.
Silent Hill: Homecoming is the rocket that never took off, the flower that never bloomed, the fire that couldn't ignite. (I've got more of these: the door that jammed, the hole that's gone now, the seal that did nothing, doll that cursed your inventory storage, etc., etc., etc.) It was just an idea that never came to be.
Whether you might say that it was the frenetic, noisy, overly visceral presentation of the atmosphere; the predictable, clichéd plot line that followed too closely to the mess that the movie tried to pass off as a narrative; the underdeveloped characters who seemed more out-of-place and expendable than items in your inventory; or even the half-hearted and underwhelmed conclusion at games' end, everyone can agree that the game has more than it's fair share of flaws.
But, let me give it some redeeming value. If one is willing to take the time and effort, read through the diary entries on the official widget. They give an account of each of the three main characters story just prior to the beginning of the game. Alex's diary entries give an account of his internal conflict and better characterization of his mental illness. Elle's diary gives you a better account of the slow and disheartening demise of Shepard's Glen and of her impotence to fight against it. Wheeler's diary shows how inept the police department staff is at handling disasters and how dependent they were on the town's sheriff, explaining why the town was able to spiral out of control so easily in his absence.
From these entries, you can get a glimpse of the deeper characterization that didn't make it into the finished product. Still, it doesn't make up for the disappointment it causes. (I still can't tell if the irony is intentional or not, but it definitely is palpable.)
I'm not going to say I take offense at the statement, since I am not Akira Yamaoka and cannot speak on his behalf, but I will say that his works on the soundtracks for 0rigins, Homecoming, and Shattered Memories do not sound "half-assed." In fact, I would go so far as to say that the music for these games are more evolved and nuanced than his previous soundtracks. While I don't think that he's made a Theme of Laura or True lately (songs most fans regard as his most acclaimed), I would go so far as to say that Witchcraft is as passionate and soulful as Please Love Me... Once More, that O.R.T. is as profound as Theme of Laura (Reprise), that Elle Theme is as rich and resonant as Tears Of..., or that Angel's Scream is as dark and foreboding as Flower Crown of Poppy. In fact, I could go on and on about how much more developed Akira Yamaoka has made the Silent Hill sound of late, which I might in some other place at some other time.
It will be interesting to see how the music develops in the next iteration of the series, should there be one. (Actually, it's been confirmed!) While I think that the conservative prediction is that the next music director will try to mimic the Yamaoka format, it will definitely be difficult to capture that subtle form of expression that is distinctly Yamaoka's. Should a more generic "horror game" sound be applied to the series from here out, which is a less conservative prediction, I think it goes without saying that it will sound more out-of-place than no music at all. However, should the least conservative prediction come to pass, which is that a new music director is given the freedom to find his own voice and apply it appropriately to the context of the games, I may find myself with several new soundtracks on my bookshelf.
I really can't help but notice the contrast of tone in these two statements, which imply more that you want a rehash of Silent Hill 2 than an honest attempt to create something original within the series' context. I understand that Silent Hill 2 is a game that stands without peer in the Silent Hill universe. It's a beautiful and brooding poem that transcends its medium, but holding your expectations for any follow-up to compete with SH2 will always pale in comparison.
Still, Silent Hill 2 is definitely a game that any developer should strive to emulate, but not at the expense of its own development and expression. We'll see what happens over the summer.