The original series peaks with a flawless third entry
Alright, for starters – just don’t ever book a vacation at former resort town, Silent Hill. It’s not going to end well for you, your family, loved ones etc…
Now that we have a list of reviews for this game franchise lets straighten out this timeline a little and determine where we actually are year wise in the Silent Hill universe. The answer may surprise you:
- Silent Hill Origins takes place in 1976
- Silent Hill takes place in 1983
- Silent Hill 2 takes place in 1993 (disputed)
- Silent Hill 3 takes place in 2000
Out of all four of these titles, Silent Hill 3 brings us the most memorable of all SH protagonists with Heather Mason. A young woman with a painful past that isn’t quite through with her.
There is next to nothing not to like about Silent Hill 3 and most of it starts with the game’s main character. Heather is a tough, spunky and a firefly independent character. Granted there wasn’t a ton to like about James in SH2 so Heather doesn’t go in with a ton of competition in series but she holds her own against the ladies in the Resident Evil series.
It also doesn’t hurt the experience when the developers took absolutely everything that was good about Silent Hill 2 and made it even better for the third installment.
Silent Hill 3 acts as a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game on the PlayStation 1. Despite it taking place over seventeen years after the initial entry. Also, interestingly, it’s the first game on the series to showcase anything paranormal happen to a character while they are outside of the town of Silent Hill. (Which I presume begins in Portland, Maine)
Heather’s character moves faster, doesn’t tire and responds much better to the environment in this game. The soundtrack as always in flawless. The graphics and details even more gruesome, the jump scares a bit more intense, the sound effects chilling.
The third game takes absolutely everything that was good about the second game and makes it even better. The graphics are better, the voice acting is better, the controls feel better, the enemies are smarter and faster, the story is stronger. Every aspect of the game is just a bit better. In an incredibly rare feat, Konami improved on all areas of a game that was already considered an instant classic, this creating one of the best Survival Horror games all time.
With a price tag online of anywhere between $125-300 it’s hard to recommend getting a copy of the PS2 version. I know that the remastered version of PS3 has changes some players groaned about (voice actor change) but it is also CONSIDERABLY more affordable. Either way, whether you drop the money for your collection, pick it up on the PS3 or download online – Silent Hill 3 is a must play for any horror fanatic.
OVERALL: 99% (PLATINUM)
