Support NeoGAF

[Dibbz]

So finally finished Silent Hill 3 last night and I'm not sure what to think. I played a bit of Silent Hill 2 years back but only an hour or so if that so this is my first real Silent Hill and I'm not sure what I think of it.

I dropped the game a bunch of times because it wasn't really pushing me through with the characters or scenario and the only drive I had was to say I have finished a Silent Hill (and it being one of the three that fans seemed to really enjoy).

I found Heather to be really odd but not in a intentional way. She just downright doesn't seem to be phased by the crazy world she inhabits. She mentions to Douglas that she'll call for an ambulance late in the game, as if that is an actual possibility. Moments like that just made me question, is this bad writing or is she blissfully ignorant of what is going on? To make it worse Heather doesn't seem to change at all, or maybe she does but it's super weird.

The one thing that I really liked was the line I used in the title "They looked like monsters to you?". Towards the end game when I heard that I thought wow ok this means there is some interesting psychological webs being weaved here about how sane Heather is but in the end nothing became of it. Everything seemed real, nothing points to it being otherwise.

Once you beat the final boss and you get out i was so confused by the dialogue. She meets back with Douglass and finishes with "Don't you think, blondes have more fun?" I don't get it, she just spat out a fetus, killed it and this is what she says... It seems so out of place.

Now sometimes I don't mind if the ending of a game weak so long as the journey is great but I just didn't feel that with this. Maybe if I played it when it came out the atmosphere would have encapsulated me but playing it now I just didn't feel anything in the world. Didn't like the mall or subway and that kinda stuck with me. The later areas were much better, hospital and chapel but its a shame the whole game wasn't more like those.

I've watched a video on the making of to see if there was some grand plot thread I had missed and the biggest thing is that Silent Hill 1 and 3 are connected. Maybe if I had played SH1 I'd have more of an appreciation of 3 but right now it was a fun throwback to old school survival horror but I don't see much else.

Also quick note, the music I've heard from Silent Hill 2 was much better than 3 which is a shame.

What do fans of Silent Hill games think about 3? Was I wrong to go into this with high expectations?

 

[somecrazymember]

Why did you play 3? If you have SH2, play that. It's much better

 

[Spauldingxx]

Why did you play 3? If you have SH2, play that. It's much better

I thought both were excellent. The series dropped over with Silent Hill 4 for me.

 

[TGO]

Should have played 2, and you need to play SH1 in order to answer your question.
Also Silent Hill 2 might answer some big questions on how people in Silent Hill actually see things differently as it actually shows you.

 

[Ganondorfo]

Maybe the best female main protagonist in videogames (in my opinion). Its sad that we wont ever see a good Silent Hill game anymore.

I also feel like OP should have put pictures from this game or youtube links to soundtrack music. Not everyone knows every game. Okay Silent Hill 3 is a very known game, but most of the times I always need to google the name of the game to know what game the discussion is about.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

What do fans of Silent Hill games think about 3? Was I wrong to go into this with high expectations?

3 is on par with 1, but 2 is the best.

After 3 it's very hit and miss, but I liked 0rigins and Downpour.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I've watched a video on the making of to see if there was some grand plot thread I had missed and the biggest thing is that Silent Hill 1 and 3 are connected. Maybe if I had played SH1 I'd have more of an appreciation of 3 but right now it was a fun throwback to old school survival horror but I don't see much else.

SH3 is a direct sequel to SH1, so things definitely make a lot more sense when you've played both.

 

[trejo]

1+3>2>>>4

You messed up by not playing them in order of release OP.

 

[Thickstone]

Heather is a fairly odd person and I guess it's intentional. The way she is focused on her dad, the decoration of her room, her being totally oblivious to anything besides her dad... yeah I guess she was written that way intentionally.

Your observations are spot on though. I always thought I'd be the only one to consider her weird.

 

[pinkurocket]

Well, in Silent Hill everything is full of symbolism and nothing is as it seems. That is pretty much the whole idea, but it's true that it doesn't push it into your face. It's more like it plays with the player's mind and it plants the idea that not everything is as it seems. Silent Hill 2 definitely does a better job at creating a world like this though. Silent Hill 3 is a game I enjoy for the atmosphere and music, but it's not the game I find myself thinking about much (compared to Silent Hill 2 or other psychological horror games).

 

[Dusk Golem]

Personal favorite entry in the franchise. There are things that I think other entries does better, and it is very close to Silent Hill 2 for me, but I personally just love Silent Hill 3's characters, its absolutely beautifully morbid and artistic locations, and I think the atmosphere, hidden scenes, and scares are in top form in the third entry. (it also has the best boss battles in the franchise, I think it has the best puzzles (the hard difficulty puzzles are actually really hard but incredibly satisfying to solve), and I think has the best levels, though lacking overworld town exploration out of one small segment riffed from SH2 is a bit disappointing).

All of the SH games are rather different, so which you prefer/don't comes in large part to taste. I think a lot of people skip playing SH1 and just play SH2, then go to SH3 expecting it to be similar to SH2, when it's actually more similar to SH1, but even then feels quite a bit different. I think each SH game has its own 'atmosphere' which contributes in large part to why they feel so different (as well as design things).

SH1 I would describe as 'dark & mysterious', it ends up feeling the most surreal, strange, and facing the unknown in my opinion.

SH2 I would describe as 'cold & isolated'. It is the entry I think the fog motif really fits nicely, and is crafted as a deeply symbolic narrative-driven journey.

SH3 I would describe as 'hot & fleshy'. It is more of an intense game, with more challenging combat, puzzles, more intense and overflowing imagery, and quirkier than usual characters, among giving off the feeling of a warm squishy womb in many places.

SH4 I would consider 'strange & nightmarish'. It is the strangest title, and I think the scariest personally, but very unconventional in multiple ways even for the series standards, and really seems more like you're out of reality than the other games.

I hear many people who do LTTP on SH3 say they played SH2 before and not sure what to think of SH3, but I think people go in with the wrong expectations, expecting it to be another SH2, and don't appreciate everything SH3 does on its own accord for itself. It should be mentioned SH3 is directly tied into the events of SH1, so some things will make a lot more sense if you played SH1. However, I think it forms its own identity, and has a lot going for it. I also will mention the game has a shit ton of secrets, many not findable until the second playthrough.

I love the detail of the various rooms in SH3, there's a lot of hidden sights and details if you pay attention, and makes the locations incredibly interesting for me to explore, but more risky with the heightened difficulty and the more 'layered' structure of the areas.

My opinion on the series is a bit weird though. If I were to rank them personally (and I could give a long detailed explanation if asked, I do know my opinion is not quite the popular opinion, but I have my reasons!):

SH3 > SH2 > SH4 = SH1 > Downpour > Shattered Memories > Origins > Homecoming

 

[bratpack]

SH3 is actually my favorite in the series it's so creepy in the locations you visit

The chapel section is all kinds of fucked up
The happy birthday phonecall so creepy
The mirrored bloodroom

I loved how it tied into the first game aswell great stuff Silent Hill at its peak in the creepy factor IMO

 

[peronmls]

There is literally no people in the town she lives in. I bet you if you walk up to all phones in the game it will say it doesn't work. So that answers that. I also hate people who treat SH2 is the only game or good game in the series.

I feel SH2 and SH3 are incomparable. Different plot, different theme, different personalities.

SH2s music is more of an vintage romantic drama and are made best on the characters personality. Every character is different. SH3 is a mystery drama. Find the truth out about yourself. Heather is a naive ignorant teen. The music is more modern and hip hop old school like.

Regarding the world they both are completely different in terms of visuals. SH2 has more dull, worn down and moldy metal OTHERWORLD. SH3 is literally blood, metal, and rust plus disturbing object.

For overall horror and game play I'd chose SH3
For overall story I'd chose SH2

 

[comshoplesce]

where do you guys play / got SH series? so damn hard to get them for PC

 

[Cipher Peon]

Silent Hill 3 is my 8th favorite game of all time. Silent Hill 2 is my 1st favorite game of all time.

SH3 has drastic unbalanced gameplay, less interesting/nonexistent overworld, worse psychological dealings, and uses the hospital AGAIN...

But it's also horrifying in ways that are unfathomable, the symbolism is utterly fantastic, and Heather is my second favorite character in all of fiction. Out of the original 3 protags, she puts the biggest front on trying to not let Silent Hill get to her and I loved her for it, especially since it was absolutely a coping mechanism to prevent her sanity from breaking. Oh and the reason for her to enter Silent Hill being

Spoiler

revenge

??? Brilliant.

I've beaten the game about a dozen times and I don't regret a single moment of it.

If we're doing rankings:
Silent Hill 2 > Silent Hill 3 > Silent Hill Homecoming > Silent Hill > Silent Hill Downpour > Silent Hill Book of Memories

(Unfortunately I've played only a little bit of the ones I've missed)

 

[Dusk Golem]

I'll also add you seem to have actually missed out on a lot of the plot from how you described it. Heather's plight isn't incredibly hard to follow, but it'll help to know that she is the reincarnation of Alessa and Cheryl from Silent Hill 1, who was raised in a closeted environment in secrecy by her adoptive father, Harry Mason, the protagonist of the original SH game. The game's plot directly ties into Silent Hill 1.

Heather is actually effected a LOT by what is going around her, but she puts on an air of indifference to come off as being strong. There is a lot of symbolism and flavor text pointing to Heather having to put on a somewhat cold facade to deal with some past trauma, and though this is 'weird', she is somewhat familiar with it (due to her past life as Alessa). We know that a cult member from the Order found her and Harry had to kill the cult member and they moved after that, which shook her up. A lot of the symbolism and other details (like picking up smoking and then dropping it) imply there was a period in her life she spiraled out of control, and a LOT of the symbolism in the game point to the possibility that she may have been raped (a lot of environmental things, and let's not even talk about how birthing is all over the game, the first boss looks like a giant fleshy penis pulling apart a womb, one of the monsters will throw Heather on the ground and crawl on-top of her, etc.), and her acting weirdly cheerful at the end was a sign in her own odd way that she was finally ready to move on, she's had a fucked up past being sheltered by her father, tragic past experiences, and now this nightmare, but she's had enough of being a tragic victim and is able to be her 'whole' self again (literally by rejoining with her Alessa half in the carousel, but also coming to terms with the parts of herself she had locked away due to trauma), and is ready to try and live life to be happy and to the fullest, with the first step being to actually accept everything that's happened and be willing to let herself be happy she's overcome the worst days of her life.

Also, the ambulance comment she makes is because Silent Hill isn't actually an abandoned town, the town is still alive and active, just most of the world doesn't see it as a twisted place full of monsters, and with the birthing God out of her womb, the Otherworld would stop forming around her collectively from trauma like Claudia was after, to give birth to God's 'paradise'. I will also throw out there that SH3 contains some of the deepest lore for the whole series background is you ever wanted to know more about the town's religion, The Order, and the entities and background of why the town is maybe this fucked up.

There's a lot more I can say, but a little insight.

 

[pinkurocket]

Personal favorite entry in the franchise. There are things that I think other entries does better, and it is very close to Silent Hill 2 for me, but I personally just love Silent Hill 3's characters, its absolutely beautifully morbid and artistic locations, and I think the atmosphere, hidden scenes, and scares are in top form in the third entry. (it also has the best boss battles in the franchise, I think it has the best puzzles (the hard difficulty puzzles are actually really hard but incredibly satisfying to solve), and I think has the best levels, though lacking overworld town exploration out of one small segment riffed from SH2 is a bit disappointing).

All of the SH games are rather different, so which you prefer/don't comes in large part to taste. I think a lot of people skip playing SH1 and just play SH2, then go to SH3 expecting it to be similar to SH2, when it's actually more similar to SH1, but even then feels quite a bit different. I think each SH game has its own 'atmosphere' which contributes in large part to why they feel so different (as well as design things).

SH1 I would describe as 'dark & mysterious', it ends up feeling the most surreal, strange, and facing the unknown in my opinion.

SH2 I would describe as 'cold & isolated'. It is the entry I think the fog motif really fits nicely, and is crafted as a deeply symbolic narrative-driven journey.

SH3 I would describe as 'hot & fleshy'. It is more of an intense game, with more challenging combat, puzzles, more intense and overflowing imagery, and quirkier than usual characters, among giving off the feeling of a warm squishy womb in many places.

SH4 I would consider 'strange & nightmarish'. It is the strangest title, and I think the scariest personally, but very unconventional in multiple ways even for the series standards, and really seems more like you're out of reality than the other games.

I hear many people who do LTTP on SH3 say they played SH2 before and not sure what to think of SH3, but I think people go in with the wrong expectations, expecting it to be another SH2, and don't appreciate everything SH3 does on its own accord for itself. It should be mentioned SH3 is directly tied into the events of SH1, so some things will make a lot more sense if you played SH1. However, I think it forms its own identity, and has a lot going for it. I also will mention the game has a shit ton of secrets, many not findable until the second playthrough.

I love the detail of the various rooms in SH3, there's a lot of hidden sights and details if you pay attention, and makes the locations incredibly interesting for me to explore, but more risky with the heightened difficulty and the more 'layered' structure of the areas.

My opinion on the series is a bit weird though. If I were to rank them personally (and I could give a long detailed explanation if asked, I do know my opinion is not quite the popular opinion, but I have my reasons!):

SH3 > SH2 > SH4 = SH1 > Downpour > Shattered Memories > Origins > Homecoming

Yeah, SH3 definitely shines in the locations and puzzles. I quite agree with your ranking of the games. I really enjoyed SH4 too but it gets written off a lot of times. Same with Downpour (besides how badly it performed technically).

I wish it was easier to replay these games nowadays without owning the original console they appeared on...

 

[dan2026]

The last good Silent Hill game.

Not like there are going to be any more.

 

[metareferential]

SH2 is the best, no two ways around it. After 2 everything feels "been there, done that".

I would kill for a true next-gen remake of 1 and 2.

 

[Opto]

Her lack of complete freaking out (i remember some of her observational dialog making it clear that her experience was surreal) can be attributed to being subconsciously familiar with everything, since she's the. Back in PS2 days though, they didn't have a lot of in-game spoken dialog to convene how a character was freaking out about things.

Not playing SH1 is unfortunately a detriment because there's a lot of call backs

 

[Shredderi]

Played SH1, then SH2 and then SH3. I super loved SH2 and felt that SH3 was a bit of a disappointment. I really didn't like the locations before the titular town itself and the game spent a lot of time in those other locations. I liked how it was a direct sequel to SH1 so I was interested in the story. It was ok.

 

[jaaz]

Once you beat the final boss and you get out i was so confused by the dialogue. She meets back with Douglass and finishes with "Don't you think, blondes have more fun?" I don't get it, she just spat out a fetus, killed it and this is what she says... It seems so out of place.

Welcome to Japanese horror games! I actually love the quirky translations. It somehow makes the game more mysterious and even scarier, like an early King horror novel.

 

[Dibbz]

Some really interesting posts guys. I actually never seen the mirror room on my playthrough I don't think. Looks pretty creepy.

I'd love to see a remake in the vein of Resident Evil Remake, the environments with blood crawling all over them was the scariest thing in this game. Well that and the monster who is turning the valves. :S

I feel the symbolism of SH3 in the environments is really good but I didn't really like the whole cult thing. The little I did see of SH2 really had me hoping for more trauma in Heather but it's not really shown.

About the boss fights the carousel one was a pain. Was so tough to beat, why was there 4 Alessa?

I did see the Silent Hill movie long before I played the games and thought it was fantastic so I have a slight idea of the whole Claudia, Alessa thing but it's still a bit murky. Who was Cheryl, Heather says that was her real name I think at the end.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

The whole blonde line was a reference to the fact that heather isnt blonde.
Instead her father took her into hiding and died her hair blonde after the events of SH1.
Its not out of nowhere its just her sense of humor which in this case is referencing SH1.

 

[K' Dash]

SH3 is the best IMO, and the true sequel to SH1, I think you should have played SH before playing SH3, otherwise Harry's death won't impact you as much.

Also, Heather is not blonde that's the joke.

 

[Tizoc]

Obligatory

Sorry I couldn't find any higher res ones :X

 

[K' Dash]

Obligatory

Sorry I couldn't find any higher res ones :X

Man this fucking game still looks Sooooo goooood.

 

[Dusk Golem]

Some really interesting posts guys. I actually never seen the mirror room on my playthrough I don't think. Looks pretty creepy.



I'd love to see a remake in the vein of Resident Evil Remake, the environments with blood crawling all over them was the scariest thing in this game. Well that and the monster who is turning the valves. :S

I feel the symbolism of SH3 in the environments is really good but I didn't really like the whole cult thing. The little I did see of SH2 really had me hoping for more trauma in Heather but it's not really shown.

About the boss fights the carousel one was a pain. Was so tough to beat, why was there 4 Alessa?

I did see the Silent Hill movie long before I played the games and thought it was fantastic so I have a slight idea of the whole Claudia, Alessa thing but it's still a bit murky. Who was Cheryl, Heather says that was her real name I think at the end.

The Mirror Room is off the beaten path in the hospital, and there's several stuff like that in the game. Upon replay, more things also open up, such as the Sewer Fairy and the hidden breakable wall in the construction building, among other things.

The cult plays a pretty big role in the SH series stuff, they're mostly absent in SH2 outside of some of their imagery appearing and a few small references to them in the notes in SH2 (as that's a more personal story deal), and the fact Pyramid Head is one of the entities in the Order of the Cult (as is Valtiel, who is the strange creature who never attacks you in SH3 who you can see in the background in various scenes throughout the game, is the thing that drags Claudia away at the end and sets up 'God' at the end there, and in some instances you get Game Overs, is the one who drags you away... Valtiel is the being who shifts Silent Hill into the Otherworld and serves some other purposes), but if you dig into them, they're very interesting.

Cheryl was Harry Mason's adopted daughter, he and his wife found her on the side of the road, couldn't find any signs of her birth, and adopted her. Who she actually was would be the 'happier' half of Alessa. Alessa was offered up by her mother, Dahlia, to give birth to the Order's God. However, as she was pregnant, the house was burnt down with her inside it, and her body was terribly burnt to the point it would kill most people, but the God forming inside of her kept her alive, and she was rushed to the hospital and kept in a secret room underneath the hospital itself. Alessa had slight powers due to the God in her, and to escape her suffering laying there half dead in nothing but pain, she split part of her soul apart, who gave birth to Cheryl, so at least part of her could live a happy life. Cheryl at Age 6 begins really wanting to go to Silent Hill, and Harry goes with her not knowing exactly why (Cheryl is the last person he has in his life after the passing of his wife), and then disappears in the town, and he begins to seek her.

Ultimately, Alessa and Cheryl die in the climax of SH1, but are reborn again as a baby by Alessa using the last of her power before she passes and hands to Harry to raise, as her happiest memories were as Cheryl, his daughter, before fully passing. This is also why the 'Happy Birthday' phone call cites its her birthday, and then says she is much older than she is, since it's combining the years of her previous life and it's Alessa's birthday, not Heather's. You may have read Harry's note in SH3 where he says he almost strangled the baby, but decided to keep it? (you get it after the house scene and its in your inventory) Well, Heather is basically the grown-up reincarnation of Alessa/Cheryl, but she doesn't remember her past fully as Alessa was left to die in SH. She ultimately rejoins with Alessa's 'shadow' (not actually her as she's dead, but the fragrance of her power and memories in the town from her important to the Order, relationship with the God, and the side that scarred Silent Hill as it was in part with her deeper darkness), who eventually rejoins with Heather in the carousel fight and brings Heather her memories of her previous life as Alessa.

 

[>:)]

The only thing I didn't quite get was why they used Brookhaven instead of Alchemilla Hospital. I mean yeah they slapped a damn fine coat of paint on it to make it feel fresh, but since it's a direct SH1 sequel, it's just seemed like a waste, considering we were just there in SH2.

 

[Lothar]

Which version of SH3 did you play, OP?

The newer HD version has worse voice actors and the voice actress for Heather is more nonchalant and unphased by everything and I can't stand that version because of that. She lost a lot of her character.

The original SH3 is my favorite survival horror game and Heather is one of my favorite protagonists of all video games. She had a ton of personality. She showed fear and disgust, but was also brave and determined. She was believably written and acted in all of her emotional scenes.

 

[John Rabbit]

Silent Hill 3 is the better game. Silent Hill 2 is the better experience. Both are seriously some of the best survival horror titles in history.

Regarding Heather's seeming disconnectedness from the events unfolding around her, I feel like that's an aspect of the franchise as a whole. James Sunderland feels like he's constantly coming off a cough syrup binge.

 

[Lime]

One of the best video games of all time

 

[Jacobi]

Wish there'd be still games like that

 

[Clarkus Darkus]

Loved it, The atmosphere, Visuals. Great game.

 

[TokiDoki]

The last good Silent Hills . That phrase "they looks like monster to you" downright sent a shiver down my spine . The game is very unnerving which is very fitting to Silent Hill world . Oh and the "red room" hehehe

 

[Moon_frogger]

Nothing at all Wrong with playing any of the games first. People are silly. Definitely give silent hill 2 a shot tho. The writing is a bit better and the overall story, music and atmosphere is definitely way better

 

[JudgmentJay]

What do fans of Silent Hill games think about 3? Was I wrong to go into this with high expectations?

Both Silent Hill 2 and 3 are 10/10 masterpieces in my opinion. I'm ashamed to say I haven't played 1.

 

[Dibbz]

Which version of SH3 did you play, OP?

The newer HD version has worse voice actors and the voice actress for Heather is more nonchalant and unphased by everything and I can't stand that version because of that. She lost a lot of her character.

The original SH3 is my favorite survival horror game and Heather is one of my favorite protagonists of all video games. She had a ton of personality. She showed fear and disgust, but was also brave and determined. She was believably written and acted in all of her emotional scenes.

I played the PS2 version and it sounded pretty bad but standards have changed but I don't knock it for being old.

Does anyone know what the perfume was for? I recall having it in my inventory for a long time but don't think I ever used it.

 

[lordmrw]

where do you guys play / got SH series? so damn hard to get them for PC

I still have my copy of Silent Hill 3 for PC that came out on six cds. Or was that 2? I should check, these games are about due for a replay.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

I LOVED Silent Hill 2. I finished it several months ago.

I can't finish Silent Hill 3. Threw in the towel last week. Way too much emphasis on combat and it's filled with small hallways with enemies that Heather tupically misses, can't run over or around, and they knock you down into the ground with a stupid motionless animation that takes way too long to get back up. There are way more problems than that, but the game is just bad imo.

 

[Truant]

Downpour is actually pretty decent once you get to the "open world" part in the city. The side quests are great.

 

[Shauni]

Yeah, as others have said, SH3 is a direct sequel to SH1, so you're missing a lot of the context in the later part of the game. I find the story is much more enjoyable when you've played SH1 first, or at the very least, know the story.

 

[benicillin]

SH3 is my favorite Silent Hill. So damn good. Fantastic soundtrack, some fantastic enemy design, great graphics. Heather's one of my favorite female protagonists ever.

So sad that Konami totally poisoned the well and totally fucked over the HD re-release. That could've been great.

 

[Calamari41]

Loved all three Silent Hill games, but 3 was an especially immersive experience for me. I had just gotten my wisdom teeth out right as the game was released, so for the entire playthrough I tasted dried blood in my mouth and was slightly hopped up on pain killers. Amazing.