Silent Hill 3 is better than Silent Hill 2

ULTROS!

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
So I've been replaying Silent Hill 1-3 every year and I've come to the consensus that I like Silent Hill 3 more than 2, reasons why:

- 3 is what I expected from Silent Hill: disturbing, dark, bloody, scary
- For some reason, I like the environment of 3 more than 2. 2 feels sad and gloomy but 3 is more disturbing due to the unknown cult-like environments.
- The lore of 3 is interesting since it discusses the religion of Silent Hill much more (basically expands more from the first Silent Hill)
- Lots of random scare stuff found here moreso than 2
- I love Claudia

So anyone here prefer 3 over 2?
 
>So anyone here prefer 3 over 2?

no, get out!

joking, of course. No I prefer SH2 by a large margin. I played both when they released back on the PS2 and SH3 felt like a huge step back for me. Gone was the psychological and often suble horror from SH2 and back was the "in your face" brutal, bloody horror from SH1. I like SH3, especially that memorable line*, but in my book, it can't compete with SH2.

*
Ma1Kb8s.gif
 
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sponk said:
>So anyone here prefer 3 over 2?

no, get out!

joking, of course. No I prefer SH2 by a large margin. I played both when they released back on the PS2 and SH3 felt like a huge step back for me. Gone was the psychological and often suble horror from SH2 and back was the "in your face" brutal, bloody horror from SH1. I like SH3, especially that memorable line*, but it in my book, it can't compete with SH2.

*
Ma1Kb8s.gif
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Agreed. IMO 2 isn't just the best Silent Hill game. It's the best survival horror game of all time. No other SH game is in the same league.

Yeah, I know Heather is my avi, but that's because James looks a lot more outdated than she does. Maybe I'll update to a Pyramid Head avi sometime.
 
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It's hard to choose which ones is my favourite. I think Silent Hill 1,2,3 and even 4 are all amazing games(Origins was not Team Silent, but still a pretty decent Silent Hill game as well.) So I really can't say which is absolutely the best one.
 
SH 1, 2 and 3 are all great games. They are true horror games that instill psychological fear inside you unlike current horror games that relies heavily on cheap jump scares. Its crazy how these games were made 15+ years ago and the industry has failed to replicate such work done by team SH.

They are all timeless classics in my book.
 
I felt that they both had different themes that did the series justice, though I prefer 3 because the enhanced graphics led to some really disturbing scenes like the mirror room. This is definitely a series they should bring up to date technologically (models, textures, lighting, sounds, UI) and release as an anthology.
 
I only ever finished the 1st one. I played 2 and 3 multiple times but I could never finish them, then I bought Silent Hill on PS3 and beat it about 2 or 3 years ago. I guess I like the 1st one the most.
 
Agree 100%. I never say it because I get tired just thinking about how I'll defend that statement, so thanks for falling on the sword. Good luck to you and your family for the duration of the thread.
 
TexMex said:
Agree 100%. I never say it because I get tired just thinking about how I'll defend that statement, so thanks for falling on the sword. Good luck to you and your family for the duration of the thread.
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Did you read the content of the thread? 🤣

Edit: Sorry mispost, suppose to be a reply on another thread lol
 
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SH3 was every bit as scary as 1 and 2 but it seemed a bit lazy to me. It was a sequel to the first game but it didn't really add much in terms of story. The first game had a much deeper and complex story while 3's was very straightforward and basic. You didn't really have to figure things out like you did with the 1st game. I also didn't like how they reused the same areas from 2. Since it's a sequel to SH1 it would've been nice to explore the school, hospital and sewer areas again with updated PS2 graphics but instead you just go back to Brookhaven again. I liked the game but it doesn't feel like they put as much effort into it. I would even say I liked The Room more.
 
Both are perfect, and while maybe SH2 is objectively the better game and the better survival horror experience overall (if only by a little), Silent Hill 3 is still my GOAT for many personal reasons.

Silent Hill 3 was the first game I ever bought with my own money, back in high-school. I even spent a year of my life localizing the full game in my native language (Bulgarian).

That was the game that made me a life-long survival horror fan, its soundtrack made me a fan of numerous subgenres like shoegaze, post-punk, dark ambient etc. and established my current musical tastes. The same goes for all kinds of surreal, avantgarde horror cinema the series draws inspiration from.

I even managed to contact Ito and talk about some of these things. One of the most memorable experiences I ever had.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTHING will match the impact Silent Hill had on me. There's so much of what I am today that I owe to Team Silent... and that small foggy resort town.

Now... excuse me while I go crying in the corner about what could have been if Team Silent was still here, making more games.
 
Personally I think 1 is the most superior in terms of being a horror game since there's a wide variety of monsters and more locations, not to mention it's longer than both games. Plus the impact of the first time arriving in Silent Hill and the other world.
 
Difficult proposition as I am fond of both of these games. I do think the third game was darker, and more atmospheric. So, I'll agree for today. I only played the demo of the first game (that came with Metal Gear Solid), so I cannot share my opinion on that game. Did like the re-imagining, Shattered Memories though, one of the best games on the Wii I think. Origins was great too in my book, which I had on the PS2 and PSP.

A reminder:
 
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SH2's story about euthanasia/mercy killing and the meaning of that loss was amazing and it was essentially a well written character story. Everything in that game has a psychological meaning from James' perspective and possibly exists mostly in his mind (something the game enforces in character interactions). In comparison, SH3 was full of occultist mumbo jumbo and the story was pretty conventional IMHO.

Everybody says SH3 has better combat and survival elements, but in my playthrough I remember finding the katana casually and the rest of the game suddenly lost any horror elements as I could simply destroy most enemies in combat with no issues.

The best Silent Hill is probably the first one you play, though. A lot of the horror fades away once you become used to the games' mechanics (such as monsters becoming far less scary when you realize damage is easily avoidable, they won't follow you through doors, etc).
 
I loved the phychological,stand-alone aspects of SH2's story much more than the typical occult stuff from SH1 and SH3. Not that i didn't liked SH1 and SH3 (i loved them) but the story in SH2 is way much more original and interesting IMO.
 
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I used to think that way but nowadays I think 2 is without a doubt the best game in the series.

What hurts 3 is the reused content from 2, thematically it would have made more sense to revisit Paleville than South Vale.

It's not that big of a deal as it is cool how it ties it in with 2, but obviously it's better for a game to be all new new than reuse assets, it feels like a somewhat lazy time saving method.

But overall 3 is still utterly fantastic and one of my all time favorite games, I love it dearly and it really depresses me we never got another Silent Hill as good as it.
 
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I should play this game. I bought the HD Collection only for 2 so never bothered with the third game.

What's the best way to play? PS Now?
 
I have just finished SH3 this weekend again(after replaying both 1 and 2 earlier this year) and what I found interesting is that how much better the second half is of the game than the first. The first part is just frustrating with boring level design but the second half is awesome. However, no better horror game exists yet than SH2. That's a masterpiece not only among horror games but among all videogames ever made.
 
1 and 2 over 3 any day.

I feel like 3 lost a certain subtlety after 2's top-tier psychological goings-on. Doubling down on the series' hardcore elements (more opressive environments, scarier monsters, etc) and needlessly extending the plot of SH1 always felt a little ham-fisted to me.
 
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I agree. 3 is my favorite Silent Hill. No other Silent Hill comes close to the level of creepiness and disturbing subject matter in 3.
 
Neff said:
And so is Downpour.
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no way and I'm one of those who actually enjoys all SH games (even though Homecoming was a fundamental misunderstanding of what made Silent Hill great in first place) except the Vita one. The first 3 are in a league of their own. They are not the most accessible games and you could argue about the controls (personally I think they did it on purpose, because you play a regular person and not some superhero that could kill 1000 zombies with a blink of an eye), but they will always remain special in my book.

1. SH2
2. SH3
3. SH1
4. SH4
5. SH Shattered Memories
6. SH Downpour
7. SH Origins
8. SH Homecoming
9. SH Book of Memories
 
I definetly prefer 2 because I was more invested in James' than in ...um whatever her name was. 2 was very much an emotional ride of a game . 3 I found was more unsettling and disturbing (in a good way) and had more lore which I love watching videos about. They're both great games and no one should feel any kind of way of liking one over the other
 
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SH3 is a perfectly fine game, hell, even a great horror game ! Incredible graphics for its day (especially the facial animations), insanely creppy mood, a dark trip-hop soundtrack mixed with rockier tunes, a tougher challenge than before (the number of times I ran out of ammo in this game...), a decent story with occult stuff galore : the last truly great Silent Hill (4 and Shattered Memories were quite good but not on the same level IMO).

SH2 is an absolute work of art that needs to be treasured like we treasure the greatest books, movies and paintings. Like Yahtzee said, it's one of those games that makes the gaming medium worth defending and being passionate for.

It's been a while I played those two games. I sorta remember some SH3 scenes, but I still vividly remember (in my restless dreams...) everything in SH2. This game did an impact on me the other one didn't, but of course, both are absolute must-plays for horror games fans.
 
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They're both in my top 10 games of all time, but I do slightly prefer 3. James is more complex, sure, but I just like following Heather more. And yeah, in terms of horror, 3 scares me far more than 2. Christ, the fucking ambience through just the audio is on a whole other level with the music and horrifying sounds you hear as you explore the areas.

Also, I didn't find the hotel in 2 scary at all, so that was kind of a let down compared to the 3 big areas before it(apartments, hospital, and the Historical Society). Hearing Mary's voice whisper "James" was creepy (and interesting how it only happens sometimes, I'm curious if it's truly random or if some of your actions up to that point affect it) but that was about it.
 
peronmls said:
What meaty post... anyway

2 has the best drama and 3 has the best environment and enemies. Enemies actually look like something in 3. 2 the enemies looked like walking mush.
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Atmosphere, music (or sound effects), tension, fear, etc are all better in 2.
Enemies are better in 2 too because they make you tense to the point to fear to encounter them.

That is what matters for a horror game and why 2 is ahead others games of the same genre.

That said 3 is not bad... the opposite it is great... it just fall below (and perhaps disappointing) when compared with the previous game.

But hey the OP did made a question... and the answer is "nope".
 
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2 is my baby, my absolute favorite game of all time, that being said, I totally understand your opinion. A lot of other friends of mine that are huge Silent Hill junkies either loved 2/3 the most, so it's not too much of a surprise.

3, for me, is not too far behind 2 honestly. They're practically touching, haha.
 
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