67: Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
Developer: Konami
Year: 2003
It took talent to take a game as convoluted and easy to misunderstand as the first Silent Hill game and turn it around and create a franchise from it. But Konami and “Team Silent” nailed it with the second game. To follow it up, though, they decided to go back and make an attempt at validating the first game’s plot by creating a direct sequel, a game that follows the events of Harry’s plight in the haunted and eerie town of Silent Hill, somewhat, while at the same time explaining just what the hell happened. Along the way, new scares, new characters, and new scenes play out like a nightmare for the game’s protagonist and the player of the game his-or-her self.
Taking up the mantle of “kick-ass Mason family member” in this game is Heather, Harry’s adopted daughter (from the first game’s “good ending”), now 17, now full of angst, now killing giant monsters, now running from crazed, bleeding bunny costumes. By giving players a chance to play as the “chosen one” – the supposed birth mother of a god – the game allows you to investigate further into the mysteries surrounding the fanatical cult in Silent Hill, including discovering new secrets about Dahlia (the first game’s antagonist) and her sister, as well as their abusive father. You’ll also learn a ton about the founding of the town of Silent Hill along the way, going back further in time than previously disclosed in the series. In the end, when the final boss is put down, the story brings the events of the first game full circle and resolves any confusion brought up at the same time.
Visually, the game is only a bit better than Silent Hill 2, although most of this is due to the far more “close quaters” gameplay that seems to be featured heavily in this game, especially in comparison to the previous two games. Heather spends less time on the streets of Silent Hill and, as such, very little fog is necessary to both hide the draw distances and keep the enemies out of sight at the same time. This allows for some better detailed (and that much more horrible looking) monsters and equally detailed environments. Again, the world is in full 3D, so you have full access to your entire surroundings and can search every nook and toilet (well, she won’t stick her hand down any… she claims is too gross. Her father did it, though, so how bad could it be?) for everything you’ll need to win.
The gameplay is just like the others, though, and thats where the Silent Hill series stands above all others (at least, up until the 4th game, which started quite a decline in quality, overall). Exploration and a lot of running dominate the play time almost 100%, since Heather – like her father – is not a warrior or soldier of any kind. Her strength is weak, her aim is not so good, and her running speed can only be maintained for so long. You can take out every enemy in the game, but its not something I’d suggest; ammo is so sparce and health is even more spread out, so if you run out of stuff, the game’s (FANTASTIC!) boss battles will leave you dry and – in the end – very dead.
All in all, Silent Hill 3 took the best of the previous two games and churned out another great title for the franchise and, some might argue, the final game of any real note. While it doesn’t have any scenes or monsters that are as memorable as those found in SH2, the game does feature enough freak-outs and grating, screeching moments in the soundtrack to keep it in the style of those games that came before it. And it also has Valtiel, a monster that is, really, almost as creepy as Pyramid Head in that he doesn’t do anything to you other than follow you and torture nurses for – seemingly – no reason. The game has its moments, makes sense of the first game’s all-over-the-dame-place plot, and has the best UFO ending in the series!
Classic Moment:
Near the end of the game, you spend a lot of time covering ground Harry went through in the first game. In the orginal Silent Hill title, Harry saved his game by “writing notes” on pads of paper he found. In the final areas of the game, Heather comes across these paper scrawlings and you’re able to read the notes Harry left behind. Why they decided to include this is beyond me, but it creates a real connection between the first and third game, between Harry and Heather, and between the franchise and the player.
Added January 23, 2017
I saw so many spelling mistakes in this one, you guys. But… posterity and all that.
I wish they’d re-release the HD remaster of 2 and 3 on PSN so I could get them on PS4. I missed the chance to get the PS3 versions and now they’re too expensive. Alas! I’ve played the first two a number of times but only got through 3 once, so I’d like to give it another go.
And shame on Young Skyler for not giving the moment to the mirror room. Asshole.
skylerbartels 