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» articles & tutorialsSilent Hill 3
The first Silent Hill wowed us with horror, the second continued that tradition and r0x0red the b0x0r with it’s graphics, but the third Silent Hill had to bring something new to the table to impress fans. They didn’t. Instead, they dug up something old: the story from the first Silent Hill. Sure, we all loved James Sunderland and his search for his dead wife in Silent Hill 2. Still, in the back of my mind, I still wondered what happened to good old Harry Mason and that baby he took with him. Silent Hill 3 picks up 17 years after the incident in the first Silent Hill. The story is now told this time via Harry’s daughter, Heather. A witty teenage girl in a miniskirt, Heather brings a new attitude to the genre. Unlike Harry and James who’d jump down dark holes and stick their hands in places the Roto Rooter man wouldn’t dare touch, Heather has a bit more of a “fuck that” philosophy when it comes to crazy shit. Still, you’ll find she can keep her cool under fire and takes after her old man when it comes to bludgeoning heads in with a lead pipe. Expect no diversion from the action you’re used to if you’ve played any of the prior Silent Hills. The survival-horror style combat is exactly the same as it was before. The only differences in the action are the enemies and the weapons you pick up. One of my biggest beefs with Silent Hill 2 was the lack of variety in weapons and especially monsters. Konami went and fixed that with the third installment, so now you’ll wield everything from katanas to flamethrowers whilst battling everything from one-eyed walking tadpoles to gluttonous giant zombies. The replay factor is definitely an improvement over Silent Hill 2, which wasn’t nearly as replayable as the first game. There are three secret weapons you can get that I’ve counted. On top of that, there are tons of different outfits you can find throughout the game if you’re the sick type that likes to play dress-up with girlie clothes. <img src="http://my.awesomenet.net/~anthson/sh31.jpg"> The visual effects are probably the biggest improvement over the prior game. While in the hellish nightmare realms, expect to be creeped out worse than you ever have before. Turn the lights on and play with a friend, cuz this shit is going to fucking scare you. Describing the haunting graphics and effects wouldn’t do them justice, really. Trying to tell you the way the halls subtly change to blood and rust as you walk down them or how Heather sees her self slowly zombify in a mirror reflection just doesn’t stir up the feeling you get when you actually experience it. <img src="http://my.awesomenet.net/~anthson/sh32.jpg"> Despite its wonderful achievements, the game does have a few flaws. Unlike the last two, this Silent Hill doesn’t grab your attention and freak you the fuck out at first. In fact, it takes a good while before you can actually get into this game. The fabled town doesn’t even make an appearance in the game until you’re about half way through it. Konami also chose to add more of the unfair wrong-choice-you’re-dead situations. Save often, because trying to go around that locked door via the open subway tracks next to it will get you run over, and crossing that bridge without solving the puzzle first will leave you in a digestive state. Probably most disappointing of all is the lack of endings. There are only three endings in Silent Hill 3, and two of them blow. Surprisingly, those two are the ones that are hardest to get. Don’t let the downfalls distract you, though. This is one well-tuned, detailed, and fun game packed with hours of replay value. I bought a Playstation 2 for this game alone, and after beating it, I can safely say I don’t regret the purchase. Buy it. Play it. Love it. This is one for the collection. <i>Special thanks to my lovely wife, sarajane, on her birthday today for playing through most of this game while I watched. May Konami continue their Silent Hill tradition so I can purchase them for birthdays and birthdays into the future.</i> |
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