Game Review: Silent Hill 3

Anticrombie0909 · 07-13-2004, 05:37 PM

Game Review: Silent Hill 3
Platform: Playstation 2, PC
Publisher: Konami
ESRB: M
Genre: Survival Horror

Pros:
Scary as hell
Ties the Silent Hill plotline together
Excellent graphics, shadows, audio

Cons:
Sloppy control
Incoherent plot
Terrible fixed camera
Quite difficult, frustrating at times

Prepare to be scared.
Any Silent Hill vet can tell you what the series boasts- sickeningly disturbing monsters, only barely plausible plots strung together by storyline loopholes, and real time shadows that are bested by nothing. Silent Hill 3 does not differ from the mold, but takes the earlier games to a whole new level by providing the biggest set of scares ever seen this side of the T.V. set.

Was it a shadow?
Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror game. It's basically the definition of the genre. The monsters are gruesome and realistic, and the real time shadows are second-to-none. Every aspect of the game is bent on twisting you into a state of psychological frenzy, almost as if it's testing you to see how long you'll last. The walls and floors are dirty and stained, combined with a purposefully grainy graphics engine, making it feel like the arbitrary environments (amusement park, mall, hospital) have been abandoned for 50 years. All the lights have disappeared, so you rely on your trusty flashlight that barely lights up 5 feet ahead of foggy landscape to find your way.

By far the most disturbing aspect of the game, however, is the audio. Accompanied by a magic radio that plays static when monsters loom near, along with crystal clear visuals that blast the moaning of monsters and screams in the night, the game would be half as scary played with the sound off. But the other half is plenty scary, with scripted scenes that resonate in your mind long after you've left the area. At one point, you knock on the locked door of a bathroom stall to get knocks in return. As the door slowly creaks open, you decide there must be a person there. Upon investigating, all you discover is a toilet- covered- in blood.

The monsters are extremely well rendered, with nice animations and creepy sound effects. Ranging from the size of a dog to a hulking behemoth with hands the size of compact cars, you have a limited variety of weapons to reduce these abominations to bloody pulp, including a knife, rusty pipe, pistol, and even such killing machines as submachine guns and a katana. The game is still very difficult though, with ammo and health packs scarce, in the traditional manner of survival horror games.

The really horrifying part.

There are a lot of survival horror game cliches, including a bad camera and bad controls. Unfortunately, Silent Hill 3 follows these as well. The 3d control scheme allows you to handle Heather (your character) with the grace of a small truck, and the lack of a coherent auto-aim and a 1 dimensional fighting style make it easier to simply run away from the shambling horrors. Also, become familiar with the phrase "the lock is broken, I can't open the door." Why? You'll utter it every 10 seconds, as every single door that doesn't have a purpose says that. Considering one of the levels takes place in a 3 story shopping mall, you have to wonder what Konami was thinking. Prepare to do a lot of backtracking, checking, and rechecking all the doors, since sometimes you'll need to find a certain item or witness a scripted event in order to continue. "Linear" is the name of the game here.

The thing about Silent Hill was that for me, it turned out to be more like a movie than anything. The strong cinematic presentation, coupled with the spellbounding graphics and horror made it seem like it should have been a B-level movie instead of a game. Because really, had it not been for the horror, it wasn't all that much fun to play.

However...
It is a survival horror game. And it does its job well- very well, in fact. So if you're looking for deep, fun gameplay, look elsewhere. But if you love survival horror, scaring the crap out of yourself, and insomnia, or happen to be a fan of the franchise, this game is worth your money. Just make sure to buy some sleeping pills beforehand, and load that shotgun.

Final Score: 72%

ShadowSkill · 07-13-2004, 06:07 PM

this game owns (best to leave out the bad camera/controls)

**Moogy** · 07-13-2004, 10:23 PM

SH3 is okay.

SH1 and SH2 are a lot better.

I can't wait for SH4. =)

Kenzya · 07-14-2004, 11:41 PM

You should try Fatal Frame II.

07-13-2004, 05:37 PM	#1
Anticrombie0909 FFR Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4,683	Game Review: Silent Hill 3 Game Review: Silent Hill 3 Platform: Playstation 2, PC Publisher: Konami ESRB: M Genre: Survival Horror Pros: Scary as hell Ties the Silent Hill plotline together Excellent graphics, shadows, audio Cons: Sloppy control Incoherent plot Terrible fixed camera Quite difficult, frustrating at times Prepare to be scared. Any Silent Hill vet can tell you what the series boasts- sickeningly disturbing monsters, only barely plausible plots strung together by storyline loopholes, and real time shadows that are bested by nothing. Silent Hill 3 does not differ from the mold, but takes the earlier games to a whole new level by providing the biggest set of scares ever seen this side of the T.V. set. Was it a shadow? Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror game. It's basically the definition of the genre. The monsters are gruesome and realistic, and the real time shadows are second-to-none. Every aspect of the game is bent on twisting you into a state of psychological frenzy, almost as if it's testing you to see how long you'll last. The walls and floors are dirty and stained, combined with a purposefully grainy graphics engine, making it feel like the arbitrary environments (amusement park, mall, hospital) have been abandoned for 50 years. All the lights have disappeared, so you rely on your trusty flashlight that barely lights up 5 feet ahead of foggy landscape to find your way. By far the most disturbing aspect of the game, however, is the audio. Accompanied by a magic radio that plays static when monsters loom near, along with crystal clear visuals that blast the moaning of monsters and screams in the night, the game would be half as scary played with the sound off. But the other half is plenty scary, with scripted scenes that resonate in your mind long after you've left the area. At one point, you knock on the locked door of a bathroom stall to get knocks in return. As the door slowly creaks open, you decide there must be a person there. Upon investigating, all you discover is a toilet- covered- in blood. The monsters are extremely well rendered, with nice animations and creepy sound effects. Ranging from the size of a dog to a hulking behemoth with hands the size of compact cars, you have a limited variety of weapons to reduce these abominations to bloody pulp, including a knife, rusty pipe, pistol, and even such killing machines as submachine guns and a katana. The game is still very difficult though, with ammo and health packs scarce, in the traditional manner of survival horror games. The really horrifying part. There are a lot of survival horror game cliches, including a bad camera and bad controls. Unfortunately, Silent Hill 3 follows these as well. The 3d control scheme allows you to handle Heather (your character) with the grace of a small truck, and the lack of a coherent auto-aim and a 1 dimensional fighting style make it easier to simply run away from the shambling horrors. Also, become familiar with the phrase "the lock is broken, I can't open the door." Why? You'll utter it every 10 seconds, as every single door that doesn't have a purpose says that. Considering one of the levels takes place in a 3 story shopping mall, you have to wonder what Konami was thinking. Prepare to do a lot of backtracking, checking, and rechecking all the doors, since sometimes you'll need to find a certain item or witness a scripted event in order to continue. "Linear" is the name of the game here. The thing about Silent Hill was that for me, it turned out to be more like a movie than anything. The strong cinematic presentation, coupled with the spellbounding graphics and horror made it seem like it should have been a B-level movie instead of a game. Because really, had it not been for the horror, it wasn't all that much fun to play. However... It is a survival horror game. And it does its job well- very well, in fact. So if you're looking for deep, fun gameplay, look elsewhere. But if you love survival horror, scaring the crap out of yourself, and insomnia, or happen to be a fan of the franchise, this game is worth your money. Just make sure to buy some sleeping pills beforehand, and load that shotgun. Final Score: 72%

07-13-2004, 06:07 PM	#2
ShadowSkill FFR Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: well...Let's say it's in a house Posts: 118	this game owns (best to leave out the bad camera/controls) __________________ http://www.13thlabour.tk

07-13-2004, 10:23 PM	#3
Moogy 嗚呼 Join Date: Aug 2003 Age: 34 Posts: 10,303	SH3 is okay. SH1 and SH2 are a lot better. I can't wait for SH4. =) __________________ Plz visit my blog ^^^ vintage signature from like 2006 preserved

07-14-2004, 11:41 PM	#4
Kenzya FFR Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Illicorn Posts: 3,411	You should try Fatal Frame II. __________________ One Time I Sucked Six in a Row (Locust Toybox Remix) Write to me Stick Stickly p.o. box 963 New York City New York State 10108 I'm Still Alive

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