Silent Hill 3 Review

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Silent Hill 3

Review by Old RoosterFebruary 2004

“Where Am I?” —Heather

A young girl appears to be dreaming. Or is she? These visions or remembrances or reality (?) take her from an amusement park to a mall to a hospital, with stops along the way. As the authors phrase it: “It happened suddenly, without warning, and seemingly without reason. The simple happiness she had known was gone. Her entire world was transformed into a grotesque and bizarre nightmare. She was caught in the middle.”

In this interesting third iteration of the classic Silent Hill series, the developers make quite a departure from previous formulas, at least as regards playable character. This time you play, in third-person perspective, an “ordinary” teenage girl who immediately finds herself caught up in really strange places and situations. Beginning in an uninhabited amusement park, in the evening, Heather soon finds herself transported to her favorite shopping mall, which does have some inhabitants—but they’re not shoppers!

“Is this a Dream? It’s Got to Be.” —Heather

Let’s chat for a moment about the technicalities of Silent Hill 3. As a very nicely done port of the classic PS2 title, SH3 ships with five game CDs plus one full-hour music CD, to recreate atmosphere during your nonplaying times. Installation broke a record for this gamer, taking 5.2 gigabytes of space on the hard drive!  However, there were no glitches, crashes or other anomalies during my entire 15 to 20 hours of playing time. Further, this PC version allows saving anywhere, as well as providing a quick save and load feature set, with instant response time. Given the smoothness of the operation, as well as excellent visuals and sound, I didn’t mind the gigantic installation. Further, it looked outstanding and ran smoothly on my moderate nVidia 3, Pentium IV, XP setup.

“The Door Is Locked”

This, and parallel messages, will be sent your way many, many times during the course of the game. Frustratingly, many or even most of those doors never do open, nor need they be opened. In some respects, SH3 plays as a quite tedious door-opening item hunt punctuated by interludes of rather absurd creature fights and the occasional moments of shock and horror. It’s the latter, those times of horror, coupled with the anticipation of what may be coming, that makes SH3 a cautiously recommended experience.

The interface is well-done, readily accessible, and logical. In addition to a Heather Health indicator, you can bring up supplies (bullets, medicine), items (keys, flashlight), weapons (select and reload), maps (with a zoom feature), and a few other selections, as well as keyboard configuration. Once the shallow learning curve is overcome, there’s little to stand in the way of smooth gaming.  Hitting Esc pauses the game, except during cutscenes and fights, allowing you to be properly equipped, check the map, and think about your next move.

A bunch of other options are available. You can play in any of seven languages—from English to German to Korean—and use subtitles. The amount (!) and color of blood can be selected, as can resolution, light flare, shadows, brightness and even screen sharpness. Easy, normal and hard settings can be selected for Monster Level, as well as a Riddle (puzzles) Level.

Hotspots often prove to be a problem. You suspect you need an item, or a walkthrough even tells you it’s necessary. You know approximately where it is or should be, and it doesn’t show itself the way most collectibles reveal themselves (a noticeable little light on the screen). Three of my remaining 27 hairs were pulled looking for a bottle of bleach. “Stop screaming and get one from the laundry room,” says Mrs. Rooster. Well, she just doesn’t get it, does she? Of course, contributing to this occasionally frustrating item search is the general darkness of the whole place. You dearly want to turn on an overhead flourescent!

“What the Hell Is this Thing?” —Heather

Although not nearly at the level of Resident Evil’s zombies, Heather does confront a succession of slithering creatures that can kill her. Armed initially with only a knife, this mild-mannered suburban teenager soon learns to use her acquired pistol, katana and even a submachine gun! The fights with these baddies and the bosses are not especially satisfying. Essentially, it’s stab, stab, stab or shoot, shoot, shoot, with little regard for aiming, tactics or moves. You can usually also run from them, a preferred way to go, especially if you’ve saved your game just prior to confrontation, and can experiment a bit with direction—not running to a dead end, for example.

In essence, they’re a nuisance, and not much more, unless you choose to play at the hard level.

“What a Nightmare!” —Heather

As suggested, it’s the threat of the unknown, of what may be coming, that causes the greatest fear. The creators worked hard and well to evoke a sense of foreboding. The game world is dark (leading the adjustable light setting to be cranked up all the way), and you need your flashlight a good deal of the time. The settings, especially the mall, are also large, and the map is very useful.  But, perhaps, it’s ambient sound that will give you the creepiest feelings. There will be times of “dead” quiet, with only Heather’s footfalls and the hum of machinery evident, and then you’ll hear a bit of static, getting louder, on your special radio, meaning one of the monsters is very close.

Or you may have this kind of experience, one of my favorite in the game. The mall and its environs are a bloody mess, as you’ll see from the pictures. You explore one of those unlocked doors, finding it’s a ladies’ room. You have to acquire an item or two, but you also notice a stall door that looks interesting. You knock, and someone (something?) knocks back! There’s a blood-curdling noise, and the door partially opens. You enter, ready for anything, but find the stall empty—except for a vast amount of blood spattered upon the toilet and walls. It’s this sort of anticipated terror that forms the best aspect of the game, perhaps even the series.

“I Don’t Get It” —Heather

Perhaps I’m becoming a bit jaded with games of my favorite subgenre, horror, but I found, after the first hour or so, Silent Hill 3 rather tedious, sometimes boring, and always confounding, in terms of where it was going. Sure, the visuals, sounds and sense of dread are great stuff, especially if you’ve not played either of the first two games. But even with a new character and settings, we’ve been there and done that. Further, as a “game,” Silent Hill 3 falls short in a least three critical respects.  The “adventuring,” as in collecting and using items, is mainly primitive and superficial, and sometimes downright nasty in terms of finding cursor hotspots. Secondly, the fighting aspect is even more primitive, amounting to little more than weapon selection and button pounding. Finally, the story, without giving anything away, just doesn’t lead one to say, “Well, that was a trip worth taking.”

The primary appeal of Silent Hill 3 is setting and atmosphere.  SH3 is grungy, claustrophobic, very bloody—not a “full family” game. For many, this general creepiness of visuals and sounds, coupled with fear of the unknown, will be sufficient.  For this gamer, more is needed, leading to my mixed rating (“maybe yes, maybe no”).

What I Liked Most About Silent Hill 3

  • The game drips, sometimes literally, with atmosphere;
  • Graphics are outstanding;
  • Compelling sound track, voice work and ambient noises;
  • The port from PS2 is nicely done, with PC enhancements;
  • Significant game differences among the three difficulty levels.

What I Liked Least About the Game

  • Long stretches of tedious searching and monster bashing;
  • Sometimes awkward camera placement;
  • No real fighting moves or tactics—just button pounding;
  • A very lonely and dark world, with an odd storyline;
  • Sometimes critical item-finding problems. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release Date: November 28, 2003

Available for: PlayStation 2Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Pentium III 1 GHz (P4 1.4 recommended) 256 MB RAM (512 MB recommended) 32 MB 3D GeForce 2 video card DirectX 9.0a compatible sound card 5.2 GB free hard disk space

Where to Find It

GoGamer 19.90 (PC); 39.90 (PS2)

Prices/links current as of 2/23/04Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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