Silent Hill 3
Continuing with the Silent Hill trend, I'm now moving onto the next part in the series, Silent Hill 3. As I mentioned previously, I don't really have a favorite among the group; but the truth is Silent Hill 3 will always stick with me the most.
Although the whole idea with the series is that you get to see how the town reflects each of the protagonists differently and therefore there are no direct sequels, just new stories, Silent Hill 3 sidesteps that theme.
In this one, you (spoiler alert, simply because it's the best part of the story in my opinion.) unknowingly control the young girl you are trying to save in the first game. It isn't revealed until you go home to see your father and as a player discover his name; Harry Mason.
Silent Hill 3 stood out above part 2 for me for the story, which I enjoyed personally since it focused on a father-daughter relationship rather than the husband-wife relationship. Something that sits completely different for myself and draws deeper emotional parallels. The connection to the first game was also nice and slightly subtle. But it also stood out simply because it was the second generation of Silent Hill games produced on the PlayStation 2 and managed to get even better use out of it's power; producing a more polished looking game with walls that looked like they were dripping, peeling paint and just an incredible otherworldly feel.
On the topic of throwbacks, Silent Hill 3 also had this fantastic moment that brought me very close to needing new underwear. The game itself is frightening enough as it is, but for players who had taken part in Silent Hill 2 it was even better. At once point, you walk into a supply closet or some other kind of storage room that is filled with mannequins. Now, previously you found yourself fighting against these horrifying mannequin monsters as James Sunderland. So naturally you are expecting them to turn around and attack you at any moment, when you suddenly hear a noise and you're about ready to loose it only to discover one of the heads fell off and they really are just plain old mannequins.
Also, those freaky bunnies..
I also always love a good game that follows a female protagonist over a male one. Simply because there are so many games that focus only on a male character making a girl lead feel more fresh and unique. Silent Hill 3 was the only one that did that unfortunately, but at least it did it and for me that also makes it stand out as my favorite of the lot. Konami did release an HD remake of the two games (Silent Hill 2 and 3) and I'm surprised I've yet to pick it up. They are the two strongest of the series and I really should pick them back up and enjoy them again.
A funny note as well about the Silent Hill series. Since I picked up SH2 late into it's release, and because parts 3 and 4 were produced simultaneously and released within a year of each other I managed to find myself starting and completing a new Silent Hill game a year for 3 years. The best part was that I kept unintentionally completing each game on Halloween Night. I'd either started that month without really thinking anything of it, or in the case of SH4 I had put it down for a while and then picked it back up a couple weeks before October 31st. Each time, I unknowingly ended up at the final boss on Halloween night. It was like, some kind of horrific fated event. But also charmingly perfect.
Continuing with the Silent Hill trend, I'm now moving onto the next part in the series, Silent Hill 3. As I mentioned previously, I don't really have a favorite among the group; but the truth is Silent Hill 3 will always stick with me the most. Although the whole idea with the series is that you get to see how the town reflects each of the protagonists differently and therefore there are no direct sequels, just new stories, Silent Hill 3 sidesteps that theme.
In this one, you (spoiler alert, simply because it's the best part of the story in my opinion.) unknowingly control the young girl you are trying to save in the first game. It isn't revealed until you go home to see your father and as a player discover his name; Harry Mason.
Silent Hill 3 stood out above part 2 for me for the story, which I enjoyed personally since it focused on a father-daughter relationship rather than the husband-wife relationship. Something that sits completely different for myself and draws deeper emotional parallels. The connection to the first game was also nice and slightly subtle. But it also stood out simply because it was the second generation of Silent Hill games produced on the PlayStation 2 and managed to get even better use out of it's power; producing a more polished looking game with walls that looked like they were dripping, peeling paint and just an incredible otherworldly feel. On the topic of throwbacks, Silent Hill 3 also had this fantastic moment that brought me very close to needing new underwear. The game itself is frightening enough as it is, but for players who had taken part in Silent Hill 2 it was even better. At once point, you walk into a supply closet or some other kind of storage room that is filled with mannequins. Now, previously you found yourself fighting against these horrifying mannequin monsters as James Sunderland. So naturally you are expecting them to turn around and attack you at any moment, when you suddenly hear a noise and you're about ready to loose it only to discover one of the heads fell off and they really are just plain old mannequins. |
| Also, those freaky bunnies.. |
A funny note as well about the Silent Hill series. Since I picked up SH2 late into it's release, and because parts 3 and 4 were produced simultaneously and released within a year of each other I managed to find myself starting and completing a new Silent Hill game a year for 3 years. The best part was that I kept unintentionally completing each game on Halloween Night. I'd either started that month without really thinking anything of it, or in the case of SH4 I had put it down for a while and then picked it back up a couple weeks before October 31st. Each time, I unknowingly ended up at the final boss on Halloween night. It was like, some kind of horrific fated event. But also charmingly perfect.
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