Best PS2 Game Ever (but only the second scariest game ever)!!!!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I have been a huge fan of horror games since the very first Resident Evil came along. Then Silent Hill beat RE. Then I found Silent Hill 2 and was blown away. That was the scariest game I have ever played. I still make that statement after playing Silent Hill 3 also. Scariness aside, SH3 is the all around finest game ever made for PS2. I don't play other consoles often so I can't say it is the best game for ANY console but seeing how PS2 is generally regarded as having the best game selection, I do not think many would argue by saying SH3 is the finest game ever. I make that statement for only two reasons. Quality of graphics, quality of sound and overall atmosphere.

ATMOSPHERE

When you read on the box that this game is scary, you better believe it. Straight from the beginning, you are thrust into a bizarre world of monsters, horrific landscapes, disturbing images, and creepy sounds. You wander around a town named Silent Hill that has somehow become connected with an alternate reality, one that is straight from a very disturbing nightmare. As in all survival horror games, you must find certain items, solve puzzles, and either kill monsters or avoid them by using stealth and strategy. Using too much ammunition to kill monsters will leave you helpless when facing the "Boss" monsters. Not killing them means you have to avoid them each time you return to that area, a strategy that will surely cause you to get hit by them sooner or later. Only by finding certain items can you move further into the game.

CUTSCENE GRAPHICS

During the cutscenes where the game reveals certain aspects of the storyline, the characters are as finely detailed as can be imagined. You see clearly the facial expressions, body language, and even detailed skin blemishes. It is not quite as good as the computer generated movie "Final Fantasy" but it comes close. You will see some very disturbing images during these cutscenes and if you have young children, do not let them watch unless you want them to be too scared to sleep in their own bed!

GAMEPLAY GRAPHICS

The main character is the only one you see in gameplay. The details are not as sharp as the cutscene graphics but you really do not have time to notice them as you are so engrossed in finding the next item or avoiding the next monster. The monsters are finely detailed and are very unique. The landscapes are the best part of the gameplay. Splatters of blood, rust, dirt, and every other finely tuned detail makes the landscapes very realistic and disturbing.

SOUND

Hands down, the best overall sound of any game. The static hissed by the radio when monsters are near, the steady drip of a leaky faucet, the unexplained "thumps", and the eerie background music all combine to make this a very scary game. The sounds are unique to different areas of the game so the effect never wears off.

GAMEPLAY

Very smooth. Not much improvement over Silent Hill 2 but a little bit better. The combat, is a bit more smooth. You can change directions while firing guns or swinging pipes a bit easier and the character is a bit easier to control. This may be due to the fact that I have become accustomed to what is required to move the character but it seems easier than past Silent Hill games. The camera angle is still sometimes hard to maneuver to get the best angle but that just adds to the scary element of the game. A notable improvement in SH3 over any game on the market is when a character comes to a ledge. Every other game just has the character stop moving and literally run in place. When you move the character to the edge in SH3, she looses her balance and teeters on the edge and almost falls off. This adds a tremendous amount of realism to the game. I have heard that if you go the edge enough in a short amount of time, she will actually fall off, but I have tried to make her fall with no success.

ORIGINALITY

As with any sequel, the game is very similar to its predescessors. SH3 is a much improved version of past Silent Hill games. The object of the game is identical. The quality of graphics and sound, however, make it a better game. The biggest selling point is the fact that it is a horror game and very scary. This is where the game is not as good as Silent Hill 2. I was extremely scared while playing Silent Hill 2, enough so that I actually turned on a light at one point. Although I did jump a few times while playing Silent Hill 3, I did not have that same feeling in my stomach as I did with Silent Hill 2. I believe the horror game genre peaked with Silent Hill 2 and SH3 continues to be scary, but it has all been done before. One thing that makes the game even better is if you have a save file from Silent Hill 2 on the same memory card as you Silent Hill 3 file. I heard about this halfway through the game and copied a SH2 file onto the same memory card. You get a bunch of "extras" throughout the game. Some are amusing and some are scary.

STORYLINE

I have read many sites and many reviews about the story surrounding the town Silent Hill. I have played every game in the series and have yet to figure out just what happened in the town. The game claims to "reveal" more info about what happened but with each new game, I get more confused. Are all these people (from each game) running around Silent Hill at the same time? Are there many "alternate" Silent Hills? Who knows? Each story is basically the same and each character is revealing a little bit about what has happened and what is happening but at this rate, we are going to be on Silent Hill 25 before we know what happened. Regardless, of storyline, this game in and of itself is outstanding.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS GAME

If you enjoy survival horror games, you definitely want to get this. However, I have a feeling that anyone who does enjoy this type of game does not need me to tell them to buy it. If you have never played a survival horror game, you definitely want to give it a try. Rent it and see how yo like it. I think you will enjoy it. Some gamers like action and non-stop shooting. If you do, do not buy this game. There is very little shooting involved and a smart player will try to shoot as little as possible. If you want to try it out and have an open mind, this is the best there is so you cannot go wrong.