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This game made my eyes bleed

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 35 / 50
Date: October 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

In the third game of this survival horror series, you take on the role of a teenaged girl named Heather. You begin at the mall, except your friends aren't there. No one is, except for a shady detective named Douglas. Heather doesn't trust him, and she runs from him into a twisted alternate reality made up of horrific scenes and populated by monsters. She meets a strange woman named Claudia, who hints at bringing about a new world of "paradise," though the things she's brought over so far don't seem like paradise to any sane person. Your goal, of course, is to stop her, and also to find out what it all has to do with Heather's hidden past.

You'll journey through many scenarios, though except for the amusement park and the brief outdoor segment, they all look pretty much the same. That's the biggest problem with this game: it's mind-numbingly repetitive. Probably 90% or more of the game time involves traveling through identical corridors, trying doors (most of which are impassable) and looking for useful items in rooms. I found this maddening. It isn't made any more bearable by the game's habit of constantly changing camera angles so that you don't know whether you are coming or going. Much as I enjoyed looking at Heather, it isn't at all practical.

It's recommended that you avoid fighting monsters whenever possible, as ammunition is scarce, and this is a survival game, not a shooter. This is wise for another reason and that is that the combat system is lousy. If you're using a melee weapon other than your feeble knife (again, conserving ammo is recommended) Heather takes so long to raise the weapon and strike that whatever you're fighting has a chance to get an attack in and abort your attempt altogether. And again, the illogical camera angles make it more difficult than it should be. Often what you're fighting is off-screen, even though it is directly in front of you, so you can't see where to direct your attack or even what you're fighting. Also, if you're fighting more than one enemy, it's literally the luck of the draw. The game decides which one you're aiming at, regardless of which is the best choice.

Most games have hotkeys to change weapons with (usually the number row on your keyboard) but not this one. You have to hit "escape" to get into your inventory, click "weapons" if it's not already selected, scroll through and find the weapon you want to use, equip it (making sure you didn't accidentally double-click the oversensitive control), and then escape back out to the game. To have to do this every time you want to switch weapons is ridiculous.

Does this sound tedious yet? I forgot to mention that you have to backtrack constantly to use new items in already explored areas. Sure, that's normal for an adventure game, but taking into account everything else I've mentioned it just adds to the torment.

Since this is not a combat-oriented game, maybe it's okay that the monsters aren't that interesting. They are rendered nicely, but the concepts didn't wow me. Even the bosses are pretty mundane, and not terribly difficult to handle once you figure out their weaknesses. The only exception is when Heather has to battle a dark incarnation of herself, which was pretty clever and has a nice, intense setup.

Where the game truly excels is in sound design. Monster sounds are rightfully unnerving, and the ambient noises are absolutely terrifying. It will keep you on edge; I guarantee it.

The story is confusing, and I'm not even sure it really makes sense. It has to do with reincarnation and changing identities...I think. But assuming it is sound, many things in the game just don't work with it. Things are just thrown in for the sake of being spooky. Hospital gurneys, usually with bodies on them, are everywhere, not just in the hospital. Why? Because they're spooky. There is a haunted house sequence that makes for a nice (and all-too-brief) diversion, but it has nothing to do with anything. There is also a subplot involving Heather's mysterious stalker that seems to be building up to something but never goes anywhere. Often these side attractions are more interesting than the main plot.

Once you finish the game, you are given bonuses that you can use in your next one: new outfits, weapons, etc. This is a neat idea, but I honestly don't think I could put myself through it again. The game truly isn't horrible. It's just that there is so much potential wasted, and so many simple, unnecessary flaws that could have been easily fixed to make it more enjoyable. You can probably find the game for less than ten dollars now. I'd say it's worth that to see some things that you've maybe never seen before, witness some interesting set pieces. But really, it could have been a lot better.

Atmosphere of absolute fear....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: February 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Right from the beginning, you get a taste of the horror that awaits you. But, from that point on, the horror only escalates. The hideous creaturs that confront you are straight out of a nightmare. The blood stained wallpaper jumps out at you at every corner. This game is flat-out frightening. I enjoyed Silent Hill 2 for its' merit on mostly gameplay. This game, however, one ups it with incredible and fluid graphics along with outstanding gameplay. Straight out of a grainy slasher flick. The music is also incredible. Most of the stlye of music stems from an undergound alternative style. Somewhat goth, somewhat punk. This game has great length. I finished it in about 20 hours. However, one small downside. This thing is HUGE! It's jammed onto 5 cd-roms. About 3 gig of hard-drive space needed. Plus, you have to consider savegame and memory-swap space. You should have around 4 gig available for this program. That's a hefty chunk. Other than that, this is unbelievable! Enjoy!

This game still terrifies me.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I first played this on the PS2 with a friend of mine. I recently bought if for my PC.

First off, I'd recommend a controller similar to a PS2; this game is made for controller based play and won't work as well with the standard keyboard and mouse. Also, pay lots of attention to the technical specifications which (copied directly from the box since Amazon doesn't list them) are as follows:

Minimum System Requirements:
Windows XP/ME/2000/98
1 GHz Pentium III or Athlon processor (or equivalent)
256 MB RAM
GeForce 3 Ti/Radeon 8500 Video Chipset w/32 MB VRAM
DirectX 8.1b (included on CD/DVD)
DirectX 8.1 Compliant sound card
4X CD-ROM or 2X DVD-ROM drive
4.7 GB free hard drive space

Recommended System Requirements
Windows XP/2000
1.4 GHz Pentium 4 or Athlon Processor
512 MB RAM
GeForce4 Ti or GeForce FX graphics cards
8X CD-ROM or 4X DVD-ROM drive
5.2 GB free hard disk space
USB Gamepad controller

Supported video chipsets:
NVIDIA GeForceFX, GeForce4Ti, GeForce3Ti (GeForce MX series not supported) ATI Radeon 9800, 9700, 9600, 9500, 9200, 9100, 9000, 8500 Matrox Parhelia

This game is gorgeous, but you won't see that with the minimum system requirements. If you are a big fan of the series or have been looking for an excuse to upgrade your system but don't have the current specs, this would be a good time to upgrade (most of the new games coming in the next year or so will be of similar requirements). Note that with the recommended system requirements (I'm not sure about the minimum), this game looks just as good as it does on the PS2.

Now, as far as the game is concerned:

The game rocks. It's scary and complex. If you can play this alone in the dark for an extended period of time, you are a braver soul than I. The gameplay is variable in both action and riddle difficulty, so you can enjoy this game regardless of your tastes. The sounds are awesome and terrifying; you can tell a lot of work went into making this game as unsettling as humanly possible without being as disturbing as humanly possible. With several endings the replay value on this game is quite high, especially since some of the gameplay is not linear.

The soundtrack, which is included, has some awesome music on it (along with some of the more usual background music we've all come to know and love) as well as some intriguing dialogue from the game. The soundtrack alone makes this worth buying, since most imported game soundtracks go for nearly as much as you can pay for the whole game.

I should point out that this game comes in both dvd and cd-rom formats. There is no difference in the price between them, but I think amazon only carries the cd-rom version of the game (which is an amazing five discs total). If you want the dvd version, I'd recommend going to the nearest funcoland, babbages, or equivalent gaming store.

At twenty bucks or so, this game is well worth buying and will definitely show you what pc graphics can really do.

I love Silent Hill 3 but,

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: November 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It all started in 1999, when the first Silent Hill was released. Silent
Hill offered a great storyline, great graphics, promising gameplay, and
the one thing that it still has -- the horrifying atmosphere. Many people
will still agree even today that the first Silent Hill was the scariest. I
would have to agree but I would also have to say Silent Hill 3 is better
in almost everything else.

Storyline - 9/10
Silent Hill 3 is the sequel to the first Silent Hill and doesn't really
have anything do to with the second. The storyline starts off rather slim
with you not knowing much at all. A 17 year old girl named Heather is
shopping at a mall on a typical Sunday and she falls asleep at a table in
a restaurant. She has a nightmare about her in the Silent Hill Lakeside
Amusement Park with different types of messed up monsters. Why she is
dreaming about this is unknown. After she wakes up, she exits the
restaurant and calls her dad. While she's on the phone, a man in his 50s
seems to be waiting for the phone. So when Heather is done, she gives him
a look that she's done and he shakes his head. Heather starts walking away
and the man is following her. He approaches Heather from behind and says
he'd like to speak with her. His name is Douglas Cartland and he's a
detective. He asks for a half hour of her time. It is about Heather's
birth but she's not interested and enters the close by women's washroom to
get away. Later on, you encounter a strange woman named Claudia and she
mentions Heather leading "us to Paradise" and seems to know who Heather is.
Heather doesn't know what's going on and she wants to know.

The storyline in Silent Hill 3 is pretty good but I don't think it's
really close to that of Silent Hill 2. The storyline does evolve A LOT,
further on in the game. Around half way you understand everything because
of a long video explaining everything. The storyline has a lot of depth,
but it's not as good as Silent Hill 2's amazing storyline. It's pretty
deep and is about cult-ish stuff, which isn't too interesting in my
opinion.

Gameplay - 10/10
Gameplay is a little bit different this time. Not much, but it has a
better feel. You still get some of the same weapons as in the other Silent
Hill games, including a Handgun, Shotgun, Katana, Knife, and a Steel Pipe.
But there is one completely new weapon to the Silent Hill series. There is
now a Submachine Gun, which is a 9mm Uzi. For those of you thinking so,
this weapon did not ruin the series whatsoever; you get the weapon past
halfway through the game and it holds 32 bullets in each magazine. You
only get a few magazines for the gun, and the gun is not really good at
all, anyway; it does shoot fast, but 1 bullet from it is equal to half the
power of the Handgun. Reloading is now great in Silent Hill 3. You can
also reload from the menu like previous Silent Hill games, but you can
equip the ammo for the firearm you're using and just press R3 to reload --
it's pretty fast. When you equip a firearm, it automatically equips the
ammo for it so you can reload easily, but you can equip health items also
so you can press R3 to heal. Anything else in the supplies section of the
in-game menu you can equip and press R3 to use, which is a great new
feature. Another new feature is a bulletproof vest. It cuts down the
damage 15% when attacked by enemies, and when you block (another new
feature) attacks, you will lose no health. So gameplay has definitely
improved.

Graphics - 10/10
Absolutely amazing graphics! Definitely some of the best graphics you'll
see on PS2. This game also has the best looking and most detailed
character models for any game yet. There is no match for the character
models and won't be until Silent Hill 4 comes out. Not only are the
character models amazing, the surroundings are also very detailed.
Bloodstains, rust, corpses, etc. Silent Hill 3 also has the "grainy
effect" called Noise Filter that Silent Hill 2 had. The idea of it is to
make the game seem like an old horror movie. It's pretty cool but you can
take it off in the options menu whenever you want, unlike Silent Hill 2,
where you had to beat the game first. When the noise filter ("grainy
effect") is off, the graphics look absolutely amazing! Konami always pays
attention to detail, even small things. Having one of the best looking
games out right now is pretty cool, especially when it's one of your
favourites.

Sound - 9/10
I did expect more from the sound but there's nothing really wrong with it.
Silent Hill 2 had amazing songs and had a lot of them. There are some good
songs but not nearly as many as in Silent Hill 2. This game has a perfect
credits song and people that have played the first Silent Hill will find
it familiar, yet a little different. The Silent Hill 3 soundtrack comes
free with the game in North America and it is great. It has almost all the
good songs from the game in it. There are a few amazing songs on the
soundtrack like track 9, 24, 25, and many others, so you should spend some
time listening to it if you get it. I gave the sound 9/10 because it's not
as good as that of Silent Hill 2, but it is still amazing. Silent Hill 3's
sound by itself is completely amazing, but compared to Silent Hill 2 it is
a bit different.

Controls - 10/10
Now the control of the game is a lot better. Your character runs a lot
more freely now, which feels great! You don't turn sluggishly anymore and
you can run pretty fast. But when you have a heavy weapon in your hands,
you won't run as fast. The game has pretty much the same controls as
Silent Hill 2. Start now pauses the game, and Select opens your inventory
(just like in the first Silent Hill). The menu is a little different but
it's better. It's a lot more organized so you can find items easily. It's
sorted in items (key items), weapons, and supplies (health and ammo items).
So if you want to restore you're health, equip a certain weapon, and use a
key item, it's a lot easier to do.

Atmosphere - 10/10
This is probably the least scary Silent Hill, but it still has amazing
atmosphere. Who doesn't enjoy the darkness and loneliness of the Silent
Hill games, honestly? The game has many dark and scary moments. Especially
one part after halfway through the game. I won't ruin it for you though
because it's a great experience. Strange and scary sounds add a lot of
atmosphere. The game's soundtrack improves the game's atmosphere a lot.
Songs totally match the situation you're in. From sadness to insane, this
game has it all! The game experience really changes when you're playing
with headphones. It's very intense. But for the best experience, play at
night in the dark (no lights on, with only your TV illuminated) with
headphones, or with surround sound and a sub woofer -- nothing is better!

Replay Value - 9/10
There's actually a lot of replay value in this one. There are only three
endings, but there are now a lot of extra weapons and costumes. Some extra
weapons are: Unlimited Submachine Gun, Flamethrower, and Beam Saber. You
have to unlock these first, obviously, and then you can use them in a
replay game. If you use extra weapons, there will be a small rank
reduction. This is actually pretty good, because if you expect to get a
really good ranking, you can't just use the Unlimited Submachine Gun for
everything. But it doesn't deduct much, anyway. There are also ten extra
action levels ranging from Extreme 1 to Extreme X. So if you're a hardcore
Silent Hill fan, you'll have a lot of fun beating them. There are some
other extras too, including flashback moments from Silent Hill 2, if you
have a completed save file for it. They're not exactly flashbacks, just
things to remind you of Silent Hill 2 moments. Good times, good times.

Rent or Buy
If you enjoyed Silent Hill or Silent Hill 2, then this is no exception!
Even if you're new to the series, there is a high chance you'll like it.
If you like horror and adventure, this is the perfect game for you. If you
do plan to buy this game and you want to understand the story, consider
buying or renting the first Silent Hill. Because Silent Hill 3 is the
sequel to it. And it wouldn't hurt to play Silent Hill 2 either. If you
enjoy this game after you play it and you're missing other Silent Hill
games, go out and buy them -- try eBay also. If you're not really
interested in this game, then you might want to check out some screens
and videos at a good gaming site. And if you're still not sure, rent it to
see if you like it. And I'm sure you will.

Overall - 10/10
Overall, Silent Hill 3 is amazing game! With insane horror and suspense,
I'm sure you'll love it. If you want a bone-chilling experience, Silent
Hill is the way to go. And also consider buying Silent Hill 4: The Room
when it comes out. Don't wait to buy Silent Hill 3, buy it now!

One more thing.
This game is good a*s he*l. I love it. If you all want to know the System Requirements here they are, minimum requirements: Pentium III 1 GHz, 156 MB RAM, Windows XP/ME/2000/98, DirectX 8.0, 32 MB video card, DirectX compatible sound card, 4x CD ROM, keyboard, mouse or something better. This info comes straight up from the boxed game. I made sure that my computer had the requirements. I don't know why Amazon didn't put them up. I almost didn't get the game because of that. I don't know why these game makers think everyone in the got d**** world has a good computer. That's why most of the time I just stick to X-Box. Heh, that will be much cheaper then turning my computer into a super computer. I really hate buying games for the computer because of the system requirements. But, you know a V-game is always a investment because with computers, you never know what the he** will work.

Excellent game, requires a powerful computer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: June 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

An excellent game, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Some people would complain about the controls, but they are missing the point: this is not an action game. It is not a shooter, you are not playing this game to kill monsters. The slow, weak character is the entire point of the game: to instill fear. If you could backflip over a monster and sidestep around it while putting a bullet in its head, it would drain every drop of atmosphere and realism from this game.

And realism is here in droves. This game has, without question, some of the best graphics in any game to date. I feel sympathy for people who say this game does not run on their computers, but you should look carefully at the system requirements and make sure yours match. And if all else fails, get the PS2 version, because for fans of the horror genre this is not a game you can afford to miss.

Frightening, disgusting, oh yeah, and AWESOME!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This has to be one of the scariest and most challenging games that Konami has to offer. And besides the amazing graphics (Konami was the first to create moving shadows behind characters) this game has an original story and a grotesque atmosphere. Silent Hill 1 was okay, Silent Hill 2 was excellent, and Silent Hill 3 is even better. I haven't played 4 yet, so I dont know if this is best or not, but its still worthy of the extremely low price of, get this, TEN DOLLARS! This is even cheaper than the equally amazing 'Tales of Symphonia' for Gamecube. Both games deserve to be at least $50, but hey, the cheaper they are the faster I can get them. This game is challenging too, and I think I mentioned that earlier. The puzzles even on easy mode are difficult, but on hard they are hellish. The atmosphere of each stage is done flawlessly. The graphics are beyond perfect fdor 2003 (the blood soaked walls and monsters look almost real) and can only be matched by Half Life 2 and the Halo series. Heather Morris is a perfect character and the stroy couldn't be better. Folks, it doesn't get much better than this.

If you're looking for a good scare...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Look no further than SH3. Admittedly the first survival horror game I've ever played, but it not only came highly recommended but exceeded my expectations. The graphics are simply beautiful: gritty , frightening and realistic all at once. I had no problem with controls, lag or any other technical issues, and in the absence of the problems that plague many a great computer game, I was swept into the nightmarish world that is Silent Hill 3. The atmosphere and mood creation are the best I've seen in any game. Period. With headphones, it's completely immersive and immensely terrifying. Best of all, it's not focused on combat, but rather tiny twists and turns in the setting itself that make it so primally scary. The use of sound effects can't be beaten; in one particular area, one single sound coupled with the setting scared me so much I literally screamed and jumped out of my seat. For anyone who loves both an amazingly rendered, immersive game and the simple nervous joy of being scared, play this game. Play it right now. You won't be disappointed.

Not your typical game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 19
Date: August 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

For anyone who may be mistaken: this is NOT a first person shooter! You do shoot at things, but it has a super easy mode for a reason: the people who don't like to fight and prefer the storyline. On the second part of that: this game is a sequal in every sense of the word. Not only does it follow the Silent Hill cult and mythology, she is the child from the first Silent Hill game. (she's been reborn, what, 3 times?) Lastly, I can't say much about the PC version: I played the Playstation 2 version, which may be a little easier to handle. I don't know. But she can get frustrating at times if you run into stuff. This is a good game if you want your emotions played with, just like the first two. But for this one it's best if you play, or at least read a spoiler on, the first game that was out. The music is top notch, once again composed by SH producer Akira Yamaoka. The first area is the most frustrating part, but once you're past that the story picks up quite a bit. All in all a good game, but probably better if you're a Silent Hill fan to begin with.

It's been a while since I've played a game that sucks me in

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: July 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm crazy and I like bloody things and playing with dead animals. I also like video games. I remember a few years back when I really started getting into survival horrors with the Resident Evil remake. I had always been sceptical of the silent hill series, feeling that it was a watered down version of RE. However, after reading some pretty good reviews, I was in the mood for something atmospheric and disturbing. I went to my local gamestop and saw it for 20 dollars so I figured what the hell. I picked it up and was very eager to play it, however I was a bit dissapointed when I found out my computer couldn't run it. I was about to return it, but my dear dear girlfriend told me not to, and to keep it just in case I ever did upgrade my comp, which I'm glad she did (God I love here). Anywho my graphics card WAS a 32MB, just like in the minimum requirements, but oh well. I went through alot of hassle getting a graphics card after discovering that my 2003 computer didn't have an agp slot. So I got the cheaper PCI with 128 mb visual ram. Now even with the lower quality PCI, this game is still beautiful. And the game play really captured me.

Pros:
Unlike RE, you can actually move while attacking with your weapon. THis makes for alot more action and tactical freedom.

There is also a command that lets you defend against enemy attacks if timed well enough.

The camera moves with you which is definately enjoyable, the fact that often times it doesn't show you what's in front of you adds for great suspence. I don't find it a hassle since I'll be aware of any monsters with the radio static as well as heather always looking towards anything important including monsters.

This game is definately creepy which I love. The atmosphere is definately what hooks me. In my oppinion, creepier than the RE- Remake.

Graphics make me want to nut, and the monsters, oh god, I never get tired of fighting even the most simple creatures. They're trully done with an artistic thought proccess.

Cons:

I guess alot of people seem to have trouble running it, but I'm not sure why.

A little laggy at moments, but that was with my "Cheaper" Graphics card and 2.5 ghz proccesor.

If you're having trouble with the game, I don't know what to say. I guess if you don't like the PC version, the ps2 version is definately worth a try, for those that have the console. Now I'm not saying this game is better than Resident Evil, that game has it's own genious. But this was definately a fun change of pace as well as very gripping for me. I just liked how odd everything was. It's like something out of a nightmare that you enjoy deep inside. So I loved being able to relate to the imaginative monstrosities and anguish. I like the sound track as well. I'm mostly into death/ black metal, however, the girl rock group really helped add a sort of meloncholy atmosphere as well as the wonderful creepy synth that were taken out of the game. All in all a great buy, especially since the price is even less now. If you don't like the game, I can understand, but for me, it was a trully moving work of art.

Craptacular Game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game through Amazon (J&R Music World). After installing the game, I have horrid problems with the options menu. All of the option changes cause my computer to crash while attempting to change defaults. I have a brand new home built computer with a P4 3.2 GHz CPU, a GA-8KNXP Giga-Byte MB, 2 GB of Crucial RAM and an ATI 256 MB 9800XT Radeon Video Card. The operating system is Windows XP Pro w/SP1. Konami will not respond to e-mails about their craptacular product. WHAT A JOKE!!!! DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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