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PS2 | Adventure | Silent Hill 3

Boxart for Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 78 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 5.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 3.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.3
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.3
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Hands-On: Silent Hill 3

Hands-On by TOKYODRIFTER | 02/05/2003 | 14:47:04 PM PST

Latest Hands-On impressions of the third act in the Silent Hill saga. Do you dare look inside?

Shop Till You Drop
If you thought going shopping at the mall near Silent Hill would be an uneventful excursion, you?d be wrong?dead wrong. While it hasn?t been revealed yet what a center of commerce has in common with the foggiest town this side of hell, Silent Hill 3 will surely creep you out all the same.

The latest in Konami?s horror saga weaves its tale through the eyes of Heather Morris, a normal teenage girl who is out bargain hunting and unwittingly walks into a living nightmare. The Silent Hill series has thus far had only male protagonists at their centers, making this an interesting departure. Other confirmed characters in the game are Douglas, a crusty old detective, and Claudia, a seriously spooky lady who is reminiscent of the ominous "church lady" from the original game.

What...Is...That?!
All the trademark touches that made the previous installments scary are back, along with a host of twists. The preview version featured the same grainy look and inexplicable aberrations of nature we?ve come to expect. The game begins with Heather in the middle of a blood-coated theme park, but she eventually awakens back to reality?a reality where things seem normal and the visuals surprisingly switch to a clear, grain-free presentation. Despite being back in familiar surroundings, however, she quickly realizes that things are far from "normal."

The game controls similarly to the previous two SH games, but the 3D movement has been tuned for easier navigation. You?ll also have access to a wider assortment of weapons, including a sub-machine gun, and useful items like beef jerky can be used to distract hungry monsters. Yuck!

The Sound of Horror
Atmospheric audio is crucial to conveying true dread, so the designers created a custom, 3D-simulating sound system that will appear to hover overhead as well as surround you. In addition to new sound effects, the background music will also feature the first vocals in a SH game. It?s so special that when Silent Hill 3 ships to stores this spring, a bonus soundtrack CD will be included in the package.