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Silent Hill 3 Preview
Stephen Leyton
22/01/2003
We dare to enter the world of Silent Hill for the third time to uncover the truth about this new game...
For those of you that managed to sit through Silent Hill 2 without switching it off in fear, will rejoice as the third game in the series is coming to a PlayStation 2 very soon.
In the days of the PSOne, Konami set on a mission to create the most horrific game imaginable. Resident Evil had already been released and so the format of Survival/Horror games had begun its mission on taking over the gaming world. With the gigantic success of the Resident Evil series, it wasnāt too long before a wave of ālacking clonesā came along; however everyone was amazed when Silent Hill hit the shops. Whilst Resident Evil created an uneasy environment that made you jump every now and then, Konamiās Silent Hill took the fear element to a whole new level of mature psychological horror and suspense.
The original Silent Hill set new boundaries on the PSOne with scratchy visuals that left a lot to the imagination, eerie sound effects and a thick storyline filled with suspense and horror. With a few years rest, Silent Hill returned on a new format in 2001; impressing everyone that saw it with its atmospheric visuals, bizarre camera angles and incredible sound effects that made simple stereo sounds imitate surround sound. If the first game didnāt leave you feeling edgy, then Silent Hill 2 certainly did, with a whole new environment and setting looking more at home in a David Lynch film.
Prior to the release of Silent Hill 2, Konami were sceptical of its success, it was one of the first games on the PlayStation 2 to take mature content to the limits, and so a decision was made about the future of the series; as simple as it sounds if the game succeeded there would be a third, if not the series would end with the second instalment. Thankfully the game received high scores in most magazines and publications, leading on to good sales in all territories; and so on May 22nd 2002 Konami announced the development of Silent Hill 3 on PlayStation 2.
As always Konami are keeping a tight wrap on the information they let slip with regards to the story, however we do know that it starts in a town that is not exactly connected with Silent Hill (as in both previous titles). The main character is named Heather who is an ordinary girl; unaware of the terror she is about to get herself into. One day she finds herself trapped in a strange world filled with monsters and fear. This is the first part of the story and at this stage we do not know the connection from here and Silent Hill, however we are almost certain that the game will link back to the original town of Silent Hill at some point.
Silent Hill 3 will take you on a new voyage unravelling deeper and darker secrets that will make the hairs on your back stand on end. There will be even more puzzles to wrestle your mind, a wide selection of new weapons and enemies to gun down, we have been assured that this will be the most horrifying game to date. In terms of gameplay Silent Hill 3 will be slightly different than before; instead of setting the character in an open environment with many directions and areas to travel to, SH3 will see a tighter and more focused setting, there will be less moments when you are roaming around trying to figure out what next to do. The developers have promised a tighter storyline that will see you following steps leading you to unravel the story in a more streamlined manner.
One of the key elements that set Silent Hill 2 apart from other PS2 games was the visuals. Whilst we donāt normally go on graphics to rave about a game, it simply must be said that without the high level of detail Silent Hill 2 would not have been the same. Using dark and eerie textures the developers managed to create an atmosphere that was filled with suspense and anxiety, from the simple stains of blood to the highly detailed grotesque monsters that filled the rooms and hallways. Thankfully the graphics are once again superb, with incredible lighting effects casting real-time shadows on all the environmental objects; Silent Hill 3 certainly ushers in the next-generation of Playstation2. Having learnt from No.2 and its subsequent appearance on the Xbox, Konami have made the wise choice of removing the noise filter, resulting in a crisper, clearer appearance that truly showcases the staggering level of detail.
