I don't like SH3 very much

[NarooN]

Yeah, I loved that bit. When I got there, I was just like "WTF" because Claudia just stood there, staring intently. Then I went into my inventory trying to see if I had any special items, then remember her necklace.

[schlaufuchsMIKE]

I must be the only idiot that played the first one, got all the endings and special items and still didn't know what to do when that scene came

[Doddledandy]

Under no circumstances am I saying it's not a good game or that it's not the best MADE game in the series or anything like that.

I'm just saying that somehow it's not so very fun to me. I don't really feel emotionally connected to the characters or even really care anymore what happens to them lol.

I think it's my least favorite in the series, personally. And once again that's a personal opinion and not a condemnation of the game.

Anyone else feel less connected with this one?

I agree with you in some instances. It was a great story, great gameplay, great music, great atmosphere, but it still didn't impact me the way SH2 did.

[Adam_WF]

3 is my favorite in terms of visuals. It seemed like Ito and his crew really mastered their approach by that game. And Heather is still one of the best-looking character models from that era (on any platform). Hell, she looks fantastic by today's standards.

[gustavopi]

This game seams to be running in a PS 2.5 console by visuals and audio. It isn't so deep like SH2, more a frenetic run of Heater but she was very well worked if we look closer. She change slowly her personality during the game and became very disturbed after that event (spoiler). She is trying not to fall into insanity even knowing that a little rage is needed to keep going.

I think SH3 is a complement to SH2 and the sequel we went in SH1.

[MurphyPendleton]

The number one reason this is my least favorite in the series: The character, to me Heather was not a very likable character. but the environment was fantastic

[Purramid_Head]

Is not likeable because she's an angry woman being stalked by a cult and what happens to her beloved parent ticks her off? I prefer women with "balls" as they say.

[Percussion]

Her character was realistic and she's a strong independent woman. I can definately say she is a good influence to women everywhere!

[what]

I prefer women with "balls" as they say.

As long as she tells you she has them, first. Otherwise it's a pretty shocking surprise.

Anyway, yeah. Heather is awesome. The game is fun to play; the puzzles are the series' best and the combat is as good as combat can be in this kind of engine. The visuals are still incredible.

Every other character in the game is clichè and trite and Team Silent forgot to add story until the game was half done--the first half of the game is almost completely filler. Some precedents were set with this game that I did not like, mostly how the cult was expanded so far that it lost any sense of mystery, which was one of the best parts about it in the first. In my opinion, this game started the series in a slump from which it didn't emerge until Shattered Memories. It's not a bad game or even the worst in the series (hi Silent Hill 4) but it was as if Team Silent learned the wrong lessons from the success of the first two games, as both in terms of overall character development and storytelling, this game is a giant step backwards.

[keeps]

I agree with you, what. I strongly disliked the mysterykillingness of the game originally and didn't know how to swallow most things about it. Positivity of reincarnation I guess is what eventually allowed me to find the plot and the good catharsis and how wonderful the art direction is (i felt disconnected from it at first but it goes so deeply now).

[Purramid_Head]

I'm not trying to offend anyone. I see this merely as perspective vs perspective. This isn't intended to insult anyone.

When people say the newer games (3 and onward) "revealed" too much it reminds me of science and religion. With religious people science was unpopular for that very reason. It didn't give them the answers they thought were correct, so they ended up being against it as it conflicted with their belief with God. Of course, SH is nowhere near this level. But to me there's still plenty of mysteries and I like to solve them. I'd rather not stay in the dark for the rest of my life.

That being said 3 just made things more confusing based on factors I can't list here. The additional information just rose more questions to me, than answers. I don't think it revealed all too much.

[what]

For me, it isn't that the third game gave me answers different from what I wanted, it gave me answers to a lot of questions I never cared to ask. Indeed, the entire game is a continuation of a story I would have liked to not see continued. Though I know I love to armwrestle about which ending in the first game is canon and wot, before there was a direct sequel, it could have been any of them or none of them. By providing a concrete resolution, the bad endings, which were interesting in their own ways, have been relegated to curiosities which are rarely the topic of any serious discussion.

It is for that reason I hope no future Silent Hill game establishes a single canon ending for the second game, because a huge part of what makes that game so interesting is that there is no single canon ending. If one were established, there would be a great deal less to talk about because whole parts of the story would be disregarded as not being canonical. Though I've been vocal about how I think the third game went into far too much detail about the cult's beliefs (the first game was effective while doing almost none of this), the real problem I have with the third game is that this is the point where the CANON was first fired, and though I enjoy discussing it from time to time, canon is a terribly limiting element at times. I've said elsewhere that I'd prefer the series, in the future, to forget about canon and make each tale mostly standalone. It's for this reason.

[keeps]

That being said 3 just made things more confusing based on factors I can't list here. The additional information just rose more questions to me, than answers. I don't think it revealed all too much.

oh i think this too

[Purramid_Head]

@Keeps, well you can do what you put your mind too. I really enjoyed 3's ufo endings, lol.

@What, I'm curious, what questions would you have rather been answered?

[NarooN]

I don't agree with the notion that the first half of SH3 is just "filler". Heather herself clearly states that she's trying to get home to see her dad, what else would happen? The only things they could've done that they didn't was just add random sequences and pointless cutscenes rather than actual gameplay.

The same could be argued about SH2, a point that some guy brought up recently over at GFAQs. His complaint was that much of his experience of SH2 so far is that it's boring because there's no "real narrative". It's just you wandering around mostly, which is true. However, a few of us countered that you don't need cutscenes and people talking for gameplay to be labeled as "narrative" and "not filler". Much of what you learn is learned through observation and the memos you find.

In SH3's case, you don't learn about the town and various things that happened there like you did from the memos in 2, you're just a girl trying to get home. And that's exactly what happens via the gameplay. There's even a nice little boss fight to break up the "tedium" that some people might experience.

[keeps]

yeah 3's is cool - and thats the most legit end one could ask for to the town ;)

my perspectives fluctuate/empathize so ill shush.

[what]

@What, I'm curious, what questions would you have rather been answered?

To be honest, I don't think many questions really need a solid answer. I would have been fine knowing that there was no true outcome to Harry's adventure just as I am fine knowing there is none for James.

I don't agree with the notion that the first half of SH3 is just "filler". Heather herself clearly states that she's trying to get home to see her dad, what else would happen? The only things they could've done that they didn't was just add random sequences and pointless cutscenes rather than actual gameplay.

The same could be argued about SH2, a point that some guy brought up recently over at GFAQs. His complaint was that much of his experience of SH2 so far is that it's boring because there's no "real narrative". It's just you wandering around mostly, which is true. However, a few of us countered that you don't need cutscenes and people talking for gameplay to be labeled as "narrative" and "not filler". Much of what you learn is learned through observation and the memos you find.

In SH3's case, you don't learn about the town and various things that happened there like you did from the memos in 2, you're just a girl trying to get home. And that's exactly what happens via the gameplay. There's even a nice little boss fight to break up the "tedium" that some people might experience.

The issue I have with the 'getting home' is that Heather getting home takes far, far longer than it should. Being trapped in the mall, I get that, that's where she is when she starts. The subway, it's long, mostly boring, but it's also an understandable part of her progression. But then we go through forty miles of absurdly spacious sewers. And then, inexplicably, we have to explore a crumbling office building. Except for the meeting with Vincent, there is practically zero point to any of this in terms of story. There isn't even any foreshadowing offered here, with a few tiny exceptions. That's why it's all filler. You could have removed the sewer and offices entirely and all you'd lose is about an hour of running around, collecting items and killing things. The first time I played, by the time I reached the offices I forgot what Heather was even supposed to be doing.

[NarooN]

That's understandable. I didn't have much problems with the sewers, I got through quickly my first time, but that was just me getting lucky and picking the right doors lol. The subway is what got on my nerves on my first playthrough, since I got lost for at least an hour. Everywhere looks exactly the same, and you're stuck indefinitely unless you find that one obscure gate which has the lock on it, which you can't even get through unless you find the item you can use to break it which is all the way across the map.

They could've trimmed a lot of that down, I agree. It doesn't bother me too much on subsequent playthroughs since you can just speed through it, but for a first time thing, I can see how some would be like "wtf is this" after a while.

The sewer to office building transition never really made any sense to me, now that I think about it. I guess it doesn't need to make sense because her walk through the train is clearly her going into the otherworld again, but it just seemed so random.

[Purramid_Head]

The subway was one of the worst SH places I ever played. I too, got stuck. Then I finally memorized how to get out and didn't play it for along time, so I got back on it recently and got stuck all over again! DX

Also, the first time I played I kept getting killed by the train.

[NarooN]

The subway is probably the most hellish place in the whole game, metaphorically. I too got owned by the train a few times until I figured out you had to go back up to the platform ASAP, lol.

My thought process: "Lone door with ominous red glow...MUST OPEN IT SOMEHOW"