The silent hill series thread

[punkonjunk1024]

Alright, so... I saw the movie, and it was amazing. Unbelievably amazing.
The movie managed to scare me without making me jump - It made me genuinely uncomfortable with what I was seeing. A LOT like what cheesy horror movies did to me when I was little, except... it still works now.
Since, I've become virtually incapable of appreciate startle-based horror at all.
(any movie suggestions with similar horror style to silent hill would be awesome)

So, of course, I quickly found out it was based on a game series.
And I played(am playing) them. I've beaten 1 and 2 - 1 was unbelievably captivating, and genuinely horrifying for a PS1 game. I was shocked at what they managed to do with such heavy hardware limitations.
2 wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as one... but the more interesting story, dialogue, and fucking Pyramid head made up for it, easily.

Now I'm playing 3, and I can say right now this is my favorite one so far.
the first game's battle was a bit sub-par, but the fighting in the second was much better. The third seems to capture all the best aspects of the first two, from visual horror, to enemies, basically all encompassing, with a fitting musical score to boot. (the second one lacked musically, the first one shined, in my oppinion.)

I guess... Anyone else played these games? Anyone else enjoy them as much as me? I can't believe I've never heard of them before the movie, with how good they are.

Has anyone played the fourth? I can't seem to find it anywhere, and alot of reviews on it make it sound very strange compared to the first three. Is the fourth worth playing?

And... what games are similar to these series? I don't mean other survival horror games, because yes resident evil is fun, but it kinda blows ass compared to the style these games have.

[gdorf]

This is a series that has been on my list of games to play for AGES. I read about each of the games as they came out and I've never been able to try one.

In fact, this might be a perfect opportunity for me to dust off my PS2. :shrug:

[punkonjunk1024]

I'd say so. One or 2 might be the best start, but one is damn hard to fine. *shrug*

[Yoshiman]

I've played all four, and I'd have to say that 3 is personally my favorite. The otherworld areas were like one's, but a lot more disturbing (although I missed the sirens). 3 also seemed to have a more in-depth story than 1. Combat was improved a lot as well. Although it was a little more linear than I would've liked.

I liked the story in 2, and it was still pretty unsettling when dealing with Eddie and Angela. The heavy symbolism in the enemies and the environment was a really neat as well, if you make the connections.

4 is a lot different from the rest of the series. The dark areas are gone, and so is the radio. It doesn't give you that claustrophobic feeling like the others do. Also, the battle system seems really loose (Henry's invincible during a power swing). It also doesn't have the symbolism as the others did. The monsters are just kinda... There. The hospital was pretty dissapointing as well.

Although, there are a few good things about 4. The overall atmosphere was pretty depressing, especially near the end of the game. And the last area is pretty creepy. It's a decent game, but it doesn't really fit with the rest of the SH series.

Silent Hill is one of my favorite game series, and I really hope they do a good job on 5. Hopefully they'll put it on the 360, since I don't feel like shelling out $600+ for one game.

I don't really know if any other games that are similar to SH, but I heard that Fatal Frame was pretty good if you're looking for a scary game.

[jessethe2nd]

I really need to fix up my PS2 and rent/ buy some of these games... now that im thinking about it does any one know where I can get replacement parts for a ps2 for fairly cheap? One that gives discounts on large orders would be great.

[Skipper]

Has anyone played the fourth? I can't seem to find it anywhere, and alot of reviews on it make it sound very strange compared to the first three. Is the fourth worth playing?
Alright! Finally! A thread in which I can actually ENJOY!

Anyway... yes. I own-and have beaten-Silent Hill 4. Though not as scary as the other SH games, it sure is scary as HELL seeing "Man in Coat"(Didn't want to give away his real name.) chasing you throughout the latter half of the game. I think my heart skipped a beat when I heard the first gunshot. I was like "Oh my God, what the heck was THAT!?" And, sure enough: I see the coated guy running around, trying to shoot at me. And the dead lump of fleshy-cat in the fridge? Scared to DEATH.

Though I have yet to play the other 3, my mom, weirdly enough, has. She got the bad ending on SH1 (Poor Cheryl), suicide ending on SH2 ("Now I'll be with you...forever."), and the good ending on SH3. I have yet to see the movie, but I am... pretty impatient as to when it comes out on DVD. (If it already has, tell me.)

[punkonjunk1024]

ohmygod.
SEE THE MOVIE.
Dear god. I watched it last night... with some friends... and they were unbelievably stoned.
I seriously had bad bad bad nightmares this morning involving pyramid head.

It's intense.

I would seriously suggest picking up three, it's quickly become my favorite of the three.

And heather is 17? Holy shit, the way she looks is closer to 14.

All the reviews I read didn't do any of these games the justice they deserved.
These games are 10/10 in all respects. I can't believe these aren't a bigger hit.

[Grasshopper]

Alright! Finally! A thread in which I can actually ENJOY!

Anyway... yes. I own-and have beaten-Silent Hill 4. Though not as scary as the other SH games, it sure is scary as HELL seeing "Man in Coat"(Didn't want to give away his real name.) chasing you throughout the latter half of the game. ...

...Though I have yet to play the other 3...


Hmm, the you need to. They are so much better than 4. :)

[Skipper]

And heather is 17? Holy shit, the way she looks is closer to 14.
Actually, she's 25 years old. ;) Basically, the "good" ending of Silent Hill 1 should explain it. Basically, Cheryl was... pretty much "incarnated", or her soul was pretty much transferred into a baby's body at the age of 8. They were running away from the cult, and, finally, they each got name changes. That way, it would be harder for the cult to find them.

Not really a spoiler, but I think I remember reading about that in the GBA Silent Hill: Restless Dreams game. And a plot guide. Seriously, the plot that is interwoven into all 4 games is... pretty complex, to say so myself.

[punkonjunk1024]

There is a silent hill for GBA?
Hm, I'll have to look into that.

Well she thinks she's 17. It those things in 3 eventually...

And holy shit, there is this room in the darkside hospital that seriously freaked me out so bad I needed to stop for the night. It's got a big mirror in it... anyone remember that room?

I'm gonna play through all of them again when I'm done with 4, and get all the other endings. :)

[Skipper]

There is a silent hill for GBA?
Hm, I'll have to look into that.

And holy shit, there is this room in the darkside hospital that seriously freaked me out so bad I needed to stop for the night. It's got a big mirror in it... anyone remember that room?

I'm gonna play through all of them again when I'm done with 4, and get all the other endings. :)
First :

1.) Yes. There is a SH for the GBA. But it's not like what you're thinking.
Basically, you can't walk. Or anything. It just tells you the plot and such of all the SH games, and how each plot is connected to the next, and so forth.

2.) Oh, yeah. The mirror room. :\ That room scared the living HELL out of me. The room suddenly got all bloody, the door closed, and Heather's reflection became all bloody and... zombie-like. At the last moment, the door unlocks itself.
I heard if you stay in there too long, you die. No kidding.

[Grasshopper]

2.) Oh, yeah. The mirror room. :\ That room scared the living HELL out of me. The room suddenly got all bloody, the door closed, and Heather's reflection became all bloody and... zombie-like. At the last moment, the door unlocks itself.
I heard if you stay in there too long, you die. No kidding.

Yes, you do die. Because I didn't know the door unlocked itself again. So I died.

The GBA game is a graphic novel like the MGS game is for PSP

[punkonjunk1024]

Did they release that game here? I can only find a rom of the japanese game. :(

So.. I beat silent hill 3, and it was definately the most pleasing of the games...

and holy shit...
When you fight the memory of alyssa on the carasol... I have this phobia of horses.
So... these gigantic living kinda breathing horses impaled with 2 foot thick poles wasn't exciting for me. It was, in fact, so disturbing that you better believe I got the fuck up and turned some fucking lights on.
The fact that I eventually figured out I have to KILL ALL THE FUCKERS did not make me happy at all. I hate horses. I fucking hated doing that. I was seriously freaking out.
FIghting alyssa amoungst those wierd horses with those flesh strips and twitching heads wasn't fun, either.

That was the only part that went from terror and fun to simply just horribly terrifying, but I am a little phobic.
But god, that detail work was great on those horses.
I'm looking forward to starting 4, then going back through all of them.

[Grasshopper]

No, it wasn't released in the US. Just in Japan. I don't think it strays to far from Silent Hill 1 though, as all there characters are from that game.

Silent Hill 4 doesnt' share much with the series. Even the style of the game is a bit different. Its like watching Hellraiser: Inferno and realizing it has nothing to do with Hellraiser.

[solyphon]

my sister has all 4 silent hill games, AND all 3 fatal frames. although over here, its called project zero. i dont know why.
i watched her play some of them, and they were FREAKY. i think SH 3 is scariest. *shudder*.