Product Description

Play Silent Hill 3 and you'll never scoff at anyone that admits they got scared by a video game again: this isn't survival horror, it's full on survival terror. Away from the shlock B-movie stylings of the Resident Evil series, the Silent Hill games have carved, with a particularly rusty machete, a rather different niche for themselves with a line in taut psychological horror that really gets under your skin rather than just providing a few cheap shocks. The games' primary means of achieving this is via their superb graphics and sound which immediately create an oppressive atmosphere where you're constantly in fear of exactly what manner of evil will happen next.

• An all-new horror adventure with a sophisticated storyline
• New monsters, items and weapons, including a submachine gun
• Incredible high-resolution graphics on the PlayStation 2
• The most terrifying Silent Hill game to date
• For 1 player

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2699 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2003-05-23
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Play Silent Hill 3 and you'll never scoff at anyone that admits they got scared by a video game again: this isn't survival horror, it's full on survival terror. Away from the shlock B-movie stylings of the Resident Evil series, the Silent Hill games have carved, with a particularly rusty machete, a rather different niche for themselves with a line in taut psychological horror that really gets under your skin rather than just providing a few cheap shocks. The games' primary means of achieving this is via their superb graphics and sound which immediately create an oppressive atmosphere where you're constantly in fear of exactly what manner of evil will happen next.

Unfortunately veterans of the series will know that more often than not; nothing much ever does happen next, except maybe the appearance of one of the small number of stock enemies. They'll also be perturbed by the constant recycling of backdrops in this third edition--particularly in yet another visit to the Silent Hill hospital. The game does stop pulling its punches for the especially disturbing last third of the adventure though, and anyone new to Silent Hill is likely to be scared silly for its entire duration.

The game's other faults, such as a clunky control system and storyline are (for no apparent reason) stocks of the survival horror trade so it would take a particularly surly gamer to deny the game's obvious quality. It'll also take someone with concrete underpants to remain unfazed by the whole thing, particularly the church with the bleeding walls... --David Jenkins

Official PlayStation 2 Magazine
"The nastiest game on PS2--we dare you to play it. 9/10."

GamesMaster Magazine
"Lots of disturbing details make this one of the most weirdly attractive PS2 games yet. 82%."

Customer Reviews

Defeat the meat!
Lets get the bad points out of the way first - the controls are almost exactly the same as those used in Silent Hill 2 (they don't really bother me much, but everyone else I've heard talking about the last game seems to hate them), and the camera can sometimes be a pain. But that's it, no more complaints, just great, somewhat disturbing, fun.

The storyline won't disappoint SH fans, as many of the loose ends from SH1 are tied up. You play a teenage girl named Heather, who is suddenly plunged into a dark and twisted world (though I'm sure any Silent Hill veteran would've guessed that last part). As always SH3 has its fair share of oddballs, but the monsters can out-weird any of the so-called "normal" people. Most of the shambling, scuttling and swirly/scything (watch out for them, they're nasty) things you'll meet look like they've jumped straight off a butchers hook, with the exception of the nurses, who look healthier than they did in their previous incarnation. Luckily for Heather, there are plenty of weapons at your disposal. There's the usual pistol, shotgun and big whacking-pipe, but there's now a sub machine gun for you to play with, along with a few nice close combat weapons. And, of course, there are the compulsory bonus weapons which are provided on completion of the game (that is, if you can meet the requirements).

The environments (my favourite thing about the SH games), while not leaps and bounds ahead of SH2, are all wonderfully done, and the shadows are still as fascinating as ever; shifting around with the sway of your flashlight beam. There are a fair few "Let me out of here!!!" set-pieces, the best of which is in the dark version of the hospital, you'll reach a room with a mirrored wall. Just stand and wait in front of it. Trust me... mwahahahaa!

The sounds are as leap-out-of-your-seat shocking as usual, with the creaking, slurping and crying all adding to the suspense by the bucket-load. The music is pretty darn good too, though the song played during the end credits is amusingly ropey. The voice acting seems to have lost its edge a little since SH2, but still does the trick, though maybe not quite as subtly as last time around.

If you are a fan of the previous Silent Hill games, as I am, then you'll love this like nothing else. However, if you're just a gamer looking for something decent to play, then perhaps you might want to deduct one star from the five I'm giving it, as the few little gameplay flaws may be enough to put you off.

Silent Hill 3 - A Classic
This game is an absolute classic, a masterpiece....smooth graphics, easy controls and REALLY REALLY scary gameplay....It sounds like an old fashioned cliche but the first rule of this game is to play it alone and in the dark, late at night...if you attempt to play it during daytime the feel of the game has gone...it isnt the same....so, if you are brave enough to do this you will not be disappointed....eerie noises, claustrophobic atmospheres and a REAL feel that you are really living the nightmare of the game....I'm not even halfway through the game yet and have been scared witless by distorted voices, howling and whispering in every area i have visited.....I cannot critisise this game and those that do can only be the sort of people who watched the "Blair Witch Project" and ended up disappointed because they "didnt see a witch..." If you have a vivid imagination buy this game now..if not, stick to Tetris or super mario....either way you wont be disappointed!!!!

The most horrifying monsters outside of the House of commons
Played in full daylight, with a room full of mates, you'll be wandering what all the fuss is about. You start the the third instalment of Konami's increasingly popular survival horror series as a pleasant young girl gone to her local mall for a new jumper and a burger, before setting off home to watch Family Fortunes with her Dad. However turn the lights out, ramp the sound up to full capacity, open the windows and plug the headphones in. Suddenly things aren't quite so genteel any more. Silent Hill 3 ramps up the shocks straight away. You will discover countless bloodied corpses, vomit covered monsters and (worst of all) the sinister god-bothering Claudia. She very creepy!! As with each visit to the soundless 'berg, you have an entirely new cast of characters with the main character being (for the first time) a young girl by the name of Heather Morris. Unlike Harry or James's adventures in the first 2 games, you are not looking for a lost relative. Instead your only goal is survival and there are some disgusting beasties intent on making your escape oh so difficult (unless of course you play on the easy setting). I won't give any of the story away but before playing Silent Hill 3, you may want to but yourself a copy of the original Silent Hill to give you a bit of background info, but it isn't essential that you do so. Okay, the first Silent Hill is a 4 or 5 year old PSone game and may look incredibly ropey, but is still the scariest of the series so far and you can probably pick it up for under a tenner. You get the usual selection of puzzles and suprisingly interesting boss battles, but this game is all about atmosphere. The Silent Hill series is all about what you can't see. For example you're are walking down a pitch black corridor with only your pocket torch for company. You hear a scream in the background but you pereseve towards the end. Faint voices can be heard but nothing on your screen suggests anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly an ear-splitting phone ring calls out from close-by and you'll have to ask the kind lady at the launderette if she'll be able to remove the stains from your underpants. However much Konami have improved the graphics engine, you're still left with the lingering feeling that nothings really changed that much. Lets just hope that (the superb looking) Silent Hill 4: The Room will offer significant incentive for us to return to the worlds worst holiday resort since Weston-Super-Mare.