I’ve heard it said that things get better with age. While this may be true of things like cheese, wine, or Doris Roberts, it is not always the case with video games. If you want proof just try playing any 3D platformer on your Playstation or Nintendo 64. For the most part these games haven’t aged well at all. It may be for this reason that there has been such a wealth of HD remakes coming our way lately. It’s a chance for developers to take games we loved years ago and tweak them to satisfy the current video game audience. Recently we’ve had Halo Anniversary, God of War HD Collection, and Devil May Cry HD Collection just to name a few. The HD redo that I was most excited about, however, was the new Silent Hill HD Collection from Konami. I was initially disappointed that we were only getting parts 2 and 3. I really wanted to replay the original in HD but I understand why it wasn’t included. Parts 2 and 3 were still considered the best of the series by many and I couldn’t wait to relive the experience with a new coat of paint to see if the games were as good I had remembered them being. I started with part 3 because of the two; it’s the one I remembered the least about. After playing my way through it I was reminded of how much a video game, if done right, can really frighten you.
For the uninitiated, Silent Hill 3 is the only real “sequel” that has been released. Every other Silent Hill has been only loosely connected with the others by way of a cameo every once in a while or the inclusion of some Easter Eggs for the fans. The only thing that has remained constant is that the town itself plays a central role (except for The Room) and it seriously messes with anyone who enters it. Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the original in which you played as Harry Mason, traversing the haunted city in search of your daughter. This time you play as Harry’s daughter, Heather. As with all Silent Hill’s you are thrown into the narrative with very little explanation as to what is going on. All that you know for sure is that you are in control of a troubled girl named Heather and you are in a mall. The classic tale of terror begins.
Right away the controls will remind you that this is most definitely not a newly developed game. This is not a knock on the game, it’s just a fact. I only took a few steps before realizing that the old tank controls had come with the new HD package. Luckily, this can easily be remedied by going into the menu and changing the control settings which I did in a matter of seconds. It still won’t control like Gears of War, but it’s better than the original control scheme and it’s nice of the developers to allow players this customization.
Another thing that stuck out like a vintage thumb from a bygone era is the inventory system. I don’t know why I was surprised because I had played the game before but I think years of streamlined inventory systems in this generation have spoiled me. It took me about thirty minutes of playtime to finally figure out how to traverse my inventory to find certain memos or the right ammunition. Again, this is not a knock on the game, just a necessary evil if you are going to play faithful reproductions of older games. I’ll take clunky menus any day of the week if I can continue to play these updated classics.
I think that the biggest question in my mind going in was Will it still be scary? A Silent Hill game does not rely on over the top action or huge set pieces to entice player, but rather an overwhelming sense of dread and looming terror. I remember playing these games years ago and being completely unnerved but whenever a classic like this gets tinkered with there’s always the fear that someone is going to screw something up. I am happy to report that my fears were unfounded. Silent Hill 3 is every bit as horrifying as it was in 2003. The new, crisp visuals only heighten the spooky atmosphere. All the elements that made you love this game nine years ago are still present. The mind bending puzzles, fixed camera angles, foreboding ambiance, all a welcome call back to classic survival horror days.
The graphical overhaul is the most obvious upgrade here. The rusty, blood soaked walls of the otherworld pop off the screen and the oppressive tunnels of the subway and hallways of the abandoned office building are as creepy as ever. Few games that I’ve replayed over the years seem to have the same effect the second or third time through but playing Silent Hill 3 in HD was almost like playing it for the first time. Facial animations are appropriately expressive and the fog lining the streets finally looks like real fog instead of a game compensating for poor draw distance. Silent Hill 3 was one of the best looking Playstation 2 games to come out for that system but it still looked like a Playstation 2 game. Now, it finally looks like it deserves to.
The upgrade to the sound is as equal an improvement. Many fans were up in arms when Konami announced that they were re-recording all of the voice work. I’m not quite sure what was so fantastic about the original voice work. I have some doubts that English was the first language of some of the voice actors from the original game. With the new remastered voice track, everyone finally sounds like they should. Heather’s new voice successfully masters the daunting task of portraying an angst ridden teenager without sounding annoying. The guy who does Vincent’s voice is a little hammy at times but it doesn’t detract from the experience.The rest of the sound is top notch as well. The music, composed by Akira Yamaoka, is still beautiful and unsettling. The sound effects still pack a punch as well. You know that sick feeling you would get from going into a room and even though you couldn’t see anything, you knew something was there because of that terrifying scratching sound? Yeah, it’s still terrifying.
If you can’t tell, I really like this game. I liked the 2003 version and I like the 2012 version. Perhaps this review has come off as the gushings of a fanboy but there’s very little I could find wrong with this game. The people at Konami have taken something good and made it even better so that this game ends up feeling more like a tribute than anything else and I guess I just appreciate that. I suppose that they could have tacked on some extras or some behind the scenes footage but that would not have made the game any better or worse.
If you have never played Silent Hill 3 then this is the version to play. If you know it like the back of your hand, you should still give it a play. It’s still one of the most disturbing and fear-inducing gaming experiences you’re likely to have.