Finished Silent Hill HD Collection (XSX, via 360 BC)
Yes, yes, I know I know the HD collection is terrible but I got it for only £6, and it is obviously much more accessible to get these days than the PC/PS2/OG Xbox versions.
That being said, going in with my eyes open to the problems as a first timer to these games, it wasn't that bad, most especially in SH3's case.
The biggest fault is obviously the fog, everything else honestly seemed fine to me.
There is "a rolling wall of fog" effect going on that gives you a field of view of whats around you much wider than I expect was intended.
You can also see in many cutscenes some areas that you're obviously not supposed to see (like the scenes around the dock having no water just seabed)
The worst effect though is easily walking around town when you can see enemies spawn in around you, as they jump out from the side of the screen to then chase you; its very unintentionally funny to watch.
However in SH3's case, the game takes place so little in any fog filled environments that the complaint is almost moot.
Past the technicalities and as for the games themselves though:
Silent Hill 2
I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this. Yeah we all know that it's a revered classic but even still 20 years on my first experience with it really floored me.
I am someone who has grew up with horror themed media from a very young age, it takes a lot to unnerve me and this game done that on multiple occasions, most especially in the prison area. The atmosphere throughout is so thick with dread and tension, it's just wonderful. It may well have the best sound design I’ve ever experienced in a game, not something I typically pay any mind, but the ambient BGM does do much of the legwork to heighten the tension
I found the plot fairly strong too, not to the extent that it has been praised I feel, but it is 20 years on after all, I was aware already of much of the main plot beats and the themes it tackles are not quite so unique in gaming as 20 years ago, even if it is still rare for AAA content to tackle.
The combat though feels mostly like a non event though but I admit this may have been partly my own fault as I set it to easy (I played SH1 back in the day as a kid and couldn't finish it due to running out of ammo at a boss, so wanted to avoid that).
I can definitely see why people love this game though and that it would have been incredible at first release.
9/10
Silent Hill 2: Born from a Wish
This is basically just an extra side story, lasting no more than an hour, and akin to the mini epilogues you get in some of the Resi games (like Ada in RE4).
It's really just a small extra area to explore with a short inconsequential story.
It is what it is, and is fine for what it is.
6/10
Silent Hill 3
This one was interesting, as it made me appreciate some of SH2's aspects in hindsight all the more actually.
This one is much more a traditional survival horror game, following the template quite rigidly. 3 big things separate this from SH2:
1) the plot is nowhere near as good, it's not a personal tale of tragedy like SH2, it's a continuation of SH1's cult plotline
2) it actually mostly doesn't take place in the town, and for the most part I found this really weird to see the normal world "infected" with monsters as so
3) the big one, it has much more combat encounters than SH2
As I said I thought SH2 erred a little too much on the easy side tbh; there are few encounters, enemies don't have much variety and you're showered with health and ammo. Sh3 is the exact opposite in each of these points BUT the game's atmosphere is nowhere near as effective as SH2's. It really did feel to then prove that less is more, this game did not scare me really at all unlike SH2.
On the whole it's a solid if unoriginal survival horror, that pales next to a classic
7/10