[Mr. Enigma]

Nah, the pacing in SH3 was really bad in my opinion, especially during the first half of the game. Between Heather leaving the mall and finally coming home, there were three pretty long locations (metro, sewers, office building) yet besides Heather meeting Vincent for the first time, story wise nothing happens.

FTFY

[UrbanRats]

Nah, the pacing in SH3 was really bad, especially during the first half of the game. Between Heather leaving the mall and finally coming home, there were three pretty long locations (metro, sewers, office building) yet besides Heather meeting Vincent for the first time, story wise nothing happens.

Exactly what i mean.
The Subway in particular is dreadful. :\
After the bulding though, it's a tour the force in madness. :P

FTFY

Well that's always implicit in these kind of arguments.
We're not discussing numbers.

[TheShampion]

They said they'd release the MGS games on PSN/XBLA too, that still hasn't happened.

They did in Japan. I have no idea why they haven't in the US.

[eggerland]

Exactly what i mean. The Subway in particular is dreadful. :\ After the bulding though, it's a tour the force in madness. :P Well that's always implicit in these kind of arguments. We're not discussing numbers.

For some reason I loved the Hilltop Apartments thing. It's true that the Subway stage ran too long, but that was the only problem I had with the pacing in SH3. I had many more issues with SH4, IMO a weak start, and the plot took too much to develop.

[Lime]

Nah, the pacing in SH3 was really bad, especially during the first half of the game. Between Heather leaving the mall and finally coming home, there were three pretty long locations (metro, sewers, office building) yet besides Heather meeting Vincent for the first time, story wise nothing happens.

I had no issue with the first couple of levels. It's not like I need to be feeded advancement of the plot every time I finish a "level". What I got instead was an enjoyable atmospheric, slow introduction and reveal of Heather's psyche and background. I really like the fact that I am not constantly shown "narrative kernels", but instead I am experiencing what is defined as narrative satellites that support and establish the character of Heather.

[Combichristoffersen]

Got the PS2 version of SH3 in the mail today. Didn't even know the PAL version supported 60hz NTSC, so tonight I'll be basking in 60hz SH3 glory.

[Lime]

Got the PS2 version of SH3 in the mail today. Didn't even know the PAL version supported 60hz NTSC, so tonight I'll be basking in 60hz SH3 glory.

If you put the game in PCSXE emulator you can also get the Japanese subtitles as well!

But seriously, Combi, check the game out on your PC through PCSXE in 6x native resolution - your rig should be decent enough for it to emulate the PS2 version.

[Combichristoffersen]

If you put the game in PCSXE emulator you can also get the Japanese subtitles as well! But seriously, Combi, check the game out on your PC through PCSXE in 6x native resolution - your rig should be decent enough for it to emulate the PS2 version.

I could run Dolphin with decent speeds for both Mario Galaxy and Mario Sunshine, so I assume it should be able to run PCSXE too :D I'll do it later, but as for now I want to replay SH3 with PS2 controller and an old CRT TV; The Way it's Meant to Be Played™

[kunonabi]

I had no issue with the first couple of levels. It's not like I need to be feeded advancement of the plot every time I finish a "level". What I got instead was an enjoyable atmospheric, slow introduction and reveal of Heather's psyche and background. I really like the fact that I am not constantly shown "narrative kernels", but instead I am experiencing what is defined as narrative satellites that support and establish the character of Heather.

exactly.

That first half of the game didn't need a bunch of narrative to go with it. The beginning and Vincent was really all that was necessary. You get those few snippets that give long term fans a sense of what might be happening as well. The rest is learning about Heather by her reactions and anecdotes. Remember that portion of the game revolves around her singular goal of just getting home. Heather has blinders and and we see the trust and belief that getting back to her father will make everything better. This is important to describing how close knit the two of them are. In all reality, what could her father do about this insane set of circumstances? Heather doesn't know any better and we get to see a bit of her father in her. That first half of the game is structured that way to show that nothing else matters to her but getting home. Heather tries to just ignore everything and everyone for that part of the game. Do we really need a bunch of cutscenes of her brushing people off? A bunch or narrative breaks and such would just take away from that.

I loved every minute of the subway so I never felt like it dragged. The mall, subway, and apartments aren't really all that long to begin with. SH3 streamlined much of the environments and minimized the backtracking. That was one of the complaints it got when it came out.

[RadioHeadAche]

I was once excited for this release, and now I'm on the fence. Sure, Konami shouldn't be supported for such lackluster attempts to restore these classics, but at the same time I want to see what both games look like in their entirety. The gaffer who posted that one video of James in the apartment looked pretty good. Plus, I got these PS3 headphones that I wanted specifically for this release. I suppose I could cancel my pre-order and just buy it used. On the other hand I could just buy it, play through both games and if I hate them enough I'll sell it.

I don't know how many people are buying this collection, but I'll try to post my feedback here. I've played both games several times on the PS2 and love both of them, so if I end up hating these ports it's probably safe to assume they're complete garbage.

[Combichristoffersen]

Had to stop playing SH3 for the night. I'm a grown-ass man, but damn if the music and sound effects don't still freak me out.

[brandonh83]

Had to stop playing SH3 for the night. I'm a grown-ass man, but damn if the music and sound effects don't still freak me out.

Scariest SH IMO

It's not my overall favorite, but SH3 completely nails all the horror tropes that I love. I think the first game still might be the most uncomfortable one for me to play, it just has some kind of vibe that I don't think anyone will ever match, but SH3 has the best "setpieces" if you will.

My first time through the haunted mansion was... memorable. Danny scared the last crap out of me.

[Combichristoffersen]

Scariest SH IMO It's not my overall favorite, but SH3 completely nails all the horror tropes that I love. I think the first game still might be the most uncomfortable one for me to play, it just has some kind of vibe that I don't think anyone will ever match, but SH3 has the best "setpieces" if you will. My first time through the haunted mansion was... memorable. Danny scared the last crap out of me.

I think Realms of the Haunting has a somewhat similar vibe to Silent Hill 1, in that you never know what might lurk behind that door or that corner, the dated graphics makes that shape over in the shadows look like an enemy (but it's really a chair), and you're always on your toes. It's a rather unique game too, a combination of point and click, adventure game, survival horror and FPS game. Only downside is that it's hard as all fuck and notoriously cheap on health drinks and ammo :P The first time I played it back in the mid-90s it freaked the shit out of me when I put on a gramophone and was greeted by the sound of a baby crying accompanied by a sinister male laughter.

[kunonabi]

SH1 still scares me the most but SH3 was no slouch. That hospital was all kinds of intense.

I replay SH1 quite frequently but I haven't been able to play it by myself in the dark for years now. I can't say that about any other game or film for that matter. Damn you people, I'm in the middle of the Last Story, and LOVING it, but I'm dangerously close to popping in SH3.

[ULTROS!]

Whenever I see the walls transform into bloody, veiny things in SH3, I kinda squirm.

[ThreeSix]

Just preordered after getting into some LPs of Homecoming and Origins. I played a bit of 2 before giving up on it for a reason that I can't remember and I've never played 3 so this is almost like getting 2 new games.

[UrbanRats]

exactly. That first half of the game didn't needed a bunch of narrative to go with it. The beginning and Vincent was really all that was necessary. You get those few snippets that give long term fans a sense of what might be happening as well. The rest is learning about Heather by her reactions and anecdotes. Remember that portion of the game revolves around her singular goal of just getting home. Heather has blinders and and we see the trust and belief that getting back to her father will make everything better. This is important to describing how close knit the two of them are. In all reality, what could her father do about this insane set of circumstances? Heather doesn't know any better and we get to see a bit of her father in her. That first half of the game is structured that way to show that nothing else matters to her but getting home. Heather tries to just ignore everything and everyone for that part of the game. Do we really need a bunch of cutscenes of her brushing people off? A bunch or narrative breaks and such would just take away from that. I loved every minute of the subway so I never felt like it dragged. The mall, subway, and apartments aren't really all that long to begin with. SH3 streamlined much of the environments and minimized the backtracking. That was one of the complaints it got when it came out.

It didn't necessarily need more cutscenes with new characters, but as i said earlier, i think the story needed more flashing out (in general) and that could've been a good time to do it.
There's slow burn andthere's dragging a point across, and although the idea itself has merit (a labirinth and distance between her and her father, her only point of reference , as evidenced by what i said before) it still was dragged for incredibly long, when they could've got this point across with half that running around.
We go through the mall, the subway, the sewers AND the buildings.
I get the point of her frantic need to go back to daddy, but it's almost half the game just to get this point across? I think it's far too much and it fucks with the pacing overall.

[vaelic]

They did in Japan. I have no idea why they haven't in the US.

localization issues

[SoccerGoaliePro]

They should have given us Silent HIll 2,3 and a remastered version of Shattered Memories with Move support.

[SoccerGoaliePro]

Whenever I see the walls transform into bloody, veiny things in SH3, I kinda squirm.

[kunonabi]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. I mean the mall only takes 10 minutes or so and the subway/sewers aren't really that long. The building is the longest portion of the first half and and it was the home stretch.

[SketchTheArtist]

I'm sad they didn't tackle the issue of the color matching/lighting issues with the HD collection during the podcast interview with Tomm Huwlett. He seemed like he genuinely loves Silent Hill just wondering why we got these visuals that don't match the originals in quality.

[lowhighkang_LHK]

Silent Hill HD Collection Video Comparison what is wrong with this collection? seems so dull compared to the originals dont like it :(

I think Silent Hill HD faces a unique problem when compared to most other HD collections is that 'cleaning' it up doesn't necessarily make it better. Some of the charm of the previous SH's was that gritty look, those deep - sometimes cluttered colors and textures giving it almost an abstract look.

Now, it's all sharpened and brightened, making everything clearer. Naturally, that's a better thing for most games, but not something for Silent Hill under many circumstances.

[pa22word]

I'm sad they didn't tackle the issue of the color matching/lighting issues with the HD collection during the podcast interview with Tomm Huwlett. He seemed like he genuinely loves Silent Hill just wondering why we got these visuals that don't match the originals in quality.

If I were to guess it's probably due to either Konami pushing these out the door asap to beat the end of the FY or the thing went way over budget thanks to all the legal bullshit started by Guy Cihi that forced Konami to record new VA (which is not cheap) and due to this they low balled the tech upgrades they were in the process of implementing in order to save cash.

Or a combination of both. Who knows.

[Typographenia]

Shh! You're not allowed to point out that Guy had a negative impact on the collection in any way!

[RadioHeadAche]

SH1 still scares me the most but SH3 was no slouch. That hospital was all kinds of intense.

Oh yeah. My favorite section is after the maze with the closing gates and you climb into the otherworld.

I love Silent Hill 2, but I really want to replay SH3 right now.

[Persona7]

I hope Fed Ex does a early delivery on this game as I have nothing to do on that day.

[dark10x]

I think Silent Hill HD faces a unique problem when compared to most other HD collections is that 'cleaning' it up doesn't necessarily make it better. Some of the charm of the previous SH's was that gritty look, those deep - sometimes cluttered colors and textures giving it almost an abstract look. Now, it's all sharpened and brightened, making everything clearer. Naturally, that's a better thing for most games, but not something for Silent Hill under many circumstances.

The problem is, they have failed to properly translate many of the effects and lighting used in the original games. SH2 suffers from the same flaws as the PC version while introducing new issues in the form of touched up textures which actually damage the look of the game.

Silent Hill 3, then, is also missing a number of visual choices.

If they had properly ported these games we would have had all of the effects of the PS2 versions with the updated flashlight beam at a higher resolution. Instead they've delivered very poor quality ports of these games.

On top of those missing effects, I've watched recent footage of people playing SH2 HD and noticed all sorts of odd glitches and problems. Whenever the player would enter a room just as the image faded out you would see a quick flash of where you just were after the fade. It's sloppy. Same deal with some of the lighting and shadows which flickered around in ways that were not present in the original. It simply looked like someone attempting to emulate the games with limited accuracy.

[Combichristoffersen]

Have any of you guys read Silent Hill: The Terror Engine and know if it's worth picking up? I'm also thinking of getting the PS2 version of SH4. I already have the PC version, but for some inane reason videos were locked at 30 fps, and I'd like to have SH 1-4 for consoles.

[Cudder]

Have any of you guys read Silent Hill: The Terror Engine and know if it's worth picking up? I'm also thinking of getting the PS2 version of SH4. I already have the PC version, but for some inane reason videos were locked at 30 fps, and I'd like to have SH 1-4 for consoles.

I was about to ask the same thing. I had never heard about it until a few hours ago when I just decided to go on Amazon and Ebay and search for "Silent Hill"

[Lime]

Have any of you guys read Silent Hill: The Terror Engine and know if it's worth picking up? I'm also thinking of getting the PS2 version of SH4. I already have the PC version, but for some inane reason videos were locked at 30 fps, and I'd like to have SH 1-4 for consoles.

Both Wolf and Perron are excellent scholars and both have contributed with worthwhile knowledge about survival horror to academia. Based on their merit alone, I would recommend this book.

[TheShampion]

localization issues

Well, that sucks. I would be much more willing to buy digital copies since I have the PS2 games somewhere already. Maybe one day...

[Combichristoffersen]

Both Wolf and Perron are excellent scholars and both have contributed with worthwhile knowledge about survival horror to academia. Based on their merit alone, I would recommend this book.

Sweet. I'll get the paperback edition, as then I'll have more cashmonies to spend on underage hookers and blow other books.

Edit: There's a preview at Google books.

[randomwab]

Have any of you guys read Silent Hill: The Terror Engine and know if it's worth picking up? I'm also thinking of getting the PS2 version of SH4. I already have the PC version, but for some inane reason videos were locked at 30 fps, and I'd like to have SH 1-4 for consoles.

It's been sitting beside my bed for about three weeks. I'll start it any day now. ;_;

[EphemeralDream]

Any suggestions on the best version of SH4 to buy? PS2, Xbox (over BC) or PC? The only one of the first 4 that I've yet to play.

[brandonh83]

Any suggestions on the best version of SH4 to buy? PS2, Xbox (over BC) or PC? The only one of the first 4 that I've yet to play.

I can't find SH3 or SH4 on PC anywhere and I'm itching to play them. Oh I've seen them but for ridiculous prices.

[Persona7]

The xbox version of Silent Hill 4 has sharper graphics than the PS2 version. I haven't really compared them though, I might do that this weekend.

[Combichristoffersen]

Any suggestions on the best version of SH4 to buy? PS2, Xbox (over BC) or PC? The only one of the first 4 that I've yet to play.

I have the PC version, and while the graphics are generally nice, the videos are locked at 30 fps for some reason, and the gameplay is rather clunky with m+kb, so I guess the PS2 version is the best of the two (don't know how the Xbox version is).

[EphemeralDream]

I can't find SH3 or SH4 on PC anywhere and I'm itching to play them. Oh I've seen them but for ridiculous prices.

Amazon

Doesn't seem too crazy for a game that probably didn't see much printing for the PC to begin with.

[Snapshot King]

This whole debacle depresses me, but I did find out about The Terror Machine just now, and I feel that was worth it. Still hugging my entire SH collection tho. Well, save 4. Sold that shit and never looked back.

[Mr. Enigma]

The xbox version of Silent Hill 4 has sharper graphics than the PS2 version. I haven't really compared them though, I might do that this weekend.

All Xbox games generally look better than PS2 games, and they're much easier to look at on HDTVs these days than PS2 games. SH2 and SH4 are still somewhat enjoying visual experiences on the Xbox with a HDTV. Meanwhile, playing SH3 on PS2 with a HDTV even with component cables looks like someone mashed vomit and diarrhea together.

[Nemesis_]

It's been sitting beside my bed for about three weeks. I'll start it any day now. ;_;

Hurry the FUCK UP so I can know whether to get it or not ;_;

[Teknoman]

Im still taking a wait and see approach since I cant believe Konami would do that to Silent Hill after seeing the MGS HD collection.

[Combichristoffersen]

I was looking at SH videos on YouTube, and found this video of SH3 PC modded to run in 1080p. Looks glorious. Also found this video of SH2 bugs and secrets, and had my mind blown by Laura's letter containing Bon Jovi lyrics.

[Persona7]

Never mind, that was weird.

Also, new Heather sounds like Yukiko from Persona 4.

[hateradio]

I was looking at SH videos on YouTube, and found this video of SH3 PC modded to run in 1080p. Looks glorious. Also found this video of SH2 bugs and secrets, and had my mind blown by Laura's letter containing Bon Jovi lyrics.

I played SH3 on PCSX2. I guess I should have waited and tried the PC version, but it ran pretty well and looked fine even at 4:3.

That SH2 video is creepy.

[JoJoShabadoo]

This is my first time seeing any details about this HD collection. Wow it looks terrible, who pat themselves on the back for that shit? And the voice acting in the phone call scene butchers the relationship between Heather and her dad. Look at how she says "okay I will" like she's being nagged by her father, compared to her innocent, laughing "okay I will" in the original.

[Ocaso]

Geez, that Gamespot video really highlights how botched part 3 is. Looking at 2, there are certain differences, but I could see myself playing through it and being able to overlook them. But part 3? A complete shift in color palette and saturation, along with complete absence of fog? How could this have gotten approved?

[ProudClod]

This is my first time seeing any details about this HD collection. Wow it looks terrible, who pat themselves on the back for that shit? And the voice acting in the phone call scene butchers the relationship between Heather and her dad. Look at how she says "okay I will" like she's being nagged by her father, compared to her innocent, laughing "okay I will" in the original.

Difference=butchering? *sigh* Varying direction can change the audience perceptions of the writing quite drastically. We all knew that Mary Elizabeth McGlynn was going to be directing the voice work. Any time you change directors, you change visions. The other thing about direction is that a single snippet of the art does not provide you with a comprehensive enough sample to judge the direction. Is it different? Yes. For better or for worse? Play the game first :)

[RagnarokX]

It didn't necessarily need more cutscenes with new characters, but as i said earlier, i think the story needed more flashing out (in general) and that could've been a good time to do it. There's slow burn andthere's dragging a point across, and although the idea itself has merit (a labirinth and distance between her and her father, her only point of reference , as evidenced by what i said before) it still was dragged for incredibly long, when they could've got this point across with half that running around. We go through the mall, the subway, the sewers AND the buildings. I get the point of her frantic need to go back to daddy, but it's almost half the game just to get this point across? I think it's far too much and it fucks with the pacing overall.

My problem with Silent Hill 3 is they give you pretty crappy reasons for visiting some locations.

"I don't want to leave this subway full of monsters, that creepy old guy might still be up there. What's a train? I'm just going to solve these puzzles."

"Well, I'm in Silent Hill now... I think I'll wander through the hospital for no real reason. Maybe that guy I'm looking for will just happen to be there."