Silent Hill 3: The Overrated Entry

Thumbnail art: ...
This is a brief summary of the game, while also sharing my thoughts on Silent Hill 3.
Silent Hill 3 is a 2003 survival horror game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami. The game was released from May to August, originally for the PlayStation 2.
----------------------------------------------
IG: @prpleough
TWT: @Prpledough
----------------------------------------------
#silenthillanalysis #heathermason

[@Wveth]

I cannot disagree more. There is so much nuance to the psychology of all the characters, and the layers of symbolism in the environments, events and creatures go just as deep as Silent Hill 2. I think people watching this video should look up other videos about it, because this one does not even come close to doing it justice. The cult isn't just there for its own sake, it continues the allegory of abuse dynamics that began in the first game and continued into the second. This is what the original Team Silent games were about at their core and every single one of them was put together with way more thought and consideration than is talked about here. If I tried to explain everything here it would be novel-length but I'll go to bat for this game if anyone wants to know why particular artistic decisions were made, and what they contribute to the art.

[@BareBandSubscription]

Those “other videos” are mostly just pretentious, pseudo-intellectual arguments made to elevate SH3 to comparable complexity and depth as that of SH2, and it’s mostly all bogus. SH3 is a cult story with themes of maternity, guardian/child relationships, and only kinda-sorta womanhood, and it’s all pretty straightforward and superficially rendered compared to the themes and nuances of SH2. I mean SH2 is nothing but morally gray, damaged characters. SH3 is a story of good vs. evil, full stop. It’s not comparable at all. Sure, Claudia is somewhat tragic, but she’s evil. Sure, Vincent is mysterious and his ambiguity is interesting, but that’s all that makes him interesting. Heather is undoubtedly a force of good with no shades of gray. She’s charismatic and likable, but she isn’t one tenth as complex and as interesting as James’ stilted self in SH2. I don’t understand why SH3 fans are so desperate to ruin the simplicity of SH3 just to make it seem deeper and more complex than it was ever made to be.

[@joshuareesor1756]

@@BareBandSubscription While I agree SH2 is deeper than SH3, I wouldn't really say any characters besides James are morally grey. Angela and Eddie are products of their environment, with Angela's actions being generally reasonable given her options, while Eddie becomes just as bad as his abusers by becoming violent and hurting an innocent (the dog) himself. Laura is innocent and straightforwardly good, and Maria is difficult to pin down due to the vagueness of her existence and how much James' will and the town's power have over her, so it's hard to gauge how much choice she has over her thoughts and behaviours. SH2's depth comes from its themes and the various emotions behind them, but the characters essentially begin and end with their trauma. For someone like James, this works well, as his situation is a very morally grey one. But Anglela's abuse is just as straightforward morally as Alessa's was in SH1, so any depth comes from how it ties into the overall themes and emotions the game is conveying rather than from her character.

[@BareBandSubscription]

@@joshuareesor1756 I totally disagree with your summation of Angela and Eddie, personally. Angela is obviously tragic and sympathetic, but she’s disturbed, a blatant misandrist, and abusive towards James as a result of her trauma (people think this is justified it seems, but I largely disagree), and Eddie is frankly way more of a victim than people want to suggest since they simply don’t won’t to stick up for a murderous dog killer. Laura is innocent, yes, and that’s precisely her function in the story, but even she is mostly just a brat anyway (understandable considering her general life). Even Maria, who is a literal Silent Hill monster, features really strange moments of humanity or personal introspection (in Born From a Wish). There’s just way more nuance to these characters than I get from really anyone in SH3, which is a much more traditional story of good vs evil. That isn’t to say I don’t love the characters in SH3, but their appeal is much simpler and generally less interesting upon deeper analysis (plus, there’s really only 4 on-screen characters in the whole game; it’s an even smaller cast than the other games, which keeps things much lighter and yet there’s less substance). SH3 is still great. I don’t mean to sound like I’m knocking it. It’s just got a very different appeal than SH2, and not as much under the hood, so to speak.

[@joshuareesor1756]

​@@BareBandSubscription I wouldn't really describe Anglea as abusive. She's mood-swingy, self-destructive, and sometimes hostile, but only ever directly hurts the subjects of her trauma. The only time I can think she acts somewhat abusive to James is after the Abstract Daddy fight, where she's going through a hysterical episode, so of course she's not going to be nice. Eddie is definitely sympathetic and a victim who may have been able to improve if he hadn't given in to his darkest desires, but killing an innocent dog just to vent your anger and hatred is objectively a less sympathetic act than an abuse victim killing their abuser. It's not black and white, but there's a reason why Anglea is the one whom we help fight her trauma, while Eddie we kill directly. Angela wants to be free from her pain, while Eddie wants to cause others pain to protect himself, ultimately becoming as bad as the bullies who abused him. If we're discussing SH3's cast, I always felt they were more well-rounded than 2's, as while they don't reach the same emotional depth, they feel like people who have more going on than just their personal tragedies. To me, 2 was always more interesting in its themes rather than its characters, and vice versa for 3. 2's cast is more like a snapshot of somebody at their darkest moment in life, while 3's are about people trying to find a reason for their past suffering and continue living for those reasons. If you were to remove 2's cast from their personal traumas, I don't feel like there would be much character left there, while the only major character in 3 who is like that would be Claudia. 3's cast has past events and emotions that drive them, but they do not define them (again, besides Claudia, who even then ties her trauma into a greater ideology that allows her to strive for a purpose beyond herself). You can break it down into good vs evil (Heather and Douglas learning to heal and move on vs Vincent and Claudia taking on their past and continuing the cycle of abuse), but the characters are not just the main conflict that is occurring. 2's characters hyperfocus on their conflict to explore the emotional complexity behind them, while 3's gives some more breathing room to allow more varied characteristics to exist at the cost of less focus on the characters' psychology. As you said, the appeal is different for both of them, but I think both are plenty interesting and engaging depending on how the player perceives them.

[@BareBandSubscription]

@@joshuareesor1756 Abusive acts are abusive acts. Angela’s vitriolic behavior towards James in that moment is understandable purely because of her trauma and how it’s shaped her, but it’s also obviously not rational or fair or justified given he literally just saved her life and she’s obviously misdirecting her anger towards a person who had already been abused by someone they loved. Does that make her less sympathetic? Not really, but it provides nuance to the character and makes her a fallible antagonizer. The fact she has one particular function in the story while Eddie has another is only further proof of my point, which you’re now reinforcing yourself: these characters aren’t black-and-white and therefore not totally comparable, despite all being cut from a similar cloth. They’re different shades on a spectrum. They’re nuanced. The characters in SH3 really aren’t despite some interesting details here and there. That was my whole point. The surface level story of good vs evil does service the game’s themes indeed, but the characters are still beautifully simple. I find it a bit of an odd point to say that if you remove the trauma from the characters in SH2, they become less interesting. I think that’s very obvious considering those characters are entirely defined by their trauma and the personal conflicts that come from them. That’s what the whole game is about. James, Angela, and Eddie are just regular, otherwise plain and average people who are broken, mutated, and molded by trauma, abuse, shame, etc, and that’s precisely what makes them compelling characters. So to say they’d be less interesting without the very thing that makes them interesting is a bit pointless. I could say Claudia would be less interesting without her trauma as well, or that Vincent wouldn’t be interesting at all if they took the mystique away from him. I understand your perspective, though, and I do think it’s a fair enough one, but I still can’t say I entirely agree with all of it. And that’s fine because these are games that allow for this kind of meaningful discussion between differing perspectives, and that’s partly why I love them.

[@FTZPLTC]

I will say, I like Vincent as a character. I think it's cool to show us someone who believes what the cult believes but doesn't think it's necessarily want the apocalypse to happen juuuuust yet, even if his motives are basically "I'm not finished embezzling everything yet"

[@AlphaZeroX96]

Edit: I have played SH3. It's very good. I haven't watched the video because I have not played SH3 and don't want spoilers, but isn't SH2 the one people call the best? SH3 isn't overrated. It's actually underrated.

[@phant0mdummy]

Since you're clearly on the outside of what is common knowledge for this community, I'll inform you. SH2 is the crowned jewel of the series, and yes, everyone loves it for the same reasons. But there's a large portion of the community that insists that SH3 is the best, and in fact better than SH2 for many reasons. The only SH title from 1-4 that can be remotely considered 'underrated' is The Room. SH3 is very much "rated" and appreciated by everyone, but there's an outspoken minority that believe it to be better than SH2, which in my opinion, clearly isn't true because the majority of all true SH fans all agree that SH2 is top dog. Sh3 is a great game, but it doesn't push the series any further forward than SH2, and SH2 has carried the entire reputation and memory of the series since 2001, on its back, trekking uphill.

[@NecroxProduction]

I'm doing a SH marathon for the first time. Loved 1 and 2. 3 on the other hand is so frustrating so far. The changes to inventory and the map sucks. The fact that you can't see some doors on the map while maps are a friggin maze is insane. Enemies everywhere, no time to breathe at all. The game just forces you to run from anything like it's Outlast. Really not enjoying it which is a shame because I don't wanna skip it before starting 4...

[@elmtree9951]

Kind of a bold title when SH2 is right there 🤷‍♀️

[@prpledough]

Yes

[@Drkn316]

SH2.... is LE BAD!!! Get a grip ya clown lol

[@cackle529]

It's not bold when the praise SH2 got is deserved, while SH3 (which a significant amount of people likes more than SH2) is, in fact, overrated.

[@jackkrauser2361]

When I first saw the title I kinda got a bit defensive tbh, but you are right sh3 isn’t perfect. I think a lot of people like it cause they like Heather and it is a quintessential silent hill experience. The graphics are amazing too even to this day 20 years later! I actually just beat the game for the first time a few months ago (I would played it sooner but I didn’t have the hardware to play it on until recently) and it was awesome even though I felt like you that the enemies were a bit forgettable and level design could of been better. I also wish that the game had more endings even though they aren’t bad. How come you didn’t talk about the non alien alternate ending that you have to unlock after your first play though? Still, I can’t beat on the game cause it did a lot of things right even though the room is my favorite in the series right now. Silent Hill 2 used to be my sacred cow 10 years ago and I still like it, but now that I’m older I think 4 is just too awesome. The story and the characters (I love Eileen ❤) are so great cause they feel realistic and the voice acting is amazing. On top of that the music is good (waiting for you is my favorite song in the series), the horror is the best in the series, and the 1st person perspective is so sick. People generally complain about the gameplay in 4, but the gameplay in silent hill has always been clunky so who gives a fuck!?! I’ve noticed it’s actually not that bad as long as you play on normal difficulty and you have a good pc and monitor. Hard is where it’s at for those of us that really like are games though, but I’m noticeably less frustrated when I play on normal. Wish I played 4 earlier instead of listening to everyone who said it was trash :/. Anyways, this was a great video and I hope you make more silent hill content in the future!! Have a great day 👍🙏

[@satanamogila9251]

Hi. Please apologize for this video

[@joeyfarris2543]

NO!!!!!!!!

[@ugandahater]

For reals. I don't agree with this transgender at all

[@BareBandSubscription]

No. Silent Hill 3 is a bit overrated.

[@Mrx.123]

I love silent hill 3

[@sky545]

I enjoyed 4 better

[@damnjackie233]

Silent chill

[@spiritttedaway]

@@sky545 doesnt mean 4 is better, you failed to present your arguments from the objective point of view

[@sky545]

@@spiritttedaway who said I was arguing fool, am I not allowed to have a subjective opinion?

[@HarunaValen]

@@sky545 well, i think many people tend to learn more details and specific arguments it helps understands our own points of view, but imo SH series reached its peak with both 3&4, because their more gameplay based than SH2 which is more story oriented. SH2 is my least favorite because it felt empty, it has less enemies, they're barely threatening, puzzles are few and far between and most of them lack logic and its literally the easiest team silent title imo, and so as a game it never gave me enough fill to boost up my survival horror experience compared to SH3, 4 and other foreign titles like Code Veronica, 2002 REmake, and Fatal frame trilogy.

[@indieoddjobs4766]

I disagree with you on Silent Hill 3 being overrated. Over the 20 years of playing these games it had largely overlooked because 2 was the golden goose when in reality its symbology is just as strong. What I do however agree on is 4 being underrated. 3 being my favorite entry never detracted my love for 4 personally. I just think they're different therefore complimentary to one another

[@lilbasedboi]

The soundtrack is the best in the series

[@beardalaxy]

that's for sure!

[@BareBandSubscription]

It’s very nearly even with SH2 in terms of music, but the actual soundtrack album is better. It’s better sequenced and has a really nice sense of structure by featuring voice clips of Claudia throughout the tracklist.

[@PrettyGothBoi6085]

19:35 I agree. "shut your stinking mouth, b***!" Is indeed a great quote from Heather.

[@squallthegriever]

I love all the main OG SH 4 games but to me SH1 to this day is the better of all 4. I played them all back to back in HS and I miss also the open world and music and its more original lore 1 had. All of them are great but 1 imo is the best one. 4 is super underrated. When I first played it dude shit was livid. I agree 3 over shadows 4 but it's because Heather is connected to Cheryl and I think that adds weight to interest.

[@prpledough]

I love cheryl forever though she’s awesome

[@RexSterlingLive]

Giving this a second listen while at the gym, excellent video. This was an unexpected but very appreciated upload. Love your commentary.

[@jackkrauser2361]

Bro I was listening to this outside the gym a couple hours ago too 😂

[@RexSterlingLive]

@@jackkrauser2361 fellow king 💪🏻

[@josedorsaith5261]

Glad someone else enjoyed SH4. The antagonist was much more interesting and the ghosts gave me nightmares as a 16 year old

[@spiritttedaway]

What an absurd take my dear. You made everything here very personal and uncritical. Almost all of your complaints is literally "i don't like it" instead of " why it's bad." Also, just because SH4 has a different approach in many areas doesn't mean its good or even better than Silent hill 3 or other titles. You really need to do better than this

[@Gorgutsforcongress]

I was in my mid twenties when sh3 came out and it was massively disappointing at the time. Especially compared to 2.

[@spiritttedaway]

@@Gorgutsforcongress that's totally your "subjective" opinion, and also you need to elaborate more on your reasonings

[@ugandahater]

@@spiritttedaway I can't stand these new fans

[@BareBandSubscription]

@@ugandahater You both come across like butthurt pussies.

[@HarunaValen]

@@Gorgutsforcongress yeah you praised downpour as being better than SH3 so that makes your entire argument invalid.

[@MasterSprintersan1]

If anything, SH2 is overrated; not that it’s a bad game, though. I personally feel like SH3 is underrated, or rather just not appreciated enough. The Silent Hill trilogy of games is dang near perfect in my eyes. SH3 is my favorite one, though. SH4 is definitely the black sheep of the family, and SH5 and onwards is its own thing altogether. I’ll shut up now.

[@kamesen24]

Heather Mason, best SH protag

[@prpledough]

agreed. Love her character soooo much, but the game…

[@CallingAllMadMen]

The scariest Silent Hill game. IMO.

[@franciscogonzalezramirez5033]

Hmmmm... It's the most grotesque and brutal, but SH4 is the scariest and most oppressive IMO.

[@HarunaValen]

Most donkey take ever on SH3, lol. You're basically saying in this video "hey guys look at me I'm just an edgy contrarian for the sake of being contrarian" lol

[@ant2manbee931]

He's right though

[@HarunaValen]

@@ant2manbee931wait you said purple is a "HE"? 😂 well, thanks fro proving my original point

[@viboyrator]

I completely agree with your assessment. The story seems to be a mere remake of SH1, featuring a female protagonist, and unfortunately, it lacks the captivating appeal. The recurring "cult" theme feels rather clichéd and uninteresting, even for those who are not drawn to religious aspects. It's disappointing to see a return to chasing a group of unintelligent worshippers after the game-changing narrative of SH2, which set a new standard for storytelling in the city. I had hoped for a deeper, more atmospheric experience akin to Silent Hill 2, but instead, it felt like watching a B-movie with impressive graphics, minimal scares, and many reused elements.

[@Lulzesty]

If it seems like it's retreading old ground, then that's probably because it's a sequel to the first game; but I do think it felt different enough and expanded on what the first game gave us. I never really understood why people dislike the first game's story or view it as lesser to SH2's. The cult always seems to be the complaint people have - often stating that it's boring or cliché without really elaborating. I found Kauffman to be an interesting character since he wants to expand his reach and control through the peddling of PTV, similar to Vincent's goal of deriving power through illicitly using and acquiring money from the cult in SH3. There's also Lisa Garland, and seeing her backstory unravel and witnessing her fate was one of the saddest experiences in a video game. Throughout my time playing, I was wondering how Cheryl was involved in all this and what was happening to the town, and that's what made it so interesting.

[@necrosadotor]

i got heavily annoyed of them repeating GOD constantly, sounds stupider each time. why not come up with synonyms or just write better dialogue. otherwise i thought it was 5/5

[@charlestonobryant807]

Ngl as much as I like SH2 I’m glad 3 nor 4 are similar, I’d argue that part of why SH went downhill is because they kept trying to chase 2’s success

[@Lulzesty]

@@charlestonobryant807 I fully agree. SH2 is truly great, but the lengths people will go to treat it as superior or as the only Silent Hill game is ridiculous.

[@Drkn316]

@@charlestonobryant807 it went downhill because Konami are clueless clowns, they did the same thing to MGS and Castlevania. SH2 has nothing to do with that

[@TheMysteriousSerious]

I share the sentiments with some of the other comments here saying that, while SH3 isn't perfect, it's still my favorite in the series (probably because it's the first SH game I played) and Heather is still one of my all-time favorite horror game protagonists. I'm happy you still like the game to an extent and I'm pleasantly surprised that the entire video wasn't you just shitting on it for not being enough like SH2, which I personally believe to be both objectively the best Silent Hill game but also the most overrated one... I do 100% agree that SH4: The Room is criminally underrated tho. Definitely going to watch your video on that one now.

[@spiritttedaway]

Please dont fail this small creator at all costs. She needs your full support to apply to gamespot/ign/kotaku in the quickest time possible. Dont disappoint her lol

[@peloquin5652]

The Overrated Entry LOL

[@ugandahater]

Lol for reals. This dude is insane

[@pentexsucks43]

That belongs to silent hill 2 by a landslide lmao

[@SolidRaiden2655]

underrated imo. Outside of the fanbase virtually no one knows of this game which is kinda sad.

[@platinumstare]

You speak and sound like a future ign employee, lol

[@ugandahater]

Like a liberal lol

[@spiritttedaway]

@@ugandahater sooner or later you might see her popping up in these useless media podcasts so dont be surprised

[@Beeyo176]

I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but the last words of the video scared the crap out of me because I thought it was just a repeat of what happened at 24:56

[@prpledough]

i moved it at the end cause i didn’t want to delete it cause i giggled. I then forgot to delete it 😂

[@silverg2862]

I disagree. SH 3 is probably the best one for me. Also, the burning of Alessa was implied to be an accident.

[@CompressedEarthBlocks]

I respectfully disagree with this but it was an enjoyable video nonetheless.

[@1theprince1]

Sh4 walter is the perfect example of how to do the cult story without the presence of the cult. Only the damage they brought upon an orphaned boy who simply wanted his mother. Sh3 could've taken the same approach with Heather herself. Not turn her into a villain but play along with the duality and darkness within her, Alessa. I think that would've been much better than vague womanhood symbolism and.. god. I read there was apparently a different pitch for sh3. The writer refused to give any detail about that version of the script, in hopes of one day realizing it.

[@RuminInLove]

This is such a good video. I especially like the edit at the start. It seems like a lot of these commenters read the title and judged the video on that alone.

[@prpledough]

thank you! 😊

[@robertpaz21]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who prefers SH 4 over SH 3. However SH 3 soundtrack mmmhmmmm chef’s kiss! ❤

[@_yikesforever]

You pronouncing Gillespie as Gillepsy is simultaneously hilarious and adorable lmfao

[@prpledough]

Every time i see it i literally this it’s pronounced that way 😭 I always mess it up fr

[@_yikesforever]

@@prpledough Happens sooo often with these games! I think the most common one is Henry TownsHEND and TownSHend lol

[@prpledough]

@@_yikesforever I did the same thing with him too 😂

[@kitsunemetal]

I was more of a resident evil fan then a silent hill fan don't get me wrong Silent Hill is good but i prefer zombies and i like the cheesiness of the games and when resident evil remake came out it was creepy and looked amazing.

[@MontaguStudios]

Terrific content as always. Silent Hilll 3 is my favourite in the series mostly because it's a direct continuation from the original. I strongly believe Silent Hill should've been about Harry Mason and whoever is close to him; I wanted the story to continue with Harry, Heather, Cybil, and even Douglas - much like how Resident Evil have recurring characters in the sequels, but sadly it didn't happen. Instead, Silent Hill became an anthology series with new characters thrown in on every sequel, which in most ways works with SH2 and SH4 but it got completely misguided after Team Silent disbanded. Having said that, I do agree SH3 is a really short game in comparison due to lack of levels and everyone talks so slow like they're high on morphine. The lack of emotions from every cast is kinda disappointing too (this is mostly attributed to the lost in translation factor from Japanese to English performance so that's excusable). Thankfully, the soundtrack is great and without SH3, they wouldn't be Robbie The Rabbit, Silent Hill's (sort of) mascot. It makes me happy to see Heather in Dead by Daylight as a playable character because I like her a lot. Great content as always. And TQ for commissioning me to do your thumbnail art ^_^.

[@nation_vapor]

R u high? PH is the mascot.

[@MontaguStudios]

@@nation_vapor That's why I put the "sort of" comment in brackets. Learn to read properly. Based on wiki pages and various sources, it would seem both Pyramid Head and Robbie are Silent Hill's mascots so it's a win-win. Yay!

[@nickbooze9766]

there's been a few essays on Silent Hill 3 use of "feminine horror" Did that not relate to you?

[@spiritttedaway]

bunch of useless time wasting mumbling crap that has nothing to do with silent hill 3 and its lore

[@ugandahater]

​@@spiritttedaway🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💯💯💯💯

[@BareBandSubscription]

This game isn’t actually “feminine horror” at all. That whole appraisal is mostly nonsense. People only think it’s about womanhood in any way because the game deals heavily with child/guardian relationships and, by extension, motherhood. Being a woman is only intrinsically tied to all that. The game isn’t about femininity really at all, I hate to break it to you. Video essays aren’t gospel.

[@HarunaValen]

reddit is not a reliable source at anything

[@sweetbobbybliss]

@@BareBandSubscriptionThank you, so much, for this comment. I mean seriously, I’m all for women (I have a beautiful little girl) but anytime a woman is even featured in anything it seems like some people can only see their existence through a feminist lense. As if that’s all women are. Just symbolic mascots for feminism. So again thank you for actually putting it into words!

[@SteveTheVloger]

While I don’t agree, this was a great video essay and I get where you’re coming from

[@yeetoz8763]

I personally Just Prefer SH2 Probably because Maybe the control scheme was pretty simple Easy as balls at time.... and the game more or less focused on it's story, I know I'll Come around to probably 3 and then the room despite them not having story connections.... I just like playing In Numbered order, Even If I'll come back to 1 later.

[@callamastia]

waiting on that shattered mammories vid.

[@chaosinfyrno]

Great video

[@spiritttedaway]

good argument simp

[@nawaf_xxkillerxx473]

i disagree but nice video tho

[@ashleyjohansson230]

SH3 is very overrated, most the silent hill community now considers it the best in the franchise even though it was the least scariest. The characters and struggles of women that heather had to deal with were great but the game was the start at where silent hill became more action orientated with too many enemies in large open areas.

[@prpledough]

I think that this game has a lot of cons, but it does feature a lot of good topics that aren’t talked about in gaming enough

[@The80Kat]

This one is my favorite, it has the best control of all the games. 4 has atmosphere and that is it. I barely consider it a silent hill. 1,2,and 3 that’s it

[@ugandahater]

I do not agree with this transgender's opinion

[@FTZPLTC]

Man, this is a bold claim to make. But I kinda agree. I don't think it's bad, but the main things I like about SH3 are relatively superficial things like the sound design. I think the environmental visuals kinda go to (figurative) hell near the end too - they spot being creepy and end up downright garish. (It's still better than Origins though, so there's that.)

[@rosenovcharov5940]

I prefer SH 2 over 4 and i prefer 4 over 3

[@keip4568]

Yay something negative about the original SH besides 4 The Room!

[@Ignorerant]

I agree and like most of the things said but one. Saying there's nothing cool to look at in the Subway when Minmo is there is just plain sacrilegious 😂

[@ericm215]

I think 1 and hardest gameplay wise. But in a good way. Out of the original 4 this I agree feels rushed

[@spiritttedaway]

Rushed at what? Elaborate more, fruity

[@ericm215]

@@spiritttedaway reused areas, reused assets and only 2 endings.

[@spiritttedaway]

@@ericm215 The only reused location in sh3 is The Brookhaven hospital and that's even a tiny 5% percent of the entire SH3 setting, even more considering the otherworld version of the hospital looks and is built different than than the one in sh2 too. "Reused assets" is also a nitpick weak argument, cuz a lot of other franchises like Resident Evil even its classic titles do carry many reused assets on the long run and there're no issue in doing that as long as the so called original "assets" turned out to be fluid and functions properly, not to mention sh4 has more recycled assets than any of the previous titles combined. So again, this doesn't proves the point of SH3 being "rushed" or bad because of it. As for the "ending" part, i kinda get your point on that, but in this case its all preference.

[@GabryyLG]

Brookhaven is the biggest and longest dungeon area you go through in SH3, no way its about 5% lol Also, what assets did SH4 reuse btw? Im not into the argument about "reusing assets" at all but SH4 is definitely more unique and more distinguished than SH3, even though I don't like it very much.

[@spiritttedaway]

​​​​​​​@@GabryyLG Hey clownie read my comment again and stop twist my words to prove you're dumb. "largest dungeon in the game" may be cuz your a causal h@ck and not bright enough to deal with puzzles and strategies thats why it felt very long for you lol what reused assets? self inserted Character models from previous titles as objects, clues etc., reused sounds/ambient effects with similar tones being put in the game very lazily and cheaply as well. "SH4 is more distinguishable" Yeah I agree, the downgraded graphics/cartoony visuals, lack of atmosphere, lazy/broken programming, dumb enemy AI, the boring and uninspired locations, so again, your'e right its so distinguishable from SH3 indeed, lol. These are factual flaws overwhelming/hindering sh4 and I highly doubt you even "touched" these games judging from your narrow minded obtuse/misinformed takes. While I understands preferences but at the end of the day You cant come up with this immature argument "this game is different or tried something new therefore it automatically makes it better than other titles" it just really shows that you lack critical thinking and have no logical arguments, and lazy enough to make your own opinion and instead resort to listens to any "generalized" garbage you hear from anyone. The point being is, if you try something new or different then make sure it fully works and functions properly on the long run. And SH4 failed terribly at achieving that on almost all areas.

[@beardalaxy]

I played SH3 pretty soon after SH2, and I found myself liking it more right afterward. However, something about SH2 lingers with me. The feeling of SH2 is just so encompassing, while SH3 leans a bit more in to the visceral horror compared to SH2's psychological horror. SH1 does a better job at the psychological horror, which is no doubt thanks in part to how old it is. Perhaps it's because I'm a man and don't really relate to Heather as much as I do Harry or even James in some ways. In fact, all the stuff about birth was completely lost on me when I played the game and to be honest still kind of is, I view it more less as some metaphor and more a weird fucked up thing that the cult does. Maybe that's because it was so overt that I glossed over it? To be honest, thinking too hard about SH3's themes leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth that I don't think would have been there had I played the game earlier in life, just because of how those themes are tied to the modern political landscape that I'd rather not think about as much while playing games. That's definitely a ME problem, but it's why I find myself leaning more towards SH1 and SH2 when it comes to the game beyond the game, so to speak. I like to think about the weird stuff with the cult and the town itself, and when it comes to SH2 the different issues the characters represent, as well as why the games feel the way they do to play and to immerse yourself in. When talking about SH3 it usually loops back around to that femininity stuff pretty fast which I just can't identify with, and tend to try to shut out based on how modern movements have been used to make me feel like a bad person from time to time. Haven't played SH4 yet, mainly because it is mechanically very weird to me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it. Though it's unconventional, I can see your point in why you'd like it more, though. I'd be curious to hear what you have to say about Evil Within, or preferably the second game. I didn't like the first one as much but the second one felt a LOT like the original Silent Hill to me. It just gave me the same vibe. Obviously you're a dude looking for your daughter in a weird town, and there is a focus on psychological elements, but it still has good combat and that open world kind of feeling. If you haven't played it I'd recommend it!

[@ugandahater]

The reason why sh2 "lingers" with you , is because you're a liar who is a soy drinking virgin non SSRIs and antidepressants that tries to find anything that he can relate to in James's character. You need a one way ticket into the sun 🚀 ☀️

[@bigtimthepeasant]

My friend likes SH4 best. He won't stop riding it like it's egg plant shaped. I think the games are boring AF honestly I couldn't sit through SH2 OR 3.

[@prpledough]

i like your friend

[@bigtimthepeasant]

no you don't trust me on this one.@@prpledough

[@michaelkragseth3877]

I appreciate 4 more,or the most actually. As much I loved 2,I want them to step away from that. Making the sequels like 2 is going backwards to me. I don't want silent hill to be JUST about manifested trauma👀 my favourite part of 3 is valtiel tho,love those weird parts❤

[@prpledough]

True that!!!

[@staerink6901]

Terrible take

[@ugandahater]

I agree. This transgender is totally wrong

[@johndodo2062]

That just, like, you're opinion man

[@sweetbobbybliss]

Absolutely Horrible Take

[@SolidRaiden2655]

Clearly you havent watched Super Eye Patch wolf. Hes got worst critique of all those crappy essay youtubers.

[@Trillapeches]

i never played 3, so I'll use my go to silent hill criticism, whoever did the music for this game is a portishead ripoff.

[@ZeroEnnaDriver]

The genre you are looking for is TripHop, which Akira took inspiration from, Portishead was the biggest bands back then.

[@HeathenRenegade]

I have a ton of issues with Silent Hill 3, and I think most of them come from the team being smaller after SH2. The gameplay and level design are built off of the previous games, but they're also more slapped together. The new stuff doesn't actually feel as polished as 1 or 2, other than the visuals of course. The story and characters are well done, but since they had to balance aspects of both previous games, some of which are at odds with each other, it winds up having fewer memorable interactions, and a lot more to get confused about. At least, I'm still confused. Also, the hard difficulty puzzles are genuinely bad. There's no justification for how ridiculous they can be, with no way to even check that you're on the right track.

[@volpeisfox]

You decided to come back and be the most controversial person on the app… okay. 😂

[@bahamut5608]

Wanted to like this game so bad but the level design is just so boring and a slog to get through. Everything looks the same and it's just simply not fun to go through. Beautiful graphics especially for the time.... But those boring ass levels.

[@cackle529]

Finally someone else seeing that SH4 is way better than SH3. I was actually shocked how bad SH3 turned out because i really loved both SH1 and SH2. It was a real dissapointment. I had high expectations for the first 3 games because everyone praised them equally to high heaven - so I thought: "Huh, I guess I actually agree with the majority for once", but then i got to SH3 and almost fell asleep playing it.

[@nation_vapor]

Yeah i dont see that the graphics in 3 way better than 2 or even 4

[@angelrotted]

ur so real

[@MrDream-zm1pw]

I agree with you, Silent Hill 4 is better than 3. Where SH3 shines is on better controls, killer soundtrack and amazing graphics. The Silent Hill town section felt tacked on and lazy with the reusing of SH2 assets. the monster design just kind of sucks imo. SH4 shines in the creep and horror factor. I love the core 4, though.

[@Zeeboq]

I wanna start off by saying I thoroughly appreciate your channel! purpledough is underrated! I've not watched a lot of your stuff yet because I've not played most of the games you've covered yet, but I remember I found your channel through this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3Kap62IgpyajK8 (To which I followed the advice of and have since attained a couple of the games you listed.) ;D Out of the initial tetralogy, I must say that SH3 does come across as more "marketable" than the others-which isn't inherently a bad thing by any means, but I'd be lying if I wasn't at least a little let down by that after immersing myself so deeply in the bold and extremely personal SH2, which geared the series towards challenging new frontiers head on. By the time I had finished SH2 for the ~7th time, I decided it was time for me to finally hop onto its sequel (I replayed each game multiple times before moving onto the next). I remember being so excited to finally meet Heather after anticipating her to be the protagonist in each game since I started getting into the series (that's how iconic she was/is), I went in expecting a whole new character with their own independent story to tell, much like with Harry and James. I firmly believe that Heather was and always will be an amazing character and deserved an even more captivating story-apparently, that was the original idea before Konami saw how SH2 was received in the Japanese playerbase. To this day, the original script for SH3 remains unrealized (at least, not in any known form). I pray that one day it sees the light of day and it sucks that Konami favored demographic over their artists. This whole thing is fascinating and I suggest anyone looking into it themselves, I will reply to this comment with links as to make doing so easier. Also, the part at 17:49 made me laugh; your commentary was especially relatable for me, as only after outrunning the ominous red fog did I realize _I had the bulletproof vest on the whole time._ I felt like a doofus after that! >.

[@prpledough]

it being marketable makes more sense. especially with the girl crazy trend in horror games at the time

[@Zeeboq]

@@prpledough It was definitely an aspect. It's a shame and Masahiro Ito has tweeted about how Konami's fumbling cost the devs precious time. _Originally planned to be a rail shooter, as a result of the initially slow sales of Silent Hill 2 in Japan, Silent Hill 3 was developed almost simultaneously alongside another installment in the series, Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)_ - Wikipedia page for Silent Hill 3 I love SH3 for what it is, but it does feel birthed more so from obligation than sheer passion (especially next to 1, 2, and 4, which all showed the devs much more interest in the anthology approach). Concerning "girl crazy trend"; even though (as stated before) I have a lot of PS2 games to get to, I'm not entirely oblivious to what you're referring to. It was an interesting time for gender, feminism, and pop culture back in the 90s-2000s. It also just generally seems to be a trend in horror by and large; even to this day. Generally speaking, I don't think it's an undesirable trend, as I value variety and much of media is honestly quite male-dominated-that's not a bad thing inherently, it just paves the way for banality whilst making it harder for different perspectives to have a platform. Culture's a fuckin' tightrope walk! (Condolences for leaving you with yet another page-length comment

[@isabelfernandes778]

💜💜💜

[@OhMabu]

HELL YEAH FINALLY SOMEBODY AGREES, SH4 IS WONDERFUL I NEVER CARED FOR SH3 ITS OK ITS STILL A GOOD GAME BUT SH4 SLAPPED

[@ugandahater]

You need lithium asap

[@outlaw451]

Its been said in ither comments, but yeah, SH2 is impossibly overrated. Its up there woth FF7 as one of the most overrated games of all time. But both are good and important games.

[@almightypapamoose]

How dare you not love and appreciate my favorite entry in the series. instant dislike!

[@Gorgutsforcongress]

Downpour was better imo

[@platinumstare]

you have time to delete your comment

[@silverg2862]

lol

[@HarunaValen]

another attention seeking contrarian based on fallacy lol

[@Gorgutsforcongress]

No, downpour is way better than shitty 3 with it's shitty main character and crap puzzles.

[@stewbeefdamastamind5719]

Sh3 was so dumb...really dumb story..but it was the scariest entry

[@ugandahater]

You need lithium asap

[@SPG8989]

This woman speaks to my heart. I have always felt SH3 was overrated as hell. I want another female go at SH, done better.

[@ugandahater]

You're a pile of garbage you simp wimp soy creep who needs lithium and also you touch children allegedly from what others on the internet are saying, from what it sounds like, perhaps