Recommended Game Reviews: Silent Hill 3

SILENT HILL 3 (PC)

The Silent Hill games are all excellent - at least the first three or four, I'm not sure about the rest. But I'd definitely recommend the first three, and in particular part 3, which continues the story from the original game. This is a horror game about a very strange town called Silent Hill, where extremely disturbing things are happening.

The game begins with a bizarre nightmare at a very creepy amusement park - which later turns out to be a premonition, and we are introduced to our main character we play as, Heather, a teenage girl. This is the most interesting character within any of the games, and she often has amusing things to say about what is going on. While shopping at her local mall she encounters a dodgy private detective, who wants to talk to her and won't leave her alone, and chases her into the women's toilet. Soon after this, the world begins to change into something darker, and horrible monsters have started appearing (or perhaps some people and animals are turning into them), and they are all hungry for meat! Fortunately Heather always carries around a knife with her for protection, and also finds a discarded gun to fight off any attackers. Or if they are on the floor she can kick and stomp them to death with her boots. Among the things Heather finds is beef jerky, and this can be useful to throw to some of the smaller monsters, to try and distract them for a little while.

There are other weapons to be found throughout the game, as well as health healing supplies and discarded ammunition, presumably from the first people who tried to fight off the monsters. But generally there is not enough ammunition or health supplies to deal with all of the extremely dangerous monsters Heather encounters, so often the best strategy is not to attempt to fight, but instead run in terror from the monsters - which is the way it should be! Fortunately they cannot open doors, so escape is usually not too difficult - so long as the doors aren't too far away or hard to find. However, Heather will sometimes encounter powerful creatures in her way that she has no choice but to fight, and saving her gun ammunition for these times is recommended, because you really wouldn't want to get close to them!

Heather is just trying to get home, but this evil force keeps following her and changing the environment, and it keeps getting worse. While what is going on is gradually revealed, Heather is now drawn to the town of Silent Hill, which is shrouded in thick fog, and has even more horrors waiting. If you have seen the film 'The Mist', wandering around Silent Hill in this game is pretty much the same. There are things in the mist, waiting to get you - things you can hear but not yet see. My only complaint with this game is how little of Silent Hill there is to explore, however this is actually an improvement, as the other games involved too much tedious running around town repeatedly.

The visuals in this game are very good, and can be disturbing, and can also get quite crazy, causing disorientation and panic. But like with other good games, it is the soundtrack which really makes it effective, and gives it the atmosphere that puts you in the game and gives you an emotional response. All the way through the game there is the hint of menace in the background. The soundtrack continually puts you at unease (which is even better with headphones), with creepy music and sounds, or even silence making you paranoid about what is around the next corner. There are some shocking moments that will make you jump, but more than this, the things you can hear just generally creep you out: Horrible zombie dogs howling, something moving nearby, something snarling, banging on a door, ready to break through, something nasty breathing, something so strange you can't describe it, etc.

Here is one of the songs from the soundtrack that really defines it well. This is the kind of feeling you get from playing the game. The piece doesn't begin properly until one minute into it, then it gets really desolate. Imagine the location this piece of music evokes, and that is where Heather is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK9Xqfnwu6s

Overall this game is an excellent horror game with a very disturbing atmosphere, a good story with hidden meanings, a great soundtrack and music, interesting characters and a very playable game. It has some nice variety and interesting things, like the creepy and deadly tour of the Borley Haunted Mansion at the amusement park, or fighting against a dark version of yourself in an epic battle while spinning into oblivion on a merry-go-round. There are difficulty settings, both for the action and the riddles, and the hard riddle setting produces some very challenging puzzles. After the game has been completed, it was all a nightmare, like the first one Heather woke up from, and it can continue, getting harder and harder each time. As a reward there may be extra things available, such as alternate outfits for Heather to wear, including a special super-sexy one, special extra weapons, including a very cool light sabre, and Heather's "god power" becoming manifested. There are also save points throughout the game, where a mysterious character continually following Heather will drag her dead body and resurrect it if she dies. If he has a long way to drag her he will get very angry.

Like with the other games there are alternate endings, including the "UFO ending", and also a Silent Hill comedy song. In addition there are extra scenes if you play the Playstation 2 version, and have save files from 'Silent Hill 2' on the memory card. It will make a couple of references to the previous game, for example when you request Heather to stick her hand in a filthy toilet, as happened with James in the previous game, she will certainly have something to say about that!

Another game I'd recommend that is somewhat similar is 'Doom 3'. This has a creepy beginning and many scares, but it gets very predictable, and becomes annoying rather than scary, when around virtually EVERY corner a monster suddenly appears behind you, and especially on the harder levels it can become a tedious game where you continually repeat the same thing over and over again until you get it perfectly right. However the 'Hell' section of the game is very good, has a good atmosphere and a freaky ending.

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Film Drinking Games

If you are looking for an interesting experience, I might suggest trying a drinking game. You simply watch a film, and when certain things happen you drink. There can be various rules, but that is basically what the game is all about. The challenge is to make it all the way to the end of the film. You may find others you like, but here are a couple I like, as well as one I made up myself...

'Withnail & I'
The rules to this one are simple. The player has to drink everything that Withnail drinks throughout the film. This may also include smoking the Camberwell Carrot, and it's probably recommended to also eat the bit of food he eats as well. It's also HIGHLY recommended to exchange the lighter fluid for an alcoholic drink of your choice!
This one is an expert's game, for hardened drinkers only. It is extremely difficult, and also quite expensive! Not recommended for the inexperienced drinker to even attempt this one, but it could perhaps be altered to an easier form.


'Wild Zero'
The drinking game is an official part of the film, and it seems to have been made with this in mind. You choose your own drink and take a gulp whenever any of the following happens...
-Someone drinks
-Someone combs their hair
-Someone says, "ROCK AND ROLL!"
-Flames shoot out of something (includes explosions)
-A zombie's head explodes
Rock band Guitar Wolf are in the film, and apparently they cut down on their drinking for the duration. This is a nice game for beginners, not too difficult - but you select your own difficulty with your choice of drink. But this is probably my favourite because it's so much FUN to play. It's all about what you're drinking to, and raising your drink while celebrating ROCK AND ROLL, or while flames are billowing is excellent.


'Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas'
This one is more difficult, but it really puts you in the same position as the characters in the film. Pick your own drink, and drink when...
-Duke changes his cigarette
-Any kind of intoxicant is seen or consumed
-You see an American flag
For a film full of drink and drugs, it is the numerous flags which get you. This would be much better for a proud American to play; I don't appreciate drinking to a foreign flag so much, even if it is a good one (originally) worthy of honouring. I found that I got ill at the same time as the characters on screen, and recovered when they were fine. Since one of the characters vomits during the film this may be allowed (and probably required). Instead of drinking only, this game may possibly be altered into a drinking and smoking game, like one I invented...


'Supergirl'
Choose your own drink and smoke, and drink when...
-Someone eats or drinks
-Kara uses one of her superpowers
-The Omegahedron spins, or someone says, "Omegahedron"
Smoke a bong when...
-Someone smokes a cigarette
-Kara travels between worlds (home/Earth/Phantom zone)
-Kara does something incredibly cute or sexy
(Optional: Eat a pill of your choice when the headmaster eats a pill)
This game is mildly difficult, but can be completed without too much trouble. The smoking seems to stop the drinking from having too bad an effect. But it just makes the film more enjoyable to watch.


Note that the more difficult drinking games can require a recovery time. It may make you ill for up to two days, (or perhaps even longer) so take this into account if you are attempting a challenging game.

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Extra Game Review

HANNAH MONTANA SPOTLIGHT WORLD TOUR (Playstation 2 / Wii)

This isn't on the list of recommended games, but I include it as a nice little addition in the same style as the Barbie games. The version I will be reviewing will be the Playstation 2 version (emulated on a PC as usual), as all the games I review can be freely acquired and played on the PC you are most likely using at the moment. However for this game I would much more recommend the Wii version played on the actual machine, as it is mainly a dancing game, and you have to actually perform the dance moves - which is a lot of fun! However this doesn't mean you can't actually do a little dancing and other required actions while using another control scheme, as well as mime or sing the songs of course. Keyboard control, especially with some of the moves, seems to make it a little more difficult than with a hand-held controller (and of course you can choose your own keys, offering more physical movement), so the emulated version may be a bit better to play than the original. There is also a difficulty setting, but the more difficult it is, the less enjoyable it is to play (at least using a keyboard). Yet even when it's easy, it's still FUN.

The reason I choose this game is because of how it feels to play it. Recently I have been playing 'Grand Theft Auto San Andreas'. This is an amazing game; a free-roaming simulation of an entire city and surrounding lands, full of great variety and a lot of fun. Technically it's a far superior game than for example any of the Barbie games I have reviewed, however I do not include it in my list of recommended games because it is a HORRIBLE game to play. It makes me feel BAD, especially at first, but now I seem to have become more accustomed to it, so it does not seem so horrible, and I don't like that. In opposition I offer this simulation of being a pop star on a world tour as a game that makes me feel HAPPY when I play it.

In this game you take on the role of Hannah Montana, a completely fictional manufactured character. This character is played within the story by Miley Stewart, but the player takes her place and plays the part of Hannah themselves. The game is also a decent simulation of the TV show, and the characters look alright, with good impersonated voices, so if you are a fan of the show you may enjoy wandering around being a part of that world. But even if not the game has a good atmosphere and nicely simulates being a pop star of your own making.

Hannah embarks on a world tour, visiting several different countries and puts on concerts as well as making public appearances, trying to increase her fan base and sell her singles and album. The concerts begin with set songs, then the player can select their own choices for the rest of the show. There are 16 songs able to be performed, which become gradually available as the tour progresses, (and more difficult to perform). Hannah can also choose what outfits and jewellery she wears for the performances, but these must be bought from shops throughout the world, and must be earned by putting on good performances during the concerts. After the game has been completed and everything is available, then the player can continue if they wish, putting on their own concerts, making more public appearances, maybe going on a European tour or whatever you want, earning more fans and more musical success.

The game consists of three parts. First is backstage. Here you have an amazing dressing room, where you can relax, examine your awards and souvenirs, listen to the local radio music (or your own songs) and try on different outfits and hairstyles, etc. while Hannah's best friend Lola (Lilly in disguise) will often point out the choices she likes - though amusingly you are usually best doing the exact opposite of what she suggests, as should be apparent by the outfits she wears. You also have a practice stage, where you can practice the songs in private, with groupies acting as your audience.
Second, some of the countries offer a nice shopping centre for Hannah to visit, and Lola joins her as she wanders around in public, encountering fans. As well as shopping, Hannah can make public appearances in mini-games, which will get her more fans and souvenirs, depending on how well she does. She can pose for photographs, sign autographs and play acoustic versions of her songs in guitar shops. These games can be quite challenging, and also a lot of fun. In a couple of places she will also encounter Miley's brother and Hannah's driver Jackson, and get involved in one of his idiotic schemes.

But the main part of the game is the on stage performances. This is the most satisfying and enjoyable part of the game. Hannah makes a stunning entrance, then must perform the dance moves correctly in order to please the crowd. In addition she can take a break from the complex moves and head towards the crowd, slapping their hands or waving to them, etc. She can miss out a few moves or get them wrong without affecting the visual performance, but if she gets it wrong too much she will fumble and may even fall over. And if she loses it completely she will just shrug and make up her own awkward moves. The audience are pleased or displeased by how well Hannah performs, and as they reach new levels of delight they will explode with a mighty cheer. This can be quite thrilling when it happens at just the right moment. Afterwards the performance can be watched again, and Hannah stores her last three performances and reviews as videos on her mobile 'phone.

The game is visually very good, especially the famous locations, but what makes it so great is the sound: In every place the soundtrack gives it real atmosphere, and you can really get into the game and enjoy the experience. I enjoy the game even more when I am drunk and stoned, especially in London where there is a fantastic song on the radio - which is so good it is played on the streets and eventually becomes popular in Malibu. There is always the sound of activity going on, as well as people talking, either to (or about) Hannah or getting on with their own lives, and they can be quite amusing, or can really make you feel like the adored pop star. But best of all is the music. The Hannah Montana songs aren't all great songs to listen to, though some are, but they are all great fun to perform on stage. Yet in addition there is plenty of other great music throughout the game. It is a game of excellent music and sound.

Overall this game is just so much FUN to play, and produces joy, and is a great simulation of being your own pop star doing things your own way. And that is just the Playstation 2 version - you can imagine how much more fun it is to actually dance with the Wii version. (And perhaps you might like to actually dress up as Hannah Montana while you play!) Those who have performed doing anything on stage before an audience, especially performing songs, even without an audience, will know how thrilling it can be, and this game produces that same feeling when you are properly involved in it, especially when the crowd goes wild. The defining moment of the game is backstage, when you wander up to Miley's father and Hannah's manager, when among the things he might say, he asks,
"Are you having fun, bud?"

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