the thing I cant ever forget about this game was, "They look like monsters to you?" That line was just terrifying. Because in the first Silent Hill, I did question whether or not Harry was just running around beating and shooting people. And it got so much more disturbing in the school. The child sized enemies have this grab attack where they munch on your leg. The grab attack looks disturbingly like a child grabing your leg, begging for mercy. And the whole "different perception of reality" thing is confirmed in Silent Hill 2. And Vincents line, "They look like monsters to you" felt like a punch in the gut. o_O

After all these years, Silent Hill 3 still looks graphically beautiful for the PS2. Facial animations to the background visuals, they're beautiful.

"Monsters??.... they look like monsters to you? " that line always got me cold lol

Heather is one of the best female characters in all of interactive arts, and you explained it very well.

Heather Mason was probably the most moving and "real" video game character I've ever had the priviledge to know. What's so good about her especially is how the way the character evolves through the story, from her tone to emotions to the melancholy that shifts inside her. There's something in how she is acted that makes her believable throughout. She has a unique role in video gaming.

"The longest journey home ever taken" Odysseus: "Am I a joke to you?"

That room where the mannequin gets decapitated scared the ever-loving shit out of me when I was 10. I threw the controller in terror and didn't play the rest of the night. I'm not joking.

Todd Howard should learn the meaning of "16 times the details" from a 2003 game.

Man, Silent Hill 1 really needed a PS2 remake on that beautiful engine and with updated voice acting. That would have brought the whole Alessa arc together.

SH3 has ALWAYS been my favorite Silent Hill game. I think it has the best story, atmosphere, gameplay, locations, and characters. And the mirror scene in the hospital is the best in-game sequence in the series.

SH3 was around the time I grew into a teenager and had a better appreciation for games as an art. This game started off with such an unnerving vibe..like some waking dream that’s disguised in warm, melancholic tones.. hiding something nightmarish right around the corner. First time I tried it, the game gave me a scare that I couldn’t recover from for the rest of the day. One of my favourite horror trips for sure.

This is rare, but I absolutely love the fact fans are split in their favorite game being either 1, 2 or 3. All 3 are so great for their own reasons. 1 for its pure terror, 2 for its emotion, and 3 for the connection to 1 and just more terror and hauntingly beautiful graphics and smooth gameplay. Heather's rebellious attitude makes it all the more great. Because of my love for these games, seeing fans prefer one or the other but always seem to mention they still love ALL of the Team Silent games makes me feel proud in a strange way. I just love Silent Hill!

The whole series has been influence by Jacob’s Ladder though.

End of Small Sanctuary hits me in the heart every time 🖤

The music, the atmosphere, the characters....are all just awesome.

Finally, a reviewer independently thoughtful enough to recognize the greatest entry in the series as such.

To this day the room with all the mannequins is the one room that just creeps me the hell out no matter how many times i play the game.

Man, the models in this game are still CRISP today.

For me, Silent Hill 3 is the best overall game. There’s a good story, excellent and varied enemy and level design and possibly the smoothest controls in the series. I also love Heather. Her sassy attitude really added an extra level to the somewhat dull protagonists of SH 1, 2 and 4.

All this praise to my favorite game in the whole series feels like music to my ears

Thank you! Finally someone who prefers 3 over 2... For me too SH3 is the pinnacle of the series, not only because of the points you made but also because this was the first game I willingly quit for a while because it really freaked me out and scared me. The psychological side to the horror in this game is leaps and bounds over all other entries to the series. And I also agree that this game has the best soundtrack of the bunch and specially the mentioned studio version of "I want love" is one of my favorite songs in general to this day.

This is such a beautiful love letter to SH3. Thank you for giving this game the love and appreciation it deserves.

For me SH3 is easily the best in the series, it took everything that made the first 2 games great and perfected them.

I'm still upset they killed off Harry Mason.

I am disappointed that when you said Douglas looks like a local flasher that you didn't use a clip of him in his boxer shorts. Other than that, great video.

Man, I think one of the biggest awesome things in this game for me is how detailed the environments are. How abstract some backgrounds are and also how theres so many points to examine, many of which tell cool tiny details about Heather's personality. No other Silent hill game has this many things to examine. It almost feels like a point and click game, and I LOVE Point and click games.

Damn. I really did forget how good this looked back in the day on PS2. Gonna replay after watching this now, just wish I can wipe watching Silent Hill Revelations last night from my memory...

'They look like monsters to you?' Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece but Silent Hill 3 has always been my favourite.

I love your videos so much man. They're so refreshing especially with the current climate of the gaming industry. Really feel like I can just kick back, relax, forget about all the bs, and enjoy.

"Silent Hill 3 is my favorite" A single tear rolls down my cheek as the subscribe button becomes red once more. No but seriously the case for 3 is a very strong one and your passion for it shines through in this review in a way that was quite enjoyable to watch. Well done once again. I eagerly await your righteous thrashing of the HD collection.

It is amazing how I went from an entire military base and ambulance worth of resources to literally nothing thanks to that godforsaken Alessa boss fight.

My favorite silent hill. I love how prominent the music is. It really enhanced the experience!

Yes!! Finally! Glad you're back with this retrospective ♥️

Always felt like the odd man out for preferring SH3 over 2. Great to see a fellow kindred spirit that can articulate why well.

This sounds probably weird but I was never that scared when playing those games...even when I was young when I played SH1. I was feeling more comfortable and warm when playing those games but at the same time also a little scared and confused and all. The music gave me so relaxing vibes and for that reason I still listen to the soundtracks of sh1 2 and 3. When listening those soundtracks I feel 100 % relaxed. It goes as far as I can say that I would love to live there 😃 I grew up with Silent Hill and I'm sure that I will die with it. Something about that town.....😊

I'm 32 now and I've played a load of spooky-ass games, but this one ALWAYS stuck with me even from playing it years back. Its the unsettling feeling from traipsing about common locales that really gets to me. Being alone in a Subway system is pretty scary, being alone in a construction zone is pretty intimidating, being alone in a shopping mall with all the lights turned off is straight up horrifying. I noticed that it wasn't really your eventual arrival at "silent hill" or the monsters that scared me so much, its that atmosphere from the first opening shot when you're wandering around a defunct carnival with broken down rides, only to be greeted by mascots covered in blood, and then getting to that haunted mine cart track is deeply unsettling. The game is a masterpiece for its subtle, unnerving background noise, sound effects and music. The game play isn't my favorite, and I won't deny that I played those puzzles on easy or normal because most of the time I had no clue how to solve the more complex ones, but all that aside the actual detail on these facial expressions still holds up even today. The actual visuals themselves are still quite good, and even if the story isn't as focused or well written as Silent Hill 2, its still sufficient overall. To me this is the most accessible title in the holy trinity of Silent Hill games, and sadly the only one I've finished due to Silent Hill 2 becoming way too confusing or unnerving to finish. To this day I'm not even sure how I finished the third game, but I did.

Great video, Jared. Although SH3 isn’t my favorite in the series, its highs are VERY high. This video brought back a lot of memories. That said, I sincerely hope you do a video on SH4. As the last of Team Silent’s efforts with the series, it’s really a fascinating look at a unique idea corrupted by an impatient corporate overlord (KCET). The game had some wonderful ideas, but a rushed production and a company seemingly disinterested in allowing anything beyond a shoestring budget really paved the unfortunate path to how the series would be handled into the next generation. Even if you don’t feel like wading through the muck that is The Room’s production, keep up the good work on the channel.

My favorite game of the series by far! I related so much to Heather when I played this game as a teen. Also, this game doesn't get enough credit for its graphics. The facial animations especially still hold up to this day. Half Life 2 gets a lot of credit for its revolutionary facial animations but this game was out a year before!

Literally been counting the days for you to release this new episode, love all the retrospectives keep it up dude

Excellent stuff! Sitting back with a glass of wine watching this listening to Jarred's dullcet tones is the apex of my week.

10:27 holy shit! “Sexy Beam”. Woow!!! I legit haven’t thought of that in over a decade. It’s insane how seeing something as simple as a costume can trigger memories. Thanks for that. Those were good times. ( I was 19 when it came out... My life was so much simpler back then.) For context, SH:3 was my favorite game at the time, not just in the SH series, but in general. I would play it back-to-back, *at least 2 or 3 times a week.* I know it seems INSANE, but I beat SH:3 NO LESS, than 75-100 times, and by the end, I regularly would turn in sub-3 hour times. I could probably have done it even quicker, but I loved engaging with the enemies. SH:3 makes my *ALL TIME* Top 10 list.

This is the best Silent Hill 3 analysis I ever seen. Thank you.

You make the best retrospectives on youtube my friend. Thanks for all your hard work, just know its really appreciated.

Fantastic video Jared, as always! Steadily working through your vast library and enjoying every minute of it! 👍

Amazing retrospective! I can't wait for your take on SH: The Room. I believe it's pretty underappreciated...

Akira has been one of my favorite musicians since playing the games as a kid. Its like the sound sadness, pain, and melancholy expressed through a lens of beauty.

Great Video man! Big fan from the gate! Also, SH3 song (No Small Sanctuary) when she escapes out of the mall window was ALWAYS my favorite. Love it! Timeless!

My man with the retro reviews. Love ya man!

This is my all time favorite silent hill and the prefect end to this arc. 2 is great and all but 3 is special. Plus heather is a great character! Very human and relatable!

Love silent Hill, looking forward to your take on the rest the Silent Hill games.👌

Can I just say that I absolutely adore your channel, man? I got into watching your vids because of the Resident Evil retrospective. Now I watch every video you put out, even for games I've never played, such as SH3. Top-quality content. I just enjoy listening to you analyse and dissect stuff. Keep it up, dude! I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your work.

I loved the short dive into your personal connection to the game. That's why I love video games. All those memories and feelings you have from those certain games. There's nothing like it.

Great review man, while my favorite of the series is still Silent Hill 4 I also really love 3 and am glad to see someone go into deep detail about what makes it so great.

I had no idea this had a good pc port. Getting it now!

phenomenal analysis. keep up the good work dude, i'm looking forward to it.

That scene you use for the end card, echoed from the first game... something you can easily just run by, but so haunting in its construction. One of the most memorable and horribly beautiful bits of art I've seen in a game.

SH3 is my favorite too, I love how you talk with so much passion in this video, even when you say there's a part of what you can't describe I couldn't agree more, art is about that and what it makes you feel and this saga is pure art - well, the first ones. Also, the music of this particular game is what introduce me to this games - well, I played the first 3 before that, but I was a child and I was too scared to play, hahaha

Yup finding out Heathers connection to SH 1 was one of my coolest gaming moments

Thank you so much for this review, I always felt like my justification for SH3 being my favorite wasn't usually shared by many people in the fandom so seeing this video absolutely nail my love for the game on the head with all your points, is extra nice.

Great job, Jared. Words are lacking to describe the dedication and care for this video! Silent Hill 3 was the culmination of all the expertise of the Team Silent, now, true veterans in they field!

i dont even care what this video is, it deserves my like. this dude's reviews are FIRE FLAME.

Took you long enough, feels like I waited a month for this... get on the SH4 ASAP haha love the vids

Been waiting for this!!!

Great stuff, nothing better than hearing why something means so much to someone.

An another fantastic entry into your retrospective my friend! Long awaited and very much worth it! I look forward to the absolute roasting the HD Collection has coming next lol xD!

That scene where Heather meets Allyssa on the merrygo round is super creepy. The way the horses are covered in death shrouds surrounded by darkness is magnificent beyond words

I respect your personalized analysis. Excellent.

I adored the story line of this and I loved heather! It was insane!! The graphics were beautifully done

i'm excited for the Black Sheep of Silent Hill SH: HOMECOMING

This is one of the most interesting and honest retrospectives I’ve ever seen. Love this game so much and you made me want to play it all over again.

glad to see my fav silent hill game described so well, more so from the heart.

Love the content, brother! Keep it up!

So glad this was in my recommended. Subbed. Glad to see people still talking about these awesome games

I think this is the first time I've disagreed with one of your reviews. For me SH2 is the best of Silent Hill, but each to their own. Edit: Silent Hill 3 is a great game though, just to be clear. And your closing thoughts were absolutely on point.

Thank you, for sharing your love for SH3, you are not alone.

Glad you're back, bud. Now that 3 is done, onto my favorite!

It is so fulfilling seeing other person that likes Silent Hill 3 so much as I do. Never had loved/feared a game like this one.

Silent Hill 3 is the best in the series. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Fun Fact: one of my favorite songs from DDR Extreme was the song "You're Not Here" which featured Heather singing and dancing. Good times!

Been watching you're vids on survival horror these last few days and would just like to say that you sir, are a superb YT content creator. As a survival horror fan(mostly of the old days) it has been a blast to watch and it's reminded me on how great survival horror was before. So yeah. Thanks and I hope you're career on KZfaq will grow to a point worthy of the work you clearly put in. Now I'm gonna go have a pizza in the bowling alley.

I appreciate your silent hill uploads, I listen while delivering mail all day. Keep up the quality work brother.

The best voice acting you've ever heard? Have you heard Douglas talk?

While there is a lot that SH3 did better than SH and SH2 I really wish it was longer. It was a decent amount shorter than the others which bummed me out. I also think it's soundtrack wasn't as good as SH2's. While it did have some of Akira Yamaoka very best tracks on it, the number of excellent tracks on SH2's soundtrack was far higher. I used to go back and forth as to which one I like more but at the end of the day I think Silent Hill 2's soundtrack was better from beginning to end (as a whole) than Silent Hill 3's. I've also always felt the atmosphere of the first two games was richer than SH3's. I do think, however, the character of Heather Mason is one of the main contributing factors that made Silent Hill 3 as good as it was. Her character design, voice acting, dialogue and overall personality were so damn well done that it made the game immensely more enjoyable than a more generic character would have. Playing as a, pretty much defenseless, teenage girl who is terrified by what is going on around her really pulls you into the game and makes you feel more scared. I do believe that with a more generic character the things that SH3 wasn't able to do as well as the first two games would've stuck out much more. You mentioned you like SH3's story the best out of the three games but I, as well as many others, feel it is the weakest. True, it's a good story but the main plot line of Heather's true nature was given away very early in the game leaving the rest of the game more predictable. The first two games were full of mystery from beginning to end. They always kept you guessing and had far more subtlety and nuance to their storylines than SH3 did. It was very obvious to me that SH3 had a smaller team and budget than SH2. I still love it though and think those first 3 games are all masterpieces.

Sweet! Very excited for this vid!

Wonderful job! I feel as great as SH3 is, it is still extremely underrated

The video in a nutshell: Heather is my waifu

Jacobs Ladder was inspiration for the very first Silent Hill. I remember when there was only one game and it led me to discovering Jacobs Ladder because I was thirsty for more horror content like that game, there was nothing like it at the time. I was disappointed that Silent Hill 2 had no Otherworld areas like Silent Hill 1 did, tho I was un-disappointed by how amazing the story and writing was. I was able to pretty quickly recognize that Heather had to be Cheryl from Silent Hill 1 just because I had read SH 3 and 1 would actually be connected. So I was pretty excited but I figured out what the story was pretty early since I was obsessed with silent hill 1 as a kid when it first came out, def one of its biggest fans. I guess I was the opposite of avalanche making this review, I needed to know the story for every game of SH after I played them.

Thanks for the upload friend!

I like the nice little added detail of the mace having weight when it's equipped and that thing drags you away. The heavier weighted end stays where it is, whereas the lighter end you're holding gets dragged with you. A lot of games, even nowadays, would have it just zoooop along with ya.

SH3: Not my favorite in terms of aesthetic, gameplay, or story, but a *damn* fine game in its own right. Great coverage, Avalanche!

7:00 Antagonist ? Alessa was probably the hero of SH1

I love this game so much. So many memories. My favorite SH no doubt. Here some anecdotes if you want: 25:26 that damn mannequin. My dad was playing at the time, he was not the best at it, but I was young and the game was scary. He explored those building, but missed the mannequin in that room, so he went on and got stuck on the other building. After a while without knowing what to do he went back and looked everywhere, entering that room again and finding the thing. For some reason we stood there observing it and talking (we both find mannequins uncanny and like to tease each other), so resuming with the exploration, my dad goes to the window to see if he could escape there and then the fucking ps2 scream pierced the room (he had been there previously and nothing happened, so our guard was lowered times two). We were so scared to find the headless mannequin we left the room and went to the living room where my grandma was watching a movie before going to bed. Took us 10 or so minutes to go back to the game. 29:16 One morning I wake up to see my dad distressed, "what happened?" I ask... he had a nightmare in which he walked that place and suddenly "the thing in the wall" dropped the nurse and came for him, chasing him for the rusty corridors to the end where the door didn't open. It's funny how a game can get this much to one's head. 33:31 When my dad got to the hospital, he had to go on a trip for a while. So me, in all my young teenager being, rose up to the occasion and decided to keep playing without saving to see what was ahead, wasting all the shotgun shells to feel secure. I played all the hospital inboth normal and otherworld versionand felt pretty brave by the end. When my dad came back I was boasting how I explorer the whole thing alone and how I could give him a tour... only I didn't explore the *whole* thing. When I got to that one room with the mirror that I haven't seen before, got locked inside and the corruption started, I panicked. And my dad had no better idea than to scream "There's a baby there! In the corner! He's watching you!" I can't explain the level of panic I felt "Where!?" "There, in the corner! Dont you see it!?" "No! Where!" "He's coming at you!" Heater died and I didn't touch the game again for some years. Good memories.

The intro scene with the vivid orange sunset and shadows in an empty mall and the soundtrack in particular is my late 90s/early 2000s summer nostalgia condensed into a tangible aesthetic. I love the whole game, but at least a few times each winter I'll replay to the first save point to raise my spirits and be somewhere else for a while.

If you get the PC version and the graphics fixes, this game still looks incredible now. Absolutely the best way to enjoy SH3

I always felt SH3 was more lovecraftian than the others. And unlike other "lovecraftian games" (well except maybe bloodborne) it actually pulls it off well.

Valtiel is still the scariest monster in this game, it always felt so ominous and powerful and yet is not hostile and the secret death cutscenes with it are super creepy

Honestly, your very personal description of the characters and story made me want to play the game more than any review I've ever read or seen. I definitely want to add this to my PS2 library.

I just finished beating SH3 for the first time. So.... Well, I have an unusual stance on the first three SH games (which are the only ones I've played). It goes like this: SH2 and 3 are better overall stories, but SH1 is better at *telling* its story. What I mean is, with SH1 I always kinda understood what I was doing and why I was doing it. SH2 and 3 meanwhile have a lot of parts that feel almost arbitrary. With SH3 in particular I actually got frustrated at the office complex because so far the game had just been a random string of horrifying things happening to this gal just trying to get home and I was like "Will this game have a POINT, please?" I didn't feel particularly motivated, I felt like I was being strung along. I had the same feeling with SH2's apartments, which are just a drag and to me the game doesn't really begin until you pass those apartments... but SH3 has like, three areas that are just as bad, and again the game doesn't really get rolling until you've passed them. So basically, if these games were remade today, and if I were remaking them, I think I would tweak the pacing a bit, eliminate a lot of the dead air. I will say tho, SH3 is the most terrifying of all the games. SH1 suffers mainly just from being the first game in the series and thus it falls short only in retrospect (very few scares and the monster design feels a little conventional), and SH2 is more sad than scary. SH3 really had me just wishing each room would have a save point.

27:28 - please have a look at the cover of the movie Session 9. You're welcome.

Just found your channel,loved this video and subscribed! Silent Hill 3,I agree is the best of the franchise. Followed by the second and first game. When I had first started playing Silent Hill 3, I started having nightmares and stopped playing it. Needless to say, curiosity got the best of me and nightmares aside,I started playing again. Heather is my favorite character of the franchise, followed by Claudia,Vincent,James and Angela. I was going through some personal things at the time,and Silent 3 was very therapeutic at the time. I could identity with Heather a lot through the game. That's why I loved the 3rd and second game so well. It had that emotional pull. It helped you face things you put off with dealing in your own life. Team Silent did such an amazing job on this game. Loved the 4 games of the franchise that they worked on. The music to me, felt like a character of its own. Akira Yamaoka is a genius. Great review. Glad your channel was recommended! Still have my PS2. Nothing against Xbox, but I prefer the PS2.

Thank you for the kind and wise words for a piece of media-art that I also share the same feelings for.... 2 and 3 of this series changed my life; took me down the rabbit hole of Avant Garde horror and a passion for it. You've become my favorite games reviewer. Keep up the good work!