I just read a review of this in PSM... the reviewer burned through the game on the first try in 4 hours... He played it a second time and it only took 2 and a half hours.

The review basically said it had moments and fans of the series would like it, but feel cheated at the same time... it'll leave you wanting more. They gave it a 7/10.

I think I'll wait till it's bargain bin price. Paying 50 bucks for 4 hours of game isn't my idea of a bargain.

I just read that review today as well. Thats really a short amount of time, im really dissapointed. I really enjoy the Silent Hill games, i have them both and i was eagerly looking forward to this one and although i still am, i wont be going into it knowing i wont be there for as long as id like to be. I mean, im pretty busy and welcome a quick game, but not a Silent Hill game. Hope its good nonetheless.

Some counter-reviews:

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/410/410169p1.html
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=52114
http://www.totalvideogames.net/?sect...&format=000006
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/reviews/...375&pagetype=2

If this review is true, I may wait to pick this game up in the bargain bin.

I have been waiting for most games to drop into the bargain arena and will most likely wait for this one also. Anyone interested can order this at dvdempire for $37.99 plus media mail shipping.

4 hours is a lot shorter than what I was expecting, but it usually takes me longer than most to finish games. It took me about 10 hours for SH2, and longer for SH1. I'm still looking forward to this one though, I heard its based off of SH1 somewhat.

I'm willing to bet that someone who plays video games for a living will beat any game you choose faster than the average player.
I love the Silent Hill series, regardless of how long they take to beat.
I'm guessing it will take most people at least 7 or 8 hours.(I know that still isn't much, but 4 hours sounds like a load of crap to me)
By the way, EGM scores were 8.5,8.5,9.0 and nothing but good things to say. However, they also said it was short.

Damn you all, now I might have to wait for a price drop. I wasn't even going to think twice about picking it up on day one until i read this thread...and then the EGM review....and then posted this..........aww poop.

At least it comes with a Soundtrack. I like the music to SH a lot.

I, too, enjoy the Silent Hill series. It's a shame that the game is really short. However, with everything else that I have going on, I don't get too much playing time in anways. I have several games that fall into the 20+ hours to finish; rarely do I get all the way through them before something else pulls my attention away. So even though Silent Hill 3 is a very short game, I'm sure it will keep me entertained for many more hours. Heck, I may actually finish a game for a change.

Don't forget that it comes with a full soundtrack CD. You can sell it if you're still a cheapstake and want more of your money back.

Did *anyone* read the reviews I linked?

The unanimous concensus among all of those reviews are *very positive*. 9.2 from IGN, and the least is an 8/10. So far the only magazine that has given it less than 8/10 is PSM. I'm not sure, but you all seem to be basing your purchase decision on just *one* review?!??! Especially one as inept as PSM?

It's not that - it's mainly that the reviewer beat the game in 4 hours... and in just over 2 hours on the second time through. That's too quick. The IGN article says the game takes 10-14 hours. Quite a different story. 7/10 is quite a respectable score, but 4 hours isn't enough entertainment to warrant 50 bucks of my money. 10-14 hours is more like it. Most reviews are favorable and I haven't read them all to see how long it took those reviewers to run through it. There are a few 6/10s and 7/10s according to gamerankings.com, but mostly 9/10s. The reviews that don't hold it in the higest regard also cite that it is too short.

I still plan to get it, but I'm in no rush since it seems like it'll be over before I know it anyway.

I managed to get my hands on the US release of Silent Hill 3 and I must say.....it's a very mixed bag. On the downside, I started it up at nine pm and was finished by 130am.....only 4.5 hours worth of playtime! Also, you can still walk right past monsters and they won't even flinch. Finally, the ending is only 30 seconds long, and I got the good one!
On the plus side, there is the appearance of a certain Silent Hill 1 character and the graphics are great.
But honestly, I wouldn't want anyone to buy this.....it's simply a rental and maybe worth $20.00.

Say it ain't so!

I love the Silent Hill series more than anything, but if there is only 4.5 hours of gameplay, that is not even worth my time (well, until the discount version is out). This is truely disappointing. They need to just remake Silent Hill 1 using better graphics. It seems they are never going to get this thing on the right track again.

Hmmm... It sounds like this is a game that I'll probably just

See? It's not just that one reviewer...

I wonder how it took some reviewers 10-14 hours to complete it?

Ok - resurrecting the dead thread here... searched and didn't really see a more recent silent hill 3 discussion thread other than one that just talked about how grainy it looks... I had forgotten I made this thread to begin with.

Anyway - my roommate picked this up for 40 bucks with a 50 Gift certificate his friend gave him for Best Buy. Plus, he got True Romance on DVD.

We played through it and it took us 2 nights... Total game time was 7 hours plus. That was a relief. I can't even fathom how someone could speed through that on the first go in 4 hours. We didn't get stuck on anything really... we didn't linger around and stare at everything all that much. Sure, we did that a little bit cuz there's some brilliant eye candy. And what's the point of just running through the game from the beginning to end without taking it all in? I thought the graphics were brilliant considering the hardware it was on... the water effects were the best I've seen on the PS2 - even though they were faked, it was simply amazing. The lighting is even more effective in this one.

I felt some of the levels were a cop-out since we've been there twice before already (hospital) and some were re-used within the game. Some levels were pure genius. The acting was laughable and bad, but dead-on perfect for the series. This was probably the scariest one of the series. 2 had a few good cheap scares early on and lots of creepy moments, but 3 just drove us to madness a few times. I don't really remember all that much from the first game... I remember alot of it being outside though. I'm gonna try to pick it up used somewhere so we can play it again. Currently we're playing through 2 again and then we'll play through the extra campaign on the Xbox version.

Although I never actually soiled myself, I did utter the phrase "I just pooped my pants" numerous times during our run through Silent Hill 3. I think it was just the right length - perhaps it could've used maybe one final chapter or location - and it also would've been nice to spend less time revisiting locations I've seen in previous games and more time visiting new locations in the town... but that would be nitpicking. Awesome game... looking forward to another installment.

I feel bad about bitching about the length of the game based on the reviews... I was just worried it would be a shorter game than it turned out to be. That's another good reason for me to not trust reviews. I think it's worth a purchase at 20-30 bucks... Certainly worth a rental. It's something we'll play again to see if we can get a different ending and to check out the new weapons and 'outfits' (cuz we're nerds like that) we've unlocked.

I hate bitching about length as well. To me it used to all be about how memorable a game was, if it was any price was fine. But now that I'm the stereotypical poor college student I need to get more bang for my buck, which is why I couldn't recommend this game at it's current price.

Finally got around to playing this, and damn it's scary! The graphics on the PC version are just amazing, especially during cutscenes. I'm in the alternate Brookhaven Hospital now, and the whole thing is just utterly creeping me out. In some ways, I think this is scarier than the 2nd games....

Yeah, it's a great game. I think I still liked the first two in the series better, but it's still very solid. And of course, very scary.

It's been sitting on my hard drive, but I haven't had a chance to play it. Will have to plow through it now (and the second one!)

When is Silent Hill 4 due out?

- David Stein

Silent Hill 4 is set to be released on Sept. 7

Finished SH3...loved it. While the storyline is definitely weaker than the 2nd part, this is easily a MUCH scarier game, with some incredibly demented and sickening stuff. I absolutely loved the Alternate Brookhaven Hospital and the Church...both just freaked the heck out fo me.

It took me about 8 hours to finish it, which isn't bad. Plus, I may revisit for another ending (and that light saber! or the sailor moon outfit?) in the future...