Computer technology: Silent Hill 3

My personal review:

This is an old game but a classic so it deserves all our respect and even now it is a good game to be played. Not only for the fans of the silent Hill series but also for every single computer gamer.

Gamespot review:

Konami's Silent Hill series is known for two things: loads of creepy atmosphere and awkward, underdeveloped stories. Silent Hill 3, released on the PlayStation 2 earlier this fall, continues both these traditions by offering up a survival horror adventure that's long on eeriness and short on sense. Silent Hill 3 isn't so much about gameplay as it is about creating a disturbing world and immersing you in it, which is something it does very well.

First things first. Silent Hill 3 is enough to make you vomit--not because of the blood and gore, of which there's plenty, but because of the clunky controls and wild camera system. They're so awkward, disorienting, and motion sickness-inducing that there are many times when you'll want to quit the game in disgust. You get two basic camera/movement options. With one system, character movement is relative to the camera. In the other, movement is relative to the character's view. To further confuse matters, you can also look around rapidly, in a small arc, while holding down a particular key. Additionally, the game sometimes switches your view to draw your attention to something or to merely create a dramatic visual. What this all boils down to is that the camera is frequently pointing away from where you want to look. Oftentimes, an attacking creature--and sometimes even your character--is hidden from view. You can theoretically reorient the camera, but it's usually sluggish, or it simply won't move around properly in tight areas.

The movement controls were clearly designed with a gamepad in mind, though you can use the keyboard, albeit awkwardly. For added frustration, you have to engage a special "caution" mode before attacking enemies. When other third-person console games, like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, get ported to the PC with smooth, easy controls and camera views, there's really no excuse for Silent Hill 3's problems to exist.