Brabiz: Silent Hill Ranked

Brabiz 10.14.21	It’s that time of the year when I revisit the GREATEST horror series of all time. Also 1 is 1 and I’m sick of everyone pretending it isn’t.
deathofasalesman 10.14.21	I can appreciate this ranking. It comes close to my own, but I would be that guy to switch 1 and 2 lol. Nice little write-ups that pretty much sum up what I also think of this series
Brabiz 10.14.21	I still to this day find SH3 to be absolutely terrifying. I’ve played through it dozens of times, but playing that at 2am in the dark is never not effective. That really goes for all of them, but SH3 especially is very unnerving to me. I like how it just dumps you into it immediately, without having to wander the town for a solid hour before hand. It just feels so much more refined, and the graphics are astonishing for the era, and even hold up now.
Trebor. 10.14.21	everything after 4 is worthless 1-3 especially make me very happy
Brabiz 10.14.21	By comparison, yeah. I think isolated, a lot of the later entries are pretty solid games. Especially Shattered Memories which is a really great spooky exploration type of game.
Gyromania 10.14.21	2 is way better than 3, homecoming is way better than downpour
Brabiz 10.14.21	I respect your wrong opinion
wojodta 10.14.21	They're all good IMO. Shattered Memories is the weakest for me cause it's the least Silent Hillish, but I'd still probably rate that game at least a 7/10.
Gyromania 10.14.21	3 is still a 9/10 for me tho and the 2nd best in the series easily but Idk man, 2's atmosphere is hard to beat. Downpour is just complete ass tho. I mean homecoming isn't exactly good but at least it had a couple great boss fights
Gyromania 10.14.21	I agree with 4 and 1s placement tho. The room is so so so underrated and nearly as good as 2 and 3, and 1 just doesn't hold up by today's standards
Brabiz 10.14.21	I agree that Homecoming has some good boss fights, and the soundtrack is definitely S tier Silent Hill. But like… everything else about it is just a weak imitation that has a very shallow view of the series. Downpour feels and looks nothing like Silent Hill, but it also has some interesting locations and the open word design is kind of cool. I also think overall it’s a way more enjoyable game to sit through
Gyromania 10.14.21	Yeah basically all other aspects of homecoming are shit and downpour does have some admittedly cool locations. Ultimately I'm pretty upset about where silent hill went as a whole. The first 4 games are some of the best and most important/influential games in the genre and now the series is basically dead. Honestly fuck Konami
Brabiz 10.14.21	I just don’t get why they handed off the series to so many random developers. They willfully killed the series, then PT had a chance of reviving it and they said “fuck that” while I’m skeptical of what Silent Hills could’ve been in regards to doing the series justice, I still would’ve liked it to actually be released, because I’m sure it would’ve been a fantastic game, and it would’ve breathed life into Silent Hill again
wojodta 10.14.21	Konami are fools for doing nothing with this franchise. I wish they'd do a remake of 1 and then make a brand new entry.
Gyromania 10.14.21	At this point I'd honestly be content with a 1-4 collection. That 2 and 3 remaster was so atrociously bad and just goes to show that Konami has 0 clue what made Silent Hill games so great. And agreed about PT. I think that tech demo was really cool and sparked a ton of intrigue. Idk if it's deserving of all the "best horror game" accolades people throw at it. I've even seen people do top 5 SL lists and put PT at #1 which is a huge wtf imo. It could have been a great game, but who knows what it would have become
Trebor. 10.14.21	They lost the source code to 2 and 3 so we'll never get real remasters
Aerisavion 10.14.21	"They lost the source code to 2 and 3 so we'll never get real remasters" Download the pc version of SH2 from an abandonware site and upgrade it with the fan made Enhanced Edition. It's the closest we can get, and it's pretty damn good.
DrGonzo1937 10.14.21	Never got the hype with 3, it’s great but 4 and 2 are where it’s at
Aerisavion 10.14.21	"Never got the hype with 3, it’s great but 4 and 2 are where it’s at" Jordan Underneath put it really nicely when describing the tones of the first three; Silent Hill = Innocent white Silent Hill 2 = Morally grey Silent Hill 3 = Blood red
SteakByrnes 10.14.21	2 is 1 but props for the shattered memories rating, I thought that game was dumb fun
protokute 10.14.21	Never got to play the other Silent Hill games when I was a kid, but I did play 4, which came with the Xbox my dad got me (I probably was the only kid in the city with that, which was unfortunate, because I really wanted to play Resident Evil 4 and it was pretty much the only reason that I wanted a new console after my PS1, and then I found out that CAPCOM didn't release the game for Xbox) and well... It is possibly the only game that I at that time actively avoided playing it because of how uncomfortable and uneasy it would make me feel, while I played the OG Resident Evil games when I was like 4 without ever feeling a bit frightened by the thing.
Keyblade 10.14.21	need to start playing this series, no better time than now
ConcubinaryCode 10.14.21	Best thing about 1 is the soundtrack and the school location.
wojodta 10.14.21	I always thought 2 and 3 had the best soundtracks, but they're all pretty good with the exception of Downpour.
Brabiz 10.14.21	@protokute precisely, that’s why i love this franchise so much, the early games have such an uncanny feeling to them. Replaying them all right now, and the thing that really stands out to me is all of the strange, abstract moans and noises that happen behind the walls and are never explained or elaborated on. It’s not a generic scream or scary noise, it’ll be an off-kilter moan that could be human, but it doesn’t really sound human. Stuff like that will happen at random and on top of the ambient tones of the game, and the uncomfortable art design motifs, it creates such an uneasy feeling. No game after 4 captured this feeling at all, Origins did on occasion, but there’s something very creepy and visceral about those original 4 games that is timeless.
protokute 10.14.21	I later got to play 2 on the PSX2 emulator, but I never got too past the first area. Need to try playing 3 someday.
Brabiz 10.14.21	I think 3 is the best introductory game because it’s easier to get into. Like i mentioned above, i love how it starts immediately going from one nightmare to the next, and the foggy town exploration doesn’t come in until halfway through. While i love 2, i find the introductory moments a slog to get through the more i replay it. So i can definitely see why you’d drop it if you’re not too familiar with the series
Brabiz 10.14.21	3 also has the best art design of the series in my opinion. The otherworld version of the hospital is probably the most frightening and uninviting locale the series has to offer.
Gyromania 10.15.21	2 is probably my favourite horror game ever. The only major issue I have with it is that god awful boat section. I'm gonna download 3 again and play it via emulator. It really is a masterpiece and I haven't gone through it in like 10 years. I want to play 2 again but it's still too fresh in my mind I think. Also can we talk about how hilariously stupid the puzzles are in these games? I had to look upguides for puzzle solutions on hard difficulty.
Dewinged 10.15.21	I would also put 2 as my first and the original Silent Hill as close second, I love 3 too and The Room but the first two are the ones that shaped the legend.
ParoXysm 10.15.21	SH3 is my also my favorite. SH2 has the best story, but 3 is the scariest of the series and has an atmosphere like nothing else. Also, Origins has two of my favorite Yamaoka/McGlynn bangers: Blow Back and O.R.T.
Brabiz 10.15.21	I usually tackle these games on normal puzzle difficulty solely because of how cryptic they can be on the higher difficulty. It’s more of a pain to me than anything lol.
Brabiz 10.15.21	Origins has a great soundtrack, yeah. There are some really tense areas too. The motel I remember really freaked me out with the peepholes in the walls
combustion07 10.16.21	I've always wanted to play The Room but haven't gotten the chance yet. What I've heard about it seems extremely interesting though
naughtcturnal 10.16.21	nice ranking list. love SH 4 so much and REALLY freaked me out my first play through
Dewinged 10.16.21	The Room is terrifying.
naughtcturnal 10.16.21	It sure is.. Will always remember the first time I heard “I am always watchin you” in the bedroom. The thought of it sends chills down my spine.
Brabiz 10.16.21	4 has such a strange atmosphere to it, and it’s even spookier because it doesn’t really feel like a Silent Hill game either, so it’s like two layers of strangeness
BlondeGuardian 10.16.21	I could never choose between 2 and 3, personally. 3 has the most effectively violent and grotesque atmosphere, but 2 has the most heavy and sad atmosphere of anything I've played or seen. I also enjoyed the more simple and personal story of it. Silent Hill 3 is also still one of the greatest-looking games ever made despite being almost 20 years old. The tendency with modern games is to drop the ball on aesthetics because the technology is good enough to cheap out on art direction.