Not as good as part two but it ties in nicely with the first game. Fans of the series will mostly be pleased
For the first time in the series you play as a young woman named Heather. She has a nightmare and wakes up in a shopping mall. She will soon realize her nightmare is about to become reality. She meets a detective named Douglas and the cult lady named Claudia. The story starts off slow and never really lives up to its predecessors. It does get better about halfway through when you actually get to go to Silent Hill. I do not know why the developers are shying away from the town. Have the player go to the town and just make up a new story line. But anyway you finally get to go to town to discover what part it is you play. The story is a direct sequel to the original Silent Hill.
What this game does better is the amount of creepiness during the gameplay. The graphics are significantly better than part 2 and the sound is also heightened. Everytime the world goes into what I like to call freak mode the game gets super tense. Blood pulsates off walls which really makes for an amazing atmosphere. You will visit some of the same places as you did in the first 2 SH games. You might think this would take away some of the scare factor but it doesn't. Actually the old places are much more frightening. I mean a mall and a subway, its hard to make those places terribly scary. When you visit the fun house (you will know it when you get there) then you will more than likely scream like a little girl. I know I did.
The combat remains about the same which means it is rather clunky. The game is also shorter than two which means you will probably finish it in under eight hours the first time through. The game does have 3 endings but I actually got the best one my first time through. Overall SH 3 is worth seeing through to the end but I wish they would have come up with a little more compelling story. Good for almost every other game but weak for this series.