Which Silent Hill game is best to start out?

Question

I've never played any of the Silent Hill games but wanted to try one out on the PC. I'd start with the first but it seems pretty hard to come by, so which one should I try if I can't get the original?

Answer 1

SH 2 is considered to be the best of the series. SH1 got it started, but SH2 polished everything beautifully. SH3 and 4 have taken the gameplay to slightly new places, but the second is DEFINITELY the way to go.


I would caution you against playing Silent Hill 4:The Room first. It actually started out as an unrelated game, and halfway through it's devlopment, they slapped the Silent Hill theme on the game and it plays pretty differently. If you begin with SH4, you will play a game that many SH fans view as the ugly step-child, and it won't give you an exceptionally accurate representation of the series.

Answer 2

I started with silent hill 4, which might not be the best one to start with if you want the whole history of silent hill, but is probably my favourite, second to silent hill 3. If you start with 3, you can easily go back and play 2 and then 1, because it will still all make sense in the end :) You should play origins too, as that will give you abit more of a back story for sh1. Oh, and if you're not a fan of horrendous tank controls, i'd stay away from number 1 for a while.

Answer 3

Whatever you do, don't start out with SH4. It's by far the least interesting of the series. It's one of those 'It's 3am but for some reason I can't sleep...Hmmm, guess I'll play a video game.' Kinda games.

My personal favorite is SH3...but that's mainly because of the soundtrack. It had GREAT music. I'm not really into game music, but when I got that game it came w/ a music CD and I still listen to it in my car. But aside from the music I just thought it was very interesting.
You don't really HAVE to play any of the previous SH games to understand the latter ones...Just see the movie- It's got some similarities to SH1 SH2 and SH3. It will help you understand what Silent Hill really is, but if it doesnt you can always look that up on some fan site or maybe even the SH homepage.

Answer 4

I would try to start with the original if at all possible. A lot of stuff in 3 makes no sense if you haven't played 1, and there are lots of small things in 2 and 4 that reflect back to the events of 1. It will be worth it if you can find a copy.

I would suggest playing them in order if you can. Certainly don't play 3 before you're done with 1.

2 and 4 have stand-alone storylines that use the same setting as a backdrop, but you would still benefit from playing them in order.

And for the record, SH4 gets a bad rap but it's well worth playing despite the flaws. SH2 is probably the best in terms of character and storylne.

Answer 5

Def the 1st and go in that order, but SH 4: The Room was pretty much the embarassment game of the lot. My personal favorite was 2. I'm still floored to this day when I found out exactly how James' wife died = -( But it did have Pyramid Head!!!

Answer 6

One is by far the best. But they all sort of follow the same model after that. You could really play any of them.

Look for the older ones at flea markets and used game shops. I see them around often.

Answer 7

well i have all 4 but the first one i started with was SH 2 and this one is probly the cheapest to buy and if you get and can complete it then you you will have no trouble playing SH 1

Answer 8

silent Hill 3
because the game had stong story against other silent Hills.
in fact the graphic of 3 is the best.
best wishes

Answer 9

No matter which game you start of with you'll almost always be lost, so you might as well start with the first one