ifirit

Not really, since victim #7 was Billy Locrane (the little boy who was mentioned in "Trick or Treat" along with his sister). Also, according to the conversation, the voice says "he's underground now" which doesn't necessarily imply that he's dead. Also, from the tone of the voice when Heather refers to it as Lenard, he freaks out very similarly like a person who is often mistaken for someone else. To me, this implies that the voice is a split-personality of Lenard Wolfe, and that Stanley Coleman is also a split-personality of Lenard's as well. Going back up, you see that "being underground" might refer to the basement since that is where Lenard is hiding. Who knows why Lenard was committed to the hospital exactly, or if his personalities existed before he was committed, but for one thing, we can see the Lenard is quite unbalanced. For what it's worth, Heather doesn't really know what to think about him.

Firedrake, I just finished watching all three videos and I enjoyed watching them. Are you Heaven's Night? Anyway, if you are, I have to ask where you got the Silent Hill 4 material in "Sweet Sugar." I've not seen some of that before. It's really incredible, since none of that was actually in the game. I especially liked the editting done for "Restless Dreams." It flowed very well with the music of choice. The music choice for "Walter" was a perfect choice as it reflects both the melancholy and freakish nature of the game. I like Evanescence, too. What's the name of that song? Well, congrats on making some nice music videos. EDIT: Another site to add to the Silent Hill Multimedia Family. The Interactive Silent Hill Map is a flash version of the maps from the games, with information from the translated Lost Memories book published by Konami as well as other tidbits of information. It's not entirely complete, but might be one day. Enjoy. EDIT2: Might as well throw this one at you as well. Premonition has a short description of the Silent Hill Female leads. Could be more complete in detail, but still a pretty flash to look at, with some surprises.

Silent Hill 2, 3 & 4 Spoilers I think Heather's look is called "Heroin Shiek" (though you might say it's Heroine Sheik [pun intended]). It's the fashion idea where people are made to look like drug addicts because it exposes a sense of frailty that is alluring to power-addictive or dominating people. Another way to look at it is that they mar their looks in order to hide the beauty or attributes of the person. This fits in quite well with the Heather's character, since she was hiding her true form and gets stripped of her attractive qualities thoughout the story (i.e. affection, concern, modesty, etc.) However, Heather has not been the only character to be given flaws as part of her attractive nature. With Maria, the programmers kinda took the opposite direction as opposed to Heather. They took a person who wasn't exactly beautiful, Mary (who I find rather homely), and tried to make her look more attractive. They gave her more contemporary hair and clothing, a more liberal attitude, but they did not change her figure. She still has the roll of belly fat that Mary had, her face is covered with blemishes (although Maria uses make-up to cover them up), and her hairline is raised due to Mary wearing her hair up so much. With Maria, she choose style over substance (in terms of appearance). Her look is only superficial in terms of improving Mary's image, but that might be James' fault. With Eileen, she was cute from the beginning. She was purposefully made to look very pretty, because they had plans for her appearance later on in the game. Without getting into too much detail, she was beat up because the designers wanted her look to be ruined, that they wanted gamers to look at the brutally deformed body of her's and be repulsed by her image. Unfortunately, I don't think they succeeded with that concept. I think Eileen's look changed slightly during the process. Since, she was one of the main characters, and a female lead, they didn't want have people too repulsed to look at her. So, they left her fairly good-looking. Or maybe it's just my imagination and she looks pretty compared to everything else in the game. Personally, I like to think that they at least tried to make you feel repulsed at looking a woman with deep cuts, bruises, and broken bones, yet attractive in a creepy, disturbing way. Eileen Image - High Res Eileen Image2 - Spoiler Cynthia was just plain out bootylicious (I'm sorry, I'll never use that word again). Though, I think the developers wanted to go in the same direction as Eileen with her, seeing as how she is stabbed to death with blood covering her body and the entire room. Cynthia Image - Spoiler The point is that I think the ladies of SH4 were made to look a little over the top for two reasons: 1) internal pressure to have a selling point for the game, 2) to make the gamer feel they were so unattainable that their deaths would be easier to handle.

Check the first EDIT in my post above yours (click the word this). Or go back one page and look near the bottom.

Interesting note: In the early days of in-game music ripping, someone tried to record "Not Tomorrow" in mp3 form. The purpose was to capture an extended version of "Not Tomorrow," in order to allow the fans to listen to more than what is on the Original Soundtrack. However, lacking proper editing software, this extended version was cut-off in an irregular place during the recording. Despite this, the track was promptly placed on the internet for all fans to download. This Extended Version of "Not Tomorrow" was the first attempt at making a "Complete Soundtrack" of Silent Hill's music, mostly because the official soundtracks often lacked certain tracks or complete versions of those tracks. You might even go so far as to say it was the first available mp3 of any in-game music not released on CD. Who knows? Anyway, the point is that Tamimi's aburpt ending is a direct tribute to that first mp3 version of "Not Tomorrow," a common misunderstanding among newer fans of the series. Since this mp3 was released on the internet, several incarnations of a Complete Soundtrack have passed through the Silent Hill circles, the most famous of which are Dustfungus' Silent Hill Media, Silent Hill Forum's Complete OST sections, and most recently The Sound of Silence. If anyone is interested in listening to this earlier copy of the Extended Version of "Not Tomorrow, " send me a PM.

Silent Hill 1 and 3 Spoilers That's because in Silent Hill 1, there is a scape goat that prevents the story of SH1 from being entirely concrete and wholly contained. Silent Hill 3 is a "what if" sequel to Silent Hill. What if Harry had escaped from Silent Hill with the infant Cheryl/Alessa. Nothing from the first story is definitive. Nothing from any sequel is definitive. The only things we derive from the games is the personality of characters, the characteristics of the town, and the nature of the religious happenings the revolve around the story. What we hope to conclude from these things is an accurate depiction of the plotline and the basis for future stories. Not to really pick at you, Aetherius. It's just that there are certain conditions that apply when declaring a certain story aspect to present. What the aim of this thread is to establish a basic understanding of the Silent Hill world in the way that Konami presents, but to allow people to develop ideas, reasonings, consequences, fan-fictions, ect. from a standard basis that everyone understands. Otherwise, we go through having to explain the same things over and over again everytime we bring up a topic. (Unfortunately, agreeing on a set basis is difficult if people often disargree about an issue.) Hopefully, those who regularly read this thread have established that basis and can offer some enlightenment into a one of their favorite aspects. On that note, maybe some people can tell me who Stanley Coleman is (really) and why he created a fascination with Heather. Do Leonard and Stanley represent different personalities for the same person? If so, what about the Leonard fight? EDIT: Although, I haven't been able to check out Eccles' SimCity reconstruction of Old Silent Hill, I appreciate his efforts to such projects. It remains evident that as people's skills in programming improve, we will see much more fascinating recreations and interpretations of media we love. Projects like this, the SH3 skin mod project (now dead), and Letter from Silent Heaven, really make being a fan of SH as exciting as ever. EDIT2: For those who have wanted to listen to any of the music to Silent Hill, but don't have the soundtracks or would just like mp3 versions of their favorite (or not so favorite songs) check out The Sound of Silence, a recreation of Dustfungus' work from Silent Hill Media. As a recreation, it is not entirely complete in terms of Dustfungus' work, but it does have practically every song from the games. The audio quality is slightly worse than Dustfungus', but is much higher than anything else you can find. Please remember to not download copies if you do not own the game and/or official soundtrack. Also, don't waste bandwidth. With regards to the track names of the "Complete Soundtracks", like everyone before this guy, these are NOT official names of the songs. The names are arbitrary, based off the location where the music was recorded. We don't want another "Mothes" flame war. (Mothes... geez, what were you guys thinking?) EDIT3: Well, seems IDW Publishing is taking full advantage of the Silent Hill license since Silent Hill: Dying Inside was released. The additions to the Silent Hill graphic novels series now include: Silent Hill: Among the Damned Story: Scott Ciencin Artwork: Shaun Thomas Publisher: IDW Publishing Silent Hill: Paint It Black Story: Scott Ciencin Artwork: Shaun Thomas Publisher: IDW Publishing Silent Hill: The Grinning Man Story: Scott Ciencin Artwork: TBA Publisher: IDW Publishing -- Among the Damned: This novel, which quickly sold out at IDW, is still available at Amazon.com as a bound collection. You can buy it with Dying Inside for a cheaper price. (I still say IDW ripped-off of my own Silent Hill fan fiction.) -- Paint It Black: Available from IDW on February 28, 2005. This will be a single book release. Additional details available at Amazon.com, which is priced cheaper than at IDW Publishing. (What?! Cheryl?! Cheerleaders?! ...I dunno.)-- The Grinning Man: This one was mentioned earlier in IDW's roster of graphic novels for Silent Hill around the time "Among the Damned" was announced. Though no information is listed on IDW's website currently, it is also planned to be a single book release. Additional details available on Amazon.com. (This one seems kinda interestin'. Might give some insight on the nature of present day Silent Hill.)All stories have been/will be written by Scott Ciencin. Though, I have yet to get a copy of the graphic novels for myself, other people have complained about Ciencin's writing style. JTLYK EDIT4: In a spurt of just-looking-for-the-most-obscure-crap-I-can-find, I managed to find some details about the "Limited Edition" version of Silent Hill 3, which included an art of some rare concept art of SH3 entitled "Sketchbook." I'm really interested in finding out more, but it seems that it was a promotional item released with the game, so copies will be difficult to find. If anything turns up, I'll post about it. EDIT5: For those of you who have heard of Broken Notes, a fan-arranged version of the Silent Hill Soundtrack, the website is now back online! Get all your favorite remixes of the SH soundtrack, separated by album, artist and now including UNRELEASED MATERIAL!!! This is a real treat, but the best is just ahead as Broken Notes II is scheduled to be released fairly soon. Wow. New EDIT highscore!

Just wanted to give you guys a little... Silent Hill Movie Update: With filming beginning in just a few short weeks, tension is mounting about who will be cast in the upcoming film. Although every Silent Hill forum has at least one thread about "who will be cast in the Silent Hill movie," who actually gets picked it up to anybody's guess. However, Roger Avary is shooting for a certain young actress to get a part in the movie. (Though who gets picked is out of his hands, which means we'll all find out together.) What's most interesting about this entry (which seems plastered all over the internet), is that he hints at there being nurses in the movie. This adds further suggestion that the movie will be live action acting as a reinterpretation of the first game. Well, for now the feelings among many of the online posters is projected in their anthem: Don't f**k it up. Won't you join the bandwagon?

Silent Hill 4 Easter Eggs: For those of you who are interested in the hidden items from the game (or those who have already started collecting their own easter eggs), I'm starting a list of some obvious and not-so-obvious easter eggs hidden in "The Room." Egg #1: Robbie the Rabbit Plushie Location: Eileen's Room (via peephole behind cabinet) Description: A stuffed toy. Reference: Silent Hill 3 - Lakeside Amusement Park Mascot Image: http://gallery.felixmcli.org/gallery/sh4caps/sh4_caps_105 (Thanks to Maskrider for the image and a great website.) Egg #2: Robbie the Rabbit Balloon Location: Ashfield Heights Apartment Complex (via windows in Rm. 302) Description: A pink balloon floating with string attached. Reference: Silent Hill 3 - Lakeside Amusement Park Mascot Image: http://gallery.felixmcli.org/gallery/sh4caps/sh4_2pass_extra_2 (Thanks to Maskrider for the image.) Egg #3: hospital.co.jp Location: Hospital World (aka St. Jerome's Hospital) - Operating Room Description: Web address for medical supplies and services. (Address appears on cylinder tanks near door.) Reference: http://www.hospital.co.jp Image: http://www.geocities.com/jonnsmithy/url.jpg (Thanks to JonnSmithy aka SlavaOzonov for the image. Image is geocities, so image will not always be available.) Egg #4: Rabbit Location: Rm. 302 - Front Door (after using the "Keys of Liberation") Description: Not really an easter egg, but the chains on the door form an outline of a rabbit with the peephole acting as the eye. (I note this because Konami did this with several textures in the game, trying to make something look like something else, i.e. the face on the wall in the intro, the demon on the wall in the storage space, ect.) Reference: White Rabbit - Alice in Wonderland Image: http://www.geocities.com/jonnsmithy/rabbit.jpg (Thanks to JonnSmithy aka SlavaOzonov for the image. Image is geocities, so image will not always be available.) Egg #5: Midwich School Bus Location: Ashfield Heights Apartment Complex (via windows in Rm. 302) Description: Vehicle that randomly passes on the street in front of the apartment. Reference: Silent Hill 1 - Midwich Elementary School & bus (though the bus in that game was the "short bus"). Hint: The bus randomly appears throughout the game, however, it appears more often while visiting "Prison World" the first time. In order to view the writing on the bus, try watching during a cut-scene of the street, i.e. Cynthia outside subway, ambulance scenes, ect. Egg #6: Toliet Clog Location: Rm. 302 - Bathroom Toliet Description: Running gag in the SH series Reference: Silent Hill 2 - Safe Combination Clue (In order to retrieve the clue to open the safe, James fished it from the toliet.) Image:Image 1 / Image 2 (Thanks to Maskrider for the image.) Egg #7: Chainsaw (Idle) Location: Second Gameplay - After obtaining Chainsaw Description: Idle animation for the Chainsaw; funny to watch Reference: Silent Hill 2 - James Chainsaw Idle Animation (Henry does not scream like James.) Image: http://gallery.felixmcli.org/gallery/sh4caps/sh4_chainsaw_001 (Thanks to Maskrider for the image.) Egg #8: Channeling Stones Location: Game Cheat Description: Remains from a scrapped UFO Ending. The items can be placed in your inventory through a GameShark, Action Replay, or other game hacking device. The codes are listed below. Reference: Silent Hill - UFO Endings (most specifically with Silent Hill 1; the channeling stone was the item used to unlock the UFO ending when used in the targetted locations.) Code (GameShark for PS2): Master Code: 98368157 7848D201 2816ED40 F7427A65 2816EDD8 A1269A6B 2816EDED 6DC8C42B 2816ED03 01E23EE5 2816EDF7 B1C37A65 2816ED54 A1A774EA 2816ED01 DB137AF1 Item Code (Slot 1): 28474265 FCE87A65 1847426F 0CA57A56 1847426A 0CA57A4A Additional Info: The channeling stone was originally supposed to be a dirty stone that you can wash to reveal the channeling stone, but since the UFO ending was scrapped before the game was completed, it still shows up in the inventory, but is not washable. In addition to the channeling stone, there were two more items that were never released in the game, but the code still exists: the crimson oil and the special key. Images are below. Images: Channeling Stone / Dirty Stone / Crimson Oil / Special Key (Thanks again to Maskrider for the images.) My theory is that there were supposed to be a large amount of endings as Akira Yamaoka stated during the production of the game. However, somewhere along the line, they were too pressed for time and scrapped the projects, despite the fact that they already began coding for those endings. Anyway, this is not the definative guide to all the easter eggs in the game, or even the secrets, but I wanted to start to spread the word about them. If anybody has something else they want to add, feel free to.

Silent Hill 4 Spoilers Walter is tough to beat, but one method for beating him involves running around toward his back while keeping you distance. You should have tried to save all your revolver bullets for this fight, especially since there aren't any other boss battles. When he aims his gun at you, try to be at his side, so that he has to turn around to face you. As he turns, unload two or three shots (three if you are quick enough). And then run towards his back again. Wash, rinse, repeat until you've run out to ammo. It usually just takes a couple of hits from a malee weapon to kill him after that. Another method involves using the golf clubs. They are quick and deal good damage. Unfortunately, they break during the fight. That's why you would have to take several with you to fight. The irons deal much more damage than the woods, and the 9-iron is my favorite. If you hadn't been collecting golf clubs in the game, or used them all up. You can usually pick up more from dead "Gumheads." You still need to get Walter lower his guard during the fight. I suggest you try running behind him, but in a much closer range. Be careful, because he will counterspin if you get too close. Since, the golf clubs have long range, you don't have to stay too close. You can usually make three hits before Walter counters. Hitting him while he charges up his malee weapon will also allow you to do some damage without being countered, but make sure you don't get hit. The Walter fight is simply a matter of how efficiently you can play the game. The less damage you take, the more time you have to deal damage and not bother healing. So make sure to dodge as much as you can. (R1 and L1 buttons help while arming your weapon.) EDIT: To understand the workings of how Eileen recieves damage and understand what requirements are needed for the Eileen endings, please check this thread. (The Definitive Eileen Thread [spoilers])

Bump.

White Vans: I have also noticed the types of cars in the Silent Hill series, and also the white vans. However, in terms of vehicles used in the games, the most common are mini-vans and sedans. Those things were everywhere. Still, it doesn't really appear to me that any of those vehicles are important to notice, other than their placement. Most were placed along side the roads and in ditches as if they were abandoned. As with the general vagueness of the town of Silent Hill, it seems strange that people would simply abandon their cars on the street. In terms of the ambulance, it only appears three times in the series: Alchemilla Hospital Parking Lot, Brookhaven Hospital Parking Lot, and the St. Jerome Ambulance in front of South Ashfield heights. Only in SH4, does the the ambulance play more of a role than simple background. I could go into details about how the automobile represents a person's personal freedom, and that abandoning it is symbolic of each character's mission in Silent Hill, but it seems rather unimportant to me. SH4 Ambience: I agree with DDE on this one. Konami had a really great potential to create a new and terrifying experience with the use of lighting in SH4 by having independent light sources in the game, but they failed to utilize it fully. Though, there were some really great effects created, like the prison cells, the possessed wheelchairs, and apartment hauntings, most of these were subtle features and little stood out in your mind. I'm hoping that if enough noise is made about this, but with the correct direction, we might see more substantial advances in lighting and shadow in the following games. Silent Hill Movie Plot: I have my doubts too about the prospects of another crappy VG movie, but I'm trying to stay positive since the film has a good production team. And I try to think of the movie like I would a remix, especially since that is how the Gans and Avary used the influence (they basically played SH1 over and over again as they were writing the script). So, the movie has some heavy influences from the game, but hopefully the creators are taking liberties with their interpretation as it transitions itself to film. Silent Hill Dead Links: It's true that many of the links posted in this topic have long since died, mostly due to too much traffic, resulting as a burden to the webmaster, or from lack of interest. It's a shame too, since there were so many great tidbits of information that were highly valuable to understanding the series. Although I have managed to save most of the material myself and archive many of the hidden reference material, I've never had the time to devote to a website. But, there's good news everyone! A brand new Silent Hill website has opened up for Silent Hill 2. Letter From Silent Heaven is a beautiful, flash-oriented website that not only looks pretty, but also has archived the most rare and secret materials from the game. Check it out now!

Look like I forgot to post the links to the SH3 modification tools. Oops. Well, here they are: Overall link to all modification tools for the Silent Hill games (Please note that inorder to view certain materials, you must be a member of Yahoo! Groups.) Forum discussion with the log of SH3 Costume Mod. Tools (Tools provided thanks to SolidSnake313.) Another forum featuring character modeling for SH3 (This is an independent project, where the artist is doing everything by hand.) (Only pictures available.) ---- Speaking of Metal Gear Solid, there is apparently several references in "Snake Eater" refering to SH3, and Silent Hill in general. I'm going to get this game soon and find them for myself.

I'll bite. As you may have read on GameFAQs, certain weapons are obtained based on how you defeat the final boss, the time to defeat certain bosses and which difficulty you beat the game. All in all, it's based on your game ranking. The Infinite Sub-Machine Gun is obtained by defeating the final boss with a melee weapon (note that I said "defeated," that doesn't mean that is the only type of weapon you can use). The Beam Saber is also obtained when you defeat the final boss with a melee weapon on Normal or higher difficulty. There are other weapons that you can unlock, but nothing really beats the I.S.M.G. However, when you play an Extra New Game, you will be penalized if you use a special weapon, like the unlockables. However, to view all the endings, there is a certain unlockable weapon that you have to use. As to finding all the different costumes for Heather, a different costume is unlocked each time you beat the game (assuming you get a high score each time). Some are displayed on the ranking screen after you finish the game, others are found in magazines and other read-able materials in the game. Yet, not all the costumes codes are found in the game; certain codes were obtained from various gaming magazines which published the codes for their respective costume, though, personally, they all looked about the same and added nothing exciting to the mix. The real reason for having the costumes there were to act as incentives to unlock the ten ultra-hard survival difficulties, with the Raiden costume acting as the final reward for beating the tenth difficulty level. But, what the most exciting things about the costumes for SH3 are, are obtained from the PC version of SH3, where you can manipulate and create you own costumes for Heather. I've posted a link to the plug-in and costume editor here before, but I'll do so again, because I'm waiting for the programmer to add the character model editor, so that you can change the skin on Heather. This means that you can replay the game as one of the other characters, i.e. Claudia, Vincent, Douglas, monsters. :wink, wink: As far as the Princess Heart costume is concerned, it's just a joke idea, but it actually is the only costume that helps you out in the game. The Princess Heart costume acts to maintain Heather's stamina as she runs and uses weapons, meaning that she will not tire as quickly (but still only marginally). If you combine it with a certain weapon, the effects can be substantial. There is also the rumored "Underwear Costume" which can be unlocked from the Start Menu screen. It is somehow connected to the legendary "Konami Code."

It's time for another edition of... Silent Hill Movie Update: (W00T!) For those of you who have been following Roger Avary's online journal, a recent meeting between the development team from Davis Films met with representatives from Konami to discuss and collaborate on the upcoming movie. This is a little bit of old news, but Konami also released a preview trailer highlighting the basic plot-line of the movie. The trailer itself has nothing new in terms of visuals (Remember, filming begins in February), however, there is some new audio. Although, the Silent Hill movie will not be a remake of the original Silent Hill game, it will be a reinterpretation. Movie Plot (possible spoilers) The story focuses on a mother looking for her lost child in the town of Silent Hill. The woman, Harriet (--> Harry), is unaware of the danger lurking in Silent Hill as she searches for Sharon (--> Cheryl), her daughter. She'll meet several strange people and discover a shocking truth. [/spoilers] Konami is still hosting the video file of the meeting and part of the trailer (though video quality is low). If you cannot access the file, try again later; the files are running off Konami's main bandwidth. Silent Hill Movie Preview (Broadband) Silent Hill Movie Preview (DSL/56k Modem) ---- I also found an awesome remix of "Melancholy Requiem" from SH4. It was made by James Madison (not the president) and can be found here (RAR file) or off of my page (MP3 file). ---- I just wanted to mention that in January, I'll be visiting southern California and I plan on taking the Silent Hill Tour: San Bruno, Toluca Lake, ect. I'll be taking a lot of pictures and hope to get them uploaded when I get back. But, if you want some scary pictures to tie you over, try these places: Visions from the Underworld Entrances to Hell (Less than serious) This one's my favorite: Fog at the Rest Stop

It's not vagueness. "Vagueness" is whether or not you can tell if something is one thing or another. In the cases I mentioned above, there is no answer. There is nothing to compare one thing to another. Being vague would mean a case like: "the monsters are really people. I'm just joking." They might be, or they might not be; that is subjective. A case where the material might not be considered "vague" is where the developers create a notion about a certain topic as being the central idea of an event or give you no information at all, creating a hole in the story. Though, the developers try to lead you astray by dropping in certain distractions, they ultimately either give you something to determine what the whole story is about or nothing at all (such as the case I mentioned above). It's not that the games are always vague, or that the story has some sort of multiple dimensioning to it. The stories weren't developed to have a single story in mind or any story for that matter, but as the series continues, the direction that Konami is leading us is towards a single storyline. So, knowing what the difference between a subject being vague and non-existant is of importance to decifering the story, and ultimately understanding those experiences and emotions. Knowing what to feel may be just as subjective as determining whether or not something is a "dream-like experience." Should I feel sad that Alessa was killed, or overjoyed? Does Dahlia make me feel safe, or stalked? Because if it's all just a dream, then why feel anything? (*Inspires interesting SH4 theory idea.*) Why even take the series under consideration if you know that it doesn't really matter anyway? It does, and it should. But, I guess the point is to balance it out. We should know when and where it's important to consider the make-up of the games. Thinking too much might lose your audience, and thinking too little invites unanswerable questions. But, I'll provide one extreme, because there are too many people providing the other. P.S. Saying that "I'm a firm believer that these games are 100% subjective dreamlike experiences," qualifies as a theory about the games. So, that right there creates a paradox in your thinking.

Silent Hill 3 had holes by having certain inconsistancies in the storyline. Though we learn that Heather is Alessa and Cheryl reborn, there is little indication from Heather about either Alessa's or Cheryl's feelings or memories from that time. I always thought that Heather would have had greater insight into the story and about the workings of the cult than the story revealed. Also, there are some little things like the question of Vatiel and the reason for its appearance, why Claudia has "special powers" (as quoted by Vincent), why the alternate world was visible to Douglas and Vincent, ect. I could understand if there was a vagueness about the answers, but Konami failed to even address these questions at all. Though, we do learn a lot about the series from number 3, there are so many direct questions the game avoids. Silent Hill 4: The Room is a completely weird game in itself, however, the entire game was designed around a single motif idea: Fear within comfortable surroundings. As a result, they created light sources in every part of the game, which were only reserved before to highlight certain aspects in previous games. They tried to reaffirm the "body shock" (A term developed by Diabolical Dr. Eccles.) element of Silent Hill 1, as well some other smaller elements from Silent Hill 2 (i.e. non-player character escorts, undefeatable enemies, and long streches of corridors, hallways, holes). The greatest successes were in the subtle touches added to the game. Since the element of light is introduced in the game, the developers used the concept of shadows to freak you out. My favorite part is the wheelchair monsters (though DDE would disagree), because if you use the lighting at just the right angle, you can see the ghost riding on it. (Very creepy and funny at the same time.) The use of shadows in the Water Prison were also nicely done, since you did get that feeling of being watched while in the cells. (I never like to be those rooms for more time than I need to.) Also, take notice of shadows that may appear in Henry's apartment room, as sometimes they will appear or appear differently. Another strange twist is that in the building world, though you appear to be going constantly downward as you progress through the level, you are in actuality teleporting between different parts of the Hotel South Ashfield and Fusielli Restuarant, which is across from the South Ashfield Heights apartment complex. This small piece of information adds to my theory that all of SH4 takes place in Nowhere.

If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?

Silent Hill 2 Spoilers: Though this topic has been brought up before, I've never really felt like it had been addressed properly. In part, due to the ambiguous nature of the game, and also due to my inability to provide a satisfying answer on the subject. (There is also the fact that some of the evidence gets misinterpreted.) Anyway, I'll try to summerize the connections that water has on the town of Silent Hill and the concept in general. Water is apparent in Silent Hill for two reasons, though obvious: 1) Silent Hill was established very close to Toluca Lake, 2) Water is a symbol of both life and death, which Silent Hill 2 deals with; unlike fire, which is used to only symbolize pain, death and destruction. With regard to James, in the end of the game, he is caught between choosing to continue his life or end it. Although, he may have different reasons for doing either, after realizing the truth about Mary, he must choose one or the other. In the many instances that James encounters water, it never really interacts with him, until near the end. The view of Lake Toluca in the beginning is at a far off distance. The water logged apartment complex is guarded by the Red Pyramid Thing. The shoreline in Rosewater Park is almost invisible in the fog. In each case, James is always never actually gets close enough to reach the water, which symbolizes his choice to live or die. So, until the after the fight with Eddie, James never contemplates his choice. He doesn't reach the a point for which he should consider it. Therefore, as James rows across the water towards the Lakeside Hotel, this actions symbolizes his attempt to weigh the option. He asks himself, "Is this journey worth continuing, after everything that's happened?" It is only when he reaches the other end of the shore that he makes his decision, in the Lakeside Hotel. As such, the water has enveloped James before the final fight. The rain is seeped into the hotel and drenches everything around him. The time for James to make his decision is very near. Therefore, in the endings watch how the developers use the visual of water. Obviously, in the "In Water" ending, the entire view is in water, meaning that James has choosen to use water for death. In the "Rebirth" ending, water becomes a symbol of life, as James travels across it to perform the ceremony that will bring Mary back to life. Watch each ending and determine for yourself what water means for James, and for you since you become so involved in his role. EDIT: Holy shit, what? SH3 is, easily, the worst of the series, in my opinion. Just wasn't nearly as fun to play, and it wasn't nearly as creepy-ambient as the others. Even though, many people disagree with me, I really liked Silent Hill 3. I thought it had the best atmosphere since it combined the harsh darkness of Silent Hill 1, with the soft ambience of Silent Hill 2, while adding some new things in the mix. Had I not already been jaded by the continuation of certain motifs in the Silent Hill series, I might be inclined to call it the best atmosphere of any horror game. But, I won't. Though, the story has several major holes in it and doesn't quite end appropriately, I like it's character development and the attention to detail in the characters motions, speech, and actions. And as I write this, I realize now how much the experience of the game is shaped by your ability to tune into these subtleties. Which probably explains why whenever I try to explain the story, people go "hmmm....", but once they've played it go "ahhh..." Anyway, for people who like strong character development over tightly written storylines, I think Silent Hill 3 is a good recommendation. Silent Hill 2 offers a really great introduction into the series, but is also misleading as to the nature of the rest of the games. Silent Hill is awesome to play by yourself, in the dark, at the wee hours of the day, but is considered dated in terms of visuals, though its style is difficult to beat. (Any game that uses a software's limitations in new and creative ways is always a good game. EDIT2: There were only 2 main factors that determined what ending you got in Silent Hill as well. Actually, there are 2.5 factors that contribute to the game ending that you get. Silent Hill Spoilers Although, one of the factors is whether or not you save Cybil, the other is whether or not you save Kaufman AND if you discover the secondary Agalophotis vial in the motel. That is why I say there are 2.5 factors in which ending you get. Though, if you go to the trouble of saving Kaufman in Annie's Bar, you are most likely to complete Kaufman's side quest, it is possible to just skip finding the Agalophotis vial and continue through the game. But, you won't get the Good or Good+ ending. Still, the point is valid that there are not very many contributing factors that control which ending you recieve at the end of the game as compared to SH2 and SH3. EDIT3: According to some early rumors on Silent Hill 5: Shadows, the developers are considering downplaying the action elements of the series in place of stronger atmosphere and tougher puzzles. One rumor went so far as to say that the game will not include the ability to fight AT ALL. Truthfully, I hope that this is not the case and that these are just rumors. However, at the same time, I don't think that high action elements really belong in this series as it messes with the pacing and the way the player views the atmosphere. If too much attention is directed at trying to survive the moment, often the player doesn't have the ability to let his/her mind wander into the depths of the surroundings. It's a delicate balance between knowing when to intimidate and when to let yourself be intimidated. If you press too hard, the game may appear "unimmersive," while if the game presses you to much, players will eventually feel bored or frustrated. It's when developers know this difference and utilize it efficiently that great games are developed. EDIT4: Has everyone figured out how to get the four endings in Silent Hill 4: The Room? Has anyone beaten "One-Weapon Mode?"

If you are refering to the "Greatest Hits" version of SH2 on the PS2, then no. The two versions are exactly the same. If not, there is a PC version of SH2 that also has the special features in it. The X-Box version is not the only one with the extras. Silent Hill Spoilers There is another misconception about the use of the air-raid sirens in Silent Hill. It's true that you do hear them in both SH1 and SH2, but in SH2, the sirens are not used in the transition between the Misty and Alternate realities. That siren only plays during the Red Pyramid Thing fight in the Blue Creek apartment building. With regard to Silent Hill 1, it is still debatable whether or not the sirens have any significant role. Personally, I believe the sirens have no effect on the story. Since ONLY Harry hears them (please note that this is plural), who's to say that they're only in his head? Since the sirens are a part of the Alternate reality, it depends on what version of the Alternate reality you believe in. If you look at the idea that suggests that the reality of Silent Hill is all in some person's head (this theory just being a more general form of the Alessa's Memories theory), then what you see, hear, feel and even think (as you see with Harry) can be affected by the person or by some external being. Keeping this into consideration, you may see the sirens as a warning that Cheryl is subconsciously sending her father (since as DDE says "Cheryl is Alessa, Alessa is Cheryl"). You may think it's just Harry subconsciously sending himself a warning that danger lies ahead. You might think that the sirens are the cries of Alessa as she births god a little more, whenever the Alternate reality appears. You may believe that the sound is the song of the "old gods" in Silent Hill. You might even believe that they are the influences of the UFO's from the fifth ending. If you believe in that, then fine. But you won't get away with what you did. When I find you...Anyway, in SH2, the sirens are used to drive away the Red Pyramid Thing, and allow James to continue his search for Mary. Whether of not you believe that all the events take place in James' mind, or if the are actually occuring, will affect the direction you take that interpretation in. I think that the "song of the old gods" playing as way to drive away the Red Pyramid Thing is a fun little diversion, but you might not get too far with it. Ultimately, dropping out the sirens from sequel games suggests to me that they don't really affect the story of the series and were just a scary little trick to make you wet your pants every time you heard it. This is my reasoning as to why I believe the sirens are not important. EDIT: Okay, so there are sirens in the long hallway from the Silent Hill Historical Society to the Toluca Lake Prison, but those are more fog horns than air-raid sirens.

You know, we haven't discussed the alternate worlds in quite a long time. And truthfully, it's a rather difficult subject to handle, since the idea keeps changing after each game. Unfortunately, the interpretation of the alternate world depends on your interpretation of the actual world of Silent Hill. (I have some views on that that will differ from other people, so it doesn't make mine correct. Or even complete.) Anyway, the alternate world seen in the first game boils down to one of four things: Alessa's subconscious interpretation of Silent Hill; the alternate reality created by the power Alessa welds, the physical deconstruction of Silent Hill resulting from the growing power of the god inside Alessa; or the true form of the town awakened by influence of the cult. These four forms from the first game stem from the four interpretations of the reality of Silent Hill (Misty Silent Hill). A) The Silent Hill seen is not the real Silent Hill, only an interpretation created from Alessa's memories. Misty Silent Hill is the true form of Silent Hill, i.e. Silent Hill exists on the plane of reality that we call this world. C) Misty Silent Hill is the real world, but is directly affected by the alternate reality of Alternate Silent Hill. D) Misty Silent Hill is not the real world and not a memory, but a false interpretation of reality. (This is the most complex of the theories and would require a great deal of time to explain.) The first form says that Silent Hill is a world created by Alessa's (good) memories of the real Silent Hill. This might explain why there are so many inconsistancies in the Misty Silent Hill. Alessa's memory doesn't have the entire picture, only pieces and parts. Which explains why there are holes and chasms in the town. Thus, the Alternate Silent Hill is just the influence of Alessa's bad memories of Silent Hill. The visions of people being sacraficed. The dark and cold space of her hospital room. The fire that put her in that room in the first place. All the nightmares that haunted Alessa for many years, reborn into physical existance. The second form is more existential than the first because it suggests that there are actually alternate planes of reality. That Misty Silent Hill and Alternate Silent Hill exist on entirely separate planes of reality. Though it might only be that there are just two planes in existance, this theory still leaves open the idea that there are multiple, if not infinite dimensions of reality. Only that by being in Silent Hill, and present during the influences by the god, is Harry able to travel between those realities. This form is the only one that really can fit into an overall picture that ties the games together, though I feel it is the most generic form. The third is very similar to the second form, in that both ASH and MSH are on different planes of reality, but the two are connected together and as one changes, so does the other. This means that the alternate dimension is creating all the distrubances that are occuring in Silent Hill. That the monsters, ghost town, holes, and disturbing decor are all just influences of this Alternate Silent Hill. I don't really like this form either, but it connects to the second game better than any of the above. The forth form is the most complicated to explain, since it would just take a long time to explain. This theory stems from texts found in Silent Hill 2 about the town's history and religion, from the dogma stated in Silent Hill 3 and from small hints and influences in Silent Hill 1. What it suggests is that Alternate Silent Hill is the world created by the old gods of Lake Toluca. And that with the reawakening of the god inside Alessa, these old gods are becoming awaken as well, and that their "world" is beginning to appear in our own. This is something that I am piecing together and is still a work-in-progress, so it might have a lot of loose ends. Still, it's something to think about. While I could go on and post more about the other games, I'll leave that up to you guys to discuss, since I'm more interested in what other people think. Although, I will say that the entire game of Silent Hill 4 takes place in the Alternate World. There are some small details to help you understand why, but know that in that game, the definition of Alternate World changes dramatically.

It seems that nobody is really interested in discussing SH4 theories and plotlines. I've had dozens floating through my head. So, I'm just wondering, does anybody else have any ideas, or do you not care? Right now, I've got theories about the portals, the concept of Nowhere, connections to all the previous games, monster appearances, so on and so forth. Anyway, it feels like things have become rather stagnant around the SH circuit, with little new info, media and material floating around. I guess things are approaching that saturation threshold. Well, to keep things lively, I'll provide a... Silent Hill Movie Update: According to Roger Avary, as he wrote in his online journal, the Silent Hill Movie script has been completed. There have been two reviews by Christophe Gans and Nicholas Boukhrief. So, a final "first draft" has been written. Avary still complains about some of the little details of the script, but it's good that they are taking so much time to consider the story and make sure it is good. Now that the script is finished, this allows Davis Films to proceed with the pre-production of the film. And Avary inadvertantly released the shooting schedule start, which will be in February, 2005. This suggests a release date by around this time next year. (w00t!) So, things are looking rather good for the Silent Hill Movie. Although, the details of the script have not been mentioned, I think that the story will be entirely new, and not a remake of the first game. I'm not sure how you feel about it, but I'm relieved. This will be more interesting than just a remake. Also, as an added bonus, Roger Avary recorded many parts of his trip to Paris to write the Silent Hill script and is compiling a documentary for the DVD. From what he has written in his journal, it should be interesting, none the less.

Silent Hill 4 Spoilers Actually, if you look carefully, that ghost in that scene is Victim 1 (or 01121). Though, Victim 10 (the victim DDE is refering to) seemingly doesn't have much influence on the game, Victim 1 is quite important and has quite a substantial role in Walter Sullivan's life. They showed Victim 1 in beginning as a representation of the idea that you will be haunted by ghosts. What I would have liked to have seen is more usage of the distortion that they used on Victim 1 in the opening (specifically in the scene mentioned by DDE), where the victim's arms and legs get stretched out and pulled in the opposite direction. That would have made some of the ghosts a lot more unnerving. Again, since this game was completed hastily and did not incorporate all the information that the developers wanted, it is important to work in conjunction with the website and the supplemental materials provided to really understand the nature of the game. Please check out translatedmemories.com to learn more about the victims.

Actually, that is an interesting alternative to the two theories above. It is possible that if you believe that the Good+ Ending is basis for Silent Hill 3, then it is possible that the resulting ending is the Game Over (God is Born) ending, since there would be no Agalophotis to save Heather from Claudia. Therefore, you would also have to consider that the true ending of Silent Hill 3 is that God? is born from Heather and that Claudia's dream becomes realized. Unfortunately, it's hard to say what happens after that, since in every previous encounters with God? resulted in it trying to kill the main character. This being said, it is possible that the god born from Heather would then try to kill Claudia. Unfortunately, Team Silent did not give the players enough information to determine what would happen after the birth of God?. We just have to imagine the results. Therefore, if you want to believe that God? then creates paradise and all mankind is saved, then do so. There is nothing to really say that that doesn't happen. As an extra idea to note about the series, I don't believe that the 21 Sacraments creates another God?, but creates another Holy Mother to birth God?. So, it just creates another host for it to exist in this world. An if you are considering what happens if you perform the ceremony several times, consider the case of Alessa and Cheryl. All it does is divide God?'s power between the hosts. I think then that this is why the Crimson Tome refers to the Sacraments as being "Herecies," since it divides God?'s power and brings it into this world unaturally. As mentioned in the "Origins," god decided to be born between two people, not the other way around. So, though it is possible to bring god into this world, people should not, and that is why the religion created the Crimson Tome to counter any attempts to defy the natural order of things. I need to stop now, this is becoming too much of a dogma, and less about general metaphysical ideas. I guess this is the reason why I didn't like the direction that the producers were taking the Silent Hill series. Who are you? Are you trying to take my identity?

Silent Hill 1 & 3 Spoilers As you may recall, Heather uses the pendant to retreive the red jewel inside. She swallows this jewel, whichs prompts the following "puking" scene. Because of the research from the various books found all over the Alternate Chapel, we can assume that the red jewel was actually a piece of crystralized Agalophotis, a substance used in the exercism of demons and possessions. The pendant itself is just an ordinary pendant made of silver. It does closely resemble the Saint Medalions from SH4, which have a picture of a mother and child engraved in it. As far as we know, there is nothing special about the pendant itself. With regard to how Harry obtained the small sample of Agalophotis, it depends on who you ask. Some people, like myself, believe that it was just the same sample of Agalophotis from SH1 that you retreive, but are supposed to use on Cybil when she was possessed. But, if we assume that Harry doesn't use it on her, he will still have the sample on him after the Good Ending, which eventually crystalizes over time. Others, like DDE, believe that Harry did use the sample on Cybil to save her, but that Harry somehow also was able to obtain a secondary sample of the plant that is used to produce Agalophotis, and created the crystized sample himself. I doubt this theory since it requires a belief that Harry knows more than he should. Still, it's up to you which you believe.

Silent Hill 1, 3, 4 Spoilers There are several things that you are asking at once. First off, a correction, Alessa was born with special powers (Heather stated so in the car ride to Silent Hill). Walter gained his divine powers from the Holy Assumption, which occurred after his "death." The Wish House orphanage did not develop any special powers in any of its children (as far as stated in Silent Hill 4). Now, as to whether Alessa's powers came innately or from the god born within her, is a different discussion altogether. Also, Alessa grew up in the Gillespie residence, not the Wish House. With regard to the cycle of reincarnation, this only occurs with the person who has god within them. In SH1, Alessa/Cheryl had god within her, thus Heather was able to be reincarnated from her/them. In SH3, god was transfered to Claudia, so the obvious conclusion would be that Claudia would bear the next reincarnation. However, something happened when Heather "aborted" god. I'm not sure if this weakened god's power, or if it prevented Claudia from being able to achieve reincarnation, but I assume the cycle stopped there. (Can't say for sure, but I think that is the case.) I am pretty sure that the cycle of rebirth began with Alessa, as Heather explains that it was Dahlia first tried to summon the god by offering her daughter as sacrafice. It is also likely that this is true since it wasn't until just before the construction of the resort that the cult became active, revived from the ancient Native American beliefs as stated in the Lost Memories. As I've stated before, there is a difference between the religion of Silent Hill and the cult of Silent Hill. Also, the cult has gone through several incarnations itself over the years. There was a small cult that appeared in Silent Hill at the beginning of the twentieth century that mysteriously disappeared (as stated in SH2). The second rebirth came during Dahlia's time, when the area was still just a small mining town. This cult reached a small peak then quited down during the construction of the tourist resort. The older members kept the cult a secret, while the younger members simply moved on to other things (as stated by Lisa). As an attempt to bring happiness back to the people who were losing jobs and the youth, the older members attempted to "bring paradise into the world" by bringing god into the world. In this era of silence among the cult, whose numbers were cut down to the extremely devoted, they raised new children (Alessa, Claudia, the Wish House, ect.) However, after Dahlia's house burned down, Alessa had been lost and the attempt to bring god into the world failed (seemingly), the remaining few members of the cult scattered, with exception to the Wish House, which still operated directly until the cult's influence. Seven years after that, god awoke breifly and it sparked a revival among those who were aware of this event. The Wish House then became the central base for the cult. It was here that Claudia spent the rest of her teen years. Claudia seemed to be the one who continued pushing the cult further and recruited Vincent to increase the cult's status and members. This was the third revival of the cult. The cult had three sects which made up it's members: the Holy Mother sect, the Saint Ladies sect, and the Vatiel sect. I know that the Vatiel sect was created some time between the arrival of Harry to Silent Hill and Claudia's taking over of the cult. (The Holy Mother sect ran Wish House. I believe Dahlia belonged to the Saint Ladies sect, though I could just be guessing.) It was under the oversite of Claudia that the persuit of the Holy Mother was founded. It was during this search that the cult gained enough status as to invoke the investigation by Joseph Schieber. Walter Sullivan lived through most of this. He grew up during the time when Dahlia ran the cult up until just before Claudia took over. At that time, Walter had turned 18 and was no longer allowed to stay at Wish House, so he went to college. It would be 14 years later that Henry enters the picture. Only a short time after the events of SH3. So, in conclusion, Alessa's cycle of reincarnation ended with Heather (which could have been carried on by Claudia). For the most part, it seems that the story of the cult in Silent Hill ends at the death of Claudia. It is possible that the story may have picked back up, if you believe that the 21 Sacraments Ending is the true ending of SH4. But, if you're like me, then you think that Walter failed and that is the end of the story. Until the next reincarnation of the cult comes back around.