While SH2 gets all the praise for its unique atmosphere and its tight theming, Silent Hill 3 seems more interested in providing a funny and spooky ride that manages to percolate some vague symbolism about teenage womanhood. This works mostly due to the impecable localization (which went far above the call of duty to make Heather one of the best protagonists of all time, period) and the game putting you in increasingly surreal situations.

The associative style of this game can feel disappointing if you're coming from the dense package of the previous title, but as a horror, it's one of the best ones by far. In a way, this game can feel stronger than the rest because it delivers its symbols up front and lets you wallow in them for long periods of the time.