Silent Hill 3: Edge investigates
Format: PS2,
Xbox | Publisher: Konami | Developer: In-house | Origin: Japan | Release: 23 May
[05/03/2003: 17:07]
A Konami blackout means those anticipating Silent Hill 3 have been kept in the dark. Edge switches on the lights. Boo!
"A seemingly innocent trip to a shopping centre," begins Konami's Silent Hill 3 press release, "takes on a macabre twist." Goodness, as if you couldn't guess, and not just from the early signifier 'seemingly'. This is Silent Hill; it's unlikely any trip to a shopping centre's going to end with a new winter coat and some discounted cutlery.
Konami isn't saying much about the third episode in the Silent Hill series, but covert whisperings from Edge's informant deep within KCEJ reveal a few things. The graphics engine has been improved to give a more realistic visual edge to the characters and scenery. The 'noise' filter is still in place, but it's not nearly as emphatic, a move that comes from a greater understanding of the PS2 architecture. Irrespective of that, the game is still very dark; not just in tone, but literally, since a gloomy palette helps the developer get around some of the hardware's limitations.
The lead character this time is a woman, Heather ("a gentle teenager"), but more will be available, perhaps from the start. There is less fleeing and more fighting, the player forced to take an aggressive stance against unflinching gruesome foes. The monsters' AI has been improved, too; they no longer make a direct path towards the hero, but follow their own personal needs. If you can find one a source of food other than yourself, they may well stop attacking you, giving you time to flee or attack while they're distracted. On the other hand, they might not stop, and you might find yourself feeling a little silly throwing fairy cakes at a many-mouthed flesh-beast. That's psychological horror for you.
Other snippets: the controls are similar, if not identical, to the previous versions. Audiophiles may be slightly distressed to hear that the company is planning to replace the 5.1 support on the PS2 version with a piece of proprietary sound technology which allows it to simulate the sound through standard stereo speakers. That's not absolutely final, though,
and the Xbox version certainly has full 5.1 support.
A Gamecube version of the game is also strongly rumoured, although if it does appear it'll be after the other versions, possibly during the summer months.
fuente:
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/news/default.asp?subsectionid=158&articleid=65012&pagetype=2 
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