Ranking the best Silent Hill games

Silent Hill is definitely one of the best psychological horror games series, if not the best. Unlike Resident Evil series and even F.E.A.R., the games focusses less on action and more on atmosphere, tension and even puzzle-solving. That is not to say that games lack action, but they are definitely not the mainstay, and we like it that way. If you think all games are just wham-bham and all fuzzy smoke, you have never played Silent Hill. And if you have the habit of wetting your bed, you definitely shouldn't play it at all...This time, I compile the list of nine titles in the Silent Hill series, ranked based on how best they haunt your senses…

#9 Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Spin-offs have not exactly been a great proposition for any brand, except to make more money. Sadly, this fact rings true for the Silent Hill series as well. Book of Memories just turns one of the best psychological horror titles into a simple fighting game. And it’s better if we do not talk about the scary portions there. Glad that they didn’t make a sequel to the spin-off, for that’s another trend we hate – making sequels of shoddy spin-offs...

#8 Silent Hill: Homecoming

Silent Hill: Homecoming is nothing but an inferior remake of the classic Silent Hill 2, but with less horror and more action. Seriously, I have no idea, why the series need to replace their trademark genre with something so generic. However, if you love fighting with weird ghosts, you don’t have to look for any other games. This will definitely meet your requirements! Just check the above picture, and you will understand why...

#7 Silent Hill: Origins

The game that narrates the tale which led us to the events of the first game, but actually manages to almost derail the series. Working as a predecessor to the series, the game is marred by a plot so flimsy that it takes some of the fun out of the game, where you follow a trucker as a protagonist. Also, the graphics weren’t so great, if you consider the release date of the game. The opportunity was there, but they definitely missed it..

#6 Silent Hill 4: The Room

Changing the usual third-person gameplay to opting for a first-person adventure was a major distinguishing feature, though that may not have worked quite in the favor of the game. You play a hero who has to protect a girl from the clutches of a lunatic deviant serial killer, who had claimed the lives of twenty victims before. The psychological mind-fare will definitely hold your attention, as is the gameplay.

#5 Silent Hill: Downpour

Critically panned at the time of release, Downpour is still a fairly dark, disturbing game that’s a lot enjoyable, unlike what some people might say. The ratings were so poor that they had to close down the studio that developed the game. You play a prisoner who gets access to a haunted town that inexplicably allows you to travel between dimensions. The multiple endings in the game, triggered by the character’s moral decisions, is also something that the game works out well. When you are at it, try out the joke ending as well. It’s a real laugh compared to the tone of the game, and really the best of the lot.

#4 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

People kind of hated the game for its minimal action and fighting, but that’s what make ispecial. Stealth is the key, as it’s always good to dodge your fears than to face them here. Though the puzzle-solving definitely need some rework here, the twist in the end is definitely mind-boggling and one of the best in the series.

#3 Silent Hill 3

Disturbing scenarios, gory scenes, unmentionable villains – the entire package that makes this game an enticing package. The narrative is so damn filled with nerve-wrecking tension, I am sure, you won’t have any nails left on your fingers once you are done with the game. Of course, any game that involves the heroine giving birth to a demon, only to find it consumed by the villain is certainly something that you simply won’t get out of your mind any time soon.

#2 Silent Hill

Ah…The game where it all started. Years may have rendered the graphics and the gameplay somewhat redundant, but nothing can lessen the spooky atmosphere the game has set, that will keep on haunting us for years to come. In the game, you are a hapless father who has to find his missing adopted in a strange town, infested with grotesque monsters and mysterious people. If you find the game somewhat boring and not much exciting, not to fret. Just wait for the sequel that appears next…

#1 Silent Hill 2

The game that gave us one of the most sinister, fearsome and dangerous antagonists with a deceptively laughable name in the Pyramid Head. He is the most perverted monster you have ever seen – a demon who is sick enough to sexually violate other monsters! Yup, that’s the kind of villain you are facing in this seriously dark thriller of a game. The game that will surely give you nightmares, as you check out the shadows to see if some cone-headed demon is lurking around…