Silent Hill

By the time we arrive at Konami's latest installment, Silent Hill 4: The Room, the series doesn't even take place in Silent Hill anymore…players spend the game in the nearby town of Ashfield. Unfortunately, calling the game Ashfield 4: The Room probably wouldn't have inspired many sales as gamers the world over wondered what the hell ever happened to Ashfield 1-3…it's like that whole Bill Cosby/Leonard Part 6 mess, and I think everyone learned their lesson on that one.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes

Game Description: Silent Hill 4: The Room offers a new cast and story, full of dark mysteries and horrendous new creatures. Henry Townshend is trapped in a cursed apartment. Mysterious portals have appeared in them, leading him to disturbing alternate worlds. This game is a terrifying experience that fans and newcomers will never forget.

Perhaps such middle-of-the-road gameplay alone does not make the game "a worthwhile experience" (as Matt puts it), but, coupled with the directorial flourishes and aesthetic flair of Konami's immensely skilled development team, Silent Hill 3 is never less than compelling right through to its conclusion.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Violence

Horror is a delicate thing. You can't just set your game in a spooky house, toss in a few monsters with lots of teeth, and expect players to be terrified. Horror—real horror—is more fragile than that. It breaks easily. It requires expert care to grow into something that can touch us on our most primal level.

Game Description: As a teenage girl named Heather, players must explore and unravel the mysterious connection between the god-forsaken town, her past, and her inner fears. With enhanced graphics detail, a more complex storyline, and even more grotesque monsters than the previous games, Silent Hill 3 promises to be the best horror adventure ever.

That the adventure is crafted as much by the mind of the player as by the developers of the game elevates Silent Hill 2 past its outdated mechanics and earns it a place as the most fitting representative of the survival-horror genre.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language, Violence

There is a quote by Stephen King in reference to Stanley Kubrick's adaption of his horror novel, The Shining. When asked what he thought of Kubrick's approach to the genre he said "I think he really wants to make a movie that will hurt people." I cant imagine a more relevant and concise statement to sum up the approach of Silent Hill 2, Konami's most recent take on the "survival horror" sub-genre made immortal (for better or worse) by Capcoms infamous Resident Evil series.