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Let me start off by saying that any system that receives this game is blessed and at the same time damned. You take on the role of James Sunderland, who is still mourning the loss of his wife, Mary, who died from a serious illness three years ago. One day, James receives a letter from Mary, explaining that she is waiting at Silent Hill in their special place. Bewildered and confused, James goes to the town in an attempt to solve the mystery of whether this letter is actually from his wife (remember, she's dead) or just some friggin' sicko. He winds up meeting an unforgettable but very messed up supporting cast: Maria, a woman who looks much like Mary, but dresses and acts kind of like a whore; Angela Orosco, a woman who is searching for her mama; Eddie Dombrowski, a man on the run from the law, but who claims that he has done nothing wrong; and Laura, a little girl who claims to be good friends with Mary.
The town is desolate, foggy, grungy, and mostly infested with the most disturbing creatures you will ever see. The game moves throughout the town, and is focused in areas such as the Brookhaven Hospital, apartment buildings, and the eerie, freaky prison, as well as a few other areas. The game has many plot twists, ironic happenings, and sick, sick things. To be frank, it is scary as hell. If you play it in a dark room, be prepared to change your pants afterwards. Many of the game's plot twists are extremely unexpected, so it is a good idea to play the game more than once to truly understand the confusing and evolving story.
The graphics are a sight to behold. While they do not fully use the Xbox's potential, you won't mind. The walls, street, monsters, all the filth and disturbing images are seen in vivid detail. The monsters move in an extremely fluid manner. The buildings and houses are also very well detailed. The team who developed this went so far as to actually go into the midwestern US and look at the architecture there to increase the realism. The graphics rival those of one of Konami's other great titles, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (which is saying a lot).
There is a graphical "noise" effect that adds a sense of ruggedness and disgust to the game, giving the experience a more artistic feel and making it harder. While this is a gimmick, it is a good one, and to truly experience the game, you must play through the whole game at least once with it on (it can be turned off at any time in the options menu). The CG cut scenes always have static, but the people look extremely realistic. The lighting in the game is the best in any game by far - nearly anything that should have a shadow has one - and using the flashlight in a dark room adds to the effect and will scare you even more.
However, the graphics are not without flaws. There is some "mirage" breakup (my own term) as well as some other problems. Sometimes, the flashlight will shine into another area despite the fact that a wall is in the way. Whether or not these graphical glitches were a product of the game being rushed or were just overlooked has yet to be answered. The people, while they usually move well, sometimes move stiffly, even in cinemas, and focus was clearly put more into the face looking good than anything else. The most noticeable and annoying, though, is the occasional break-up that you'll especially notice in foggy areas.
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