Silent Hill HD Collection offers two upscaled games in one package: Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams and Silent Hill 3. Both games now offer 720p widescreen support and are available at a lower MSRP of $40.
Graphically, both version look similar but there are some key differences which conform to each platform's specific strengths. Particle effects, like the swirling fog in the opening of SH2, are quite a bit fuller on the 360 while the PS3 version is just slightly pared back. The PS3 version, though, features much cleaner mip mapping than it's counterpart. Both games feature the same assets, so you're still getting last gen models and textures but the overall look is much sharper than the originals.
The greatest gulf is the emulation speed. While the 360 version is locked down at 30 fps for both titles, developer Hijinks Studios decided to leave the PS3 version unlocked. There are times when the PS3 version move quite nicely at 60+ fps but then bogs down around 22 fps. This occurs frequently depending on the processor load even when there are a minimal number of event onscreen. I would have liked to have seen both versions locked at 60 fps since both systems are capable of it but I will certainly favor a stable fps versus a variable fps if given the choice. In this case, the 360 wins.
Sound is identical on both platforms though, at the time of this review, the PS3 version suffers from some bad lip syncing and there is an issue with some sound systems outputting in 5.1 surround. You'll be forced to use the 2.0 sound mix until a patch resolves the issue. I'm a bit disappointed there isn't a 7.1 soundmix for the PS3, too, as it's common for developers to add the mix for these HD remixes. Here, the 360 wins.
Gameplay is almost identcal, too, except for the PS3's variable performance framerate performance. I'm certainly willing to forgive a little bit of slowdown here and there if there is a better sound mix or if the graphics are quite a bit better but this is not the case. The frequent frame dips and peaks directly affect your ability to play. So, here again, the 360 version wins.
Overall, I would recommend interested buys pick up the 360 version. Of course, if the developer manages to patch the PS3 version to runs entirely at 60 fps, then I would change my recommendation. That would be unprecedented and highly unlikely.
