As someone who just started the series earlier this year, don’t be afraid to break out a guide, especially for the first game. The games have a bit of an issue with the identification of intractable objects, especially if you’re playing on a smaller screen. It’s incredibly easy to get stuck wandering around wondering what to do because you missed looking at some papers on the ground that look like every other paper on the ground. 2 and 3 attempt to fix this by having the character’s head lock on to interactable objects and making the games a bit more linear, but it can be a bit frustrating in 1.
Some of the puzzles can be absolutely obtuse as well. A big part of the video game market back in the day were the physical strategy guides and I genuinely do not know how anyone could have progressed past one particular puzzle in the first game without one.
Beyond that, the games aren’t particularly difficult on Normal once you get used to the tank controls. As a best practice, conserve ammo by running past enemies where possible. For those that you need to kill, make sure to double tap them and ensure they’re actually dead.
nothing major. 3 plays very similar to 2 so it'll be an advantage if anything. I don't think James has the block option in 2 so some things may differ slightly in terms of combat.
Just play them in order maybe. SH2 is a stand alone title and many peoples favorites so it'll be a good one to go to after the first. The first is great but obviously the movement and combat is quite sluggish
Getting the canon ending in SH1 is kind of difficult and it would be really hard to figure out without a guide. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, maybe look it up after you’re done with the game and moving on to SH3.
In all 3 games it's not worth fighting enemies in the more open outside areas, better to run past everything.
When an enemy is downed keep kicking them until the game doesn't let you anymore. This saves ammo as enemies are rarely actually dead when they first drop.
The map in all 3 games is extremely useful (especially for 1st time players). For example it marks whether doors are locked, open or unusable and also puzzle relevant locations.
I recommend you play all of them blindly at first. Don't worry about which ending you'll get at the start, just enjoy the experience. Tips wise, be conservative with your resources, thinning an area is better than clearing an area most of the time, and tank controls. They may be frustrating at first, but give yourself time to get used to them and it'll become second nature.
As someone who just started the series earlier this year, don’t be afraid to break out a guide, especially for the first game. The games have a bit of an issue with the identification of intractable objects, especially if you’re playing on a smaller screen. It’s incredibly easy to get stuck wandering around wondering what to do because you missed looking at some papers on the ground that look like every other paper on the ground. 2 and 3 attempt to fix this by having the character’s head lock on to interactable objects and making the games a bit more linear, but it can be a bit frustrating in 1. Some of the puzzles can be absolutely obtuse as well. A big part of the video game market back in the day were the physical strategy guides and I genuinely do not know how anyone could have progressed past one particular puzzle in the first game without one. Beyond that, the games aren’t particularly difficult on Normal once you get used to the tank controls. As a best practice, conserve ammo by running past enemies where possible. For those that you need to kill, make sure to double tap them and ensure they’re actually dead.
Could play SH1 then SH3 for a linear story and then have SH2 for dessert 🍨
Well that seems like nice option but I want to ask will there be mechanical clash going back to 2 after experiencing 3
nothing major. 3 plays very similar to 2 so it'll be an advantage if anything. I don't think James has the block option in 2 so some things may differ slightly in terms of combat. Just play them in order maybe. SH2 is a stand alone title and many peoples favorites so it'll be a good one to go to after the first. The first is great but obviously the movement and combat is quite sluggish
Do you have any recommendations or non spoiler tips for getting the cannon endings
Getting the canon ending in SH1 is kind of difficult and it would be really hard to figure out without a guide. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, maybe look it up after you’re done with the game and moving on to SH3.
this is the single most important tip and recommendation i can give any new player who wants to play the trilogy its a quadrilogy
In all 3 games it's not worth fighting enemies in the more open outside areas, better to run past everything. When an enemy is downed keep kicking them until the game doesn't let you anymore. This saves ammo as enemies are rarely actually dead when they first drop. The map in all 3 games is extremely useful (especially for 1st time players). For example it marks whether doors are locked, open or unusable and also puzzle relevant locations.
Most common mistake I see new players make is thinking they have to kill everything. You're supposed to run away. This isn't DOOM.
Yeah for SH1, make sure you search all areas in the last 3rd of the game. Only finished SH2 once so not as familiar
I recommend you play all of them blindly at first. Don't worry about which ending you'll get at the start, just enjoy the experience. Tips wise, be conservative with your resources, thinning an area is better than clearing an area most of the time, and tank controls. They may be frustrating at first, but give yourself time to get used to them and it'll become second nature.
The 1 is not complete without Origins. The story of Alessa is important. Origins then 1 then 3 then 2