Aesthetically and technically impressive, Siren 3 is a great game, just not as much as its predecessors.
It's still a survival horror game in which you control several characters trapped in a Japanese island, trying to survive and to figure out why everyone but a few individuals have turned into ghastly shibitos (zombies). There's still plenty of characters to play, including chapters with a helpless child, plots that defy the flow of time and many not-so-happy-endings for most characters, which became one of the trademarks of the series.
The graphics are very impressive and the the whole concept is scary. Abandoned shacks, dark alleys and temples are awesome to explore and blood stains, open gashes, disgusting abscesses and open sores make the living dead a ghastly visage. Add to that the fact that the shibito do look like ordinary people and you have the scariest game on the PS3. The atmosphere is made even creepier by the very same bone chilling ritualistic chants of the first games and the awe inspiring mantra of the opening screen. It's an artistically perfect game.
Unfortunately, not everything is perfect in Siren 3. Navigation is a bit cumbersome. Though you can admire the scenarios in first person if you stop to shed light in the pitch back surroundings, you're likely to miss it while moving around. The character takes a large part of the screen and sometimes it's not easy to spot the pile of furniture on which your character can climb to a higher level.
Navigation gets further damped when you're spotted by enemies and half the screen is taken up by their sight. This limitation of one's view has been a complain in almost every review and definitely not a good idea.
The game is still played in chapters. You're given the control of a character and some objectives to complete. In previous games, you'd be given a very general goal like distract the guard or escape to safety but the game would not tell you how. Exploring the scenarios and finding out what to do is what made Siren so difficult and unique. This time you're given precise instructions on how to do something. Get inside the shack, find the sniper rifle, climb up the tower, kill the enemies on the road, move down and escape safely. This step by step guide also marks every side objective on the map so it's virtually impossible to get lost, save on a few scenarios that have chosen to use the old formula.
The introduction of different characters and changing the story was not a bad thing in itself but a brand new theme would've been better. Also, the fact that the chapters have to be downloaded in order forced the game to be more linear. I felt that the plot could've been better explained since we'd have western characters and a linear time but it's still hidden in the memos and files scattered on the island. You'll be pretty much completing objectives, moving characters from place to place without any explanation of the plot, unless you stop to read all the memos. This kinda makes one detached from some of the characters and not exactly caring for their destiny. It was the same in previous games but back then you'd be taken back and forth in time and it was natural not to understand anything until you've figured out all the roles.
Siren 3 is a beautiful game and technically impressive as well. It also offers good music and terrific atmosphere. This eeriness will surely make you nervous and it's certain to scare you as well. Unfortunately, the toned down difficulty, a slightly awkward navigation, a step by step guide to all objectives without a reasonable explanation of the plot prevented this new Siren from reaching the same level of its predecessors. Still a great survival horror game worthy of your time.