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Team Silent makes games and its goal is to market them so people enjoy them. Adding various endings increases interest in a game like this the way some game developers create on-line multiplayer worlds. Hence, the real plot might follow one path more closely, in this case Leave ending, and incidentally should be the easiest to reach, while the other endings are more 'out of the way,' so to speak. Basically, I find it unlikely that a gamer would continue examining the knife Angela gave James once they already took a look at it. Also, I find it more unlikely that people would wait till the last minute before healing themselves. Therefore, the likelihood of achieving Leave ending is much higher for most people(and therefore the ending Team Silent most likely expected most people to see). Regarding Maria ending, who hasn't looked over Mary's picture a number of times to either search for clues or just to see the image of the person James is so devastated over? Also, who here hasn't tried to see what would happen if you gave Maria the occasional 'shove' or 'love tap?' I for one didn't, but I did run pretty much everywhere, with or without Maria, and I assume most people would as well. Therefore, Maria ending would be another unlikely ending for most people, in my opinion. Obviously, all the other endings come only after you played the game at least one time, so therefore they would not be Team Silent's intended 'true ending.'
Another word on this concept of a 'true ending.' True, there is no real ending, since this is just a game. I mean, what about those Choose Your Own Adventure stories people read when they were a child? Those didn't have a 'true ending.' However, in the case of Silent Hill, I believe Team Silent stuck to one plot that pretty much evolved into one ending which could be split into three separate endings at the very end at the flick of a switch. Basically, even though what you do throughout the game affects the ending you get, it's not until the very end that the scenario changes appropriately to fit with the specific ending you achieved. In essence, Team Silent made the whole game and at the very end put a fork where people would take different turns depending on previous actions. In conclusion, however, one must rationalize what ending Team Silent would have wanted if they could choose only one. Would they choose an ending where after eight hours of gameplay James just kills himself? Or one where he takes off with this likeness of Mary by the name of Maria? I find it more likely that they would have ended it according to the screenplay in Leave ending, if they had to choose one. This is, after all, the good ending, where it all concludes.
Another word on this concept of a 'true ending.' True, there is no real ending, since this is just a game. I mean, what about those Choose Your Own Adventure stories people read when they were a child? Those didn't have a 'true ending.' However, in the case of Silent Hill, I believe Team Silent stuck to one plot that pretty much evolved into one ending which could be split into three separate endings at the very end at the flick of a switch. Basically, even though what you do throughout the game affects the ending you get, it's not until the very end that the scenario changes appropriately to fit with the specific ending you achieved. In essence, Team Silent made the whole game and at the very end put a fork where people would take different turns depending on previous actions. In conclusion, however, one must rationalize what ending Team Silent would have wanted if they could choose only one. Would they choose an ending where after eight hours of gameplay James just kills himself? Or one where he takes off with this likeness of Mary by the name of Maria? I find it more likely that they would have ended it according to the screenplay in Leave ending, if they had to choose one. This is, after all, the good ending, where it all concludes.
