The only game in the series I've played is Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which I liked in some ways, but disliked in others. Admittedly, I feel as though I only really enjoyed it because I knew the plot twist going in, and was looking at things in a different way because of that. The chase scenes felt like they were really unnecessary, and I would've enjoyed the game more if I was just exploring, and taking in the atmosphere. The chase scenes were jarring, but I know that they played a role in the story ultimately. I can't really say for sure without having played the other games, but I feel like they could've expressed the story they wanted to without trying to make it Silent Hill. :P

I also feel like I probably missed out on some sort of subtext involving the characters since I don't know what role they played in the original game. Eventually, I'd really like to at least play Silent Hills 1 and 3, since I spoiled myself on Silent Hill 2's plot, and also because Silent Hill 3 just looks the most interesting to me.