Unfortunately, I'm in the weird age space of the modern gaming community where I'm older enough to have known about most, if not all of the classics, but I never got to play them all.
The Silent Hill franchise is one of those I didn't get to experience during their "prime" due to the fact I was still a wee babby at the time of their release. It wasn't until I was in my late teens and off to College when I first played Silent Hill 1, purchasing the cheapest copy I could find off eBay that still had the the little booklet. I popped that into my PS2 which I still miraculously owned (as this was the middle of the 360/PS3 era) and fell in love immediately. It was everything I ever anticipated it to be and I wanted to explore and experience the franchise as a whole as part of a journey to recover my own lost gaming experience.
Shortly before I managed to actually acquire this copy of Silent Hill 1, however, I had bought the HD collection for the Xbox 360 which contained 1 & 2. But I couldn't play those until after I beat the first game, which I eventually managed to do. In the time it took, I beat Silent Hill 3 in my first week at college (with a roommate behind me providing boundless banter and enhancing the enjoyment).
Even then, though, I knew of the ill reputation of the HD collection. That didn't alter my enjoyment of the games in the slightest, but this does however mean I did not get the "original" experience.
With this new surge of interest in the franchise, I'd love for as many people as possible, fans old and new, to be able to go back and see where it all began.
I hope this garners enough traction to hopefully bring back the other earlier games of the franchise! A Silent Hill 1 remake has recently been teased. I'd love to see that game make a return as well for the sole sake of accessibility (have you SEEN those eBay prices?! I lucked out immensely back in the day and sadly lost that copy in the years of moving). And if we're at 2, why not 3 and 4?!