Silent Hill 2

I always thought that video games were due for some respect as a legitimate art form, but far too many games relish their positions as mindless gorefests. That's why this game is such a breath of fresh air. It combines all the best elements of a video game with the creepy ambiance of films like SEVEN. Even better is that the game gives you characters that are complex and troubled.

You play as James Sunderland. James lost his beloved wife Mary to a strange disease three years ago, and he's been drifting through his life in a deep depression since then. Then, out of the blue, he receives a letter signed by his late wife saying to meet her in the town of Silent Hill, a faorite vacation spot of theirs when they were married and the site of Mary's death. So James travels to the town, to find it devoid of natural human life and engulfed in fog. Something terrible has happened here, and James starts to learn the truth about the town's horribly mutated, monstrous inhabitants.

Few games have made characters seem so real. James doesn't have superpowers, and he isn't trying to survive any longer than it takes to find his wife. He's not searching for treaure, he's searching for a reason to live, and he doesn't necessarily care if he finds it. There are several other mysterious characters inhabiting the town. All have stories to tell, none of which are pretty, and we watch in fascination as various characters fold under the mental strain of the sights they are seeing.

By the end of the game, there are several questions left unanswered, and several new ones are raised. Where did the monster's come from? Where did the strange little girl come from, and how did she survive? And (most interestingly) does this nightmarish Silent Hill actually exist, or is it all a figment of James' twisted imagination?

The game provides some brilliant environments and creature design, some challenging puzzles and creepy, grainy camerawork. It uses these things to grab hold of your emotions and twist them around. Few games have ever been able to capture raw fear, but this one succeeds brilliantly. Most importantly of all, this game makes you think. This is a formula that more games of this genre should follow, if video games ever hope to receive respect as an art form.

I base this upon the Director's Cut version, and I played this on the PC. Apart from letting you to save at any point(which I'm not sure you can do on the PS2), I don't think the latter changes anything. The former, however, means that you get a sub scenario, where you play as Maria, who, for how skinny she is, is not in very good shape; she can only run for a few seconds straight before she slows down and has to catch her breath if she is to maintain a reasonable pace. It's *really* short, only one, maybe two hours of playing time. There is only a single outcome, it doesn't take you to many new areas, and there are only two new weapons, a revolver(that somehow holds ten bullets) and a meat cleaver. I would almost go so far as to argue that it potentially detracts from the main game, if you take it as 100% canonical. Then again, what add-on or expansion pack doesn't, in some way? It's still worth it, I'd say. I'd go for the DC if you enjoy these. It also improves the graphics, and those are excellent in this, regardless of release: The beautiful, impeccably done and realistic lighting, shadows, weather effects, "static noise"(invaluable for the mood), the *gorgeous* CGI cut-scenes(and the in-engine ones, that now have their mouths move, if perhaps not always perfectly synced), the cinematography that gets to be even freer and it's been loosened up, that it helps a ton and the dynamic camera(that brings with it immensely interesting and effective angles) that you can exert limited control over all add up to make this a truly cinematic experience. Something that demands mention is the sound-side(including the amazing music, that is well-composed and fitting, never loud or noisy). With a subtlety unique to this series, this has you firmly glued to the seat, uneasy, and sometimes jumping out of it. When the two are put together, the most exquisite atmosphere is built up and maintained. The fear comes from the eerie surroundings, the grotesque, nightmarish creatures that are your enemies(on that, there are sadly not as many different types as in the original, and they are not as varied this time around, and although I completely understand why, this does impact the overall experience), the small town being abandoned and so nearly quaint, only... not quite. There is little brutality. This is for delving into. Not everyone will enjoy it. Imagine playing through a horror masterpiece, one of the Asian ones or one by John Carpenter. This is plot-driven, ambiguous, metaphorical and can be interpreted, and while I love the story of the first, this is definitely the more psychological one. You are James Sunderland, whose wife passed away three years away earlier, because of a terminal illness. Or did she? You receive a letter from her, telling you that she is waiting for you... in Silent Hill. Where she liked to be when she was alive. Because she is dead. Right? With three difficulty settings for puzzles and four for action, this can be played by new-comers as well as veterans. It's easy to get into, and impossibly engaging. There is still no HUD, and one is not missed. The game-play has you exploring, discovering clues to piece together what is going on, solving the well-done enigmas and fighting foes. This has a vastly improved(if not entirely flawless) combat system, with a target-lock and where it's not hard to tell if you're aiming directly at the being. Something that gives you the means to put safe distance between them and you is the Wooden Plank(with a nail at the business end), that allows you to run past them and *smack* them with it as you pass them. The radio that emits static when monsters are nearby returns, and you can adjust its volume now. Controls are relatively basic, and there's not a single superfluous command to be found. You can side-step this time. The map is present again, and notes made are better than before. "Memos" is a great feature that means that you don't need a pad and pen with you when you play. The characters are credible and distinguish themselves, and none of them could be written out without losing something vital to the whole. There are several endings, and this has plenty of replay value. It is not as long as the 1st one; I can't entirely determine by how much, however, you can tell. That makes sense, when you know and think about what this is about at its core, and compare that to what the other was. What's awesome is that both are astounding, and this follow-up doesn't go for the *exact* same thing; the flavor is the same, and yet the essence is sufficiently different that this doesn't condemn the other to the background. I have only played these two, but I've heard that this is the best, and I honestly can't imagine the next ones being as strong and well-produced as this. Any animated(as opposed to scripted sequences) video you've unlocked can be viewed at any time from the menu that has the introductory collage(similar to the one that opens the previous VG), a trailer for this and two for the third one, and of course the credits for this. Every role in this was subject to spot-on casting. The voice acting is marvelous, in spite of, well, while poetic and getting the point across nicely, the dialog does not always come off as natural. It was translated from Japanese, that is probably why. This has nearly no bugs or glitches, and I found no big ones whatsoever. There is a ton of disturbing content, a lot of bloody violence(a little of it is grisly), and finally a tiny bit of repelling sexuality in this. I recommend this to any fan of gloomy, terrifying, creepy, well-told and intelligent entries in the genre. Yes, whether or not you usually play games. 10/10

I seriously cannot get enough of this game, I've played it four times now and I still get stuck and confused in parts. The storyline still never ceases to amaze me and I still can't get enough of it. There can't be another game series like Silent Hill, it is unique in it's own special way. Sure, the first one always prevails as the scariest of the latter, being the original game, but there's something about Silent Hill 2. It's just the most amazing game I've ever played. I knew I was going to be in for some scares, but nothing could have prepared me for what I actually felt while playing it. It's not just a scary game, it's literally terrifying, and like I said I can't get enough of it. It has such a complex storyline that always leaves you wondering. The cut-scenes are just 'WOW' now there's some great graphic design. The first game might have been the scariest, but THIS is the more stylish of the two. The graphics are great and wonderful to look at, the darkness that always surrounds you makes it hard to keep playing but once you're eventually used to it, there's no going back. I can't think how Resident Evil is the overall more popular game series of the two. Don't get me wrong, I love Resident Evil, but Silent Hill is something special. There are a thousand games out there like RE, but are there a thousand games out there like Silent Hill? No, sir! There certainly aren't. I've played many games and I can't think of any game that even compares to Silent Hill. These games are just godly. I will continue to play them, I'll try to get my hands on Silent Hill 3 next, and I have to say I can't wait. I've never been so excited to play a video game before. But with Silent Hill, whether you're into playing video games or not, you'll love every friggin' second of it.

A masterpiece in storytelling and atmospheric environment, this game is every bit as great as everyone says it is and team silent really did something special here.

The characters look and feel real, the game goes deep into the human emotions and depression the way that no game at the time had ever done before, literally each and every corner of this game has a creepy story behind it, specially the incredible music of the game.

It's a heartbreaking experience, a very sad tale about grief, loss, loneliness, bullying, sexual ebuse and many more messed up things that you will never forget and it's one of the greatest psychological horror games ever made.

I'm constantly frustrated by the ignorance of those who dismiss video games as childish and worthless. I suppose it's not surprised that non-players have unfavorable views about them- many are unoriginal, pointlessly graphic, incompetently written, and poorly designed. I might point out that an extreme variation in quality is also present in cinema, though I doubt that many will disagree that cinema is a legitimate art form. The video game is a fledgling medium that has yet to solidify a position of respect (and let me say, not without reason considering the quality of most titles). I don't know if that will happen within my lifetime, but games like Silent Hill 2 make me confident that it WILL happen.

As a fan of the Resident Evil series, I was ready to rip this "pathetic copycat" title (the original SH) to shreds. That changed swiftly after I played it. I love the RE games, but they take a definite back seat--in every category--to Konami's survival/horror masterpiece. And when the time came, I was doubtful that Konami could pull off a sequel of equal or remote quality to the first game, but I was proved wrong.

Everything about Silent Hill 2 is excellent--the graphics, the voice acting (I'd like to hear these newcomers in other roles), a musical score which rivals--and shames--many film soundtracks, the writing (considering it's been translated by the industry that gave us "the master of unlocking", it's very well done), the design--the list continues. Others may tell you that the SH games have poor story lines, but this is likely because they expected mindless fun. To enjoy the series the player must be willing to participate, in thought as well as action.

Many people--especially parents, I'm sure--will be turned off by the edgy content in Silent Hill 2 and will subsequently dismiss it as valueless. Yes, there's blood is spilled; yes, there are disturbing images; yes, (in Silent Hill 2) there are strong sexual overtones; and yes, this would be a poor choice for the less mature or easily frightened; but ALL of it is essential in the creation of atmosphere, emotion, and storyline- in short, the entire experience. This is a cerebral, mature series--I doubt that younger children would get anything out of the game, save confusion and nightmares. But it's important to point out that this is NOT about blood and gore--it's about character. This is by far the most character-driven (non-RPG) series I've experienced.

Not too long ago I was discussing video games with a professor of mine, an intelligent person whose opinion I respect and value. I was surprised that she was somewhat familiar with the Resident Evil titles and even more surprised that she knew anything of the Silent Hill series. I had to agree that with her statement that the RE story lines are derivative--the concept is nothing original and the dialog has always been a weak point for the series--but I was shocked when she dismissed SH just as readily. I'm convinced she either knows nothing at all about the Silent Hill games (has likely never played them, not to mention completed them--is it not incredibly presumptuous to judge a book after reading only a few chapters?) or that she looks down upon video games in general. She wouldn't be the first person.

My frustration with such people is outweighed only by regret, that the artists behind these creations are not receiving the respect they deserve.

On the off chance that you're reading this, professor, you were wrong.