User Reviews (1 - 11 of 37)

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Avoid this.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: May 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The gameplay is the worst I have ever experienced. That is what totally ruins the game. I had to use the gamepad since there is no mouse control. And the reason why I purchased the game for the PC instead of the Playstation was to use the mouse. Anyway the control is terrible with the gamepad. The character does not point in the direction of the joystick movement, making it a pain to navigate. I made the mistake of purchasing this game based on reviews. I played this game for about 20 minutes before calling it quits.

incompatibility blues

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

this game (commonly) won't run in xp with ati cards. a driver problem i guess; prevented me from running it under bootcamp =(

apparently it likes nvidea cards (google search) but it wouldn't run on my vista laptop either that has this card (maybe it doesn't like vista?)

anyway, some older games like this need to either be revised to run properly on new pc's or just go away. i'm bummed after reading the great reviews -- but buyer beware regarding pc compatibility

Did Not Work Well On My PC

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: March 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

When I would start the game, sometimes I would get a blue squeen and have to power down and start over. Sometimes the people in the game had no sound only words to read what they were saying. My PC has a AMD 64 Dual Core Prosser and 2 gigs of ram...

good game but not that scary...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 22
Date: January 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First off, The main mistake I did before playing this game is playing Fatal Frame. The reason I said that is Fatal Frame is so much more scarier, has a better storyline and more maneuverable than Silent Hill 2.

Since I'm reviewing Silet Hill 2 in contrast to games of the same genre, I will say that Silent Hill 2 has pretty good graphics although the character is a little hard to maneuver especially if you're being attacked by 2 freakish looking bodies simultaneously.

The premise of the game does lend itself to a spooky story ~ this person looking for his dead wife in Silent Hill. However, the bulk of the freakiness at the beginning of the game is the fog and not being able to see the monster until you get a bit closer. It's the typical bash the ghost with objects, guns,... blah blah blah. My only problem is the character swings weapons too slowly and by the time you hit one, the other one is spraying some stuff all over your already.

If you're looking for a horror game that's truly scary with a good story line, I would highly suggest getting Fatal Frame instead.

Ehhh...Nothing new here...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 11
Date: January 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game hoping to play a scary, exciting, action packed horror game, but was let down when I got through the first couple hours of game play. The game itself is well made. The graphics are decent and up to par for the year it was made, however, to me, the game has far too much "WALK AROUND LOOKING FOR CLUES" time and not enough "SHOOT THE MONSTERS" time. At first, I thought the game was creepy. The eerie sound effects and foggy atmosphere give the game player a truly on edge dread, but once you find yourself running in circles or trapped in the same area in search of clues that don't seem to serve any purpose it becomes a little boring and repetitive. Maybe I should have tried the game on HARD mode instead of NORMAL, but there didn't seem to be a lot of action throughout the game. If you want something spooky that has an overall gloomy and dark feel to it with only minimal action than this game might be for you. I found myself bored by it, but will give it 3 stars for the creepiness factor and the movie sequences, which I felt were well done.

So, what's it like? Well...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: November 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...try to imagine slogging your way through a Marilyn Manson music video, at night, with the fog machine turned up. *Way* up. Only the music isn't Marilyn Manson (more's the pity), but a mishmash of semi-creepy "theme" music and some hack's electric guitars.

There's plenty of hack and slash in this game, mostly because there aren't many guns and ammo is limited. Hand-to-hand combat (mostly with a big stick or a steel pipe) is the order of the day (or night, whatever). You'll thank your lucky stars for the map feature, since it's easy to get lost in this burned-out burg, and there's plenty of creepy-crawlies around. Thankfully, you can easily dodge most of them and focus on the battles you really *have* to fight.

This game kind of wears out its' welcome after you've beaten it two or three times, so get it cheap or just rent it. Otherwise you're better off with anything from the "Resident Evil" series, or "Silent Hill" 3 or 4.

Surprisingly enjoyable

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I didn't expect to like this game too much; I'm not a horror fan, and my tastes run more to brain games like Riven. But this is an intelligent and versatile game that I found surprisingly appealing. The puzzles are creative and sometimes challenging (and can be set to easy, medium, or hard), and the run-and-shoot stuff is doable, especially if you do as I did and set the Action level to Beginner.

Acting and writing are far better than I expected in this genre. Graphics are ... good enough, though there's a heavy reliance on fog or darkness to keep the scenery minimal. The story is touching, if a bit trite in spots. The mo-cap characters are stunningly realistic. Controls are workable, though there's an annoying tendency to have the camera looking at the character's face so you can't tell what's in front of you or look in a specific direction. Replayability is excellent, with six different endings for the main scenario (two of them Easter eggs) and one for the sub scenario.

So when is SH3 being released for the PC?

Film Noire in a game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Silent Hill 2 does to disturbing what the original does for Horror. In SH2 you plat the role of James Sunderland, an emotionally shattered shell of a man who travels to Silent Hill after having received a letter from his dead wife. After stopping at a rest stop on the outskirts of the town, James descends into the darkness of his own psyche to battle the demons therein.

Gameplay:
This plays very similar to what you would expect from a survival adventure game with a slightly different, though equally enjoyable combat system. The interface is nothing to brag about, though it might be a bit awkward if trying to play through the keyboard. I used a Thrustmaster Dual Power gamepad that resembles the standard console gamepad complete with force feedback and analog sticks and was pleased with the response and familiarity.
Yet, what makes a Silent Hill game is the environment you play in. This game obviously takes place entirely within the confines of Silent Hill, both the actual and surreal. Upon entering the city, your first impression is the lack of residents. In fact throughout your quest you'll only come across a handful of the living who will either help or hurt your cause. That is part of the charm to this game. Konami knows that the best way to scare someone is to make their imagination do the work, and this game has that in spades. Whether it's day or night, blanketing fog or enveloping blackness will shrink your sphere of awareness to a bubble. Add to this Konami's use of uncomfortable camera angles and you'll be trying to peer around the edge of your monitor to save your skin.
Beyond the physical approach of trying to discomfort the player, the storyline adds a tangible psychological knife to cut into your comfort zone. In the original Silent Hill, the horror was surreal blood and gore, devils and cults. In this edition, the evil is human nature. You'll come across sociopathic murders, abused children, and suicidal personas to further enhance the feeling of wrongness that this game exudes. And that, my friends, is a good thing.

Graphics:
The motion capture in this game is great, and for being two years old, is has a spectacular lighting engine, which is of utmost importance since you'll spend most of your game with only a flashlight to cling on to. You even have the option to turn on the original noise filter from the console versions to add a little bit of old-time horror feel to it should you feel nostalgic. The textures are extremely well done considering it's a console port made for TVs and the effort put into just creating something that looks evil is outstanding. However, if you've played the original, it will look very familiar since they hit the nail on the head.

Sound:
Ahh, this is the one aspect that will scare you. As stated earlier, with the camera angles, you'll often hear something before you can see it. Heck, sometimes, there's nothing to see. Whether it's a whisper in your ear as you enter a room, or the thud-thump and the ensuing radio crackle of a monster lurking around the corner, you'll find your stomach leaping into your throat on more than a single occasion. The game even supports hi-fi 5.1+ dolby surround if you have the setup, though I prefer hi quality enclosed headphones for the ultimate in personal torture.

Overall:
Whether or not you've played the first one, this game is a must buy. With six endings and a mini-scenario to discuss the background of a character, it provides more than enough content should you want a replay. This is the kind of game you want to play late at night, in the dark, to truly experience the thrills that it has in store for you. Even if you're not one to get scared, you'll find it disturbing enough to suit your fancy.

Gives You the Whim-Whams

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Extremely atmospheric and creepy (the indecipherable whispering coming from behind your right ear and moving around....brrrrr, especially at 2 in the morning, home alone with the lights off), very rich graphics, and beautiful music/sound. There are is one annoying oddity with the graphics though, and this might just be me, but the stray sliver of light behind you all the time when you have the flashlight on. About the only thing keeping this from a 5-star rating is the GODAWFUL --I repeat, GODAWFUL-- voice-acting (it's right up there with "Freelancer"; it almost makes you feel embarrassed for them), the finger-knotting controls (eventually you get the knack, but still...), and the camera which is not very intuitive at all. But definitely a great game and well worth the $.

something different

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: February 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is all about storyline and characters. The graphics and gameplay are pitiful compared to many shooters. The environment is somewhat interesting. The puzzles are fun to figure out. I'm disappointed in the sound effects and music; they could have done better. I wish the camera angle was always behind the character, like a standard third-person game, instead of constantly switching around -front, back, side.

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