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The Greatest Psychological Survival Horror Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 90 / 92
Date: October 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Silent Hill series of video games is one of the best of its genre. With the exception of SH 3, which has more of a blockbustery feel to it, the original game and its sequel, Silent Hill 2, have done more to further the genre of Survival Horror than any other series of games, making Capcom's Resident Evil/Biohazard series look slow and tired.

We start off with James Sunderland, a shell of a man since his wife Mary's death, three years before, lost in thought in a bathroom on the outskirts of town. He's come back to SIlent Hill, a resort town full of happy memories for himself and his wife, because he has received a letter from her, saying she will meet him in their 'special place'. And from there, you're pretty much left to piece the story together yourself, thanks to ingenious plot twists and the best characterisation since Final Fantasy 7.

The graphics are wonderful. Fuzzy, murky streets and rooms harbour beautifully-rendered, totally ambiguous creatures that scare us becuase of what we cannot see. The superhuman, exaggerated animation of the mannequins and nurses add to the unnatural atmosphere pervading the game. The cut-scene renders are actually beautiful, with Maria and James' exchange in the underground Toluca Prison levels being one of the most riveting pieces of FMV ever. The sound, too, adds greatly to the experience, with grunts, bangs and screams punctuating the sometimes-deafening silence. Because of the game mechanics, what you hear is oftentimes more important than what you see (or believe you see) and it's this, coupled with the storyline and characters, that characterises the unique psychological tension found in this game.

The game mechanics are simple to come to terms with and prove themselves after fifteen minutes or so of play time: you don't notice them anymore.

A word on what makes SH 2 such a wonderful experience - Characters like Laura, an enigmatic child who claims to know Mary, Eddie Dombrowski, an unhinged giant of a man whose attitude towards cold-blooded murder gives a realistic slant to the psychological horror, and Maria, the sensual and schizophrenic doppelganger of James' dead wife, are so well-realised that we see new characteristics in them each time the game is played. The character of Angela is a particular mystery, and a testament to the strength of emotion that a videogame can create. On paper, the main villian, Pyramid Head, is nothing special (a giant man with a steel pyramid for a head... literally!) but it's the way he moves and the noises he makes that propel him into the history books as one of the scariest villians anywhere, alongside Biohazard's Hunters and The Exorcist's Pazuzu, in terms of the amount of fear he generates. This is the genius of the game, Konami's developers taking painstaking time and effort with the people that populate the terrifying world of Silent Hill, thereby giving us an unforgettable and compelling cast of characters.

The replay value is very high, with five different endings to discover, and new things to see and hear each time, every trip you make to Silent Hill 2 leaves you with something new from this bizarre and macabre universe.

A word for fans of action-based violence: you'll be disappointed. SH 2 is a story-based, character-driven game, and if it's violence and gore you need, then this won't do. It's a different kind of scary than Resident Evil, Clock Tower etc. For anyone interested in seeing just how far a game can push the concept of psychological horror, or for anyone who loves to get lost in a storyline, this is one of the best examples you can own.

Put simply, Silent Hill 2 is an Opus, a magnificent monster of a game that should held up as a standard-bearer by more than just the videogames industry. It's deep, it's complex, it's engaging, and above all, it's excellent. Thoroughly and unequivocally recommended.

The Best Game Ever (and I don't say that lightly...)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 32 / 33
Date: February 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Silent Hill 2 is the best game I've ever played. This is not the same as saying it is my favorite, although it is certainly one of my top ten of all time.
This is the only game aside from the original "Silent Hill" which I was able to take completely seriously from beginning to end, which thoroughly immersed me in its impeccable storyline, and which can be called a true work of art. It is also one of only two games (and no films) which have ever made me cry.
First of all, I take my hat off to the producers for resisting the urge to make any of the game hammy or tongue-in-cheek (like all of the Resident Evil series), and for keeping any semblance of "comic relief" well away from their product. Nothing ruins a project- be it a film, a book, or a video game- faster than comic relief.
It has been said that the controls are unresponsive, and much has been written about the old-fashioned "Resident Evil"-style control scheme itself that is less than glowing. It is only a personal preference, but in a game like this, where the emphasis is on moving slowly and carefully, this system (where "up" is forward, "down" is backward, etc) is superior to the Metal Gear-style scheme which shifts with the camera. I had no issues with the response time but, like the main character's lack of firearms proficiency, I think it only adds to the impression of a frightened, amateur avatar. I cannot say whether this was Konami's intention, but the effect is a good one, nonetheless.
Secondly, there is no shortage of moving and mind-bending material here to satisfy any number of plot theorists. I have my own thoughts, as will anyone else who plays. But here, unlike so many other products which claim to be "artistically open-ended", there is enough of a skeleton provided to string a believable theory across.
Silent Hill 2 also does something that no other serious game has managed to do nearly so well, and that is to be a work of art while taking advantage of the peculiarities of its medium. It uses its perks as a game to enhance the experience, making it far superior and more moving than any film on a similar subject could possibly be. The first way it does this is by having multiple endings (which are attained based mostly upon gameplay style, rather than a single, obscure choice), all of which must be seen to make complete sense of the theme. The second thing it does, which is especially important for a horror game, is that it makes the player identify with the character. When James must enter a dark and possibly dangerous area, it is the player who must take that step inside. When James is confronted with some deadly horror, it is the player who must carry him through. Unlike in a film, the outcome is not pre-printed on celluloid, which gives the player a far greater stake in what happens on-screen.
One shortcoming, however, is the voice-acting which, barring "Mary", ranges from mediocre to rather poor. Of course, it is indescribably better than that found in any of the Resident Evil games (or most others), but don't expect film- or television-quality performances.
I realize that I have written nothing about the plot, but that has been mentioned enough elsewhere, and giving almost anything away would potentially ruin a great experience for a new player.
In short, this is the only game I have ever played about which I would change nothing other than the voice-actors. Many games are well-directed, but have poor or meandering scripts. Others have potentially great scripts, but half-hearted execution. Silent Hill 2 is the whole package.

The Horror Continues

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: May 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I first got Silent Hill back when it was released in 1998, and I was completely blown away. The setting was a dark, twisted world of unspeakable horror, with demonic enemies, dark environments, and horrific sound effects that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire game. Most of all, it was the first game I'd played that had a full "town" you could explore with all the fixings: signs, lightposts, mailboxes, picnic tables, everything. Not only that, but the town was doused in a creepy fog, and was without power, so when night fell it was DARK.

When I heard Silent Hill 2 was coming out, I became very excited. As a huge fan of the Resident Evil series, and owner of the first title, I knew this would be a welcome addition to my library. And I wasn't disappointed...

You play as James, a lonely man, who lost his wife years ago to an illness, and has gotten a letter recently addressed to him from her. She says she's waiting for him in their "special place" at Silent Hill. James immediately rushes to the small American town to try to find the reason why he received this letter, and to perhaps bring his late wife Mary back from the dead.

After that, everything goes wild. You battle an assortment of strange, twisted enemies, and explore the same deserted, dark town for clues and answers to Mary's whereabouts. You also meet a few survivors, struggling to find their places within Silent Hill's grasp. People like Eddy, an obese teenager with mental issues, and Angela, a young woman trying to find her family.

The stunning real-life graphics make this game very appealing. Not only are you able to explore the town in great detail as you did in its predecessor, but now the detail level of the buildings and background is even better. The cutscenes are done in mastered CGI graphics, with fluid animation that almost looks too real to be done by a computer.

Another feature, which is often taken for granted in games, is the sounds. Most games have a trite array of sound effects for selecting items, picking stuff up, using them, etc., but they're there mostly because the player knows doing those actions would merit sounds. In Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2, the sounds are integrated as part of the experience. The creepy groans of old iron gates, the eerie squelch of your pocket radio when enemies are nearby, the docile music in the background that chills you each step you take. Definitely keep the sound on when playing this title; it's not the same without it.

The weapon choices have not made a whole lot of progress; you still get the handgun, the shotgun, and the rifle, plus a two-by-four and a steel pole. Eventually, you get this giant knife that swings real slow, but does an extraordinary amount of damage to enemies, often killing in one hit. Still, they don't compare with Silent Hill's best weapon, the fire hammer! A couple swings with that thing tore just about anything up. Of course, you will also find puzzle items you need to put here and there to go on, as well as keys to open certain doors and gates.

As with any title, Silent Hill 2 is not without its flaws. The game offers different endings, depending on how your progress went, but none of them really give a solid resolution to the game. You still feel like there's more of the story to tell. Also, it's easy to get lost, since the areas are not very well lit. Plus, some of the puzzles may be confusing, as you're not sure exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And finally, the main character's (James') voice characterization isn't very good, but I was expecting that. Harry from Silent Hill wasn't that great either. I'm thinking this might be done on purpose by the Konami designers, since they did it on both titles, but I'm not sure why.

Overall, I give this title the highest rating I can: a 10 of 10. Definitely a must-have for anyone who likes to be scared. But I don't want to necessarily recommend this to Resident Evil fans; if you like the action and fast-pace of the RE series, Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 are not for you. The combat scenes are not nearly as frequent, nor as rewarding. The best aspects of the game are the plot and the atmosphere, not the combat. So if you don't have a copy of this game, get one today! At least rent it first. You will see how true horror is done first hand.

Outstanding aventure with a lot of staying power!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: November 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After decades of dabbling in the computer world, I've watched adventure games evolve from being purely text-based sometimes with cheesy CGI graphics to the sophisticated creatures they are today. They have advanced impressively in both graphical presentation and story development. At no time though has any adventure game drawn me in so deeply that I actually become attached to the characters and emotionally impacted by the story. Silent Hill 2 is the first to accomplish this. It has humanized the experience of the classic adventure game.

Silent Hill 2 has mated a highly advanced adventure game with a Hollywood production. The plot could be woven easily into a screenplay and ported to a soundstage with top-named actors. I envision Brad Pitt, perhaps, as the main character, James Sunderland.

James is a 30-something man who lost his wife, Mary, to a fatal illness three years earlier. He's an emotionally shattered reflection of his former self. When a letter arrives from his wife asking him to meet her at their "special place" in the quaint town of Silent Hill, James becomes obsessed with finding her. Silent Hill was a special spot for him and Mary. He harbors many loving memories of the time they shared there. Finding Mary and determining whether or not she is really alive becomes the primary conflict of the story.

Upon entering Silent Hill, James realizes it's not the same town of old. It's dark and desolate, always nighttime, crawling with a swarm of dense fog, and infested with horrific creatures.

Silent Hill 2 contains only six human characters and plenty of movie interludes to carry interest and develop both plot and characterization. Along with James and Mary you will encounter a sexy blonde named Maria who obviously has an interest in James beyond mere protection. Maria follows James through part of the story, seeking his protection. A little girl named Laura taunts James throughout the adventure, but eventually becomes a valuable help to him. Psychotic Eddie Dombrowski is an overweight man who wears a baseball cap and dresses like a little boy in clothes too small for him. He has a knack for always being the only one around when someone has been killed. And, of course, he's quick to state, "I had nothing to do with it... honest!" Another female named Angela has a particularly interesting role. Young and somewhat less sensual than Maria, it does leave one wondering if either female might sway James during the course of the adventure.

Along with the human characters is a large collection of highly imaginative and ghastly creatures. Some appear as partially melted humans that growl and hiss; others are dressed as nurses that appear equally as distorted and intimidating, limping slowly with a crooked neck and hanging arm. Strange mannequin-like creatures with legs rather than arms walk with a clickety-clack, and have a kick with impact! A boss doorman is a square, bloated creature who's a real threat when encountered. But, the most feared creature is named Pyramid Head, a man in a white cloak with a huge steel pyramid as a head and sometimes carrying an enormous sword or spear. In boss fights, Pyramid Head is practically invincible.

Silent Hill 2 is ingeniously developed, rich with dramatic surroundings and areas to explore that are so detailed I have to marvel at the talent of the Konami development team. The graphics are absolutely top-shelf and the play is smooth and consistent. The mood is highly affecting, with many scenes and sonic environments literally sending chills up my spine. The soundtrack and atmospheric sounds are wonderful, setting the mood for all situations encountered. The exploration portions of the adventure are neatly distributed with movie action in a way that draws the player into the story, tempting them to continue. Once started, it's hard to stop.

This isn't the kind of story you complete and put away. It has multiple endings and different twists with each play. One can play it in easy or normal mode, then increase the difficulty level and play it again. You'll find when starting a new game, while it's still the same plot and premise, there are different scene interludes and new areas to explore.

After completing the story you can also start a new game and play a subplot. The primary character is not James, but rather Maria. You'll be in the same town but explore different buildings. In a sense, it's like a whole separate game.

Silent Hill 2 raises the bar for quality adventure game play. While I have not played all the games out there, it is the most absorbing and affecting game I have ever played. The gaming market is not glutted with adventure games based on psychological horror; there are but a handful of these available. In my opinion, Silent Hill sets the standard by which all others should follow.

So, purchase the game. When it comes, make a bowl of popcorn, pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low and the volume up high on your computer speakers, then be prepared to be frightened in a way no adventure game has ever scared you.

All you children keep your lights on

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 23
Date: January 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I played Silent Hill on the Playstation years ago. Then Silent Hill 2 comes out for the PS2. Did I want to buy a PS2 just for this game. You see, I'm not a big console game fanatic. It's pretty much PC only for me.
When I saw this game for the PC the other day, I bought it. No questions asked.
I started playing. And didn't stop until I was finished. That's how addictive the story is. If you like horror, creepy music, a few surprises to make you jump, get this game.
I'm still playing it to find all of the secrets. And certain parts are still freaky, and some parts still make me jump.
The camera angles just add to the atmosphere, especially in the fog when some creature is creeping up behind you and you can't see it.
I don't want to say a whole lot. Just get this game for that old horror feeling.

A true gaming classic of ANY genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Once you get past the clunky game control issues (NO mouse control!), you will find that Silent Hill is a true work of the gaming arts. It has -- by far -- the scariest atmosphere available in any game; and with a truly adult and moving story line. Until I played it for the first 20 minutes, I was about to simply throw the game away as merely another annoying puzzle-type game (which it is not) -- until I found out just how good Silent Hill truly is. Find out for yourself -- and the price is a steal!

You promised you wouold take me there again someday... but you never did.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I had wanted to get this game for some time, and when I saw how cheap I could get it... well, I did.

The game starts out... unnervingly. You begin in a gas station bathroom, and once you leave, your character reads a letter. From his wife. Who has been dead for three years. Now, this may sound like some "back from the dead" story, but it isn't. Or it is, but not in the way you would expect.

Working your way around, you meet only four people- plus a few bodies(something funny I found, in the game options you can switch the blood color between green, red, black and violet.) However, these four people all have importance- or at the very least, will make you think. Even Laura, however annoying during your first couple of encounters, grows on you. Eddie's character makes me feel unclean. Angela worried me throughout the game(with good reason.) Mary made me think twice about being nice to strangers.

The graphics are superb, all the way through. Mist rolls around the streets, bringing bloody, glistening monsters in and out of view. Flickering lights reveal cockroaches the size of your head. Every little detail adds to the overall feeling of depression mixed with terror. Every demon moves in its own way, from the sexy strut of the Nurses to the slimy writhe of the Patients. And, in one particular apartemnet room, shadows of tattered butterflies flit around. Maria's velvet skirt looks real, shimmering and shifting with the light.

The little touches add up- James heaves and tries to catch his breath after running, his head turns to relevant people, monsters and objects. If he walks in a puddle- whether blood or waters- he tracks wet footprints for a little while. After he shoots his handgun, the shot lights the room for a nanosecond, and then the shell falls to the ground with a cling.

That's right. A cling. Every possible action has a sound- James catching his breath, the whoosh of a swinging pipe, the slosh of wading through waist-deep water, the drip froma leaky pipe. Ambient sound is everywhere, and little snatches of music can make you alternately make you want to piss your pants or cry. Your little radio that emits static when monsters are nearby will make you forever afraid of white noise. The voice acting, while not movie-quality, is still good enough to not detract from the game. The cut-scene with Angela in the Lakeview Hotel stairway is wonderful, though. It's also one of the few times a game has made me cry- besides being sad, it is a defining moment in the characters of both James and Angela.

Considering this game costs about $6- there really is no excuse not to buy it. It has 6 separate endings, too- so that's like paying $1 per ending. Two are sad, one is hopeful, one is scary, and the other two are hysterical- not to give anything away, but one involves a small dog and the other a UFO.

Without a doubt, a beautiful, terrifying, and sad game, and one of the best I've played.

One of those games you look forward to playing every day...................

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Silent Hill 2 is a lengthy game with an engrossing storyline. There are many, many places to explore, such as decaying hospitals, creepy mansions, decrepit apartments complete with cockroaches, a foggy town, zombie things to kill, puzzles to solve, & lots more. There's also a "2nd game", not lengthy at all, but just as engrossing. Definately worth playing.

Waiting for You...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

They want me to rate how much "fun" Silent Hill 2 was, and it occurs to me, "fun" is an odd word to use here. Silent Hill 2 is deep, enthralling, disturbing, and highly addictive, but fun? Replace that word with any or all of the other adjectives I just supplied, and now we're in the ballpark.

It begins with James Sunderland, in a rest stop bathroom, on the outskirts of the peaceful little town of Silent Hill. He's come there looking for his wife, Mary. She's been dead for three years, or so he thought until he got a letter from her, telling him that she's waiting in their "special place." Like the other characters he meets along the way, James is drawn into the dark world of Silent Hill by a troubled past, which even he's not yet fully aware of.

James' journey will take him through foggy streets, through run-down apartment buildings, through the hotel where James and Mary once stayed together, through a dimly-lit abandoned hospital, through an underground prison with dripping walls and holes leading down, down, down, deeper into the earth.

Along the way, James will meet people as troubled as he himself. Angela, who is trying to find her mother in a cemetery, and who has experienced more terror than anyone should ever have to. Eddie, who jokes about killing people and who flirts with madness. Laura, the willful little girl who knew Mary in the hospital, during a time when James believes she should have been dead. And then there's Maria, who James meets in the park where he and Mary spent time together. Maria is physically Mary's twin, but her clothes and her manner is completely the opposite of that of James' deceased wife. Unraveling the dichotomy of Mary/Maria becomes one of the main points of the game.

The creatures of Silent Hill are, in a word, haunting. Even the ones most recognizably human are faceless, gore-streaked nurses in Brookhaven Hospital, and it only goes downhill from there. No shambling zombies or decaying canines in this game -- the monsters roaming the streets and corridors are twisted, misshapen, barely recognizable as anything but lumps of flesh with mottled skin stretched over them, spitting noxious clouds of gas or screaming and flailing their limbs at you. If they don't sound dangerous, think again...they'll surprise you over and over.

The graphics of Silent Hill 2 are first rate. The fog effects alone, as James first enters the town, had me marveling both at how good they looked and how effective they were in setting the mood. They swirl around you in eddies and drifts, and create a claustrophobic, uncomfortable feeling. All of the graphics have a similar effect, enhancing the overall mood of menace at every turn. Swinging shadow effects, gleaming reflections off the sheen of a creature's membranous skin as it shuffles toward you, encroaching darkness, rotting walls, streaks of maroon and ocher on floors and ceilings and clothing. Character animations and the cutscene movies are equally good, with expressive and natural movement.

The sound quality is one of the elements that really sets Silent Hill 2 above most other games. Voice acting in the game is some of the best I've heard short of The Longest Journey, with all the actors creating convincing dialogue for us. The sound effects set an oppressive mood throughout, with a few nasty surprises in store for the unwary. Walls drip, footsteps echo, voices mutter unexpectedly out of nowhere, and is that the soft shuffle of a dragging limb around the corner? The music adds further to this, mostly consisting of an undercurrent of ambient sounds, suddenly erupting in a storm of percussion, making you wonder what's coming down the hallway, just out of range of your light. Akira Yamaoka, composer and sound designer for all of the Silent Hill games, makes his presence known through the moods he helps to create through the sound and music in Silent Hill 2.

In terms of storytelling, Silent Hill 2 is rich material. Throughout the game I found myself questioning the reality of the story that was presented -- how much of this is "real," and how much is going on only in James' mind? As James descends more and more deeply into his past and the fears that it brings up within him, how much of what he's seeing can we trust? Is he insane with grief? Or is it something else? Why do Angela, Eddie, and Laura keep appearing? How is it that they don't seem affected by the town in the same way James is? And just who -- or what -- is Maria?

Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft were successful in the horror genre not because they were known for being the most shocking or the most gory, but because they knew how to set and maintain a tone in their stories; they knew how to instill dread in their readers, and how to keep it ratcheted up all the way through to the end. That's how Silent Hill 2 works as well. This isn't a game of one shock after another, it's a steadily increasing feeling of unease, of discomfort, a rustle beneath the skin that just feels wrong. Quite simply, it's the type of horror that creeps slowly up on you, captures your imagination, and won't let go. This is what good horror is all about.

If you like creepy, psychological horror, Silent Hill 2 should satisfy you. It's not a splatter-fest, but it's the kind of game that will get under your skin and stick with you, even in your restless dreams.

But don't be afraid. Silent Hill is just a nice little town by a lake, in the middle of nowhere. Why don't you go and see it for yourself?

They're waiting for you.

Brutally honest meditation on moral decay

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This Konami game, which has become a new classic since its 2001 release, is tied with Square's Final Fantasy Tactics, Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness, and Konami's own Shadow of Destiny, for the distinction of being the most literary video game of all time.

The foggy atmosphere and desolate aura of the New England resort town of Silent Hill, which has inexplicably become a ghost town by the time that protagonist James Sunderland visits it in desperate hopes of discovering a reincarnation of his dead wife, reflect the foggy confusion of James' own mind, and the curse lingering over the town allows it to conjure personalized avatars to haunt those who enter its boundaries with a guilty conscience. In trying to discover the truth about his wife's death, James will therefore encounter physical manifestations of psychological phonomena related to his regret over how their relationship unfolded while she was still alive, along with four other travelers who are lost in their own nightmarish versions of the town. If this summary seems to place the plot dangerously close to horror cliche, the execution of the story, realization of the town's creepy atmosphere, and final resolution of the plot prove that this game is an original work of art. Inspired less by Stephen King than David Lynch, whose film "Lost Highway" featured a defeated man creating an alternate self-identity which allowed him to become the hero of his own story, until the dangerous re-invasion of reality, Silent Hill 2 is a character study masquerading as horror, and the true horror is not the grotesquery of its monsters or grimy corridors, but the reality, and the commonality of the profoundly oppressive and inhumane events which haunt the characters' backstories.

This might be the only game that is painful to play by design rather than as a biproduct of ineptitude. The arduous, repetitive combat, slow-paced "action scenes" and excessive empty distance between places of significance combine with the headache-inducing dissonant soundtrack to make the player every bit as anxious as the protagonist, and if one is to accept that any form of stimulation, not just positive stimulation, validates the quality of a work of art, then it follows that Silent Hill 2 is an incredible success. Form echoes content, as the game itself is as sadistic as its characters. Its goal is not to challenge the player to overcome its trials, but to challenge the player to experience it, and one ultimately walks away from a day in the life of James Sunderland with a newfound appreciation for one's own life. Unless, of course, one has just lost a spouse.

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