It's fascinating how a video game that you can beat under 10 hours has a better story and symbols than most of the video games you've ever played
Silent Hill 2 is a piece of art and an timeless masterpiece, An experience you will not experience in any other video game
A video game that anyone even if he has a slight interest in video games should experience
Silent Hill 2 is a piece of art and an timeless masterpiece, An experience you will not experience in any other video game
A video game that anyone even if he has a slight interest in video games should experience
It's amazing how immersive this game is and holds you in the story from beginning to end, everything is very perfect and well done, graphics, characters, enemies, music, atmosphere ... it's really a masterpiece.
I just don't know how its possible for a video game to make me just so extremely miserable....
I've been holding off from writing a review for months since I finished the game, but I think I can finally sit down now and gather some of my thoughts.
I think even now, Silent Hill 2 holds up for being an incredible narrative with a wonderful atmosphere and soundtrack. I wouldn't change a single thing about this game.
The voice acting in this game is just so amazingly awkward in the best way possible. Guy Cihi may not be a great guy but he's the best voice for James Sunderland and I'll die on that hill (haha get it.....)
From the very beginning of Silent Hill 2 to the very end I was immersed in it's atmosphere. The ambient noises are so so eerie, and some of the storytelling through actions and interacting with items was very fun. The only gripe I really had with the gameplay was the camera angle, but I quickly got used to it after 30 minutes or so.
The best thing about this game, however, by far is the main protagonist James Sunderland. He just feels so real... his actions and thoughts and his inner turmoil as he tries to find his wife in Silent Hill is so gut wrenching. I felt like I was watching this dude go through a mental illness simulator and all I could do was sit back and feel awful.
I remember for MONTHS after finishing Silent Hill 2 I literally couldn't listen to the soundtrack or think about any of the characters without tearing up... Which is a problem especially if you're walking around in public.
I know a lot of people may find this game overrated, but I don't think I'll ever find a video game that tackles serious subjects in such and interesting and heartbreaking way again.
I'd do anything to replay this game completely blind.
I've been holding off from writing a review for months since I finished the game, but I think I can finally sit down now and gather some of my thoughts.
I think even now, Silent Hill 2 holds up for being an incredible narrative with a wonderful atmosphere and soundtrack. I wouldn't change a single thing about this game.
The voice acting in this game is just so amazingly awkward in the best way possible. Guy Cihi may not be a great guy but he's the best voice for James Sunderland and I'll die on that hill (haha get it.....)
From the very beginning of Silent Hill 2 to the very end I was immersed in it's atmosphere. The ambient noises are so so eerie, and some of the storytelling through actions and interacting with items was very fun. The only gripe I really had with the gameplay was the camera angle, but I quickly got used to it after 30 minutes or so.
The best thing about this game, however, by far is the main protagonist James Sunderland. He just feels so real... his actions and thoughts and his inner turmoil as he tries to find his wife in Silent Hill is so gut wrenching. I felt like I was watching this dude go through a mental illness simulator and all I could do was sit back and feel awful.
I remember for MONTHS after finishing Silent Hill 2 I literally couldn't listen to the soundtrack or think about any of the characters without tearing up... Which is a problem especially if you're walking around in public.
I know a lot of people may find this game overrated, but I don't think I'll ever find a video game that tackles serious subjects in such and interesting and heartbreaking way again.
I'd do anything to replay this game completely blind.
This review contains spoilers
I'm reviewing this as if it were Born from a Wish.
This prologue is fairly lineal once you know how to get around the mansion and the apartments, it takes about half an hour if you played it like that. Besides, you don't really need to interact with enemies since they don't get in your way more than a couple times unless you go somewhere you don't need to go.
Having said that, I think this little chapter is nearly a masterpiece. It explains how Maria came to be and what she really is without hitting your head over it. It's really subtle and can have multiple readings. It also explains why she is so interested in James since he's the only reason for her to exist; she was created for her. That's why she doesn't know if she should keep on living at first, because she had no purpose.
Anyway, I'm glad I finally got around to play this short experience. The main game is my favorite game ever and that's why I was sceptical of playing this and potentially ruining what I feel about SH2 as a whole. I had great expectations about this and it delivered in spades.
This prologue is fairly lineal once you know how to get around the mansion and the apartments, it takes about half an hour if you played it like that. Besides, you don't really need to interact with enemies since they don't get in your way more than a couple times unless you go somewhere you don't need to go.
Having said that, I think this little chapter is nearly a masterpiece. It explains how Maria came to be and what she really is without hitting your head over it. It's really subtle and can have multiple readings. It also explains why she is so interested in James since he's the only reason for her to exist; she was created for her. That's why she doesn't know if she should keep on living at first, because she had no purpose.
Anyway, I'm glad I finally got around to play this short experience. The main game is my favorite game ever and that's why I was sceptical of playing this and potentially ruining what I feel about SH2 as a whole. I had great expectations about this and it delivered in spades.
This is a review of the more technical aspects of a 10 Star run in Silent Hill 2 and my experience with the scoring system. I managed full 10 star run of Silent Hill 2 with no saves or usage of the Green Hyper Spray. Unlike the first, this game does not place enough enemies en route to meet the 75 shooting kill requirement, so there is grinding that is done after the hospital, although, it's not too bad as it's on the way to your next location.
You can use 2 saves here, but I did the first with no saves, and I wanted to do the second with no saves. You still need to finish this game in the allotted time. Though it is way more generous at 3 hours. The biggest source of difficulty is that this game has a damage requirement. You must take less than 500 points of damage or you lose. Like the first game, this creates an amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough. While timing was made more generous, I would absolutely say the damage made this game much stricter with how you deal with bosses and enemies. You need to watch your spacing more carefully and have preset strategies for bosses. You can't just spam healing items.
It's harder than the first, and that's very appreciated, because no matter how good you get, you can probably still fuck up against the penultimate and final bosses which have very specific strategies you must use. This is due to the fact that this PC version has bosses moving at 2x speed. My heart was pounding at the final boss, because while everything you did before the final boss matters, the final boss is by far the most important part of the game to get right. If you fuck it up, it's all over, and it's super easy to rack up damage against it.
I've said all I can say in my Silent Hill 1 description. This game's not quite as good, imo. It's more straight forward with dungeons and the grinding drags it down -- however, even with my qualms, this is one of the greatest games ever made. These complaints are minor at best. The dungeons are still very satisfying to complete. It's satisfying to route and satisfying to play. On top of that, it has one of the best narratives I've experienced in the medium. I have no regrets calling it a masterpiece, just like the first game. I played it through 12 times, and I would gladly play it again.
You can use 2 saves here, but I did the first with no saves, and I wanted to do the second with no saves. You still need to finish this game in the allotted time. Though it is way more generous at 3 hours. The biggest source of difficulty is that this game has a damage requirement. You must take less than 500 points of damage or you lose. Like the first game, this creates an amazing atmosphere of heavy tension even after the initial playthrough. While timing was made more generous, I would absolutely say the damage made this game much stricter with how you deal with bosses and enemies. You need to watch your spacing more carefully and have preset strategies for bosses. You can't just spam healing items.
It's harder than the first, and that's very appreciated, because no matter how good you get, you can probably still fuck up against the penultimate and final bosses which have very specific strategies you must use. This is due to the fact that this PC version has bosses moving at 2x speed. My heart was pounding at the final boss, because while everything you did before the final boss matters, the final boss is by far the most important part of the game to get right. If you fuck it up, it's all over, and it's super easy to rack up damage against it.
I've said all I can say in my Silent Hill 1 description. This game's not quite as good, imo. It's more straight forward with dungeons and the grinding drags it down -- however, even with my qualms, this is one of the greatest games ever made. These complaints are minor at best. The dungeons are still very satisfying to complete. It's satisfying to route and satisfying to play. On top of that, it has one of the best narratives I've experienced in the medium. I have no regrets calling it a masterpiece, just like the first game. I played it through 12 times, and I would gladly play it again.
This review contains spoilers
Silent Hill 2 is truly a masterpiece. The story is truly something special and messes up your psyche as you progress through the game, the plot twists of the game that are revealed towards the end are truly executed in a magnificent way that makes you feel empathy towards James despite his actions being wrong. The "In Water" ending I achieved really cemented how tragic the story of this game is, evoking many strong emotions. The atmosphere this title produces is eerie yet comforting at the same time, this is greatly complimented by the terrific soundtrack composed by Akria Yamaoka. The gameplay was amazing with my favourite part being the riddles as I found them fun to solve. Pyramid Head was a menacing presence throughout the game with it posing as James's personal tormentor for the actions he has committed which I found to be an amazing way to portray the guilt James had suppressed within him throughout the majority of the game. My favourite scene in the game was the final interaction between James & Angela on the staircase, something I believe was executed beautifully. Overall, Silent Hill 2 was an amazing experience that truly left me speechless after finishing.
Phenomenal game, more so than any other game I've played it has a wonderful sense of how to utilise fixed cameras not just to work within the conventions and limitations of the era it was released but to ramp up tension and horror aspects in extremely effective ways. Not to say other games don't do this but this game in particular does it so perfectly. Paired with a terrific and well-laid-out setting that further ramps this up, it's a large combination of elements that make this game stand the test of time.
Excellent puzzles that make you think and are satisfying to figure out. A wonderfully engaging story that transitions seamlessly into its more surreal elements. Of course, the design of Pyramid Head has been spoken about endlessly but his place in the game can not be overstated, he's used very sparingly which adds to the effectiveness of his scariness. Overall this game is a horror classic for a reason a fascinating and effective game it is a shame Tsuboyama never fully sat back in the director's chair again because this was so incredible.
Excellent puzzles that make you think and are satisfying to figure out. A wonderfully engaging story that transitions seamlessly into its more surreal elements. Of course, the design of Pyramid Head has been spoken about endlessly but his place in the game can not be overstated, he's used very sparingly which adds to the effectiveness of his scariness. Overall this game is a horror classic for a reason a fascinating and effective game it is a shame Tsuboyama never fully sat back in the director's chair again because this was so incredible.
This game is such a classic. Playing it now, you can really see how it shaped so much of the horror genre. The dizzying environment design and bizarre, almost dream-like dialogue really are so unique to the title. It's great fun, and plays well even for a more modern audience.
I didn't enjoy the short DLC "Born From A Wish" nearly as much - not for its short length but rather because of its lack of intention and strange narrative implications. It feels like they kinda just made a DLC for Maria because she was a popular character.
My hot take is that the tank controls are Good Actually lol
I didn't enjoy the short DLC "Born From A Wish" nearly as much - not for its short length but rather because of its lack of intention and strange narrative implications. It feels like they kinda just made a DLC for Maria because she was a popular character.
My hot take is that the tank controls are Good Actually lol
Incredible game. Not as scary as i thought it would be. Despite that it still has a very creepy atmosphere and incredibly done characters. The story was really good, the "born from a wish" side story, while not as great was still a pretty nice short semi-prequel ish story. The music is the high point of the game for me.
Born from a Wish as a log.
This review contains spoilers
Review of "Born from a Wish" Sub-Scenario:
A neat addition to the main game, laden with implications about the nature of Maria and the forces that inhabit Silent Hill.
I wonder how somebody would experience this side-story and its place in the larger plot, if on their first playthrough of the main campaign they played up to the part where you meet Maria, saved at the next occasion, and then played this, before returning back to the main game.
I find this version of Maria interesting, because we get a glimpse at her inner workings, in contrast to the main game where she just seems like a manifestation of the town meant to torture James emotionally, and here she seems rather willing to help and with defined agency.
I think it's kinda weird that some of the writing and item descriptions makes it seem like there's another puzzle coming, but then it just ends.
Combat is still clunky (the Meat Cleaver was beyond useless) and I'm still not a fan of the stilted dialogue and voice-acting. I want to see it, like all the artsy-fartsy critics, as an extra layer of uncanniness, but in practice it just sets my teeth on edge and disengages me from the plot events. Like c'mon, guy that plays Ernest, you sound straight out of the English dub of Resident Evil 1.
Oh, but speaking of that, the mansion feels like a loving homage to that especially with that one stair room towards the beginning, and the turning of corners being made quite uncomfortable by the fixed camera, which is also pretty neat.
A neat addition to the main game, laden with implications about the nature of Maria and the forces that inhabit Silent Hill.
I wonder how somebody would experience this side-story and its place in the larger plot, if on their first playthrough of the main campaign they played up to the part where you meet Maria, saved at the next occasion, and then played this, before returning back to the main game.
I find this version of Maria interesting, because we get a glimpse at her inner workings, in contrast to the main game where she just seems like a manifestation of the town meant to torture James emotionally, and here she seems rather willing to help and with defined agency.
I think it's kinda weird that some of the writing and item descriptions makes it seem like there's another puzzle coming, but then it just ends.
Combat is still clunky (the Meat Cleaver was beyond useless) and I'm still not a fan of the stilted dialogue and voice-acting. I want to see it, like all the artsy-fartsy critics, as an extra layer of uncanniness, but in practice it just sets my teeth on edge and disengages me from the plot events. Like c'mon, guy that plays Ernest, you sound straight out of the English dub of Resident Evil 1.
Oh, but speaking of that, the mansion feels like a loving homage to that especially with that one stair room towards the beginning, and the turning of corners being made quite uncomfortable by the fixed camera, which is also pretty neat.
i'm a sucker for this game's flavor of aged janky controls but the 1990s sierra adventure game bullshit level of the puzzles really grated on my nerves. it's a good thing the narrative and atmosphere more than make up for whatever shortcomings rest in the gameplay, angela's story especially.
this is maybe my favorite game of all time. must play for anyone. unparalled atmosphere, music, plot, aesthetics.
Mi nota al Silent Hill 2 fue de 5 estrellas, un juego de 10.
¿Por qué doy 3.5 a esta versión? Aquí únicamente estoy tomando en cuenta "Nacida de un Deseo" el "DLC" del segundo juego.
El DLC es "corto", pero conserva el mismo estilo que el juego base, aquí nos cuentan la historia de María y el Sr. Baldwin, pero, quizá en mi ignorancia como jugador, no entendí la historia.
El personaje de María, hasta donde tenía entendido, era una versión ideal de Mary creada por James, la cuestión es que aquí se le da una identidad propia como habitante de Silent Hill, en cuyo caso, podría tener sentido el final "María" de Silent Hill 2, sin embargo, es extraño concebirla aún así como personaje propio (ya que mi interpretación es que, en el final María, James no atraviesa el duelo entero y se sigue refugiando en la idea de la posibilidad de que Mary este viva, bastante doloroso).
Me gustó bastante la ambientación y el tono de misterio del juego, sin embargo, nunca entendí realmente la necesidad de este DLC: la explicación más lógica suena a un intento de explicar como James integra las características de su esposa con las de una bailarina del club que, llegó a visitar en alguna estancia en Silent Hill. Sin embargo, no veo la necesidad del recorrido que realiza María por la mansión.
(Si alguien llegase a leer esto, le agradecería mucho una mejor explicación para la compresión de este "DLC").
¿Por qué doy 3.5 a esta versión? Aquí únicamente estoy tomando en cuenta "Nacida de un Deseo" el "DLC" del segundo juego.
El DLC es "corto", pero conserva el mismo estilo que el juego base, aquí nos cuentan la historia de María y el Sr. Baldwin, pero, quizá en mi ignorancia como jugador, no entendí la historia.
El personaje de María, hasta donde tenía entendido, era una versión ideal de Mary creada por James, la cuestión es que aquí se le da una identidad propia como habitante de Silent Hill, en cuyo caso, podría tener sentido el final "María" de Silent Hill 2, sin embargo, es extraño concebirla aún así como personaje propio (ya que mi interpretación es que, en el final María, James no atraviesa el duelo entero y se sigue refugiando en la idea de la posibilidad de que Mary este viva, bastante doloroso).
Me gustó bastante la ambientación y el tono de misterio del juego, sin embargo, nunca entendí realmente la necesidad de este DLC: la explicación más lógica suena a un intento de explicar como James integra las características de su esposa con las de una bailarina del club que, llegó a visitar en alguna estancia en Silent Hill. Sin embargo, no veo la necesidad del recorrido que realiza María por la mansión.
(Si alguien llegase a leer esto, le agradecería mucho una mejor explicación para la compresión de este "DLC").
Using this to log Born from a Wish
logging this because i played the born from a wish scenario for the first time! [SPOILERS] interesting to basically watch the town manifest and basically develop maria up to the point she meets james. a cool addition to my favorite game of all time
Easy 10. A grim and uncomfortable descent through one man's nightmare. Still one of the best horror games ever.
The Silent Hill series' masterpiece. It's passé to say at this point, but this is the best game in the series, no doubt. It takes on things such as suicide, CSA and various other mental health topics with absolute tact and grace. The gameplay is standard for this kind of game, but it's really bolstered by the imagery and atmosphere on display here. Its uncanny acting which adds to the disturbing vibe is just another cherry on top of this already delicious cake.
This rating is for Born From the Wish alone.
Maria's story in this is subversive and adds a lot of depth to Maria's character in the original game.
Maria's story in this is subversive and adds a lot of depth to Maria's character in the original game.
Perfect
Jogaço da porra, trama muito pica, aquele toquezinho perfeito de terror pscológico, porem muito lento, mesmo assim uma perola do mundo dos jogos de terror.
This review contains spoilers
Il est excellent mais faut calmer Maria, ouvrez lui un compte Onlyfan sérieux
I have never been so impressed by any game in my life. This isn't just a game, this is an art.
Akira Yamaoka o7 thanks for this legendary soundtrack, especially "Promise".
Akira Yamaoka o7 thanks for this legendary soundtrack, especially "Promise".
The other game with the really cool foggy town (Pathologic 2 is the other one)
Nota do Born from a wish, não o jogo em si
Can see why people who played this at release loved it but playing this in 2022 does make it harder to enjoy. The atmosphere of the game is fantastic with the fog and the sound design making it a very tense game. However the tank controls take awhile to get a hang of and often I would try interact with an object only for the game to not allow it until moving back and forth and the boss fights felt incredibly clunky feeling more frustrating than scary. The story was enjoyable to go through however I do see why this game is getting a remake as the gameplay has not aged well
Born From A Dream is a perfect little bitesized chunk of survival horror.
Couldn't decide whether or not to give this a 4 or a 4.5, cause I legit thing the first quart of this game really isn't all that great (and is a SLOG in subsequent playthroughs), but everything else is so stellar that it makes up for it.
Atajala al angulo Scorcese
This review contains spoilers
OBRA DE ARTE.
"James, you made me happy."
"James, you made me happy."