What can I say about Silent Hill 2? I’m not asking that due to how often Silent Hill 2 is talked about. Rather, I ask it because the game has left me utterly speechless. Somehow I avoided a majority of spoilers for Silent Hill 2, meaning I had gone into the game almost entirely blind. I already had a general feeling I would love the game. I played the original Silent Hill over a year ago at this point, and I absolutely loved the game. The environment, atmosphere, and music were all stunning. And I feel that Silent Hill 2 perfects it all, making an utter masterpiece.
Now, I played on the PC Abandonware version of Silent Hill 2, with upgrades from the enhanced edition patch (you have to use it anyway, since the patch allows the game to actually open). I was suggested to use the abandonware version as a friend of mine mentioned difficulty with emulating the PS2 version. I could’ve tried out the PS2 version, but hey, better safe than sorry. Now, I bring this up because I think it’d be important to know that the version of Silent Hill 2 I had will most likely not provide the same experience someone reading this may have.
Now onto Silent Hill 2 itself, I don’t really know what all I can speak of it. Particularly, I don’t want to go into the spoilers of Silent Hill 2, as I think it’s a game that’s worth experiencing. To be specific, I don’t want to say what the exact details of the story are, but it’s one worth experiencing. One thing I’d like to mention that’s only tangentially related to the story is the voice acting. The voice acting the characters have is absolutely wonderful! What I mean by that is that there’s something so unnatural about the line delivery that it makes everyone feel off. In most other games, this would be a bad thing, but for a game and setting like Silent Hill, it makes perfect sense. It’s a minor detail that adds to the overall unsettling nature of Silent Hill.
I Think what is ultimately my favorite aspect of Silent Hill 2 is is the atmosphere. The fog that surrounds you in Silent Hill 2 is perfect for the kind of atmosphere Silent Hill should have. The best way I kind describe the fog is “suffocating”. You’re surrounded by it, and you can barely see through it. Any possible threat will only be seen when it’s almost right next to you, leading to things seemingly jump out towards you. And when things aren’t foggy, they’re cast in a deep darkness. This darkness has a similar effect to the fog, but with the fact a small portion of it can be illuminated by a flashlight, it makes the dread even stronger. And when it comes to the actual graphics of the game, I absolutely love how grimy the game looks. Everything looks rusted and dirty, and that idea of being broken down really works, I feel. Much like the fog, I think another perfect aspect of Silent Hill 2’s atmosphere is the sound design and music that’s used. I absolutely love the droning ambience of the game, it’s as if there’s a sense of emptiness alongside some sort of dread. And to coincide with those drones, there’s also loud metallic clangs, scrapes, and bangs. It creates such a strong sense of tension, as if there’s a threat that’s far out of sight, especially if it occurs in places that it wouldn’t make sense for those sounds to occur. And the fact that the sound that signifies if enemies are close to you is static, it creates such a unique atmosphere that very few games can replicate.
I want to give a frame of reference here, for the next topic about the game I want to discuss. Particularly, the feelings of horror, and fear. While I love horror games, I find myself not often terrified by them. I get scared sometimes, but few games ever terrify me. I bring this up to express how terrifying Silent Hill 2 is. Even just hearing the game’s ambience was dreadful, but there were so many terrifying moments on top of it. I particularly remember an area early on in the game, where I was still getting used to things. I was running by an area I had already been to, after doing stuff somewhere else. And suddenly, a scream rang out from across the hallway, completely startling me. In that same general sequence, going to the end of the hallway, Pyramid Head appeared on the other side of a barred off wall, and all he did was stand there. I don’t know how better to describe it, but just seeing him stand there filled me with so much fear.
I also really adore the actual puzzles found in Silent Hill 2. One thing I hope for whenever I find games that feature complex puzzles is the need to write things down. I think it’s a compliment when a game requires me to journal hints to puzzles, and write down reminders to help solve future puzzles. I wont go into details about the puzzles I absolutely loved, but my favorite puzzle in the game was one with a riddle and three coins. I had to read the riddle over and over to figure it out, as it took me so long to understand what the riddle was trying to say. When I did figure it out, and solved the puzzle, I felt genuinely proud of myself, especially knowing I figured it out without a guide. Another similar puzzle also involved a riddle, and 6 people. Yet again, solving the riddle itself felt amazing to do.
I wanted to save him as a topic for last, as I felt he’s important to talk about. And by that, I’m referring to Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head is absolutely an amazing character not only by Silent Hill standards, but all of horror in general. In the realm of Silent Hill 2, Pyramid Head has a really narrative unique purpose that you’ll only ever find out by the end of the game. And once you realize why Pyramid Head exists, it makes his existence so much stronger. And outside of Silent Hill 2, it may be exaggerative to say, but I feel like Pyramid Head is comparable to that of famous horror slashers. Not only does Pyramid Head have a similar level of iconicity, but the presentation, threat, and overall execution of Pyramid Head feels so similar, and I love it. Pyramid Head is such a unique threat for any horror property, but he feels perfectly crafted for the world of Silent Hill 2.
The more I think and type about Silent Hill 2, the more I end up totally enamored by it. The atmosphere, terror, and just general flow of Silent Hill 2 is outstanding. And though I only glossed over it, the story is really something unique, that few games are able to replicate with the same level of quality. I only got one of the endings, since I felt like the ending I get is my ending. Though I can definitely see myself replaying the game to try and get the other endings at a later point. Aside from that though, I’m so glad I finally got to play Silent Hill 2, it’s an absolute must play. From what it sounds, the remake of Silent Hill 2 sounds like it’s going to be bad, so if you want to play Silent Hill 2, just play the original.
Now, I played on the PC Abandonware version of Silent Hill 2, with upgrades from the enhanced edition patch (you have to use it anyway, since the patch allows the game to actually open). I was suggested to use the abandonware version as a friend of mine mentioned difficulty with emulating the PS2 version. I could’ve tried out the PS2 version, but hey, better safe than sorry. Now, I bring this up because I think it’d be important to know that the version of Silent Hill 2 I had will most likely not provide the same experience someone reading this may have.
Now onto Silent Hill 2 itself, I don’t really know what all I can speak of it. Particularly, I don’t want to go into the spoilers of Silent Hill 2, as I think it’s a game that’s worth experiencing. To be specific, I don’t want to say what the exact details of the story are, but it’s one worth experiencing. One thing I’d like to mention that’s only tangentially related to the story is the voice acting. The voice acting the characters have is absolutely wonderful! What I mean by that is that there’s something so unnatural about the line delivery that it makes everyone feel off. In most other games, this would be a bad thing, but for a game and setting like Silent Hill, it makes perfect sense. It’s a minor detail that adds to the overall unsettling nature of Silent Hill.
I Think what is ultimately my favorite aspect of Silent Hill 2 is is the atmosphere. The fog that surrounds you in Silent Hill 2 is perfect for the kind of atmosphere Silent Hill should have. The best way I kind describe the fog is “suffocating”. You’re surrounded by it, and you can barely see through it. Any possible threat will only be seen when it’s almost right next to you, leading to things seemingly jump out towards you. And when things aren’t foggy, they’re cast in a deep darkness. This darkness has a similar effect to the fog, but with the fact a small portion of it can be illuminated by a flashlight, it makes the dread even stronger. And when it comes to the actual graphics of the game, I absolutely love how grimy the game looks. Everything looks rusted and dirty, and that idea of being broken down really works, I feel. Much like the fog, I think another perfect aspect of Silent Hill 2’s atmosphere is the sound design and music that’s used. I absolutely love the droning ambience of the game, it’s as if there’s a sense of emptiness alongside some sort of dread. And to coincide with those drones, there’s also loud metallic clangs, scrapes, and bangs. It creates such a strong sense of tension, as if there’s a threat that’s far out of sight, especially if it occurs in places that it wouldn’t make sense for those sounds to occur. And the fact that the sound that signifies if enemies are close to you is static, it creates such a unique atmosphere that very few games can replicate.
I want to give a frame of reference here, for the next topic about the game I want to discuss. Particularly, the feelings of horror, and fear. While I love horror games, I find myself not often terrified by them. I get scared sometimes, but few games ever terrify me. I bring this up to express how terrifying Silent Hill 2 is. Even just hearing the game’s ambience was dreadful, but there were so many terrifying moments on top of it. I particularly remember an area early on in the game, where I was still getting used to things. I was running by an area I had already been to, after doing stuff somewhere else. And suddenly, a scream rang out from across the hallway, completely startling me. In that same general sequence, going to the end of the hallway, Pyramid Head appeared on the other side of a barred off wall, and all he did was stand there. I don’t know how better to describe it, but just seeing him stand there filled me with so much fear.
I also really adore the actual puzzles found in Silent Hill 2. One thing I hope for whenever I find games that feature complex puzzles is the need to write things down. I think it’s a compliment when a game requires me to journal hints to puzzles, and write down reminders to help solve future puzzles. I wont go into details about the puzzles I absolutely loved, but my favorite puzzle in the game was one with a riddle and three coins. I had to read the riddle over and over to figure it out, as it took me so long to understand what the riddle was trying to say. When I did figure it out, and solved the puzzle, I felt genuinely proud of myself, especially knowing I figured it out without a guide. Another similar puzzle also involved a riddle, and 6 people. Yet again, solving the riddle itself felt amazing to do.
I wanted to save him as a topic for last, as I felt he’s important to talk about. And by that, I’m referring to Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head is absolutely an amazing character not only by Silent Hill standards, but all of horror in general. In the realm of Silent Hill 2, Pyramid Head has a really narrative unique purpose that you’ll only ever find out by the end of the game. And once you realize why Pyramid Head exists, it makes his existence so much stronger. And outside of Silent Hill 2, it may be exaggerative to say, but I feel like Pyramid Head is comparable to that of famous horror slashers. Not only does Pyramid Head have a similar level of iconicity, but the presentation, threat, and overall execution of Pyramid Head feels so similar, and I love it. Pyramid Head is such a unique threat for any horror property, but he feels perfectly crafted for the world of Silent Hill 2.
The more I think and type about Silent Hill 2, the more I end up totally enamored by it. The atmosphere, terror, and just general flow of Silent Hill 2 is outstanding. And though I only glossed over it, the story is really something unique, that few games are able to replicate with the same level of quality. I only got one of the endings, since I felt like the ending I get is my ending. Though I can definitely see myself replaying the game to try and get the other endings at a later point. Aside from that though, I’m so glad I finally got to play Silent Hill 2, it’s an absolute must play. From what it sounds, the remake of Silent Hill 2 sounds like it’s going to be bad, so if you want to play Silent Hill 2, just play the original.
Perfect
More Silent Hill 2, more peak.
Very solid way to experience SH2. I would not recommend you play it via 360 backwards compatibility though. There are a lot of visual glitches that can be very distracting. On my last playthrough, Eddie's face didn't properly render in and he looked like the pillsbury doughboy for the entire second half of the game which made his scenes really funny.
Born from a wish is a good addition which develops one of the characters in an interesting way.
The only other differences that are worse than the original ps2 version or the enhanced edition are that the cutscenes are lower quality and run at a slower framerate and the lighting system is different (although its not noticeable if you haven't played the original).
It's still Silent Hill 2, so the game is still amazing. There really isn't a bad way to play this game besides the hd collection.
Born from a wish is a good addition which develops one of the characters in an interesting way.
The only other differences that are worse than the original ps2 version or the enhanced edition are that the cutscenes are lower quality and run at a slower framerate and the lighting system is different (although its not noticeable if you haven't played the original).
It's still Silent Hill 2, so the game is still amazing. There really isn't a bad way to play this game besides the hd collection.
En cuanto a la expansión Born From a Wish, es interesante explorar ligeramente la perspectiva de María, pero no aporta nada de nada.
rating for born from a wish… i love maria. Also that ending credits music is the hardest shit ever bro
Rating is for "Born from A Wish."
Great story, as expected.
But if you miss a key item and get lost, expect to spend many hours trying to figure out what you missed.
But if you miss a key item and get lost, expect to spend many hours trying to figure out what you missed.
tadinha
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 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.
"Dlc" foda, e é ainda mais tensa que o jogo normal.
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.
pog
Log for Born from a wish
Que extraña película por alguna razón me hace caminar y resolver puzzles entre escenas también me caga la parte donde me toman a mi el espectador y me vuelven mas gordo y homicida.
There is beauty in the way you live and thrive despite it all...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qalGezr76o
I played through the original long ago and hardly remembered much of it and I have played Silent Hill 3 twice. After playing this again and having it fresh in my mind I can say this is by far the best in the series and definitely my favorite at this time. Being creeped out when I was so little watching my uncle play it to experiencing it now that I am 29 and still getting freaked out at times really is a testament to what kind of experience this game is capable of.
The masterpiece of a fearful and emotional entanglement this game brings in such a way is a torment filled dance you surely won't comprehend completely on your first playthrough. The best Horror games or games in general that that stay in your mind hours and days after it is over and keep you thinking are truly one of the best feelings in my opinion.
The deep details and creativity in the environments and psychological puzzles and inclusion of characters you will learn about in later installments of this series is a really interesting form of storytelling Team Silent has created at their prime and I deeply wish to this day they were still the wonderful team they were and not just remnants of the past.
Now I will definitely have to play some more of these again as they always grab ahold of me in the best way. I am kind of worried to how the remake will be, but I am hoping for the best although I don't see how you top the original especially with the experience it brings. If you have not played this game yet I cannot recommend this enough, definitely one of those play before you die type of games that solidifies itself in the genre of perfect horror games.
Pyramid Head belongs to this entry and the fact they use him in other installments feels so off especially now that I see the imagery and semblance he brings to James' judgement and conviction. Wish they would have just made a unique character that did the same thing for each protagonist's struggle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qalGezr76o
I played through the original long ago and hardly remembered much of it and I have played Silent Hill 3 twice. After playing this again and having it fresh in my mind I can say this is by far the best in the series and definitely my favorite at this time. Being creeped out when I was so little watching my uncle play it to experiencing it now that I am 29 and still getting freaked out at times really is a testament to what kind of experience this game is capable of.
The masterpiece of a fearful and emotional entanglement this game brings in such a way is a torment filled dance you surely won't comprehend completely on your first playthrough. The best Horror games or games in general that that stay in your mind hours and days after it is over and keep you thinking are truly one of the best feelings in my opinion.
The deep details and creativity in the environments and psychological puzzles and inclusion of characters you will learn about in later installments of this series is a really interesting form of storytelling Team Silent has created at their prime and I deeply wish to this day they were still the wonderful team they were and not just remnants of the past.
Now I will definitely have to play some more of these again as they always grab ahold of me in the best way. I am kind of worried to how the remake will be, but I am hoping for the best although I don't see how you top the original especially with the experience it brings. If you have not played this game yet I cannot recommend this enough, definitely one of those play before you die type of games that solidifies itself in the genre of perfect horror games.
Pyramid Head belongs to this entry and the fact they use him in other installments feels so off especially now that I see the imagery and semblance he brings to James' judgement and conviction. Wish they would have just made a unique character that did the same thing for each protagonist's struggle.
Logando especificamente o Born From a Wish (zerei pela 1x)
Na teoria é inofensivo, mas eu aprecio a ambiguidade imaculada de toda interpretação do jogo base. Essa dlc é equivalente a um vídeo do pipocando explicando silent hill
Na teoria é inofensivo, mas eu aprecio a ambiguidade imaculada de toda interpretação do jogo base. Essa dlc é equivalente a um vídeo do pipocando explicando silent hill
9.9/10
Maria side mission is pretty good . Exploring the mansion and getting a better look at Maria’s character is fun
Born From a Wish and Separate Ways are both the best side campaigns from the history of gaming.
<3
amazing horror game, i played this for days. i love james
idk why i spent 8 days playing it non stop
idk why i spent 8 days playing it non stop
SILENT HILL 2...The horror masterpiece the greatest game of his time and one of the greatest ever always gonna be with in my thinkings about what make videogame a art this game is a masterpiece
I Got A Letter
I Got A Letter
Que pena no haberlo jugado en su tiempo en la PS2, estoy 100% segura que hoy en día sería mi juego favorito.
I played this when I was 10 on ps2. It scarred me for life. I sold it for a dollar to gamestop just to get the evil out of the house. when I was in college I had to buy it and got the xbox version and played on my 360. Since the 360 can't save for the xbox version I had to beat it in one sitting in my dorm. by the end I had 10 friends hanging in my dorm screaming as monsters would show up and attack me. Defeating this game meant a lot to me then. This is the game that made me realize video games can be meta-art.
using this as a way to log born from a wish since it came in this version
and yah it's cool just to get to play more and see more of the sh world through the best game in the series
and yah it's cool just to get to play more and see more of the sh world through the best game in the series
*born from a wish
Best psychological horror game ever made!
This is just for “Born from a wish”