It's hard to put into words what I experienced with this masterpiece. This isn't the first time that I've played Silent Hill 2, but it's the first time that I actually finished it.

I'm glad I did.

Ain't no point in delaying my verdict: this is one of the best games I've ever played! Silent Hill 2 isn't just a good survival horror, it's a deep psychological dive into the minds of disturbed characters, a masterclass in subjective imagery, a horrifying story to uncover and a stunning work of sound and music.

One thing that needs to be absolutely praised here is how this game uses sounds, noises, music and ambient songs to scare and soothe the experience. Not only every single noise, and even silent moments, is masterfully used in the right moment to put you in the mood that it wants you to feel, but it also packs a modest, immersive and beautiful soundtrack.

Thank you, Akira Yamaoka.

But sound design isn't Silent Hill 2's only key feature. The writing is interesting, level design is near flawless, pacing keeps you tense, the eerie voice acting fits the atmosphere, the dark graphics are nerve-racking and even the puzzles stand out.

Not to mention the story. In its own unique and subjective way of capturing your attention and desire to keep going, James Sunderland's melodic and frightening tale manages to tell one of gaming's deepest stories. It even manages to pay off with its 6 different endings.

The only bad aspect about Silent Hill 2 is that the gameplay is outdated. There's no running away from it. It may still hold up better than most survival horror games out there, but it's undeniably stiff and clunky. The camera sucks, tank controls are harsh, movement is too rigid, animations may feel a bit off during cutscenes and MY GOD the combat is bad. I know that the game's clunkiness adds up to its horror-factor, but the combat is just not fun.

The good thing though, maybe compesating to SH2's outdated mechanics, is that the experience is VERY scary. It messes with your eyes, ears, reflexes and perceptions. Even here, in 2021, this game is still one of the scariest and most intense games ever made, in my opinion. It not only does right by the genre, but by video game design as art.

If you somehow get your hands in this game, whether it's on a PS2, PC or even on the inferior HD remaster, you're in for a memorable experience. One for a lifetime. Especially if you're a survival horror fan.

Trust me. Take a trip to Silent Hill. You won't regret it.

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.

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

Really good game, apart from the fact that I played the xbox version, and apparently the lighting was designed around being played on a CRT TV (which I do not have), so the game was so incredibly dark on my TV at certain points (even with max brightness) that it was borderline unplayable lol. I had to use a walkthrough for basically the whole thing bc otherwise I would never have even known where most of the items I was supposed to pick up actually were since most of the screen was basically pitch black for like half the game. I'm aware it's supposed to be pretty dark to create a good atmosphere, but probably not quite this dark lmao

The best game ever made. There is never a week that goes by where I don't think of this game whether it be James and Mary's terrible situation comforted by their deep love for each other to Mary's reading of her letter given to James before she passed. The story is something I didn't expect at all from a horror game and I didn't expect it to be so touching. The characters and events are so human that it hurts to see them turn out the way they do by the end of the game.

Adding to this is the fantastic music, ambience, and sound design by Akira Yamaoka as well as the terrifying monster design and art by Masahiro Ito, Team Silent worked hard to guarantee such an immersive experience and fantastic story.

Akira Yamaoka perfectly creates music/ambience that gives a soothing yet lost feeling and it's reflected here with songs like White Noiz, Forest, Heaven's Night, etc. Then there's the amazing sound design for the monsters like the Lying Figure which make disturbing screeches as they slither around and when getting hit.

Masahiro Ito creates monsters that not only symbolize and reflect characters so well, like Angela and James, but monsters that stay memorable due to their striking design like Pyramid Head, Abstract Daddy, and the Mannequins. Compared to the first Silent Hill, the monsters and environments featured here are so different that it's insane how well they symbolize so much with designs not seen before. Then there are environments that transition from everyday places that've been abandoned to surreal paintings, you never know what lies behind each room or passage way the deeper you get into the game.

Nowadays there's tons of "walking simulators" but I don't think none have done it like Silent Hill 2, this game influenced tons of other horror and non-horror games with it's psychological horror and themes while having been influenced from works done by David Lynch and Francis Bacon and especially by Jacob's Ladder.

This is all while having combat that has little to no thought behind it. Even with combat so terrible, it no way affects how great this game is because of the tragic story it creates with characters like James, Angela, and Eddie who are flipping between their wit's end and what needs to be done throughout the game.

I could go on and on about this game but I'll stop here. I will never stop recommending this game to anyone and everyone I meet, even with how scarce it is on modern platforms, but hopefully the remake will soon remedy this problem.

Okay, Did not enjoy Silent Hill 2 that much, felt very empty to me. I felt like I was traveling through area's without any friction for the most part, just sliding on the world's smoothest material. I can't help but compare this to Resident Evil and I think for sure they do better at this in every way, but this provides a different vibe and a more Thinking Gamer's Story™.

I like the vibe, and of course I enjoy the soundtrack more than any RE game; but the story I also get almost nothing out of. I think I just want more time with these people as characters and this game is very short with a lot of Silent Gaming, so I just don't care. I think it makes up for that with the moments you do get being strong(?), thats why Angela is probably the best character, but like I can imagine if I got more moments.

Born From a Wish was cool, it was in a mansion so I got to think about Resident Evil! I liked the area probably the most out of all them. Very short and nothing besides that, but I liked that new area.

ALSO This game lets you fucking FULLY REMAP ALL BUTTONS ON CONSOLE. That shit blew my mind. It also has a baby mode where you dont die, thats awesome; so ahead of its time there.

Silent Hill 2 is a beautiful mix of being wonderfully dated, and immensely ahead of its time.

The controls of this game feel a bit janky, but it completely works to emphasize the horror, as it allows the sound design to stand alone as you struggle to see the incoming - something that's fueled by the genius of the radio. The gameplay loop is simple, but deeply addicting, as perhaps the best game of its type. The voice acting is occasionally, (okay, maybe more than occasionally), hilariously goofy, but it can't stop the story from being one of the most impactful ever put in a game. (The ending VA performance though!)

SH2 is just a series of incredibly cool moments, such as the first time your flashlight turns off, and a series of examples of genius game design, such as how it uses camera angles to make sure that you pretty much never miss a key object, while also never feeling like it holds your hand.

I don't really even love horror, but I do really love Silent Hill 2.

10/10
Game #15 of 2024, March 6th

Man I love that scene where James sais "It's over John Silenthilltm : I understood your symbolism!" and then Pyramid Head kills himself.

(played the Enhanced Edition)
Yeah I can see why everyone is crazy about that one. The atmosphere and ennemy designs is immaculate, the story really good and allows a lot of different interpretations, even if its fans tend to push it really far. Gameplay was pretty enjoyable too, the tank controls being less of an issue that I thought (the only game with similar controls I ever played is Resident Evil on gamecube and maybe MGS Twin Snakes, and I remember having a lot more trouble for these). Silent Hill is a truely fascinating place to explore, wich is easily this game's greatest achievement.

I will say, however, that it's way less scary that I thought it would be. If anything, I'd say it's almost more funny, with ennemis jumping out of bushes like if there was a trampoline hidden inside and the voice cating wich is really something. But then again, people will argue that Jame's deadpan deliveries are a representation of how much he's dead inside or something so what do I know?
This game's surprisingly easy too. I played it on normal difficulty, and if the puzzles were quite challenging, combat was never and issue thanks to the very abuntant ressources and really slow ennemies. Bosses are the only exception : while they aren't the most mechanically interesting, they at least pose a challenge.
I wouldn't mind if it was at least a bit longer too.

Oh and the Maria episode is neat