Just finished this for the first time last night. People say it's one of the greatest of all time. I think they are right. This is one of the absolute iconic classics of the survival horror genre and one of the best ps2 games.
Silent hill 2 improves upon the foundation set by the first game in nearly every single way possible. While I found that the first game's main issue was it's pacing after the school and hospital. Silent hill 2 has similar disjointed dream like pacing after it's first 2 dungeons but it strucks them with essential standout moments that all weave together to tell a story about a first person experience with abuse, trauma, and depression. While horror in the western world often focuses on being a stimulating experience with it's jumpscares and high impact horror movie trailer sound effects. Silent hill 2 is slower, thicker with atmosphere, thicker with anticipation and drawing out emotions. You can liken it visually to the glaucomic experience of depression. Shadow and darkness are to silent hill 2 what fog is to silent hill 1. While there is still fog in silent hill 2, it's lighting effects are far more noticeable visually to me. 70-80% of the screen is stuck in darkness, the room usually only lit by James' flashlight. What is visible in a scene is usually the grey or brown desaturated grimy, wet, dillapitated environments James constantly finds himself in.
Gameplay wise, it's puzzles and fighting monsters. Typical fare for survival horror. It's actually remarkable how stiff it is with it's tank controls, even moreso than Resident evil. I don't think this is a drawback at all. The absence of spectacle in terms of movement and action keep attention laser focused on the environment and atmosphere. What an atmosphere it is! In addition to the visuals I talked about earlier, is an array of horrifying chest tightening metallic clanging noises always droning onward throughout the halls and pits you find yourself in. The sound director pretty much figured out the most anxiety inducing sounds you could play at any time and really gives it to ya. Then when there are parts with dialouge, the most heavenly drum and bass sampled pads you ever heard in your life. The yang of high impact noises and the yin of the ambient mellow synths.
When it comes to story there isn't much I can say that has not been said already, there is a big twist ending but you almost certainty know that by now lol. I will say that even though I knew the twist, every moment that leads up to it and the clues given to what might be going on, they all hit so hard. This is a situation any person could find themselves in, the motivations and the way things got to be the way they are in the story are all so real feeling. Silent hill 2 conveys a feeling of hell that can last years and years in your life in an experience that lasts around 10-15 hours. Even though it is 23 years old, it still feels so dense and massive despite the constraints of the technology at the time.
Silent hill 2 improves upon the foundation set by the first game in nearly every single way possible. While I found that the first game's main issue was it's pacing after the school and hospital. Silent hill 2 has similar disjointed dream like pacing after it's first 2 dungeons but it strucks them with essential standout moments that all weave together to tell a story about a first person experience with abuse, trauma, and depression. While horror in the western world often focuses on being a stimulating experience with it's jumpscares and high impact horror movie trailer sound effects. Silent hill 2 is slower, thicker with atmosphere, thicker with anticipation and drawing out emotions. You can liken it visually to the glaucomic experience of depression. Shadow and darkness are to silent hill 2 what fog is to silent hill 1. While there is still fog in silent hill 2, it's lighting effects are far more noticeable visually to me. 70-80% of the screen is stuck in darkness, the room usually only lit by James' flashlight. What is visible in a scene is usually the grey or brown desaturated grimy, wet, dillapitated environments James constantly finds himself in.
Gameplay wise, it's puzzles and fighting monsters. Typical fare for survival horror. It's actually remarkable how stiff it is with it's tank controls, even moreso than Resident evil. I don't think this is a drawback at all. The absence of spectacle in terms of movement and action keep attention laser focused on the environment and atmosphere. What an atmosphere it is! In addition to the visuals I talked about earlier, is an array of horrifying chest tightening metallic clanging noises always droning onward throughout the halls and pits you find yourself in. The sound director pretty much figured out the most anxiety inducing sounds you could play at any time and really gives it to ya. Then when there are parts with dialouge, the most heavenly drum and bass sampled pads you ever heard in your life. The yang of high impact noises and the yin of the ambient mellow synths.
When it comes to story there isn't much I can say that has not been said already, there is a big twist ending but you almost certainty know that by now lol. I will say that even though I knew the twist, every moment that leads up to it and the clues given to what might be going on, they all hit so hard. This is a situation any person could find themselves in, the motivations and the way things got to be the way they are in the story are all so real feeling. Silent hill 2 conveys a feeling of hell that can last years and years in your life in an experience that lasts around 10-15 hours. Even though it is 23 years old, it still feels so dense and massive despite the constraints of the technology at the time.