This review contains spoilers
The story is predictably boring and shallow, any form of depth that could be perceived in it has no real basis whatsoever and is only through rigorous over-analyzation by fans who haven’t had a single good Silent Hill release in decades, all the characters with the exception of Mary are badly written, not to mention the dialogue feels as if it’s been jotted down by an emotionless robot, the intrigue is stale and you have no real reason to care for either Mary nor James.
The voice acting is as alive as a fish out of water, it’s completely monotonous, nobody talks like that unless they’re basement dwellers who haven’t had any form of social interaction in decades, no wonder gamers adore it.
The gameplay is awful, it’s existence is a disrespect to any videogame with well thought out and complex mechanics and controls. No. I don’t care for your made-up excuses such as “ B-But James is a civilian who can’t handle weapons!” Not only is that a stupid form of applying logic to video game mechanics where they shouldn’t be applied, like in-gameplay zombie bites in Resident Evil turning you into a zombie, that would be a disastrously boring game and basically what Silent Hill 2 ended up doing, but these design choices are not even intentional, there isn’t a single interview with any developer or director that says they are, you came up with these excuses to protect the game from any form of scrutiny and criticism because you’re manchildren who cannot handle any opposing opinion whatsoever.
The voice acting is as alive as a fish out of water, it’s completely monotonous, nobody talks like that unless they’re basement dwellers who haven’t had any form of social interaction in decades, no wonder gamers adore it.
The gameplay is awful, it’s existence is a disrespect to any videogame with well thought out and complex mechanics and controls. No. I don’t care for your made-up excuses such as “ B-But James is a civilian who can’t handle weapons!” Not only is that a stupid form of applying logic to video game mechanics where they shouldn’t be applied, like in-gameplay zombie bites in Resident Evil turning you into a zombie, that would be a disastrously boring game and basically what Silent Hill 2 ended up doing, but these design choices are not even intentional, there isn’t a single interview with any developer or director that says they are, you came up with these excuses to protect the game from any form of scrutiny and criticism because you’re manchildren who cannot handle any opposing opinion whatsoever.
60 Comments
I was weak... that’s why i needed you.... needed Backloggd users to punish me for my takes...
While i dont necessarily agree with your score or some parts of your review, i do support it.
Silent Hill 2 is a tough game to criticize, because you have an army of zealous fanboys who will defend it to death, and its alright the game is quite special, but for some people like me who couldnt find that special spot in it, reviews like this are needed.
Silent Hill 2 is supposed to be one of those niche games, games that are not for everyone, yet you would dig so deep to find someone with dissenting opinion on the game, which is quite baffling. The fans will usually excuse any type of criticism with it's supposed to be like this, hell..if i could always do that for my favorite games then GfuckingG. It's quite hilarious because you could go right now to any popular beloved video game and read a lot of negative reviews that people don't really care about but when it comes to this one and few other game you would notice that your review will be on the Discord server within minutes and the gang will show up to tear you apart and call for your head. LOL.
I do agree with some of your points because i had similar issues with them. I don't know whether i will bother to revisit the game at some point but i think it's one of those games that needs a proper remake to put it on the accessible table for all platform and with better productions.
Silent Hill 2 is a tough game to criticize, because you have an army of zealous fanboys who will defend it to death, and its alright the game is quite special, but for some people like me who couldnt find that special spot in it, reviews like this are needed.
Silent Hill 2 is supposed to be one of those niche games, games that are not for everyone, yet you would dig so deep to find someone with dissenting opinion on the game, which is quite baffling. The fans will usually excuse any type of criticism with it's supposed to be like this, hell..if i could always do that for my favorite games then GfuckingG. It's quite hilarious because you could go right now to any popular beloved video game and read a lot of negative reviews that people don't really care about but when it comes to this one and few other game you would notice that your review will be on the Discord server within minutes and the gang will show up to tear you apart and call for your head. LOL.
I do agree with some of your points because i had similar issues with them. I don't know whether i will bother to revisit the game at some point but i think it's one of those games that needs a proper remake to put it on the accessible table for all platform and with better productions.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day and writing a single sensible reply here Brock, I think I would’ve given the game a higher score if it wasn’t praised to the point where you’re expecting a 10/10 across the mark dazzling masterpiece, when in reality SH2 is janky and requires you to directly forgive some of its glaring issues in order to like whats underneath (music, thick atmosphere, great cutscenes with well done cinematography, art direction). Yeah it’s fans are obnoxious, any criticism will be “rebutted” with a quick factoid of intent, they’re essentially all appeal to authority arguments, they never acknowledge that you can recognize authoritarian intent while still disagreeing with it. It is pretty odd that you can dig into the bottom of the barrel while barely finding negative reviews of it, it makes me feel like people like it for its “prestigious” aura more than anything. Have a good day.
don't agree at all but it makes for a fun argument
i knew sh2's twist going in, but even with that in mind i think anyone paying enough attention could predict it by the end of the hospital sequence at the latest. you're making that out to be a bad thing, but i don't really see why it being predictable is a downside. you seem to be basing your criticisms entirely on the characters' actions and dialogue, calling them shallow and boring people, but considering you're taking issue with people "overanalyzing" the game i get the impression you missed the point at least a little bit
first off: the director of this series posts on twitter even to this day about different thematic/symbolic details in the games. if you write that kind of stuff off then it's not really a surprise you're so underwhelmed by the franchise because that's where a lot of the appeal is. sh2 excels at conveying traumatized people without using many words at all. you don't need to know their life stories via dialogue to genuinely know their life stories. all it takes is some paranoid overreaction and a room full of pistons and holes to understand what angela's dilemma is for instance. humans aren't that complicated. sh2's not trying to tell some kind of mind bending story you'll never see coming. it's using its narrative to express the repressed trauma of its cast. i noticed you gave sh1 a 10/10, and frankly i'd argue the story of that game has infinitely less going for it just because of how uninteresting the whole cult plot is (which is something sh3 plays even more heavily into)
as for the voice acting: i don't know what the original devs would think about the argument, but it doesn't really matter regardless. i doubt when they made the original silent hill they wanted the graphics to be as low res as they were, but i'd still argue the strangeness of them adds to the vibe - and i'd argue the same for sh2's va. whether or not it's intentionally awkward doesn't matter. it helps with the dreary atmosphere either way
i don't really see the gameplay complaints honestly. i can understand not liking it, but i don't really know what you mean by this seemingly headcanon "james can't use weapons" excuse. if anything sh2 is too easy and james can absolutely bludgeon the fuck out of any common monster pretty effortlessly - jill valentine should honestly take some lessons. that said i think you should check out silent hill 3 regardless. despite it being my least favorite in the trilogy it's certainly the most action packed
i knew sh2's twist going in, but even with that in mind i think anyone paying enough attention could predict it by the end of the hospital sequence at the latest. you're making that out to be a bad thing, but i don't really see why it being predictable is a downside. you seem to be basing your criticisms entirely on the characters' actions and dialogue, calling them shallow and boring people, but considering you're taking issue with people "overanalyzing" the game i get the impression you missed the point at least a little bit
first off: the director of this series posts on twitter even to this day about different thematic/symbolic details in the games. if you write that kind of stuff off then it's not really a surprise you're so underwhelmed by the franchise because that's where a lot of the appeal is. sh2 excels at conveying traumatized people without using many words at all. you don't need to know their life stories via dialogue to genuinely know their life stories. all it takes is some paranoid overreaction and a room full of pistons and holes to understand what angela's dilemma is for instance. humans aren't that complicated. sh2's not trying to tell some kind of mind bending story you'll never see coming. it's using its narrative to express the repressed trauma of its cast. i noticed you gave sh1 a 10/10, and frankly i'd argue the story of that game has infinitely less going for it just because of how uninteresting the whole cult plot is (which is something sh3 plays even more heavily into)
as for the voice acting: i don't know what the original devs would think about the argument, but it doesn't really matter regardless. i doubt when they made the original silent hill they wanted the graphics to be as low res as they were, but i'd still argue the strangeness of them adds to the vibe - and i'd argue the same for sh2's va. whether or not it's intentionally awkward doesn't matter. it helps with the dreary atmosphere either way
i don't really see the gameplay complaints honestly. i can understand not liking it, but i don't really know what you mean by this seemingly headcanon "james can't use weapons" excuse. if anything sh2 is too easy and james can absolutely bludgeon the fuck out of any common monster pretty effortlessly - jill valentine should honestly take some lessons. that said i think you should check out silent hill 3 regardless. despite it being my least favorite in the trilogy it's certainly the most action packed
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Cause “is Mary alive!?!!” Is supposed to be the player’s and James’s motivations, its also half the game’s mystery and for something that’s supposed to be the climax of the game it’s way too obvious.
i am not sure how i am supposed to judge these characters otherwise? What’s more to them than their actions and dialogue? Their traumas are not necessarily well done either, the game uses them more so to enhance its creepy vibe over exploring them in any meaningful way.
thats precisely what i mean by fans using appeal to authority arguments, so now I’m supposed to skimp some dude’s twitter to truly “get” the game and be hip and cool? I don’t care what he has to say, I’m always a “Death of the Author” type person.
Yes the game is good at visual storytelling and setting up certain characters, like the way Angela has been over-defensive, scared of touch and of James in general from the start.
I didn’t necessarily give SH1 a 10/10 for its plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and found its extremely well done & unique horror art direction impressive and creepy. SH2 was a major step down in gameplay since James controls worse than Harry and doesn’t even have as many movement options (jump back, side step, side movement in general) and he’s got a great melee weapon (that hammer thing in the sewers)
I think the voice acting is a detriment because of them sounding funny more than strange, creepy or etc, like the scene where 2 pyramid heads kill Maria, “LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!” and Maria’s scream afterwards kill me, SH1’s graphics are well made.
I am not sure how much more i can criticize its gameplay, also the “James is a citizen therefore he sucks” is an excuse used by fans and can be found in the game’s manual. Maybe i will play SH3, not sure.
Thanks for replying.
i am not sure how i am supposed to judge these characters otherwise? What’s more to them than their actions and dialogue? Their traumas are not necessarily well done either, the game uses them more so to enhance its creepy vibe over exploring them in any meaningful way.
thats precisely what i mean by fans using appeal to authority arguments, so now I’m supposed to skimp some dude’s twitter to truly “get” the game and be hip and cool? I don’t care what he has to say, I’m always a “Death of the Author” type person.
Yes the game is good at visual storytelling and setting up certain characters, like the way Angela has been over-defensive, scared of touch and of James in general from the start.
I didn’t necessarily give SH1 a 10/10 for its plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and found its extremely well done & unique horror art direction impressive and creepy. SH2 was a major step down in gameplay since James controls worse than Harry and doesn’t even have as many movement options (jump back, side step, side movement in general) and he’s got a great melee weapon (that hammer thing in the sewers)
I think the voice acting is a detriment because of them sounding funny more than strange, creepy or etc, like the scene where 2 pyramid heads kill Maria, “LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!” and Maria’s scream afterwards kill me, SH1’s graphics are well made.
I am not sure how much more i can criticize its gameplay, also the “James is a citizen therefore he sucks” is an excuse used by fans and can be found in the game’s manual. Maybe i will play SH3, not sure.
Thanks for replying.
its just ironic you shit on this but RE6 is in your favorites lmao
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YOOOOO I FINALLY GOT REYN’D HAHAHAHAHAHA
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good joke
the reyn comment made this review automatically good, thanks Limp
aw man we're officially beyond the era of "if guttertrash gets mad in your comments whatever you said is correct"
RE6 fan in a nutshell
@nervalitis so true
Grow up get real
I mean, even at its worst a 1/10 was a guaranteed gamer moment when the game has loads of redeeming qualities
But alas, I already got shamed for being a rabid fan of something and learnt my lesson, so, go forth Limp, keep it up. We do need dissonance in the discourse about the game.
But alas, I already got shamed for being a rabid fan of something and learnt my lesson, so, go forth Limp, keep it up. We do need dissonance in the discourse about the game.
Now what the hell is this
came back after playing this game to say this review sucks balls
Well I’d certainly say you’re succeeding in your plan to become the blandest white person ever
I'm close, I just have to take it off the RE6 fan
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Dude, look, I totally get the whole “desperate to fit in” gimmick, you’re doing a great job and I firmly believe in your desire to attain more blandness. :D
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GOO OFFF
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Every game on this website has to have an obligatory contrarian review, huh?
based as fuck pop off
Even if I don't necessarily agree with some points. The fact that everytime a negative review comes out of this game people FLOCK to attack authors of bad reviews is insane. Like if this isn't a cult mentality I don't know what it is LMAO.
Juxouu
2 years ago