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Wed, May 25th, 2005   #1
Weltall
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Default Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 is the second in a horror series that has long captivated a cult following. Once again, we return to the silent, hauted New England resort town to see things we probably should never see.

James Sunderland, once upon a time, was a happy man. Married to a lovely, frail woman named Mary, his was a good life. They loved each other quite a lot. Unfortunately, the happiness was short-lived. Mary developed a rare disease, one which doctors were unable to cure. James was forced to watch his dear wife wither away, and three years ago, finally die.

Ever since, James has been an emotional train wreck, unable to come to grips with losing Mary. His life, in every aspect, has become sedentary and meaningless. As time goes by, he only sinks further into hopelessness and despair.

Then, one day, he got a letter. The name on the envelope said "Mary". His wife's name. The letter told him that she was waiting for him in their special place, in Silent Hill. A short, simple letter, and it was enough for the grieving James to ignore common sense and return to this misty town, hoping against hope that he would be able to see Mary again.

He had no idea what he was really getting into.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

I really divide this into two sub-categories.

The actual gameplay itself is pretty standard survival-horror fare. James has about ten weapons at his disposal, both firearms and melee weapons. There are two different types of difficulties you choose upon beginning the game, each with four levels. The first is the Action level, which determines how difficult combat will be for you. On the easiest setting, Beginner, there practially isn't any. Monsters basically ignore you. Dying in beginner mode requires effort. On Hard mode, however, monsters are fast, hunt in packs, and hurt you badly. The one complaint here is that there is a huge jump in difficulty between Hard and Normal, the next level down.

The other difficulty setting is for the game's Riddles. This has three settings, Easy, Normal, and Hard, and a fourth, Extra, is available after clearing all three. Every puzzle or riddle in the game changes depending on this setting. Both the actual nature of the puzzle changes (texts for riddles will be completely different), and the result will also be different. Easy mode is really easy, nothing more than basic deduction is required. On Hard and Extra, you might want to keep a pen and paper handy. None of them are anywhere near obvious.

The actual gameplay itself is pretty standard. You can examine objects, hit monsters with your weapons, and use objects to solve puzzles. It's likely nothing you haven't seen before, and even if you haven't, it's nothing incredibly special anyway.

The other aspect of the gameplay is the game's story, and this is where Silent Hill 2 really shines. It is really difficult to explain this without totally ruining the story for you, but in this town, you meet several other people, and each of them have sordid pasts and ulterior motives. There is Angela Orosco, a young woman you first meet in a graveyard in the midst of searching for her mother. Even from the beginning, she seems to be a little on the wierd side, but you have no idea until later how deep that runs. Then, there is Eddie Dombrowski, a chubby, boyish guy who possesses both a child-like innocence and a devilish capacity for anger. Laura is a young girl who at first appears to be James' foil, yet has connections to Mary that will blow James away. There is Maria, a young woman whom James enounters that looks startlingly like his late wife. And finally, there is the infamous Pyramid Head, a gory butcher who wears blood-stained clothing, a large triangular headgear, excessively large pointed weaponry, and who stalks James like the worst of nightmares.

This game also features great replayability. There are many possible endings to Silent Hill 2 (Five if you have the normal version, seven if you find the Greatest Hits). Each of these endings is determined by many factors, such as how well you maintain your health, how you handle certain objects you acquire, how well you interact with Maria, and many others. Each of the endings is wildly different, and likely you would have to play through each time to see them all. Two of the seven endings are joke endings, the other five are not. If you have the Greatest Hits version, one of these endings is from an extra scenario called Born from a Wish, a short sub-game starring Maria, exploring an area James never sees, and providing great insight into her character and motives.

Graphics: 8/10

This game is a beautiful mess, it must be said.

You explore a great deal of the town of Silent Hill, and the detail is wonderful and elaborate. You feel like you're really walking in a small, deserted town that looks like it was recently inhabited. Inside of buldings the detail is no less elaborate, even though inside and out, your view is limited, outside from the beautiful swirling fog, inside from the complete darkness that only your flashlight can pierce. Textures are wonderful and there is wonderful attention to detail. Character models aren't incredibly spectacular but very appropriate. Expressions, moving lips, gestures are all easy to recognize.

The monsters are all suitably disgusting as well. In addition to their initial display of terror, each of them also has a symbolic value that you will discover as you play. Unfortunately, there is little variety in the monsters, but those that are there are chilling in their very appearance. The graphical style in general is predominated by certain colors, such as green, red and brown, and the style fits perfectly with the theme and tone of the game itself.

Sound: 10/10

The sounds of Silent Hill are absolutely spectacular. This game is more musical than the previous, and Akira Yamaoka's music is haunting, melodic, and absolutely perfect for every scene that features it. A lot of it is airy, flowing tunes that run on a slightly depressing note, but there are several guitar and piano pieces that are a delight to hear.

And in those long stretches where there is no music at all to hear, you get to experience the ambience of Silent Hill, which perhaps more than anything is what drags you in and keeps you captivated. It is impossible to fully describe the context of this ambience, since there are so many varieties and variations depending on the situation, but it's this ambience that chills you and creeps you out more effectively than any other aspect of the game.

Sound effects go along this same line. They are clear, crisp, and blend in perfectly with the action. Some of the monsters make noises that will haunt you long after you shut the game off.

Finally, the voice acting, which is an immeasurable improvement over the first game. Every character is given an appropriate voice, the writing is decent and the lines are almost always delivered as intended. Angela's voice actor, in particular, is incredible, even moreso considering that her voice role was by far the most demanding and the hardest to portray correctly. Through their voices you can easily determine their correct personality, and in an entertainment medium where voice acting is usually awful, this is an important achievement.

Final Score: 10/10

Impartiality aside, Silent Hill 2 is one of those games I can play for years and years. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you like Survival horror, and you want a game that is full of mystery, open to interpretation, and may keep you thinking hard for years afterwards, definitely find yourself a copy.
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Sat, January 31st, 2009   #2
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Quote:
Finally, the voice acting, which is an immeasurable improvement over the first game. Every character is given an appropriate voice, the writing is decent and the lines are almost always delivered as intended. Angela's voice actor, in particular, is incredible, even moreso considering that her voice role was by far the most demanding and the hardest to portray correctly. Through their voices you can easily determine their correct personality, and in an entertainment medium where voice acting is usually awful, this is an important achievement.

Wait, really? I thought the voice acting in the first Silent Hill was far superior, though still not perfect. It's one of the first things I noticed on my first play-through. A good example is when James first meets Angela and tells her that he's lost, and she dramatically tilts her head forward and says in the most exaggerated voice imaginable, "Lo-OO-OSST???" As if she's never heard the word before and is trying hard to properly pronounce its subtle phonetics. There are barely any points in the game I can remember where I didn't find the terrible voice acting to be a great distraction, which, as the case with any game with a good story, is a shame.

I'm on my second playthrough of the main scenario because I enjoyed the game and want to see if I can pick up more about the various nuances of the story.

(warning, spoilers below)

For instance, a friend of mine, who is another great fanatic of the series, was telling me that James and the other characters are, in fact, dead, and trying to work their way through some kind of Dante's Inferno purgatory where the demons of their life are tormenting them. Perhaps I'm hard-headed, but in the main scenario (not the sub-scenario, where I thought it was pretty clearly hinted at), I didn't see a lot of evidence to support that James was dead, ghost-town aside. I got the In Water ending, and it seemed to me that James was alive up until the point where he carried the ghost of his dead wife to his car to drive off a cliff and into a river.

Here's something interesting which you've probably heard before: my aforementioned friend, who was obsessed with this game and read plenty about it online, told me the theory that all the monsters that James sees are manifestations of his sin, which is why most of them look feminine (as he had killed his wife in real life). If this is the case, why does Maria see the same monsters? Will this be explained when I get the Maria ending? (I read about the other endings online and how to get them, but not their content, so please be spoiler-wary in your explanations if possible. At this point, I've only beaten the main scenario with the In Water ending, as I said, and the sub-scenario, which judging from your post, only has one ending).

I also heard somewhere the theory that James had seen the Pyramid Head painting in real life, which is why he sees them now. Is there any evidence to support this? He doesn't seem to recognize the painting when he sees it again in the Silent Hill Historical Society, beyond the fact that he recognizes Pyramid Head itself. I've also heard that it wouldn't make sense for other characters to see Pyramid Head, but why would this be so if the painting had existed in real life?

I like the interpretation that Pyramid Head was supposed to be an executioner of the Civil War and is supposed to be a source of great guilt or malice, and that's why he chases after James. Very interesting to be sure - it's not every day that you get this much subtext out of a video game. Overall I liked Silent Hill 2 a lot, probably about the same amount as the first. The plot is a little better, but the first game is terrifying as all fucking hell. I need to play through that again. SH2 wasn't nearly as scary, but holy shit, the jail portion of the game... it still gives me chills to think about it.
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Sat, January 31st, 2009   #3
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Just wanted to post again to give this game more love: it's the sole reason I bought a PS2. Sure, there are plenty of other games on PS2 that interest me (such as Silent Hill 3 and 4 but games outside the SH series as well), and I'll get them eventually, but this is the one that kept the purchase of a PS2 on my goal list for a long time, once I could get one at a reasonable price. I'm still flabbergasted that new consoles are over 100 bucks, so I got one used for 70. I guess it's because Sony still releases games on it as the PS3 doesn't seem to be faring so well.

I was actually a little disappointed my first time through, but after beating the game and discussing it a little with my buddy (we must have spent at least an hour total on the subject), I think it overall it comes close enough to my expectations. I guess I was expecting one of the best gaming experiences of my life (more from a story perspective, obviously), and I was a little disappointed by the supporting characters. Aside from Angela, they all seem a bit one-dimensional. Ooh, Eddie's a murderer because people called him fat! But eh, I think James' story is enough to carry the game. I guess I was just so pumped from hearing such great things about the game for such a long time. The video game clerk from which I bought it told me it was the best of the series, and that 3rd and 4th iterations were mere shadows of the 2nd.

I was a little annoyed by the gameplay with Maria following you around and was glad that it not only lasted long, but ended in a significant way. Maria dying was a lot like Mary dying all over again, and you really feel sorry for James and the guilt and failure that he feels when he can't protect her.

I got the In Water ending because I looked at the picture and letter enough times, and also looked at the knife enough too. Very interesting way of giving the player different endings. It's dumb, but I'm proud that I got the ending that I did, because it's confirmation that I cared about a reunion between James and his wife. Overall, very satisfying in terms of plot and ending.
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Sat, January 31st, 2009   #4
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Well remember that Maria herself is a creation of James's mind. That's supported by the fact that, if she was a real person, not one story point about her makes any sense at all (like, say, her getting killed repeatedly, and then turning into the final boss). So, it makes sense that she'd be seeing what James sees.

Also, note that Angela (and yes, I thought her "Lost" thing sounded very awkward too) doesn't see the same things James does. "They look like monsters to you?"

I'll say this though. Maria's scenario is very bizarre. She appears to be helping a figment of HER mind, and so how hazy is a figment of a figment? It's like she's so far into the mental realm she's touching the very edge of something. I better get Charles Dexter Ward in on this.
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3 Weeks Ago   #5
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Beanjo: I'm not sure how far you've gotten since you posted, so beware: I'm going to spoil the shit out of you below. Hold off reading it if you like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sacred Jellybean
Wait, really? I thought the voice acting in the first Silent Hill was far superior, though still not perfect. It's one of the first things I noticed on my first play-through. A good example is when James first meets Angela and tells her that he's lost, and she dramatically tilts her head forward and says in the most exaggerated voice imaginable, "Lo-OO-OSST???" As if she's never heard the word before and is trying hard to properly pronounce its subtle phonetics. There are barely any points in the game I can remember where I didn't find the terrible voice acting to be a great distraction, which, as the case with any game with a good story, is a shame.
That particular instance is kind of off, but at what point after was there any example of similarly strange acting? I found it much better than Harry's strange turns of phrase, the game's questionably-translated script, and those weird pauses in between each line of spoken dialogue.
Quote:
For instance, a friend of mine, who is another great fanatic of the series, was telling me that James and the other characters are, in fact, dead, and trying to work their way through some kind of Dante's Inferno purgatory where the demons of their life are tormenting them. Perhaps I'm hard-headed, but in the main scenario (not the sub-scenario, where I thought it was pretty clearly hinted at), I didn't see a lot of evidence to support that James was dead, ghost-town aside.
This was a popular theory years ago, but it's not entirely correct. The people in Silent Hill 2 are, mostly, being tormented, but only because they feel the subconscious desire to be tormented. Other characters (Laura, for example) are not being tormented. A memo found in the Hospital indicates that people who experience Silent Hill's otherword can see very dramatically different things, and mentions a patient who finds happiness within it.
Quote:
Here's something interesting which you've probably heard before: my aforementioned friend, who was obsessed with this game and read plenty about it online, told me the theory that all the monsters that James sees are manifestations of his sin, which is why most of them look feminine (as he had killed his wife in real life). If this is the case, why does Maria see the same monsters? Will this be explained when I get the Maria ending? (I read about the other endings online and how to get them, but not their content, so please be spoiler-wary in your explanations if possible. At this point, I've only beaten the main scenario with the In Water ending, as I said, and the sub-scenario, which judging from your post, only has one ending).
BIG SPOILER:





This is, however, not explained by the Maria ending.
Quote:
I also heard somewhere the theory that James had seen the Pyramid Head painting in real life, which is why he sees them now. Is there any evidence to support this? He doesn't seem to recognize the painting when he sees it again in the Silent Hill Historical Society, beyond the fact that he recognizes Pyramid Head itself.
It is never explicitly stated whether or not James has ever seen the painting before. The theory I subscribe to is that Pyramid Head's appearance is the result of the town's own subtle influences. Pyramid Head does, after all, appear in every subsequent Silent Hill except for 4.
Quote:
I've also heard that it wouldn't make sense for other characters to see Pyramid Head, but why would this be so if the painting had existed in real life?
The other characters don't see him (Eddie expressly denies it), but there's no special reason why they don't. As mentioned, characters in later games do see him.
Quote:
I like the interpretation that Pyramid Head was supposed to be an executioner of the Civil War and is supposed to be a source of great guilt or malice, and that's why he chases after James. Very interesting to be sure - it's not every day that you get this much subtext out of a video game.
I actually wrote a long theory about Pyramid Head's true nature here, as I believe his role goes far beyond simply being a punishing aggressor. Again, I suggest not reading it yet if you're worried about spoilers. The gist of it is that I believe that Pyramid Head is really the good guy, and Maria is the game's true villain (from James' perspective, anyway).
Quote:
I was actually a little disappointed my first time through, but after beating the game and discussing it a little with my buddy (we must have spent at least an hour total on the subject), I think it overall it comes close enough to my expectations. I guess I was expecting one of the best gaming experiences of my life (more from a story perspective, obviously), and I was a little disappointed by the supporting characters. Aside from Angela, they all seem a bit one-dimensional. Ooh, Eddie's a murderer because people called him fat! But eh, I think James' story is enough to carry the game. I guess I was just so pumped from hearing such great things about the game for such a long time. The video game clerk from which I bought it told me it was the best of the series, and that 3rd and 4th iterations were mere shadows of the 2nd.
Eddie's violence stems not just because he's tormented, but because he's sociopathic and emotionally immature. You can tell this because he speaks mostly in simple sentences and dresses like an eight-year old, and also because he reacts to negative stimuli by throwing what amounts to a very violent temper tantrum.

Laura is very likely the deepest of the game's supporting characters. She's there for the same reason James is there, and they share many connections he's not aware of. She can be seen as an extension of Mary's will.
Quote:
I got the In Water ending because I looked at the picture and letter enough times, and also looked at the knife enough too. Very interesting way of giving the player different endings. It's dumb, but I'm proud that I got the ending that I did, because it's confirmation that I cared about a reunion between James and his wife. Overall, very satisfying in terms of plot and ending.
Each of the game's endings is very special and very different. I personally like the Leave ending best, but the special Rebirth ending has a strong following as well.
Quote:
I'll say this though. Maria's scenario is very bizarre. She appears to be helping a figment of HER mind, and so how hazy is a figment of a figment? It's like she's so far into the mental realm she's touching the very edge of something. I better get Charles Dexter Ward in on this.
Doctor Baldwin is believed to be Brookhaven Hospital's director (and the person who leaves James several notes, messages, and a wrench), and the original Japanese text (along with many subtle clues in the game) indicate that Mary very likely stayed for a short time at Brookhaven near the end of her life. Baldwin is a figment of James's mind, not Maria's.
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