Silent Hill 2

Rating:
Summary: So, what's it like? Well...
Review: ...try to imagine slogging your way through a Marilyn Manson music video, at night, with the fog machine turned up. *Way* up. Only the music isn't Marilyn Manson (more's the pity), but a mishmash of semi-creepy "theme" music and some hack's electric guitars.

There's plenty of hack and slash in this game, mostly because there aren't many guns and ammo is limited. Hand-to-hand combat (mostly with a big stick or a steel pipe) is the order of the day (or night, whatever). You'll thank your lucky stars for the map feature, since it's easy to get lost in this burned-out burg, and there's plenty of creepy-crawlies around. Thankfully, you can easily dodge most of them and focus on the battles you really *have* to fight.

This game kind of wears out its' welcome after you've beaten it two or three times, so get it cheap or just rent it. Otherwise you're better off with anything from the "Resident Evil" series, or "Silent Hill" 3 or 4.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding aventure with a lot of staying power!
Review: After decades of dabbling in the computer world, I've watched adventure games evolve from being purely text-based sometimes with cheesy CGI graphics to the sophisticated creatures they are today. They have advanced impressively in both graphical presentation and story development. At no time though has any adventure game drawn me in so deeply that I actually become attached to the characters and emotionally impacted by the story. Silent Hill 2 is the first to accomplish this. It has humanized the experience of the classic adventure game.

Silent Hill 2 has mated a highly advanced adventure game with a Hollywood production. The plot could be woven easily into a screenplay and ported to a soundstage with top-named actors. I envision Brad Pitt, perhaps, as the main character, James Sunderland.

James is a 30-something man who lost his wife, Mary, to a fatal illness three years earlier. He's an emotionally shattered reflection of his former self. When a letter arrives from his wife asking him to meet her at their "special place" in the quaint town of Silent Hill, James becomes obsessed with finding her. Silent Hill was a special spot for him and Mary. He harbors many loving memories of the time they shared there. Finding Mary and determining whether or not she is really alive becomes the primary conflict of the story.

Upon entering Silent Hill, James realizes it's not the same town of old. It's dark and desolate, always nighttime, crawling with a swarm of dense fog, and infested with horrific creatures.

Silent Hill 2 contains only six human characters and plenty of movie interludes to carry interest and develop both plot and characterization. Along with James and Mary you will encounter a sexy blonde named Maria who obviously has an interest in James beyond mere protection. Maria follows James through part of the story, seeking his protection. A little girl named Laura taunts James throughout the adventure, but eventually becomes a valuable help to him. Psychotic Eddie Dombrowski is an overweight man who wears a baseball cap and dresses like a little boy in clothes too small for him. He has a knack for always being the only one around when someone has been killed. And, of course, he's quick to state, "I had nothing to do with it... honest!" Another female named Angela has a particularly interesting role. Young and somewhat less sensual than Maria, it does leave one wondering if either female might sway James during the course of the adventure.

Along with the human characters is a large collection of highly imaginative and ghastly creatures. Some appear as partially melted humans that growl and hiss; others are dressed as nurses that appear equally as distorted and intimidating, limping slowly with a crooked neck and hanging arm. Strange mannequin-like creatures with legs rather than arms walk with a clickety-clack, and have a kick with impact! A boss doorman is a square, bloated creature who's a real threat when encountered. But, the most feared creature is named Pyramid Head, a man in a white cloak with a huge steel pyramid as a head and sometimes carrying an enormous sword or spear. In boss fights, Pyramid Head is practically invincible.

Silent Hill 2 is ingeniously developed, rich with dramatic surroundings and areas to explore that are so detailed I have to marvel at the talent of the Konami development team. The graphics are absolutely top-shelf and the play is smooth and consistent. The mood is highly affecting, with many scenes and sonic environments literally sending chills up my spine. The soundtrack and atmospheric sounds are wonderful, setting the mood for all situations encountered. The exploration portions of the adventure are neatly distributed with movie action in a way that draws the player into the story, tempting them to continue. Once started, it's hard to stop.

This isn't the kind of story you complete and put away. It has multiple endings and different twists with each play. One can play it in easy or normal mode, then increase the difficulty level and play it again. You'll find when starting a new game, while it's still the same plot and premise, there are different scene interludes and new areas to explore.

After completing the story you can also start a new game and play a subplot. The primary character is not James, but rather Maria. You'll be in the same town but explore different buildings. In a sense, it's like a whole separate game.

Silent Hill 2 raises the bar for quality adventure game play. While I have not played all the games out there, it is the most absorbing and affecting game I have ever played. The gaming market is not glutted with adventure games based on psychological horror; there are but a handful of these available. In my opinion, Silent Hill sets the standard by which all others should follow.

So, purchase the game. When it comes, make a bowl of popcorn, pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low and the volume up high on your computer speakers, then be prepared to be frightened in a way no adventure game has ever scared you.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding aventure with a lot of staying power!
Review: After decades of dabbling in the computer world, I've watched adventure games evolve from being purely text-based sometimes with cheesy CGI graphics to the sophisticated creatures they are today. They have advanced impressively in both graphical presentation and story development. At no time though has any adventure game drawn me in so deeply that I actually become attached to the characters and emotionally impacted by the story. Silent Hill 2 is the first to accomplish this. It has humanized the experience of the classic adventure game.

Silent Hill 2 has mated a highly advanced adventure game with a Hollywood production. The plot could be woven easily into a screenplay and ported to a soundstage with top-named actors. I envision Brad Pitt, perhaps, as the main character, James Sunderland.

James is a 30-something man who lost his wife, Mary, to a fatal illness three years earlier. He's an emotionally shattered reflection of his former self. When a letter arrives from his wife asking him to meet her at their "special place" in the quaint town of Silent Hill, James becomes obsessed with finding her. Silent Hill was a special spot for him and Mary. He harbors many loving memories of the time they shared there. Finding Mary and determining whether or not she is really alive becomes the primary conflict of the story.

Upon entering Silent Hill, James realizes it's not the same town of old. It's dark and desolate, always nighttime, crawling with a swarm of dense fog, and infested with horrific creatures.

Silent Hill 2 contains only six human characters and plenty of movie interludes to carry interest and develop both plot and characterization. Along with James and Mary you will encounter a sexy blonde named Maria who obviously has an interest in James beyond mere protection. Maria follows James through part of the story, seeking his protection. A little girl named Laura taunts James throughout the adventure, but eventually becomes a valuable help to him. Psychotic Eddie Dombrowski is an overweight man who wears a baseball cap and dresses like a little boy in clothes too small for him. He has a knack for always being the only one around when someone has been killed. And, of course, he's quick to state, "I had nothing to do with it... honest!" Another female named Angela has a particularly interesting role. Young and somewhat less sensual than Maria, it does leave one wondering if either female might sway James during the course of the adventure.

Along with the human characters is a large collection of highly imaginative and ghastly creatures. Some appear as partially melted humans that growl and hiss; others are dressed as nurses that appear equally as distorted and intimidating, limping slowly with a crooked neck and hanging arm. Strange mannequin-like creatures with legs rather than arms walk with a clickety-clack, and have a kick with impact! A boss doorman is a square, bloated creature who's a real threat when encountered. But, the most feared creature is named Pyramid Head, a man in a white cloak with a huge steel pyramid as a head and sometimes carrying an enormous sword or spear. In boss fights, Pyramid Head is practically invincible.

Silent Hill 2 is ingeniously developed, rich with dramatic surroundings and areas to explore that are so detailed I have to marvel at the talent of the Konami development team. The graphics are absolutely top-shelf and the play is smooth and consistent. The mood is highly affecting, with many scenes and sonic environments literally sending chills up my spine. The soundtrack and atmospheric sounds are wonderful, setting the mood for all situations encountered. The exploration portions of the adventure are neatly distributed with movie action in a way that draws the player into the story, tempting them to continue. Once started, it's hard to stop.

This isn't the kind of story you complete and put away. It has multiple endings and different twists with each play. One can play it in easy or normal mode, then increase the difficulty level and play it again. You'll find when starting a new game, while it's still the same plot and premise, there are different scene interludes and new areas to explore.

After completing the story you can also start a new game and play a subplot. The primary character is not James, but rather Maria. You'll be in the same town but explore different buildings. In a sense, it's like a whole separate game.

Silent Hill 2 raises the bar for quality adventure game play. While I have not played all the games out there, it is the most absorbing and affecting game I have ever played. The gaming market is not glutted with adventure games based on psychological horror; there are but a handful of these available. In my opinion, Silent Hill sets the standard by which all others should follow.

So, purchase the game. When it comes, make a bowl of popcorn, pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low and the volume up high on your computer speakers, then be prepared to be frightened in a way no adventure game has ever scared you.

Rating:
Summary: Resident What?
Review: Before I had played any Silent Hill games I only thought that they were wanna be Resident Evils. I will admit it. This time I was wrong. This makes Resident Evil seem unreal. In Resident Evil there is a variety of weapons ; grenade launchers and rocket launchers. Tell me one city that is not full military like Washington DC that has either of those weapons.

Now lets talk about Silent Hill 2. There is a complete story where nothing is predictable. Everything is explainable in this story. All of the puzzles are solvable by reading the text and using thought. Now do not get me wrong I am not calling you stupid if you do not get the puzzles. This is one of the greatest games of all time and is even a Greatest Hits on the Ps2. There is a little time where you can explore the controls without worry of being attacked. And the first time you can be attacked you are against the weakest opponent and there is only one hit needed to kill him. The rest of the game is puzzles, horror, and fighting. You have realistic weapons ; board with a nail, lead pipe, hand gun, shotgun, and a rifle, you even get to use Pyramid Head's Great Knife when you find it.

Rating:
Summary: Gives You the Whim-Whams
Review: Extremely atmospheric and creepy (the indecipherable whispering coming from behind your right ear and moving around....brrrrr, especially at 2 in the morning, home alone with the lights off), very rich graphics, and beautiful music/sound. There are is one annoying oddity with the graphics though, and this might just be me, but the stray sliver of light behind you all the time when you have the flashlight on. About the only thing keeping this from a 5-star rating is the GODAWFUL --I repeat, GODAWFUL-- voice-acting (it's right up there with "Freelancer"; it almost makes you feel embarrassed for them), the finger-knotting controls (eventually you get the knack, but still...), and the camera which is not very intuitive at all. But definitely a great game and well worth the $.

Rating:
Summary: good game but not that scary...
Review: First off, The main mistake I did before playing this game is playing Fatal Frame. The reason I said that is Fatal Frame is so much more scarier, has a better storyline and more maneuverable than Silent Hill 2.

Since I'm reviewing Silet Hill 2 in contrast to games of the same genre, I will say that Silent Hill 2 has pretty good graphics although the character is a little hard to maneuver especially if you're being attacked by 2 freakish looking bodies simultaneously.

The premise of the game does lend itself to a spooky story ~ this person looking for his dead wife in Silent Hill. However, the bulk of the freakiness at the beginning of the game is the fog and not being able to see the monster until you get a bit closer. It's the typical bash the ghost with objects, guns,... blah blah blah. My only problem is the character swings weapons too slowly and by the time you hit one, the other one is spraying some stuff all over your already.

If you're looking for a horror game that's truly scary with a good story line, I would highly suggest getting Fatal Frame instead.

Rating:
Summary: Ehhh...Nothing new here...
Review: I bought this game hoping to play a scary, exciting, action packed horror game, but was let down when I got through the first couple hours of game play. The game itself is well made. The graphics are decent and up to par for the year it was made, however, to me, the game has far too much "WALK AROUND LOOKING FOR CLUES" time and not enough "SHOOT THE MONSTERS" time. At first, I thought the game was creepy. The eerie sound effects and foggy atmosphere give the game player a truly on edge dread, but once you find yourself running in circles or trapped in the same area in search of clues that don't seem to serve any purpose it becomes a little boring and repetitive. Maybe I should have tried the game on HARD mode instead of NORMAL, but there didn't seem to be a lot of action throughout the game. If you want something spooky that has an overall gloomy and dark feel to it with only minimal action than this game might be for you. I found myself bored by it, but will give it 3 stars for the creepiness factor and the movie sequences, which I felt were well done.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly enjoyable
Review: I didn't expect to like this game too much; I'm not a horror fan, and my tastes run more to brain games like Riven. But this is an intelligent and versatile game that I found surprisingly appealing. The puzzles are creative and sometimes challenging (and can be set to easy, medium, or hard), and the run-and-shoot stuff is doable, especially if you do as I did and set the Action level to Beginner.

Acting and writing are far better than I expected in this genre. Graphics are ... good enough, though there's a heavy reliance on fog or darkness to keep the scenery minimal. The story is touching, if a bit trite in spots. The mo-cap characters are stunningly realistic. Controls are workable, though there's an annoying tendency to have the camera looking at the character's face so you can't tell what's in front of you or look in a specific direction. Replayability is excellent, with six different endings for the main scenario (two of them Easter eggs) and one for the sub scenario.

So when is SH3 being released for the PC?

Rating:
Summary: The Horror Continues
Review: I first got Silent Hill back when it was released in 1998, and I was completely blown away. The setting was a dark, twisted world of unspeakable horror, with demonic enemies, dark environments, and horrific sound effects that kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire game. Most of all, it was the first game I'd played that had a full "town" you could explore with all the fixings: signs, lightposts, mailboxes, picnic tables, everything. Not only that, but the town was doused in a creepy fog, and was without power, so when night fell it was DARK.

When I heard Silent Hill 2 was coming out, I became very excited. As a huge fan of the Resident Evil series, and owner of the first title, I knew this would be a welcome addition to my library. And I wasn't disappointed...

You play as James, a lonely man, who lost his wife years ago to an illness, and has gotten a letter recently addressed to him from her. She says she's waiting for him in their "special place" at Silent Hill. James immediately rushes to the small American town to try to find the reason why he received this letter, and to perhaps bring his late wife Mary back from the dead.

After that, everything goes wild. You battle an assortment of strange, twisted enemies, and explore the same deserted, dark town for clues and answers to Mary's whereabouts. You also meet a few survivors, struggling to find their places within Silent Hill's grasp. People like Eddy, an obese teenager with mental issues, and Angela, a young woman trying to find her family.

The stunning real-life graphics make this game very appealing. Not only are you able to explore the town in great detail as you did in its predecessor, but now the detail level of the buildings and background is even better. The cutscenes are done in mastered CGI graphics, with fluid animation that almost looks too real to be done by a computer.

Another feature, which is often taken for granted in games, is the sounds. Most games have a trite array of sound effects for selecting items, picking stuff up, using them, etc., but they're there mostly because the player knows doing those actions would merit sounds. In Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2, the sounds are integrated as part of the experience. The creepy groans of old iron gates, the eerie squelch of your pocket radio when enemies are nearby, the docile music in the background that chills you each step you take. Definitely keep the sound on when playing this title; it's not the same without it.

The weapon choices have not made a whole lot of progress; you still get the handgun, the shotgun, and the rifle, plus a two-by-four and a steel pole. Eventually, you get this giant knife that swings real slow, but does an extraordinary amount of damage to enemies, often killing in one hit. Still, they don't compare with Silent Hill's best weapon, the fire hammer! A couple swings with that thing tore just about anything up. Of course, you will also find puzzle items you need to put here and there to go on, as well as keys to open certain doors and gates.

As with any title, Silent Hill 2 is not without its flaws. The game offers different endings, depending on how your progress went, but none of them really give a solid resolution to the game. You still feel like there's more of the story to tell. Also, it's easy to get lost, since the areas are not very well lit. Plus, some of the puzzles may be confusing, as you're not sure exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And finally, the main character's (James') voice characterization isn't very good, but I was expecting that. Harry from Silent Hill wasn't that great either. I'm thinking this might be done on purpose by the Konami designers, since they did it on both titles, but I'm not sure why.

Overall, I give this title the highest rating I can: a 10 of 10. Definitely a must-have for anyone who likes to be scared. But I don't want to necessarily recommend this to Resident Evil fans; if you like the action and fast-pace of the RE series, Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 are not for you. The combat scenes are not nearly as frequent, nor as rewarding. The best aspects of the game are the plot and the atmosphere, not the combat. So if you don't have a copy of this game, get one today! At least rent it first. You will see how true horror is done first hand.

Rating:
Summary: Super Game
Review: I have to say that this is the best game I have ever played and I have played a lot of games! Its got everything- great graphics, awesome music, a very deep plot/storyline, and it's pretty darn scary! I highly recommend this game. But I must warn you, it's very, very addictive!