I put off playing the original for years, even though I've known and loved it for ages. I watched multiple playthroughs of it back then but never played it myself because I was always too scared to play it as an adolescent and young adult. I was just very sensitive to horror and have only now, at the age of 32, been able to catch up :D

It's incredible how well this game has aged. The atmosphere created by the great sound design and the graphic elements, as well as the level design, is incredibly dense. Of course, I already knew the story, but it is still very interesting, profound, mysterious and emotional. I already knew that the voice acting was a bit cheesy, but in some strange way it actually fits the story very well. I absolutely love how James' inner life is reflected in the world. I was also very touched by the stories of the NPCs, who are fighting their own demons and whose world looks very different to that of the player. I found Angela in particular and her fate very gripping and the theme of her trauma very tastefully handled. I was surprised by how easy the game was. I played on "Normal", was always quite frugal with the ammunition and ended up with several hundred rounds of ammo for all weapons :D I think I can be a bit more generous in future runs.

All in all, a unique experience which, with the Enhanced Edition, also runs totally smoothly on modern PCs.

Silent Hill 2 is just about as good as anyone who played it will tell you it is, but I also think that it's internet discussions - and discussions about the Silent Hill franchise in general - are a bit misguided and shallow. This is a very intorspective game by nature, it is impossible to talk about it and add anything substantial without leaving yourself a bit vulnerable. However, I myself am a bit of an hypocrite coward, so I'll take about things I really find compelling about this game without any spoilers.
I really love how the game leaves so many things up to interpretation about what trully happened in the story, trully a mysterious game by it's nature. Not only because you need to interpret the events from the game, but concepts, locals, characters' actions and such.
The supporting cast does a fenomenal job at helping this "mystery" about psyche grow in a constantly interesting way, even if they are lacking many times. Their actions and REactions are really important and add a lot to the story. That's what many people tell, but I really like to think about what it means for them to be there. I personally believe that those characters aren't just there to add substance, but also to guide you to unravel more behind James Sunderland's struggles and thoughts. I like the idea that maybe even more than characters, these people are ideas that are molded by the protagonist.
I also think that your reading of the story may vary depending on your own living. Maybe you won't understand a certain character's choice or action, but I think that even this misunderstanding makes the game more eary and interesting. It doens't try to spook you, generally speaking, it seems more interested in disturbing you through it's content and implications. The scariest thing in the game to me was something that many players might not even see in their first playthrough.
I don't really know how to write a conclusion to all of this, I'm not a professional... uh...
Please play the Silent Hill games

La manera correcta de jugar Silent Hill 2 a día de hoy, es una experiencia que hay que jugar sólo, leyendo y poniendo atención a todo lo que ves en pantalla.

Ambientación, Visuales, Sonido, Personajes.. 10/10

Deja que Silent Hill te atrape..

That was incredible but I'm such a coward lol, had to play this in short bursts because I would get so immersed and stressed. Does not help that my name's James too. But yeah, happy to finally know why SH2 is considered one of the best games ever - a real "I get it now" moment. Plus now I can enjoy the OST I loved even before playing this with context. I've already spent hours on further videos and reading like this excellent page: https://www.silenthillmemories.net/sh2/plot_analysis_en.htm

(I know I could've pulled back the curtain and game-ified it by recklessly charging through every new level until dying and reloading saves with enemy + area layouts memorized but I wanted to keep the experience "pure")

Una absoluta obra de arte. No tengo mucho para decir mas allá del hecho de que me voy a acordar de esto por mucho tiempo, le voy a dar vueltas a la historia y a lo que significa, le voy a dar vueltas a James y Angel y Eddie, quien es Maria? Laura siquiera existe? Un análisis profundo de la psiquis humana, como nunca habia escuchado de una historia similiar? Es la idea que siempre quise, Babadook pero realmente bien hecho, mucho mas oscuro y profundo. No puedo esperar a rejugarlo, encontrar detalles. Teorizar, leer análisis y ver video essays- Realmente un clásico. La atmósfera es tremenda, la sensación de desesperación y horror es brutal y estuve todo el tiempo at the edge of my seat, incómodo, con ganas de no estar en donde estoy. Brillante

A 10 día de terminarlo sigo pensando en este juego. In my restless dreams, I
see that town. Que historia, que locura. Que humano, que intenso, que emotivo. Sigo pensando en Harry y en su decisión, en su sufrimiento y su agonía. Pienso en Mary, pienso en Angela. Pienso en María, que ni siquiera existe. Quien es Laura?