I like Silent Hill 2's story and especially it's incredible atmosphere. Although, I had trouble getting attached to the characters due to the voice acting. I was laughing a bit too much at some of the scenes when they're supposed to be serious. It's not out of place for the time it was released in though.

The gameplay is very stagnant. There is not a lot of combat variety as you will be fighting the same 2 zombies over and over again with the same strategy every time. Item distribution feels very unbalanced as well. I had way too much ammo and health pickups by the end of the game while I had used them carelessly whenever I needed. I was disappointed by this because I enjoy when survival horror games have emphasis on resource management and having to make decisions to preserve your inventory without wasting it all. I was playing on normal mode, but it felt like it was on very easy mode or something. I did enjoy the games puzzles for what they were though, along with the excellent soundtrack.

As far as this remaster though? Really good. I'm glad Silent Hill 2 is now properly playable on something that isn't the PS2. I remember it having some glitchy shadows at a part near the end, but other than that, it ran great and looked great.

I can say that I liked what the game was going for.
If Resident Evil is a holywood blockbuster with a coherent storyline and a narrative you can follow from start to finish and not be confused, Silent Hill is more akin to a David Lynch film, an arthouse piece, with a narrative that is scattered all across the medium and is never 100% clear with what it's doing. You always have to finish picking up what it's trying to put down.
I'd say this is probably the strongest part of the whole package here - the story, the dreamlike way of it's storytelling and the ambience of Silent Hill. The enemy designs are great, and the music really makes you feel unwell in the more suspensful parts of the game.
However, as much as I like the ideas of the game, it's "gameplay" part leaves me wishing for more. This was my first playthrough of it ever, I never had the chance to play it when it was more relevant, so I come with some of the modern ideas about gameplay design in the genre, and I am just not a fan. Sometimes it's the janky camera, sometimes it's the hitboxes, sometimes it's just the encounter design in general. None of the bosses were memorable (except maybe for Eddie, but that's a maybe), and they are most often just damage sponges that test your patience.
I can sense some artistic statement in the way the gameplay works, but I just honestly did not find it that fun or helping the other parts of the game (I'd say even the puzzles are somewhat better).
One metaphor that I noticed was that when you first start going to Silent Hill on the beach, the camera actually shows you the face of the protagonist, and does not show you the way forward, almost as if it wanted to say "Turn Back". There are many cool camera tricks in the game, but that maybe stuck with me the most.
I feel that it aged, and a newer coat of paint would do it good, but boy i am not sure if Bloober team is going to hit the ball.
We can only hope.

To be honest, I don't quite know what to think of the game. I had fun, but something bothers me about it. The atmosphere in the game is great. I still love the foggy city, just like in 1. The enemy design was also on point again. I was able to follow the main storyline and understood it, but everything that happened next to it just confused me. The technical gameplay wasn't absolutely strong either, but the puzzles were great. I was unsure whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars, but for the atmosphere and the vibe the game gave off, it gets a 4 for now.

It is so hard to meet expectations as high as people set for Silent Hill 2, and for that game to meet them in 2023. Video games evolve so rapidly, especially in terms of aesthetics and storytelling, that a game from 2001 that leans heavily on those will inherently have an uphill battle.

Silent Hill 2 takes all that in its stride to deliver what is still a peerless, often imitated horror experience -- even in 2023. It's PS2 era vibe and feel have aged gracefully and almost enhance the atmosphere. The music is incredible; haunting and ethereal at times, mechanical and menacing at others. The story is fascinating and doesn't whiff with the ending like many.

The combat is stiff which in turn makes the boss fights feel mechanically basic, but that's thematically appropriate at least, and to knock points off this as some kind of box ticking exercise would miss the point.

A note on the Enhanced Edition; it is excellent. A superb way to play this classic game. The PS2 version has its emulation woes, the HD collection is a legendary fumble, and physical copies are extortionately priced - but thankfully the folks behind this project did some incredible work to the PC version. And it ran like a dream on Steam Deck. HD, widescreen, 60 fps.

This was a really good game overall, the story is interesting and the characters too, the soundtrack is very good, the voice acting is mostly very mehhh, the gameplay is ok, the graphics were also good (this is the enhaced edition), it's a bit clunky but it gets the job done. I think sometimes it gets a bit confusing what you have to do next (I didn't play this for a couple months and I was a bit lost when I picked it up again, I stopped playing it because I started playing other games and then I kinda forgot I had to play this too lol), the remake will probably improve upon this and the gameplay, they said it'll be different so hopefully it's good! I already knew the final twist but it was still good to see how it all wrapped up. If I played this like 10 years ago or on its launch I'm sure I'd give it a higher rating, but meh voice acting, clunky gameplay and sometimes confusing sections drag the score a bit down for me. There was one puzzle where I had to look up what the hell the answer was because I couldn't understand the numbers that were on a wall, they were so messed up, it seemed like a number but it was actually another lol. Hopefully in the remake they also change this. If you're into horror this is a great game!

O melhor jogo da franquia até agora. Desculpa, mas mesmo amando Silent Hill 3 de todas as formas o 2 me cativou e me fez amar a franquia de vez. Tudo nesse jogo é um aprimoramento no 1, exploração, combate, controles e até mesmo a história é igualmente interessante como a do 1. A cidade é muito boa de se explorar, a cada canto você acha uma munição ou item de cura pro seu inventário e o James abaixa a cabeça na direção do item quando está perto do mesmo, ajudando ainda mais na exploração. Por mais que certos puzzles e a área do labirinto não me agradarem muito, não acho que eles estragaram minha experiência com o jogo. Não vou dar spoilers da história, mesmo o jogo sendo de 20 anos atrás, eu acho que todo mundo deveria joga-lo e aproveitar o máximo que esse jogo tem pra oferecer. Inclusive, a enhanced edition é maravilhosa e tiro meu chapéu pros fãs que se esforçaram pra deixar esse jogo o mais polido e otimazado o máximo que conseguiram, definitivamente, até o momento, é a versão definitiva do SH2.

i love the idea of Silent Hill, but the hype for second entrance to the series' story was too colossal. maybe if i didn't watch any movies, read any books, or never thought while studying a piece of art i would be shocked about the notorious ending, but personally i kinda like original's finish more.

non the less, it's a great survival horror and classic for a reason. everything is great about it prior to last half an hour of game: setting, puzzles, exploration and even combat, including great replayability with -- what? -- four endings.

the only thing that kills the game for me is how ridiculous is hard difficulty; if it's your first run you won't finished the game (same thirty minutes) without cheese and annoyance.

Enhanced Edition is probably the best way to experience SH2 (unless you're a collector or you're really set on playing the PS2 original).

The game looks really good (on top of how great the PS2 original still looks) and enhanced edition fixes all the issues with the buggy original PC release.

Don't buy a physical PS2 copy from a scalper when this exists and is just as good!

Part of Spooky Season 2023.

My original experience with Silent Hill 2 was about six years ago. I played through it alongside an old friend who would constantly tell me what to do and where to go while reading a walkthrough online. Even though we did have a good time getting spooked and making fun of the stilted and awkward voice acting and dialogue, we ultimately hindered our experience. We thought the game was kinda “meh” and never really got what made the game so special. Over the years since that original playthrough, I’ve watched numerous video essays and read several articles and fan sites for Silent Hill 2 in an attempt to better understand the story, the symbolism, and why the game in general is so beloved. Despite my initial apathetic feelings towards the game, it managed to occupy a space in the back of my mind for years. Much like how the titular town calls the characters to it, I keep coming back to Silent Hill 2 and the unsettling journey into the depths of James Sunderland’s mind and soul, learning more and more about it each time I do, even if I’m not directly playing the game. After finishing my second playthrough, despite knowing just about every little detail regarding the game’s narrative going into it, Silent Hill 2 still managed to leave a rather large impact on me, even if there are some parts of it that sadly tear me away from what is otherwise one of the most captivating games I’ve ever played.

With the change in console generations, Team Silent chose to refine the elements that made the first Silent Hill standout. The visuals and sound design, which were already some of the best in the medium on the PlayStation 1, manage to get even better here. The biggest improvement overall though, is in the game’s storytelling. While the surface level narrative of the first game was solid, the storytelling was at its best with what wasn’t explicitly shown or explained. The environmental storytelling and the ambiguous nature to certain aspects of the plot in conjunction with what was being directly shown was what made that game’s story great for me. Silent Hill 2 takes the same approach, but to a far greater extent. The game tells a story that is so hauntingly personal and horrifically tragic that words which can convey how effective and emotional it is fail me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a piece of media where the pitch black, bottomless emptiness of immense guilt and despair is communicated so well.

Almost every aspect of Silent Hill 2 has been expertly crafted to communicate details of the plot, characters, or the themes of the narrative. The town and the locations you explore within it aren’t just dark and frightening labyrinths. The monsters you encounter aren’t just creepy flesh abominations. They all represent something, they’re all telling you things about either James or the other characters of the game’s story. The symbolism compels you to reflect upon the places you go to and the things and people you encounter, consider what it all means, and why things are the way they are. This is how Silent Hill 2 manages to suck you into its world and keep you thinking about it long after you’ve finished playing it. It is truly excellent storytelling that I haven’t really seen in many other video games I’ve played.

In terms of structure and gameplay, not much has really changed between the first and second Silent Hill. Both titles play almost exactly the same, and as a result, they both share many of the same strengths and weaknesses (which I discuss in greater detail in my review of the first game). Controls and combat are virtually unchanged aside from the guns feeling like they pack more of a punch. Boss fights are once again rather simple, though they do actually require you to occasionally move now instead of just standing in one spot and tanking attacks while you shoot them with your best guns. Still, they never get more complicated than just running to one corner of the room, firing a few shots, rinse and repeat. Once again, I found the game to be at its best when exploring the indoor dungeon-like locations such as Wood Creek Apartments or Brookhaven Hospital. You do spend more time in these sorts of locations and less time exploring the town this time around, which is honestly a huge plus. It’s clear that the goal of the devs wasn’t to really expand or alter the way Silent Hill 2 is played in any significant way, and instead to just stick with what worked.

The biggest gameplay change is how the difficulty works. Instead of an all encompassing Easy/Normal/Hard difficulty setting, Silent Hill 2 allows you to choose the difficulty for combat and puzzles separately, letting you customize your difficulty experience. Being the casual that I am, I chose Normal for both. I thought this was fine for the puzzles, which were a lot less cryptic compared to the puzzles on the same difficulty in the first game. They still require you to think outside the box, but I was able to solve almost all of them on my own. However, the Normal difficulty for combat is way too easy, and I don’t think it’s just because this is my second playthrough. What makes combat so easy is that the game showers you with ammo and health items, to an overbearing extent. Silent Hill 1 had a similar problem, but it’s even worse here. There was actually a point in the first game where I nearly used up all of my handgun ammo because I wasn’t thinking and almost put myself in a difficult position. This stressed me out and really forced me to reconsider my ammo usage despite the fact that I was eventually able to rebuild a large amount of ammo during the rest of the game.

In Silent Hill 2, you never have to think about item management on Normal difficulty. By the time I reached the final boss, I had over 150 rounds of handgun ammo, over 100 shotgun shells, as well as dozens of rounds for the rifle. I also had roughly 20 different healing items in total as well. The final area in the game in particular has a ton of ammo and healing items you can easily find. I don’t know if playing on Hard would make any difference or not. After looking into it, I’ve seen mostly mixed responses regarding the difficulty from people online. A lot of folks say that it doesn’t make that much of a difference, and that Hard also makes certain set pieces such as the Brookhaven Hospital Basement and the controls for the Boat more difficult in a detracting way. I didn’t play through Hard myself so take that with a grain of salt, but if that is the case, then I’d say that this is the biggest problem with Silent Hill 2. Since you have so much ammo and healing items, there’s no risk to just blasting away almost every enemy you come across, which dramatically lessens the threat they pose and takes you out of the horror experience. As a result, I actually think Silent Hill 2 plays slightly worse and is a bit less tense compared to Silent Hill 1.

I also feel like the camera is a lot worse compared to the first game as well. Oftentimes, especially in long and cramped hallways, the camera just won’t cooperate and rotate to a view of James from behind. It’ll swing around wildly, making it very difficult to see what’s in front of James. This is especially frustrating if the Radio is detecting an enemy nearby and you’re trying to rotate the camera so that you can check to see which direction the enemy is in, and I have gotten injured by enemies as a result of the camera not cooperating. This was also an occasional issue in Silent Hill 1, but it happened to me so infrequently that I didn’t even bother to mention it in my review of that game, and it’s a surprise that it’s a much bigger problem here.

If you are the type of player who prioritizes gameplay above all else, then I think that Silent Hill 2 may end up leaving you disappointed. Gameplay is not where the title shines, and is honestly it’s weakest aspect. However, every other element of the game is handled in a masterclass fashion. There are very few games that I have played that even come close to being as immersive or that tell a story as expertly as Silent Hill 2 does. Team Silent really played to their strengths and crafted an experience that very few games I’ve played have even come close to matching. After all these years, despite thinking that I understood it before, now I feel like I can post that Always Sunny gif of Danny DeVito and say that “I get it”. I get why this game is heralded as a masterpiece, why it’s still being talked about to this day, why I keep randomly thinking about it even after all these years since my first playthrough, and why it’s deeply impacted so many people. Despite its blemishes, there’s still a lot of beauty to it, and I think that it’s a game that’s definitely earned its cult status

- Leave Ending, Normal difficulty -
Holy fuck.
I honestly cannot put into words the things this game made me feel by the end of it. What a beautiful journey...
This game is an absurd upgrade to the first game, combat feels a bit more fluid and intentionally janky, albeit to a more comfortable aspect with the Enhanced Edition's 60 FPS and full widescreen support (almost to a fault since some cutscenes might be a bit glitchy because of it).
I'll try and not go into spoiler territory here, but.... yeah, all the things I heard and read about this game's story and atmosphere are truly real. Not just that, but this game also somewhat embraces the MGS2 idea of playing with what the player knows this game should and should not do. For instance, a segment where you seem stuck just might mean you gotta keep looking for an "invisible wall" of sorts, or maybe the game wants you to turn off a core mechanic from the game for you to play properly.
It's an insane descent into madness and grief, with that good PS2-era cheesy dialogues and atmospheric soundtrack playing, clearly inspired by those small town shows where the peaks might be a bit twin for your own good.
Since I was a kid I remember reading a walkthrough magazine I got that had both Silent Hill 1 and 2 on it, never fully understanding it since the game was in english and the magazine just gave you the abridged version of the events on a cutscene. And... since then this game has been etched into my mind, even though I never went out of my way to play it. It... didn't feel right.
Now as I'm older and I dealt with the loss of family members, I can understand this game a lot better.
Overall, a fantastic experience I feel every survival horror fan should play. And... this does make me somewhat scared of what the remake might do.

esse foi um dos que eu mais demorei pra zerar, tanto que nem tenho uma data exata para fornecer na avaliação pois foi uma jornada conturbada desde perda de save até eu dropando o jogo por semanas kkkk
simplesmente porque esse jogo me aterrorizou, merece todo o mérito e referência como um terror psicológico. ele te joga na cidade de silent hill somente te entregando as informações aleatórias de que a esposa do protagonista morreu há 3 anos por uma doença, mas agora ele recebeu uma carta e deve encontrá-la. todo esse suspense e a forma como a história se desenvolve, e juntos vamos mergulhando no declínio mental de James Sunderland cria uma atmosfera tão sufocante que quem disser que não sentiu medo está mentindo.
a ambientação, trilha sonora, narração, diálogos... tudo nesse jogo é pensado com tanto cuidado que esquecemos por um momento que se trata de uma obra no início dos anos 2000, pois a jogabilidade envelheceu extremamente bem, e fico feliz pelo projeto enhanced edition que nos permite ver esse jogo em gráficos tão bonitos até mesmo 20+ anos depois do lançamento.
espero verdadeiramente que o remake anunciado consiga captar e recriar essa caminhada torturante que o James Sunderland enfrenta e que nós enfrentamos junto com ele, pois essa é uma característica marcante de silent hill — te colocar no lugar do personagem e fazer você sentir na pele toda a angústia, solidão, medo, incerteza e tortura mental que ele está passando.

It's the best-looking and best-running (60fps) version of the game. The bosses still move at double-speed like in the original PC port, so be careful if you have a preferred strategy from the console versions.

I have a complaint with it (the game, not the Enhanced Edition mods), even though I'm giving it a 5/5, and it's a very specific (and for most people, petty) complaint. If you do play these games for their scoring aspects (10 stars), the 75 shooting kills required are quite the slog when compared to the original game. This is mainly due to the nerf to guns in general as a single shot on downed enemies no longer finishes them off. The rifle in particular is almost completely worthless. You will probably need to waste a good 30 minutes clearing the streets after Brookhaven to meet quota. While you absolutely can get kills using other weapons, the 2-4 shotgun shots required is so much less grating than the 30+ handgun bullets (the rifle is somehow worse) it'd take. I'd gripe that the game should penalize you for using the Green Hyper Spray, but you've earned that right after unlocking it.

The game also has the smoothest tank-controls I've ever used personally. Silent Hill 3's might be slightly better for general movement, but you lose the ability to run-strafe on stairs in that game. I only wish you were able to constantly run at top-speed like in Silent Hill 1.

Incredible game overall though. In certain aspects, I still find it to be underrated. 5/5