Silent Hill 2 cultivates an atmosphere that is so absolute, it seems to bleed from the screen, even affecting the player in the real world. I've never so desperately wished for the company of another character so as to not feel quite so alone; or the rare warmth of some light to illuminate the monsters hiding in the dark. Silent Hill 2 makes you truly appreciate every respite from the dark, whether that be an encounter with another character, another health item or supply to keep you going, and most importantly, the little red save book to let you know you're safe...for now.
It really feels like Silent Hill 2 is using the hardware of the PS2 to it limits. The environments are as dank and decrepit as they are graphically beautiful.
This sequel takes everything that worked about the first game, and then drives it up to 100. James is just as compelling a character, and perhaps even moreso, than Harry. Gone are all of the baffling cult implications, replaced with a captivating story of one man at war with his own demons.
As the story continues and the environments become more eerie and unsettling, I found myself playing for longer stretches, increasingly keen to overcome my own fear to experience the interestingly chilling story. Even in areas of the game where I might have thought myself safe, the atmosphere is so well developed that, as a player, I never truly was able to let my guard down. Contrary to this becoming exhausting, it only served to make me want to push onwards to discover what else this game had in store for me.
I said in my original review for Silent Hill that I was moving swiftly on to experience the sequel for the first time. That was nearly two years ago. I put it off for so long to build up the nerve to play what I knew was such a beautiful but unsettling game - I'm truly sorry it took me this long to experience it.
It really feels like Silent Hill 2 is using the hardware of the PS2 to it limits. The environments are as dank and decrepit as they are graphically beautiful.
This sequel takes everything that worked about the first game, and then drives it up to 100. James is just as compelling a character, and perhaps even moreso, than Harry. Gone are all of the baffling cult implications, replaced with a captivating story of one man at war with his own demons.
As the story continues and the environments become more eerie and unsettling, I found myself playing for longer stretches, increasingly keen to overcome my own fear to experience the interestingly chilling story. Even in areas of the game where I might have thought myself safe, the atmosphere is so well developed that, as a player, I never truly was able to let my guard down. Contrary to this becoming exhausting, it only served to make me want to push onwards to discover what else this game had in store for me.
I said in my original review for Silent Hill that I was moving swiftly on to experience the sequel for the first time. That was nearly two years ago. I put it off for so long to build up the nerve to play what I knew was such a beautiful but unsettling game - I'm truly sorry it took me this long to experience it.