 The original Silent Hill was at the time a hybrid of the emerging popular survival-horror genre. Hot on the heels of the success experienced by the Resident Evil series, the developers at Konami wanted to build on that success by offering something more than killing zombies. Silent Hill was met with some success but it's odd sense of running around the town and trying to unravel a number of difficult puzzles became mundane for many gamers. As a result, many people purchased Silent Hill but they never played through the entire experience. Even the developers admitted that they could not convey their original concept due to the technical restraints of the Playstation. Thus, when the Playstation 2 was announced, Konami was quick to release details of the their next Silent Hill outing. Konami was very careful in releasing just enough information and in-game screens to entice the media and gamers alike.
Over the last number of months, the anticipation for Silent Hill 2 has been feverish. The game finally launched at the end of September. Even Konami was very cautious with the release and made it clear that certain members of the gaming public may not be ready for a game that deals with loss of life in the face of the events that took place on September 11. Apparently, gamers were ready for Silent Hill 2 as the game has sold over one million copies to date. Does the final product match the hype? We are happy to report, in most cases, yes.
Rarely do videogames take a stab at our primal fears. While the original began this trend, Silent Hill 2 delves much deeper into your psyche of fear. The story takes place in the same fog driven town and centers around one man's descent into some sort of hell. Silent Hill 2 takes advantage of the new graphical possibilities of the Playstation 2 in order to make that hell more immediate and disturbing. The developers have borrowed from a number of squeamish classics like The Exorcist, Jacob's Ladder, Hellraiser and Eraserhead. Rent any of these movies while you are playing Silent Hill 2 and you will know what we mean. Therefore, it is obvious that Silent Hill 2 is not for children or the squeamish at heart. As you play through the twisted world of Silent Hill 2, we can guarantee some sleepless and disturbing nights. Is this a bad thing? Not really, as it is a good example of how interactive entertainment is maturing as its population grows up.
Graphics
From what we have seen in Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2, it is safe to assume that Konami is one of the few existing developers who know how to exploit the advanced visual features of the Playstation 2. The visual outing here is gorgeous in a very creepy kind of way. From the collapsing billboards on the highway, to the mould-laden walls in the apartment buildings, to the bloody slaughterhouse appearance of the Silent Hill local hospital, each location has been carefully detailed. In all of these locations and more, there are numerous visual examples of scary and disturbing imagery from mutilated bodies spread around the streets to warnings written on walls in blood. A major complaint in the first game was the annoying fog. The fog is back but it does not hinder the experience as it did in the original. Instead, you now have the feeling that the developers originally envisioned. You can see just far enough through the detailed multi-layers of fog, but not clearly enough in order to keep you on the edge of your seat and sanity. Add to this a very neat filter effect that lasts throughout the game. It is a gritty filter that successfully conveys a classic horror movie. Even the lighting effects are brilliant in the darkened alleyways and buildings.
Finally, character design is brilliant. Each of the human characters are demented and visually show signs of unstableness. They appear quite pale and sleep deprived which fits the overall theme of the game nicely. The creature design is not as creative as it could have been but it is clear the developers were not going for a zombie or demon fest. Instead they appear very dark and rusty type creatures that are made up of body parts. The bosses known as Pyramid Head feeds off other undead and humans in order to gain more strength. Their actual design is not in detail but rather generic and bland which in this particular setting is quite effective and unnerving.
Our only complaint with he visuals comes in the form of the camera work, which at times does not follow the character properly. This becomes problematic when engaging in fights against some enemies that you can not see properly because the camera moves into positions which block almost half of entire rooms at once. You end up taking swings and shots and pray they hit their target. A little more time could have been spent to remedy this nuance.
 Sound
In gaming history there have only been a handful of titles that have successfully used the aural experience to enhance the game. The Silent Hill 2 soundtrack and sound effects not only enhance the frightful experience, but they are integral to and heighten the gameplay. Most of the game is quiet without a traditional soundtrack. Instead you hear odd sounds and screams as you wander the streets. In tension building situations, layers of white noise, rhythmic clunks, screeches and additional groans are added to the soundtrack as nasty things are about to take place.
As in the original, a pocket radio is utilized to help you detect when a creature is near. Konami has taken it one step further to not only tip you off to a creature but it is also useful to make you aware of an environment. There are times in the game you walk into a room to only be met with a burst of white noise. Enough to make your spine chill. But in most instances nothing terrible happens as it is used to draw your attention to something in the room. Regardless, the further you get into the game, the sounds induce paranoia to even the most level headed gamers. To round out the sound experience, Konami hired good, credible voice talent.
Gameplay
Although a lot of the gameplay structure is similar to the majority of survival horror games, the puzzles present in Silent Hill 2 are strikingly different. Most games have you finding a set number of objects and placing them in the right place in order to open a new level. Much like the original, Silent Hill 2 uses a more cerebral approach. Thankfully, the difficulty of the puzzles can be adjusted at the beginning of the game. In easy mode, the enemies go down quickly and the puzzles are quite simplistic. At the opposite end of the difficulty rating, things become quite strategic and the puzzles are cryptic in nature. The ability to adjust the difficulty is a welcomed feature as it will give more access to the gaming public. Nevertheless, the formula of the game remains like the original in many ways, it is all about exploring, picking up clues and objects and following the trail through linear locations. Everything should be searched as even the most blank-looking billboard may have a code on it that unlocks a room later in the game. Therefore, most of your time is spent looking for stuff and then trying to figure out what to do with everything.
This formulaic gameplay will disappointment many people. It is the story and overall mood of the game that will draw you in and keep you playing until it ends. James Sunderland has arrived in Silent Hill to find his wife, who died three years ago. Or so he thought, until recently she sent him a letter from Silent Hill. When he arrives, he finds the place deserted except for wandering bodies of flesh and a few quirky humans. It is not too long before he picks up a plank of wood to defend himself and a radio which acts as a monster detector. From here, he is on his own, unraveling the weird history of the town, the people, a strange disease and his dead wife.
 Value
Having the option to adjust both the puzzle difficulty and the action level, allows players to essentially experience the game in a number of ways. Each difficulty and action intensity does in fact change each experience of the game. In addition, there are four different endings which are dependant on certain decisions made throughout the game. Therefore, players will want to play through the game on more than one occasion.
Final Word
Silent Hill 2 is a well conceived, stylish and engrossing game. The narrative proves intriguing, and a couple of hours of play easily turns into a whole night as you try to unravel the mysteries of each character. After spending a few hours in the game's eerie environments, with creepy sounds and haunting white noise, you will have a hard time breaking away from its tight grip. The ultimate way to play this is on a 5.1 set-up in the dark. The freak-out experience Silent Hill 2 provides is more than enough to warrant a purchase. Remember, it is only a game or is it? |
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 Reader Reviews
N/A
| Score: |
| 8.5 |
| Gameplay |
| 7 |
| Graphics |
| 9 |
| Sound |
| 10 |
| Value |
| 7 |
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