Silent Hill 2 Review

Silent Hill 2 puts you in control of James Sunderland, a man destroyed by the loss of his Wife on the break of total breakdown. There years later he is sent a letter from his late wife Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the town of Silent Hill. This is where the game begins, you may not understand the plot entirely, but donât worry youâre not supposed to; it will all become clear sooner or later. Set in the spooky town of Silent Hill, James must solve puzzles and riddles to find out the truth about the letter he received, and his wife who died three years ago. On his mission to uncover the truth he meets a bunch of new people, some strange, in fact mostly all strange. 



Like Metal Gear Solid 2 this is a hard title to review simply because we do not want to give away the storyline. However we can tell you that you will find yourself hooked in the world of Silent Hill, the game takes you down different routes and paths and unlocks events that have happened in the past. Through the characters you meet you will learn important information about the town and Mary your late wife, you will also meet someone who looks identical to Mary, and a girl that seems to know too much about your romance with Mary, could this be just a dream, youâll have to figure that out yourselves Iâm afraid. 

As soon as the game begins you will be amazed by the incredibly well detailed âeerieâ graphics. The developers have taken an interesting approach in terms of the style used throughout Silent Hill 2. The character models are of a very high standard, with detailed features making them look incredibly life-like. The monster characters are also well defined, with a âslimyâ shine over them making them look even more gruesome, the actual designs of the monsters are somewhat strange to say the least. The animation is also very impressive, the monsters twitch and jerk as youâd expect and sudden reactions will make you jump out of your chair. Environments are well designed with splutters of blood on the floor, surreal encryptions across the walls with probably the most impressive looking shadows we have ever seen in a game. Objects such as chairs and staircases will cast realistic shadows according to the position and strength of surrounding lights. The developers have incorporated a noise filter to accentuate the creepy old horror movie feel, it takes awhile to get used to, often making little details hard to pick out, but on the whole adds to the experience that is Silent Hill 2. 



Using a new sound technique named S-Force you are able to get realistic 3D sound from just two stereo speakers. This is a vital feature, as sound has to be the most important factor in the game, as with any classic horror movie, sound is far more terrifying then any image can portray, leading the player to begin using their own imagination. 

As with the original a radio is used to warn you of any nearby creatures. The radio will transmit different noises according to the location as well as the number of enemies close to him, so it is essential to learn the sounds of the radio if you wish to leave Silent Hill alive. The atmosphere created from the background sound and music effects are second to none, it beats Resident Evil hands down, making you feel genuinely scared and anxious throughout. 



Little touches are used to further the terrifying hook, start walking and youâll begin to hear an additional set of steps, let go off the joypad and the sounds will instantly stop. Itâs just one of the touches that Konami have used to create the most disturbing videogame ever created.



Unfortunately Silent Hill 2 fails to impress us in terms of controls, which are at times unresponsive and âspongyâ. Once you encounter an enemy to attack, it becomes quite hard to actually target them and hit them straight on; often you will find yourself hitting or shooting the ground wasting valuable time and bullets, leaving you an easy target for those fiendish freaks.