Straight Jackets of Human Flesh

Yes, it is an odd title. But it is a rather good metaphor to describe this game. And why do I say that? Because Silent Hill 2 is the straight jacket, and the player is the owner. By psychologically teasing you, Silent Hill 2 makes your mind restrained. Restrained from being happy. Restrained from being relaxed. And most of all, restrained from being you.

Before I actually start this review, I would like to say that it is better to play this game in the dark (and better with someone). I'm not saying this as to make the game experience more eerie (although it is), I'm merely saying this because it will make it easier to see through the drenched darkness throughout the game.

Graphics

The first thing I noticed in my experience with Silent Hill 2 is the seamless transition from FMV (full motion video) to real-time. Now why did this catch my attention? Because of how close to FMV quality the real-time graphics were. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between FMV and real-time when the first FMV was over. I'm not saying that this game is FMV quality the whole way through, but at times it can be hard to distinguish real-time from FMV. One thing that the Playstation 2 gets a lot of criticism for is its lack of the ability to make nice textures. Silent Hill 2 finally proves how good textures can look on Playstation 2. Every place has texture to it. Never will you be walking down a hall with a wall that is simply one color. There will always be either rust, graffiti, or faded stains of blood, or a combination of the three. And that's not saying that's all there is. It is just what you will see most often, luckily, each texture distinct from each other.

Even better are the characters. If you ever really take the time to look at the characters, you will notice how realistic they are. Everything looks how it should. I mean, for example, when you look at the jacket of the main character you will notice it actually looks like a jacket. Unlike most games where character's clothes seem to be a part of them, you can actually see the layers of their clothes (if you have any idea what I am talking about).

And then we come to the enemies. You can't really tell how great an enemy looks until you are up close to one, and have a flashlight. Each enemy has it's own disturbing look. One thing they all have in common is their glossy, blood-soaked look. Although the enemies in the first Silent Hill were eerie enough to look at, they don't even come close to how disturbing the creatures look in this game. What makes them look so creepy is their real-life looks and movements. For instance, the first enemy you encounter in the game, when it's about to attack, shakes violently almost as if it were having a seizure. After you have knocked the creature onto the ground (from either shooting it enough times, or beating it) it squirms around like a spider that is trying to escape. If you are in a building, this looks all the more excellent because of how perfect the gloss shines in coordination with the lighting.

On the subject of lighting, Silent Hill 2 uses lighting like no other. One thing that makes this game creepier than the first is the wonderful use of shadows. Ever shadow looks just how it would in real life. Not only do they look how they are supposed to, they move around realistically too. When you look through something such as prison bars, the shadows don't simply stretch straight forward, they grow wider as the move further away, and move around in contrast to your flashlight. I honestly haven't seen a game to date that handles shadows so well.

Walking around the town of Silent Hill, you will quickly notice how much fog is in this game. But, unlike the first one (although it really isn't a complaint), the fog is not used to prevent slow down. Instead, it is to make the town look eerie and deserted. And that is exactly what it does. Most of the time you will only be able to see about ten to twenty feet in front of you, and sometimes even less. When looking at the fog, you will notice things such as how it swirls and moves around in different directions, never just standing still. For once in a game (with fog), fog actually looks like fog.

Sound

In my personal opinion, sound is one of the most important factors in a survial-horror game. The first Silent Hill did an excellent job of using background sounds as well as music (or just complete silence). Silent Hill 2 sounds a lot like the first one, but has a few improvements. Most of the music throughout the game has a metallic rattling sound to it, or is just completely silent. What music is in the game is actually very good (although some songs are depressing).

The background sounds further help the game freak the player out. When you hear the blood-curdling screams coming from off in the darkness, you will know what it really means to be scared. One particular part that really pushed my near the edge of my sanity took place in, what looked like, an execution yard. Just the idea of where I was freaked me out (especially when I saw the hanging lariat appear before me), but then I heard a strange sound. It was like something was charging for me, but right as (whatever it was) it sounded like it was about to come into contact me, the sound started to fade away (like it was running away this time). This went on as long as I was in that room, every time sounding like it was a little closer. I had to soon stop playing the game because it wasn't a good trip back to the save point either. The echoing sounds of voices and screams throughout the prison (which is where I was) were just about as much as I could take for a day. And to make this even worse, I was playing the game on my surround-sound system. And this is one game that I can say really takes advantage of surround-sound. Also, thanks to the technology Konami used for the sound (called "S-Force"), if you only have a two-speaker set-up, you will still get a surround-sound effect. Although it is not as good as real surround-sound, it does do a pretty good job of emulating it.

Last, we have the voice acting. Finally we have a survial-horror game that doesn't completely lack in personality when characters are talking. I didn't think the first Silent Hill did too bad of a job, it just had long pauses between the lines of dialogue. Silent Hill 2 fortunately doesn't do this. And the voice acting is at least convincing. It may not be as good as Metal Gear Solid, but it is definitely the best voice acting seen in a survival-horror game.

Gameplay

Anyone who has played the first Silent Hill should be familiar with the style of gameplay in Silent Hill 2. Luckily, for anyone who was annoyed with the control configuration in the first one, Konami has added some extra controller settings (although I still prefer the original). I've heard a lot of people complain about the rough controlling of the characters in Silent Hill 2 (and the first), but I can't really figure out what is so wrong with them. I will admit that they can be kind of awkward when you're trying to fight more than one creature at the same time, but they seem to work fine for everything else you will do.

Luckily, Silent Hill 2 is more puzzle based than fighting based (again, like the first one). Fans of Resident Evil will probably get tired of solving puzzles, but for people who prefer looking around, finding clues, and simply thinking will enjoy Silent Hill 2 thoroughly. Unlike the Resident Evil series, the puzzles in SH2 actually seem necessary and worthwhile. Never will you have to back-track five areas to solve a puzzle. Every puzzle is well thought out and confusing at the same time (at least if you have it on normal or higher). There are some puzzles that took me hours to finally figure out. And to add to the replay value, each puzzle is somewhat different every time you play. Nothing drastic, but enough so you can't really cheat.

Story

One problem people have with Silent Hill 2 is its lack in reference with the first game. This was never really a concern to me because I knew that first game's main character would never return to Silent Hill. I can see why this is a complaint, as there is hardly anything that has to do with the first Silent Hill. At least, that is evident. If you pay close enough attention you will pick up a few things that were from the first one.
As the story stands alone, it is very good. The story consists of six main characters: James Sunderland, (main protagonist), Angela Orosco, Maria, Laura, Eddie Dombrowski, and a creepy creature which James names the "Pyramid Head."

James mysteriously gets a letter from his dead wife, Mary. The letter which she wrote says she is waiting for him in Silent Hill, their "special place." Depressed and confused, James decides to go to Silent Hill to see what exactly is going on. Right before entering the town of Silent Hill, James meets a strange woman in a cemetery. Angela, being her name, tells James that she is looking for her family. She also warns that Silent Hill is not a safe town. But James decides to go anyway. Through the game you learn stories about every character. What they're doing there, who they are, and how each one of them are connected, or what they have to do with the game. The story gets off to a real slow start, but eventually makes the player more involved and more compelled to see what happens. And going through the game more than once will usually be necessary to understand the story better, further enhancing the replay value (especially with five different endings).

Conclusion

So why exactly do I think that Silent Hill 2 is a scary game? Because of how well everything is put together. Not only did Konami provide us with disturbing images, they mixed everything else to fit just what scares a person. It's almost as if everything is going on inside of your head (at least it seems that way after playing too long). When you hear the scraping of metal in the background, you sit and wonder if you're going insane, or if you're still just playing a game. When you encounter the "Pyramid Head" throughout the game, see what he does, and what he is, you'll really wonder what mental condition the creators of this game were in. To put it simple, this is the most disturbing and eerie game that has been produced this far.

For easily frightened people, I warn you to stay away. Never will you play something so dark and disturbing as you will when you play Silent Hill 2. For everyone else who likes survival-horror, or who is just interested in seeing how easily scared you are, I couldn't recommend a better game.