Because at the time it was that important of a game, and Yahtzee liking it really has nothing to do with it. The creators of the game created something that really messed with you and it deserves the praise it gets. Don't get me wrong, I love SH3 more, but SH2 is really that good and it does a better job as messing with you than it does in SH3Silentpony said:8. Sigh I'll never understand why this game is so popular. Oh wait, yes I do. Because Yahtzee said so. Look don't get me wrong, its a fine game for its time. But it bores the shit out of me! The vast majority of the game is spent in a empty town, doing nothing. And to quote our dear leader Yahtzee "there's a fine line between atmosphere and just having fuck all happen." and SH2 has a lot of fuck all not happening.
And seriously, Silent Hill 3 doesn't make the list?! At least shit happens in that one!
I guess? But I remember when the game came out. The reaction was good bordering on lukewarm. It was scary and all, but just another game for another console gen. It didn't become a cult-classic until Yahtzee, followed shortly after by Jim Sterling, declared it one.Fiz_The_Toaster said:SNIPSilentpony said:SNIP
I'm gonna have to disagree with you.Silentpony said:I guess? But I remember when the game came out. The reaction was good bordering on lukewarm. It was scary and all, but just another game for another console gen. It didn't become a cult-classic until Yahtzee, followed shortly after by Jim Sterling, declared it one.Fiz_The_Toaster said:SNIPSilentpony said:SNIP
And as far as its quality...meh? I guess its scary if you're afraid of the dark or spooky noises likeAs far as a psychological thriller, the characters are so bland, unlikable and react so poorly to what's going on you could replace every line of dialogue with ones from Scooby Doo on Zombie Island and lose almost nothing.BOO!
And maybe its just me, but walking around a nearly empty town with some blonde ditz in tow, with a hangun, lead-pipe, rifle and giant Soul Blade, waving kindly to disinterested monsters on their way to the grocery store...it just does nothing for me. With the exception of bosses, every enemy is avoidable and is equally disinterested in fighting you.
Say what you will about modern Western Silent Hills and their shit, at least they made enemies a threat. Silent Hill Downpour actually has enemies that are faster than you. It adds a sense of threat when you can't avoid a fight.
How about 'because a lot of people simply like it'. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean everyone else who does only does so because they're told to. Cult classics did exist before Yahtzee was a thing, you know. And Silent Hill 2 was one of them. Heck, Silent Hill 1 was one of them.Silentpony said:Sigh I'll never understand why this game is so popular. Oh wait, yes I do. Because Yahtzee said so.
And there you have it... The fear in the (good) Silent Hill games was never about "physical" threat. It was about psychological threat. As in strange noises, weird shapes in the mist, the sound of someone following you or something growling in the bushes. Stepping through a door with the camera facing you, not knowing what you're going to walk into. Being surrounded by darkness with only a small lantern to illuminate 6 feet a head of you, without a map, and hearing something stepping awkwardly in the shadows accompanied by radio static.Say what you will about modern Western Silent Hills and their shit, at least they made enemies a threat. Silent Hill Downpour actually has enemies that are faster than you. It adds a sense of threat when you can't avoid a fight.
So you're saying its scary if you're five years old? What adult is scared of a closing door?! Or is still scared of the dark?! Or an indistinct formless shape in the mist? You know, the one you've seen a thousand times and has never turned out to be anything. Especially since you have more weapons than Master Chief!Casual Shinji said:SNIP
No, that's what you're saying.Silentpony said:So you're saying its scary if you're five years old?Casual Shinji said:SNIP
Uhm, plenty of people? You're trying to rationalize fear, which is something irrational in and of itself. Spiders aren't dangerous (most of the time), but that doesn't stop thousands of (adult) people from fearing them. You know the phrase 'There's nothing to fear, but fear itself'..?What adult is scared of a closing door?! Or is still scared of the dark?! Or an indistinct formless shape in the mist? You know, the one you've seen a thousand times and has never turned out to be anything. Especially since you have more weapons than Master Chief!
Both, but then I didn't find Outlast scary at all. It's the combination of knowing something's out there, but not clearly seeing it. This is why some people can experience a sense of fear when they're swimming in the lake. Because there's all this darkness below them and for all they know there's something down there that could grab them, eventhough they reasonably know there isn't.Take Outlast for example. In your opinion is the scariness from the dark hallways and dripping faucets or the crazed lunatics with razor blades and blood fetishes?
Yes, and we're all afraid of a lot. We all have fears, and whether or not a movie or a game touches upon those fears determines if it'll scare us or not. Just as comedy is subjective so too is fear.Here's the thing: Psychological horror only really works on people who are basically already afraid of a lot. Its like the ink-blot test and you always see a spider and a ghost. Says more about you than the shape of the ink. If you're not afraid of the dark or don't believe in ghosts, a long dark 'haunted' hallway isn't much.
And I stopped being afraid of the dark around the time I learned Santa wasn't real.
Yes, it is still scary to me. Why? Because in that moment of playing I'm in a weird, creepy, nightmarish world. That's what generally happens when we play games; We immerse ourselves in whatever world and let it take us for a ride. People also get emotional over games or game characters dying. Are they 5-years old too who still believe in Santa Claus?I get that Silent Hill 2 was once scary. Hell, I was afraid of Eternal Darkness when I first played it like 15 years ago. Five Night's at Freddys likewise! The first three or four times I really was scared by the jumpscare. After that...
My question always comes back to: Is Silent Hill 2 still scary for you now? Currently? In 2015 as a full grown adult with knowledge, responsibilities, friends and family, is the idea of a poor camera angle and darkness still scaring you?