Miracle's Whip - SILENT HILL 2 (and why it's still the scariest game ever made)

MiracleOfSound

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Jan 3, 2009
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Pararaptor said:
Great review, but I was a little unsettled reading it as I feel like I've read this before. I don't mean that in any kind of sarcastic way, I actually feel like I've read this before & forgotten it.

Have you written something like this before?
Nope... maybe it's the sinister power of Silent Hill messing with your head!

It is very possible that I used similar phrases, tone or sentences as I did in another review, perhaps?



FallenJellyDoughnut said:
Really good read, it inspired me to play Silent Hill 2 again, and for that I thank you.
Thanks :)

Neonbob said:
This was an entertaining read. Mind you, I'm still not going to play the game(call me chickenshit if you want XD), but you somehow made it sound appealing to me. Way to make my brain explode!
Thanks for sending me the link!
Lol I wouldn't call anyone chickenshit for not wanting to play it... I was doing another playthrough last night but became so unsettled that I had to stop and play Okami instead.
 

MiracleOfSound

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Megacherv said:
I bought this and got quite into it, but then I stopped playing it for some time. When I went back to it, I had no diea whatsoever I was doing. I'll probably start it again so i know what's happening throughout.
It's best experienced as a whole, for sure. It sucks you in more and claws its way into your mind when you do it in two or three long sessions. Howcome you stopped? Find it boring?

Anah said:
MiracleOfSound said:
Until then, dig out your old PS2 or XBOX and revisit gaming's most memorable town.
Thanks for this excellent and well written review. I might just go and give this a try now. I've been putting off playing proper horror games for way too long now, even though they've always tempted me.

And I'm certainly missing out on a large chunk of gaming culture by turning down Silent Hill constantly.
Thanks for the kind words :)

If you think you can stomach it, give it a go. It's surprisingly fun for something so twisted and disturbing.

Syntax Error said:
Nicely done. I commend you for not mentioning the final corridor before the final boss. Any mention of what happens in there is almost always a big spoiler.

EDIT:
Silent Hill 2 isn't really all that scary while you play it. The scares really start once you turn off the game, and suddenly you find yourself thinking of it.
Good point, though there were a few occasions it scared the shit out of me while I played it. The final coridoor...
Do you mean the one where you hear Mary seaking to you and begging you not to leave her?
that was a pretty harrowing moment alright.
 

Lost In The Void

When in doubt, curl up and cry
Aug 27, 2008
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Good review, really hilighted why I loved the game and made me regret selling it years ago as well. If I do rebuy it though, would you happen to know if the Xbox version is backwards compatible
 

MiracleOfSound

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Lost In The Void said:
Good review, really hilighted why I loved the game and made me regret selling it years ago as well. If I do rebuy it though, would you happen to know if the Xbox version is backwards compatible
Gosh, no idea buddy, sorry. I dug up my old PS2 to play it.

Chances are it isn't, my 360 rarely plays old games.
 

Meggiepants

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Jan 19, 2010
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Nice review. I think these were my favorite captions yet!

I have trouble with anxiety games, which this one sounds like. Gore, ghosts, zombies and aliens I can deal with fine. It's those games/movies where someone is standing in the dark waiting for the inevitable that get to me.

So I don't know if I'll be playing this one. I did manage to get through Alan Wake, but that's mostly because I played it with a mate, and eventually we had jokes for all the creepy sounds. (we decided the heavy growl was a confused bear stalking us throughout the game)

Excellent review though. If I could play these types of things, I would definitely give this a try.
 

Stoic raptor

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Ahh, Silent hill 2.

I used to be a terrified boy. When I first got metroid prime, I could barley get through the spaceship from fear. When I got to the planet, I stopped playing, I was too scared. Later, (like a few years) I tried it again, and got through it. I was proud. From that moment I was never scared of games.

Until Silent Hill 2. The 1st game I got that was considered scary (Unless Bioshock counts)
Barley able to beat the game from fear, but I did it, and felt the same pride I did when I beat metroid.

Amazing, how much I changed
 

Random Argument Man

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I'm still scared from the game after many playthroughs. I became paranoïd when I turned the lights out.

Although, the plot was spoiled to me before I even played the game. However, it's one thing to know about Silent Hill. It's another thing completly to play Silent Hill.
 

Syntax Error

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MiracleOfSound said:
Syntax Error said:
Nicely done. I commend you for not mentioning the final corridor before the final boss. Any mention of what happens in there is almost always a big spoiler.

EDIT:
Silent Hill 2 isn't really all that scary while you play it. The scares really start once you turn off the game, and suddenly you find yourself thinking of it.
Good point, though there were a few occasions it scared the shit out of me while I played it. The final coridoor...
Do you mean the one where you hear Mary seaking to you and begging you not to leave her?
that was a pretty harrowing moment alright.
Yep, that's the one. Pretty heart-wrenching. I actually stuck around and listened to it through the end. Also, the way the endings in the game are obtained is great.
You are given three filler items in your inventory. Your wife's picture, her letter, and Angela's knife. The more you look at them will determine the ending you get (your wife's letter suddenly turns blank, at the final few moments of the game. This is a brilliant way of cementing the state of James' psyche), in addition to whether you finished the aforementioned corridor segment or not, on top of other requirements.

EDIT:
If you want to dig into the Silent Hill series, I suggest you play this one the last. As for the order to play them in:

Silent Hill Origins
Silent Hill 1
Silent Hill 3

- these three are semi-related. Origins shows events before the first Silent Hill (duh), which gives a small background on the titular town (you may also play this one after 1-3, cuz it might kill the mystery for you). Silent Hill 1-3 are related (3 starts some years after the events of 1). Also, SH3 is probably the most blatant with the Nightmare Fuel.

Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Silent Hill: Shuttered MammariesShattered Memories

SH4 is supposed to be a different game altogether, but Konami didn't want another horror franchise to avoid consumer confusion (also explains the departure to some of the series mainstay elements. You have a limited inventory, for instance). Homecoming is an OK game (has more emphasis on action, explained in-game as that the protagonist is an ex-army guy who knows how to fight and use weapons instead of the series' staple Johnny Everyman). It's also the first non-Japanese SH, leading most hardcore fans to deny its existence. Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the first SH, and a "fuck you" to the detractors who hated Homecoming's combat (one of the complaints on SH, like any other survival-horror game, is that the combat sucks. Homecoming streamlined combat a bit, and got the "They Changed it, now it sucks" from the fanbase. Cue Shattered Memories and remove combat altogether).

Silent Hill 2
The pinnacle of the series. You play this last because if you play it first, all others will pale in comparison.
 

MiracleOfSound

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meganmeave said:
Nice review. I think these were my favorite captions yet!

I have trouble with anxiety games, which this one sounds like. Gore, ghosts, zombies and aliens I can deal with fine. It's those games/movies where someone is standing in the dark waiting for the inevitable that get to me.

So I don't know if I'll be playing this one. I did manage to get through Alan Wake, but that's mostly because I played it with a mate, and eventually we had jokes for all the creepy sounds. (we decided the heavy growl was a confused bear stalking us throughout the game)

Excellent review though. If I could play these types of things, I would definitely give this a try.
Yeah, it makes Alan Wake look like Teletubbies to be honest... it's right what you said about anxiety... and it's not just that, there's the deep disturbing undertones that stay with you after you stop playing too.
 

Meggiepants

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MiracleOfSound said:
meganmeave said:
Nice review. I think these were my favorite captions yet!

I have trouble with anxiety games, which this one sounds like. Gore, ghosts, zombies and aliens I can deal with fine. It's those games/movies where someone is standing in the dark waiting for the inevitable that get to me.

So I don't know if I'll be playing this one. I did manage to get through Alan Wake, but that's mostly because I played it with a mate, and eventually we had jokes for all the creepy sounds. (we decided the heavy growl was a confused bear stalking us throughout the game)

Excellent review though. If I could play these types of things, I would definitely give this a try.
Yeah, it makes Alan Wake look like Teletubbies to be honest... it's right what you said about anxiety... and it's not just that, there's the deep disturbing undertones that stay with you after you stop playing too.
I find Teletubbies to be mildly disturbing for some reason. That baby in the sky that laughs is very freaky to me.

You know, the dark undertones you talk about are actually making me want to play the game. I like thought provoking games. But I don't think I could stand the anxiety.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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"That long corridor,...that long corridor,...THAT LONG CORRIDOR!!"

Yeah, that moment was brutally disturbing. Not just because off the moment itself, but because right before that you see that picture of Pyramid Head in the museum and James says, "It's him." *shudder*

I used to be able to play this game easily back in the day, sure it was very scary but I had an iron will back then. Now, I have the constitution of a duckling.

Terrific review, by the way.
 

MiracleOfSound

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Casual Shinji said:
"That long corridor,...that long corridor,...THAT LONG CORRIDOR!!"

Yeah, that moment was brutally disturbing. Not just because off the moment itself, but because right before that you see that picture of Pyramid Head in the museum and James says, "It's him." *shudder*

I used to be able to play this game easily back in the day, sure it was very scary but I had an iron will back then. Now, I have the constitution of a duckling.

Terrific review, by the way.
Thanks :)

Yep, that bit freaked me out probably more than any other part of the game. Genius piece of design.
 

GloatingSwine

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Except Silent Hill 2 isn't very scary, because as soon as you get the metal pipe (early in the game) you can basically fend off every enemy in the game bar the Daddy with it's poke move, and since you're not using any ammo you can blast the Daddy to bits.

Survival Horror is only horrific if survival is a challenge.

Now, go and play the original Project Zero, where enemies will hurt you a lot, and in order to do the most damage you've got to wait until a fraction of a second before they hit you.
 

Skops

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A salute to your late 360. *salutes* because if it sacraficed itself, a fine read like this likely wouldn't have happened.
 

MiracleOfSound

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GloatingSwine said:
Except Silent Hill 2 isn't very scary, because as soon as you get the metal pipe (early in the game) you can basically fend off every enemy in the game bar the Daddy with it's poke move, and since you're not using any ammo you can blast the Daddy to bits.

Survival Horror is only horrific if survival is a challenge.

Now, go and play the original Project Zero, where enemies will hurt you a lot, and in order to do the most damage you've got to wait until a fraction of a second before they hit you.
Did you even read the review?

I made it pretty clear that the horror in the game is psychological and comes from the themes and design as opposed to the challenge.
 

GloatingSwine

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MiracleOfSound said:
Did you even read the review?

I made it pretty clear that the horror in the game is psychological and comes from the themes and design as opposed to the challenge.
See, here's where I disagree, I don't think that a horror videogame can be effective purely on those terms. Because videogames create a strong identification between the player and the character through the fact that the player is controlling the character, without putting the character in danger the player doesn't feel the danger either.

The oppressive atmosphere of a good horror videogame absolutely relies on the imminence of danger, there needs to be a real feeling that at any moment an unspeakable horror could lurch out of the shadows and rip your face off. When the unspeakable horrors can be easily fended off by poking them lightly with a stick that becomes far less oppressive and atmospheric.

That's also why the scariest part of Silent Hill is the school, because when you get to the hospital you get the hammer, which can brutalise everything except the screamers and rompers, and the former are easily avoided by running away. In the school though, you're vulnerable.

(The feeling of vulnerability is also why Project Zero is scarier, because you are a schoolgirl with a camera, not a man with enough guns, knives, and lead piping to equip the G20 rioters.)
 

MiracleOfSound

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GloatingSwine said:
[
See, here's where I disagree, I don't think that a horror videogame can be effective purely on those terms. Because videogames create a strong identification between the player and the character through the fact that the player is controlling the character, without putting the character in danger the player doesn't feel the danger either.

The oppressive atmosphere of a good horror videogame absolutely relies on the imminence of danger, there needs to be a real feeling that at any moment an unspeakable horror could lurch out of the shadows and rip your face off. When the unspeakable horrors can be easily fended off by poking them lightly with a stick that becomes far less oppressive and atmospheric.

That's also why the scariest part of Silent Hill is the school, because when you get to the hospital you get the hammer, which can brutalise everything except the screamers and rompers, and the former are easily avoided by running away. In the school though, you're vulnerable.

(The feeling of vulnerability is also why Project Zero is scarier, because you are a schoolgirl with a camera, not a man with enough guns, knives, and lead piping to equip the G20 rioters.)
These are all valid points for a lot of games but the kind of horror I experienced playing SH2 was not the kind that you are talking about. Let me give you an example...

For me the most horrifying moment is learning about Angela's backstory, then seeing the Abstract Daddies and knowing what they, in their awful physical form, represent.
the tangled mess of skin in a bed with two bodies trapped and writhing in it, the penile, phallic head, it was obviously the image of her father raping her

The sheer thought of that creature, the way it looked and what it represented was, to me, far more horrifying than being stuck in a dark corridor with low ammo and some monsters.

It's the difference between panic type fear and real, deep, psychological horror. The horror in SH does not come from keeping you afraid of dying, it comes from digging into your subconscious and creeping you out with its themes and subject matter.
 

leonnasagawa

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Dec 22, 2009
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Wow, now that is quite a mouthful and you sort of made me aware as to why people find this game scary. Personally I didn't find too many things in the game that actually made me scared mainly because when an enemy comes toward you, you can see it from a long way away (or if your careful you can locate those monster around the corners of a door unnoticed). This gives me the comfort to play the game slowly and in a sense strategize, as a result it doesn't personally scare me. Games like Dead Space scare the shit out of me simply because it puts me on the spot and forces me to have to think quickly something that I'm not use to doing in games and half the time that there is a monster in front of you there is almost always a monster behind you that you have to deal with but you are given the pressure of having to take care of the monster in front of you first which can be scary to me at times.

Despite this the Silent Hill franchise is my favourite when it comes to horror survival games simply because I am a sucker for things that are symbolic (especially to the main character) and grotesque. The Silent Hill games have always in my opinion have had a good story that is immersive and not a typical 'this has already been done before many times' type of feeling. For Silent Hill 2 in particular I have never really found the controls to be that annoying, just some problems when fightin monsters although I do understand the complaint when it comes to the controls, but like anything it requires just getting use to it. I like that part in your review where you said that the monsters scare us through Death, sex, guilt, isolation, anger and disease, I never thought too much about that but now that you have mentioned that it is kind of true... Very clever trying to scare us with the subconscious primal fear.

P.S. By the way I have noticed that the screen shots you have taken of the game looks a lot better in graphics than my version of Silent Hill 2. Is this the infamous remake called Relentless Dreams? I really want to play it.
 

leonnasagawa

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It would be interesting seeing the people who did Silent Hill 2 do another game like it, preferably another Silent Hill but we can only hope.
 

MiracleOfSound

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leonnasagawa said:
W

P.S. By the way I have noticed that the screen shots you have taken of the game looks a lot better in graphics than my version of Silent Hill 2. Is this the infamous remake called Relentless Dreams? I really want to play it.
I don't think so man, the version I have is the cardboard boxed 2-Disc PS2 version, but there's no extra game content, only a making of and some screenshots.