Zero Punctuation: Silent Hill 2

[James teh OG]

I've played plenty of games where I got a base level caveman satisfaction for beating a really hard boss or hard level, but I think Silent Hill 2 is the first game where I felt EMOTIONALLY satisfied at the end. As I continued to play through the game and finally discovered the secret to Silent Hill, my mind was truly blown in a way almost no media had before, never mind a video game. And just by pure luck I got the "Leave" ending (IMO the best) and I seriously sat there bawling as it played.

And like Yahtzee, I was extremely disappointed that the later games didn't follow this up.

 

[grimzero]

this was a funny review

 

[beema]

"I hate being a boat"
LOL
that was great

Admittedly, it's not as much fun watching Yahtzee review a game he actually likes. It is good to know, however, that the games he DOES like are quality.

The only Silent Hill I ever played I think was SH1, and I didn't get very far into it before I was sufficiently frustrated and freaked out enough to stop playing.
Definitely a goal of mine to sit down and play the good games from that series one day though.

 

[DazZ.]

Nice to see him defending something rather than just mocking, makes a slight change I felt needed with these "reviews".

ZP would'nt be amusing if it was just another so called "critic" with the gaming industries balls resting on his chin giving "reviews" that inevitably end with "this game was awesome, go buy it! Yahtzee is funny because even when he is being really cruel ((see anything on the WII)) his points are salient and hard to argue with. I only had one experience with the WII, after seeing ZP, and I agreed with most of what he said.
Besides, nice people are'nt funny. If I wanted to watch some fag glorify an industry that is getting shittier every year, I could watch any number of dumb ass shows.

Yahtzee, you are still awesome. You keep making them, and I'll keep watching them.

I understand the term critic, hence the quotations around reviews. I was saying that it gets boring ripping the shit out of things for things they do, constantly. Nice to see him mix some nice in there once in awhile, not agreed? This would have been shit if he hadn't mocked it in the ways it needed to be before he pointed out the parts he liked.

 

[Pixie_Stix]

"Jaaaaaaaaames" It's about time he did this review. :]

 

[captainwillies]

And yes, I know everyone hated his Psychonauts review for such reasons.

and thats something i found really strange. i really liked his Psychonauts review i even showed it to my friends and they liked it as well. why is it they people hate it so?

 

[captainwillies]

Yathzee is't the funny when reviewing a game he likes.

wat? you best be joking. or did you really find his "Haze" and "Sim City Societies" reviews that much?

personally the way i see it, whenever he makes a review on something he's passionate about wether its a game, a webcomic or a game genre if he has a "deeper" connection to it thats when he shows his lustre.

thats why I wouldn't even mind it if he would make a video review of some movies he likes e.g. an "Army of Darkness" review would be awesome.

 

[RTR]

This episode had to0 have some of the best metaphors Yahtzee has come up with in a while, like fucking a burning dolphin and the meatball footlong.

 

[beckett360]

haha you have done it again even with an old game. I cant wait til the new Silent Hill for you to review that.

 

[Savioritis]

Pretty much saying the same thing here in this post that all other posts have said, but what the hell here's my cent and a half:

I've been waiting for Yahtzee to finally do a retrospect review for SH2, and it was well worth the wait. This is glorious for those who haven't been graced by it's epic atmosphere. When I was younger and first got the game, I wouldn't play it unless I had someone with me, because it scared the piss out of me without actually having to have anything happen. Just walking around the streets scared me! Then, add on the random times that your radio will start playing static and one of those damn things that crawl on all fours pop out from under cars, and I'm surprised I don't have heart issues.

Its nice to see that Yahtzee did point out the bad parts of SH2, but it is to be noted that he is dead on accurate that SH2 makes a better game then any other form of entertainment medium simply because you need to feel like YOU are the one in it alone, not so much experiencing a story but being in that story.

 

[eyedonutkair]

Again, I'd like to start by saying I like the wii. To further prove that people shouldn't get mad about ppl trashing games they love, yatz has amazed yet again, but nitpicking and trashing a game that he loves. What would be truly amazing is if he posted a comment calling himself a twat for daring to say anything bad about his beloved SH2, in true fanboy style.
Weird accented australians rock....ok, no, just this one.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I reeeeeeaaaally need to play this game.

Like, now.

Damn my not having a PS2...

 

[thegaminggirlfriend]

ROFL at "Fun Town USA", since that's actually a theme park in Maine.

 

[webchameleon]

I was a little disappointed with this review. Of course, being a SH2 fanatic, I may have just set the bar too high. I was expecting a more detailed analysis of the story and cinematography. The game was so groundbreaking to me that I still get a hard-on whenever I descr--oh, speak of the devil!
I was still VERY glad to hear you say that the main storyline was shit, because it is. LET THE CLICHES DIE!!! Not that SH2 didn't have any...@#$&*ng kids. But I really think SH4 deserved a little more love, Yahtzee. Despite its flaws, SH4 actually transcends SH2 in terms of suspense, atmosphere, and cinematography. SH2 still takes the cake on story, of course.

/Nerdity

 

[dashiz94]

Ahh, another game from a simpler time. A time before online gaming and before the word NOOB...I think.

If Counter-Strike hadn't come out, then NOOB never existed. I miss those days.

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Heather Mason > James Sunderland. That's all I have to say.
Actually it isn't. The reason I prefer Silent Hill 3 to Silent Hill 2 is predominantely her. Not in a way that makes my balls tighten, but I felt like I could relate to her more than I could relate to James.
Yes, let's all a laugh at the fact that I relate more to a teenage girl than I do to a man. But seriously, the appeal of her is that it seems like she was plonked in Silent Hill through no choice of her own and she can't really up and leave, being 17 and all. James, on the other hand, is a bit insane. I could sympathise but it was like "well, you asked for it".
Apart from the main character and plot, they're really very similar games though. I did enjoy the puzzles more than I should've done and maybe that contributes to why I like SH3 better, it does lay it on thick. Might also be to do with that I was too young when I first played SH2 to really get it.
I'm not to proud to mention that I shat myself when I walked down that ladder in the shopping centre in SH3. It's been quiet for a while, you get drawn into a false sense of security and think you'll be back in the real world soon. Down the ladder you go, you reach the bottom and WOAH SHIT. God, I need to get my PS2 back. My sister stole it to put in her house. Pissed off about that.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

What an awesome game! Pity some assholes had to take over the franchise and assume we don't quite comprehend the subtleties of psychological suspense and the beautiful way Team Silent materialised all of the character's neuroses... GIVE IT BACK DOUBLE HELIX, YOU SUCK!!!!

 

[BehattedWanderer]

So what's he gonna review next? Fantasy World Dizzy? Thief II? Metroid Prime? He's running low of his favorite metaphorical bollocks to lovingly fondle in his weekly appearances. I liked it better when he wasn't explaining himself and his oft-mentioned games at every turn. He's already had to do one on The Sands of Time trilogy, and now he's caved in and given over to explaining his rabid fandom of Silent Hill 2. I still like his work, he remains funny, but Come now--part of knowing what you're talking about requires us to play the games, so that we the retarded don't just watch yours or someone else's review and grow a big fat ego pretending we know the game. Give us some credit for actually trying to play the game, Yahtzee, and understanding exactly what you're talking about that way--you don't have to slowly spell it out for us.

 

[Telekinesis]

The burning dolphin part sounded like something the AVGN would say...

 

[phoenix_wings]

Definitely the best game of the series. I got through it...and had to immediately play through it again. You forget Yahtzee that Shattered Memories is going to be on the Wii. The same console that brought you the shovelware of Horsez and...whatever. Sure, they might have an interesting questionnaire at the beginning, but for all we know it could lead simply to different coloured shirts, maybe a few different people saying different things or showing up later in the story. The Wii is still a family console, which has already removed the combat element of Shattered Memories, where most of the action is going to come from running away from your enemies in a series of QTEs....presumably. One of the best parts about the previous games was that you eventually had to face down your enemies, with those terrible camera angles and dodgy combat system, all while having your mind fucked with, with all of that symbolism.