SILENT HILL 2

TL;DR This isn't Silent Hill 2 from the old days. What it is however is an expertly made recreation by a talented team that respected the original enough to not crap over its legacy. A high quality SH2 Fan Remix, if you will. Not meant to replace the classic by any means, but more to act as a companion piece to the original I love. I'm pushing 40. A survival horror fan of the golden era which spawned some of the best & most definitive survival horror games ever created. To level with you, dear reader, gaming as a hobby has been losing its appeal to me for a while now. Quality horror games are few & far between, it's more likely I'll get my fix from a smaller developer (Tormented Souls, Crow Country, Withering Rooms, ...) than from a bigger studio handling a bigger franchise. You bet I was skeptical about a SH2 remake. Especially after Konami had milked the franchise dry with the godawful low quality spin-off train wrecks. I was convinced the franchise was dead & beyond saving, and that no developer could ever resuscitate it successfully. As of writing, I've completed SH2R 100% with all endings. As protective of the original Silent Hill games as I am, I don't feel the Remake has altered or tampered with its source material in such a way that would ruin the experience. Is it perfect? No. A handful of things bother me, most of it can be remedied by giving the NexusMods page a visit to fix that goofy looking Angela face. What cannot be fixed are the somewhat downplayed x-themes (thanks to DEI companies acting like the permanently offended puritanical conservative morality police, meddling with things they don't understand) & some of the voice acting; James has too much of that Hollywood gasping-at-every-line thing going on. Otherwise, I'm satisfied with this remake. Whilst damn close, it doesn't replace the original; SH2 is a classic. But there is definitely room for the remake to act as a what-if companion piece. Now about a proper OG SH remake..?

The Silent Hill 2 remake is as good a reimagining of the original as can be expected without it being the classic PlayStation 2 title itself. Most of the essential core of the game, story, and overall mood have been lovingly recreated in a high resolution tour de force. And for us long time fans of the series there are plenty of easter eggs to discover along our journey through Silent Hill. --- I almost titled this review by quoting Maria - "Are you confusing me with someone else?" The original is one of the top videogames ever made and a true classic. Yet it's easy to forget it is a product of its time. Bloober have improved movement and combat and taken on the difficult task of ensuring the oppressive mood remains. Back in the CRT, low-res days the fog was as much a game mechanic as it was a requirement for performance. The lower resolution back then lending much to the heightened tension of the unseen - we would hear cacophonous caterwauls or see glimpses of hinted indistinct horrors. While today's 4k displays can often show too much in modern horror games destroying much of the tension. And I feel Bloober Team succeeded in balancing things perfectly. We get a beautiful game smothered in an oppressive foggy landscape. This is not the original Silent Hill 2 and it shouldn't be - it's the most accurate love letter to that classic while still feeling fresh and exciting.

TL;DR: A recreation of Silent Hill 2 made by people who clearly love the original. A deep and thought provoking story with fun gameplay that is sure to appeal to survival horror fans everywhere. Having experienced the original Silent Hill 2 in the old days, I feared that a remake would fail to grasp what made the original so special, choosing instead to follow in the footsteps of less well-recieved titles in the series such as Homecoming. The emphasis on the improved combat leading up to the release only added to my concerns. I am happy to say that these fears did not come to pass. While the remake does place a greater emphasis on combat compared to the original, it still keeps the tone and atmosphere of the original. The town of Silent HIll is now even more immersive, to the point I wish I was able to explore the town even more before moving on to the later areas. I do feel as though the quantity of enemies could have been toned down somewhat, but it didn't really detract from the experience. The story is mostly the same as the original, with some new and interesting additions. What I found most surprising is that the game does more than simply ape the original game's story, it almost assumes the player is familiar with it, given some of the tidbits and endings. If you played the originals, I HIGHLY recommend playing this remake. I do not think I would have appreciated what the developers have managed to do if I had only played this title. Overall, I do not think there is much more that I could ask for in a remake of a cherished game that has become such a icon in the survival horror genre. Whether you are a fan of the classic or a newcomer trying to find what all the hubub is about, this remake is sure to be a memorable experience.

This is what a remake should look like! The game can be recommended to anyone looking for a horror game that focuses on atmosphere rather than cheap shock effects, and also tells a good story with room for interpretation. Suitable for everyone, whether you're new to Silent Hill or want to relive the classic with cutting-edge graphics and well-designed modernized controls.