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Richard Minor reviews
Konami 
- Price: £39.99
- Players: 1
Silent Hill,the town shrouded in mystery grabs you kicking and screaming into the terror once again only this time you may not get out alive!
Poor James Sunderland. The man’s wife passed away three years ago and he iswracked with guilt and suffering, yet he receives a letter from his deceased wife asking him to meet her in their special place in Silent Hill. So begins the terror as James continualy questions his own sanity. Mary, could you really be in this town?
The town is fog infested and demonic creatures roam the streets. Plus there is a cast of characters who seem to hinder you more then they help but it all adds to the suspense and has you guessing all the time – it seems the town wants you to stay. So James searches the town looking for answers but finds disturbing situations and death round each corner.
The graphics, sound and gameplay are brilliant with the creatures, FMV and effects really feeling like a movie and you find yourself feeling for James and the town messing with his head. The game throws you into the deep end having you avoid creatures left right and centre until you find some firepower in the apartment complex.
Just playing the game on your own is enough to make you feel uneasy and believe me it does you never know whats around the corner or what to expect. Thankfully though you will never run out of ammo as the game is more then helpful allowing you to at blast the hell out of anything that is a threat without the fear of running out. The enemies look more like tortured souls right out of Seth Brundle’s Telepod inThe Flybut once they spot you they make a beeline straight for you. Nurses and straightjacket goons as well as pyramid-headed monsters roam the town.
What is amazing about SH2 is the way the camera, sound and effects make you feel like something is following James even when he is alone. Not only that but the way the game entices you further into the nightmare, never letting up on your subconcious, making you want to find out what is causing this. Not only that but among the strange characters you meet are a slob called Eddie who has pyschotic tendancies, a girl called Laura who teases you throughout the game, a woman called Angela who is also weird and a woman called Maria who is a dead ringer for Mary except, as James is quick to remind us, her hair and clothes are different.
She also teases him – is she Mary? was she Mary? She kind of switches roles in the game by confusing our hero acting like Mary and Maria kind of like Jekyll and Hyde, only sexier.
The game also switches between the light world and the dark like the original as if that wasnt enough the game is infested with puzzles.As good as the game is it has a lot of puzzles which must be overcame.
Silent Hill 2 takes the genre to a brand new level of terror and even the bravest of you will feel afraid in more ways then one.Return to Silent Hill by all means but be ready for the game to take you to hell and back!
Graphics: nice and atmospheric. Everything looks like it should.
SFX music: makes the game scarier with some harsh sounds and music to send a shiver down your spine.
Playability: you need the patience of a saint to perservere to the end as its such a long game and the fact that it has lots of puzzles may put some people off but still fantastic.
Originality: Survival Horror has been done before but the games original plot makes it a classic man-enters-town, gets twisted and turned and will hook you.
Enjoyment: Quite enjoyable but you never lose the fear factor and the game rewards you often for your patience.
Overall:Very disturbing and shocking but well worth playing if you like the horror genre. Play and be afraid. The power of PS2 helps convey a feeling of isolation as you trapse around the town in one of the finest adventure romps at the moment. Well worth checking out – just buy a clean pair of underwear as this game will take you to the other side!
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.