Welcome back to the dark realm of Silent Hill, with a whole
new cast of characters to torment. James, our protagonist, is summoned back
to Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife Mary, beckoning his
return to uncover the truth. Upon arriving in the remeniscent Silent Hill, James
meets Maria, who mysteriously enough holds an eerie resemblance to his late
wife, but with an attitude and demeanor that is unmistakably unique.

Take the role of James (and Maria) as you search for the truth in the latest
and greatest installment of Konami’s Silent Hill series, Silent
Hill 2: Restless Dreams, a game that will keep your interest and
intrigue you for hours. Just don’t play it too late at night, nightmares may
occur.

Gameplay

Played from a third person perspective, Silent Hill 2 is a
thought provoking, action packed game filled with unforgetable characters. More
often than not, you’ll be suprised, or scared when an enemy suddenly comes into
view. For those of you that don’t scare too easily, I’ll just say it can be
quite nerve-racking. Just imagine walking through the dark prison, blood written
messages on the wall, creepy stairs and creeking doors, in an instant the mood
changes, suspensful music turns to an ambience of urgence, as one of the undead
pounce out to kiss you goodnight. Quick, make a decision, shoot
or run (or run to the bathroom to wipe).

The attention to detail, from demonic artwork hanging on the walls to engaging
character profiles, will keep you immersed in the gameplay. James, our tragic
yet likable hero, has a long history of sadness and guilt-ridden despair, you’ll
find yourself empathising with his struggle. Even though you like him, you feel
like there is something a bit ‘off’ about him. The mysterious and sexy Maria
adds an upbeat and enegetic personality to the cast, but with her intimate conversationalism,
there must be evil hidden within. Laura, the bratty little kid who shared the
same hospital with Mary, James’ late wife, gives hope of hidden information
and a sneak peak into Mary’s true being. Laura is the epitome of a lost little
girl. Adding to the already fine cast is Eddie, a clumbsy yet easily angered
young man who leaves unanswered questions in your mind.

Having played most of the game in 3D, I must admit that it was a royal pain
in the neck. I would highly reccommend using the 2D control scheme, where the
camera will angle around you automatically. Unfortunately for me, I did not
discover this until I had beaten the game. All in all however, the control mechanics
are quite simple once you’ve familiarized yourself with them. You have an inventory
that is easily managed, and you’ll need this to solve certain puzzles and riddles
throughout the game. Play through three levels, easy, normal, or hard, depending
on how effective your gameplay is, you’ll see one of four different endings.
Without giving too much away, I will say they range from depressing to humerous.
Once you’ve beaten the main objective, take a stab at playing as Maria through
a shortened quest that sheds more light on the mind of Maria.

Graphics

Being an avid player of Silent Hill for the Playstation console
(PS1), it was clear 10 seconds into the game that the developer utilized
the power of the Xbox console to produce the best graphical displays and effects
seen in the series. The fact that bloody footprints will follow your character
as you step through pools of blood is outstanding. The grainy effect throughout
the entire game, along with the ‘fog’, shadow, and lighting effects truly add
that ‘horror movie’ feel, and will scare the ^$@# out of you
at times. Full motion video sequences are done with exceptional detail and leave
you on the edge of your seat. At times the game seemed a bit too dark, luckily
there is an option to adjust the brightness setting.

Audio

How can I put this . . . eerie, scary, heart-stopping, horrific
. . . Terrific! Try this one with the lights out and
Dolby Digital Surround Sound. they put as much effort into the audio as they
did with the graphics. Screaming will send chills up your spine, and have your
neighbors calling the cops. Listen to your footsteps as you walk on concrete,
wood floors, carpeting, grass and leaves, and those creeky stairs leading up
a horrific looking monster. The music and ambiance intensify as the danger level
increases and the overall affect of the sountrack is quite chilling.

Replay Value

Three different levels, four different ending . . . oddly
enough the creepiest place you’ve been will keep you coming back. This game
could be very similar to a relative, you can’t take too much all at once,
but you always come back for more!

Overall Score

Overall Score: 9.0 [Not an Average]

Additional Comments

Overall a good storyline, but a little ‘dragging‘
at points in the game. Excellent graphics and audio. Silent Hill 3 is slated
to be in the works, but has not been confirmed for the Xbox to date, the Xbox
version was much better than the Playstation version and Silent Hill 3 for the
Xbox would certainly get my attention. This is not a game for young kids, I’d
reccommend 14 and up for this title. [ESRB rating of Mature]

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