3.5/5 ★ – alcoholicgoat's review of SILENT HILL 2.

Very high 7. A 7.5 for me as of this review. Cue the cringe letters song meme: I've played the original SH2, way back in 2019. I knew what to expect since I spoiled the game for myself essentially. I didn't know the semantics, but I'd argue the game isn't that complex on the surface. Which is something I really really appreciate, since the layers are there, but only if you want to engage with them. I didn't get the hype. Sure, it's very good for its time. A few moments actually got across what I was supposed to feel (labyrinth) and I did get the emotional catharsis and experience. Aesthetically and in terms of art direction it's still kinda unmatched if you ask me. If you want a genuinely scarier game, I think it's justified to say the original does that better. The music is also largely objectively better. But the controls are ass. I hate the characters. The good ending is too squeaky clean and shit does feel rushed. I like the idea of it instead of actually liking it. SH2R is the experience I assume 2001 players got, but for me. It is largely the same experience, but refined and remixed to clearly communicate the ideas and concepts that make it so compelling in its text. I'd compare it to the Evangelion tv show and Manga adaptation. I hate the Eva show but really like the Manga. It articulates everything and makes the characters so much more relatable. Same here with SH2R. Angela doesn't drive me up the wall with her DRAAAKE ass delivery. James is way more interesting and damaged (as well as sympathetic). Eddie is actually a good character now. And the gameplay is pretty serviceable. It works. It toes the line between jank and functional. The story is pretty good here. It's probably overrated at this point, but it is for good reason. This is The Shining of vidya. Basically every horror game post-2001 owes some credit to SH2. SH2R is a good repackaging of that game without replacing it (I'm no purist, I appreciate the original but prefer to play games that are ergonomic). What did surprise me was the level of engagement here. The more you dig in, the more you get out of the experience. I think I clocked 30 hours for my first playthrough and I barely scratched the surface. Not gonna go into the story. Who the fuck am I? You know this game. All the characters are clever foils and re-examinations of James as a character. Very good and utilitarian writing. All the endings are very interesting and well-realized. Appropriately existential. Biggest complaints are how cumbersome the game can be. It's too fucking long. I'm tired of games bloating to excess to "justify a price tag". Length and size is not indicative of quality. I think Uncharted 2 is the best in the series. It's better than 4 because it knows when to shut the fuck up and let me play. Dead Space 2 is now half the length of DS1 (remake is now my go-to) but I prefer 2 over 1. Shorter and sweeter. Spec Ops The Line is an incredible 6 hour game. TLOU 1 is better than 2, partially due to length. Black Ops Cold War is 6 hours, and is easily the best COD campaign. SH2R does not need to be over 15 hours. There is a LOT of padding and fetch quests. No real narrative substance for hours of gameplay. Just thinly connected puzzles. The invisible checks to get each ending is also fucking absurd. There's an "I love my wife" meter that contributes to the good ending. As much as I appreciate ludonarrative harmony, it's so easy to get the bad endings. I also hate how your inventory screen indicates fuck-all about your health unlike the original. I also found performance mode on PS5 to be inconsistent. The opening area is such a bad first-impression, you'd think Bloober would know better than to start off so sloppily. Despite my complaints, this is a great game. I paid full-price and don't regret it beyond being poor. I'm going to get my money's worth and replay this. RE7 might be more viscerally scary, but SH2R taps into monkey-brain psychological terror that is so well done. I'd love to play more Silent Hill remakes.