Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 promises to put the horror back into the survival-horror genre with some of the most nauseating monsters you?re likely to see in a game.

Konami?s E3 trailers don?t lie: First, Metal Gear Solid 2 defied skeptics by looking every bit as good in playable form as it did at last year?s E3. Now, the first playable demo of Silent Hill 2 proved to be every bit as creepy and disturbing as this year?s E3 trailer. In the short demo, the hero, James?in search of his wife?wandered a dingy and abandoned hospital full of the most vile and disgusting monsters you?ve probably ever seen in a game. In fact, passersby at the show uniformly uttered, ?That?s disturbing,? before moving on.

James faced the zombie-like creatures armed with a pistol, nail-studded plank, and standard survival-horror controls. Several of the monsters had no head or torso, but rather two sets of female legs joined at the hips?one set for walking and the other for?arms. Other creatures looked like nurses wrapped in shiny white plastic and splattered with blood. After James blasted them, they convulsed like blobs of jelly jolted by 100,000 volts of electricity. If a kick didn't finish them off, they scurried off like a rat or came after James again; if they got the boot, they laid in a sickening pool of blood. This game is destined for a big, fat Mature rating.

Even without the freakish monsters, the game?s atmosphere?heavily influenced by such David Fincher films as Se7en and Fight Club?was unsettling enough. The game appeared grainy?a deliberate effect that made it look like an old 8mm movie?and was far from the glossy video game world of Madden and SSX. The hospital?s walls and floors oozed with grunge, and a loud, persistent metallic clanging kept you on edge. If you want to test your nerves, Silent Hill 2 will give you a good chance this fall.

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