Review: Silent Hill 2
Konami?s twisted follow-up to the cult PlayStation horror hit will leave you with permanent scars on your psyche and an insatiable desire to wash your eyes.
When the ESRB slapped a big, fat Mature label on Silent Hill 2 for blood, gore, and sexual themes, it wasn?t kidding around. This game is intensely, utterly disturbing, filled with images that shock, moments that leave stains on your subconscious, and nauseating nightmare abominations that defy description in mere English words. It?s also proof positive that game designers are truly starting to think like movie-makers, fully aware that what you don?t see (or hear) is often just as important as what you do. SH2 makes more effective use of shadows, lighting, and sound than 99 percent of the Hollywood horror movies made in the last 20 years.
Still, for all its style, Silent Hill 2?s gameplay mechanics are no different than those of any other game ever slapped with the ?survival-horror? tag. You?ll whack legions of the same four or so enemy types, using the same familiar array of blunt objects, pistols, and shotguns; get Medallions A, B, and C; put them in Statue D, which opens Door E; walk through Door E; repeat until numb. You?ll fight awkward camera angles as much as freaky bad things (though the real-time engine certainly helps). Silent Hill 2 is more a great experience than it is a great game, fun in a masochistic ?I need a bath? sense rather than in the usual butt-kickin? way. You have to admire the level of sick artistry, but fans of the original will be disappointed that not much is new.
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