Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut

While the brilliantly designed monsters are indeed scary, it's the complex twists and turns of the plot that really produce the game's terror. Gameplay is largely puzzle-based: much of it involves gathering clues and items to solve each puzzle. There are a few fights thrown in, but these are quite easy and mostly used to show off the developers' bizarre creations. The level of both puzzles and fighting can be adjusted to match the player's skill level. Although its mechanics are rudimentary, the game's presentation is anything but. A heavy use of fog is the game's hallmark effect, greatly adding to the mood. Sound--both effects and music--alternates between eerie silence and sudden, shocking crescendos.

Although the graphics and sound are both top-notch, the real star of this game is the story. It's very rich and intricate--a sharp contrast to the banal scenarios that frame most games. The game is short (around 10 hours), but you'll want to give it another go to discover its multiple endings and secret items. Despite basic gameplay, Silent Hill 2 is an excellent choice for gamers looking for cerebral thrills. Parents should note that in addition to violence and gore, this game deals with topics like suicide, murder and euthanasia. --Raymond M Padilla

I don't really know what else to say about it. If you are a fan of third person shoot 'em ups and RPG's, then I would certainly recommend this game. While "Silent Hill" does have a few similarities to Capcom's "Resident Evil" series, it is, in my opinion, far superior, both in terms of graphics and gameplay.


Shocking Twists   October 26, 2003
Caroline Ovens (scotland)
3 out of 13 found this review helpful

I Love This Game, I've Not Played The Directors Cut Version But It's Roughly The Same. It Is Very Scary, With The Noises As If Something Is Lurking Close By. The Monsters Are Easy, The Hardest Is Probably The Pyramid Head, WATCH OUT! The Streets Have Different Names In The First Silent Hill But It's The Same Town Plus I Don't Understand How The Town Ended Up Like That In The First Place? The Game Has A Great Storyline, James Sunderland Gets A Letter From His Dead Wife Telling Him To Meet Him In Their Special Place 'Haunted Silent Hill'. The Graphics Are Superb. The First Silent Hill Was Great And I Want To Get The Third. My Silent Hill 1 Disc Crashed Because Of Scratches And Was Right At The End! Connect Your PS2 To A SONY Reciever While Playing Silent Hill 2 For The Most Breathtaking, Realistic Terrifying Sound


Silent Hill, the stuff Nightmares are made of.   May 24, 2003
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

After it came out on the PS2 I was tempted to buy the system just for this game. The orginal made me lost many nights sleep, both on the puzzles and the nightmarish sights in the game. When it came out on the PC I was releived that I didn't have to buy a new system.
The game itself improves on many of the great things of the orginal, puzzles with cryptic but not impossible clues, the fog that conceals hideous freakish monsters, disturbing locations and music and sounds that give you goose bumps. The plot is as complicated and confusing as the first.
The only problem with the game is the monsters. They just are not much of a threat. None are fast enough to catch up if you run away, turn and then fill em with lead, but most of the time you just keep running. Also there are a few problems with the sound on older computers.


Silent Hill 2-who care's about Resident evil??   May 5, 2003
Amir Iqbal (Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

what can i say-the title says it all-this game,like its predecessor,is nothing short of brilliant-tense,atmospheric,deeply disturbing and psychologically invovling-this game will make you scared..i garantee it
forget your resident evils of this world-sure they're very good-and unless you've never played them before-you might find them a little unnerving -however if you're a veteran of the series like me,the usual shock tactics of capcoms games becomes a little tired to say the least
silent hill however is on a completely different level-if you want a game that you want to become emotionally and mentally submerged in-pick this-
the graphics are brilliant-with the dark eerie locations,rusted walls and rotting and decaying rooms-ghost towns whith a silience to make you feel very uncomfortable-and the loacations-
well,whats more scary than being in a dark and dingy mental hospital?-with demented nurses shuffling in the corridors a you run down deeper into the darkness lined with hospital beds with restraint clips and blood smeered on the walls..
the music is what makes this game very special-or at times,the lack of it-the silence you encounter when you first walk in to the hospital is incredible,as you shine your little pocket torch round the lobby-
play this at night,in the dark,with headphones on...and keep a pair of pants on hand! hehehe