| Silent Hill 2 | |
|---|---|
North American box art depicting character Angela Orosco |
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| Developer(s) | Konami Computer
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| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Masashi Tsuboyama |
| Producer(s) | Akihiro Imamura |
| Artist(s) | Masahiro Ito |
| Writer(s) | Hiroyuki Owaku Takayoshi Sato[2] |
| Composer(s) | Akira Yamaoka |
| Series | Silent Hill |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc |
Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror video game published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. The second installment in the Silent Hill series, the game was released in September 2001; an extended version of it was released for the Xbox in December of the same year as Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams in North America and Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears in Europe, and for the PlayStation 2 in 2002 as Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut, with a port of Director's Cut to Microsoft Windows released in December 2002. Silent Hill 2 has been re-released multiple times, including under the Greatest Hits label and as part of The Silent Hill Collection, while a remastered high-definition version of it is due for release for the PlayStation 3[6] and the Xbox 360.[7]
While it is set in the series' namesake town, Silent Hill 2 is not a direct sequel to the events and characters of the first Silent Hill game. Instead, it centers on James Sunderland, who enters the town after receiving a letter written by his deceased wife, saying she is waiting for him in their "special place" in Silent Hill. Joined by Maria, who strongly resembles her, he searches for her and discovers the truth about her death. Additional material in re-releases and ports included Born from a Wish, a sub-scenario which focuses on Maria before she and James meet.
Silent Hill 2 uses a third-person perspective and gameplay places a greater emphasis on finding items and solving riddles than combat, similar to the first Silent Hill. Psychological aspects such as the gradual disappearance of Mary's letter were added to the game. More humanoid than their counterparts in the preceding game, some of the monsters were designed as a reflection of James' subconscious. Real-life references to history, films and literary works can also be found in the game.
Silent Hill 2 was positively received by the audience and critics. Within the month of its release in North America, Japan and Europe, over one million copies were sold, with the greatest sales in North America. English-language critics praised the atmosphere, graphics, story and monster designs of Silent Hill 2, but criticized the controls as difficult to use. Silent Hill 2 appeared on several critics' top lists for its story and use of metaphors, psychological horror and taboo topics.
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The objective of Silent Hill 2 is to guide the player character, James Sunderland, through the monster-filled town of Silent Hill as he searches for his deceased wife. The game features a third-person perspective, with various camera angles for different areas of the map in contrast to simply always having the player view the game from behind the back of James.[8] There is no heads-up display; to check their health, location, and items, the player must enter the pause-game menu to review their status.[9][10] Maps are collected throughout the game, and can only be read if there is sufficient light or when James' flashlight is on.[9] James will update relevant maps to reflect locked doors, clues and obstructions.[11] James will also write down the content of all documents for future reference.[9]
Much of the gameplay consists of navigating the town and finding keys or other items to bypass doors or other obstructions, with less focus on killing enemies.[11] Occasionally puzzles will be presented, often with riddles left for the player to interpret.[11] The difficulty levels of the enemies and the puzzles are determined independently by the player before starting the game.[8] James keeps a radio with him which alerts him to the presence of creatures by emitting static, allowing him to detect them even through the thick fog.[9] He will also tilt his head in the direction of a nearby item or monster.[8] The default control for Silent Hill 2 has James moving in the direction that he is facing when the player tilts the analog stick upwards.[11] Additionally, there are a total of six weapons available: three melee weapons and three firearms, with another two melee weapons unlocked during replays.[8] Throughout the game, James can find health restoratives such as first-aid kits, health drinks and ammunition.[9]
While not a direct sequel to the events and characters of the first Silent Hill game, Silent Hill 2 takes place in the series' foggy namesake town which is located in the northeastern United States.[12][13] More than a physical location, the town of Silent Hill draws upon the psyche of its visitors and ultimately forms alternative versions of the town, which differ depending on the character.[note 1][14] James Sunderland is the protagonist and primary player character of Silent Hill 2, who comes to the town after receiving a letter from his deceased wife Mary.[16] While exploring the town, he encounters Maria, who strongly resembles Mary except for a different personality and clothing; Angela Orosco, a 19-year-old who ran away to Silent Hill so she could search for her mother; Eddie Dombrowski; and Laura, an eight-year-old who befriended Mary during her stay at the same hospital.[15][17]
After arriving in Silent Hill, James decides to search Rosewater Park,[18] where he meets Maria, who claims that she has never met or seen Mary and, as she is scared, he allows her to follow him. While looking for Laura inside a hospital, James and Maria are ambushed by the monster Pyramid Head, and Maria is killed by him just as James escapes;[19] He resumes his task of finding Mary, and chooses to search a local hotel, where he and Mary spent their vacation.[20] While en route, James inexplicably finds Maria alive, unharmed and locked in a prison cell.[21] She greets him and claims ignorance to their previous encounter, and discusses elements of James and Mary's past that only Mary would know.[22] James then sets off to find a way to release Maria from the cell, and returns only to find her dead once more.
Eventually, James saves Angela from a monster; she confesses that her father used to sexually abuse her.[23] Further on, James confronts a gun-wielding Eddie, who admits to maiming a bully and killing his dog before fleeing to Silent Hill;[24] James kills him in self-defense when he attacks.
At the hotel, James locates a videotape, which depicts him smothering his dying wife with a pillow, much to the horror of Laura, who was friends with Mary in her time at the hospital.[25] At this point in the game, the letter from Mary vanishes entirely from the envelope. In another room, a final meeting with Angela sees her giving up on life and unable to cope with her guilt any longer. She walks into the flames of a burning staircase and is not seen again.[26] James later encounters two Pyramid Heads, along with an alive Maria, who is killed again. James realizes that Pyramid Head was created because he needed someone to punish him. The envelope from Mary disappears and both Pyramid Heads impale themselves with their own spears. James heads to the hotel's rooftop; depending on choices made by the player throughout the game, he encounters either Mary[27] or Maria disguised as her.[28]
Silent Hill 2 features six possible endings, with official statements from Konami having kept their canonicity ambiguous.[12][29] In "Leave", James has one last meeting with Mary, reads her full letter and leaves the town with Laura, while "In Water" sees James commit suicide;[30] in "Rebirth", James plans to resurrect Mary using objects collected throughout the game.[31] The "Maria" ending sees Mary as the woman on the rooftop, who has not forgiven James for killing her. After her defeat, James dismisses her as a hallucination and then leaves the town with an alive Maria, who starts coughing.[32][33]
The other two are joke endings available on replay games: in the first, called "Dog", James discovers that, beyond a locked door, a dog has apparently been controlling all the events of the game from a vision mixer,[34] and the second is a continuation of the joke ending of the first game, in which James is abducted by extraterrestrials with the help of the first game's protagonist, Harry Mason.[35]
Born from a Wish is a side-story scenario in the special editions and re-releases of the game in which the player takes control of Maria shortly before she and James meet at Toluca Lake. After waking up in a local strip club with a gun and contemplating suicide, she resolves to go out and find someone.[36] She eventually locates a mansion, where she hears the voice of its owner, Ernest Baldwin. At first Maria is relieved to have found another living human, but Ernest refuses to let Maria into the room where he is and will only talk to her through its closed door.[37] After Maria completes tasks for him, Ernest warns her about James, whom he describes as a "bad man".[38] After Maria opens the door to Ernest's room and finds it empty, she leaves the mansion.
Silent Hill 2 was developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo.[40][41][42] The story was conceived by CGI director Takayoshi Sato who based it on the novel Crime and Punishment, with individual members of the team collaborating on the actual scenario.[2][43][44] The main writing was done by Hiroyuki Owaku and Sato, the latter of which provided the dialog for the female characters.[43][45][2] The atmosphere of the game is for the most part similar to the first game, including the abandoned and/or decomposing look of the town and the persistent fog obscuring the streets, but it has been given a more psychological twist. One example of this is James' letter from Mary, which progressively disappears during the game, hinting, as Konami later confirmed, that the letter was merely another part of James' hallucinations.[15] The hotel also transforms from being just as it was three years ago,[46] to its true form of a mostly burned-out structure.[13] Throughout the game, James jumps down holes, symbolically descending into his mind, and can unlock a door on the floor, suggesting that he is not experiencing reality.[47] Other acknowledged attempts to induce a psychological influence on the game include placing Mary's dress on a mannequin in the room where James discovers the flashlight and modeling at least one dead body in the town after James.[48]
The monsters in the game, as well as being more humanoid in design than their counterparts in the preceding game, are acknowledged to have been, for the most part, designed as a reflection of James' subconscious.[49] At least two creatures, the "Mannequin" and "Bubble Head Nurse", are acknowledged to have been created with sexual suggestion in mind, a reflection of James' desires and likely sexual deprivation during Mary's illness.[48][49] Pyramid Head is acknowledged to have been based on the executioners of the town's fictional history and is intended to be a punisher for James.[49] Two exceptions to this theme are the "Abstract Daddy", a reflection of the subconscious and memories of Angela, and the "Creepers", which are also seen in the first game.[49]
Silent Hill 2 also incorporates some references to real-life events. In the original scenario, the developers designed Maria and James with double personalities: Maria's other personality was "Mary", a reference to Mary Jane Kelly, Jack the Ripper's last victim, while James' was "Joseph", a reference to one of the Jack the Ripper suspects.[15] Other observers have claimed that Maria's outfit was copied from Christina Aguilera's appearance at the 1999 Teen Choice Awards.[50] Eddie Dombrowski's name was taken from actor Eddie Murphy back during the beginning phases of production when Eddie was originally designed with a pleasantly optimistic personality.[15] The name of Angela Orosco was derived from Angela Bennett, the name of the protagonist in the film The Net, and Laura's from the novel No Language But a Cry by Richard D'Ambrosio.[15] The developers satirized guns in American society by allowing James to find a handgun in a shopping cart.[51] There are also indications that the layout of Silent Hill has been based on the town of San Bruno, California, to a certain extent.[52]
Akira Yamaoka composed the music of Silent Hill 2.[12] At his home, Yamaoka took three days to write the music for "Theme of Laura", the main theme of Silent Hill 2, by combining "a sad melody" and "a strong beat", although he does not consider a melody to be the "most important" element of a music piece.[48] He wanted to evoke emotion from the player with the music.[48] Silent Hill 2 makes extensive use of sound effects ranging from screams to footsteps on broken glass.[8] In charge of the game's fifty sound effects, Yamaoka wanted to surprise the player with different sounds and create an unsettling environment.[48] He also incorporated occasional silence, commenting that "selecting moments of silence is another way of producing sound."[48]
Konami published Silent Hill 2 Original Soundtracks in Japan on October 3, 2001.[53] Eight tracks ("Theme of Laura", "Null Moon", "Love Psalm", "True", "Promise", "Fermata in Mistic Air", "Laura Plays the Piano" and "Overdose Delusion") appeared in the 2006 PlayStation Portable release The Silent Hill Experience.[54]
| Silent Hill 2 Original Soundtracks | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. |
"Theme of Laura" "White Noiz" "Forest" "A World of Madness" "Ordinary Vanity" "Promise (Reprise)" "Ashes and Ghost" "Null Moon" "Heaven's Night" "Alone in the Town" |
3:24 1:24 1:43 1:47 1:39 1:45 3:08 2:50 2:04 1:38 |
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. |
"The Darkness That Lurks in our Mind" "Angel's Thanatos" "The Day of Night" "Block Mind" "Magdalene" "Fermata in Mistic Air" "Prisonic Fairytale" "Love Psalm" "Silent Heaven" "Noone Love You" |
1:16 3:17 1:37 1:12 1:25 2:16 1:54 4:26 2:13 1:32 |
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. |
"The Reverse Will" "Laura Plays the Piano" "Terror in the Depths of the Fog" "True" "Betrayal" "Black Fairy" "Theme of Laura (Reprise)" "Overdose Delusion" "Pianissimo Epilogue" "Promise" |
3:33 1:55 4:31 3:07 2:30 1:12 1:51 4:31 1:37 4:40 |
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Silent Hill 2 was first released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on September 24, 2001, in Japan on September 27, 2001, and in Europe on November 23, 2001.[3] The original European edition also included a second disc: a "Making-of" DVD video featuring trailers, an artwork gallery and a documentary on the title's development.[55] The revised version of the game was ported back to the PS2 and billed as a director's cut under both the "Greatest Hits" and "Platinum" labels depending on location.[56][57] In 2006, Konami re-released Silent Hill 2 with its indirect PS2 sequels, Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4: The Room, as The Silent Hill Collection and again in 2009.[58][59]
Ports of the game were also published. Konami released the Xbox port in North America on December 20, 2001, in Japan on February 22, 2002, and in Europe on October 14, 2002.[4] Each region had a different subtitle: the Xbox port was subtitled Saigo no Uta (最期の詩, lit. "Poem of the Last Moment") in Japan, Restless Dreams in North America, and Inner Fears in Europe.[56][60] Creature Labs ported Silent Hill 2 to the PC, which Konami released in December 2002.[1][61] The PC port is equivalent to the Xbox port and the PS2 budget versions, and includes Born from a Wish and the extra ending. Added features included the ability to quicksave, and trailers for Silent Hill 3.[10][62]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 85.77% (PS2)[63] 82.40% (Xbox)[64] 70.33% (PC)[65] |
| Metacritic | 89/100 (PS2)[66] 84/100 (Xbox)[67] 70/100 (PC)[61] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Eurogamer | 9/10 (Xbox)[60] |
| GameSpot | 7.7/10 (PS2)[11] 7.9/10 (Xbox)[68] 6.2/10 (PC)[69] |
| GameSpy | 86/100 (PC)[70] |
| IGN | 9.0/10 (PS2)[8] 8.4/10 (PC)[10] |
Silent Hill 2 was positively received, selling over one million copies in the month of its release in North America, Japan and Europe, with the most units sold in North America.[71] Since then, Silent Hill 2 has also been re-released as a Greatest Hits game.[72]
Critical reaction to the game was generally favorable. Rating aggregation site Game Rankings shows an average rating of 85.77% for the PS2 version,[63] 82.40% for the Xbox version,[64] and 70.33% for the PC version.[65] Rating aggregation site Metacritic shows an average rating of 89 out of 100 for the PS2 version,[66] 84 out of 100 for the Xbox version,[67] and 70 out of 100 for the PC version.[61]
Reviews of the original PS2 game were mostly positive. While noting that the game "doesn't break any molds or revolutionize the survival-horror genre in any particular way", IGN commended the "strangely heartbreaking, even a tad depressing" story, "respectable, believable" voice acting, creepy monster designs, unsettling sound effects and the "stunning" graphics of the game.[8] IGN felt that while the general gameplay remained mostly unchanged from the first Silent Hill, it was improved by better camera angles and controls.[8] GameSpot described Silent Hill 2 as "a much prettier, somewhat smarter but less-compelling game than the original", praising the eerie monster designs, "impressive" graphics, audio and the more coherent but less compelling plot.[11] According to GameSpot, the "awkward writing" hurt the voice acting and the monsters were not as frightening as the ones in Silent Hill.[11] Ben Croshaw of The Escapist cites the game as a personal favorite, calling it "the benchmark for video game storytelling and atmosphere."[73]
Reactions to the Xbox port were also positive. GameSpot noted the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were mostly similar except for the Born from a Wish side-story found on the Xbox version, which it called "a commendable extra" that did not add much to the game or help to further elucidate the plot of Silent Hill 2.[68] The PC port was not as well-received. Reviewers criticized the bizarre camera angles,[62][70][69] "lifeless" voice acting,[10][70] "tedious" gameplay and combat,[10][62] difficulty in controlling the player character,[70] and the overall adaption.[62] Conversely, GameSpy found the PC port overall to be "[a] fantastic translation of Konami's stylish and scary survival-horror game".[70]
Silent Hill 2 appeared on several critics' lists for its story and use of metaphors, psychological horror, and taboo topics. It ranked 1st on X-Play's list of the "Scariest Games of All Time" in 2006.[74] IGN listed it as an Editor's Choice,[8] one of the five best horror video games created after 2000 in 2009,[75] and one of the twentieth greatest PlayStation 2 game of all time.[76] Additionally in 2010, IGN ranked it as 54th in its "Top 100 PS2 games".[77] In 2008, GamesRadar placed it on its list of the fifteen "Best Videogame Stories Ever", describing it as "a punishing tale not easily matched".[78] In 2009, Destructoid ranked it fifteenth in its list of the "Top 50 Videogames of the Decade", noting that it "is most memorable for its introduction of iconic video game character Pyramid Head".[79] That same year, Wired.com listed it as the eleventh most influential game of the decade for its emphasis on psychological horror and exploration of taboo topics such as incest and domestic abuse, rather than gore.[80]
The events and characters of Silent Hill 2 have been referred to in subsequent installments in the series. If the player has saved data from Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3's protagonist Heather can investigate a clogged toilet in the alternate dimension of the mall, and the player can prompt her to remove the blockage—much like the optional decision in Silent Hill 2.[81][82] James also makes a cameo in the "UFO" joke ending of the game.[83] Silent Hill 4: The Room revealed that James disappeared when he went to Silent Hill.[84] It also introduces his father, Frank Sunderland, as the superintendent of the South Ashfield Heights Apartments building in the fictional town of Ashfield.[85] The seventh installment, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, finds James briefly interrupting Cheryl Mason's therapy session during the "UFO" joke ending. After he leaves, Dr. Kaufmann states that James is a couple's therapy patient and remarks that Mary hasn't been seen for some time.[86]
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