Silent Hill 2 (PS2) - Part 5

Had you seen my Airforce Delta videos, I may have mentioned that 2001 brought about some of the most distinguished of Konami titles, all of which were on Sony's Playstation 2. Opening up the year with Shadow of Destiny, they later took charge with Zone of Enders, Pro Evolution Soccer, Metal Gear Solid 2 and, ofcourse, Silent Hill 2. I could talk at length about this survival horror classic: Silent Hill 2 is an exhaustive, surreal and emotionally draining experience yet one that will always stay with you. Like its anime equivalent in End of Evangelion, it dares to go into territory not many of its peers would dare trudge. There are plenty of editorials out there which have analysed and examined every fine detail about Konami's 2001 hit. Writers have similarly gone into depth about the many complex and thought provoking themes dealt with throughout Silent Hill 2. It would be serving an injustice if I even tried to tackle the subject. Regardless, this is a tour-de-force for PlayStation 2 hardware: Showing exactly what can be done with it and how to get the most out a making a truly horrific setting. It is funny really how the original Silent Hill used fog to mask the limitations of PSX hardware because in Silent Hill 2 the fog is easily the most impressive visual effect in the game. Even now, the depth of the looming mist is without equal in any modern video game. It should be also noted that Akira Yamaoka's approach to sound design and audio in general takes audio-sequencing on the PS2's soundchip. Silent Hill 2 likewise has surprisingly high quality 3D sound support, complete with the creepy sound-effects and Angelo Badalamenti-esque soundtrack to boot. David Lynch was definitely an influence here. Ironically, gameplay is Silent Hill 2’s weakest link, or rather, it is on a surface level.The controls and very nature of combat are awkward as James (the protagonist) seems almost comedically helpless throughout play: His violent swings with the various melee weapons actually leaving him open to further attacks. It always makes sense to avoid any fighting if necessary, with some parts of the game being impossible to beat without escaping. Projectile weapons are severely limited in the amount of ammo available for them but when you throw in various oddball puzzle elements and plenty of exploration and you have the formula for any engaging survival horror. Anyway, enough of me gushing, please do enjoy this video series and... Happy Halloween! ---------------------------------------­--------------- A LEGAL NOTICE: ---------------------------------------­--------------- Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and crticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.