Product Description

With its Poe-like atmosphere--dense fog, pitch-black hallways and a cryptic letter from a dead wife--Silent Hill 2 promises to surpass the paranoia created by its predecessor Silent Hill.

The sequel opens with James Sunderland, the series' average-Joe protagonist, and a mysterious message that reads, "Silent Hill, our sanctuary of memories. I'll be waiting for you there". More puzzling is that the note is signed by Mary, his deceased wife.

James sets out for Silent Hill hopeful that he'll find a trace of Mary. After an aborted attempt by car, James plunges into the dank fog and embarks on his quest by foot. Enter Angela, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Mary, and who also beckons him with another curious message. It seems James can't go back; strange things are happening in Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 2 offers 10 new formidable foes, plenty of puzzles and bone-chilling gameplay. The sequel's new story and characters promise to thrill and terrify. The visual and sound effects are amazingly detailed and macabre, and, if you're playing on a system with surround sound, you may find yourself keeping the lights on.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11148 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2002-10-04
• Platform: Xbox

Amazon.co.uk review
Gamers looking for intellectual horror will find it in Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears on the Xbox. As the story opens, James Sunderland receives a letter from his wife telling him to meet her in the town of Silent Hill. The only problem is that she's been dead for three years. In hopes of being reunited with her, he explores the haunted town, and has many terrifying and unexpected encounters. 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 each 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 they aren't massively different from the PS2 version, in fact none of the game has really evolved from the PS2 version except for the addition of a new playable mission. Although it is comparatively short you do get to play as a new character: deranged, confusing psycho-chick Maria, whom you encounter throughout the game as James. 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, but you'll want to give it another go to discover its multiple endings and secret items. Despite basic gameplay, Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears 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

Manufacturer's Description
Return to the eerie town of Silent Hill in an all-new story with all new characters. Players assume the role of James, who receives a cryptic letter from his wife who has been dead for three years beckoning him to meet her in Silent Hill, a place that holds great meaning for the couple. The mystery of the letter frightens and confuses James, compelling him to investigate the surreal horror and all-too-real danger that awaits him.

Customer Reviews

HORROR AT ITS BEST!
The story begins with our man James Sunderland venturing back into the spooky town Silent Hill. His late wife Mary who suffered a tragic death three years before beckons him to return by way of a letter. The scene is set.

Firstly on loading you begin in the mens toilets, the cinematic sequences are breathtaking, really showing off what the Xbox is capable of. This heightens the realism no end but the best bits are still to come. Notably graphics and lighting effects, the fog that hangs over the town looks so real you'll be reaching for a cloth to wipe the moisture off your face. The 3D is silky smooth and the controls are childs play. Though to be honest they iniatially looked complicated on opening the box yet came to hand logically and makes the whole experiance all that much better.

The graphics, especially in the buildings brings a sense of death and decay. You can see every tear in the wallpaper, writing scrawled in blood, puzzles to keep you guessing. Though this never becomes tiresome as the whole game just oozes atmosphere.

Another worthy mention is the camara angles. These work superbly, and in most areas if you find James looking directly at you, a quick push of left trigger and you'll return behind him. The system is great and doesn't trip up like other titles have done in the past. Save games come nicely spaced so you won't have to recover ground for hours to get back to where you died.

Is it scary? Does it do what Konami claimed? - The answer to that is - OH YES! Turn off the lights, put the sound up and you'll be jumping at every noise. This is horror gaming at its finest. Forget the static pictures of resident evil, pick up Silent Hill and creep round corners with your heart in your mouth in beautifully rendered 3D.

And if that wasn't all enough, the good people at Konami have added a new bonus scenario for the X-box version.

So if you enjoy watching monsters blood fly, hear their screams in full dolby digital, dodge their acid spray and explore some of the spookiest graphics on a games console, the world of Silent Hill is definetly for you.

Now what are you waiting for? Order your copy today and see the kind of game the Xbox was built for. Won't dissapoint.

BRILLIANT GAME
Silent Hill 2 is brillaint,if u like Horror, and u play games, just buy this now. This game is the most disturbing game your ever play. I seriously recommend you play this, with lights off, curtains drawn, and wear a set of headfones. This grid locks u into this brillant masterpiece.

When you first play the game, first impressions are, confusion, poor graphics, empty. You start off in a public toilet, and have to make your way to silent hill, in which you have to walk, through a foresty area, where u can barely see 2 metres ahead, because silent hill and the surrounding area, is coated in dense Fog.

Now the Graphics look grainy as some complain, but its supposed to. This doesnt make sense till you progress in buildings and alleys ways, since when you reach the darker sections, even the graphics scare you. Honestly!. Once you reach Silent Hill, its empty, and to begin with you will be a little lost, but once you get going, work out where you should be, things start picking up. What some dont know is you can aactually turn the grainyness off, revealing even BETTER graphics.

The creatures you face, are disturbing and just the thought of seening them alive scares the hell out of you. Id love to meet the person behind them

I seriously recommend this to anyone who wants a scarey, or to be disturbed in a frightning way.

Best game I've played since Buffy the vampire Slayer

Scary Survival Horror-Not a shoot em Up For Goodness Sake!
Dont buy this if you are looking for a Resi Evil blast all zombies in sight game. This series is brilliant and SH2 is by far my favourite. The game makes you THINK in terms of the story as the clues are hidden throughout James' quest.It is intenionally circimspect with the clues-no beating you over the head with a sledgehammer- "oh we go this way then..." The endings ARE worth completing the game over and over for as they give you a unique insight to SH. Admittedly there are a few flaws - such as the translation from Japanese to English is a bit wooden and James can seem to be a bit thick at times..but hey dont complain.
The visuals are superb and the sound...well thats something else- building on the soundtrack from SH1-evocative and scary in equal measures.
The puzzles in hard mode need the grey matter and you dont(thankfully) have to get key from safe to open dungeon for key to door to get key to open the gate to the next level!!!
Compared to some of the rubbish out there this game is streets ahead of the rest.Now I,m off to the pub-if only it wasnt so darn foggy outside.............