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. The sequel opens with the average Joe protagonist, James Sunderland, 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, James' deceased wife.

James sets out for Silent Hill hopeful that he'll find a trace of Mary. After an aborted attempt by car, he plunges into the dank fog and embarks on his quest by foot. Enter Maria, 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 formidable new 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: #7898 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Konami
• Released on: 2003-02-28
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Gamers looking for intellectual horror will find it in Silent Hill 2. 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, 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

Manufacturer's Description
Set amongst the dense fog and haunting darkness of the eerie town, accompanied by dramatic music presented in Dolby Surround, Silent Hill 2 pushes the boundaries of macabre horror. Benefiting from the advanced technological power of the PlayStation 2, the visual expressions of the characters, weather conditions and the charnel-house gore of the game are intensely frightening. Players face over 10 new types of enemies and have access to a variety of new weapons, including a pistol and a steel pipe. Prepare to enter the new the realms of Silent Hill 2.

Customer Reviews

An Unsettling Experience
With the Resident Evil series off to Nintendo for a while, thank goodness we have the Silent Hill games to keep us going. Having said that, they are very different playing experiences. Resdent Evil games are full of thrills, action, and are great fun to play. No one, however, could describe Silent Hill 2 as 'fun', exactly... but it is probably the PS2's most compulsive game to date. It's also undoubtedly the most unpleasant - a really disturbing game which will continue to haunt you long after you've finished it. It's 'The Blair Witch Project' to Resident Evil's less subtle 'Nightmare On Elm Street'. The terror here comes not so much from shock moments (a Resi trademark), but from what you can't see but know is 'out there'. It features the most impressive and effective sound effects in any PS2 game so far - particularly the infamous radio which produces static whenever a monster is in your vicinity, without giving you a clue as to which direction it will spring from. The controls may be a little rusty and occassionally frustrating, but the graphics are absolutely stunning, and the plot is as twisted and macabre as you could possibly wish for. The only slight criticism I would make is that at times, the grim environments and gory encounters become almost uncomfortably oppressive; I found myself switching off a couple of times just to take a break from the game's unremittingly bleak vision. But then, you know what you're signing up for when you order this, and I do urge you to try it. For intelligent and chillingly atmospheric gameplay, this title cannot be beaten. Just remember - this is DEFINITELY an adults-only experience... and try not to have nightmares.

A dark art
Silent hill 2 is not your average horror game if your looking for a action laden gun toting adventure look to resident evil but if you want a game that scares you & messes with your mind you need look no futher.

The game really gets your adrenline going when you play it alone at night, at every sound your heart jumps making this game a true work of art.

Another different aspect of this game is the power of suggestion for instance you unearth a secret basement in the hospital where someone's blood covers the bullet ridden walls.

The final twist doesen't come to the last half hour when the games hidden secrets are revealed & it will blow your mind. Also to keep you going there are 5 endings to unlock & bonus weapons to play with.

Also included is a bonus making of disk which gives you a deep interesting look into the making of the game along with a photo gallery,game makers bios,traliers & a free sticker

All in all it's the ultimate horror game in the ultimate package

Chills and thrills...
I want to add my voice to the other reviewers who have given this game a big thumbs up.

Silent Hill 2 is one of the best games I've ever played (and I'm including SHs 1 and 3 here). The storyline is absorbing, the atmosphere throughout is incredibly tense and, on occasion, terrifying, the graphics/cut scenes are excellent and the monsters are hideous (Pyramid Head is the stuff that nightmares are made of). You spend the game dashing from one creepy location to another with your trusty broken radio letting you know when the nasties are out there, even when you can't see them (the static radio noise signalling danger close-by has got to be one of the most effective devices ever used in a game for cranking up the tension). As you move about you collect various bits and pieces and solve puzzles - I found the level of difficulty to be about right; I had to think about the puzzles but I was never completely stumped for any length of time.

I'm not kidding about the scare factor - I'm in my 30s and fond of horror games but I still had to get my boyfriend out of bed in the middle of the night to come and sit with me the first time I played it. It's not just the 'something jumps out of the shadows at you and you get a fright' type horror (although there is that) but a slow build up of tension throughout combined with very disturbing images and a storyline that deals with serious subject matter. It was still giving me the heebie-jeebies long after I turned the consol off. People of a nervous disposition: beware!

This is certainly not what I would call an easy game but the (sometimes tricky but ultimately) manageable puzzles and range of weaponry means that you will probably have a reasonably smooth time. Don't get me wrong, you will be killed...horribly... quite regularly (in my case often in dark corners of the hospital by knife wielding nurse zombies who seemed to have an above average grasp of ambush tactics and could withstand several swipes of a metal pipe) but you probably won't come to a complete 'tearing your hair out in frustration' type standstill anywhere. In a game like this it is quite nice not to interfere with the movie like feel of the story to spend 3 hours trying to work out a puzzle or kill a Boss. The downside to this is that it's on the short side. If you are a reasonably experienced gamer with normal abilities (like me) you will finish it within a day easily.

The shortness of the game is offset somewhat by the fact that there are different endings. The story is such that you will be curious about how else things could turn out for poor James and you will probably end up playing SH2 through again and again, doing things slightly differently, to see them all.

A great game with decent re-play value. Give it a go.