Silent Hill 2 Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 91 Ratings

  • Summary: James Sunderland's life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill. Now James must go back to that special place to uncover the truth, unaware that the answers he seeks require the ultimate sacrifice. Check out the PC exclusive features below! [Konami] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. If Silent Hill 2 is your first PC horror game, then congrats -- and woe -- to you. Pleasant dreams.
  2. 86
    This is, without a doubt, one of the creepiest, scariest, downright disturbing games I've ever played … and yes, I mean that as a compliment.
  3. Though there are a few good scenes--such as the first time you see Pyramid Head--it becomes quickly apparent that there aren't many startling, truly scary moments to support the mood.
  4. Though the visuals have their upsides, the camera is ATROCIOUSLY AWFUL.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 26
  2. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. 10
    This is one of the best games ever made. Team Silent did a great job with the first few Silent Hills, and this is the best, in my opinion. The story and music are amazing, the game play is solid, it's got great atmosphere, and can be really scary. It has also aged pretty well on the PC if you mod it for widescreen support and all that. Expand
  2. Silent Hill 2 is literary genius embodied in a video-game. Symbolism plagues the town in this which game takes place, leaving story intensely convoluted and abstract. This in no way impairs the game though, but instead adds to the tension of the situation, And If are able to untangle the complex ideals that this intelligent game offers, you will be rewarded with story that parallels (and in some cases surpasses) a novel. In general, Silent Hill 2 is BADASS!!! Expand
  3. Filled with tension, sadness and despair, Silent Hill 2 is a great sequel and one of the most disturbing and scary games you'll ever play. Just wait till you meet Pyramid Head and you'll know what i mean. Expand
  4. ShawnH.
    7
    This is a good, not great game. The graphics are crisp, and the sound is perfect. Not outright scary, but definately some tense moments. I did find some frustration with the camera angles, though most of that could be fixed by pressing the 'S' key. Also, the story was confusing. I'm still not sure why the main character takes the actions he does at the end, and how Silent Hill became this way. Why are there still people wandering around this monster infested town? Why hasn't the military come and controlled the city? Is this a dream or reality? What's the connection between Mary and Marie? If the game had not tried to remain so mysterious, I might have given it a higher score. I felt a letdown at the end because I still didn't have a definate sense of what the hell was going on. A little mystery is OK, but make sure the player can grasp at least a little bit of the ending. Expand

See all 26 User Reviews