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Silent Hill 2

8.7 based on 34 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 45 votes Read user comments Rate this game

GAMES:

• Silent Hill
• Silent Hill 3
• Silent Hill 4: The Room

• Cheat Code Central
• Game Revolution
• GamePro
• GameSpot
• IGN

• Official Website

Players assume the role of James, who receives a cryptic letter from his wife (who has been dead for 3 years) beckoning him to meet her in Silent Hill, a place that holds great meaning for the couple. The mystery of the letter compels him to return to the surreal horror and all-too-real danger in Silent Hill.

PUBLISHER:	Konami
DEVELOPER:	Konami
GENRE(S):	Horror, Adventure, Action
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE:	September 25, 2001

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

FHM

The team have used the superior pixel-pushing capabilities of the console to make this a truly terrifying game.

100

G4 TV

Seldom has sound, vision, and control worked in such perfect harmony. Most players will find themselves wanting to play SH2 right after they finish it the first time.

100

Hot Games

Some really sick stuff. The imagery and grotesque design of the enemies is disturbing, and the grainy film stock adds an element of brutal realism to an already upsetting game. Needless to say, we loved it...Not only disturbing and scary, it’s actually a lot of fun.

100

Core Magazine

While Silent Hill 2 retains the same basic format of the original, the story is decidedly more coherent and the graphics have been upgraded immeasurably.

100

Thunderbolt

Stands strong as the top survival horror game of the decade.

100

Yahoo! Games

It's scary, beautifully imaginative and just when you think it's got as mad and twisted as it possibly could you're treated to a stranger puzzle, harder opponent to beat or even just a deeply twisted environment to explore.

100

Electric Playground

Amid its many puzzles, creepy scares and flurries of combat, Silent Hill 2 has moments that are so human and painful--forget about “horror” for the moment--that they elevate the experience from a mere “videogame” to a jarring, unsettling look at pain, loss, despair and dread.

100

Into Liquid Sky

It uses a combination of sight, sound, imagery and imagination to create the scariest game on any home console. Turn off the lights, grab your controller and enjoy the horror of Silent Hill 2.

96

GameShark

Things like reducing the on-screen fog, the chance to pick up a chainsaw as a weapon and multiple endings really make it a lot of fun to go through a few times.

96

GameSpy

If "Resident Evil" was likened to "Night of the Living Dead," then think of Silent Hill 2 as "Twin Peaks," minus the damn fine coffee, but plus the atmospheric gloom and cast of insane deviants, with the entire mixture then taken out back into the woods, shot, hacked into small chunks, and buried.

94

Gaming Target

It's not often that monsters of many types can freak you out. It's not likely you'll find a plot as sickening or bent as the one in this game.

91

Game Revolution

I'll take SH2 [over "Resident Evil"] any day. Turn out the lights, turn off that damn radio and you'll see what I mean. It eats into your brain (mmmmmm.....) and you won't even notice how jittery you've become until the cat suddenly jumps into your lap and you fling your controller at the ceiling.

91

TotalPlayStation

As far as sound effects go, they are some of the best ever found in a videogame.

90

GameZone

With a unique and interesting story, mind-blowing graphics, incredible soundtrack, great gameplay and FIVE endings, it’s hard to find fault with Silent Hill 2.

90

GamePro

SH2 makes more effective use of shadows, lighting, and sound than 99 percent of the Hollywood horror movies made in the last 20 years.

90

IGN

It's an experience that, excuse the Chaucerian, is sure to freak the crap out of you.

90

Game Over Online

Beautifully crafted. The story-driven gameplay is compelling and the atmosphere is a visual and aural masterpiece.

90

PSX Nation

With solid puzzles, a great story, creepy settings, the most disgusting monsters ever and puzzles that simply rock, Silent Hill 2 has gained my respect in the survival horror genre.

90

GamerWeb Sony

The game is one of the longer offerings Konami has offered on PS2 to date...[but] you'll still be left wanting more when the game is over.

90

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

To fully appreciate Silent Hill 2, you have to let it take over your life for a while. [Nov 2001, p.162]

88

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Flawed, frustrating and contrived, but as an experience it's one of the most emotionally engaging games in existence.

85

Playboy

Quite simply, mature PS2 owners craving a creepy game that's perfect for playing with the lights out and speakers cranked, pick up a copy of Silent Hill 2 and you will not be disappointed. Clean underwear not included.

85

Gamezilla!

It was a little slow at times and the control issues were frustrating, but the great story, incredible atmosphere and just plain creepiness made it all worthwhile.

83

Electronic Gaming Monthly

SH2’s unnerving mood is so immersive, almost deafening, that it overshadows some of the technical faults…This game will scare you. [Nov 2001, p.212]

83

Cinescape

While the voice acting isn't a total waste, it seems like the writers decided to have the characters babble on about nothing at times.

80

Maxim Online

If the grainy, David Lynch ambiance doesn’t make your nads retract in terror, the four-legged headless guys in combat boots and leather thongs certainly will.

80

GameCritics

The pacing can be a little languid at times, and the combat and movement controls could use some tweaking. Also, this game feels a little linear and lacking in extras when compared to the original.

80

Next Generation Magazine

The action, though, is simply repetitive, as even the most common creatures must be bludgeoned repeatedly to “kill” them (and there are a lot of creatures). [Nov 2001, p.100]

80

Total Video Games

The graphics at first may seem to be a little too grainy, however the atmosphere created from it is pure genius.

77

GameSpot

A much prettier, somewhat smarter but less-compelling game than the original.

75

Four Fat Chicks

Overall, the Silent Hill 2 experience is worth having, if just for the freak-out value. It's not that compelling a story, and the puzzles aren't too difficult, but it's gorgeous to look at and listen to.

73

TotalGames.net

From the stable that gave us "Symphony Of The Night" and "Metal Gear Solid," more is rightfully expected.

70

All Game Guide

Suffers a bit from being too close to its predecessor in terms of gameplay, but it does manage to scare up enough dread to be a worthy game for fans of the genre.

70

Game Informer

Instead of the brain-bending adventure with scares and gore that I had so desperately hoped for, it turned out to be a sloppy, monotonous bore that nearly put me to sleep.

The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 45 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dante399 L gave it a10:
This game is not just a game, it is something beyond that. It is a creative and a beautiful story which is told in the most brilliant way. Fans of horror stories will love this game; because it is a mixture of Stephen King's, Dean Koontz' and James Herbert's stories!

Sam C. gave it a10:
Quite simply the best game I have ever played on any system. I've played every Resident Evil and every Silent Hill along with many other survival horror games and this has an edge on all of them. On top of the freaky enemies and outstanding settings that will disturb you to the point of sickness, this game has an outstanding plot that will mess with your mind and keep you wondering until the end only to blow you away. If you play this late at night with the lights out and alone your guaranteed for a good eerie feeling.

William G. gave it a9:
I loved this game when it was initially released, and I still do. James is, by far, one of the best video game characters ever created. It's not often you get to play a title featuring a haggard, depressed shell of a human so far lost in despair that he couldn't hope to claw his way out even in the best possible outcome. With all subsequent titles hinting at James' true ending resulting in his suicide after learning the truth behind his wife's death, it makes this experience even more unique. No happy endings, no light at the end of the tunnel. It's everything Silent Hill should be; hopeless, desperate and lost, in a good way, of course. Unlike the other titles in the series, James plays no significant part in the events surrounding Silent Hill's creation and existence. He's simply another hopeless soul lost in the chaos. No sacrifices, no ceremonies or resurrections, he's utterly and completely irrelevant in regards to the "big picture." He's a pebble in a whirlwind, and it's so fantastically ironic that the character with the least significance in the series also provides the most psychological and enthrawling experience to the player. Kudos to the Konami team for their effort and to Akira Yamaoka for the best "survival-horror" soundtrack ever recorded.

Andrew gave it a10:
Without giving too much away, it will be hard for anyone to ever forget the sad tale of James Sunderland after they've played this game. Perhaps the most twisted and tragic story in gaming to date wraps up in a way that makes you think not just about right and wrong, love and hate, but also the way we as people face our demons or are destroyed by them. Not to be missed.

Apocalypse Brown gave it a9:
Never since the likes of Resident Evil 2 and Metal Gear Solid has a game gripped me and filled me with such joy, pain and scary memories. Yes the controls are flawed, yes the camera is awful but all of these add to the sense of fear and inpending doom. The story is the best on the ps2, but it's losing a ten due to some really pointless bits in the game (walking in the dark for an hour to find a key). Overall a must for all horror fans, until project zero 2 comes round.

ED B gave it a10:
This is the game I bought a playstation 2 for. Resident evil stopped being scary long time ago. No comparison should be made between the two. SH2 is dark, scary, has tons of fear atmosphere. creatures are scary and different ( not just zombies zombies zombies...please stop with the zompies,) Also for you few dimwits who do not "get it" please do not compare this with army and stealth games. There is no comparison, When I want to watch a scary movie -do I got to the war section or the horror section at the video store? Let me break this down for you: If you want to play a scary horror game... Scary game = Silent Hill 2 ---Its a horror game When you want to play a stealth/war game... Stealth/War game= MGS its a stealth war game Please stop you dimwits who compare with MGS ..stop.... I love MGS but these are two different games. You miss the point of this game and if you cant broaden your gaming pleasures beyone stealth and army games then sit around playing those ..there are hundreds of those boring mindless things to choose from. This is an awesome game people -stop reading the graphics, control, etc bozos and buy the game for the atmosphere!

Blood Emperor gave it a 10:
My favourite silent hill game so far (4 is already out) the storyline, the atmosphere, the action, the horror.. the horror.. the horror... Ahem sorry. Silent hill 2 is a major step up from silent hill 1 which lets you run round an even larger area of silent hill than in any of the other games. The graphics arent as plush as SH3 but they are gritty and realistic (especially with the 'noise effect' on) and the gameplay of this game is short of godly.. seriously Buy this game (silent hill 2 the directors cut is also out there if you look and it has a cool 'extra game' in it)

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