Silent Hill 2 - PlayStation 5

When we first heard there was going to be a remake of Silent Hill 2 by Konami, there was plenty of reason to be skeptical. As a huge fan of the Silent Hill series, I had more reason to be skeptical than most. Silent Hill 2 is a classic survival horror game that is considered one of the greatest ever. Its profound impact cannot be understated. And the remake was going to be done by Bloober - the guys behind The Medium and Layers of Fear? Those guys? Well, not to worry, because Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece. You play as James Sunderland, a man whose wife passed away three years ago of some unnamed disease. One day he receives a letter from his supposedly dead wife informing him that she's waiting for him in their special place, the resort town of Silent Hill. Skeptical of the impossible letter, James decides to head out for Silent Hill anyway and investigate what is really going on. Along the way, he encounters suspicious characters who are not what they seem, and monstrous figures born from the depths of Hell. We all know the survival horror formula. Explore creepy locations, fight monsters, pick up keys and solve puzzles, hopefully with some atmospheric music and ambiance. Where this remake differs from its original inspiration is in the efforts Bloober Team have made in updating the game for a modern audience, without losing any of the original power. This game has undergone a massive modernization upgrade. Gone are the tank controls of yesteryear, replaced by more intuitive controls. Combat consists of a simple combo with melee weapons, enhanced by dodging, and firearm use with a few trusty guns you find along the way. That dodging was a note of contention among some fans, but it actually works fairly well. The combat is surprisingly fluid, despite its limitations. There are a few too many enemies in some sections, but that was an issue the original Team Silent struggled to balance themselves. And there are some NEW enemies here that will terrify you. Fixed camera angles - although never a huge staple of the series compared to Resident Evil - have been replaced entirely by an over-the-shoulder third person camera that largely works very well for the game. The voice acting is a massive improvement over the original. James sounds like a real person now, not a meme character spouting off bizarre lines on occasion. You sympathize with him, and with his frustrations, but you still find yourself questioning some of his decisions. Eddie, Angela, and Laura also fare well in the voice acting. Unfortunately, not every aspect of the new voice acting is a hit. The voice actress for the new Mary and Maria is sadly a bit lacking. She's not bad by any means, but it's clear that the original actress is by far the superior one. The soundtrack for Silent Hill 2 is still as great as ever. The atmosphere is still moody, tense, and very melancholic as you journey through the town, in addition to being eerily Otherworldly at times. ;-) And THE GRAPHICS! This is probably the best any Silent Hill game has EVER looked. Unreal Engine 5 does some incredible work in bringing these classic characters to life, imbuing them with a lifelike detail that no Silent Hill character ever possessed before. It's not perfect; there is some stuttering occasionally when you go through doorways, and the framerate does occasionally slow down in Performance mode. The game runs at a locked 30 fps on Quality mode and looks gorgeous, but if you try to run it in Performance mode, don't expect a solid 60 fps. However, it's a minor sacrifice compared to the photo-realistic settings you get. This is Silent Hill as we've never seen it before. The town feels 'lived in', like an actual genuine location in the US, and there are many traces of its past inhabitants. As many fans know, exploration is key with these games, and you will enjoy exploring your way around town, finding the out-of-the way corners. This is one of the most gorgeous, breathtaking looking games on the PS5, and is nearly hitting the ceiling of what games can look like on the console. Bloober Team has churned out one of the greatest survival horror games of the past 10 years. Almost everything about this game is done with incredible love and care towards the original vision of the game. As a remake, you can hardly ask for anything more. I would have preferred that the game have more bonus items and costumes for New Game + for replayability, and unfortunately the wonderful little side game "Born From a Wish" from the original isn't here, which is a shame. This is a wonderful game. You will enjoy your time with Silent Hill 2, if you are open minded and simply willing to let go of a couple things. It's not perfect, but it's as close to it as you're likely to get with the new generation of Silent Hill games for the foreseeable future. To quote a memo from the game itself, "Silent Hill will move you...and leave you with memories that will stay with you forever." Buy this game. 9.5/10

The original game was and still is considered an absolute masterpiece, a work of art in the survival and psychological horror genre, and virtually everyone doubted Bloober Team could possibly pull this 'impossible' remake off, and yet somehow, against all odds, they absolutely NAILED IT. This game, from its presentation to its sound design, environmental design, its combat, its music, its voice acting, every single thing about it is presented with loving, immaculate care by people who not only knew what they were doing, but absolutely loved the source material of the PS2 original. You will not be disappointed with this game if you purchase it! Be sure to wear headphones, and marvel at the 3D sound design that seriously had me on edge throughout its entire 15 - 18 hour runtime. I've been a Silent Hill fan for a long time, and this game is, to put it simply, a dream come true for me. They said it couldn't be done, and yet here it is. One of the very best games of 2024!

Silent hill 2 was one of my favorite games when I was younger! I finally got my hands on the remake of it, and I must say I am impressed! This game's got it all. Scary horror around every corner, spooky dark halls, frightening enemies that will literally make you fear for your life, and to top it all off, a story that NO ONE can beat! I love how there is alternate endings, so that really adds to the replay value. I give this game 11/10 stars because its simply incredible. If your on the fence with this remake, consider purchasing because its well worth your time!

As a fan of the silent hill franchise, this game is a must. Graphics are amazing. It’s not EXACTLY like the original, hence called a remake, but the story is still pretty spot on. Was so bittersweet when I finished the game. Wish I could go back and play it again for the first time. Jaw was on the floor multiple times

In contrast with most people I actually always remained hopeful of what blooper team could deliver with this highly anticipated remake. And I was surely not disappointed when I got the game at day one of release and was absolutely stunned by it. From the sound design to the beautiful graphics and aesthetics of this game, everything surpassed my expectations from a Konami remake. The actors in the game absolutely delivered their roles perfectly even sometimes keeping those eerie expressions and line deliveries that the original had. Overall a fantastic game although I do wish they would’ve added some trinkets inside the box.