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The Silent Hill 2 debate

What the community thinks of Silent Hill 2, ordered by reader support. Agreeing, translating and reporting a message need no account.

42 comments

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  1. mkilback

    I was working nights back then and this was the only thing waiting for me when I got home at dawn, half asleep, dragging myself through that town anyway, and somehow it still stuck with me all these years.

  2. GarlandWolf

    The combat feels clunky by design almost, like it wants you uncomfortable rather than powerful.

    Rudolph_2

    The design part is key, uncomfortable combat forces you to stay tense instead of powering through scares.

  3. ArcadeWarden2

    Played it alone at night, house completely silent...

    IronKnight2004

    Sitting in the dark with the sound up too high is basically a group activity at that point, did anyone else make a friend watch just for their reactions?

    Antonette_77

    That STATIC on the radio still gets me, glad I'm not the only one who remembers it that vividly.

    Loot_Sanchez

    Replying to IronKnight2004

    Ma sœur a fini par regarder les cheveux devant les yeux, ça reste mon meilleur souvenir de ce jeu.

  4. SilentMaster

    What strikes me most is how the game trusts silence over noise, letting rooms sit empty long enough to become unsettling on their own terms.

  5. GhostKnight

    Why does everyone act like the combat was ever meant to be good?

    Álvaro_72

    La cámara fija a veces sacrifica precisión en el combate, aunque ahí también viví mis mejores sustos.

  6. CosmoSniper3

    Is it really the puzzles people remember, or is it the atmosphere carrying puzzles that wouldn't hold up on their own otherwise?

  7. NovaOwl

    Okay so I keep coming back to this game every couple years, not even sure why, it's not like the combat holds up amazingly or anything, but there's something about the pacing, the way it never rushes you into the next scare, that I just don't get from Dead Space or honestly most horror games made after it.

    thompson_raleigh

    my kid caught me replaying this once, asked why I looked so nervous, I had no good answer

    SilentSniper

    Si ni siquiera te convence el combate, por qué sigues volviendo cada par de años?

  8. ziemann_eudora

    I was in my early twenties when this came out, barely sleeping through it. Compared to Half-Life 2 which felt like an event with friends around, this one I never wanted to share with anyone.

    IronRider

    Half-Life 2 tiene mejor jugabilidad, seguro, pero aquí no se vota por eso, se vota por lo que se quedó en la cabeza después de apagar la consola.

    CritSniper85

    Same here, replayed it more times than I'd admit, still gets me every time.

    FrameKid

    para mi el puntaje elo no capta nada de esto, como comparas un evento social con algo que ves solo?

  9. HaileyKnight

    People keep ranking it above or below whatever's trendy that month. I just remember finishing it half asleep on a Sunday afternoon and feeling weirdly empty after.

    NeonWarden

    I get the emptiness people describe, but I'd argue that flatness is the point, it lingers precisely because it doesn't resolve into relief once the credits roll.

    lacombe_pierre

    Vous croyez que ce vide qu'il decrit c'est voulu ou juste la fatigue du dimanche après-midi ?

    DavidRider

    Replying to lacombe_pierre

    No sé si es fatiga de domingo o diseño, pero si de verdad fuera solo cansancio no volveríamos a jugarlo, no?

  10. vbrekke

    anyone else play this with a sibling watching from the couch, terrified to admit it?

    Jaime_95

    Yo tenía como quince años y mi primo se quedó dormido a la mitad, seguí solo con el volumen bajito.

    ArcadeHunter

    Ah sí, claro, todos fingimos que no nos dio miedo mientras el hermano en el sofá gritaba más que nosotros.

  11. Rowena_2009

    Half-Life redefined action design, but this game did something rarer, it made dread feel personal instead of scripted.

    Nova_Pagan

    Y aun así lo personal pesa más en los votos, no el diseño técnico, no crees?

    Ghost_Collet

    Half-Life reste plus maîtrisé niveau gameplay, mais quel autre jeu t'a rendu aussi mal à l'aise ?

    ArcadeAce4

    Same duel keeps popping up against Half-Life, I always vote here out of habit at this point honestly.

  12. Ghost_Archuleta

    Lo jugué hace años y todavía pienso en la niebla y en James caminando solo. La ciudad se siente más opresiva que en Dead Space, aunque el combate ahí sea más pulido y directo.

  13. lenoir_bernadette

    Half-Life impressionne par sa mise en scène technique, mais l'ambiance sonore ici reste dans une catégorie à part, plus proche du malaise que du spectacle.

    Vergie_62

    So does it usually win these duels on atmosphere alone, or does the puzzle design actually hold its own?

  14. GhostPhoenix

    Le rendu du brouillard cachait clairement les limites techniques de la console, et franchement ça a mieux vieilli que bien des effets plus modernes, non ?

  15. ComboLegend

    Half-Life c'est le fusil, lui c'est la lampe torche qui tremble, perso je sais lequel me hante encore mdr.

    SilviaAce

    Y con la niebla no era casi lo mismo, tapando lo que no podían mostrar? A mí me sigue pareciendo genial igual.

    NovaMaster

    Same energy, my brother swore he wasn't scared then left the room during the radio static bit.