Silent Hill 2, Still My Favorite Horror Game

I feel like it is a great time to be a horror video game fan, especially with the modern technology at our disposal (horror games in VR are awesome). However, when it comes to my favorite horror game of all time, the classic Silent Hill 2 easily takes the crown. I remember seeing a trailer for Silent Hill 3 and immediately being interested in its world. I went to GameStop and could either buy Silent Hill 3 new, or get the first two games for less. I decided to start with the first two games, and I am so glad I did. I eventually did play the 3rd game and although I enjoyed it, the first two remain my favorites in the franchise.

I loved how the first game puts you in a world that is dangerous, and morphs into an even more twisted, dangerous world as you play. Silent Hill 2 doesn't do this as much, but its plot is what puts this game on the top of my favorite Silent Hill games. Protagonist James receives a letter from his deceased wife stating that she is in Silent Hill, and he takes the trip to find her, resulting in a journey that can be heavily analyzed psychologically. James meets other characters that have also been called to Silent Hill, whom also have psychological voyages of their own. He also encounters Maria, whom is a sexier, more flirty version of his wife that keeps you on your toes. The somewhat generic enemy types from the first game are replaced by disturbing fleshy monsters, and the very deadly, iconic Pyramid Head first appeared in this game. There is a slight open world feel with exploring the foggy, abandoned town, and locations like an apartment building, hospital, prison and hotel are all terrifying locations. The game has multiple endings for replayability, and to this day the themes of the game still stick with me. Silent Hill 2 is not only my favorite horror game of all time, but one of my favorite games period. I played the original Playstation 2 copy, but there was also an expanded version with a playable Maria, and an HD remaster that had mixed reviews. Someday I may check those out too. It is probably never going to happen, but I think a full remake of this game for the modern era like the Resident Evil remakes would be incredible. Regardless, Silent Hill 2 is definitely worth tracking down and playing.