Saturday, May 16, 2015

Silent Hill 2 Fan-Article


James Sunderland heads to Silent Hill, after receiving a note from his deceased wife, Mary... On his travels he meets Angela Orosco and Eddie Dombrowski. He also meets a little girl called Laura, who claims to have been friends with Mary. Plus, James meets Maria, a woman that looks exactly like his dead wife.

Both graphically and game play wise, “Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears” is a superior sequel. Just when you thought the previous one was creepy, Inner Fears ups the ante by introducing Pyramid Head. James first encounters this eyesore when he’s hiding in a closet, inside an abandoned apartment building, and witnesses the monster playing with some corpses (charming). He scares it off with a gun, but later on, he encounters this abomination again (wielding a massive sword)...

Inner Fears carries on the tradition of delivering psychological horror, and crazy symbolism. Not only is this a horror gamer’s dream, I assume those that are interested in psychology would love to dissect this. Sunderland even gets to see the personal hells of two of the characters.

(Some spoilers are ahead):

Eddie Dombrowski (reveals he killed a dog and shot the owner in the leg), his hell is a meat locker whereas the meat carcasses are wearing his clothes. The cold air represents what Dombrowski’s heart is like, and the carcasses are his insecurities of his weight. Angela Orosco’s personal hell is being trapped inside a flesh room – with pistons pushing backwards and forwards in the holes – and being confronted by a libidinous monster, that is trying to attack her. James’ hell is pursuing a woman that looks exactly like his wife, only to witness her dying (failing to save another woman).

When I first played Silent Hill 2, and witnessed the hell of the other characters, it reminded me of Hellraiser sequel Hellbound. In fact, the entire game reminds me of some horror movies. When James finally heads to Lakeview Hotel, the hotel itself reminds me of Overlook from The Shining. Going to the Otherworld reminds me of the Nightmare On Elm Street movies, and Pyramid Head and his minions remind me of the Cenobites from Hellraiser. On the other hand, Pyramid punishes bad people, so that aspect reminds me of Pumpkin Head.

Like the first game, Inner Fears will make you question your own sanity. Whether it be dopplegangers, deranged killers, monsters, nightmare worlds and even unexpected game shows. It wouldn’t be a Silent Hill game if it didn’t have id monsters. The Bubble Head Nurse. According to the Silent Hill wiki, they may be a manifestation created by James. They dress provocatively due to his sexual frustration. They can be encountered in Brookhaven Hospital. They carry melee weapons and make horrible gurgling noises.   

The game even foreshadows whom the antagonist is in Silent Hill: The Room (the fourth instalment). James Sunerland comes across a newspaper article that has reported about a notorious serial killer, Walter Sullivan. It was reported that Sullivan had killed many people, including two kids. The police had thought that they’d arrested the right guy, and even assumed it was Sullivan that ended their life in a prison cell. There’ll be more on that in my post on the fourth game.

There are many puzzles I’ve liked, but the one I hated was the keypad puzzle. James gets locked in a room, surrounded by many bugs. The key to leaving the room is a keypad near the door, where three of the buttons have been lit. By the magic of trial-and-error, the player has to figure out what the code is. When you’re messing about with this one, it’s handy to keep a sheet of paper and a pencil.

I forgot to mention this in my Silent Hill post, so I’ll make up for it by putting it in this. In Silent Hill, the streets are named after famous authors. Koontz Street, Sagan Street, Shelley Road and Barker Street (to name a few). There are lots more, so be sure to check out the Silent Hill wikia if you want to have a look.

Silent Hill 2 is a spectacular game. On the Xbox Classic version, you even get to play as Maria. Her story involves helping a recluse man inside a spooky mansion. The side story has a great twist to it, but of course, I won’t be spoiling it.

Thanks for reading and stay glued to the screen, for there are more to come.

Article by: Craig Wilson – Father of the Demon

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