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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