First Impressions

[leftshoe18]

The game is reaching some of our hands, and I was curious what members of the community thought of the remake.

Is it amazing? Does it suck? Discuss.

[NanayaShiki]

I'm saving most of my impressions for when I finish it because there's a lot I want to see first. But for now I will say that I am having a GREAT time with it. They have made a very interesting game that manages to constantly feel both nostalgic and fresh at the same time, with fun expansions and remixes around every corner, but always still feeling like SH2. You couldn't really ask for more from a remake, if you ask me. Also it's pretty spooky.

That said, I do have a few complaints. The first is that combat isn't very good, especially melee combat. That's kind of a big one but it's becoming less of an issue as I get more ammo and have to do melee less. But the dodge feels bad and enemy attacks often feel cheap. Second, it's a little too linear. Not even just your path through the town but so far the major buildings/areas too. There hasn't been a lot of back and forth or choices in which hallways to explore or multiple doors to open, it feels more like a guided tour through the areas.

That's all I can say for now. I don't think it's going to top the original for me or anything but I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would have a year ago.

[jdnation]

Here's someone from IGN episodically playing the game to judge how it holds up to the original. More episodes to come I guess...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_XTcft ... aWxsIDI%3D

[leftshoe18]

This game is incredibly tense. I'm in the otherworld hospital basement right now and I'm terrified to turn any corner.

[Vixx]

I think it starts out almost flawlessly, meanders a bit in the middle - Brookhaven is waaaay too long - and a couple of the cut-scenes didn't hit as hard, but it's probably as perfect as I could ever have hoped.

The reimagined puzzles are particularly brilliant!

[WaffleMaker]

I just made it to the prison. So far I have only a few minor gripes that are mostly puzzle related. Voice acting is wonderful apart from once scene. I’ll reserve a final judgment until I’ve gotten a few endings but my first impression is very good.

[Utherworld]

I am moving through this game as slow as possible. Searching every single area, and so happy to be able to see places that I could not in the OG. I knew this would be rewarding as the game lets you know immediately.

So far, I have been impressed with the balance of wanting to see/experience what I remember and being very happy with what is new. I find the banter Maria actively tries to engage James in adds depth that was never there before, and it is refreshing to experience.

The puzzles have been great and the combat is what I want from the "every person" that a Silent Hill protagonist is and should be.

I have hit a fork in the road and am unsure if I should follow the traditional route or move traverse a new one.

[Skele]

They have made a very interesting game that manages to constantly feel both nostalgic and fresh at the same time, with fun expansions and remixes around every corner, but always still feeling like SH2. You couldn't really ask for more from a remake, if you ask me. Also it's pretty spooky.

I agree with this 100%. I'm honestly surprised with how much I enjoy the remake. The atmosphere is amazing!

In terms of the combat, I actually really enjoy it. I've played a lot of action games and the dodge here works sort of similar to TLOU2, although not as fluid, so I'm having no issues. Melee feels good and responsive, plus stomping enemies never felt better. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the camera can be a little too close at times depending on where James is in the environment, which can cause me to not really see attacks, or I completely miss on swings. Shooting is also solid because you don't feel like Leon from RE. Also, outside of a small handful of moments, you can easily run from monsters if combat is not your thing.

I'm at the prison, and I think I enjoy the remake more than the original. There are a few things the original has over this (Maria's design and certain tracks just sound better), but the remake has far surpassed my expectations

[CaLviN_BR]

I've been playing it as slowly as possible, just got out of Brookhaven (and I got it on early access). But I'm loving it, it makes me feel just like the original did when I was a teenager. Sometimes I literally want to play more but have to take a break because I'm so tense that I just can't go any further, which is something I haven't felt playing a game since Silent Hill 3, I guess.

[Disrupticon]

You know, there's a very latent irony in everyone complaining for years that Konami was unable to get off of the laurels of Silent Hill 2, only for it to be a Silent Hill 2 remake to rocket the series back to mainstream success and a standard of quality people had wanted.

The game of course is terrific so far. I've been taking my time with it and taking in every detail - which the game seems bent on punishing me for. I've been playing for 10 houurs and only just left the apartments but this is far and away the most stressful game I've played in hears. Not only a well earned win for Bloober, who in the past have put out some less than stellar games IMO, but on track to be my personal GOTY if this level of quality, craft, and artisanship keeps up.

[Skele]

I've got SH2 Remake up there with Shadow of the Erdtree as personal faves this year. I'd vote for SH2R for GOTY.

[DinoNerd89]

So i take that it is actually pretty good? I won't be able to play it for a while sadly, but I'm hoping it turned out decent, this franchise desperately needs it.

[Caim]

^ I was on the fence on playing it, and then after I saw some gameplay and reviews, I promptly VAULTED onto the "I gotta play this right freakin' now" side of the fence and built a new PC to play it after not touching many new games for a while. I've only reached the apartments but I gotta say, it's really, really good so far. It's definitely its own thing in more than a few ways, but I can't believe how much I'm enjoying it.

Silent Hill 2 Remake: you made... me... happy! (So far!)

[WaffleMaker]

After getting most of the endings…

The puzzle presentation can be a little “on the nose” compared to the original. Such as the “empty” box and the elevator quiz in the hospital. The vibe can be more Lovecraft and less Lynch but this isn’t overbearing.

But overall, honeymoon phase aside, I feel this may be the best in the series. This game feels like a pilgrimage where you — and James — come out a different person on the other side. Akira is god. The environments are stunning. I felt like I was walking in places where I didn’t belong. The characters have immense presence on screen now and the story comes together in a way the original never did. The voices are a perfect middle ground between good acting and that dreamy Lynchian dialogue fanboys won’t shut up about. 9/10 on PS5

[DinoNerd89]

^^Thats pretty fantastic news to me, knowing it IS actually good. After Holding my breath and choking on the 2022 Saints Row Reboot, i was still a bit hopeful, but reserved on how this would turn out. Can't wait to play it when i get a chance.

[Agent of God]

Just reached Blue Creek Apartments and loving the game so far. It really feels like I'm experiencing Silent Hill 2 for the first time while also revisiting something so familiar after years.
Props to the developers for the freedom they gave us to customize the visuals of the game in the options menu. I have removed all button prompts and visual indicators to make the game as immersive as the original.

[clips]

The first thing that stood out to me was the visuals......incredible art direction and design. This game had atmosphere on steroids. This game creeped me out at times even when monsters wasn't around and that was due to the excellent sound design and effects happening just when you was exploring.

Playing this late at night, sometimes I would just have to put it down and say "ok that's enough for one night,,,i'm about to have nightmares messing with this game"...sound design in this game was un-nerving and kept me on edge throughout the entire journey....and that abstract daddy boss fight?... ,,truly next level and incredibly terrifying.

[The Adversary]

Damn. Even clips is back after — checks history — 7 years.

I've beaten it twice now (with 6 endings) and loved pretty much all of it. My only real complaint is the addition of the first puzzle to gain access to South Vale. It felt a little unnecessary, though I completely understand why it was included, especially after the original's slogfest just to start the game (especially for players who had already played it multiple times).

[Lifetolifeless]

Beaten the game twice now, and my follow-on impressions largely line up with my initial ones.

The opening, up through the entry to Brookhaven Hospital, feels just sublime. All of the character introductions work incredibly well, I love the expanded exploration through the town, and the apartments sequence is kinda best-in-class horror for the past decade, for my sensibilities.

I feel the game started to sag a bit in the middle. I didn't need to spend comparable amounts of time in the Otherworld version of each featured locale, combat became a chore, but the great overall execution of characters and exploration still outweighs the drawbacks.

A second playthrough solidified my feeling that the Lakeview Hotel segment is the game's weakest. It's the most overlapping, backtracking, non-economical use of space in the whole game, and frankly I think it's 80% unnecessary. We get as much door-trying and item jockeying as any other section in the game, and then there's a whoooole nother version you gotta trudge back through. I feel the game built up great tension leading up to the hotel, and they squander a good bit of the payoff by the time it finally happens.

All in all, still loved the game, and have HUGE respect for what the team at Bloober pulled off. Ultimately not the "perfect remake" I felt like I was experiencing up to the halfway point, but still a triumph. Good and bad, the thing that's present here that I value above any little qualms is that the team CLEARLY have reverence for the source material, and felt empowered in their love to take liberties without doing the legacy a disservice. They deeply understand and appreciate what people like us love so much about these games, and it shows. If they announced they were doing another Silent Hill game, remake or new entry, they'd have my emphatic support!

[Jonipoon]

^In their defense, the Lakeview Hotel segment is the shortest of all locations. And it helps, because the Prison + Labyrinth is a loooong sequence of backtracking, item collecting and constant darkness.

For me, the weakest segment is the hospital which is a downgrade from the original. I enjoyed the new outdoor areas but that's about it, because it's not nearly as scary as the original and feels more like a rushed area compared to the others