Silent Hill 2 Screenshot Maria & James The Final Say! Gameplay 9.0 Graphics 9.9 Sound 10 Value 9.5 Silent Hill 2 - reviewed by Tory F Review Date: 12 February 2002 Review Score: 9.5/10  Distributed By: Ozisoft		"It's dark and cold...." Imagine getting a letter from your wife, telling you to meet her in the place where you had so many wonderful memories. She is there, waiting for you...   She has been dead for several years.....   Thus opens the storyline for Silent Hill 2 and the nightmare that James, our hero has to undertake and find out the mystery of Silent Hill and who or what is the mysterious Maria, a woman who so closely resembles Mary, James' wife that he doesn't know what to believe anymore.   Now it's not often that I will give a walkthrough as that is not what impulsegamer is about however you will give this game up in frustration if I don't get you through the first 20 minutes or so of the game, as I nearly did. And that, speaking frankly would be a tragedy. I am not going to give directions just what you need to achieve.   OK, here we go. Leave the toilet block, go to the car and get the map, have a look. Go to the right and down the path. Talk to weird girl in cemetery and then leave cemetery on the way there is a well, in it some red paper. This is your first save point. DO IT NOW!. Continue...

 In town now, see blood stains on road and weird shadow. follow it and take the first right all the way down (there is another save point along the way to the right) to the dirt track. At the end, duck under wood and you will find first weapon, a stick with some nails in it. And the radio, equip the radio immediately. Hello meet Mr. First Monster, belt him down and then leave. You can run by holding down the square button so do! 

Make your way back, saving again and then find a caravan parked at the end of a dead end. Go inside and save and read map in there. Go to bar indicated on map. Read map in bar. Follow map to ? symbol and find keys to apartment on the corpse there. Go into apartment block. Now you need to be strong here as it gets frustrating.. It is pitch black inside but save on ground floor and on second floor cautiously make your way checking the walls and doors as you go. It's not easy to do, but persevere. If you give up you will miss a great game.

In one of the rooms, you will see a dressmakers mannequin. There is a torch on it. Pick it up and now, even though you can see, it's even scarier than you thought. Play the rest of the game yourselves! Without the torch, it's just damn frustrating and I almost gave up.

You need decent sound for this game as by now you will have worked out that when the radio gives off static there is a monster nearby and some of them will frighten the heck out of you... Seriously, if you don't want to be scared, don't play this title as it is creepy as all get out. 

Graphically the title is beautiful and gives off a dingy atmosphere which plays perfectly into the game's theme. Disgusting things are truly horrible to behold and the swirling fogs only serve to heighten the tension. The way things come out of the mist - suddenly - will leave you chilled and tense. Exactly the way it should.

Monsters are beautifully terrible and you must learn how to use your weapons once you adjust to the slightly ungainly game engine, the only thing preventing a perfect score for this title. Attention to detail is so evident in this game. For example, I had the life scared out of me in a building (not telling where) when I turned the torch on and a heap of moths descended upon me, staying within the light of the torch. If water has seeped onto carpet you can tell its there. Stuff like that.

I am not going to spoil the storyline with any of the plot but am going to strongly advise if you like survival horror/mystery, get Silent Hill 2 today. Then make the decision, will you play it alone at night in the dark? The game's storyline is intriguing and original and Silent Hill 2 will unnerve you just as much as it's predecessor did.

Do not play the second disc in this collectors edition first or you will have key plot elements spoiled! Wait until you have finished the game before enjoying the extras.

 - Tory F