Reviews  •  Latest Reviews  •  Top Games  •  Forums  •  Screenshots  •  Hot Deals! PS3  •  Wii  •  PC  •  PS2  •  PSP  •  Xbox  •  Xbox 360  •  GameCube
Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for Xbox Videos >>
Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for Xbox
View Screen Shots >>
Upload Screen Shots >>

Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for Xbox
27 reviews   4.22 of 5

Product Description

Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

Just as good as the PS2 version. With a good surround sound system, (or great headphones) you'dd hear everything in creepy realism and stereo separation.

Gameplay

Nearly identical, slightly different controller configuration. I suppose I like the Dual Shock 2 better, but that may just be because I was used to it.

The new scenario is a nice add-on. Perhaps Konami will do this kind of thing in future games. It doesn't have CG, just in-game cutscenes. I'd gladly sacrifice some CG movies for more content in my games. It would be nice, for instance, to play as Eddie (the fat guy) or the little girl. To me, that would add a lot of value to a story oriented game like this - the ability to unlock different story paths.

Control is just as clumsy as Both SH 1 and 2 on PS2. Too bad. Hopefully, Konami will follow the lead of Devil May Cry and make a control scheme that doesn't require slow turning of the character.

All in all, SH2 is still a creepy and atmospheric game. IT's probably a little too slow for some, without the frenetic combat of a RE title. But I always dug it for the story anyway.

As far as my hopes for SH3, some of them are listed above. Here are some more:

-More unlockable content
-shorter "walking" sequences inbetween story elements
-more environmental interaction/information
-smoother combat and movement controls
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

The sound is also excellent and sets the mood wonderfully. This game has atmosphere by the boat load.

Gameplay

Now, first let me set something strait, Alot of people complain about the controls, but it must be becasue they are downright stupid. Simply go to the options menu, and switch it from 3d controls to 2d, and set the default to run. There you go! Now you will move in the direction you press the joystick and won't have to use that stupid run button, same as devil may cry. The fighting is a tad slow, but your character is not meant to be an expert fighter, he is meant to be an average guy who has very little weapon skills and it encourages you to run rather than fight. This is not a shoot'em up. The puzzles can be mind mending at hard difficulties. You very rarely fell like you are just wandering around aimlessly thanks to that beuty of a map they give you.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

Initially, the game was slow, and I wasn't really clear what I was supposed to be doing. I felt, lost, and confused. I was... quite alone and my only company were grossly deformed humanoids that were intent on killing me. I read the book that came with the game, explored a bit more, and realized, my alienation was intentional. it was JAMES alienation that I was feeling. Living. The I realized, I was in the game. 'I' was living in Silent Hill 2. Silent Hill 2, had become part of my life. 19 hours, 30 minutes and 6 seconds later I emerged vistorious from the game. The ending was like no other game I have ever played (I am 44, and have been playing since my first Sinclair ZX81 in 1981) Usually, when you win a game, the feeling is Victory, happiness, Accomplishment, (and sometimes relief!) I won't spoil your surprise, but I suspect you'll agree with me that you sat in a level of emotion that you haven't felt while playing a video game before as the end of the game is played out. This game played more like a movie, than anything I ever played before. I believe that Konami may have created a new genre of game. It isn't halo, and it isn't supposed to be. Often you win by ignoring or moving past the monsters, not by slugging it out til someone (you!) dies, and trying again. This is a thinking persons game, with a high gross factor, plenty of opportunities to kill things when appropriate, and zero fake invulnerability. Just like in life, sometimes, it is best to avoid conflict if you really want to survive the day. James has good moral values, and is true to his dead wifes love to the very end. The game is a classic.

Sound

The sound is critical to the gameplay, and the musical score very fitting to the mood of the game. it never seemed to be unfitting and like a well chosen musical score in a movie, the music always fit the scene. Sound effects were good, and were again, critical to know what was around the next bend waiting to cause you bodily harm. Just as the graphics were right out of a horror movie, the sounds would do justic to a horror movie. I think they could have created a much larger sound bank and used less repetitive sounds. Ever dying monster made the same general sound. This would have been better if the dying sounds were randmomly altered.

Gameplay

I couldn't figure out how to use the weapons initially, which was my own fault for not reading the booklet better. Occasionally I was frustrated by spending an hour playing, only to be killed and not having ound a save point in the interim. usually, the save points were plentiful though. This is not intended to be a fast paced shooter game, as most of what the main character does is done walking, or trotting along. Speed has no relevance as the entire game is search, and think, and occasionally do a bit of gruesome killing. (Which is great fun once you figure out the best way to kill each type of opponenent) The scripted play was acceptable as it wasn't guessable, but I think a bit more randomness and plot twists with multiple branches would have been nice. (no specific method of proceeding to the next level rather various methods)
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

Am I the only one who thought this game SUCKED? So many people have hyped it up that I just thought I HAD to buy it. Needless to say, i was wrong. I completed Shenmue not to long ago and I loved it. I bought the Xbox originally because I knew Shenmue II would come out on that platform. When I realized that Shenmue II didn't come out until October, I wanted a game to tide me over until then. But I've come to the conclusion, there are none. Many people had told me to go out and buy SH2 because it had an intriging story line with puzzles just like Shenmue, but it really isn't. What I got was a low budget Stephen King-type movie. So, I bought the game on a friday and made up some lie about how i had bought it for a friend who unsuspectedly opened it just so i could return it back to the store on Saturday!

Sound

Once again, something that was okay, but could have been exelled upon. Now, with the surround sound and dim lights, you might jump a little bit or not blink quite as often as normal, but it is not what people make it out to be. I think the characters voices were terrible and very weak. Come on now!

Gameplay

Let's just say i played this game for only about 30 minutes. Not because I didn't want to give it a chance, but because I thought I was going to puke! The constantly changing camera angles had me dizzy, and if that isn't enough, how hard is it to control the friggin character. it seems like i spent the first 10 minutes walking in circles trying to get out of the bathroom. From then on, it was motion sickness all the way.
Now, the main story line is pretty clever, but i hate the way the game was put together. Just a little over the top if u ask me. I mean, these fake monster/zombies look like something from Universal Studios. And the town, the story would have been a lot better if there was SOMEONE else there. I mean, i know it is supposed to be a ghost town, but I got lost so-many times walking around those streets (which all look the same), I just wish there was someone else there to interact with. Obviously, i was very dissapointed with the games execution of a very promising storyline.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

The sound on this game is also pure brilliance! It is perhaps one of the best features! The sounds and music on this game are designed to scare the living daylights out of you and they do just that! You really have to pay attention to the sounds, and sometimes wonder is there really more to those sounds than what appears!!!

Gameplay

The gameplay for this game is amazing! It is not like other games where you don't know why you are where you are and and why you are doing what you are doing! Everything you do in this game has a meaning, the puzzles you solve the buildings you enter and the people you meet are all there for a reason! The controls for this game are a bit hard to figure out at first but once you do it becomes second nature to you! The fights are great, they are not to easy nor to hard! Which is good you don't want to take away from the story! Every enemy you encounter has it's own story to tell! I also found the puzzles very difficult, which is also good because it keeps you going with the game! The weren't to easy so that you just think the game is waste of time nor impossible like some games so you just give up! Overall the game play is excellent!!!
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

for those of u who have not played SH2 yet, please go to graphics gameplay and sound. DO NOT READ THIS OR IT WILL SPOIL EVERYTHING! THIS IS FOR THOSE WHO DONT UNDERSTAND THE GAME simply because it has the best storyline ever!!!!!
james denied mary's death so he created maria. maria dies twice because there's a conflict in james' mind--between denial and realization that his wife is dead.he also faints once in the game and suddenly appears in the graveyard. that's when he almost wakes up but then his denial flooded in again. remember his fainting appeared after he sees dead zombies in hospital beds on the ceiling. u know, if u noticed, most of the zombies he sees are women. his act of killing his monster wife justified that she was already dead, it's just to "end his nightmare." his realization opens to repentance and forgiveness, well he was in SH cos he did the mercy killing and his wife was there too cos she asked him to end her suffering, which is close to suicide. the girl didnt see any zombie cos each character sees different things depending on their state of mind. she was merely saddened by maria's death and knew james killed her, which is why she hated him at first. suicide girl denies that her father was murdered by herself, although she was raped. after killing her monster father she goes to hell anyway cos she committed suicide. eddie is by no means a victim like the others. he just feels wierd (throwing up in the toilet) after killing someone but feels no remorse. the thing is, u'd think the girl is the oppressor in the beginning, but james is actually the oppressor, i mean, he killed his wife!and those creepy pyramid heads, they're the prisoners whose throats were pierced for punishment.

Sound

creepiest ever! like it just came from ur room! turn off the lights, high volume, play alone, u'll surely get nightmares. i got zombies nightmares 3 time in a row. zombies? where the heck did they come from? anyway, i dont think u'd want to play this alone or even start going into those vague foggy streets and ESPECIALLY the appartment buildings. sound effects.. it mostly sounds like ur under a tunnel or in a dark place with strange beings. ull have not only graphic surprises but story and character surprises too. some weird weird characters. you'd be confused in the beginning too considering what the characters are doing here..but dont worry, ull come to a better than good, or even still vague, conclusion, depending on how well u understand the story. and yes, there ARE 3 different endings, i've been through only one, the "best ending" they say. one of the last two is supposed to come to a sadder conclusion depending on how u play the game. actually i used a walkthru after awhile in most parts, cos i just cudnt wait! besides there were so many rooms and places to explore! ur choice!
overall: i'm sticking to SH3. i cant wait, and like others, i am truly OBSSESSED with it. i easily put down a game after 15 minutes if i immediately dont like it and i've never generally been a game fan until this. I did a marathon of it for 1 week!
it would be a shame for me if i put a rating 1 point below perfection. i'd put a credit of 5 for its overall, that's all it matters after playing a superb game. hint: mind boggling, but it's not too frustrating to stop figuring out the story, more precisely u'd be craving for the truth...

Gameplay

i assure u, the game will stick to u for quite a long time. it's realistic, not too much lousy zombies without a story behind them. i tell u each of them has something to do with the story. there are no corny evel monsters for the MERE sake of having them. each puzzle always gives a clue to the story, unlike Eternal Darkness, whose puzzles include putting necklaces and bracelets on statues to open doors, and lighting up the candles the right way without any penalty, or matching the colors, or directing light through the telescope so something will open. if anything, the storyline is SH2's best asset. it's 100% pure mystery. very realistic people, situations, psychothriller. u can't wait for those scenes that reveal more clues to why James is in Silent Hill... no doubt this game is, i have to admit, 100times better than resident evil, whose story is not so unusual considering the only story it has comes from an experiment gone wrong. maybe its an exaggeration, but that's how a genuinely feel.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

I must admit the sound in this game was very creepy. I was afraid to turn off the lights in my room to play this masterpiece. The sound changes time to time making the game even creepier in a profound way. However, in some parts the sound is pretty light but It does not affect gameplay.

Gameplay

The gamplay to this game is probably one of its best features. You get fantastic weapons with a full arsonal of items. The movie sequences are the best leaving me with sweat and a fast heartrate. I have gotten all 5 endings that frighten you, startle you, and just plan give you a wierd feeling. The only annoying thing I would say about the gameplay is that you have to walk a long way around/in Silent Hill that gives you the idea,"Dont I have something to do?" But then you come to a monster and blow it to bits with your shotgun. Anyway great gameplay.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

This is the other piece to the puzzle. Excellent sound with a home theatre hook up. Turn the lights down or off and maaaan! It will scare the crap out of ya!....most of the time anyway. This game takes advantage of this category as well. Very well done.

Gameplay

I usually play every game I get on the hard level or difficulty because to me it takes a while to finish and you're getting your moneys worth. This game was no different. I must say though I like the settings on this title. You can set the difficulty for the action and the puzzles on easy to hard. That being said..I set mine both on Hard. To make a long story short. The puzzles where really difficult but I managed. Now this is where I had a problem with this title...... gameplay. Although I had the action on hard it was liked the character or more appropriately the controls where not responsive enough to the action. It took too long for the charater to move when being attacked or attacking, and too long for the inventory to be accessed when needing items in a hurry. Both of those things irritated me but I kept playing. It seemed like the actions of the character were made to respond for all levels the same, which is terrible because the action is different on every level. THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK for me was at a certain point in the game you have to protect this chick...maria. Now call me crazy but if you are being attacked by someone common sense tells you to get out of the way or run to or behind the person who is going to protect you. Not her. So if she gets killed (and she will get killed over and over at this particular junction of the game) then your game is over and you will have to start back at the last save point. Of all the lame things. He's chasing us! Run you idiot! Protecting yourself is enough. Now you have to protect another character with bad A.I. in narrow corridors (that have at least 4-5 corners)against a monster that won't die. Horrible.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

If you have Dolby Digital, the sound effects are amazing. If you don't, just turn the TV up really loud, so you can hear every anonymous footstep and raspy breath. There's not a great deal of music, but the music that is there is memorable indeed.

Gameplay

You can choose whether you want this game to turn into a demented Shadowgate or a demented Resident Evil. Choose no enemies at all or choose a barrage of enemies. Choose weird and complex riddles or choose "no intelligence needed." It's great. The game is definitely too short (like Genma Onimusha's length), but it seems to last forever. The battle system is quite ridiculous. If you've ever played Vampire: Redemption for PC, it's very similar to that. Go up to one of the unvaried enemies and just mash the A button. While the battle aspect is crude, the puzzles are intricate and very rewarding.
Choose Shadowgate.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

Some sounds are creepy.
Like mysterious banging inside some apartments, and the creaking of background noises!!!
Not much music in the game and what music there is
is retarded, (Hospital, after Maria dies) not creepy at all!!!

I took the Silent Hill 2 back to the store and even returned the XBOX in place of a GameCube to get Eternal Darkness among other awsome Nintendo games!!!
Halo was good for the Xbox but My Computer has the same types of games. Halo will be on PC mark my word!!!! I wanted A system with original games and it looks like GameCube won me over!!!

Gameplay

Well! The control for attacking is PLAIN BAD!!! You can swing your stupid weapons at the creatures but you miss allot of time due to bad/stiff movement of the character!!!
Also the Game is very repetitive and you mindlessly walk around buildings and go into rooms for the purpose of getting a stupid item like a heath drink!!!
The creatures are all the same everywhere you go...mostly the shiny black/brown creatures that appear to be in strait jackets made of flesh or faceless nurses.... Big deal.... oh yeah the stupid mannequins with legs for arms and pyramid head!!! ohh! I am sooooooooooooo scared!!!
Try using Ghosts that jump out at you or peek at you from around corners in the distance!!!
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

The radio static was pretty annoying. I would rather hear the foot steps or moaning of the creatures over the static. The background music was fine but here again it could have been creepier.

I do have to say, this is not a game for younger kids......unless their little devils of course....

Gameplay

Game play is pretty smooth but I do wish that the response was better. There were many times I could swear I was shooting my gun but nothing was happening. The puzzles were pretty well thought out and I needed a walkthrough (I know, I know, what a wuss) to get through some of them. I am not sure about the story, much of it didn't make sense, and how many time does the blonde chick die in the game???? The ending was pretty bad, talk about not making sense. But this doesn't take away from the actual game play. Now about that UFO...........
How do you get it again????............
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.