Silent Hill 2 | A Complete History and Retrospective
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- čas přidán 18. 06. 2024
- Hey Dad! We're going back to that town, Silent Hill. What lies at the heart of Silent Hill 2? What makes Silent Hill 2 one of the best games ever made? I'll try to answer these questions here, in my Silent Hill 2 retrospective.
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CHAPTERS
Intro - 0:00
Development - 1:31
Silent Hill 2 - 4:39
Endings 1:04:22
Born From A Wish - 1:09:16
The Real Story - 1:13:04
Final Thoughts - 1:15:51 - Hry
I will never get tired of this game, nor anybodies analysis/breakdown of the events in it. Thanks for keeping the spirit of it alive
same
A remakes comin brah trust
@@sumstuff6956 I really hope that rumor is true. Imagine SH in vr
@@soundofmouse lol EXACTLY MY WORDS by the way do you think kojimas silent hills is back?
I watched like 100 hrs of these freshman year and now I’m a senior. Still watching. Waiting. When will this game come into my hands? I’ve come so far. My first paycheck from my first job will be here soon. I know what I must do.
Me: "I wonder why people like this game the most in the series"
My son: "and here we have to fight the second boss flesh lips, who can strangle you with their feet"
Me: "oh. That's why"
Exactly Dad
It must have been formative for Hidetaka Miyazaki... 🤔
It is almost like a fetish nightmare.....or dream depending on what you like.
For me, it's the storytelling and use of symbolism.
@@MasterDirox and getting choked by feet by a character named flesh lips
There is something I've been thinking about. There is a subtle difference between what James says Mary in the "In Water" ending and the "Leave" ending. It comes at the part were the conversation goes like this:
*Mary:* I told you I wanted to die, James. I wanted the pain to end.
*James:* That's why I did it, honey. I just couldn't watch you suffer.
In the "In Water" ending it then proceeds like this:
*James:* No, that's not the whole truth. You also said that you didn't want to die. The truth is... part of me hated you. For taking away my life...
*Mary:* You killed me and you're suffering for it. It's enough, James.
Notice how James is hedging his bets slightly here. Like, he knows what he did was bad, but at the same time he doesn't entirely want to take responsibility for what happened. It was "not the whole truth", it was only "a part" of him that did it. Meanwhile, Mary's line expresses clear frustration about his inability to let go.
In the "Leave" ending, however, it proceeds like this:
*James:* No. That's not true... You also said that you didn't want to die. The truth is I hated you. I wanted you out of the way. I wanted my life back...
*Mary:* James... if that were true, then why do you look so sad?
In contrast to the former, James is not trying to downplay his culpability or cloud it in ambiguity here. He fully confronts the truth of the heinous act he did and admits to his guilt. There is no attempt to excuse himself by blaming a "part" of himself; it was all him and that's the "truth". No modifiers here. Mary's response, meanwhile, is much more forgiving.
I think it says something that James commits suicide in the "In Water" ending, while he lives in the "Leave" ending. "In Water", his lines indicates that he isn't ultimately isn't strong enough to fully confront his own worst sides head-on, which results in him also failing to let go of Mary and truly forgive himself. Whereas in the "Leave" ending, he finds the inner fortitude to do the former, and it is what effectively allows him to do the latter.
Nice analysis, makes perfect sense 👍
During REM sleep (i.e., when dreaming), the prefrontal cortex tends to be mostly inactive. This is the part of your brain that governs critical thinking, logic, and social behavior (among other things). On the other hand, the limbic system (in particular the temporal lobe) is very active when dreaming, and that part deals with emotions, memories, and arousal, particularly in regards to fear and anxiety.
To that end, the classic Silent Hill games do an amazing job of simulating what it's actually like in a dream. Characters don't often think very critically; they act on seemingly nonsensical leaps in logic, believe absurd information with little or no skepticism, and their conversations are frequently awkward and unnatural. On the other hand, memories, emotions, and (in SH2) sexual arousal/shame can play a huge role in what we see and how we interact with the world. The dark and foggy everchanging landscape, those monsters who appear to be abstract or symbolic amalgams of pent-up guilt, and of course, the constant and inescapable fear: Silent Hill feels like a drug-induced slumber that uses our repressed memories to trap and torment us, and despite the obvious, uncanny absurdity, our brains aren't in the right state to object.
On another note, it must be awesome having so many dads. I can't imagine all the birthday and Christmas presents you get.
Yeah Italian Horror did that a lot in the late 70s and early 80s. Fulci and Argentos most well known films are complete nightmares with inexplicable geometry, syntax, and bldg structures.
I love that Heather actually questions putting your hand in the toilet. What a great call back to this game.
It's also a good comment on how she's mentally sound and James just wasn't.
I think the leggy design in the monsters reflect how when james killed mary, the sight of her legs struggling and kicking for dear life was imprinted in his mind....I mean some of them are literally legs hanging from a bed.
Good point!
After just seeing the uncensored VHS clip, I agree.
this isnt true. they show you how he kills her she isnt able to leave her bed
@@Grinningfartking6969if someone puts a pillow over your face to smother you, your natural reaction would be to grab at the pillow with your hands, and thrash out with your legs. Therefore the emphasis on legs and not arms would come from that imagery in James's mind. I'm not sure what you meant but they aren't implying that she got out of bed.
I read it was about James being into women's legs specifically
I could have sworn that in Silent Hill 4, Frank Sutherland (James’ father) is mentioned along with the disappearance of his son. Which means that the canonical ending for SH2 would be one where he doesn’t come back.
I've always felt that the "in water" ending was most likely the closest to what the canon would be.
In my opinion the Maria ending should be considered the bad ending. James never comes to terms to his actions and is delusional as to what Maria is and the punishment she represents to him. She constantly treats him poorly when she's around and he is constantly having to watch her die. Even as they are about to leave town she begins to cough, alluding that she will most likely die on him again. And besides, who's to say she can even leave town. She's a construct of the town and James subconscious, I doubt any of the manifested monsters and people can exist outside the town, but that's besides the point. Maria is bad for him, that is my point lol
I think of the Maria ending as much more sinister than that. It's all of the above, sure, but also take the line James says at the end and how he says it... It's pretty much a nicer and more subtle way of saying he's got himself another potential victim. That ending is not only James not dealing with his grief in a healthy way, but also potentially turning mercy killing into a new hobby.
It's probably the worst ending, but I think people most grossly misinterpret the Leave ending as a "good" one, when it's absolutely not good at all. James, a murderer who will have to submit himself to the authorities if he wants to adopt Laura as Mary wished to, is leaving with Laura, the little girl whose best friend he killed, and likely has the body of in the trunk of the car they're driving out of the area in. She's going to notice the smell and question it. The reality of the situation is going to hit her fragile mind, very badly. James is the very worst person to be looking after Laura. And who can imagine what will actually happen to them next. Shootout with police once they realised he's the guy behind a crime they're investigating? He certainly has the guns for it. Does he give himself up? What happens to Laura then? Does he tell her to run away? Does he pass her on into the system? What could she possibly feel once she grows up enough for all of these emotions to actually properly affect her?
Maybe it's not quite as bad an ending as her just being left alone to her own devices and possibly therefore to perish, or maybe finding Angela who surely would be an awful influence (considering she's the one who's murdered the most people - Eddie never killed a human, he was just being shown what it looks like by the town to try and dissuade him from it, something that sadly didn't work since instead he leaned into it). She might arguably find Maria, who would actually care for her, but I don't think it's possible - she's like the other manifestations, and Laura doesn't see any of those. I don't think it would be possible for the two of them to actually meet. Maria can see her but I don't think Laura ever saw Maria. She would've definitely asked about that woman with James who looks exactly like her best friend Mary, instead of running around so much.
To me, the Maria ending is probably my favourite, because it's so tragic, and that's the mood that best befits the game. It may not be an 'ending' ending, though... as in, not an end. It does suggest that all of this is bound to simply happen again, until a different ending is achieved. It couldn't happen exactly the same... other characters would be in different positions. Quite possibly, James would simply end up permanently lost in the town, nobody else there to push him on through interaction. The town may or may not care to draw others in for the same purpose. Who could know.
Alternatively you could consider Rebirth the worst ending. Can you imagine what Mary ends up looking like if that actually works? Can you imagine how insane James goes if it doesn't? In Water is clearly also, a very bad ending. Really all of these have arguments for being the worst. I still think it's Maria though, since as well as being so heavy by itself, it's also the one that must then inevitably be added to another.
@@Torthrodhel where does this fessing up to the cops and body in the trunk stuff come from? Mary's been dead for years, her body is in the ground and it was a forgone conclusion that she had died of her illness, for the authorities.
I agree with a lot other stuff you said but that's a spicy take that the facts don't hold up to.
@@johnnydjiurkopff James only thought Mary was dead for years. If you follow the logic of how old Laura is, it's clear he is mistaken. It's clear that it's not been a long time at all. It's perfectly possible that he could've took her body with him, in terms of timing.
But... fair enough on the bit about why he would. My brain skipped some logic there, that is so obvious now you pointed it out. Mary's body being in the trunk is a popular fan theory that I bought into until now, but now you point out this flaw, it indeed doesn't make sense. He didn't need to take her body anywhere. She was dealt with exactly where she was in the hospital, in a normal way, of course she was.
Given that, you're absolutely correct. Laura will still grow up devastated in James once she has the mental maturity for it to properly hit her emotionally what he did, but... nobody's going to be out looking for James at the same time, so none of that stuff's going to happen.
Sometimes you can just miss something. I did that here, dumb that was! Silly. :) Cheers for the correction.
@@bigomega73 no worries! I am quite stubborn and arrogant in my arguing with people, and I like to think I earn that by treating my own ideas no different. This was a rather funny mistake on my part! Gave me a right giggle once I realised. :D
It's not just me out there. You do see it and yeah it's nice. :)
I love that radio scene, because it spoils the ending of the game if you listen closely you can hear her say "why did you kill me" it's something I never listened for until I heard the pre release version of this audio that has it clear and unstatic now you can hear that very clearly,
Silent Hill 2 describes to me what Hell really is, eternal torment of the wrongs we've done and realizing the effects and consequences of those things of which we tried to run away from, in other words "because you comforted yourself in this life, there will be anguish in the next"
It may have been changed since they've done rereleases of it/translations, but I'm pretty sure they even put blanks in, for the few letters.
You could take the subtitles from that moment, and literally solve the entire story like a wheel of fortune puzzle lol
Where's the quote from?
@@jaminbooth6786 it's a paraphrasing quote on the story of Lazarus and rich man
@@livingtoaster1358 thank you. I'm gonna scope that out, very cool lines
You know, it's funny thinking back.
When I was much younger and played Maria's scenario, I remember assuming she only had one bullet in her revolver because she had been dealing with monsters.
The mind of a child is a funny thing.
It is funny how our brains interpret things in childhood, but I think that's still a viable take.
Considering Maria is a sort of rebirth of Mary as warped by Silent Hill, the single bullet offers ripe symbolic ground. Sure, there's the existentialism. But Mary's also the only SH2 adult to have faced and accepted her reality, shortcomings, and "sins".
In other words: Maria's precursor *was* dealing with monsters!
I remember playing the game recently and losing 10 years off my life seeing pyramid head down in the lower labyrinth. It kind of hints that there’s actually two of them. There was one patrolling the octagon-shaped looped hall and another one in the waterlogged area. Great foreshadowing some people will miss
This could just be the same pyramid head, since the most commonly believed theory is that the 2nd pyramid head represents James's guilt for killing Eddie, and the other represents his guilt for killing mary
Please someone tell me i was not the only one who got that immense terror induced feeling when i was walking around in the Prison segment, it was a feeling that i never had happen to me in any game before in my whole life, god it gave me such chills, incredible.
And that deep voice saying "ritual."
Me in the apartment
Thanks for this, man. There's a reason why SH2 sits on the top with several other horror games and you explained it well. In fact, you could say that SH2 has basically ruined the horror game genre for me.. in a good way.
Nothing can live up to it Dad.
@@YourFavoriteSon1 dont call us Dad, hahahaha.....
New subs here, good videos btw....
That's a good way to put it. SH2 set the bar so high for me that I've just sat with my fingers crossed since I finished it, that another game could capture the magic that this game did. The story still sits with me even after all these years. It's something I'll never forget. Here's hoping someday we will get something great like SH2 again.
@@skatemobster i got the Sams Feeling from layers of fear
@@YourFavoriteSon1
I enjoy this please do more of them I've been a Silent Hill fan since first playing the games I have .
One of my absolute favourite aspects of this game is that when you see a brightened version of the opening shot where James looks in the mirror, its revealed that he is actually looking directly at you, the player. Its as if he is saying that you now take full control of his mind and decisions, and when you couple that with the endings being determined on specific things you choose to make him do, it makes for probably the greatest experience in horror games!
Although a very popular “fun fact,” that’s not actually true… Masahiro Ito himself, who animated that cutscene as well as many others, confirmed that himself.
Part of me thinks that Maria actually is Mary, and isn't born from James' wish, but from Mary's wish. (At least in the Maria ending.) I think Maria is the one who sends james the letter and waits for him in the same special place he first checks when entering the town. We learned that while sick Mary felt ugly and "disgusting" and accuses james of hating her, and not caring about her anymore. incidentally, both of these things Maria herself accuses him of in the game; first when they meet on the pier when she says "You loved her didn't you? Or maybe... you hated her." and then later on when you leave her in the hospital and she shouts at him, similarly accusing him of not caring about her at all. Maria is all the things Mary thinks James wanted from her, but we can see that throughout the game he could really care less about how "sexy" she is, and is more drawn to Maria based on her similarities to Mary. When Mary was sick she could not see that James still loved her, and that it was her anger, and resentment toward him that pushed him away.
Furthermore Maria exhibits behaviors that James has no knowledge of, like her fondness and desire to protect Laura. (aspects that don't serve to punish or help James, but realize Mary's wishes) He even questions Maria about it, confused as to why she is so adamant on finding the little girl. She is also able to recall Mary's memories later on in the game, even ones that James himself had forgotten, like the video tape he had left at the Hotel. I think as time passed, Maria came to realize that she really was Mary, but was in denial of it because she believed that he didn't actually love Mary because he was still unable to cope with the reality of her death.
In the DLC "Born from a wish" I believe she comes to life at the behest of Mary's soul, which is why it deals so much with coping with death, and with Ernest warning her of reaching out to James, and how badly it could end for her. Toward the end I think she succumbs to her "selfish" desires, and calls James' to Silent hill so that she could see him again. Which is why the DLC starts with her holding a gun with a single bullet, essentially giving her the choice to come to terms with her death as Mary, or deny it.
James' faces that reality at the end by fighting Silent Hill's physical manifestation of Mary's hate, and anger and afterwards we see Maria again approaching him at the pier, already *aware* of the fact that James had killed Mary once before (despite never being told this by anyone in the game) since she asks "You killed Mary *again*?" and then it is HER that gives James Mary's full letter. Showing him that despite Mary's hate, she loved him very much. Maria's actions do not serve solely to punish James, and a lot of the things she does serve to fulfill Mary's wishes and desires when she was still alive.
Additionally, to the people who say the "laura" ending is the good ending, who's to say that Laura herself wasn't also created by the town? How on earth would a little girl of her age even get to Silent hill in the first place? Everyone else is either an adult, or explains why they've come to Silent Hill. In fact laura plays the larger role in punishing james throughout the game, from the very first time we see her she steps on james hand and kicks the key away from him, and then ridicules and mocks him for not caring about Mary at all on almost every occasion they meet. And then vanishes in the end for almost every other ending.
Yea I don't agree. But one of the great things about this game is that it's meant to be interpreted by the player.
Maria only pops into existence the moment James enters the town
15:07 Son, I remember playing this game back in my elementary school days. I wanted to experience it by myself after watching my father beat it but I was so scared from the crushing atmosphere that I only played when the sun was out and on the easiest combat mode. Such a great game.
The genuine passion you manifest for this game is established 30 seconds in from the tone of your voice alone. Well done son... You're my favorite. 🤯🥳👍
Thanks Dad!
Jesus Christ is Lord. It is all true. Please take your salvation seriously. Read the Bible and do what it says-
@@jamesmayle3787 Dawg, are you OK? Like, commenting the same message on multiple reviews of fiction isn't healthy, my guy. You might wanna unplug, go outside, maybe call your mom.
What a son day! I haven’t touched a silent hill game since probably 2004 or 5 (playing with friends & not alone) I never realized how powerful the stories in them are and how impactful the music is. I get why so many were crushed at Silent Hills being canned. Thank you for covering these so well that I want to learn more about each game every time, son!
The announcer in the elevator was one of the most unsettling and creepy things in any SH game.
Hard agree.
I wish that they had left the scene intact fully for Mary's death. Visceral is a good description for it, but I would also use the word "disturbing." You hear her gasp of surprise at the initial shock of what was happening, followed by her muffled screaming during the act itself along with the ruffling sounds of her struggling and flailing. The sounds alone are enough paint the imagine your mind sees, and it will shake you, rattle you to your core. Just imagine if this was your first time playing the game, and you came across the scene as it was originally intended. In yourself would exist no words, only impact and the image.
I swear I've heard it before without looking into deleted content. I have one of the first releases on the PS2 and feel the need to go back just to check now....
@@robinthrush9672 I would not be surprised if one version of the game has the audio intact and present.
Team Silent was always pretty vocal about they considering the "In Water" ending to be the canonical one...while I prefer the "Leave" ending, reality is, the "In Water" makes the most sense, James is just way too broken to just move on with his life.
But we all know that the dog ending is the true end in our hearts.
@Jill Sandwich i think for a lot of us SH stans "in water" kinda quietly became canon in the third and fourth game, despite the developers' silence on the subject. in the third, douglas comments on how he went to silent hill before on a missing persons case but that he "never did find the guy". in the fourth game, james' father frank is the superintendent of henry's apartment and when he looks at a picture above his couch at one point he says "i got this photo from sunderland, the superintendent. i heard his son and daughter-in-law disappeared in silent hill a few years back."
i suppose you could argue that the maria or rebirth ending could fit as well, but considering all of the water imagery throughout the game (lakeview hotel being their special place, james mentioning how mary could just stare at toluca lake forever, pyramid head retreating into water during the first boss fight where james is then unable to follow after him) i'm inclined to believe that the in water ending is the most thematically sound.
james had just barely finished suffocating his wife to death and presumably had her corpse in the car with him en route to silent hill, so i highly doubt he's just suddenly going to snap out of it and decide to live. honestly i think he went to silent hill with the intention of killing himself, despite what he says to angela when she leaves him the knife. the poor fucker is delusional, and during that point in the game he was still suffering under the falsehood that mary had passed away three years ago.
@@anishinaabae In a certain way, Mary died three years ago. That was probably when James knew Mary had a terminal illness. That was how James delusional mind tried to justify his actions: it was the illness, not him, she was 'already dead', it was just a matter of when.
Three years, three Maria's deaths. The first death was the shocking reveal of the illness. Maria's death is appropiately shockinkg and confusing. The situation in the elevator also symbolizes James' mind when he received the news: Maria's was going to fall behind him, while he realized he was going to be alone eventually.
The second death is the illness taking a toll of Maria's body. Ugly, incapacitated, swinging moods. James felt for the first time disgust and hatred for her. That death is unseen, just a discovery of a dead body, when James discovered his new feelings for her. Mary was 'dead' for James at this point, when she was no longer his partner, somebody to care for, but a nuisance, a problem to solve, something to get rid off.
The third death is the actual death. This time James has a clear view of it, because it is the real one. The Pyramid heads are literally showing and instructing James, waiting to perform the sacrifice until he arrives on a bed ridden Maria. 'Now you see?'. This time there are two pyramid heads, because PH doesn't symbolize only punishment: it also symbolizes death. One is for Mary/Maria, the other is for James, because the killing of Mary was also the death of James (literally or symbolicaly, depending on the ending), James accepts both what he did, and what he had become.
@@juanausensi499 Oh wow, I never really understood why Maria died three times. This here explains is super well
@@juanausensi499 To add to the second death. Much like his in his real life, after witnessing her die, he is then left alone in a cramped, claustrophobic space. (his mind) There is only two directions left to go in the elevator as well as life, up or down.
I found Silent Hill 2 to be less scary and more depressing, like the whole game just wants you to lay down and accept the hopelessness of Jame's situation. It's something I feel is unlike any other game in the seires and the reason why it's the fan fav of the lot.
I love how after the reveal the hotel goes from being clean and pleasant looking to dark and run down, just like the rest of the game. I think it’s because now James has no hope and sees things for how they really are, so the hotel reveals it’s true form. I could be wrong though but this is always what I’ve gotten from this change.
All the hours put into script writing, recording and editing you put into your videos is nothing short of impressive. I'm grateful the CZcams algorithm recommended your channel. Wishing you more success Son!
Please please please, don't stop with your work on this channel. I genuinely love your work, and the far detail you go into with your gaming retrospectives.
Thanks Dad!
Yeah well I love your name. lol
HOW CAN YOU SIT THERE AND EAT PIZZA?!
There it is. One of the best games ever made. I love almost all SH games but this one will always be special to me.
You know. While I do believe this game is great. I personally never found it the best in the series. I get why some do. But I still think the third is the best
@@redneckreviews3016 n
@@redneckreviews3016 for me 1 and 2 were so special even tho I only played them last year they became one of my favs of all time I also enjoyed 3 a lot not as much as 1 and 2 but it was for sure a great game 4 was mid somethings were good in it and some weren't
The music to this day is probably the most memorable part of Silent Hill 2 for me. I remember a lot of the story but the music I will never forget.
That OST is just perfect.
This game has been talked about to no end... it's almost like people aren't allowed to move on from Silent Hill 2 to equally well made psychological titles...
And you know what? I'm all for it. Don't let people forget! Remind the generations of gamers AND other art mediums that THIS game revolutionized the way psychological horror games were made afterwards! Love this game, love your videos, Son. Keep up the good work
It's honestly pretty understandable. SH2 (along with 1 and 3, really) get talked about ad nauseum and they deserve it. There's been other good horror games with psychological tinges, but to be absolutely frank there's literally not been a single one that's approached being even half as well designed as these games were. The people who worked on them were simply masters of their crafts and it's entirely likely we'll never see anything quite on this level ever again.
We do have some other good horror games out there, but usually they fall into the category of "man, they did X and Y really well, but holy fuck do they suck at doing Z". Like, every time another developer tries to even approach SH's territory they end up screwing up something excessively obvious. Monster design is usually the number one fail it seems- we've seen everyone from top-tier artists to absolutely mediocre ones create monsters that represent some sort of latent issue, but when it comes time to recruit artists for a horror game these people are nowhere to be found. Game companies just never seem to gather the right talent for a horror game even though there's plenty of great and talented veterans out there to recruit. At this point it honestly feels like PT was our one final chance to a proper shot at reviving the series (whether one likes or hates Kojima the man has an excessive eye for detail, something an SH game has a hard requirement for).
@@loli-knightxardej2252 Feel like I wrote that in a heated moment of appreciation for this game but sitting down and thinking on it, sadly it's true. Silent Hill 2 peaks in it's franchise for me personally but I understand why 1, 3 and 4 can be on the top for others. The strange and sad reality is that the games did so well with their tone, game play, art and music design that the bar wasn't just lifted, it was launched out of the god damn solar system and thanks to such a high standard to meet, it's just... not probable that a game will ever reach this kind of quality ever again.
This isn't to say I never enjoy other horror or psychological games but they just pale in comparison to Silent Hill for my fix of what I consider to be "true horror". With the closest coming to it that I could think of being "Dark Wood".
I'll always wonder of the "what if" when it comes to PT and where it would have gone but at least I can always come back to this, knowing it isn't just nostalgia goggles that makes me love the game. It's just that good
The first encounter with Pyramid head is done so well. So simple yet so effective. It's horrifying how he just stands there, staring at the player completely motionless.
-he- _it_
I remember finding out about this game in 2002 right after I played REmake, and that was the absolute high water mark for classic horror games.
Been waiting for this. In such a short amount of time, you’ve risen to the top of my favorite channels.
Thanks for these videos, we appreciate your hard work!
stumbled upon your silent hill 1 retrospective and ive got to say this is my new favourite channel on yt :)) your editing is on point and the way you talk about each game is so captivating i love it so much
Finally, another long retrospective of silent hill 2. I was getting tired of the other ones I was watching over and over again. I bet this video will be a banger
I just played through silent hill 2. It's so interesting to see everything talked about in depth. Love your videos ❤
Such an incredible game. Thanks for the masterful retrospective. You are killing it with your awesome content :)
Been looking forward to this one, your retrospectives are always top quality
This game will always have a special place in our hearts, I’m so glad you covered this.
The DLC “Born of a Wish” changed everything for me. It made me see Maria in a whole new light - she wasn’t a one dimensional caricature, not just a distraction for James but a unique individual with her own thoughts and goals. She chooses to fulfill her “Destiny” with James ( the one who summoned her).
Thanks for the retrospection Son, you’ve always impressed me with your use of the vernacular. Now go on and impress me more and mow the dam* lawn!
Hey son, I'm so proud of you! This was a top-notch retrospective. I'm looking forward to your coverage of SH3, you're doing great!
Absolutely killing it with the content lately. Thank you for the nostalgia trips son!
I finally got to the second video in this retrospective, and I just want to say that SH2 was the part that made me feel homesick for Silent Hill. I retain the idea for a stroll through the streets of Silent Hill to be terrifying, but the music, the atmosphere and locations just make me want to be there so badly. Alone in the town, if you will. I also just really want to sit down and spend few hours in silence sitting on a couch in Heaven's Night. It is so beautiful and yet so haunting. I can't express this kind of longing through words, but as always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for another amazing video.
Great video. Always been curious about the Silent Hill series and nice to see you doing a series on it
I've seen tons of SH2 analysis and I never get tired of them, this game has so much content to discuss!! btw first time in the channel, amazing work and writing.. keep it up man!!
You are grafting like crazy bringing all the videos out, big ups man
Thanks Dad!
I have to say that the writing and editing in your videos is top notch. Information is presented in easy and well-organized fashion. This Silent Hill video series is definitely the best on CZcams.
Yo glad to see you covering one of the best horror game ever! Seeing thousands of hours of speedruns, doing some speedruns myself, i am so excited to see this.
Hope you enjoy Dad!
You have no idea how much I appreciate your efforts. Thank you for helping me save my essay
Amazing video! I love these video essays/retrospectives.
This game affected me so deeply every time I played it. I’ve dealt with a lotta depression, guilt and grief in my life and piloting James further downward through this almost endless series of holes is just the most fitting metaphor for that stuff than I’ve ever experienced in an interactive way. And the score is just everything.
Son, That intro music made me tear up, Your voice makes me relax and this entire video is just beautiful
silent hill 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, i love everything about it. its simply a 10/10 masterpiece IMO.
the story, the atmosphere, the monsters, the music, ....... i love it!
Never played these games, but your reviews made be want to. Love your videos man! Keep it up :)
I just have to say that I love your videos! You did an excellent job breaking down my #1 favorite game of all time!
I hope you get more views, this is a good listen and watch. I'm glad you posted this, I am going through withdrawals from heavy smoking and it gave me an amazing distraction for an hour. I'm so grateful, please make more soon. I watched all your other retrospectives. I liked Fable I, II, and I had to skip III because I wanna play it with my girlfriend. Please make more, man. I know it takes awhile to make this, but man... Wish you just had a backlog of these and posted them every day. Impossible I know, but damn do I wish...
Hey son,
Dad here. I just wanted to let you know what a great job you did making this video. You have outdone yourself once again. Keep up the good work.
Hell yeah, this really helped make my day better while I’m sick!
currently on a mission to binge all of your silent hill retrospectives, and man, your channel probably has one of the most fun ways of addressing the audience. makes me really feel like i am a parent listening to his child explain a game he really likes!
At 44 years old there's video's still never get old lol I was there for the birth of Silent and I was there for the death of Silent, sad to say I don't think I'll be alive by the time we ever get a new Amazing Silent Hill.
You might be in luck. It's rumored that 2 is getting a remake and that several other projects are in the works
Think about it u guys the feeling the feeling the feeling that u experienced the music the trailer the deep understanding of this game noone else will ever feel like how beautiful and sad
A very good video, maybe the best SH2 episode I have seen on CZcams. Have done some research for my podcast and you have the key moments and explain everything very well. Keep up with the great work! 😊
Such a great video and game, thank you
My favorite horror game of all time. It warms my heart to see you playing the games your old man loved as a boy.
It's amazing how similar the movie Jacob's Ladder 1990 is with Silent Hill 2.
Jacobs Ladder was used as inspiration to make Silent Hill.
I keeping meaning to watch that movie. If someone could remind me to that would be great.
Great video! One of my favorite games! Played it so many times. The music is amazing aswell
Your banging out good videos one after the other. Just watched your 4+3 silent hill videos. Now 2, then I'll watch the first. 💪🙂
Great video, as always. I love how you did this with whole "son" brand. You dont call viewer their children, you just twisted it around to make something unique. I guess your audience is mostly 25+ (so am I son, so am I), and this move makes whole relation on line Viewer-CZcamsr much more special. Keep moving forward, old sport!
i just finish the game a year ago and man it was an experience that i'll never forget
Let’s go I was waiting for this!!
Love this! Keep up the good work, Son
This game shook me to my core when I first played it - what an absolute tour de force in unsettling the player.
It is an amazing game, even today.
I love the opening music to this game. How it hits the nerves is something else. Especially back when it came out, at 10pm at night in a house alone. Vividly remember the first time I played this.
absolutely love the video and your channel
Great video. The resolution looks good,I watch the app on my TV. It's been like 20 years and this game can still get people going,that says a LOT about the impression it still has. 👍
Simply brilliant as always
I remember this game so well, and yet not at all, very surreal. Amazing video, thanks a ton for making these!
Wow, I just watched your silent hill vid last night and now silent hill 2 is out. Sweet
My son, your work ethic is insane. I haven't been able to keep up with the live streams, but I'll be damned if I miss a video. You might not have the popularity of bigger youtubers, but you're certainly not lacking their quality.
Great work as always! If I may suggest a return-to-style; I liked the in-person shots of you talking to the camera in the intros saying "Hey Dad. It's me, your favorite son." I always thought it helped to personify your channel and for people to put a face to a body of work. Keep up the good work son!
This was a great retrospective, son. Avalanche Reviews did a great one as well some years back. His interpretation of the Maria ending was interesting, he points out that that ending is a bad ending as James doesn’t learn his lesson, and that at the very end Maria is heard coughing. Signifying that he’s going to relive the same trauma he had with Mary.
I always find myself coming back to this video… something about this topic… always so soothing
Can't stop watching this. I love the emotional place it puts me in.
Great video and series!
I just want to point out that the hospital isn’t the first time you go to the other world/nightmare world. In the apartments, when you go through a window into the other building, you are entering the other world. The apartment becomes darker, damper and the ceiling dripping with water. You can almost smell the mildew.
It’s so subtlety done, that it isn’t very noticeable. The prison/ labyrinth area doesn’t really transition into another world, but things slowly decay further and further until you reach the end of it. This game has a variety of ways to introduce this concept
Love the video, got absolutely bamboozled by the sudden loud sound in the last second of the video
I remember the first time I finished this game I was genuinely speechless and it took me almost 2 full days to fully recover from what I had scene. The letter especially it brought me to tears like nothing else I had seen at this point. The horror and emotional storytelling in this game cannot be understated. It’s the reason this is my favorite horror game of all time and one of my favorite games of all time
Found your retrospective on the first silent hill today. Guess I will watch the second one as well.
Great video! One thing I wish you would have pointed out was in the scene where James speaks with Maria with the cell door separating them, Maria briefly speaks like a normal person instead of the odd way everyone speaks throughout the game. Just something interesting about that scene that I liked a lot.
Good work Son. I knew I picked you as my favorite for a reason.
Excited to see you tackle 3 eventually. While from a critical standpoint it's pretty obvious 2 is a better romp through the often depressing hellscape that is psychological horror, 3 is by far my favorite. SH2 is an artistically and finely crafted personal story, but I prefer my stories having a bit more "world building" or lore about them. 2 doesn't really have that since James doesn't give a flying hoot about the town or its history, but 3 is the opposite so it ends up hitting my personal preferences better. Plus I Heather a lot and GREATLY enjoy the traditional transitions to the Otherworld (which 2 might as well have not even had).
Do you have any plans to do 4 and the post-Team Silent games? Most of them are mediocre or downright bad compared to the first three, but they're always entertaining things to discuss for one reason or another.
I'll definitely be talking about all the entries in some capacity.
why is your name loli knight you weirdo
Look at my boy, another video out already. I'm so proud
I just found your channel, and this video in particular. SH2 is the greatest video game ever made IMO. I have played it multiple times and gotten every single possible ending there is. The OST is also beautifully haunting. I play it regularly to this day.
I wonder if there will ever be a film based on James’ story, just like there were two films based on the first and third games
Every Video tackling this GEM of a Game is literally *fascinating*
Thats an insane work speed you have there! And quality is astounding, i even learnt couple of new things about one of my all time favourite game experiences.
I will wait for further videos about this franchise, but for me, from this point onwards it was all downhill.
Great video man! This is my favorite horror saga (Team Silent Trilogy only.) You probably know this but you do not have to shoot the 2 pyramid heads. If you run in circles for long enough, they will kill themselves. I found this as a kid on my first run, I was terrified cause there were TWO pyramid heads so I just walked in circles, scared to shit, trying to survive, I barely shot them and they just died.
Another detail that adds to prove this team was simply amazing!
Good job Son. Keep it up, proud of you.
Thanks Dad
Amazing video.
Dude I love your vids
Thanks Dad!
This made me play Silent Hill 2, was a great experience Thank you
great analysis of my favorite game
Still remember when I first played this game, how creepy and introspective it was. Psychological horror; scary, original, but with a mature social commentary and layered storyline
So damn proud of you boy.
Can't wait to watch the 132nd video essay/retrospective for a game I literally already know everything about all of the way through and still enjoy it because I'm starved for content.