23/05/2023 Edit: Hey folks, for anyone who enjoyed this video, a 20th Anniversary Retrospective for Silent Hill 3 has now been released. th-cam.com/video/ElXb6go2ohQ/w-d-xo.html Thank you once again to everyone for the support and love on this one, you're all amazing. Original Post: To everyone that has commented so far, thank you so much for the amazing response to the video. IRL has been extremely busy lately, but I read each and every one of them and am absolutely blown away by how much support you have offered. Thank you. Timestamps: 00:03:34 - Introduction 00:07:21 - Part I: A Special Place 00:12:47 - Part II: I Got A Letter 00:27:53 - Part III: It's Not Human 00:42:34 - Part IV: There's Something Wrong With It 00:55:24 - Intermission: The Music of Silent Hill 2 01:01:00 - Part V: Are You Really Waiting For Me? 01:33:29 - Part VI: In My Restless Dreams 02:04:06 - Part VII: It's All Over Now
A brilliant video, well done buddy I actually played this for the first time earlier this year on the HD release. I know I'm a bit late to the Party but it's an amazing game of story telling and it took me days to get it out of my head
Great video One thing about Angela; I've always felt that when she says "I'm not lying" in the cemetery, she may have been alluding to her past, and how people might not have believed her claims of abuse.
I think she’s also just not accustomed to people considering her due to her “off” demeanor and insecurity. Obviously those aspects of her personality are also influenced by her history with abuse.
The fact that so many people don’t understand how Pyramid head is a neutral Good and Maria is the actual Antagonist of the game shows how brilliant this game is.
I mean that depends on what you mean by “antagonist”, because really the only threat to James that doesn’t come from himself are Eddie and the first Abstract Daddy
@@willissudweeks1050 Pyramid Head only attacks James because James himself believes he deserves it. While it’s arguable depending on the ending wether or not he wants to die, he definitely thinks he should and Pyramid Head is just fulfilling what James himself believes
Akira Yamoaka is one of my favorite musicians of all time. I used to fall asleep to the the SL3 and 2 soundtrack all the time. It's beautiful, weird, haunting, and just overall amazing.
I used to do the same! I swear the SH3 soundtrack lived in my CD Walkman for years, I'd listen to it just about every night as I drifted off into dreams.
@FacelessGodPSN My copy of SH3 OST has a permanent place in my car's cd deck. Slot 5. No significance to the slot #, I just never had the heart to swap it out.
I've never played SH2 or 3, but I've listened to the OST to sleep for years. Now, my one year old daughter sleeps to the OST also. One day, we'll both play it together.
When James say to Maria "You better do something about that cough". It's not what he says, it's the way he says it, he says it in a very sinister tone. You forgot to mention the Rebirth ending, where James seems too completely lose his mind and thinks the he can resurrect Mary, by doing some kind of ritual.
I agree. Besides his tone, the phrasing is also interesting: he doesn't say something like "WE should have that cough of yours checked", or something that implies he is genuinely worried about her and his relationship with her. After experiencing Mary's disease, you would expect something like "please, I beg of you, let's go check that cough of yours asap". He instead says "YOU better do something about that cough", putting all the responsability on her, as if her health is only her business/concern. Also, that "better do" seems like a threat indeed. The whole point seems to be "You better do something about that cough... otherwise I'll get rid of you too". And that behaviour is really coherent with this specific ending (which I consider to be the true bad ending, far worse than the "in water" one): James founds out he is a murderer, yet the decision he makes is the one that perfectly matches the (mostly selfish) reason why he killed Mary in the first place (having his life back). He literally moves on with his life with a fake, but in his eyes "better" (sexier, healthy, confident) version of his victim. The ending seems to scream "as long as I get what I want, I'm fine with it. And if I don't, I now know I'm able to do whatever it takes to end it, so it's a win-win for me anyways". It also implies that he deep down believes he was justified in his crime, otherwise he wouldn't be able to constantly have to see his victim's face without constantly feeling completely broken inside (a constant reminder of what he did). In this ending, he doesn't only realize and accept he is a selfish monster and a murderer: he embraces it.
@@BrokenYamato The Maria ending was always the ultra bad ending in my eyes but you had to work hard for it. This suggests why James is very sinister towards the end, he learnt nothing from his journey and you the player was hung up on something you shouldnt have been and history will repeat itself. The Maria ending is a punishment for you the player.
One theory I've seen about Angela is that the reason she's looking for her mother while carrying around the knife is that she intends to kill her too for her complicity in the abuse. But by the time James finds her in the hotel she's come to a similar realization as him, that her mission is futile and it won't bring her peace. Which is what prompts her to decide that killing herself is the only way to get it and escape the hell she keeps having to live through in pursuit of her mother, symbolized by the implied ubiquitous flames surrounding her. She's definitely the most sympathetic character in the game and her whole journey is unbelievably heartbreaking.
People dunk on Angela, but her voice performance is exactly what it needs to be. I think the most misunderstood decision in the voice direction is the way she says "Lost?" the first time she meets James. She says it that way because she knows people don't just show up to Silent Hill, don't just show up because they're "lost". So, when James tells her he's lost, she immediately knows he's lying to her and her guard goes up. Her entire performance from there plays like a person trying their best to have a normal conversation with someone they are afraid of.
You are so right! I was just thinking this way earlier today watching playthroughs. Angela is in a very paranoid and delusional state the entire game, she is afraid of James and pretending not to be while also having a deeper understanding of why they both belong in Silent Hill.
@ArvelDreth We don't KNOW that she's aware, but I get the sense that's the case. Either way, I don't need the stoey to explain that to me. Whether or not it's actually the case, it makes it feel creepier and more sinister to me.
He only said he's lost because he doesn't know the way to town, only because he is in a state of delusion and denial. He says that him and Mary have been there before on a vacation during the introduction scene of him speaking of the letter staring over the lake. Angela is even vague on her reasons for being in the town as well. Her personal trauma is what makes her paranoid of other people.
I always liked Angela’s “This town..there’s something...wrong with it”. Coming off of Silent Hill 1 and knowing all the shit Harry encountered in that game just made that line stand out and hit different to me.
I feel like they really butchered this line in the remake. Angela’s new VA has some high points, but the delivery of this line in the recent trailer made me wince.
The voice acting in SH2 is amazing. It’s uncanny, as if these adults are just children. I picture when Angela and James are talking, it’s like how children would interact. It’s beautiful. Then I’m the HD version the voice actress who re-recorded the lines talked about how bad the VA in the OG was. She only went on that rant because Konami probably paid her to.
Lol, I was playing the HD version yesterday (only kind I got) and accidentally hit "new voices" when I started from the save point, it was the part where James runs into Eddie talking about how "killing a person ain't no big deal" and the "new voices" just sounded WRONG lol
@@SBBunny93 Nah, it’s perfect for what the game is trying to do. Especially Mary and Maria’s actress. The memory of her lashing out at James and the final reading of her letter at the end are some of the finest pieces of acting I’ve heard in any video game.
I lost my mom, also named Laura, in December. I dream all the time about being in places that are like the abandoned apartment building. This game and the beautiful videos people make about it, help so much. I miss my mom, and feel like Angela despite the daddy thing. My dad died when I was 7. I'm 35 now, and miss my mom so much. She died of cancer and it has been hell. I miss her so desperately all the time. She told me "Erin, you are my best friend, but you have to let me go" those words haunt me every single day.
Same age, and I lost my dad my a couple months ago. The connected dreams are constant too. This game (and video) are cathartic for me as well. We got this.
@@Hairlesswookie62 yes we do!! Thank you and I'm so sorry for your loss. I saw a post today - be the things you loved most about the people who are gone.
One of the things I truly love about this game is the way the endings are done. In essence James in game and James in cutscenes come together with each ending based on how the player treats him. Spoilers: Actually take care of James and remain focused = James is deadset on finding Mary and LEAVing the town The player takes too much care in keeping Maria safe and generally overlooking her = James has replaced Mary with MARIA in his delusion to leave Treat James’s life carelessly and leave him near death for long moments on end = James has no value in his own life. So it might as well end up IN WATER. Most games just give you dialogue prompts and call it a day but using the gameplay style of the player to in turn show how James copes with his guilt is nothing short of genius. No ending is treated as truly canon as well since all that is known is that James disappeared into silent hill which could mean leaving his life behind for the other two endings. In essence there is no In water without the risky player. No Leave without the focused player. No Maria without the curious player. James’s story isn’t just incomplete without the player it’s absolutely nothing without it. James’s very state of mind can be arguably tied directly to the player. Without you, his story just isn’t there because his state of mind won’t ever resolve. That’s just a part of what makes this game so beautiful to me. It’s what games should strive to be.
After the realization of what James' did, it fills me with so much agony that Angela was right about him. You want her distrust to be wrong and that she can start to feel safe relying on people, but her first suspicions are completely correct. It's tragic
She wasn't right, she depicted him as unfaithful and as a sexual abuser, because he sees men as she saw her father and brother, she wasn't able to see the good in James, so her distrust is wrong in this scenario, James wouldnt have hurted her the way she thought he would.
@@pedroantonio5797 u think they mean he was a psychopath just kidding I know it was just the post dramatic stress from the murder and the failure to cope with his decision, his regret eating him whole
This whole video is just phenomenal, seriously well done man. I've literally seen this game analysed and reviewed by at least a dozen TH-camrs at this point and this really is the best of the best right here. Great job 👏. Hope you covering Silent hill will get the channel some more attention seriously you deserve it.
Keep in mind that Mary never actually forgives James in that ending James is granting himself forgiveness through a hallucination of Mary. Whether or not he deserves it is up to the player.
"The most perfect beautiful horror experience of my life"- just round of applause, I couldn't agree more. This game might just be my favourite horror piece of all time, not just of video games. Thank you sir for such a wonderful gift, a truly genuine, thoughtful, inspiring and loving video. I'm just done watching and am sure to come back to it as many times as I do this beautiful game. Instant new subscriber wishing you all the best.
Instant subscription for that incredible passion. SH2 terrified me with the booklet art and my father played through it without any real appreciation when I was a kid. Gotta say this game just makes something move within me. The ambient depression, and just ambiguity really stuck with me in my most depressive life moments.
@Richard Bueller It's so crazy to think of a kid growing up with a gamer dad, I only play games when my kids are sleeping. I can't imagine just ignoring their existence to stare into a light box for an hour or 2 at a time. Probably makes the kid feel insignificant, or lower on the priority list.
@@JSG-mw4qr it was a late night thing for him or on the weekends when I'd be out with friends. There would be times it be like a let's play with SH2 and the original Resident Evils mainly. We did enjoy a lot of cinematic games like Metal Gear together. Only difficult time we had was when DualShock Analog controllers came out. He wouldn't let me play because they were expensive and delicate for the time. He treated them like some type of VR machine when it's just silly analog sticks to us in the 2020s, but definitely a huge deal in the 1990s. So yeah I can definitely imagine playing with children and showing them classics. I won't game as heavy as I do now, but it be a family event.
@@airbo5104 i am 39 and when i played this game at the time i was literally obsessed, and After 20 still am. How i wish konami releases a new silent hill… i dunno What was so magic about this game. The music, the atmosphere, i played many other survival horror But no one can compare to this game. To me, it will be the best one ever, it’s personal i dunno how to explain..
@@stefaniamura1508 I’m crying. I love survival horror and I don’t know. I think I’m just trying to relive what this game gave me isolated in a dark room. It’s that vibe that just hits that weird spot. After everything that happened with PT… I just don’t know.
I've only really gotten into it the last couple of years. I remember being sort of infatuated with the first game when I was really young. I was born in '97 and I remember my father renting the 1st game from a movie gallery or somewhere similar. I had to be around 4 or 5 but it lingered in my mind every now and then when i thought about early childhood. Then i see it at a game store. Silent Hill 2. It looked so intriguing that I just had to get it. Now it's in my top 5 favorite games of all time. I also played 3 and while it was good, it wasn't SH2. Now I'm playing the first one. Ive now played them in the wrong order and planning on getting the 4th one after I beat the 1st.
Okay you earned yourself a sub with that Buckethead plug. It’s one thing to cover my all time favorite game, but to throw some Buckethead into that video… perfection!
I really hate playing horror games and I'm terrible with older control schemes. But I love watching people play them. Out of all the horror games I've watched people play, SH2 has me watching it over and over again and loving the analysis. And it's odd, but I have a nostalgia for the game I never played. This game fascinates me, and I think it's the raw look at mental illness, sexual abuse and the awfulness of humanity that digs under the skin and doesn't let go. Fantastic video, thank you.
"The story of James Sunderland is one that has stuck with me throughout my entire life" - Same here. I think about this story all the time. Great video. Cheers!
I can't believe I just watched the whole two hours! Well done man! This is my favorite game as well. I can't be unbiased about it anymore. This is the only game I love. Absolute masterpiece. This is art.
This game is like a awful train wreck you wanna stop looking, but you just can’t help, but not take your eyes off it, and just get lost in it, much like the town.
@@MRBC_YT I can always watch long ass videos on this game i swear I’m literally watching Maximilian’s, 9 hour video let’s play video on it he really picked the best game for this Halloween, it was fully blind to, and god it was glorious I’m at the hotel in his video. I also really appreciate the segment on the music, but more people need to make videos about the music, and it’s similars mainly to Nine Inch Nails, like Downward Spiral, is literally Silent Hill 2’s, album form.
Great fucking Video. SH2 is a work of art. The soundtrack is timeless. I have it on CD and Vinyl. And that part at 51:00 when she starts saying his name is always haunting. (also, remember folks, Silent Hill has been dead since 2004.)
Angela did not deserve what happened to her. The mixture of both emotional trauma as well as cult elements is the far superior but often overlooked 4. Good video!
She was traumatized, and even if it was justified, she felt guilty for what she did, the end does not justify the means, she couldn't be saved, none of them
I think what I love most about SH2 is just how real it can be. It can be hard for victims of sexual assault, bullying, or what James did to recover from it, if at all. It opens up the human mind and really examines it.
By the way, regarding the clunky combat, there's a quick way to kill downed monsters. You walk up to them and interact them which James will apply a moderate force of foot into the monster, which somehow instantly kills them opposed to getting bludgeoned several times or lead riddling to put them down permanently.
seems like this game calls a lot of us back. i am heavily biased too, having long considered SH2 one of my favorite games of all time, and you did a fantastic job of articulating why that is. i see something different in myself and in the game with every playthrough and this video helped me notice even a few more things. keep up the awesome work!
It always calls back to me, just like the town of Silent Hill, you know i really like 1, and 3, but 2, is just what Silent Hill, is to me the original may have birthed this amazing series that remains vacant, but despite it’s greatness 2, just hits on all fronts. Yeah i have the same experience i literally just watched a new one because Maximilian, did a playthrough of it.
Having played the game since 2003. This month I read about how James is actually looking directly at the camera in the famous mirror sequence in the bathroom instead of himself. Discovering new things about the game after 20 years shows how masterful it was handled.
sorry to break it to you, but it was revealed to be fake. it was photoshopped by one of the fans and the creator confirmed he wasn't looking at the player
Thank you for feeding me more Silent Hill 2 content, the lack of a proper remaster is beyond me in a market where the horror genre revolves around looking like Silent Hill's first three games, failing to capture what made those games really Silent Hill.
Very nice analysis. Even after many playthroughs myself, and even several Let's Plays of this game, there were still several subtle things that you pointed out which I had never realized. The worst part of this game though, is that I can never experience it for the first time again.
Fantastic video. This game means more to me than any other of any genre. I loved the first game when it came out and I actually bought my PS2 for it. I still play through it at least once a year on an OG backward compatible PS3. The last time was right after finishing RE village...I may have needed to play a horror game after that.
Hands down one of the best psychoanalysis videos I've ever seen! You did really good explaining the concepts, explaining the symbolism, and the importance of the characters and projections James must face. I can defiantly understand what you mean when you say you might never find another game like this again, and I really do feel that statement. There's something about this game that pulls at you, just like how Silent Hill pulls in its victims. Self-reflection, acceptance and if lucky or brave enough, growth. Good stuff. Without a doubt, you earned a sub. I look forward to future videos :) Lastly, you structured the video very well. Despite the video being long you managed to keep it entertaining and that's a feat within itself. I
Just finished the video. Incredible work, my friend. I have no words. This is some of your best writing and editing (the Night in the Woods video is still my favourite :P)
I though my efforts for kill counting was immense, yet it most likely pales in comparison to the research and editing you have done to pull off this Mammoth amount of quality content. Superb, new subscriber thanks to it being shared by Zade on the ole Twitter. Stay safe, best of luck with the channel; you have my support going forward 💪👍
Truly phenomenal. A deeply researched and thoroughly explained analysis presented in the fairest and most digestible way possible. Especially when going into the lesser talked about elements such as James' reality check, eye movements and gestures. Probably the best video on Silent Hill 2 to date. Silent Hill 2 will always be the greatest video game story ever created, as no matter how much we experience other games and other stories...we are all drawn back to that town...Silent Hill.
Hey man- I feel the same way about SH2- and am partial to your video because I, too, discovered SH on an old PS2 demo disk. I remember the peculiar feeling it gave me- the music, the dialogue....I was captivated from the start. It warms my cold, fog-filled heart to see folks like you still appreciating this MASTERPIECE in 2021. Every time I see a new upload about SH2, my day gets a little better. You've earned a subscriber. Thanks for keeping James and his story alive
“In my restless dreams i see that town, silent hill” my favorite quote ever i love this game so much it’s my comfort game ❤ this video deserves waaayyy more views
A 2 hour video on silent hill 2? Like commented and subscribed 👍 Edit: your words....... at the end with the picture of James and Mary together made me shed a tear. Perfection.
I’ve watched this video countless times. I even use it to sleep sometimes. The music mixed with your voice and genuine love for this game is so comforting. This video is a pure, amazing summary of this game and I love it. Genuinely amazing
I watched a playthrough of SH2 recently after my dad passed away. He was very absent, but loved me. He died of cancer, which I didn't even know he was sick with until we found out that he died, a day after. I was filled with both so much anger and sadness, and went for a days long drive to nowhere in the most isolated city in the world, Perth WA. This game felt like such a gut punch, but also like the most insightful aknowledgement of what I felt. Somehow simultaneously the most gentle and brutal look at it. I in no way intended this, but I finished this video today on the 1 year anniversary of his death. I love this game, but it's also just so, so horribly able to touch people. It almost makes you feel like you can relate to James, in that love and hate. Thank you for your analysis of SH2. What a special gem, that you almost don't want to know about. Really forces you to look at yourself in a way you almost regret.
I played this game in college 22 years ago. I was so blown away and speechless and confused. I desperately needed explanations and remember vividly wanting some closure on what exactly I had just experienced. I didn't know about message boards. TH-cam didn't exist for these great analysis channels. Obviously, time goes by, and I eventually forgot about that closure. I just remembered that the game absolutely floored me. Best horror game ever, and I never really thought about it again outside of that. Fast forsard to now. The remake is on the horizon. I notice that and think, wait. Now we have all these great breakdowns on youtube. Weather its twin peaks all the way down to skyrim. There is a deep dive on EVERYTHING. So now I'm here and this is beautiful. She was in the car the whole time. Incredible. I definitely dont have all the answers and still kinda feel like silent hill is your own purgatory. But the town being a character like twin peaks and it being the half real, half fever dream judge and jury is pretty good Thanks for this. Even if i needed it 22 years ago.
What a fantastic video seriously!! Definitely one of the best analysis of SH2 out there (and I've seen most of them), I like how you dedicate some time to reflect about certain smaller, often overlooked details like the walk on the forest part! And the fact it is 2 hours long makes it perfect for listening before sleep! Superb work mate.
Well done! It's a very well crafted video that rivals the best of of other Silent Hill 2 retrospectives. You can really feel the love and dedication that you have for the game. It only took me ten minutes to know that I needed to subscribe (though I stayed for the two hours nonetheless) I look forward to seeing more from this channel
I watched the Gameingbritshow, one no offense to the guy, but he kind of shit on some parts, and digged into stuff i thought was asinine like he bitched about some of the areas, but i didn’t think it fit in a analysis this though he just gush’s, and i really prefer that.
I've unintentionally found myself watching a bunch of Silent Hill analysis videos recently and this is another great one in an already great batch of videos.
Phenomenal mate, genuinely such a great video and love letter to honestly my favourite game of all time as well. I did a very brief video on red death reviews for it and touched on the whole abstract daddy ethos. The level of detail to craft such a story is not only terrifying but a spectacle in its own right. Well done I can't imagine the hours and the editing/writing etc..... Absolute legend!!!
As a salaryman with a huge deficit in energy, it took a few tries, but I finally got through your video man. Loved your emotional take on the series that basically defined my childhood gaming. I still hold the belief that Angela didn't deserve the torment she experienced in Silent Hill. Eddie and James are guilty, they went out of their way to commit violence, but for Angela, there was no other way for her to make the pain end. Although it can be argued that Silent Hill was uninterested in who was guilty and who was not and only brought forth the demons the psyche of each individual made, I still hope, somehow, in the remake, they give Angela a better closure so that at least one person gets to walk away.
I hope they can find a narratively satisfying way to extinguish the flames of Angela's version of Silent Hill, to give her a chance at escaping Full Circle.
I wish there was something more than a like I can give this. I've probably watched all the SH2 analysis videos on TH-cam but this is by far the best. Almost a work of art in itself.
I love this video. I can really feel your love of it in every word and every shot, and as someone who loves this game about as much, it made me genuinely emotional at times to see it revered so beautifully. This is by far my favorite breakdown of it, thank you for making this ❤ Also, a fellow Hannibal fan?? Hell YES
Honestly man, this is one of the best reviews I've seen in a long time. You clearly put a lot of effort and thought in to this. Great job. I loved every minute of it.
Absolutely great analysis. This should be the defacto video on SH 2. Obviously it has a lot of gushing and bias but since it's a game driven by emotions I think that's understandable. One thing I wanted to mention is about Laura as I believe she sees the town normally. She is a juxtaposition to the other three broken characters due to her being an innocent child with no sins to bear. I hope this video racks up more exposure since I appreciate the amount of effort put into this.
Thank your for this video, it was beautiful. As someone who has never played Silent Hill, but always been interested in the world and storyline, this was the perfect video to watch. And that twist that the game takes place mere days after the event that causes it is just incredible and beautifully inspired. Your love for this game is palpable and infectious.
Found your channel through thesummerofmark and I'm so glad he recommended you. I've been wanting to replay Silent Hill 2 for October and this has been a great primer. Keep up the good work!
The best video on Silent Hill ever! 😁 I just love your passion and enthusiasm for the game, it's very obvious that it holds a close place to your heart and I just really enjoyed your interesting personal insights on the game, many of which I haven't seen anyone cover before. Thank you for all of the time you have put into making this video, I can't imagine how much effort it must have taken you, I am so grateful! Enjoying your video at a café right now, really fun to jump back into this game for the nostalgia and the damn good music/atmosphere/storyline/characters, etc.
Love this. i really like how you made it clear that James' actions are fucked up, I feel like a lot of the analysis videos on here justify his acts due to how Mary was acting near the end. I know we're supposed to empathize with him most since he's the MC, but goddamn!
as the sole carer of a terminally ill, dying person i can absolutely empathise with james. i would never do what he did, but the thought has absolutely entered my mind and i know i am not alone in that regard. and it portrays it beautifully, the mixture of wanting their suffering to end, wanting to have your own life back and the disgust at yourself that you're even contemplating it at all. the difference, of course, is that james acted on these intrusive thoughts. but i understand why he did. a man too weak to keep those intrusive thoughts away, while not a good man, isn't an evil man either.
I cannot state how much I love this video my guy. You are a legend. I can’t describe how much this game means to me and will forever have an imprint on me till the day I die. The soundtrack I listen to daily. Thank you for this video it’s simply amazing. Have a great day!
Oh my god! I didn’t know that the radio part literally says: “James, why did you killed me?” I have seen dozens of SH2 reviewers but never, NEVER have anyone detailed their dialogue. Thank you so much.
Wow. Amazing video. I’ve felt this way for the last 20 years as well. SH2 has always stuck with me since I played it back I’m 2001. Not many “get” the genius of what Team Silent did. Bravo on the video. Silent Hill 2 is more than just a videogame. It is an experience like no other that will never be recreated.
Most long form analysis videos on Silent Hill and games in general are usually just summarizations of linear gameplay. This is the antithesis to that - a real analysis of all elements of what makes video games as a medium so capable, and what made SH2 one of the most striking games ever made. Well done, and a video worthy of representing SH2 as fans regard it
God i love that conversation with Angela in the graveyard (all of the scenes with her are great too though imo) but the way she responds to James with "... lo-ost?" Is just * chefs kiss *
Very, very nice. I cant say I ever enjoy playing this game but I do think it's extremely effective and well thought out as a horror tale and love seeing people more invested than me piece it all together
I've just finished watching/listening to this for the 2nd time in two days. You've created such a resonate video for us fans of Silent Hill 2 and the series as a whole and you should be very fucking proud of your work on this project. Kudos to you!!
I still feel as though the "leave" ending is the canon ending, at least to me as a player. James' journey through the town is deeply personal and in essence therapeutic for James. He isnt a good man, but a truly troubled individual who did something terrible and yet completely understandable. The terrors and trauma he goes through till the end of the game, at least to me show me that hes grown as a person to be able to move on with his life.
What a phenomenal video, i've enjoyed every single minute of it. It truly shows in detail how much of a masterpiece of a game Silent Hill 2 is, thank you for putting the work into it.
What a masterpiece of a video! I've seen a few other reviews/retrospectives for this game, but it's so clear watching yours that you absolutely adore this game. You were totally honest from the start saying you couldn't be objective about it, and it made for a much better retrospective than the others I've watched. I will make sure to check out your other stuff 👍
I’ve probably seen this video to fall asleep to over 50 times by now so I think it’s fitting to say; In my restless dreams, I see this video. Silent Hill 2 - A 20th Anniversary Analysis.
On the very first screen, try walking back to the road until it doesn't let you anymore, and see what it says. It's something like "there's no point in going back." When you read it with the premise that he's pretty much abandoned all hope of living past this pilgrimage, it's very creepy.
That was absolutely fantastic :) I thoroughly enjoyed your Silent hill 2 anniversary analysis xo you nailed every aspect to perfection and gave Silent hill 2 the justice it so deserves. Cheers and thankyou so much for this great experience. I have gooseflesh every time you explain about Maria's and Mary character.
Wonderful. I'm an hour in as I write this and am absolutely enthralled. SH 2 is among my favorite games, I've played it countless times on many systems, and you're finding elements I'd never noticed before. Excellent video.
This video is so incredibly made ❤! Silent Hill 2 has always been the best horror game I've ever played since the Christmas in 2001. A truly beautiful masterpiece. After 2 decades I still love listening to the music by Akira, it is so magical.
I'm so happy you covered the music of this gorgeous game. I discovered the game last year through searching horror maps on Vrchat and there being a Silent Hill 2 map. If I'm gonna be honest, the game changed my life and this video encapsulates my thoughts very well. Ever since the somber droning from Day of Night, I've legitimately slept better, I suppose I find serenity in the emptiness of the town and the music associated. According to my spotify stats I looped the song for 12,471 minutes. Thats around two hundred and ten hours, eight full days of its beauty. Thank you for the fantastic video on this fantastic masterpiece, it makes me happy to see others see the artisic genius of a game before I was born.
I really love how silent hill 3 and silent hill 1 start off with a nightmare scene but in silent hill 2 with and Maria theres no nightmare or dream they are simply awake and desperate to get to silent hill. To see Mary or James wen playing as Maria. I also think its ingenious that you mentioned the effect that silent hill 2 can have on normal folks xo
This game... When it first released I was blown away. You could see the eddies in the fog. That was... amazing. The voice acting was great (for the time), and the graphics in general were amazing (for the time). Controls were so very good. I'd played the hell out of Silent Hill, and the sequel was everything I'd hoped for and more. Now I can look back and see the flaws, but at the time of release it blew my mind. And it's aged very well.
As someone that has, unfortunately, lived in Maine... Silent Hill wouldn't even be surprising. The people are insane, the weather is garbage, the laws are abusive and horrific. Ahem. Anyway. Silent Hill rocks.
My only thing I may find disappointing about the Silent Hill franchise is not that there won't be another game because there will,but wonder if it will be scarier or as scary as the old games were by the original team. Also it may be scary again but will it sell well based on the animosity people have toward Konami?
I've resigned to believe that there will never be another Silent Hill. In the 21st century we have this nasty habit of digging up old works, passing them on into new hands to "make another" and watching them slowly die. The original creative vision is always lost and the most notable trappings are all that's left. There was no Mona Lisa 2. There was a time that works of art were respected as a way of communicating ideas, and the actual creators of the art, the individuals - not a constantly shifting and changing organization - got the credit and recognition for that work. It's sad because we want more of that experience, but it's the very rarity of it's craft that makes it so unlikely to ever happen again under the same name.
one of my favourite videos on youtube, about a game that is so personal to me. it might seem weird but i listen to/watch it quite often, it just soothes me. it perfectly captures what this game is to me. so thank you, because it feels like rediscovering it every time
What an amazingly put together video, I think I speak on behalf of all of the SH community when I say a huge THANK YOU! ❤️ I’ve always had 2 favourite games, Tomb Raider (original) and SH2. I’d always loved horror since I was really young, but when I first played SH2 when I was 17 I was first introduced to the haunting beauty of psychological horror. All these years later the tragic love story riddled with guilt, denial and personal demons is easily the most beautifully, lovingly crafted of any horror game we have been given, it’s no wonder it is still beloved. It’s genius in how it delivers its horror; there’s nothing more unpredictable or disturbing than the human psyche in a state of trauma/crisis. We all have our own demons and James facing his is such a lonely, eerie journey that you can’t help but feel the despair right along with him. It perfectly captures the layers surrounding love and the concept of “if you love me, let me go”. In my personal opinion there are far scarier monsters in other SH entries, yet this entry always comes out top because of how much of an intimate experience it is through a grieving widower’s troubled mind. Part of me wishes for a reboot of SH2 to relive that love all over again, but how could such a masterpiece ever be given the right justice. It’s probably best left as a memory of beautiful piece of art ❤️
That was a truly awesome documentary you did here, you managed to strip the game down to the bare bones and rebuild it in a new perspective. Well done mate.
23/05/2023 Edit: Hey folks, for anyone who enjoyed this video, a 20th Anniversary Retrospective for Silent Hill 3 has now been released.
th-cam.com/video/ElXb6go2ohQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you once again to everyone for the support and love on this one, you're all amazing.
Original Post:
To everyone that has commented so far, thank you so much for the amazing response to the video. IRL has been extremely busy lately, but I read each and every one of them and am absolutely blown away by how much support you have offered. Thank you.
Timestamps:
00:03:34 - Introduction
00:07:21 - Part I: A Special Place
00:12:47 - Part II: I Got A Letter
00:27:53 - Part III: It's Not Human
00:42:34 - Part IV: There's Something Wrong With It
00:55:24 - Intermission: The Music of Silent Hill 2
01:01:00 - Part V: Are You Really Waiting For Me?
01:33:29 - Part VI: In My Restless Dreams
02:04:06 - Part VII: It's All Over Now
20th anniversary gang.
20th anniversary gang.
Great vid! Thank you for this. Love this game so much and this was great to view.
A brilliant video, well done buddy
I actually played this for the first time earlier this year on the HD release. I know I'm a bit late to the Party but it's an amazing game of story telling and it took me days to get it out of my head
ALRIGHT BOYO SILWNT HILL 2 HAS RETURNED WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY
Great video
One thing about Angela; I've always felt that when she says "I'm not lying" in the cemetery, she may have been alluding to her past, and how people might not have believed her claims of abuse.
I think she’s also just not accustomed to people considering her due to her “off” demeanor and insecurity. Obviously those aspects of her personality are also influenced by her history with abuse.
Yup. That’s whats implied Mate
@@C0wb0yBebop Yet not mentioned in the analysis 👍
I always thought the theory of her actually being Angela's mother was very haunting...
@@ProWrestlingReality Oh that's pretty interesting 😮
The fact that so many people don’t understand how Pyramid head is a neutral Good and Maria is the actual Antagonist of the game shows how brilliant this game is.
I mean that depends on what you mean by “antagonist”, because really the only threat to James that doesn’t come from himself are Eddie and the first Abstract Daddy
@@taydrew2577 Oooo yes! I think James himself is the antagonist!
Can you explain or show me a video that does? I’m confused.
Because he’ll kill James if he stands still so I don’t get it
@@willissudweeks1050 Pyramid Head only attacks James because James himself believes he deserves it. While it’s arguable depending on the ending wether or not he wants to die, he definitely thinks he should and Pyramid Head is just fulfilling what James himself believes
Akira Yamoaka is one of my favorite musicians of all time. I used to fall asleep to the the SL3 and 2 soundtrack all the time. It's beautiful, weird, haunting, and just overall amazing.
I used to do the same! I swear the SH3 soundtrack lived in my CD Walkman for years, I'd listen to it just about every night as I drifted off into dreams.
@@FacelessGodPSN oo😊😊oropir😊pRofr😊prht😊😊r😊dhtetet😊dd
@FacelessGodPSN My copy of SH3 OST has a permanent place in my car's cd deck. Slot 5. No significance to the slot #, I just never had the heart to swap it out.
I've never played SH2 or 3, but I've listened to the OST to sleep for years. Now, my one year old daughter sleeps to the OST also. One day, we'll both play it together.
When James say to Maria "You better do something about that cough". It's not what he says, it's the way he says it, he says it in a very sinister tone. You forgot to mention the Rebirth ending, where James seems too completely lose his mind and thinks the he can resurrect Mary, by doing some kind of ritual.
Hahaha that’s kinda funny tbh but very observant!
Maybe he lost his mind, but given the circumstances of the first and third game, maybe not.
I agree. Besides his tone, the phrasing is also interesting: he doesn't say something like "WE should have that cough of yours checked", or something that implies he is genuinely worried about her and his relationship with her. After experiencing Mary's disease, you would expect something like "please, I beg of you, let's go check that cough of yours asap". He instead says "YOU better do something about that cough", putting all the responsability on her, as if her health is only her business/concern. Also, that "better do" seems like a threat indeed. The whole point seems to be "You better do something about that cough... otherwise I'll get rid of you too". And that behaviour is really coherent with this specific ending (which I consider to be the true bad ending, far worse than the "in water" one): James founds out he is a murderer, yet the decision he makes is the one that perfectly matches the (mostly selfish) reason why he killed Mary in the first place (having his life back). He literally moves on with his life with a fake, but in his eyes "better" (sexier, healthy, confident) version of his victim. The ending seems to scream "as long as I get what I want, I'm fine with it. And if I don't, I now know I'm able to do whatever it takes to end it, so it's a win-win for me anyways". It also implies that he deep down believes he was justified in his crime, otherwise he wouldn't be able to constantly have to see his victim's face without constantly feeling completely broken inside (a constant reminder of what he did). In this ending, he doesn't only realize and accept he is a selfish monster and a murderer: he embraces it.
@@BrokenYamato Well said.
@@BrokenYamato The Maria ending was always the ultra bad ending in my eyes but you had to work hard for it. This suggests why James is very sinister towards the end, he learnt nothing from his journey and you the player was hung up on something you shouldnt have been and history will repeat itself. The Maria ending is a punishment for you the player.
One theory I've seen about Angela is that the reason she's looking for her mother while carrying around the knife is that she intends to kill her too for her complicity in the abuse. But by the time James finds her in the hotel she's come to a similar realization as him, that her mission is futile and it won't bring her peace. Which is what prompts her to decide that killing herself is the only way to get it and escape the hell she keeps having to live through in pursuit of her mother, symbolized by the implied ubiquitous flames surrounding her. She's definitely the most sympathetic character in the game and her whole journey is unbelievably heartbreaking.
kill? more like Murder.
just like how she Murdered her father and brother.
good thing she got Punished by being Damned to Silent Hill.
People dunk on Angela, but her voice performance is exactly what it needs to be. I think the most misunderstood decision in the voice direction is the way she says "Lost?" the first time she meets James. She says it that way because she knows people don't just show up to Silent Hill, don't just show up because they're "lost". So, when James tells her he's lost, she immediately knows he's lying to her and her guard goes up. Her entire performance from there plays like a person trying their best to have a normal conversation with someone they are afraid of.
You are so right! I was just thinking this way earlier today watching playthroughs. Angela is in a very paranoid and delusional state the entire game, she is afraid of James and pretending not to be while also having a deeper understanding of why they both belong in Silent Hill.
How does she know that people don't just show up to Silent Hill?
@ArvelDreth We don't KNOW that she's aware, but I get the sense that's the case. Either way, I don't need the stoey to explain that to me. Whether or not it's actually the case, it makes it feel creepier and more sinister to me.
@@fripptricky5099 that's fair, I get that
He only said he's lost because he doesn't know the way to town, only because he is in a state of delusion and denial. He says that him and Mary have been there before on a vacation during the introduction scene of him speaking of the letter staring over the lake. Angela is even vague on her reasons for being in the town as well. Her personal trauma is what makes her paranoid of other people.
I always liked Angela’s “This town..there’s something...wrong with it”. Coming off of Silent Hill 1 and knowing all the shit Harry encountered in that game just made that line stand out and hit different to me.
I feel like they really butchered this line in the remake. Angela’s new VA has some high points, but the delivery of this line in the recent trailer made me wince.
The voice acting in SH2 is amazing. It’s uncanny, as if these adults are just children. I picture when Angela and James are talking, it’s like how children would interact. It’s beautiful. Then I’m the HD version the voice actress who re-recorded the lines talked about how bad the VA in the OG was. She only went on that rant because Konami probably paid her to.
Lol, I was playing the HD version yesterday (only kind I got) and accidentally hit "new voices" when I started from the save point, it was the part where James runs into Eddie talking about how "killing a person ain't no big deal" and the "new voices" just sounded WRONG lol
@@samwindmill8264 the people who did the HD version did not truly understand the art of the original version
Ok please don’t justify the acting like it’s actually good. It’s mediocre at best. And your memories cling to poor acting…
@@SBBunny93 Nah, it’s perfect for what the game is trying to do. Especially Mary and Maria’s actress. The memory of her lashing out at James and the final reading of her letter at the end are some of the finest pieces of acting I’ve heard in any video game.
@@SBBunny93 I know it's hard to accept anything with stylistic appeal
I lost my mom, also named Laura, in December. I dream all the time about being in places that are like the abandoned apartment building. This game and the beautiful videos people make about it, help so much. I miss my mom, and feel like Angela despite the daddy thing. My dad died when I was 7. I'm 35 now, and miss my mom so much. She died of cancer and it has been hell. I miss her so desperately all the time. She told me "Erin, you are my best friend, but you have to let me go" those words haunt me every single day.
I'm sorry for your loss. It's a damn tragedy....
No words can ease your pain, but I hope good things happen to you very soon
@@CBRN-115 thank you so much ❤️
Same age, and I lost my dad my a couple months ago. The connected dreams are constant too. This game (and video) are cathartic for me as well.
We got this.
@@Hairlesswookie62 yes we do!! Thank you and I'm so sorry for your loss. I saw a post today - be the things you loved most about the people who are gone.
@@ErinJeanette That's a beautiful thing to hold to, thank you.
One of the things I truly love about this game is the way the endings are done. In essence James in game and James in cutscenes come together with each ending based on how the player treats him.
Spoilers:
Actually take care of James and remain focused = James is deadset on finding Mary and LEAVing the town
The player takes too much care in keeping Maria safe and generally overlooking her = James has replaced Mary with MARIA in his delusion to leave
Treat James’s life carelessly and leave him near death for long moments on end = James has no value in his own life. So it might as well end up IN WATER.
Most games just give you dialogue prompts and call it a day but using the gameplay style of the player to in turn show how James copes with his guilt is nothing short of genius. No ending is treated as truly canon as well since all that is known is that James disappeared into silent hill which could mean leaving his life behind for the other two endings.
In essence there is no In water without the risky player. No Leave without the focused player. No Maria without the curious player. James’s story isn’t just incomplete without the player it’s absolutely nothing without it. James’s very state of mind can be arguably tied directly to the player. Without you, his story just isn’t there because his state of mind won’t ever resolve. That’s just a part of what makes this game so beautiful to me. It’s what games should strive to be.
After the realization of what James' did, it fills me with so much agony that Angela was right about him. You want her distrust to be wrong and that she can start to feel safe relying on people, but her first suspicions are completely correct. It's tragic
Im gay
@@crimsonhawk4912 Poggers 👍
@@crimsonhawk4912 me2
She wasn't right, she depicted him as unfaithful and as a sexual abuser, because he sees men as she saw her father and brother, she wasn't able to see the good in James, so her distrust is wrong in this scenario, James wouldnt have hurted her the way she thought he would.
@@pedroantonio5797 u think they mean he was a psychopath just kidding I know it was just the post dramatic stress from the murder and the failure to cope with his decision, his regret eating him whole
This whole video is just phenomenal, seriously well done man. I've literally seen this game analysed and reviewed by at least a dozen TH-camrs at this point and this really is the best of the best right here. Great job 👏.
Hope you covering Silent hill will get the channel some more attention seriously you deserve it.
Thank you!
I still maintain Super Eyepatch Wolf's and Jordan Underneath's videos are far superior, but hugely appreciate the kind words :)
@@BadGhosts I will watch this repeatedly continue these videos and I thank you for this a lot .
👍👍💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
Keep in mind that Mary never actually forgives James in that ending James is granting himself forgiveness through a hallucination of Mary. Whether or not he deserves it is up to the player.
"The most perfect beautiful horror experience of my life"- just round of applause, I couldn't agree more. This game might just be my favourite horror piece of all time, not just of video games. Thank you sir for such a wonderful gift, a truly genuine, thoughtful, inspiring and loving video. I'm just done watching and am sure to come back to it as many times as I do this beautiful game. Instant new subscriber wishing you all the best.
Instant subscription for that incredible passion. SH2 terrified me with the booklet art and my father played through it without any real appreciation when I was a kid. Gotta say this game just makes something move within me.
The ambient depression, and just ambiguity really stuck with me in my most depressive life moments.
@Richard Bueller It's so crazy to think of a kid growing up with a gamer dad, I only play games when my kids are sleeping. I can't imagine just ignoring their existence to stare into a light box for an hour or 2 at a time.
Probably makes the kid feel insignificant, or lower on the priority list.
@@JSG-mw4qr it was a late night thing for him or on the weekends when I'd be out with friends.
There would be times it be like a let's play with SH2 and the original Resident Evils mainly.
We did enjoy a lot of cinematic games like Metal Gear together.
Only difficult time we had was when DualShock Analog controllers came out.
He wouldn't let me play because they were expensive and delicate for the time. He treated them like some type of VR machine when it's just silly analog sticks to us in the 2020s, but definitely a huge deal in the 1990s.
So yeah I can definitely imagine playing with children and showing them classics. I won't game as heavy as I do now, but it be a family event.
Thats because grown ups were dead inside.
silent hill 2 is a game very close to my heart, I only got into the whole series a year ago but I'm so damn glad I did
People discovering silent hill in the 2020s gives me so much damn joy I’m dying
@@airbo5104 i am 39 and when i played this game at the time i was literally obsessed, and After 20 still am. How i wish konami releases a new silent hill… i dunno What was so magic about this game. The music, the atmosphere, i played many other survival horror But no one can compare to this game. To me, it will be the best one ever, it’s personal i dunno how to explain..
@@stefaniamura1508 I’m crying. I love survival horror and I don’t know. I think I’m just trying to relive what this game gave me isolated in a dark room. It’s that vibe that just hits that weird spot.
After everything that happened with PT… I just don’t know.
I've only really gotten into it the last couple of years. I remember being sort of infatuated with the first game when I was really young. I was born in '97 and I remember my father renting the 1st game from a movie gallery or somewhere similar. I had to be around 4 or 5 but it lingered in my mind every now and then when i thought about early childhood. Then i see it at a game store. Silent Hill 2. It looked so intriguing that I just had to get it. Now it's in my top 5 favorite games of all time. I also played 3 and while it was good, it wasn't SH2. Now I'm playing the first one. Ive now played them in the wrong order and planning on getting the 4th one after I beat the 1st.
@@airbo5104 u need to experience life. Travel, fall in love & have a breakup that's all
Okay you earned yourself a sub with that Buckethead plug. It’s one thing to cover my all time favorite game, but to throw some Buckethead into that video… perfection!
The passion on display throughout this entire video is amazing. Well done.
Im gay
I really hate playing horror games and I'm terrible with older control schemes. But I love watching people play them. Out of all the horror games I've watched people play, SH2 has me watching it over and over again and loving the analysis. And it's odd, but I have a nostalgia for the game I never played. This game fascinates me, and I think it's the raw look at mental illness, sexual abuse and the awfulness of humanity that digs under the skin and doesn't let go.
Fantastic video, thank you.
"The story of James Sunderland is one that has stuck with me throughout my entire life" - Same here. I think about this story all the time. Great video. Cheers!
Yay. I love how similar we feel about this game. I have thought it just about every single day since I beat it over 15 years ago
I can't believe I just watched the whole two hours! Well done man! This is my favorite game as well. I can't be unbiased about it anymore.
This is the only game I love.
Absolute masterpiece. This is art.
Thank you so much for watching!
Seriously .. I watched the whole vid and then some! Doesn't happen to oftin. GGs! Keep up the good work
This game is like a awful train wreck you wanna stop looking, but you just can’t help, but not take your eyes off it, and just get lost in it, much like the town.
@@MRBC_YT I can always watch long ass videos on this game i swear I’m literally watching Maximilian’s, 9 hour video let’s play video on it he really picked the best game for this Halloween, it was fully blind to, and god it was glorious I’m at the hotel in his video. I also really appreciate the segment on the music, but more people need to make videos about the music, and it’s similars mainly to Nine Inch Nails, like Downward Spiral, is literally Silent Hill 2’s, album form.
Great fucking Video. SH2 is a work of art. The soundtrack is timeless. I have it on CD and Vinyl. And that part at 51:00 when she starts saying his name is always haunting. (also, remember folks, Silent Hill has been dead since 2004.)
I really have to get the fucking Vinyl, of it, one of the best soundtracks. Heh yeah we don’t talk about the games after 4.
eh yea that's just your opinion tho.
Shattered memories wasn’t too bad. I am also cautiously hopeful for the remake
Angela did not deserve what happened to her. The mixture of both emotional trauma as well as cult elements is the far superior but often overlooked 4.
Good video!
Hugely agree, it’s a shame Angela couldn’t be saved. Thank you for watching!
She was traumatized, and even if it was justified, she felt guilty for what she did, the end does not justify the means, she couldn't be saved, none of them
@@miquebtsNot everyone can be saved. Sometimes, let them drown. Or you'll be dragged with them to the depths they cannot escape.
I think what I love most about SH2 is just how real it can be. It can be hard for victims of sexual assault, bullying, or what James did to recover from it, if at all. It opens up the human mind and really examines it.
By the way, regarding the clunky combat, there's a quick way to kill downed monsters.
You walk up to them and interact them which James will apply a moderate force of foot into the monster, which somehow instantly kills them opposed to getting bludgeoned several times or lead riddling to put them down permanently.
Yeah there’s a clip of it somewhere in there, I probably should have had a couple more to reinforce this mechanic to be fair.
Dam bro - over two hours - insane! Incredibly impressive work. Get some sleep
Thanks bud, appreciate you checking in :)
seems like this game calls a lot of us back. i am heavily biased too, having long considered SH2 one of my favorite games of all time, and you did a fantastic job of articulating why that is. i see something different in myself and in the game with every playthrough and this video helped me notice even a few more things. keep up the awesome work!
It always calls back to me, just like the town of Silent Hill, you know i really like 1, and 3, but 2, is just what Silent Hill, is to me the original may have birthed this amazing series that remains vacant, but despite it’s greatness 2, just hits on all fronts. Yeah i have the same experience i literally just watched a new one because Maximilian, did a playthrough of it.
Having played the game since 2003. This month I read about how James is actually looking directly at the camera in the famous mirror sequence in the bathroom instead of himself. Discovering new things about the game after 20 years shows how masterful it was handled.
It was fake
sorry to break it to you, but it was revealed to be fake. it was photoshopped by one of the fans and the creator confirmed he wasn't looking at the player
Thank you for feeding me more Silent Hill 2 content, the lack of a proper remaster is beyond me in a market where the horror genre revolves around looking like Silent Hill's first three games, failing to capture what made those games really Silent Hill.
Enhanced Edition is enough for me. I wouldn't want Konami to even try unless they had a completely new gaming division with trusted names.
@@NormanTiner of course it would have to be a well done job, I'd rather playing the originals than some lazy remake made on a toaster
Very nice analysis. Even after many playthroughs myself, and even several Let's Plays of this game, there were still several subtle things that you pointed out which I had never realized.
The worst part of this game though, is that I can never experience it for the first time again.
Damn, this has to be *THE BEST* Silent Hill 2 analysis video I've seen on youtube. 😍
Thanks so much for watching!
Fantastic video. This game means more to me than any other of any genre. I loved the first game when it came out and I actually bought my PS2 for it. I still play through it at least once a year on an OG backward compatible PS3. The last time was right after finishing RE village...I may have needed to play a horror game after that.
Thank you so much! I wish I’d snagged on of those PS3s, I missed the boat on that one
Hands down one of the best psychoanalysis videos I've ever seen!
You did really good explaining the concepts, explaining the symbolism, and the importance of the characters and projections James must face.
I can defiantly understand what you mean when you say you might never find another game like this again, and I really do feel that statement.
There's something about this game that pulls at you, just like how Silent Hill pulls in its victims. Self-reflection, acceptance and if lucky or brave enough, growth.
Good stuff.
Without a doubt, you earned a sub. I look forward to future videos :)
Lastly, you structured the video very well. Despite the video being long you managed to keep it entertaining and that's a feat within itself.
I
Just finished the video. Incredible work, my friend. I have no words. This is some of your best writing and editing (the Night in the Woods video is still my favourite :P)
Cheers buddy! Thank you for sharing the video too, I gotta catch up on your latest :)
And for very good reason it’s Silent Hill 2, you have to put your foot forward with it one hundred and ten precent.
I though my efforts for kill counting was immense, yet it most likely pales in comparison to the research and editing you have done to pull off this Mammoth amount of quality content. Superb, new subscriber thanks to it being shared by Zade on the ole Twitter. Stay safe, best of luck with the channel; you have my support going forward 💪👍
Thank you! Zade's far too nice, the man makes amazing content so it's humbling as hell to receive a nod from him.
Truly phenomenal. A deeply researched and thoroughly explained analysis presented in the fairest and most digestible way possible. Especially when going into the lesser talked about elements such as James' reality check, eye movements and gestures. Probably the best video on Silent Hill 2 to date.
Silent Hill 2 will always be the greatest video game story ever created, as no matter how much we experience other games and other stories...we are all drawn back to that town...Silent Hill.
Thank you so much!
Hey man- I feel the same way about SH2- and am partial to your video because I, too, discovered SH on an old PS2 demo disk. I remember the peculiar feeling it gave me- the music, the dialogue....I was captivated from the start. It warms my cold, fog-filled heart to see folks like you still appreciating this MASTERPIECE in 2021. Every time I see a new upload about SH2, my day gets a little better. You've earned a subscriber. Thanks for keeping James and his story alive
Seriously phenomenal work! You deserve way more subscribers for the quality you put out.
Thank you!
I am not even 10 minutes in and I know this is gonna be good.
I knew the second i saw it in my inbox I would, which is why i made a comment on it.
“In my restless dreams i see that town, silent hill” my favorite quote ever i love this game so much it’s my comfort game ❤ this video deserves waaayyy more views
A 2 hour video on silent hill 2? Like commented and subscribed 👍
Edit: your words....... at the end with the picture of James and Mary together made me shed a tear. Perfection.
I’ve watched this video countless times. I even use it to sleep sometimes. The music mixed with your voice and genuine love for this game is so comforting. This video is a pure, amazing summary of this game and I love it. Genuinely amazing
Wow, thank you so much - that's so kind!
I watched a playthrough of SH2 recently after my dad passed away. He was very absent, but loved me. He died of cancer, which I didn't even know he was sick with until we found out that he died, a day after. I was filled with both so much anger and sadness, and went for a days long drive to nowhere in the most isolated city in the world, Perth WA. This game felt like such a gut punch, but also like the most insightful aknowledgement of what I felt. Somehow simultaneously the most gentle and brutal look at it.
I in no way intended this, but I finished this video today on the 1 year anniversary of his death. I love this game, but it's also just so, so horribly able to touch people. It almost makes you feel like you can relate to James, in that love and hate.
Thank you for your analysis of SH2. What a special gem, that you almost don't want to know about. Really forces you to look at yourself in a way you almost regret.
I played this game in college 22 years ago. I was so blown away and speechless and confused. I desperately needed explanations and remember vividly wanting some closure on what exactly I had just experienced. I didn't know about message boards. TH-cam didn't exist for these great analysis channels.
Obviously, time goes by, and I eventually forgot about that closure. I just remembered that the game absolutely floored me. Best horror game ever, and I never really thought about it again outside of that.
Fast forsard to now. The remake is on the horizon. I notice that and think, wait. Now we have all these great breakdowns on youtube. Weather its twin peaks all the way down to skyrim. There is a deep dive on EVERYTHING.
So now I'm here and this is beautiful. She was in the car the whole time. Incredible.
I definitely dont have all the answers and still kinda feel like silent hill is your own purgatory. But the town being a character like twin peaks and it being the half real, half fever dream judge and jury is pretty good
Thanks for this. Even if i needed it 22 years ago.
What a fantastic video seriously!! Definitely one of the best analysis of SH2 out there (and I've seen most of them), I like how you dedicate some time to reflect about certain smaller, often overlooked details like the walk on the forest part! And the fact it is 2 hours long makes it perfect for listening before sleep! Superb work mate.
I'm so glad I found this video. SH2 is one of my favorite videogames ever and this is one of the best analysis I've ever seen about it. Bravo 👏🏻
Well done! It's a very well crafted video that rivals the best of of other Silent Hill 2 retrospectives. You can really feel the love and dedication that you have for the game. It only took me ten minutes to know that I needed to subscribe (though I stayed for the two hours nonetheless)
I look forward to seeing more from this channel
I watched the Gameingbritshow, one no offense to the guy, but he kind of shit on some parts, and digged into stuff i thought was asinine like he bitched about some of the areas, but i didn’t think it fit in a analysis this though he just gush’s, and i really prefer that.
I've unintentionally found myself watching a bunch of Silent Hill analysis videos recently and this is another great one in an already great batch of videos.
Phenomenal mate, genuinely such a great video and love letter to honestly my favourite game of all time as well. I did a very brief video on red death reviews for it and touched on the whole abstract daddy ethos. The level of detail to craft such a story is not only terrifying but a spectacle in its own right. Well done I can't imagine the hours and the editing/writing etc..... Absolute legend!!!
That montage at the start was actually great! :)
Thank you!
As a salaryman with a huge deficit in energy, it took a few tries, but I finally got through your video man. Loved your emotional take on the series that basically defined my childhood gaming. I still hold the belief that Angela didn't deserve the torment she experienced in Silent Hill. Eddie and James are guilty, they went out of their way to commit violence, but for Angela, there was no other way for her to make the pain end. Although it can be argued that Silent Hill was uninterested in who was guilty and who was not and only brought forth the demons the psyche of each individual made, I still hope, somehow, in the remake, they give Angela a better closure so that at least one person gets to walk away.
Hey man - thanks so much for the comment, glad you enjoyed the video!
I hope they can find a narratively satisfying way to extinguish the flames of Angela's version of Silent Hill, to give her a chance at escaping Full Circle.
I wish there was something more than a like I can give this. I've probably watched all the SH2 analysis videos on TH-cam but this is by far the best. Almost a work of art in itself.
I love this video. I can really feel your love of it in every word and every shot, and as someone who loves this game about as much, it made me genuinely emotional at times to see it revered so beautifully. This is by far my favorite breakdown of it, thank you for making this ❤
Also, a fellow Hannibal fan?? Hell YES
wow you really did this game some serious justice 🔥 best review i've seen of my favorite game of all time
Thank you so much!
Honestly man, this is one of the best reviews I've seen in a long time. You clearly put a lot of effort and thought in to this. Great job. I loved every minute of it.
Absolutely great analysis. This should be the defacto video on SH 2. Obviously it has a lot of gushing and bias but since it's a game driven by emotions I think that's understandable.
One thing I wanted to mention is about Laura as I believe she sees the town normally. She is a juxtaposition to the other three broken characters due to her being an innocent child with no sins to bear.
I hope this video racks up more exposure since I appreciate the amount of effort put into this.
Thank you so much!
Yeah the implication with Laura was something I should have been more explicit about, I implied it but didn’t go into it 100%.
In the beginning cutscene he is actually staring at us through the mirror. You can see this if you brighten and adjust the image.
Beautiful video, I really love this game it touches my heart in such a deep way
Just the kind of daily fix of silent hill 2 I was looking for! Amazing work, keep it up! :>
The amount of love you have for this game makes this analysis really good and enjoyable ~ I always like le to hear more and more opinions about SH2
Thank your for this video, it was beautiful. As someone who has never played Silent Hill, but always been interested in the world and storyline, this was the perfect video to watch. And that twist that the game takes place mere days after the event that causes it is just incredible and beautifully inspired. Your love for this game is palpable and infectious.
Found your channel through thesummerofmark and I'm so glad he recommended you. I've been wanting to replay Silent Hill 2 for October and this has been a great primer. Keep up the good work!
Cheers! He's a kind man for sharing the rec, thanks for watching!
The best video on Silent Hill ever! 😁 I just love your passion and enthusiasm for the game, it's very obvious that it holds a close place to your heart and I just really enjoyed your interesting personal insights on the game, many of which I haven't seen anyone cover before. Thank you for all of the time you have put into making this video, I can't imagine how much effort it must have taken you, I am so grateful! Enjoying your video at a café right now, really fun to jump back into this game for the nostalgia and the damn good music/atmosphere/storyline/characters, etc.
Thank you for watching!
Love this. i really like how you made it clear that James' actions are fucked up, I feel like a lot of the analysis videos on here justify his acts due to how Mary was acting near the end. I know we're supposed to empathize with him most since he's the MC, but goddamn!
That weird usually analysis videos I seen people don't justify what he did.
@@jobsidian4219 yeah it seems more on the lines of understanding his actions than "justifying"....
as the sole carer of a terminally ill, dying person i can absolutely empathise with james. i would never do what he did, but the thought has absolutely entered my mind and i know i am not alone in that regard. and it portrays it beautifully, the mixture of wanting their suffering to end, wanting to have your own life back and the disgust at yourself that you're even contemplating it at all.
the difference, of course, is that james acted on these intrusive thoughts. but i understand why he did. a man too weak to keep those intrusive thoughts away, while not a good man, isn't an evil man either.
I cannot state how much I love this video my guy. You are a legend. I can’t describe how much this game means to me and will forever have an imprint on me till the day I die. The soundtrack I listen to daily. Thank you for this video it’s simply amazing. Have a great day!
HELL YEAH BROTHER
Oh my god! I didn’t know that the radio part literally says: “James, why did you killed me?” I have seen dozens of SH2 reviewers but never, NEVER have anyone detailed their dialogue. Thank you so much.
Great analysis and retrospective! You truly deserve better Ghost pal!
Thank you so much! Appreciate the kind words :)
Wow. Amazing video. I’ve felt this way for the last 20 years as well. SH2 has always stuck with me since I played it back I’m 2001. Not many “get” the genius of what Team Silent did. Bravo on the video. Silent Hill 2 is more than just a videogame. It is an experience like no other that will never be recreated.
This game is so special. The atmosphere, the loneliness, and those dark emotions hidden within the subcontext. Just Brilliant.
Most long form analysis videos on Silent Hill and games in general are usually just summarizations of linear gameplay. This is the antithesis to that - a real analysis of all elements of what makes video games as a medium so capable, and what made SH2 one of the most striking games ever made. Well done, and a video worthy of representing SH2 as fans regard it
God i love that conversation with Angela in the graveyard (all of the scenes with her are great too though imo) but the way she responds to James with "... lo-ost?" Is just * chefs kiss *
I started to play this game again. Its been 20 years when i last played it. Sh2 is like wine. It simply gets better with time... Incredible game!
Very, very nice. I cant say I ever enjoy playing this game but I do think it's extremely effective and well thought out as a horror tale and love seeing people more invested than me piece it all together
Great analysis! I've watched countless Silent Hill video essays and this was just 👌
I've just finished watching/listening to this for the 2nd time in two days. You've created such a resonate video for us fans of Silent Hill 2 and the series as a whole and you should be very fucking proud of your work on this project. Kudos to you!!
I still feel as though the "leave" ending is the canon ending, at least to me as a player. James' journey through the town is deeply personal and in essence therapeutic for James. He isnt a good man, but a truly troubled individual who did something terrible and yet completely understandable. The terrors and trauma he goes through till the end of the game, at least to me show me that hes grown as a person to be able to move on with his life.
This video is a masterpiece. Thank you for making it.
What a phenomenal video, i've enjoyed every single minute of it.
It truly shows in detail how much of a masterpiece of a game Silent Hill 2 is, thank you for putting the work into it.
Thank you for watching!
What a masterpiece of a video! I've seen a few other reviews/retrospectives for this game, but it's so clear watching yours that you absolutely adore this game. You were totally honest from the start saying you couldn't be objective about it, and it made for a much better retrospective than the others I've watched. I will make sure to check out your other stuff 👍
I’ve probably seen this video to fall asleep to over 50 times by now so I think it’s fitting to say;
In my restless dreams, I see this video. Silent Hill 2 - A 20th Anniversary Analysis.
This video is a masterpiece! Can’t believe it hasn’t gotten more recognition.
On the very first screen, try walking back to the road until it doesn't let you anymore, and see what it says. It's something like "there's no point in going back." When you read it with the premise that he's pretty much abandoned all hope of living past this pilgrimage, it's very creepy.
Ok I'm only 30 mins in and you've already brought up so much I never noticed, by far this is the best analysis I've seen. Thank you!
That was absolutely fantastic :) I thoroughly enjoyed your Silent hill 2 anniversary analysis xo you nailed every aspect to perfection and gave Silent hill 2 the justice it so deserves. Cheers and thankyou so much for this great experience. I have gooseflesh every time you explain about Maria's and Mary character.
I cling to my physical copies of silent hill 1-4 like it’s a life preserver and I’m in the middle of the Atlantic
Wonderful. I'm an hour in as I write this and am absolutely enthralled. SH 2 is among my favorite games, I've played it countless times on many systems, and you're finding elements I'd never noticed before. Excellent video.
Thanks so much for watching!
This video is so incredibly made ❤! Silent Hill 2 has always been the best horror game I've ever played since the Christmas in 2001. A truly beautiful masterpiece. After 2 decades I still love listening to the music by Akira, it is so magical.
I'm so happy you covered the music of this gorgeous game. I discovered the game last year through searching horror maps on Vrchat and there being a Silent Hill 2 map. If I'm gonna be honest, the game changed my life and this video encapsulates my thoughts very well. Ever since the somber droning from Day of Night, I've legitimately slept better, I suppose I find serenity in the emptiness of the town and the music associated. According to my spotify stats I looped the song for 12,471 minutes. Thats around two hundred and ten hours, eight full days of its beauty. Thank you for the fantastic video on this fantastic masterpiece, it makes me happy to see others see the artisic genius of a game before I was born.
I really love how silent hill 3 and silent hill 1 start off with a nightmare scene but in silent hill 2 with and Maria theres no nightmare or dream they are simply awake and desperate to get to silent hill. To see Mary or James wen playing as Maria. I also think its ingenious that you mentioned the effect that silent hill 2 can have on normal folks xo
This game... When it first released I was blown away. You could see the eddies in the fog. That was... amazing. The voice acting was great (for the time), and the graphics in general were amazing (for the time). Controls were so very good. I'd played the hell out of Silent Hill, and the sequel was everything I'd hoped for and more. Now I can look back and see the flaws, but at the time of release it blew my mind. And it's aged very well.
As someone that has, unfortunately, lived in Maine... Silent Hill wouldn't even be surprising. The people are insane, the weather is garbage, the laws are abusive and horrific. Ahem. Anyway. Silent Hill rocks.
My only thing I may find disappointing about the Silent Hill franchise is not that there won't be another game because there will,but wonder if it will be scarier or as scary as the old games were by the original team. Also it may be scary again but will it sell well based on the animosity people have toward Konami?
I've resigned to believe that there will never be another Silent Hill. In the 21st century we have this nasty habit of digging up old works, passing them on into new hands to "make another" and watching them slowly die. The original creative vision is always lost and the most notable trappings are all that's left. There was no Mona Lisa 2. There was a time that works of art were respected as a way of communicating ideas, and the actual creators of the art, the individuals - not a constantly shifting and changing organization - got the credit and recognition for that work.
It's sad because we want more of that experience, but it's the very rarity of it's craft that makes it so unlikely to ever happen again under the same name.
Theres a new SH coming but I'm skeptical it will be faithful without Mr. Kojima around...
one of my favourite videos on youtube, about a game that is so personal to me. it might seem weird but i listen to/watch it quite often, it just soothes me. it perfectly captures what this game is to me. so thank you, because it feels like rediscovering it every time
What an amazingly put together video, I think I speak on behalf of all of the SH community when I say a huge THANK YOU! ❤️
I’ve always had 2 favourite games, Tomb Raider (original) and SH2. I’d always loved horror since I was really young, but when I first played SH2 when I was 17 I was first introduced to the haunting beauty of psychological horror. All these years later the tragic love story riddled with guilt, denial and personal demons is easily the most beautifully, lovingly crafted of any horror game we have been given, it’s no wonder it is still beloved. It’s genius in how it delivers its horror; there’s nothing more unpredictable or disturbing than the human psyche in a state of trauma/crisis. We all have our own demons and James facing his is such a lonely, eerie journey that you can’t help but feel the despair right along with him.
It perfectly captures the layers surrounding love and the concept of “if you love me, let me go”. In my personal opinion there are far scarier monsters in other SH entries, yet this entry always comes out top because of how much of an intimate experience it is through a grieving widower’s troubled mind. Part of me wishes for a reboot of SH2 to relive that love all over again, but how could such a masterpiece ever be given the right justice. It’s probably best left as a memory of beautiful piece of art ❤️
There he is. Don't quit
This is my favorite game of all time, and I have to tell you that you did a superb job on this video. Very well done 👏
Now that I've actually finished this video, holy shit.
You deserve a much larger audience, this is amazing. Glad this popped up in my recommended.
That was a truly awesome documentary you did here, you managed to strip the game down to the bare bones and rebuild it in a new perspective. Well done mate.