One of my fondest memories is watching my husband play through Silent Hill 2 multiple times to get all the endings. It lives in my head rent-free, and for good reason. Silent Hill 2 is unique in the story it tells and the route it takes for gameplay.
The long-awaited remake of the game will be released on October 8th. After watching the latest trailer, I’m excited about it. All of the elements that made Silent Hill 2 memorable are present. To say this game paid tribute to the one before it is an understatement. The latest trailer is a testament to that.
The many puzzles throughout the game are present. The monsters that roam the hallways and streets. The memorable characters who made this story all the more enjoyable. The only thing missing is the heavy fog, but it’s not a feature to be missed. Many need to remember that when this game was developed, they were limited in what a PlayStation 2 could work with. The fog was a way to work around those limitations. I wonder what else was scrapped due to hardware limitations that could be present in the upcoming game.
Video games are the newest way to tell a story in this industry. When Silent Hill was first developed in 1999, video games were still in their infancy. The way stories are told and how gameplay works has come a long way. A remake wouldn’t do this masterpiece justice. I don’t think this game needs an overhaul, but it would be a detriment not to infuse it with some new life.
A great example is John Carpenter’s The Thing. Did you know this renowned movie is based on The Thing From Another World from 1952? It’s not an original, but it supersedes it. The 1952 version is fantastic for its time, but what couldn’t be done with practical effects is captured in the 1982 version. Silent Hill 2 is no different. What was captured in 2001 cannot be matched, but is it not owed homage? It is a story that deserves to be told again. A story that needs little changes, but given what it could not all those years ago.
Little Miss Magoo 
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