Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams

UPC: 083717300038

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: Konami of America, Inc.

Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET)

Category: Adventure

Style(s): Survival Horror

Synopsis: This is Konami's sequel to 1999's critically praised original Silent Hill, which was often noted for its deep storytelling, believable environments, and engrossing gameplay. Like the original PlayStation game, the Xbox's Silent Hill 2 is an interactive horror story built to derive its effectiveness from unsettling inconsistencies in an otherwise realistic, believable small-town setting. It is written to disturb players with a growing, pervasive sense of darkness and unseen evil, as opposed to regularly shocking them with sudden, unexpected events. While set in an area of the same town of Silent Hill, this game features a new protagonist and a new storyline, which begins with a love letter from a woman who has been dead for three years. Also new is the sequel's platform. Developed for "next-generation" machines like the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, Silent Hill 2 is designed to take advantage of the improved technology over that of the original platform to deliver dynamic environmental effects, detailed city streets, and expressive characters that will enhance both realism and utter spookiness. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 32-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The color manual briefly explains the main characters, options, and some of the items you'll encounter. Some things have been left out, such as the different types of weapons and the additional options (such as turning off the noise feature). ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The graininess found in the PlayStation 2 version can be removed, leaving the visuals sharp and well defined. The overall look is dark with muted colors, but this adds to the mood. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

One of the few Xbox ports designed to take advantage of the system, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams improves upon the PlayStation 2 original by offering a bonus scenario with a different playable character and a significant upgrade in visual quality. While the new features aren't enough to warrant an additional purchase for those who have already played the earlier release, those new to the series can enjoy the best version yet of Konami's atmospheric horror adventure. The PS2 game featured grainy visuals that were done for effect (to mimic the experience of watching an old movie on television), but came across as being an unnecessary distraction. Now players can eliminate this noise by turning it off in the options screen, making the graphics substantially cleaner. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to play a game that looks like it's coming from a poor video signal, but the noise <I>is</I> part of the default setting. Surprisingly there's no mention of the "fix" in the instruction manual. While the main storyline is identical to PS2 version, players can immediately choose a sub-scenario entitled "Born from a Wish." As the blonde Maria, clad in a red leather mini-skirt and matching blouse, players can explore a section of Silent Hill using the same interface as in the main scenario. The game begins with the character armed with a pistol as she makes her way toward a mansion and the adjoining apartment complex while looking for signs of life. As in the main game, the sub-scenario seems huge at first but is very linear in design. Routes are deliberately closed off at certain areas, in the form of locked doors or street construction, forcing you to go in the path of the next puzzle or encounter. Enemies are still repetitive and largely pointless, as there's no sense in risking your health when there's no penalty for simply running away. Faceless zombies, spiders, and freaks with assorted body parts stitched together represent the enemies you'll encounter in the sub-scenario. Shooting a creature with legs coming out from both ends of its torso is more strange than scary, but the ambient sound and liberal use of fog keep things on edge. As in the main story, players will only be able to see a few inches in front of them as they explore the desolate outdoor streets. Another gripe is the environments aren't as interactive as they should be, but that's more a fault of survival horror titles as a whole than in this game. It doesn't make sense why you can't climb over a fence, break into a car, or use your gun to shoot open a locked door, but that would take away from the wonderfully entertaining "find a key located nowhere near the intended goal" aspect of puzzle solving. Restless Dreams is a good entry in the survival horror genre for the Xbox, not an exceptional one, with problems stemming from repetitive tasks, enemies, and puzzles. The added scenario is fun but short, taking roughly one hour to complete. Yet the main scenario's graphics, storyline, bosses, and mysterious atmosphere are big pluses, and there are several times when you'll find the hairs tingling on the back of your neck. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

There are multiple endings to unlock by performing certain actions, but these are often difficult to figure out without some outside help. Players are given a ranking at the end of the game to improve upon, but there's not much incentive to do so. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The voice acting is above average and the effective use of surround sound means you can track enemies by their footsteps. Music is quiet in some parts but will suddenly change in tone and tempo during key encounters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Some will hate having to run around streets trying to get from place to place, and the enemies are not very exciting. The interesting storyline will keep most playing through the end, however. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.