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Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
by KK-Slither
Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
Peaceful vacation town, scenic lake view, suspicious noises, unsettlingly dark rooms and disfigured
monster nurses... yes, it's Silent Hill again.
Konami decided to give fans a second scare with the release of the sequel to Silent Hill on the Playstation, Silent Hill 2 was released back in ... 2001 on the Playstation 2 and has since seen
re-releases and even a port to the Xbox 360, but how does it stand up to it's predecessor?
Silent Hill 2 is not a direct sequel to SH1 (if you want that you have to play Silent Hill 3) even though it does take place in the same town it has a new set of characters and a whole new story, that being the case means even if you missed the first game you can still jump right into playing this one without feeling out of place. The game starts with the main character James Sunderland staring into a public bathroom mirror on the outskirts of Silent Hill. Three years prior James' wife Mary passed away after a long bout with illness however James received a from someone claiming to be Mary, saying that she was waiting for him in the town Silent Hill in their "special place" where James and Mary spent time together while she was still healthy. Now James isn't the type of person to just believe that his wife is back from the dead and writing him, however James wants to find out who did write the letter and why and so the game begins. The story for Silent Hill 2 is vastly superior to that of SH1, the character's emotions are presented in a much clearer fashion (partly due to better voice acting and partly due to better scripting), the story overall is also far better (though not perfectly) explained to the player and more intelligent than the first Silent Hill.
The gameplay for Silent Hill 2 hasn't changed much, for those of you who haven't played the original (or read my fantastic review of it... what?) Silent Hill relies on gamelpay focused on survival over combat, to that extant combat is made purposefully cumbersome in an attempt to make the player consider avoiding combat a more appealing option. The puzzle element features more heavily in this game with there being at least one puzzle in every area you visit in the game (though there's usually more). Exploration in Silent Hill 2 is also unchanged with the use of fog or darkness to obscure visibility, making for some feeling of isolation while paradoxically making you think there's something in the corner of that dark room, fortunately the radio also makes a welcome return letting you know whenever there's a nasty lurking about by giving off plenty of noisy static. Silent Hill 2 is easier than the first game with the only real difficulty coming from some of the more challenging puzzles (even they aren't too difficult) however the game still manages to keep your attention with the intriguing story and tangible atmosphere, as with the first game the length is somewhat disappointing with an average person beating the game in five to seven hours which while still an improvement on the original is still a little short. Thankfully multiple endings reappear for this game as well as end of game scores giving a shot to the game's replay value and helping to make up for the low play time. An extra sub story called "Born From A Wish" is also available, though it's only on the re-released director's cut version of the game.
Graphics are well observed in Silent Hill 2, it's a nice looking game (though there are better on the Playstation 2) with monsters contorting and shifting realistically, lighting and shadows created from the the flash light flowing fluidly enough. The environments are suitably sparse to give the player a feeling that the town of Silent Hill really is abandoned without feeling lazy or empty.
Akira Yamaoka, composer for the original Silent Hill was back for the second instalment and managed to outdo himself (that's a difficult thing to do) with music and sound effects. When the game is trying to give you a case of the shivers Yamaoka's quiet and unassuming background music goes a long way to setting the atmosphere will the guitar heavy melodies he places after major events occur in the game give a good account of James' mood.
Silent Hill 2 is better then the first in the series in just about every department, the graphics (going from PS1 to PS2 means they obviously would be) and sound are a cut above the original and story wise this game is on an entirely different planet. For those who enjoyed Silent Hill then the sequel is most definitely for you, if you're a fan of psychological and atmosphere induced scares then again I recommend this game. If you didn't like the like the original game or don't like survival horrors in general then don't buy this game. On a side note, the European release of the game comes with a "making of" CD with an art gallery and information from the creators which is a nice touch if you find learning about development of games or the men behind them interesting. This game (like the first) won't set you back much, going for as little as £2.00 to £3.00 it really is a bargin.
At A Glance.
Gameplay ~ 7/10
Story ~ 8/10
Graphics ~ 8/10
Sound ~ 8/10
Replay Value ~ 7/10
Final Score: 38/50
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Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (PS2)
by ReviewKing05
Marc Ecko's Getting Up is one of the most stylish and unique games to have ever hit the PS2, and one which will keep you gripped for weeks on end.
The premise of the game is simple. You are Coltrane (or Trane), a graffiti artist intent on attacking the totalitarian and oppressive regime which controls his city New Radius. To ... destroy the regime, Trane tries to show the authorities for what they are through the medium of large-scale graffiti, as part of the SFC (Still Free Crew). On the way to this goal, he has to fight the CCK (Civil Control Keepers) and other rival artists' gangs who want to beat him down. The story is surprisingly well thought-out and impressively layered, while you always feel that you're progressing as you play along.
Capturing the world of graffiti art impeccably, the presentation is a highlight of the game. Lovers of hip-hop and alternative music can rejoice, as the audio is slick and varied. From Kasabian to Grandmaster Flash, many classics are on show and the wide range of sounds which pump out compliment the urban setting well. Likewise, the menu screens owe themselves to urban culture. Set in a subway, every design choice lends the game unique charm: you enter the main menu by going through ticket gates, start a level by advancing down the underground stairwell and change levels by going to the newsagent stall. These simple but fresh choices make the game ooze style (aided even more by the ability to pull up an iPod to change tunes.
Graphically the game is a mixed bag. Character models and the general feeling of the game is cartoony, with player movements feeling over-stylised and unrealistic. This almost works to the game's advantage though, as the very premise of the story and the actions of the protagonist do seem quite far-fetched. The actual art that you create in the game is expertly rendered, though, and leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. What's more, despite the urban scenes, environments are detailed and do not become very repetitive, with the game passing through different stages including underpasses and even riding on trains to great effect.
Undoubtedly, the game excels in its gameplay elements. After all, in what other game (aside from Jet Set Radio) is the main arc graffiti? In 'Getting Up', this is exactly what you have to do: you must scale all manner of buildings to get your messages up in lights (or paint, in this case) and make a name for yourself. At the start of every level, you have to access your black book, a graffiti artist's bible which contains all of their stencils, designs and tags in one place. Every time you start a new stage you can tweak the designs you'll use in the level and this level of customisation feels fresh and well executed. What's more, as you progress you'll gather new tags and learn new methods: starting with marker pens, you move on to spray cans and then start using advanced tools like wheat paste to graffiti. This progression is a key success of the game, as you are always engrossed and rewarded for your dedication.
You can't tag just anywhere, though, so you need something called 'Intuition'. Click L2 and the screen turns amber and graphic swooshes lead you to the graffiti locations, marked by an outline of a white 'X'. Once you get there, by using platforming elements like climbing ledges and jumping like you're the Prince of Persia, you can start to graffiti. Ready your can and the outline of one of your chosen tags appears as a white outline. Cycle designs with the left/right buttons on the D-Pad and colours with up/down. To start, hold Square (slow) or Triangle (fast) and move the analog stick in a circular motion to bring the graphic to life. Under a time limit for each tag, you have to be calm and collected and fast enough to beat the time but slow enough to not smudge the image. Do it well, and you'll earn more points. The system works well and it's always nice to be able to put the graffiti feature to full effect; it really is a unique element and is expertly delivered. What's more, you'll meet real artists as you progress, who'll teach you new methods and tell you to photograph famous artists' tags as you go about New Radius. This gives you an insight into the real world of graffiti art, and is refreshing and nicely relayed to the player.
Combat is also necessary in a game where you're frequently escaping oppressive entities, be it the gangs or the authorities. Sadly, it feels stale and ill-prepared, with frantic button bashing often being the port of call for the punch-punch-kick combos needed to defeat foes. Early on, it's a pain to have to attack cleaners who stop you from spraying, and an obstacle from the great graffiti gameplay. Later on it stops being a pain and just becomes relentlessly irritating, as the CCK officers can be ridiculously alert and tough to beat at times. You'll be dying a lot in this game, and the lack of frequent checkpoints can make this game a real pain at times.
*Summary*
Nevertheless, the slick, unique gameplay is only stunted for short periods by this poor combat and for the most part it is an amazing game which surprised me in its depth of story and gameplay features. I never thought a game about graffiti would be so engrossing or so fascinating, but it was, and I'm not even close to being a fan of Marc Ecko. Put simply, this is a must-play game, as it offers something new to the tried and tested adventure genre, though it does have its drawbacks in terms of combat.
You can snap the game up for only £1.90 off Amazon. This is a complete steal, and comes recommended for all gamers interested in street art and who have a love for platform games.
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