Glad you mentioned the voice acting. A lot of people thought it was "just bad" when this game first came out, but it was actually very intentional and very well-executed. It's so bizarre for most of the game *because* James is still wrapped up in his delusion, and it suddenly turns "normal" at the very end as he snaps into real memory and actual reality.
i actually think it really adds to the atmosphere of the game as well. Like... they feel like normal people bc, well... they are. The re-release felt so strange because all of the voices were so "professional".
@@ExpertContrarianno, it’s very simple: James is emotionally detached from everything because he only cares about finding Mary. Angela has been traumatized to the point of effectively possessing two different personalities. Mary and Maria sound exactly how you’d expect them to sound: like a loving wife and a manipulative, jealous creature respectively. People who say the voice acting is bad have never heard bad voice acting. Just wait for the remake where we have a 20-something doing a high-pitched kiddie voice for Laura.
i remember thinking silent hill looks like a wanna be resident evil untill i played sh1. it became the first game to really scare me as a kid. fan ever since. the first 3 games of the series are all time favourites of mine
You wrong silent hill redefined survival horror standards back in the day but saddenly Konami did a bunch of bad decisions with silent hill franchise throughout the years.
@@Dani-X01 SH redefined many things and SH continues to be my favorite horror game. but the IP as a whole is dead now. after 4 team silent was gone and have not made a game thats as good as any of those. whereas RE is thriving. that is what i mean by "succesful"
@chandllerburse737 Well resident evil not so much. Resident evil is for action horror games mostly. All the horror games you see today we're inspired from Silent Hill. And both Silent Hill and Resident Evil were inspired from Fear of the Dark.
@@V_i_vi_an Well, it's there all the time, but most of the streamers when they're playing that part, they're talking too much or too loud to note that quiet whisper. 🤷♂
@@kingdom8064 I don't know how they can miss it (if they're playing a version that has it) it's a very "loud" whisper and it freaked me out when I played the enhanced edition (granted, I had headphones)
The reason why Mira the Shiba (for it is she) begins to growl when Eddie is on screen during her Dog Ending is because that Eddie is known to have killed a bully's dog. It seems likely that this fact does not sit well with Mira. 🐕
I definitely agree that the voice acting for Mary's letter at the very end does an excellent job of highlighting the fact that the surreal nature of the rest of the voicework was very much intentional. Purposeful, as you said. It feels like every aspect of this game was a deliberate, artistic choice.
@@ExpertContrarian "at all?" There is some intention behind it, and you'd know that if you'd read up on interviews around the topic. Theres an element of bad acting, but the direction given to them was very intentionally distant and off kilter and Lynchian. The game's translator and story consultant on the game, who also directed the actors, Jeremy Blaustein, has talked about this
Omg! Thank you for this! Not just giving it a shot but willing to put up with it and 100% getting it. Also going through the effort to seeing the other endings. Gotta love that a game that is that intence and includes goofy endings with Tobby Fox gag energy. Love that the dog ending has the dog hate eddie. So funny. James is a train wrecks on legs. Love his goofy ass so much. He needs to walk his ass to a therapist and get his head checked. Not just for the (Insert many valid reasons here) . But for using a zipo, wax doll and horse shoe to open a door when he is carrying 14 other things he could have used to open it. He insane! Love the voice acting so much. They either sound like they are mantis people from space or deserve a academy award with zero middle ground. Its glorious.
Thank you for your efforts editing this whole thing together! Timezones and lack of time make catching your streams challenging, but I love seeing you getting into games and analyzing them and I’m glad this one resonated with you. James is definitely a heck of a character to study, and your breakdowns on discord (thanks for including those!) were a great read. It’s definitely a story that stirs some strong emotions in me, having been in the position of providing long term care to my chronically ill partner. While it can definitely be hard, there’s always the chance to create good memories together through those times, and even if they lash out, if you care enough to understand them and what they’re going through you can see past that and understand what’s going on and how best to support them. Mary, and every woman in this game deserved better 💖
So did Eddie lol, kid just needed help and some intervention. Also they're not exempt from criticism either, idk if anybody else got this interpretation but one thing I like about this game is how everyone (except Angela and Laura and Mary) are fucking terrible mentally ill idiots butting heads with each other. It reminds me of school lol.
It's always interesting seeing new people experience this game, and seeing their interpretation of the story. Although the game isn't the most esoteric work, it still leaves a lot of room for personal interpretations, which makes it more fun to discuss. I don't believe it's fair to extrapolate from James delusional state, his "view of women as not people" (paraphrasing your comment on the Rebirth ending). His treatment of Angela and Laura compared to Eddie isn't particularly different because of their gender, for example. Though in the case of Mary and Maria, we're talking about manifestations from James' psyche, not real people, so obviously they're not going to be really representative of his actual relationship with his wife, but a biased projection of it (distorted further by his acute delusion, guilt, and whatever town fuckery is going on). A biased projection of other people, is all we're all ever allowed to have, because we live all our lives inside out own heads, and we reconstruct our idea of others based on what we perceive, not based on what they, objectively, are. Only in the case of this game, that perception is projected outwards, and layered on top of someone who is in a deluded state (more or less so, based on the ending), consumed by guilt, searching within for a way to rationalize his actions. In other words: Mary and Maria (as opposed to Eddie, Laura and Angela) actually are "not people", within the story of the game, but rather James, talking to himself through a proxy. To rationalize his pain, his guilt, and make sense of the events that just unfolded (allegedly, at the start of the game James had just killed Mary, and her body's still in the backseat of the car). I don't think someone so narcissistic as to not being able to see others as people, would descend to this level of mental anguish, so far as to completely unravel reality just to make sense of their emotional pain.
thank you for your thoughts, i enjoyed reading~! i would definitely say for my perspective read the notes i put at the end of the video, because i definitely think of it more complexly. i do not believe james is narcissistic at all, but i do believe his views on women are pretty close to what i said (i also would not include laura in this, she is not yet a woman, she is a child. which is why i don't think there's differences with eddie/laura like you said. i'm mostly talking about mary, maria, and angela (i do believe he treats angela quite differently to eddie and laura)). i think what he thinks is a pretty regular and, sadly, normal thing, not as far as a complex mental health issue, and that is magnified and explored in silent hill. but yeah these points are brief, definitely rec pausing and reading for my full thoughts, and i think you can interpret it so many ways and they're all fascinating :D
@@single_digit_iq Oh yeah, I'm aware of Dostoevsky's work's influence, also because it's such a seminal work that it's hard to escape its shadow when tackling the subject of guilt in general, but you'd have to explain to me why it contradicts what i said. As for thinking too hard about it, it's all in good fun, i just heard her argument and made a couple of counterpoints on things i didn't fully agree with, but just because it's fun to think about this game's story and themes, and confront ideas with others' point of view about it.
@@tetrorisvolto Regardless of what it's inspired with, the story, the directing is very clear about the fact that James is a selfish asshole, and he didn't become a selfish asshole at some point because of Mary or anything, he always was a selfish asshole. I was hoping stating where it comes from will help you see that. It is maybe only hard to see that when you start to relate to him and his perspective of the world in general, and because you are not watching a movie, but have to play as him it's even harder. God, if one would play in vr, theyd think he is an angel or something Also, Solaris inspiration was officially confirmed in around 2016 by Masahiro Ito, but then the statement was removed from twitter, due to hell knows what kind of consideration. They only officially state Crime and Punishment now. And for Solaris there is only [citation needed] in wiki Eventually however, he doubles down but he mentions the novel, not the movie, which is confusing and inaccurate, but whatever, does not change facts about the character or the story: twitter.com/adsk4/status/1263608990128148481
@@single_digit_iq Sure, you brought up the relation to Solaris and Crime and Punishment as relevant, anyway, i try to judge the work in itself, regardless of inspiration or author's intent, so don't think they really matter in this context. The way you describe James as so clearly black and white doesn't see me in agreement at all, and it is not "very clear" in the slightest, reason why we're still arguing about it 23 years later. I think most people would agree his actions were morally wrong, even James himself (which is why the game exists in the first place, since it centers around his sense of guilt), but the whole psychological "journey" beyond those actions, is anything but clear cut or easy to unpack. It's not even clear how the events during the three years unfolded, as many details are left to speculation, so I think your reducing him as just a "selfish asshole" is comically simplistic, to be honest. But you're entitled to your opinion.
45:01 I'm actually glad you took the time to acknowledge the invisible prisoner. To this day, I'm both intrigued and horrified by whatever the hell that thing is. Not sure if anyone told you, but you can actually shoot them and kill them. They even make wounded sounds when you shoot them. Thanks for giving this classic a chance! Probably my favorite game of all time for the atmosphere, soundtrack, and story. Mary's breaking voice in her readings just absolutely destroy me.
@@lucylu3342 Yeah, he's known as the 'invisible prisoner'. You won't be able to see anything - only hear their footsteps and whatever it is they're muttering. Some say they hear 'Ritual', but I still don't buy it to this day.
The most chilling part for me is that Mary died just few days before the game starts and her body is actually in the car. That's why in the "in Water" ending he drives the car in the lake, so he could stay with her forever in Silent Hill. Also few things the game don't mention but that the community and Masahiro Ito confirmed: - Pyramid head is not evil, he is the reminder of James guilt and his role is just to drive him to the right path of redemption and accept what he did - Maria is how James wanted Mary to be (provocative and in need of him) and her role is to put James on the wrong path - All the dead bodies you see in SH are all James, meaning that he already tried to find Maria but died for various reason. The dead body you see on the chair looking at the TV is James who killed himself after discovering he indeed killed Maria -SH is seen in different ways by each person: Angela see all in flames for example while Laura don't see anything wrong or any monster cause she is just a child -Angela is in SH cause she killed her abusive father. In her last scene she is looking at 2 paintings which are the rappresentation of a body trapped under a sheet on skin which represent the body of her father on top of her and the stains of blood in the "lower" part of her body
@@sir_stride How has it been debunked? Ito has literally confirmed it. "The Mary's body is on the back seat of James's car, not in the trunk, if I remember correctly." The only think that had be debunked was that she was specifically in the trunk (which was what most fans assumed) and that her actual model is in the car (it isn't, but that's obviously because you'd never see it in-game anyways).
Yes Silent Hill is a spooky game specially the first one, remember playing it during night and when you enter to the nightmare realm it gets really scary.
I just wanted to show appreciation for compiling all the moments into a single reaction edit. Not enough people do that, and certainly not for old-school classics like this one. It's always nice to see people checking it out after all this time.
29:19 😂 oh my God, I died of laughter when pyramid had knocked James off the building and your emoji went “weeeeee” at the exact same time almost peed myself lol
What an entertaining playthrough. Made me laugh so many times and brought back memories of when I first played it (albeit on the terrible HD Collection). I love the moments of pause where you analysed the story and themes as they kept getting more complex and truly absorbed everything the game had to offer. And that bit at the end showing your in-depth thoughts via Discord was such a treat. It really is a game that keeps you thinking and I am so happy you enjoyed it. Fantastic video as always Hannah
I'm not sure if you know or not by now but Mary's voice actress only read the letter once and was legitimately moved by it while reading. That's why the delivery was so good.
James is such a fascinating character because he feels like a dark reflection on a lot of us. He did terrible things but how much better would we be in his situation? He's imo literally designed to be outwardly the most normal, bland, unassuming person guy ever, and that hides the fact that he's probably fucking nuts and possibly went nuts before Mary even died. His flaws are so interesting because they feel so real and true to someone in his situation. A lot of people who've had to care for a loved one who's dying/suffering have felt the way he feels to some extent. Hurting every time you look at them because they're not the person you recognize anymore, resenting them for the effect taking care of them has on you, then hating yourself for feeling that way because it's not their fault and trying to repeat that to yourself over and over again and trying to repress those ugly emotions and act like they don't exist. James' denial feels so authentic, he spends so much of the game telling himself directly or indirectly that he's a normal guy who loves his wife and just wants to see her again, to the point that he feels like he's trying to convince himself.
This was so great to watch! I love that you *got it* despite not having any info beforehand. When I first got a chance to play the game I had already seen it so many times and I had read a bunch of analysis and everything so I have no idea how I might have experienced it going in without all that. I made my husband play it blind so I could watch and live vicariously through him. He loved it but I did have to explain the symbolism of the monsters and all that to him afterward (and yeah, I did wait until he was done, wanted to let him experience it his own way, main thing was he did really appreciate the experience). This was satisfying to see you put the pieces together as they were being given to you and appreciate what the game was doing.
Great gamplay, and commentary too. Although, those are very extreme takes for most of the endings, particularly the ones where you doubt James's love for Mary, like leave or rebirth. "Leave" isn't trying to imply James faked his feeling but rather hid his frustration, even then it reveals through Mary testimony that he wasn't as sure of killing her as he belived he was. "Rebirth" does show a maniac infatuation and sorrow leading James, after all he wants to live on but along side Mary no matter the cost. This, I give it yo you, does reflect denial and selfishness, despite that James is not unapologetic about it, which means the act is no out of entitlement. Furthermore, from a logical standpoint the sort of character that would reflect a doll is instead Maria. She is, and perceives herself, as an entity meant for James primal pleasure. While the Rebirth doesn't adjust remotelly anything for James desire as it's a external force whom he is dealing with; and gameplaywise when the player must achieve demanding requirements it implies a need for effort and commitment, all qualities unlike ownership and entitlement. Thus, for whaever means, Mary will simply come back to life and James is willing to go through that, despite the negative implications such as her resenting him or leaving him.
Editing was top tier! You put the things in there that would be important or fun for the viewer. And cut out the tidious parts! Much appreciated. If other youtubers did this, this well then i would watch so many playthroughs of games! But i can't stand seeing every small detail in other videos. Job well done!
Thank heavens you're not playing the HD collection and you actually get the dialogue as many people have said. Hope you have fun, its honestly a very heart wrenching game.
Loved your playthrough of sh2 and loved how much you took away from it and dug deep into it's themes and characters. Looking forward to when you eventually continue the series! I'm sure you'll love silent hill 3 which equally has a lot to take away from it imo
you know i never thought about james' power over women. i cant believe i missed that all these years. good looking out! would love to see you tackle the other games too!
Great thoughts about the game! The only thing I'm not agree at all is when she says " These women does not get to choose but James does" , in this case Mary could not choose her destination, Angela neither, but the actions that comes after are there, Silent Hill gave each one of our characters (James, Angela and Eddie) elements and clues to either accept what they have done or keep living a lie or running away from consequences, they all do get to choose, Angela did not accept the real reason she was called, instead she understands that for her to be free and feel relief she needs to kill all the ones who hurt her (Dad, brother and mother which she could not find) then her suicide, she choose suicide anyways (She was so broken :( ), same with Eddie, but he embrace this side of justifying killing his bullies and everyone he thinks would be laughing at him reminding him of his frustrated drams of being a Football player and hating himself, he choose to keep killing and no remorse from this actions. We know James Story, so now Maria, she's not real, instead she's a creation from Silent Hill to let's say, tempt James, she's an entity and not a real person (The DLC shows how she acts and we would think she thinks a real human, but she;s just collecting memories from James memories, is like she's buffering lol), so of course she don't get to choose, she's a tool actually same as Pyramid Head and the creatures. Since this game is about James and Mary, we are missing more details about each of the character's Silent Hill representation, it would be amazing to see and think about the creatures and representations for everyone else. Amazing Game!
I think it is such a misunderstanding to consider, at that point on the story, James goes for Maria because of her promises rather than for straight care or worry, especially when the player attitude and focus defines whether James sees Maria as antagonistic character or not.
shes really doing james such a disservice with these assumptions. yeah, im sure james is trying to get to maria because he wants to fuck not because shes locked behind damn prison bars
I was going leave a comment with all my favorite lil edits in this video but oops turns out they’re all my favorite because you are an editing god 🙏 thank you for this gift of a video and also for this 1:08:22
This has to be one of the most satisfying SH2 playthroughs I’ve seen (I’ve seen a lot) - you’re paying attention and thinking, so you’re not missing all the beautiful detail, so naturally you join the ranks of people who adore this game. It’s also edited really well and I had a good laugh at your suggestion of drinking the thinner! 😂 Loved reading your thoughts at the end too - this is what this game will do to you. Now that it’s gotten into your brain, it’ll never leave. You’ve even made me think about some things a bit differently. We still weren’t thinking much about the experiences of women in society when I first played this game, so I didn’t think about James’ selfishness the same way as you. In fact, I related to him a little bit. I’m familiar with the internal struggle of dealing with the illness of loved ones - the desire to enjoy life again, and the inevitable guilt of wanting that and thinking of your needs instead of the one suffering with illness. I really felt for James, still do. Yes, Mary was the one who was ill and suffering, but James’ suffering - watching the person he loves die slowly, painfully, and watching the personality of that person change along with it - that suffering is valid too, and you feel guilty for suffering because there’s “nothing wrong” with you. It almost feels cruel, because there’s nothing physically stopping you from doing whatever you want, but how can you? This is why I like the In Water ending so much - your life is taken passively, so… ? Anyway! Great video! 😅
This was an awesome watch and I loved reading all your discord thoughts haha. Honestly I haven't been too interested in the Silent Hill games but your excitement definitely has me reconsidering them. Thanks for doing such a great job!
I really enjoyed this whole playthrough, you have such an awesome and honest vibe, and actually take serious the game, I'd love to see more of this content, and if you play any other SH, new sub here
I love watching people play this series for the first time. I love Resident Evil, but I've always been fond of SH. The first 4 games are god-tier (3 is a personal fav). Layered, scary, nuanced and compelling. I also adore seeing everyone's personal analysis and theories because a lot I've seen are valid; the writing *warrants* analysis.
That was just magnificent. It's really pleasant to watch your attention to the game, the little bits, the explicit and implicit things, as well as it was fun to see you getting scared of the game, haha. Even though there are a lot of cuts, of course, you made a wonderful choice of when to cut and when to let the game be shown in this video, it's just very fluid and understandable. The main thing i want to say is congratulations to you for playing and experiencing the game with care, with desire and immersion, you sure provided yourself an unforgettable experience. A lot of your thoughts and comments after beating SH2 were just something that i had never seen or realised before. I don't know if i agree with everything, but i'll be definitely thinking more about this, and all that will add to my enjoyment and admiration for this piece of videogame, which is a huge example of a heavily inspired art as well. Thank you so much, Hannah. Just discovered your channel and really appreciate it now. Also appreciate you a lot after doing this one. Be well.
ah thank you so much!! highlights videos are always tricky about what to leave in and what to cut, but certain things felt like they had to be there as a whole. the interpretations and different ways we can take things away from sh2 is one of my favourite things about it, and how we can have two takeaways that contradict each other but still stand just as strong. thank you so much for your comment
This is one of my favorite horror games! Always happy to see a newcomer to this masterpiece of art. Also the dog ending is the canon ending no other ending exists!
I love this video so much. I sent one clip to my friend because of how perfect it was, and then a few minutes later another thing happened that I had to clip and send to a different group of friends because of how perfect it was, and now I just clipped another thing for a different friend. How does this video have something for literally each and every one of my friends?
Interesting quotes: James: “I’d never kill MYSELF!” - yeah but everyone else is fair game lol Angela: “For me, it’s always like this.” - it gives us a sense of why everyone acts so un-natural all the time. All the characters in Silent Hill are having a completely different and subjective experience. James sees sexualised monsters/Maria, Eddie hears all the voices that tormented him, Angela sees flames all around her (hinting that she burned her house down to escape her abuse perhaps). But Laura seems to be having a great time in Silent Hill because she’s innocent and has no guilt. She’s also disgusted by every other character. Silent Hill is basically purgatory. It’s one last chance for everyone to make right with their demons before salvation or damnation
I subbed the moment you took on Two pyramid heads with the executioner sword . That was boss level skill 🔥😮💨 Also love your quick understanding of the game
I just saw the whole video, omg I'm glad you played SH2 !! I also read all the thoughts you put in the end of the video, it's so cool to see how Silent Hill 2 storys grabs your head and squish squish sounds* hahahah anyways, great video again!
I just loved how you were so relatable, I’m a person that gets scared very easily so seeing finally someone like me play this game was really nice, my favorite part was when you said James ❤
The thing is that kind of terrible gameplay or really horrifying monsters is not remain in the memory, only the depressing part about the plot, is forever in your head, which gives sh2 such a sad feeling.
Just watching this after playing the remake. I'm trying so hard to like it. But then I see this and it reminds me of how much better the original is. Love how you started off being understandably weirded out by the tank controls, but you stuck with it and it looks like it became second nature to you. As a fan of fixed cameras AND tank controls, it was fun to watch.
I am so glad I found this, I've been in the mood to replay the games again but just too afraid. I have laughed so much watching this playthrough like, you really remind me of myself playing games especially horror games. The random demonic screeches and noises that come out when we get scared 😂 and I cried at the end...AGAIN. the first time I played SH2 I didn't know how to react but my second time, I just sobbed during Angela's scenes and Mary's letter. You're right about the VA, the point of it was too be "cheesy" and...off putting because of how bizarre the game is. It's so GOOD, how real it is because it's awkward. And you were spot on with describing the psychological aspect of the characters too and the meaning behind them. I definitely recommend playing Silent Hill 1 and 3 since those two are connected
I finished watching your lets play and let me say, as a long time silent hill 2 fan, your blorbo at the ending threw me out the window. I LOVED how you dissected the characters and your view of the women in the game it was such a good read!!! I'm so happy to see more people dwelling into this masterpiece because even today there's so much you can take from this game and just like I could talk about how much of an impact the music ALONE has on this series as well HELLO??? I hope and wish you will try out Silent Hill 3 because that game is the second best next to SH2 in the series. And I know you'll like the main character ;)
Toluca Prison is one of the scariest places I've ever played. The first time I played this game, I stopped right at that point. But the psychology of Silent Hill had already captured me.
Pro tip: you can open your inventory at any moment during the gameplay. So if you're getting chocked or humped to death while the red cross is indicating low health, you can open your menu and heal/reload and do what ever you need to survive on that moment. There's no reason to just stare at James dieing and reloading.
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and play this game blind and just letting my mind stew in the themes by my lonesome. Also that letter read at the end is pretty much peak voice acting.
If you liked the delivery of themes from the female characters and how they interact with James, you'll love Silent Hill 3. Playing SH1 first might give you some context, but I don't think it's necessary to really enjoy SH3. I don't usually watch whole playthroughs and skip to ppl's reaction to the twist and Mary's hallway and letter bits. But I loved this! Also, that big open room with the gallows always gets me no matter how many times I've played. Never want to spend a microsecond longer in that room than necessary lol.
This was an unexpectedly awesome playthrough of this game. I love when someone gets totally enveloped in SH2 like this, even while dealing with things like the janky controls and goofy voice acting. Loved how you loved it too, all the creepy parts and twists and turns and the final bits about how one should deal with grief, guilt, and self loathing. I really liked your analyses about James (read all those Discord messages) even though I have a slightly more favorable take on him. I do like how the game lets you decide how much of a piece of shit vs caring husband and decent man he was, both through the endings and your interpretation of the character. I had a thought with you discussing the Rebirth ending, it's crazy because even if everything goes well (which surely it won't, James read a Stephen King book sometime) then Mary will wake up and see the face of the man who killed her probably grinning at her on some weird island. I don't think she would like that haha. Even in the endings where she forgives James for what he did I don't think she would like that, it's probably much easier to forgive your murderer hubby when he moves on and you're staying dead vs him dragging you back to life because he decided actually I'm not done yet. I feel like the Rebirth ending is a bit unnecessary because it feels so close to the Maria ending but Maria is more interesting, but it does still have cool things going for it. Great video. Great game. Really, how could Eddie just sit there and eat pizza?
this was very entertaining to watch lmao also that first Pyramid Head boss fight at 20:20 gave me anxiety, especially when PH was about to wide swing and you were just in front of it. Idk how you were able to dodge those omg Edit: Oh my fucking god, I didn't know that the boss kills you if in 32:03
Enjoyable play through! I'm glad you got to experience it before the remake, wish more people knew what a gem it is. No matter how high of a degree of media literacy you have with this game it feels like there's always something new to discover or interpret.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience ! This game always make me super emotional, especially that darn letter at the end holy f. Feels great to see more people discover it, it's depth and heavy themes and masterfully crafted inner journey within James' guilt and denial.
*Me an intellectual, critiquing the video* TSK TSK you just dont get it, you see {insert game moment} is a metaphor for {sexual frustration probably, or loss or something, i dunno im not a psychiatrist}
7:15 RABtoons: duh, that's how windows work 8:45 "James shut up and go in" ah alriiiiii WHOA WHO SAID THAT? 20:39 when the siren starts blaring, STOP SHOOTING 45:33 ritual 1:00:00 uh there's a poem with the empty nooses that tells you which one you need to pull ...you got thein water ending
This is a gameplay I’d always wanted you to do, but never thought to would!! It makes ridiculously happy 🎉 SH is my fav series of all time, hope you play the rest sometime!! Great vid as always!
I enjoyed this video! I hope you play SH3, it's got a -lot- of stuff that relates to being a woman that you might think is interesting, with a female protagonist and horror that kinda relates to that, but it's crucial that you play SH1 first, before SH3, because it sets up SH3s plot. SH1 is also just a good game :) That said, when it comes to SH3 I would -really- suggest playing it on Easy difficulty. Not as a slight against you, I just found that out of all the SH games it had the most bullshit, obnoxious, un-fun difficulty even on normal. The riddle difficulty is fine though, as long as you don't go to Hard Riddles, because... it's insane. It expects you to have *out of game* knowledge of all of Shakespeare's works to solve THE FIRST puzzle. Overall I agree with a lot of your analysis though I think I see James in a slightly less negative light, particularly in terms of the Rebirth ending. Going to such extremes as to invoke black magic/ancient gods to resurrect your wife from the dead strikes me as a somewhat loving act, even if it's clearly a bad idea, with how James speaks to Mary's corpse and being willing to invoke the 'old gods' of silent hill speaking volumes of his mental state. I can see the argument for In Water being a selfish ending. I think his love, particularly in that ending, is -genuine- but he's also a complete coward for not living with the guilt. The Leave ending strikes me as the most positive ending, facing his demons, living with his guilt, and leaving Silent Hill having (presumably) adopted Laura, like Mary wanted to. It's interesting to ask the question of whether James *deserves* to leave, and live his life, after all he's done. But I think he's suffered enough, personally. Super agree on the Maria ending being the most fucked up. The "you better get that cough looked at" comment, history repeating, James learning *nothing* is so, so fucking good. Yet they all pale in comparison to the Dog ending, the one true canonical end to SH2.
this got long so i'll put the most important thing first so hopefully it at least gets seen even if the rest isnt: you should try out Fatal Frame 1 too!! and the other good Silent Hills as well of course (so the first 4 XD) okay my original crazed ramblings will follow lol i love that you actually put a lot of thought into the characters and story and shared your interpretations and analysis as you went through as opposed to most average playthroughs where ppl just run from point A to B. your notes from discord at the end were all really cool takes and had a lot of ideas i feel like i've not really seen before and all of which i 100% agree with, so thank you for sharing your perspective!! i love how purposely open to interpretation this game is so we get to see so many different ppl's thoughts and ideas, they are usually always very interesting and yours of course were no exception :) you definitely should check out SH3 as well as im sure tons of other people have already said bc it's amazing too, but if you're looking for another good survival horror game/series from the same era that plays similarly i HIGHLY recommend the first Fatal Frame if you have a way to play it!! personally, it is my all time favorite survival horror title followed very closely by SH2 (and i suspect 3 but i need to get it still) and the Resident Evil 1 HD remaster. they are all phenomenal but Fatal Frame is just very special to me bc it was the first true survival horror game i was exposed to since my parents would play it together before i was even born and still when i was little so i loved watching the "scary ghost game" sometimes X) finally getting to play through it fully myself when i was older solidified its #1 spot in my list, i cant say enough how much that game has going for it and the impact it has had on me and my tastes! the backstory is very dark similar to SH2's and uncovering it bit by bit is so well done, the notes and especially the environmental story telling i think are very strong points for the game. there are a lot of moments/things that make you think about what ppl had to go through and imo it leaves you with a gut wrenching dread similar to how seeing angela's boss room did. the story, characters, and crazy lore are all so interesting to me and i would love to see your first time reactions to the game and any ways you might analyze it as well bc i can already tell from how you approached SH2 you would definitely have some cool thoughts and ideas! be careful though bc fatal frame will SPOIL YOU ROTTEN when it comes to tank controls bc the "run" button is actually a "run forward" button so you dont have to constantly hold up on a Dpad or joystick the whole time and can just hold down square instead so you can focus solely on hitting left and right to turn accurately without having to hit up at the same time which always makes my left thumb hurt after a while so not having to do that is awesome, it is truly the BEST way to do tank controls and im honestly very very surprised no other games at the time copied it, just another reason for it to be my #1 i guess lol sorry for rambling so long, if you cant tell i really love these old survival horror games a lot so seeing your first playthrough was such a joy and i would love if you did yourself a favor and experienced fatal frame as well! your reactions and commentary are relatable and funny and i really appreciate that you dig deeper to actually think about and analyze the games you play bc not a lot of ppl do, you def earned my sub and i hope you try out more of the genre in the future, if so i will def be sticking around to see and i hope you enjoy them!!
This was such a great playthrough! Other than the obvious good comedy and editing, but you also took the time to analyze James and everyone else. I'm so glad u liked it. I played it years ago and I finally picked up again a few months ago. It's definitely an experience lol.
One of my favorite psychological horror games of all time! I really enjoyed watching you play, and appreciate you sharing your thoughts about it. I got the water ending my first playthrough too. Dog ending is true ending though, as you say!
Perfect Silent Hill 2 playthrough! Please play Silent Hill 1 next. Then Silent Hill 3. They’re directly connected and go into what happened to the town and what the town actually does.
![i played persona 5 royal for the first time and... [part 4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6XtQP1esozM/mqdefault.jpg)
![i played persona 5 royal for the first time and... [part 4]](/img/tr.png)
![First Ever SILENT HILL 2 Playthrough [REMAKE] Part 1](/img/1.gif)
Glad you mentioned the voice acting. A lot of people thought it was "just bad" when this game first came out, but it was actually very intentional and very well-executed. It's so bizarre for most of the game *because* James is still wrapped up in his delusion, and it suddenly turns "normal" at the very end as he snaps into real memory and actual reality.
That’s because it just is. All these fan theories are just cope.
@@ExpertContrarian Tbf though, the final scene with Mary's letter kinda speaks for itself.
i actually think it really adds to the atmosphere of the game as well. Like... they feel like normal people bc, well... they are. The re-release felt so strange because all of the voices were so "professional".
@jamesconlin5099wait until the remake releases, then you’ll know what bad voice acting truly is.
@@ExpertContrarianno, it’s very simple: James is emotionally detached from everything because he only cares about finding Mary. Angela has been traumatized to the point of effectively possessing two different personalities. Mary and Maria sound exactly how you’d expect them to sound: like a loving wife and a manipulative, jealous creature respectively.
People who say the voice acting is bad have never heard bad voice acting. Just wait for the remake where we have a 20-something doing a high-pitched kiddie voice for Laura.
The best thing about James is that a lot of his character is left up to interpretation.
big agree!!
i appreciate that she gave this older game a chance. a classic even though the franchise isnt as succesful as resident evil.
silent hill was so big during its prime. too bad konami flip the coin very soon
i remember thinking silent hill looks like a wanna be resident evil untill i played sh1. it became the first game to really scare me as a kid. fan ever since. the first 3 games of the series are all time favourites of mine
You wrong silent hill redefined survival horror standards back in the day but saddenly Konami did a bunch of bad decisions with silent hill franchise throughout the years.
@@Dani-X01 SH redefined many things and SH continues to be my favorite horror game. but the IP as a whole is dead now. after 4 team silent was gone and have not made a game thats as good as any of those. whereas RE is thriving. that is what i mean by "succesful"
@chandllerburse737 Well resident evil not so much. Resident evil is for action horror games mostly.
All the horror games you see today we're inspired from Silent Hill.
And both Silent Hill and Resident Evil were inspired from Fear of the Dark.
I liked the part where Hannah said James.
crying dfkjghjkd
Me too fr
Holy shit you got so lucky(?) hearing the whispers in the apartments, it's actually random wether or not you hear them.
Right!? I’ve played the game a bunch of times and only recently learned about that because I’d never experienced it before.
It's actually not random, the director's cut added them and the enhanced edition (which is what she's playing) has them as well.
@@fallingawayfromthenorm Is it?? I played twice and always hear them
@@V_i_vi_an Well, it's there all the time, but most of the streamers when they're playing that part, they're talking too much or too loud to note that quiet whisper. 🤷♂
@@kingdom8064 I don't know how they can miss it (if they're playing a version that has it) it's a very "loud" whisper and it freaked me out when I played the enhanced edition (granted, I had headphones)
The reason why Mira the Shiba (for it is she) begins to growl when Eddie is on screen during her Dog Ending is because that Eddie is known to have killed a bully's dog. It seems likely that this fact does not sit well with Mira. 🐕
"Oh thank god, the lock is broken" is the most universal feeling in this game.
I definitely agree that the voice acting for Mary's letter at the very end does an excellent job of highlighting the fact that the surreal nature of the rest of the voicework was very much intentional. Purposeful, as you said. It feels like every aspect of this game was a deliberate, artistic choice.
It’s not intentional at all. Bad voice acting was just the norm.
@@ExpertContrarian "at all?" There is some intention behind it, and you'd know that if you'd read up on interviews around the topic. Theres an element of bad acting, but the direction given to them was very intentionally distant and off kilter and Lynchian. The game's translator and story consultant on the game, who also directed the actors, Jeremy Blaustein, has talked about this
@@irockmajorlyshow me the source. It’s just a fan theory that made people up
surprised to see you here ngl
I was just getting ready for the depressing part and then you start dancing to "lofi beats to kill your wife to" lmao. Amazing.
I guffawed at this.
“No James! Not into the feet!!” is the most Silent hill 2 thing I've ever heard
Omg! Thank you for this! Not just giving it a shot but willing to put up with it and 100% getting it. Also going through the effort to seeing the other endings.
Gotta love that a game that is that intence and includes goofy endings with Tobby Fox gag energy.
Love that the dog ending has the dog hate eddie. So funny.
James is a train wrecks on legs. Love his goofy ass so much. He needs to walk his ass to a therapist and get his head checked. Not just for the (Insert many valid reasons here) . But for using a zipo, wax doll and horse shoe to open a door when he is carrying 14 other things he could have used to open it. He insane!
Love the voice acting so much. They either sound like they are mantis people from space or deserve a academy award with zero middle ground. Its glorious.
The soundtrack in this game is on another level. It sets the mood perfectly and I love it.
Thank you for your efforts editing this whole thing together! Timezones and lack of time make catching your streams challenging, but I love seeing you getting into games and analyzing them and I’m glad this one resonated with you. James is definitely a heck of a character to study, and your breakdowns on discord (thanks for including those!) were a great read.
It’s definitely a story that stirs some strong emotions in me, having been in the position of providing long term care to my chronically ill partner. While it can definitely be hard, there’s always the chance to create good memories together through those times, and even if they lash out, if you care enough to understand them and what they’re going through you can see past that and understand what’s going on and how best to support them. Mary, and every woman in this game deserved better 💖
So did Eddie lol, kid just needed help and some intervention.
Also they're not exempt from criticism either, idk if anybody else got this interpretation but one thing I like about this game is how everyone (except Angela and Laura and Mary) are fucking terrible mentally ill idiots butting heads with each other.
It reminds me of school lol.
1:05:58 "weight allowance: one person"
you must move on to proceed.
OOF HOW DID I NOT THINK ABOUT THIS OUGH WOW
It's always interesting seeing new people experience this game, and seeing their interpretation of the story.
Although the game isn't the most esoteric work, it still leaves a lot of room for personal interpretations, which makes it more fun to discuss.
I don't believe it's fair to extrapolate from James delusional state, his "view of women as not people" (paraphrasing your comment on the Rebirth ending).
His treatment of Angela and Laura compared to Eddie isn't particularly different because of their gender, for example.
Though in the case of Mary and Maria, we're talking about manifestations from James' psyche, not real people, so obviously they're not going to be really representative of his actual relationship with his wife, but a biased projection of it (distorted further by his acute delusion, guilt, and whatever town fuckery is going on).
A biased projection of other people, is all we're all ever allowed to have, because we live all our lives inside out own heads, and we reconstruct our idea of others based on what we perceive, not based on what they, objectively, are.
Only in the case of this game, that perception is projected outwards, and layered on top of someone who is in a deluded state (more or less so, based on the ending), consumed by guilt, searching within for a way to rationalize his actions.
In other words: Mary and Maria (as opposed to Eddie, Laura and Angela) actually are "not people", within the story of the game, but rather James, talking to himself through a proxy.
To rationalize his pain, his guilt, and make sense of the events that just unfolded (allegedly, at the start of the game James had just killed Mary, and her body's still in the backseat of the car).
I don't think someone so narcissistic as to not being able to see others as people, would descend to this level of mental anguish, so far as to completely unravel reality just to make sense of their emotional pain.
thank you for your thoughts, i enjoyed reading~! i would definitely say for my perspective read the notes i put at the end of the video, because i definitely think of it more complexly. i do not believe james is narcissistic at all, but i do believe his views on women are pretty close to what i said (i also would not include laura in this, she is not yet a woman, she is a child. which is why i don't think there's differences with eddie/laura like you said. i'm mostly talking about mary, maria, and angela (i do believe he treats angela quite differently to eddie and laura)). i think what he thinks is a pretty regular and, sadly, normal thing, not as far as a complex mental health issue, and that is magnified and explored in silent hill. but yeah these points are brief, definitely rec pausing and reading for my full thoughts, and i think you can interpret it so many ways and they're all fascinating :D
you are thinking too hard, hannah' analysis is accurate. silent hill is inspired by tarkovsky' solaris, which is a take on crime and punishment
@@single_digit_iq Oh yeah, I'm aware of Dostoevsky's work's influence, also because it's such a seminal work that it's hard to escape its shadow when tackling the subject of guilt in general, but you'd have to explain to me why it contradicts what i said.
As for thinking too hard about it, it's all in good fun, i just heard her argument and made a couple of counterpoints on things i didn't fully agree with, but just because it's fun to think about this game's story and themes, and confront ideas with others' point of view about it.
@@tetrorisvolto Regardless of what it's inspired with, the story, the directing is very clear about the fact that James is a selfish asshole, and he didn't become a selfish asshole at some point because of Mary or anything, he always was a selfish asshole. I was hoping stating where it comes from will help you see that. It is maybe only hard to see that when you start to relate to him and his perspective of the world in general, and because you are not watching a movie, but have to play as him it's even harder. God, if one would play in vr, theyd think he is an angel or something
Also, Solaris inspiration was officially confirmed in around 2016 by Masahiro Ito, but then the statement was removed from twitter, due to hell knows what kind of consideration. They only officially state Crime and Punishment now. And for Solaris there is only [citation needed] in wiki
Eventually however, he doubles down but he mentions the novel, not the movie, which is confusing and inaccurate, but whatever, does not change facts about the character or the story: twitter.com/adsk4/status/1263608990128148481
@@single_digit_iq Sure, you brought up the relation to Solaris and Crime and Punishment as relevant, anyway, i try to judge the work in itself, regardless of inspiration or author's intent, so don't think they really matter in this context.
The way you describe James as so clearly black and white doesn't see me in agreement at all, and it is not "very clear" in the slightest, reason why we're still arguing about it 23 years later.
I think most people would agree his actions were morally wrong, even James himself (which is why the game exists in the first place, since it centers around his sense of guilt), but the whole psychological "journey" beyond those actions, is anything but clear cut or easy to unpack.
It's not even clear how the events during the three years unfolded, as many details are left to speculation, so I think your reducing him as just a "selfish asshole" is comically simplistic, to be honest.
But you're entitled to your opinion.
The creepy sound effects, fog, and eerie atmosphere made this game so iconic! The psychological aspect gave the story depth.
45:01 I'm actually glad you took the time to acknowledge the invisible prisoner. To this day, I'm both intrigued and horrified by whatever the hell that thing is. Not sure if anyone told you, but you can actually shoot them and kill them. They even make wounded sounds when you shoot them. Thanks for giving this classic a chance! Probably my favorite game of all time for the atmosphere, soundtrack, and story. Mary's breaking voice in her readings just absolutely destroy me.
I thought it was a monster, I just tried it on my console after finishing the game like 2 weeks ago and wow. I thought that thing was not killable.
Huh? I don't see anything in the cell with her moving
@@lucylu3342 that's because the model is hidden and is tiny, it's the roach model.
@@lucylu3342 Yeah, he's known as the 'invisible prisoner'. You won't be able to see anything - only hear their footsteps and whatever it is they're muttering. Some say they hear 'Ritual', but I still don't buy it to this day.
@@DiffuseMoose So I've looked more into this...thing...and yeah, I can say I now understand why she's freaked out lol
The most chilling part for me is that Mary died just few days before the game starts and her body is actually in the car. That's why in the "in Water" ending he drives the car in the lake, so he could stay with her forever in Silent Hill. Also few things the game don't mention but that the community and Masahiro Ito confirmed:
- Pyramid head is not evil, he is the reminder of James guilt and his role is just to drive him to the right path of redemption and accept what he did
- Maria is how James wanted Mary to be (provocative and in need of him) and her role is to put James on the wrong path
- All the dead bodies you see in SH are all James, meaning that he already tried to find Maria but died for various reason. The dead body you see on the chair looking at the TV is James who killed himself after discovering he indeed killed Maria
-SH is seen in different ways by each person: Angela see all in flames for example while Laura don't see anything wrong or any monster cause she is just a child
-Angela is in SH cause she killed her abusive father. In her last scene she is looking at 2 paintings which are the rappresentation of a body trapped under a sheet on skin which represent the body of her father on top of her and the stains of blood in the "lower" part of her body
Her body isn't in the far. That's been debunked
@@sir_stride How has it been debunked? Ito has literally confirmed it. "The Mary's body is on the back seat of James's car, not in the trunk, if I remember correctly."
The only think that had be debunked was that she was specifically in the trunk (which was what most fans assumed) and that her actual model is in the car (it isn't, but that's obviously because you'd never see it in-game anyways).
Could you debunk Angela's fate? Does she commit suicide in the end or the fire is a metaphor that she'll always burn in angst.
It’s true a bunch of the dead bodies look like James, but I didn’t realize they were from previous timeloops(??) where he died.
No, she died years ago. James did not try multiple times. You’re just making things up.
Yes Silent Hill is a spooky game specially the first one, remember playing it during night and when you enter to the nightmare realm it gets really scary.
Have you played 3? 😭 I couldn’t do it as a kid
@@Mariasfromsilenthill Not yet, only 1, 2 and 4 also silent hill downpoor
@@Mariasfromsilenthill SH1 came out when I was 11. I beat all of them as they came out originally.
I just wanted to show appreciation for compiling all the moments into a single reaction edit. Not enough people do that, and certainly not for old-school classics like this one. It's always nice to see people checking it out after all this time.
29:19 😂 oh my God, I died of laughter when pyramid had knocked James off the building and your emoji went “weeeeee” at the exact same time almost peed myself lol
What an entertaining playthrough. Made me laugh so many times and brought back memories of when I first played it (albeit on the terrible HD Collection).
I love the moments of pause where you analysed the story and themes as they kept getting more complex and truly absorbed everything the game had to offer.
And that bit at the end showing your in-depth thoughts via Discord was such a treat. It really is a game that keeps you thinking and I am so happy you enjoyed it.
Fantastic video as always Hannah
thank you so much!! i appreciate you taking the time to read and leave a comment
“I will kiss all the monsters in this game”
“You have chosen… poorly”
I'm not sure if you know or not by now but Mary's voice actress only read the letter once and was legitimately moved by it while reading. That's why the delivery was so good.
18:35 you got lucky, thats a 50/50 shot of that audio clip playing
James is such a fascinating character because he feels like a dark reflection on a lot of us. He did terrible things but how much better would we be in his situation? He's imo literally designed to be outwardly the most normal, bland, unassuming person guy ever, and that hides the fact that he's probably fucking nuts and possibly went nuts before Mary even died. His flaws are so interesting because they feel so real and true to someone in his situation. A lot of people who've had to care for a loved one who's dying/suffering have felt the way he feels to some extent. Hurting every time you look at them because they're not the person you recognize anymore, resenting them for the effect taking care of them has on you, then hating yourself for feeling that way because it's not their fault and trying to repeat that to yourself over and over again and trying to repress those ugly emotions and act like they don't exist. James' denial feels so authentic, he spends so much of the game telling himself directly or indirectly that he's a normal guy who loves his wife and just wants to see her again, to the point that he feels like he's trying to convince himself.
Currently playing through SH2 for the first time so it will be great to see your reactions. James is THE character of all time!
thank u!! i hope you enjoy the game, it's so so so good :''')
This was so great to watch! I love that you *got it* despite not having any info beforehand. When I first got a chance to play the game I had already seen it so many times and I had read a bunch of analysis and everything so I have no idea how I might have experienced it going in without all that. I made my husband play it blind so I could watch and live vicariously through him. He loved it but I did have to explain the symbolism of the monsters and all that to him afterward (and yeah, I did wait until he was done, wanted to let him experience it his own way, main thing was he did really appreciate the experience). This was satisfying to see you put the pieces together as they were being given to you and appreciate what the game was doing.
thank you so much!! learning about all the things i missed and other peoples thoughts and interpretations afterwards was so fascinating and cooool
Great gamplay, and commentary too. Although, those are very extreme takes for most of the endings, particularly the ones where you doubt James's love for Mary, like leave or rebirth.
"Leave" isn't trying to imply James faked his feeling but rather hid his frustration, even then it reveals through Mary testimony that he wasn't as sure of killing her as he belived he was.
"Rebirth" does show a maniac infatuation and sorrow leading James, after all he wants to live on but along side Mary no matter the cost. This, I give it yo you, does reflect denial and selfishness, despite that James is not unapologetic about it, which means the act is no out of entitlement.
Furthermore, from a logical standpoint the sort of character that would reflect a doll is instead Maria. She is, and perceives herself, as an entity meant for James primal pleasure. While the Rebirth doesn't adjust remotelly anything for James desire as it's a external force whom he is dealing with; and gameplaywise when the player must achieve demanding requirements it implies a need for effort and commitment, all qualities unlike ownership and entitlement. Thus, for whaever means, Mary will simply come back to life and James is willing to go through that, despite the negative implications such as her resenting him or leaving him.
I really love watching people get introduced to SH its my favourite franchise. Love the editing too, I didn’t expect a full play through!
Editing was top tier! You put the things in there that would be important or fun for the viewer. And cut out the tidious parts! Much appreciated. If other youtubers did this, this well then i would watch so many playthroughs of games! But i can't stand seeing every small detail in other videos.
Job well done!
Thank heavens you're not playing the HD collection and you actually get the dialogue as many people have said. Hope you have fun, its honestly a very heart wrenching game.
Loved your playthrough of sh2 and loved how much you took away from it and dug deep into it's themes and characters. Looking forward to when you eventually continue the series! I'm sure you'll love silent hill 3 which equally has a lot to take away from it imo
No one should even joke about playing SH3 without properly finishing the SH1 first.
Too many people skip the OG game for some weird reason.
you know i never thought about james' power over women. i cant believe i missed that all these years. good looking out!
would love to see you tackle the other games too!
thank you so much! and i hope to!
Yeah, the game has a lot about James repressed sexuality getting twisted up
no i knew that, but how he specifically talked and acted around angela and maria just went over my head@@kinsmart7294
I love this game, and I loved this playthrough!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Great thoughts about the game! The only thing I'm not agree at all is when she says " These women does not get to choose but James does" , in this case Mary could not choose her destination, Angela neither, but the actions that comes after are there, Silent Hill gave each one of our characters (James, Angela and Eddie) elements and clues to either accept what they have done or keep living a lie or running away from consequences, they all do get to choose, Angela did not accept the real reason she was called, instead she understands that for her to be free and feel relief she needs to kill all the ones who hurt her (Dad, brother and mother which she could not find) then her suicide, she choose suicide anyways (She was so broken :( ), same with Eddie, but he embrace this side of justifying killing his bullies and everyone he thinks would be laughing at him reminding him of his frustrated drams of being a Football player and hating himself, he choose to keep killing and no remorse from this actions. We know James Story, so now Maria, she's not real, instead she's a creation from Silent Hill to let's say, tempt James, she's an entity and not a real person (The DLC shows how she acts and we would think she thinks a real human, but she;s just collecting memories from James memories, is like she's buffering lol), so of course she don't get to choose, she's a tool actually same as Pyramid Head and the creatures. Since this game is about James and Mary, we are missing more details about each of the character's Silent Hill representation, it would be amazing to see and think about the creatures and representations for everyone else.
Amazing Game!
I think it is such a misunderstanding to consider, at that point on the story, James goes for Maria because of her promises rather than for straight care or worry, especially when the player attitude and focus defines whether James sees Maria as antagonistic character or not.
shes really doing james such a disservice with these assumptions. yeah, im sure james is trying to get to maria because he wants to fuck not because shes locked behind damn prison bars
I was going leave a comment with all my favorite lil edits in this video but oops turns out they’re all my favorite because you are an editing god 🙏 thank you for this gift of a video and also for this 1:08:22
WAH thank you, that means so much and I'm glad you enjoy my silly 2sec long silly edits;---;
I laughed out LOUD at that part, did not see that coming at all hahahahahha
This has to be one of the most satisfying SH2 playthroughs I’ve seen (I’ve seen a lot) - you’re paying attention and thinking, so you’re not missing all the beautiful detail, so naturally you join the ranks of people who adore this game. It’s also edited really well and I had a good laugh at your suggestion of drinking the thinner! 😂
Loved reading your thoughts at the end too - this is what this game will do to you. Now that it’s gotten into your brain, it’ll never leave. You’ve even made me think about some things a bit differently. We still weren’t thinking much about the experiences of women in society when I first played this game, so I didn’t think about James’ selfishness the same way as you. In fact, I related to him a little bit. I’m familiar with the internal struggle of dealing with the illness of loved ones - the desire to enjoy life again, and the inevitable guilt of wanting that and thinking of your needs instead of the one suffering with illness. I really felt for James, still do. Yes, Mary was the one who was ill and suffering, but James’ suffering - watching the person he loves die slowly, painfully, and watching the personality of that person change along with it - that suffering is valid too, and you feel guilty for suffering because there’s “nothing wrong” with you. It almost feels cruel, because there’s nothing physically stopping you from doing whatever you want, but how can you? This is why I like the In Water ending so much - your life is taken passively, so… ?
Anyway! Great video! 😅
That was a fabulous chance to share the experience of this game again - thank you, and thanks for making it so entertaining on top of the gameplay.
This was an awesome watch and I loved reading all your discord thoughts haha. Honestly I haven't been too interested in the Silent Hill games but your excitement definitely has me reconsidering them. Thanks for doing such a great job!
take a shot every time she says "James" if you want to meet God in less than 30 minutes
james doesnt know what a question mark is HAHAHA THAT WAS HILARIOUS
I really enjoyed this whole playthrough, you have such an awesome and honest vibe, and actually take serious the game, I'd love to see more of this content, and if you play any other SH, new sub here
I love watching people play this series for the first time. I love Resident Evil, but I've always been fond of SH. The first 4 games are god-tier (3 is a personal fav). Layered, scary, nuanced and compelling. I also adore seeing everyone's personal analysis and theories because a lot I've seen are valid; the writing *warrants* analysis.
That was just magnificent. It's really pleasant to watch your attention to the game, the little bits, the explicit and implicit things, as well as it was fun to see you getting scared of the game, haha. Even though there are a lot of cuts, of course, you made a wonderful choice of when to cut and when to let the game be shown in this video, it's just very fluid and understandable.
The main thing i want to say is congratulations to you for playing and experiencing the game with care, with desire and immersion, you sure provided yourself an unforgettable experience. A lot of your thoughts and comments after beating SH2 were just something that i had never seen or realised before. I don't know if i agree with everything, but i'll be definitely thinking more about this, and all that will add to my enjoyment and admiration for this piece of videogame, which is a huge example of a heavily inspired art as well.
Thank you so much, Hannah. Just discovered your channel and really appreciate it now. Also appreciate you a lot after doing this one. Be well.
ah thank you so much!! highlights videos are always tricky about what to leave in and what to cut, but certain things felt like they had to be there as a whole.
the interpretations and different ways we can take things away from sh2 is one of my favourite things about it, and how we can have two takeaways that contradict each other but still stand just as strong. thank you so much for your comment
This is one of my favorite horror games! Always happy to see a newcomer to this masterpiece of art. Also the dog ending is the canon ending no other ending exists!
I love this video so much. I sent one clip to my friend because of how perfect it was, and then a few minutes later another thing happened that I had to clip and send to a different group of friends because of how perfect it was, and now I just clipped another thing for a different friend.
How does this video have something for literally each and every one of my friends?
“What is happening, now that I know that’s a tentacle?” It’s exactly what it looks like.
48:59 - "Horseshoes For Handles" is a pretty good band name tbf.
Interesting quotes:
James: “I’d never kill MYSELF!” - yeah but everyone else is fair game lol
Angela: “For me, it’s always like this.” - it gives us a sense of why everyone acts so un-natural all the time. All the characters in Silent Hill are having a completely different and subjective experience. James sees sexualised monsters/Maria, Eddie hears all the voices that tormented him, Angela sees flames all around her (hinting that she burned her house down to escape her abuse perhaps). But Laura seems to be having a great time in Silent Hill because she’s innocent and has no guilt. She’s also disgusted by every other character.
Silent Hill is basically purgatory. It’s one last chance for everyone to make right with their demons before salvation or damnation
I subbed the moment you took on Two pyramid heads with the executioner sword . That was boss level skill 🔥😮💨
Also love your quick understanding of the game
So... I absolutely love that you here a TV on in a room, and your comfort response was to start humming music from Persona 4 to yourself.
being thrown in the tv is a comfort :'')
What a good play through . 👍🏼 very entertaining commentary and reactions.
11037 reference! LMAO
perfectly timed super chats strike again
"...oh yeah" oh James lol
game has just the right level of jank for comedy
I really wonder how the remake and movie version will compare to this.
I just saw the whole video, omg I'm glad you played SH2 !! I also read all the thoughts you put in the end of the video, it's so cool to see how Silent Hill 2 storys grabs your head and squish squish sounds* hahahah anyways, great video again!
I just loved how you were so relatable, I’m a person that gets scared very easily so seeing finally someone like me play this game was really nice, my favorite part was when you said James ❤
The thing is that kind of terrible gameplay or really horrifying monsters is not remain in the memory, only the depressing part about the plot, is forever in your head, which gives sh2 such a sad feeling.
Just watching this after playing the remake. I'm trying so hard to like it. But then I see this and it reminds me of how much better the original is.
Love how you started off being understandably weirded out by the tank controls, but you stuck with it and it looks like it became second nature to you. As a fan of fixed cameras AND tank controls, it was fun to watch.
1:08:23 "Lofi hip hop radio - beats to kill your wife to" OMG I was not expecting that lolllll
It's always amazing to see people playing this game for the first time.
Yeah... the dog's ending should be the only canon lol
I am so glad I found this, I've been in the mood to replay the games again but just too afraid. I have laughed so much watching this playthrough like, you really remind me of myself playing games especially horror games. The random demonic screeches and noises that come out when we get scared 😂 and I cried at the end...AGAIN. the first time I played SH2 I didn't know how to react but my second time, I just sobbed during Angela's scenes and Mary's letter. You're right about the VA, the point of it was too be "cheesy" and...off putting because of how bizarre the game is. It's so GOOD, how real it is because it's awkward. And you were spot on with describing the psychological aspect of the characters too and the meaning behind them. I definitely recommend playing Silent Hill 1 and 3 since those two are connected
The awkward dialog in the rest of the game is the long con. Its so that when reality hits in the Hotel, it hits like a mountain just landed on you.
I finished watching your lets play and let me say, as a long time silent hill 2 fan, your blorbo at the ending threw me out the window. I LOVED how you dissected the characters and your view of the women in the game it was such a good read!!! I'm so happy to see more people dwelling into this masterpiece because even today there's so much you can take from this game and just like I could talk about how much of an impact the music ALONE has on this series as well HELLO???
I hope and wish you will try out Silent Hill 3 because that game is the second best next to SH2 in the series. And I know you'll like the main character ;)
This has been great to watch. I've not seen a lot of these death animations before 😅
But seriously, good fun video 🎉
Toluca Prison is one of the scariest places I've ever played. The first time I played this game, I stopped right at that point. But the psychology of Silent Hill had already captured me.
_" How can you sit there and eat pizza!?"_
12:00, It's Silent Hill, _James,_ a place where *anybody* could have. And probably had. I will say no more, _James._
Pro tip: you can open your inventory at any moment during the gameplay. So if you're getting chocked or humped to death while the red cross is indicating low health, you can open your menu and heal/reload and do what ever you need to survive on that moment. There's no reason to just stare at James dieing and reloading.
thanks, i know!! i learnt as i played :D
@@louiseyhannah I haven't watched till the end yet but I felt the need to tell you that already XD
If you kiss the monsters they can't kill you" is oddly adequate for this game
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and play this game blind and just letting my mind stew in the themes by my lonesome. Also that letter read at the end is pretty much peak voice acting.
I'm so happy you played one of my favourite games ever. Love your reactions! Cheers!
If you liked the delivery of themes from the female characters and how they interact with James, you'll love Silent Hill 3. Playing SH1 first might give you some context, but I don't think it's necessary to really enjoy SH3.
I don't usually watch whole playthroughs and skip to ppl's reaction to the twist and Mary's hallway and letter bits. But I loved this!
Also, that big open room with the gallows always gets me no matter how many times I've played. Never want to spend a microsecond longer in that room than necessary lol.
1:16:02
Dunno why but "Rules of nature" start playing in my head
Oh god that ending gets me every time. I love this game so very much
This was an unexpectedly awesome playthrough of this game. I love when someone gets totally enveloped in SH2 like this, even while dealing with things like the janky controls and goofy voice acting.
Loved how you loved it too, all the creepy parts and twists and turns and the final bits about how one should deal with grief, guilt, and self loathing. I really liked your analyses about James (read all those Discord messages) even though I have a slightly more favorable take on him. I do like how the game lets you decide how much of a piece of shit vs caring husband and decent man he was, both through the endings and your interpretation of the character. I had a thought with you discussing the Rebirth ending, it's crazy because even if everything goes well (which surely it won't, James read a Stephen King book sometime) then Mary will wake up and see the face of the man who killed her probably grinning at her on some weird island. I don't think she would like that haha. Even in the endings where she forgives James for what he did I don't think she would like that, it's probably much easier to forgive your murderer hubby when he moves on and you're staying dead vs him dragging you back to life because he decided actually I'm not done yet. I feel like the Rebirth ending is a bit unnecessary because it feels so close to the Maria ending but Maria is more interesting, but it does still have cool things going for it.
Great video. Great game. Really, how could Eddie just sit there and eat pizza?
i’m cackling at you beating pyramid head with a stick
Well,if u must know,the dog is kojima signature. the dog will forever be his well known easter egg
this was very entertaining to watch lmao
also that first Pyramid Head boss fight at 20:20 gave me anxiety, especially when PH was about to wide swing and you were just in front of it. Idk how you were able to dodge those omg
Edit:
Oh my fucking god, I didn't know that the boss kills you if in 32:03
Enjoyable play through! I'm glad you got to experience it before the remake, wish more people knew what a gem it is. No matter how high of a degree of media literacy you have with this game it feels like there's always something new to discover or interpret.
This game is a masterpiece, the story too.
Very unnerving, still unnerving to this day.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience !
This game always make me super emotional, especially that darn letter at the end holy f.
Feels great to see more people discover it, it's depth and heavy themes and masterfully crafted inner journey within James' guilt and denial.
*Me an intellectual, critiquing the video*
TSK TSK you just dont get it, you see {insert game moment} is a metaphor for {sexual frustration probably, or loss or something, i dunno im not a psychiatrist}
could you please play the born from a wish subgame version of this?
7:15 RABtoons: duh, that's how windows work
8:45 "James shut up and go in" ah alriiiiii WHOA WHO SAID THAT?
20:39 when the siren starts blaring, STOP SHOOTING
45:33 ritual
1:00:00 uh there's a poem with the empty nooses that tells you which one you need to pull
...you got thein water ending
This is a gameplay I’d always wanted you to do, but never thought to would!! It makes ridiculously happy 🎉 SH is my fav series of all time, hope you play the rest sometime!!
Great vid as always!
thank you so much!! :D
I enjoyed this video! I hope you play SH3, it's got a -lot- of stuff that relates to being a woman that you might think is interesting, with a female protagonist and horror that kinda relates to that, but it's crucial that you play SH1 first, before SH3, because it sets up SH3s plot. SH1 is also just a good game :) That said, when it comes to SH3 I would -really- suggest playing it on Easy difficulty. Not as a slight against you, I just found that out of all the SH games it had the most bullshit, obnoxious, un-fun difficulty even on normal. The riddle difficulty is fine though, as long as you don't go to Hard Riddles, because... it's insane. It expects you to have *out of game* knowledge of all of Shakespeare's works to solve THE FIRST puzzle.
Overall I agree with a lot of your analysis though I think I see James in a slightly less negative light, particularly in terms of the Rebirth ending. Going to such extremes as to invoke black magic/ancient gods to resurrect your wife from the dead strikes me as a somewhat loving act, even if it's clearly a bad idea, with how James speaks to Mary's corpse and being willing to invoke the 'old gods' of silent hill speaking volumes of his mental state.
I can see the argument for In Water being a selfish ending. I think his love, particularly in that ending, is -genuine- but he's also a complete coward for not living with the guilt. The Leave ending strikes me as the most positive ending, facing his demons, living with his guilt, and leaving Silent Hill having (presumably) adopted Laura, like Mary wanted to. It's interesting to ask the question of whether James *deserves* to leave, and live his life, after all he's done. But I think he's suffered enough, personally.
Super agree on the Maria ending being the most fucked up. The "you better get that cough looked at" comment, history repeating, James learning *nothing* is so, so fucking good. Yet they all pale in comparison to the Dog ending, the one true canonical end to SH2.
this got long so i'll put the most important thing first so hopefully it at least gets seen even if the rest isnt: you should try out Fatal Frame 1 too!! and the other good Silent Hills as well of course (so the first 4 XD) okay my original crazed ramblings will follow lol
i love that you actually put a lot of thought into the characters and story and shared your interpretations and analysis as you went through as opposed to most average playthroughs where ppl just run from point A to B. your notes from discord at the end were all really cool takes and had a lot of ideas i feel like i've not really seen before and all of which i 100% agree with, so thank you for sharing your perspective!! i love how purposely open to interpretation this game is so we get to see so many different ppl's thoughts and ideas, they are usually always very interesting and yours of course were no exception :)
you definitely should check out SH3 as well as im sure tons of other people have already said bc it's amazing too, but if you're looking for another good survival horror game/series from the same era that plays similarly i HIGHLY recommend the first Fatal Frame if you have a way to play it!!
personally, it is my all time favorite survival horror title followed very closely by SH2 (and i suspect 3 but i need to get it still) and the Resident Evil 1 HD remaster. they are all phenomenal but Fatal Frame is just very special to me bc it was the first true survival horror game i was exposed to since my parents would play it together before i was even born and still when i was little so i loved watching the "scary ghost game" sometimes X) finally getting to play through it fully myself when i was older solidified its #1 spot in my list, i cant say enough how much that game has going for it and the impact it has had on me and my tastes!
the backstory is very dark similar to SH2's and uncovering it bit by bit is so well done, the notes and especially the environmental story telling i think are very strong points for the game. there are a lot of moments/things that make you think about what ppl had to go through and imo it leaves you with a gut wrenching dread similar to how seeing angela's boss room did. the story, characters, and crazy lore are all so interesting to me and i would love to see your first time reactions to the game and any ways you might analyze it as well bc i can already tell from how you approached SH2 you would definitely have some cool thoughts and ideas!
be careful though bc fatal frame will SPOIL YOU ROTTEN when it comes to tank controls bc the "run" button is actually a "run forward" button so you dont have to constantly hold up on a Dpad or joystick the whole time and can just hold down square instead so you can focus solely on hitting left and right to turn accurately without having to hit up at the same time which always makes my left thumb hurt after a while so not having to do that is awesome, it is truly the BEST way to do tank controls and im honestly very very surprised no other games at the time copied it, just another reason for it to be my #1 i guess lol
sorry for rambling so long, if you cant tell i really love these old survival horror games a lot so seeing your first playthrough was such a joy and i would love if you did yourself a favor and experienced fatal frame as well! your reactions and commentary are relatable and funny and i really appreciate that you dig deeper to actually think about and analyze the games you play bc not a lot of ppl do, you def earned my sub and i hope you try out more of the genre in the future, if so i will def be sticking around to see and i hope you enjoy them!!
The things that scared me in SH games are the Game Over screens. I got traumatized so much from it!
one of my favourite games, i played this with my older sister a few years after it came out.
Great compliation, hope we can see more of these with other Silent Hill games, maybe?
This was such a great playthrough! Other than the obvious good comedy and editing, but you also took the time to analyze James and everyone else. I'm so glad u liked it. I played it years ago and I finally picked up again a few months ago. It's definitely an experience lol.
One of my favorite psychological horror games of all time! I really enjoyed watching you play, and appreciate you sharing your thoughts about it. I got the water ending my first playthrough too. Dog ending is true ending though, as you say!
oh my god im watching the shit outta this
enjoy eeeee!!!!
30:00 Wobbly Seven sounds like a band. 😂
It can't scare me if I make it fun. Its the best quote
In water ending is implied to be the canon ending.(it is the one picked for the SH 2 novel)
Also you should play 3 as well.
The Leave ending is the one that has the highest points associated with it. In a vacuum without player input it the ending you would get.
Perfect Silent Hill 2 playthrough! Please play Silent Hill 1 next. Then Silent Hill 3. They’re directly connected and go into what happened to the town and what the town actually does.
I really wish they would release the remastered version on Steam already.