Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams impressions

[01.15.02] » Same as it ever was.

   As if the original PlayStation 2 release of Silent Hill 2 wasn't already good enough, Konami shortly thereafter announced plans for an expanded version of the game to be released for the Microsoft Xbox. While the additions sound good in theory and indeed make the new edition the game to have for those who haven't already played it, the result is somewhat disappointing for those who are already fans of the game.

   Of course, it could have been worse, had Konami simply rushed the port to production and come out with a subpar version. Instead, the Xbox edition (which carries the new subtitle Restless Dreams) is an extremely faithful version of the PS2 game, with only a minute tradeoff in graphic quality. The light sourcing from James' flashlight is slightly better on the Xbox, while due to a different video codec in the two systems, the few FMV cutscenes have suffered a mild decrease in sharpness. (See our comparison photo for yourself; the PS2 screen is on the left while the Xbox image is on the right.) On the plus side, the ability to turn off the noise filter from the very beginning is a nice bonus; while the scratchy filter added a certain seaminess to the already disturbing landscape of Silent Hill, it's nice to be able to see clearly how good the graphics really are.

   Nothing new from a gameplay point of view has been added to the main quest, though the button layout of the Xbox controller can make it awkward to access the inventory for some. The real interest for those who have already completed the game is in the new subquest, "Born From a Wish." Though the new mode, which stars Maria as the playable character rather than James, is engaging enough, it's disappointing in a couple of respects. First, despite Konami's claims that the new scenario is 4-6 hours in length, it can easily be completed in a little over one hour. The other disappointment is that since "Born From a Wish" only features one puzzle to speak of, one might expect that the developers would make up for the short length with a story that gives more insight into Maria's character--but the story of the new mode is surprisingly non-specific to her, and could easily have featured any of the other characters from the game.

   Again, those who haven't experienced the unique dread to be found in Silent Hill 2 should go with the Xbox version simply by dint of it containing more material. Everyone else, though, would do best to head directly for the rental stores.