If you have an X-Box and want more horror games for it, you owe it to yourself to get this port of Silent Hill 2.

User Rating: 10 | Silent Hill 2: Inner Fears XBOX
PORT VS ORIGINAL

Back when the X-Box first came out, I couldn't help but quiver at the sheer number of first/third person action shooters being released for the system. For a long while I was beginning to think that there would never be any survival horror games released for the system, especially not original games rather than direct ports and director's cut edition. While this prediction of mine was dead-on however, I found at least one survival horror port worth getting and Silent Hill 2 Restless Dreams is that port.


Seeing how this is a Port vs. Original review, I won't focus too much one what makes or breaks the game such as plot and music unless it's different from the original release.

There are some changes in the case of Restless Dreams to the original release of Silent Hill 2, but what little changes there are in Restless Dreams assists in Silent Hill 2's original presentation.


Graphically, the game is 99.8% magnificent. Something that bothered me about the original's presentation was that SH2 was an early PS2 release, thus any and all dramatic moments failed to be presented at the appropriate pace. FMVs in particular displayed odd character speeds where characters would move faster than humanly possible.

The FMVs in the X-Box version correct this however as every character moves slowly enough so the movement looks realistic and in some cases adds to the drama on a subtle level and the PS2 crispness of the FMVs are softened up for an easier viewing experience.


In game graphics have improved immensely in this version as the slow and clunky inventory screen fades in and out quickly once entered which eliminates the stodgy item navigation and usage. This also saves the trouble of waiting for the inventory screen to fade out while leaving a thick black screen that took a second to fade out which wasn't a fun addition to have when the player was engaged in combat in a dark area, something that occurs very often in a good Silent Hill game.


The flashlight looks surprisingly realistic in that the light it shines is not followed by a soft blocks of light as it was in the PS2 original and is actually a clean-cut circular light and every characters eyes were so reflective that even in absolute darkness a James' eyeballs would glow brightly in the dark.


Game play wise, the control layout will take some getting used to as the run button is automatically assigned to the black button and having the strafe buttons occupy two standard buttons does feel a little weird, but like the original, the controls can be mastered and it certainly doesn't take too long to get into.


As I mentioned, the XB port actually assists in the game's drama which is due to the X-Box's speed of presentation. A moment that made me realize this is when James is alone and seats himself against a closed elevator door after leaning against it. In the original, the elevator audibly starts its ascent while he's leaning against the doors, but visually starts moving after he seats himself.

This was actually fixed in the X-Box version so that after seating himself the elevator's sound matches its action which made that part of the game all the more effective.


Sound wise, there has been a few changes, particularly in that James' pistol now has the same sound as his hunting rifle rather than its original 'crack' of gun fire, but such a change is easy to forgive as one would expect a pistol to have more of a loud 'POP' or 'Pakow' to be more elaborate.


The game's biggest selling point of change is that you can now play in a succinct scenario in the high-heeled go-go boots of Maria, James' seemingly sole supporting character throughout his ordeal. Though Maria's scenario introduces a few new and unused songs to add to the music, the additions add a unique flavor to the experience as monster themes seem to have a different beat.


It's also very fun to note that Maria swings her arm in attack and stomps on dying creatures with a genuine grunt of panicked disgust which adds to the credibility of her character and in general sounds pretty realistic.


Maria's scenario fills in only a few plot holes that the original left open solely for the sake of the player figuring the causes of the story to themselves. If anything, her side-story informs us of little details that only leave room for more questions, but it's hard to be bothered by it because the scenario's story line has enough evident care and fine touches to its frame that it proves that the writers and developers cared about sub-game.


If anything, the game answers the question as to why James never got to wield single-handed melee weapons beyond being on a personal level: Maria swings her cleaver just a little too slow at times and it can make combat rather dodgy.


My biggest complaint with Maria's scenario is that her sole firearm takes away from the credibility somewhat. I find it hard to believe that any gun company could develop a .38 caliber revolver that conveniently holds 10 rounds in the cylinder similar to James' Baretta holding 10 rounds per clip and I also find it a little too convenient that Maria's revolver sounds exactly like how James' pistol used to sound in the PS2 original with the signature 'crack' of gunfire. But what the Hell, the sub-game's still a fun experience.


Also, try to understand that I know full well that the PlayStation2 Greatest Hits version of SH2 offered the Born from a Wish scenario, but I'm reviewing this from the perspective of port contrasting to original, not port of a port contrasting with original.


Port vs Original. Winner: Port


I'd hate to sound like an anti-horror game purist, but the aesthetic graphical differences demonstrated in the X-Box version makes the main gaming experience of playing as James absolutely perfect, particularly in he minor places that needed it.

The sub game in which you play as Maria does seem like an odd tack-on in retrospect, but it's certainly a welcome addition to the gaming experience and a very unique and interesting sub-game in general and was certainly worth playing for its different perspective in story and atmosphere.

The minor graphic fixings are nice even if Konami never fixed the glaring flaws in having James walk up and down stairs without ever bending his knees or having his weapons go through backgrounds, but now I'm just rambling.


So if you are a horror gamer and just happen to own an X-Box, then you owe it to yourself to obtain Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams. It may feel the same and pretty much is the same from the PS2 original, but what few changes there are have significantly improved the original experience.