Ok, this is not about what is the REAL ending, but your personal favorite ending. From Leave to UFO, your choice and why.

My choice is the Leave ending. Maria and In Water are also awesome, but Leave seems the most inspirational to me. Leave basically shows that no matter what happens, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Eddie and Angela couldn't handle their actions, and were driven mad because of it. James, however, was able to remember his crime, and overcome his sorrow to live another day, perhaps with Laura as an adopted child? In Water makes it feel like he was condemned from the start, and Maria makes it so he didn't learn anything.

Now, one of the more likely endings is the In Water ending, but this is just your personal favorites.

Also, it gives the idea that perhaps Silent Hill isn't as "evil" as we once thought. It had let James deal with his crime, made him a better man. Now how he had to do it was not really his cup of tea, but it gives the idea that maybe the forces in Silent Hill aren't just pure evil, but cruelly lawful. I mean, how else would a demon goddess be worshiped without some good in her?

I voted for Leave as well I guess because it was the first ending I achieved. When I played SH2 through to get the other endings they just didn't feel as right. Sort of like how you hear two versions of a song and you like the first one you listen to over that. I heard Sublimes version of Badfish over the ziggens/jack johnson first and generally I like it more. Sorry to stray away from the topic a little bit but the Leave was the only positive one and like wizardbaker I agree with the light at the end of the tunnel aspect.

Leave for me as well, and that's 3 for 3. I agree with previous reasons, also the other endings make it feel less worth going through the game.

I like what Wizardbaker said about SH being less evil than thought before. I think of SH sort of like the island from Lost. Sure, scary sh*t happens and a lot of people die, but it's also a place where redemption can be found, as well as possibly miricles.

Make that four for four.

I'm surprised. In Water fans are usually right on tops of these threads.

^Agreed, I was shocked to see all leave votes.


Leave was the first ending I got, and it felt to me like the best resolution of the endings. Each have their things I like about them, but Leave is always the one I think of when I recall the end.

I changed the all Leave Ending votes. I feel like such a troll now. Anyway, I was stuck between Leave and Rebirth, and chose Rebirth just because I like the idea of Mary being brought back to life and she and James having a second chance at happiness. I'm such a sucker for a happy ending.

I also thought Rebirth was a cool ending. It's not my favorite, but I like this ending for the slight creepiness to it. Yes, he's bringing Mary back, but how he seems to act makes it seem like he may be slightly crazier now. Which actually I find awesome in a Lovercraftian sort of way.

While my first achieved ending was the Leave ending, and I was considering that as my choice, I thought it over. I would have to go with the Maria ending. The fact that it's going to all repeat, Maria becoming sick as the ending concludes, that Maria isn't a real person to begin with, and the fact James can't let go of Mary. It's just so poetic and yet extremely dismal, even more so than In Water. It's just really fantastic.

I could almost, almost go with the Leave ending, if it didn't involve Laura. In tacking her on at the end, it becomes a half-assed "...and they all lived happily ever after" cliché.

It's impossible for me to accept that Laura would leave with James, under any circumstances. Whatever connection those two had was permanently severed the moment James confessed to her, and she stepped out of that hotel room.

So, yeah. In Water.

I see what you mean actually. It didn't make too much sense why Laura would come along with him. Still, I do think James overcoming his guilt is a nice note to "leave" on.

Oh ha ha ha, bad puns are fun.

This Topic has been done and re-done to death..and it mostly ends with a majority of users leaning towards the In Water ending....the one who posted this topic could have just seen the topic list.. i mean there's an ending thread in the First page for cying out loud!

James had a final moment with Mary, in which his issues were clarified. It naturally follows that Laura had such a moment of her own. Mary tells Laura why James did it. Laura believes Mary. Ending thus makes perfect sense.

Leave has my all time favorite Akira soundtrack, but I'll still go with In Water, because I'm a sucker for tragedies.

Sorry for straying a little off but what ending is the song promise played?

Leave is my favorite because he lets go of his attachments and moves on with his life.Maria for me is the most tragic because after that whole nightmare he doesn't learn anything, and In Water is to 'dramatic' for me.

I am confused about him leaving with Laura though because i thought she was an illusion like Maria

She isn't.

oh jeez..I have much to learn

That would be the Maria ending.

Speaking of which, to answer the question, is easily my personal favorite ending (out of the four possible canonical ones). Leave is a close second because it's such a bittersweet ending but Maria is a fascinating one because of the questions it leaves behind and the philosophical can of worms it opens. The ending for me just embodies so much of what I love about the Silent Hill universe. Rebirth is eerie and cool, and I get a Pet Cemetery feel from it overall. In Water is actually my least favorite. I remember this ending being called a glorified game over on here somewhere and that's basically how I feel about it. At least in all the other endings, there's arguably at least a slim chance of hope but in this ending, you're just.... dead. Gone. Blank. I can't even see the possibility of James and Mary skipping along merrily, hand in hand, in some afterlife as having any merit since all evidence in the game suggests otherwise (hell, even the tone of Angel's Thanatos seems to agree that James fucked himself over).

I like seeing the Maria ending gaining some acceptance. It used to be that "Maria" was a near-unanimous choice for 'least-favorite ending'. On the surface, it appears to paint James in an unfavorable light, and suggests that, in this scenario, he killed Mary primarily out of selfishness, and as a result, was rewarded with certain comeuppance. It was either the result or the cause of people not really taking a close look at everything that happens to bring this ending about, and what really may result from it happening. I still don't consider it my favorite ending, but the more I look at it, the more I think it may be the most interesting.

Don't apologize! You are certainly not the first person to have thought that.

Believe me, read up through some of the theory threads in this section and you will see just about every idea you could think of.