I didn't find anything related to this on the forum. If it exists and/or belongs to a particular SH2 review topic please move it accordingly. Thank you.

https://gamebias.wordpress.com/2015/02/ ... al-horror/

This is a particularly negative review of the game that I have found quite interesting to read even if I like the game a bunch.

It basically amounts to the critic not being able to click with the game because of its level design & plot structure though he enjoyed Mary's letter in the end very much.

I really do find his opinion interesting even if I don't agree with it. It doesn't come out as trollish or insecere which is why I wanted to share it and see what fans might think of it.

Have a nice day.

He's obviously not played that many Horror games, can't see why he would call the scares in SH2 'cheap' if he had.

Besides that he is reviewing a game that is 14 years old, so he should be reviewing it as if it were 2001 as far as I'm concerned.

Of course certain aspects of the game come up short when compared to current games. That's to be expected.

I've got a copy of Doom on the SNES, I could do a review of that and rip it to shreds, but that would be silly, a bit like this review.

SH2 = Cheap? Give me a break.

It's been a while since I have played the game but you are right... I don't recall SH2 relying on cheap scares.

I guess he may have been referring to the typical camera angles in which you turn around a corner and a monster just pops up and hits you. (I do remember one in the apartment building with a mannequin but that's the only one and I love it).

As for the date his point seems to be that already back in 2001 you could have done without the typical tank controls. My knowledge of that is limited. I didn't play a lot of games from 2001 (I grew up mainly with point&click adventure games from the 90's and the PC games similar to SH2 that I played - like Tomb Raider- had tank controls as well).

^I see where you are coming form with the tank controls. If you were a fan and player of survival horror at the time it didn't matter, most people were not bothered by it. Illustrated further by the fact that SH4 overhauled and got rid of the 'tank controls' and it failed to add anything to the game. Whatever the pros and cons of SH4 are, I rarely ever see or hear the controls coming into it. I wouldn't even have cared one bit if they had finished Silent Hills and it had tank controls in it, it works for SH. It may be archaic but most SH fans don't care as much about the controls as other things.

Wow, this review was just... Wow.

"Cheap scares"? Really? As many times as I've played this game, it still gives me chills.

As far as the controls go, they may not be perfect but they're not frustrating like other games.

And for the "apartment level" nonsense - sure, it's a stop that has nothing to do with Mary but it's still necessary. Problem one is, in order to get to the hotel, you have to get to the other side of town but it's blocked off - the apartments are the only way through. And problem two, a more general thing, if we could get from the observation deck to the hotel without any detours, the game would be too short and boring. I'm surprised he didn't complain about the prison or the sewers too.

One thing we can agree on though, the letter from Mary in the end is beautiful.