I wanted to get some opinions on Born From a Wish. I'll start out by saying it's been a while since I played the scenario, so my memory of it is a little hazy.
I didn't think it added anything to the main game. Why is the manifestation of James running around doing fetch-me quests for Ernest (was that his name)?
As deep, disturbing, and thought-provoking as the main quest is, I didn't feel this bonus game added anything extra and was pretty forgettable imo.
But a lot of you know the Silent Hill Universe inside and out, so feel free to educate me as to why I'm incorrect (or, you can agree with me if you wish
I always saw it as she was a manifestation taken from a real person, and until she finds her purpose, she thinks she still is the person she was made after. So... she does all the junk just to find out what the heck's happened around her.
^
Like SpaceProg said, Maria is confused and her memory is not quite clear. Ernest pretty much tells her why she exists. Of course after she gets items for him.
[img]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i309/Juridawn/Graphics/DouglasSig.jpg[/img]
[i]"And everything seemed to be going so well...."[/i]
Okay, I get all that but... I don't think it adds anything to the story at all. Personally, I liked the idea that Maria materialized right when James met her. Other events in the story seem more fulfilling. It just seems like some crap thrown to make you feel all special... WOW, BONUS MATERIAL!
I know that Konami loves to do this kind of thing with the unlockables in Castlevania, but Silent Hill 2 is no Castlevania.
I think if Team Silent wanted to add bonus quests, maybe time trials or a boss marathon or a fetch quest or something outside of the story would have worked better for me.
Eh, I thought it was a nice little extra, but to each their own. Extras like in SH3 would have been interesting too. Clothes, weapons (other than the Chainsaw et al), and the like.
I'll have Born From a Wish over "boss marathon" or "fetch question or something" any day.
I thought it was great in defining Maria. Even though she's a manifestation, she's got her own soul. Without the extra, we would speculate Maria is just a mere illusion created by James/Mary for James' guilt trip. With Born From a Wish, her actions and words are proved not to be just empty reflection conjured by her creators' mind--her (twisted) existence becomes defines, making the character worthier of a study.
Her character is much more complex with Born From a Wish. When she points the gun to her head and tosses it away, it evokes all kind of mental scenarios:
Disgusted by her own existence, she attempted to kill herself. However, she decided to meet James because:
- She wants to see a living person in the midst of this madness and confusion.
- Her background (as Mary) longs to see James.
- Her background (as Mary) despites James and wants to make him suffer.
- She acts according to her fate. This "fate" is possibly created by Mary/James as a way to punish him, to wake him up to reality.
Without playing Born From a Wish and thus, not having insight on Maria's existence, her character is eerier. By seeing her resurrected over and over, the players would think of her as having no soul, and just is a ploy of James' journey. I admit that having no Born From a Wish, Maria's character is good, in a disturbing way. But having played Born From a Wish, she is less disturbing but more psychological. We can speculate whether Maria knows she's going to be killed over and over or not. If she does, did she play her role because of hate, of fate, or of love? Anyway since you're supposed to play normal game without completing the extra first, you'd get to experience the eerie Maria; then after you've completed the extra, you'd get to know Maria more. It's a win-win and thus I vote YES for Born From a Wish.
Indeed. In a way it makes Maria yet another tragic character in SH2, alongside James, Angela, and Eddie. There was a real personality, a real human behind the manifestation, and she's created and thrust into this role and she has to accept it.
I heartily agree with every word amphreded said, and I would add that Ernest's fetch quest is deeply related to one of the endings that was added to the same versions as Born From A Wish... I think those are the same versions.
I loved the Born From A Wish game, I only wish it was longer.
I thought it gave great information and insight into who Maria is apart from James. And she was more than just the "temptation" figure as in the overall game.
I love this extra mini-game and would be pissed if my copy didn't have it. The main game isn't scary really but the mini-game creeps me out. I also love the extra info on Maria. I wish all the games had something like this.
I personally thought that it was pretty unnecessary since it was so short. I never did understand the purpose of it. It's just my opinioin.
I honestly wished that I wasn't so stupid on selling my original for the greatest hits version. Talk about glitches.
Born From a Wish was a great chance to stay in the SH2 world just a little while longer (ie. solving puzzles, exploring, feeling the character's emotions) and it fleshed out Maria a bit. It made me like her more and the end of the senerio really caught my breath. It was worth playing but yes, if you think about it, BFaW really was just an added part of the story and that fact may cheapen the experience for devoted fans like us. But when given the chance to play it did we turn it down? I don't think so. We knew what we were signing up for. Born From a Wish get a thumbs up from me.
