I couldn't disagree more with a lot of the above. It's a visual treat but that's about it. Much of the important little things and nuances are either gone or misinterpreted for the worse. Most importantly, the tacked on (and simplified) Callisto Protocol esque battle mechanic is an absolute slog to the point it drags the entire game down with it. The original had what was effectively a defense mechanic to protect the player from ambient environmental hazards which served an aesthetic and narrative purpose; the remake goes for game-ified enemy encounters as necessity. These are in no shape or form the same, and it misunderstands what's so compelling about Silent Hill 2. James is a video game character, but he's presented and is engaged with like a person. Remake James plays as a video game character.
It's a very frustrating drawn-out experience. There's nothing 'new' in the game, it is exclusively drawn out enemy encounters and otherworld sequences ripped straight out of Homecoming which were in-turn ripped straight out of the movie. They're horribly paced and entirely straight forward fetch sequences wherein player gets obvious key item for obvious door; there is no longer any player/game friction as the locales are no longer 'real human spaces' but video game stages. Enemy gauntlets run just about wild in the final third of the game. The forced battle arena shower room exemplifies this. Not only that, it's poorly balanced and the enemies play typical "stop hitting me" tactics replete with teleporting attacks and morphing hitboxes of convenience. They behave the same way, every encounter plays out the same way, and the way the game enforces it as a necessity removes all horror and tension. There is no surprise, there is nothing on the line. James will circle strafe game dodge karate-kicking mannequins and knife wielding nurses who simply go "okay, you will give me a turn to attack now, I will teleport through and shank you." At times it's actually glorious in a funny way, which is also sad. I love difficult games, I love being challenged. 2 remake is not either of these things. It is a test in patience out of necessity to provide an expected gaming experience for battle mechanic fixation.
It is fundamentally still stuck where Konami wants the series; it is everything that currently performs well in the upper echelon of the industry. It's a shame too, because the presentation is spot-on for the most part. When you aren't battling forced enemy waves or traversing fun house stages, the game is pretty well excellent and gorgeous to look at. Masahiro Ito's creature designs are fabulous as they've always been and perfectly reflected on screen. If only it wasn't an 8 hour game essentially stretched into a 20 hour slog of mirrored repeat Callisto Protocol-lite enemy encounters, and truly flat character acting and direction out of Maria, a central core aspect of the game's aesthetic and narrative. Angela is alright, and Eddie is very memorably Eddie. Laura is not only Laura but fantastically acted and her chemistry with remake James is very good. James is James until he isn't. Mixed bag of the century.
This re-interpretation, as much as it gets right, Konami unfortunately sat in the background pulling their strings and filing teeth down to the halfway point. I will say, however, it is much better than The Short Message. Travesty of the century. I can live with 2 remake being the former rather than latter. That's it, that's all.
