A remake of one of the most thought provoking games to come out in the past 20 years, Silent Hill 2 is firing on all cylinders.  The main protagonist is James who is drawn to the sleepy town of Silent Hill because of a letter he received from his dead wife.  He starts to notice that things are a little bit off with the town and starts getting into ridiculous hijinks with no explanation whatsoever.  The citizens are now crazed disturbing creatures and the world is a dilapidated mess.  It’s not really a survival horror game but more of a come-to-terms-with-reality-and-grief game.  It still is probably my favorite game in the series.

Visuals:

I really loved the way the original game looked.  The film grain made it look grimey and dingy back in 2001 which really wasn’t an aesthetic yet.  The remake seems to strip that out with the fidelity granted of modern systems but the atmosphere is still there.  The fog is dense and the world is super detailed.  No two places really seem to look the same.  I’m not really a fan of the character models since they look like CGI models come to life.  I feel they could have done better but it doesn’t take me out of the world enough to be a problem.  

Audio:

Good lord is the audio in this game something else.  Just walking around the town you feel the dread of the game in every location.  The music swells which makes you think something is following you only to drop off with no payoff.  I don’t know if I should be upset or not but my heart gets going.  The environments also give off the creep vibe pretty well with the enemies grunting and squishing everywhere.  Playing with headphones doesn’t help because now everything is directly piped into your earholes.  It really is amazing.

Completion:

I’m still working through it and got to the new apartments.  Everything kind of seems to be where you left it 20 years ago.  There have been a little changes here and there, besides the visuals, but nothing that’ll fuck up the story.  I’m curious to see how they’ll handle some of the weirder aspects but I’m gonna keep playing.  Like I said, this is my favorite game of the series and it still holds up.

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It seems like most games in the “Ghost of” series start off with some really tragic backstory because Ghost of Yotei is no different.  You begin with your family being murdered and immediately set out on a quest for vengeance.  You’ll traverse the land surrounding the Yotei Mountain looking for the gang of ruffians responsible.  Throughout the land you’ll find secret locations, find scenic views to paint, platforming challenges, and many more.  Besides the Yotei Six you’ll also encounter bands of thieves and scoundrels who want nothing more than to end your life.  Luckily the land is also populated with quest givers which will help you become even more powerful to help you on your quest.

Visuals:

Good lord, these games know how to make a sweeping vista and how to make them look extremely grand.  I don’t know how the land of Japan looked in the 17th century but I totally believe it.  The characters also look believable with special emphasis on the main characters and villains being exquisite with no semblance of the uncanny valley.  The world looks so serene which sucks with how much violence is throughout the land.

Audio:

This is a game the utilizes a “less is more” mantra while wandering through the land.  The wind is basically the only thing you’ll hear with flora and fauna being the other sounds you hear.  When action does pop off the immersion is great because the soundtrack picks up and the intensity goes up a few notches.  This game just feels serene.

Completion:

I’m currently working on this game because I feel this will be one that I want to 100% like I did on the previous release.  I’m enjoying the world and just wandering around.  I haven’t really meant much of the characters but I have an idea what this game will entail.  Atsu’s character is hell bent on destroying the Yotei Six and I’m totally down to accompany her on her journey.  Good luck, lady!

Update: 03/25/2026

I FINISHED THIS GAME! It was a fun game and a lot of what makes this series shine was on full display throughout the game. I think I’m kind of done with this franchise, though. Unless they make something completely new, I am completely content with just these two games existing. Now to keep playing it though!

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Where to even begin with describing this game.  Let alone the sequel to one of the weirdest games of the last decade.  I’ll try.  Death Stranding 2 is a delivery game at its core.  You take possession of packages from one location of an apocalyptic and destroyed continent of Australia and deliver it to another while getting a grade at the end.  Along the way you’ll have to either fight ruffians or the spirits of the dead who want nothing to do but drag you down with them.  You can improve the traversal by creating generators, bridges, towers, and a multitude of other things.  Mostly, you want to create roads which help you go through the barren wastes.  That about sums it up.

Visuals:

Man, I didn’t realize games could look this good.  It’s an overly beautiful game with sweeping vistas and character models that look so goddamn lifelike.  Everything is just supremely superb and there really isn’t much to say.

Audio:

Like the visuals, there isn’t really much to say other than this is a basically perfect game from an audio standpoint.  The sounds of the world, the voice acting, and soundtrack are just 100%.

Completion:

I FINISHED THIS GAME!  It took me almost 40 hours and I rushed to get to the ending but it was well worth it.  The story is just as bonkers as before but it makes sense in this world.  It was a very satisfying ending and makes me hope that should they make a third one it’ll be different enough to make the series fresh.  I absolutely enjoyed this game.  I dunno if I’ll go back to it at a later time for I felt I got my fill, but it does scratch an itch no other game does. PEKO!

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