DF Retro: Silent Hill 2 - Horror Perfected on PS2/Xbox/PC/PS3

[@Kem1kal13]

There was a good franchise here. It's gone now.

[@lt-yx1hx]

Well said, brother

[@CyborgSodaCollects]

Fuck Konami

[@-pressxtostart-]

OOOOOH SNAP! You genius.

[@gahmuretvanbegonia994]

somehow i'm happy it ended i ignore all others

[@RIELSG]

Last good SH game for me was The room. Homecoming was just ok and the rest is crap.

[@BioTroy]

Ah yes 2001, a truly fantastic year for games. Silent Hill 2, Halo, Metal Gear Solid 2, GTA III the list goes on!

[@TheJuup]

I hope we get DF retro of MGS2 because it was a technical masterpiece, but yeah, 2001 was insane

[@ashleyredacted3553]

Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry, Paper Mario

[@KGRAMR]

Sonic Adventure 2,Melee,Pikmin,and more.

[@Astfgl]

Of course most of those weren't released in Europe until 2002. That's one thing I don't miss from those days: crappy delayed PAL conversions.

[@zyleaayner411]

+Faizan Ali Metal Gear Solid 2 does imo. :V

[@DaveVoyles]

"On PS2 however, the entire soundtrack is sequenced by the PS2's audio chip, rather than pre-recorded and played back as a digital audio file. The system plays back defined samples in real time." I didn't know this!

[@mrmrkostas000]

Dave Voyles yeah, that's really interesting :o

[@JohnVmc2]

Maybe this explains the weird audio bug that ocurres in the hospital on the PC version. Honestly, i finished the PS2 version two times in my life, but i pleyd SH2 for the majority on the PC, and much of the thing they called out in this version here i actually never notices, expecially the 60fps cutscenes.

[@idoltrash7]

That actually happens with other PS2 games, like Haunting Ground where the music changes tempo.

[@MrMario2011]

Just now finished watching, definitely my favorite episode of DF Retro. One thing to keep in mind with the HD Collection though is that the game is about the same as playing a beta of SH2 and SH3. From what I know the source code for the final retail release was lost but the company had access to some unfinished code for the games, so they had to go through the effort of understanding the code, porting it, and fixing up glitches which were already fixed in the retail build. Couple that with the fact that Hijinx Studios wasn't the type of company to do this sort of thing and we get... Well, the Silent Hill HD Collection.

[@jeremyhamilton6623]

You watch DF AND nothing,nowhere.? A man of taste as well I see

[@casedistorted]

If they just reverse engineered the game it would have been better.

[@Satans_Financial_Advisor]

I bought SH2 when it first came out (2001). I rushed through about half of the game, barely paying attention while surround by people during the day. It seemed interesting, but I sold it off shortly after. In 2008 I came across it again while in a local game store. I bought the game for a second time. I took it home and started playing it in the middle of the night, by myself with no distractions. I played every night, in the dark, alone for a few hours for about a week straight. When it was all done, I knew instantly I had just witnessed a masterpiece. Like any true work of art it is not perfect, however even the imperfections add to its beauty. I believe this game needs to be played just as you would read a classic novel. Alone, silent and fully immersed.

[@gertrudemcfuzz74]

Couldn’t agree more! Had a very similar experience with it when it came out. One of the greatest games ever made.

[@iancruz6617]

Had a very similar experience on silet hill me not interested when tried it but soon i tried it with the conditionbit needed for the bst expeirence.

[@chrisvillan88]

Couldn't agree more with this. This is how I experienced it for the first time as a teenager, and played through it again last week for the first time since my teen years and felt almost how I did back then. This game has to be played in the dark and with headphones on.

[@JmanRising]

Silent hill 3 needs a DF retro too, It's even more technically impressive on PS2.

[@JmanRising]

MN. Still an impressive looking PS2 game ;) Also good luck finding the PC version for a reasonable price since it's rare.

[@JmanRising]

MN. Good for you. Most are better off finding the orginal PS2 version now though since it's alot cheaper and easier to find.

[@ocelot-sensei4384]

Jman Rising Yeah, the character models look even better than some games on this generation. Team Silent was talent af, they should get back to make a newer game to the series. We need folks like that in game industry.

[@agamaz5650]

i have the pc version I feel like a god lol

[@GugureSux]

The PC ports are practically abandonware at this point, and Jewnami has never given shit for the series in the first place. Hell, no modern system (besides PC) can play any version of SH1-4 natively any more! Thus, you should not feel too worried about "pirating" these games, and spreading the love.

[@scoundrel8440]

Nowadays, I would recommend the PC version with SH2 Enhanced Edition. It restores PS2 graphical features, fixes a lot of bugs, upscaled, remastered or remade full screen images, and more.

[@InternetListener]

2024, yet another SH2 launched...

[@antiquefuturistic]

Just play the PS2 version on the PCSX2 emulator. Its HD perfect

[@kelserus]

This is such a great episode of DF Retro. I bought Silent Hill 2 for PS2 shortly after it was released in 2001 and from the opening cutscene, it blew me away. It instantly became one of my favorite games ever. I locked myself in my room, skipped school and work and played well into the night. I got the "su*cide" ending and it haunted me for weeks. It was really the first game I had played that had touched upon that subject in such a serious and somber way. Years later, when the Xbox version with the "Born from a Wish" side story included was released, I traded in the PS2 version of SH2 towards the Xbox version. I still have the Xbox version to this day but this video makes me deeply regret that decision. The PS2 version, on a CRT TV in a dark room is clearly the way this horror masterpiece is meant to be played.

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

I'm surprised that John didn't point out the HD Collection's biggest offense: Comic Sans.

[@lplumptree]

The scariest font. On a gosh darn wooden ranch sign mind you as well.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Agsma, Just Agsma I like Comic Sans.

[@xazisay3355]

@@justanotheryoutubechannel no

[@superbikeaborad]

Every Sunday I look forward to this excellent series. Silent hill is something else as well. Something about it, just so interesting.

[@phamquanghuy8000]

Pabla Digital Check out Retro Ahoy too

[@superbikeaborad]

Huy Phạm Quang Cheers, I love his gun documentary.

[@waitwho3074]

I'm sure no one will ever read this but I wasn't aware of the issues surrounding SHHD collection. Because I never played those games before, but the collections are on sale right now so I did some research and I discovered this whole controversy. That being said SH fans, you have my indispensable and total support! I feel your pain because a game I really like has been censored for no reason since it got added to the BC program on Xbox and it's Resident Evil ORC. Now all the digital version is censored and a lot of things have been cut which makes the experience worse if you ever played the original release. They even updated the Xbox 360 version like wtf... Imagine a game you bought digitally 10+ years ago and then it randomly got censored... Unfortunately the community doesn't really care since REORC is not a beloved game, but I'm still pissed about it. Now the only way to play the uncensored version of REORC on the Xbox platform, you need the actual physical copy and a real xbox 360 console. Which luckily for me I still have both of these but my digital copy is forever messed up and they will never fix it. And the worst of Microsoft is still advertising REORC as the uncensored version, they didn't even update the pictures... Wouldn't that be falsely advertised? I've been thinking about this for years, but I'll be finally making the switch to PC. So many similar stories with the console market these days and it keeps getting worse. I always played on PC but never had a powerful PC.

[@chainsawkitty404]

I read somewhere that Konami actually lost the source code from the PS2 version so when the new company started porting the game, they used alpha or beta code. So when porting and debugging port issues they had to debug the original issues. But it just shows how poorly Konami treats their IPs.

[@ubcroel4022]

I wonder how the heck you lose the masterpieces code

[@Matt-hb7tu]

Folder/SIlenthill2/Mastercode Are you sure you want to delete? Yes Imagine that

[@baroquechevalier8516]

@@ubcroel4022 i actually think they didn't lose them (because how can you lose sth like that) but destroyed them instead because they no longer serve a purpose to them.

[@tsukopara2054]

ubcroel It was a very common thing in video games prior to the middle of the seventh generation. Likely because remasters weren’t such a big deal & there was such a focus on new IPs/franchise entries throughout all of the sixth & the first third of the seventh generations. So people didn’t really look after source code.

[@yagokain4189]

It was actually not a common thing to do everywhere, japanese developers (excluding kojima) were the only ones who always deleted or just completely forgot about the original source code, it was so bad at some developers like squaresoft, they lost the source code half a year after the games release (read about final fantasy 7 1998 pc port )

[@cday131]

Nobody bothered to properly port this to anything. To me the original Silent Hill on Playstation is more visually impressive. All the gritty detail they managed to fit into the inherent pixelated graphics of the system and using the system's own limitations to their advantage makes it a technical and artistic masterpiece.

[@ultraturbo1669]

cday131 Agreed. That's why I still have my original copy of Silent Hill 1 !

[@StrazdasLT]

On PC, you can play it fine without porting, so theres at least that.

[@xunshen9656]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@Paulo1973CBR]

Now you have it

[@InternetListener]

2024, do you still care?

[@Quist25]

Digital Foundry is easily one of my favorite channels on KZbin, and is one of the few channels I actually feel inclined to donate to. I was born in 95’, so the PS1 and PS2 were the consoles I have the most memories with. I greatly appreciate the DF Retro subset of videos, and both Silent Hill and Resident Evil are among my all-time favorite series of games! Keep up the great work, DF!

[@simonuk1213]

Rewatching this in 2024 after finishing the remake. Had the original on PS2 and it still looks brilliant. Still one of the best horror games to date after all this time.

[@Main710]

I think this is the best episode of DF Retro yet, and that's saying something. Great work!

[@alexp-de]

still the best Horror Game today

[@19HajimeSaitou91]

yes

[@19HajimeSaitou91]

You know, there is average, good, great and masterpiece descriptions... SH2 is masterpiece.

[@stefanboltzmann1520]

dead space 1 best horror game

[@19HajimeSaitou91]

always loved these side offtop guys with their top 10 crap, they think their big bullshit written nearly 10 minutes means something and someone will even read that crap. Truth is -- get ur dead space and stick DEEEEEPLY into UR ass. have a nice day bye 👋

[@alexp-de]

Dead Space involves way too much shooting to be a horror game in its essential form like Silent Hill is.

[@Ty6opk]

15 years... and it's still looks OK today... damn... that's what i call art design and dedication to your work

[@1stMarDiv4341]

One thing I'm extremely grateful for is never trading in my video games as a kid/teenager. Still have every Silent Hill game up to PS2, all Fatal Frames, Clock Tower, and The Thing. Currently midway through Silent Hill 2 after a long hiatus and can't believe how well it holds up.

[@Fatboyzombie]

I love Silent Hill 2 one of my favorite games of all time

[@Clesarie]

John I absolutely love how on the point where you have a disclaimer pointing out that the black should be absolute black I was sitting here thinking "they are are absolute black" I couldnt tell the difference between the black bezel of my tv, the black bars to the side of the 4:3 picture and the blackness of the actual game. I've got a Sony x930c. It doesn't have Full Array back light dimming but, it has the absolute best black uniformity out of any LED lite lcd on the market that came out that year. All this retro gaming however, makes me wish someone would just make a 55" 4:3 OLED tv with a nice low native resolution of 640x480 / 480p/i. Throw some svideo, rgb and component ports on it and call it a day.

[@ponyboycurtis3458]

Just get a big used crt

[@chemergency]

SH1 - Scariest SH2 - Best Story SH3 - Best Atmosphere and Gameplay SH4 - Er... Well, it's unique and weird and creepy in its own way, kinda underrated come to think of it, even if it is mostly inferior to the previous games Origins - Meh Homecoming - Bleh Shattered Memories - Hey this is pretty neat! Wonder what the next one will be like? This might just be what the series needs, and it has a good story too Downpour - What the fuck HD Collection - Bad ports, I think I'll stick to the originals Book of Memories - Boooooriiiiiiing PT/SHS - :'( Pachinko - JUST

[@pcgameboy8407]

SH2 was both scariest, and had the best atmosphere too.

[@baroquechevalier8516]

I'd say SH3 is scarier but that's just me. It combines the disgusting and psychological elements from both SH1 and SH2

[@2la84me]

@@pcgameboy8407 I think SH1 and 3 has better horror IMHO. SH2 is most definitely fresh but SH2 oddly enough plays too good? The music just makes me sad instead of scared. I play SH1 2&3 in the same period of time and SH2 has the best story yea but not the best for scares. I'd say the only thing that got me was seeing Red Pyramid head that first time.

[@2la84me]

@@baroquechevalier8516 I agree. It also has the most -Replay Value -Shenanigains after the 1st run -Bullshit creepy horror - Music usually fitting the mood or forcing one.

[@pcgameboy8407]

@@2la84me Oof, you are very outnumbered on that opinion, and i disagree with it completely, but respect your opinion still.

[@genroa3881]

Today, SH2 "Enhanced Edition" fan project restored the pc version to almost what the PS2 version is, with a lot of improvements (modern resolutions without visual problems, better fog and shadows, restored FMVs, proper gamepad support, ...). If you wish to play on a modern platform, this is now considered to be the best way to play it by the community.

[@sean8102]

Glad to see SH2 Enhanced Edition mentioned in a top comment. It's incredible how much those guys have improved the old PC release. Modern Windows support, widescreen, restored the audio files and the pre rendered video files to the same quality as the PS2 version, improved the fog to match PS2, restored 3D positional audio on modern Windows, plug and play support for xbox controllers, and most recently they AI upscaled pre rendered images (things like the map, or the images used for many of the puzzles

[@vergilhilts8082]

PCSX2 is better, sorry. Better audio quality, 100% correct visuals, 60 FPS FMVs and bug-free. EE introduced new bugs and needs to be installed.

[@genroa3881]

@@vergilhilts8082 if you've seen these videos, you know the original PS2 version also had bugs of its own. Also, the pcsx2 emulsion of this game really sucks.

[@vergilhilts8082]

@@genroa3881 What bugs exactly? I did not have a single bug over the course of 6 years on PCSX2. The only bugs I can think of are the animation glitches after skipping some cutscenes, but they literally last seconds and have no impact on the game. Whereas EE has looping audio bugs, muted music bug, incorrect savegame picture bug during Maria's scenario and others. Also, PCSX2 has improved drastically with recent builds and even supports Vulkan, EE does not.

[@genroa3881]

@@vergilhilts8082 ...so you didn't watch the videos. You...should. It is pretty self explanatory, a lot of what EE fixes is also present on the original PS2 version.

[@Mahogany_Vince]

Gotta do an update to this video now that the Enhancemed Edition mod for the PC version has pushed out it’s last big update, it might be the best way to play the game now

[@roger3dfx]

The DF Retro series are really well produced. Please, keep up this great work! Cheers from Japan.

[@mfRoge]

John, I just want to say that I greatly appreciate your work on DF Retro and DF as a whole because your enthusiasm and love for gaming is apparent from the quality of your content and the way you speak about the games in question. I used to think lowly of retro games, especially ever since the last couple generations have passed but watching you has changed my perspective and you've given me a newfound interest in going back to play retro title to appreciate the love the devs put into them. Thanks. P.s. In a recent video, I think you said that you don't wanna make your videos too long but honestly I love the long videos you guys make because you're able to flesh your thoughts out better and give us even more juicy details.

[@ahmz1404]

Silent HIll 2 had amazing atmosphere, which is another reason I loved The Evil Within so much, both did great things with lighting.

[@ultraturbo1669]

ahmz1404 Being a long time Silent Hill fan I was very surprised at how much I loved The Evil Within. I liked The Evil Within so much that I bought it on PS4 , Xbox One and Xbox360. Just to show support for old school style horror games.

[@fluidthought42]

I dunno, Evil Within felt like RE4 to me. Don't get me wrong, RE4 is a great game, but it's not Silent Hill.

[@ahmz1404]

To me it felt like a mix of Resi4 and SH.

[@Nick930]

Thank you! Totally agree

[@TheKeithvidz]

i owned both

[@DennySchneidemesser]

Fantastic episode! I re-experienced the newer PC port a few years ago and always thought it was lacking a few things, this finally explained it all!

[@Birmanncat]

Yeah, play this game in PS3 or Xbox "HD" collection, that is a true horror indeed.

[@mbsfaridi]

ROFL!

[@noobdebusca1757]

Hahahahhahahhahahahahhah

[@lordshemp3324]

There was even a bug in the HD collection that replaced the textures of Maria's eyes with the textures of her teeth... yeah.

[@Birmanncat]

Bugs enhance the experience.

[@NovaPrima]

+Lordshemp well that sounds appropriately creepy.

[@pmurph1]

I was getting withdrawals from DF Retro and started getting stupidly concerned that there wouldn't be one this week but oh good was this worth the wait. One of the most important video games I ever played. I'll watch this later, thanks for all the hard work! Wish you could do more of these but so much work goes into them that I realise one a week is already a lot. Thanks again.

[@MrEdcar007]

Silent Hill 4 is underrated as balls.

[@rbvsrg]

You absolutely right.

[@memes4195]

silent hill 4 was good but fuck those ghost.

[@jonathanxdoe]

+1

[@rbvsrg]

E Rodriguez Ghosts in the 302 was very creepy D:

[@lds_drive]

I still remember chilling in my shitty apartment, looking out the window cause the front door is locked and I'm not ready to go back to the alternate dimension just yet. I see people outside. I see cars. I think even though I can't get out, I feel the safest by my trusty window. Then suddenly, a decapitated head slowly falls down right in front of my eyes and I mean slowly like it's defying gravity. There is no sound effect, no fast moving objects. Just this guy's head falling down. One of the most terrifying moments in videogames ever!

[@TheCivildecay]

Silent hill HD remaster is like printing a photo, scanning it in again, compress to GIF and a quarter of the size, and print it out at full size again.

[@refractionpcsx2]

Wondering if the upscaling on PCSX2 messed up the videos, you could try enabling the "Switch to Software mode for FMV's" Gamefix in the emulator settings, that will probably solve the FMV issues :)

[@dark1x]

I just tested this based on the advice of another and, yep, it does fix it! I'm not hugely into the emulation scene due to my weird love of playing on real hardware so I appreciate the extra tips and tricks when I get those details wrong! Thanks!

[@KGRAMR]

You're not the only one who prefers playing on real hardware my friend :)

[@refractionpcsx2]

No problem John :) Another fix thanks to FlatOut on our forum, if you use one of the new "Git" builds (nightly ones), you can use the OpenGL renderer and enable the Unscale Point Line hack in GSDX, which also fixes it :) I'd recommend using OpenGL anyway, as long as you don't have an AMD graphics card as it handles post processing effects much better!

[@DJBV]

RefractionPCSX2 im a huge fan of your work you guys helped me play all my old ps2 games since i sold my ps2 back in 2006,and with better quality it still not perfect but unlike dolphin most games run much better

[@refractionpcsx2]

DJBV Thanks but I'm a bit upset that you sold your PS2, which means you are making use of our emulator illegally :(

[@CJTranceAddiction]

Silent Hill 2 is truly worthy of being hailed as one of the greatest video games ever created. The gameplay perhaps wasn't revolutionary, but the entire experience was incomparable to anything else. Story, visuals, art design, music, characters, atmosphere....man, those guys nailed it. It's so damn good that it's one of those crowning moments where there is just no way the guys would ever be able to top themselves. Graphics would improve, but the overall feels and concept of this game was truly astonishing. ALmost 20 years later and the story still is still unforgettable. This is one game I will NEVER get rid of (I have the GH PS2 version....the added Maria conent makes it even more valuable.)

[@NicolasSilvaVasault]

the undisputed horror masterpiece, even tho silent hill 1 is still my favorite, sh2 fucking great storyline and atmosphere, is superb, and it will never be defeated

[@si6ck]

You clearly don't understand silent hill, and you clearly don't understand life. Life is bland and boring. But lacking personality? Mate fuck off. I've played the remake and it lacks a shit ton a personality. For instance, Horrendous Voice acting, terrible plot.

[@NicolasSilvaVasault]

***** hahahaha okey kid, you have a better perception of what the hell horror and tension is, hahahahhahahahahhahahaha

[@NicolasSilvaVasault]

***** silent hill lack of creature design?!?!?!?! what a dumbass you are, the reason why silent hill is so incredible and popular amongst horror fans, is because every single enemy in the game is disgusting and ressembles every bad aspect, sins and memories of the main character, and also, how can you compare a resident evil game (pure action) to silent hill (thriller), you disgust me

[@si6ck]

Holy shit you're so stupid. If if Resident Evil is becoming an action game, it's still full of Shock Horror. How can I take you seriously, when one, you are spanish, and two, like fucking anime, not just anime, but Death Note and Fucking Naruto. Just fuck off, people like you are the reason Trump is still winning.

[@ajsingh4545]

Amnesia says hi

[@TheFahre]

Just you including the "Overdose Delusion" track from the Original Soundtrack made me so happy. Thank you, thank you so much.

[@Leesin6767]

PS2 will always be the best console ever created, that custom tech architecture was very nice :)

[@nezxd5516]

The Boring Station 2 is the worst system of 6th generation consoles.

[@ashenone3050]

@@nezxd5516 keep malding

[@GlazeonthewickeR]

@@nezxd5516 Utterly maidenless behavior.

[@MadX8]

I love the PS2, always will. But I do think the OG Xbox deserves more love, it was such a unique and amazing console too

[@Leesin6767]

​@MadX8 100% agree, bro. The OG Xbox was a beast.

[@michaelwhite5641]

Another great episode of DF Retro. I've never heard of the next game being covered, hasn't stopped me looking forward to it. Great work John (& team??)

[@JohnRyder-]

Im still dreaming of a perfect port of the PS2 version in HD.

[@freefalling2earth]

I wish Konami would learn from capcom that this is what fans would love. Can we get an official petition going? Or a fundraising page?

[@limemyth]

enhanced edition exists, no need for konami

[@vergilhilts8082]

pcsx2 with reshade is superior to EE. Better quality audio, visuals and unchanged FOV (with widescreen fixed by zooming the screen) 60 FPS FMVs as opposed to EE and bug-free.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@vergilhilts8082 Your information is out of date. A year or so after this video the Enhanced Edition restored all the missing effects (even the shadows) and has even surpassed the PS2 version quality wise.

[@Juzu89]

Silent Hill 2 was one of the first games I played on the PS2 with my sister and we went "Holy fuck! PS2 has incredible graphics!" and then NONE of the games released later looked that good. Goddamn you Silent Hill 2!

[@emmathepony1992]

put it this way the fog system in the original PS2 system isnt even implemented in games these days

[@Daigon95]

well the fog system were used mostly in 5th and 6th Gen, mostly bc it hid the pop-ins, textures still rendering, and the horrible draw distance. ESPECIALLY the draw distance. Now I wish they used it in games a lot more today just for atmospheric purposes.

[@CaptainPsychopath69]

Mafia 3 seems to use it quite a lot /s

[@CaptainPsychopath69]

***** I know, it was just a bad joke

[@Jigsaw2383]

Its way better now a days, killzone, uncharted 4, arkam city (pc) and a few more.. Unreal engine 4 which I'm using, can render really amazing fog (nice particles and alpha renders)

[@2drealms196]

Fog requires high fillrate and bandwidth with the framebuffer. PS2 unlike Xbox and PC has a small but very fast 4MB internal framebuffer that allows it to generate these very bandwidth demanding effects like very thick multilayered fog (demanding at the time relative to the hardware). So in a few respects PS2 had hardware advantages compared to top end PC gpus for several years.

[@jc4446]

Man great job on this video , so good explaining the mood and uniqueness of this game. I played it for first time when I was 18 and it definitely stuck with me. I'm 32 and went back got a ps2 off of eBay and a copy from Amazon and replayed it this past summer. Great experience again. So sad but it hits home with a lot of people , never have connected with a game like this , for sure ranks with classics like metal gear, RE, and tlou ... you know it's good when you play it and the experience sticks with you for, months , even years after . Great job again

[@Ablequerq]

Silent Hill 3's graphics and art direction was pretty good too.

[@milovarquiel]

This is by far the best DF Retro video, awesome job and shows how much love you have for some games. Kudos and a round of applause to this great video and their creators.

[@jayt4533]

I bought this game one day one too. I was 16 at the time and hearing you talk about how when James stands in front of the mirror and you're waiting for the real time graphics... I did just that. I had just replayed silent hill one before buying this and after the opening cut scene I though the scene was still going until I saw james was just standing there, I looked at my friend and decided to move the analog stick up, when he moved up and we realized it was the real time graphics we both let out a "holy shit!" at the same time. lol

[@butchdeadlift7551]

I'm playing the greatest hits version in 480p on an E01 backwards compatible PS3 on a 32" 4:3 HD CRT. It's incredible, and one of the best ways to play, imo. I tried every setting to force 480p on an actual PS2 using OPL/GSM but it was messed up every single time, so I dug out my E01 PS3 with a broken disc drive that I picked up for $40 thrifting, cleaned it up, installed CFW, and have been playing this for the past 3 days.

[@Crazelord91]

I was so impressed how good this almost 20 year old game looks. Played it for the first time last year with widescreen and 1080p as the only graphical improvements emulating the ps2 version, and its atmosphere and visuals were so immersive.

[@freefalling2earth]

How do you do this? Do you have a link to a website? Is this done through in emulation on PC?

[@awake7586]

​​@@freefalling2earthuse NetherSx2 on android if you have a high to mid range phone

[@EldritchAugur]

This is an outstanding breakdown of the different versions of the game clearly done with a good amount of experience with each version. Extremely impressed, well done!

[@nostalium]

15:19 The original voice actor sounds angelic while the new voice actor sounds grumpy.

[@LtSlapnutz]

Ahhhh... man.. when the music kicks in at 7:15 .... so many memories of this game. Such an awesome soundtrack/composer.

[@nav2Max_Light]

Now the best version is Silent Hill 2 Enhanced version on PC with update 8 !! Almost perfect !!

[@tonhão_yt]

Great video!! I really like the approach that df gives to retro games. I appreciate the fact that they talks about emulators too. We can learn much about games and game conversions. Great work!

[@EposVox]

These episodes are always fascinating and now I know if I wanna play SH to go w/ the PS2 version. Thanks! :)

[@Dakobra_]

Great video! I have always been curious what the differences were between the PS2 and Xbox versions of Silent Hill 2. Now I know. Thanks John and Digital Foundry! Also, cool shout out to Twin Perfect

[@Paulo1973CBR]

I m here after playing the remake. Masterpiece

[@jddeluxe2242]

Dude your videos are so indepth.... and I love it. That last part about playing a CRT took the cake. Keep up the great work my friend!

[@DaveVoyles]

21:30 Hi, it’s Dave from 5 years in the future! We have OLED (LG CC) panels today which can finally reproduce deep blacks, and thereby making this game beautiful again! Although I cannot vouch for the terrible remasters on PS3/Xbox 360

[@VOsaki]

Amazing video. Love to see how Silent Hill 2 has created this level of love and passion on its players. This is, and will always be, my favorite video game

[@Heikki360ES]

What a wonderful series, congratulations DF!! For me SH3 is the best one, at least technically. I can still play it today and get amazed by the visuals. Specially the character models and faces... wow.

[@RMMachinimas]

I just played through this game for the first time in one big sitting for Halloween on my PS2, and on my CRT and gosh the original game is such a great looking game for sure

[@Bakamanzz]

The "HD remasters" voice acting is what I woulds refer to as cheap anime voice direction: Over done emphasis on breaths and pauses, over acting in general. While the original is very much naturalistic(it was shot that way as well with motion capture, then re-dubbed), to help sell the performance as real so that when things go unnatural it can feel surreal, especially with the original 60 fps visual FMVs. Its a perfect one to one with all of your senses to create that experience the original creative team was after. Its why someone like Troy Baker, a talented vo actor can fail in every aspects. For comparison check out his work on Final Fantasy 13 to say Infamous Second Son. Voice acting is an art form that doesn't get enough credit and what is worse is the people behind the Direction of those VO artists never herd to the ears of most gamers.

[@destructivecactus]

Thanks for another great vid! Re: the bad noise effect on PC - I fixed this by adding my own noise effect with ReShade. Worth a shot!

[@Shezmen88]

Oh digital foundry...I love you ;D

[@martinweizenacker7129]

I realize this video is two years old and nowadays you can get the PC version patched up to have PS2 fog, PS2 quality sound effects, PS2 quality FMV and PS2 like noise filter. The only thing that's currently still inferior are the shadows.

[@DogCheese420]

Martin Weizenacker Do you know of a good means of obtaining the PC version by chance? I’ve been looking everywhere with no luck.

[@henshin587]

and now it has soft shadows:)

[@JimmyCougar]

@@DogCheese420 Do what you want, cuz a pirate is free. You. Are. A pirate.

[@samixalam_]

Did the Enhanced Edition Community patch not exist when this video was published? I played with that recently, pretty much all the PS2 effects are back including the soft shadows, and it plays amazing at 60fps with a gamepad

[@GugureSux]

Necroposting a bit, but seeing that this came out 8 years ago, E.E. mod was either still at its infant phase, or not even a thing just yet. A lot has happened since then.

[@werewolfy6]

It's your best episode, I already watched it twice. Thanks!

[@gureguru4694]

PS2 is a beast it seems

[@KGRAMR]

Even the Dreamcast had a edge in graphics over the PS2,compare Grandia II on DC and then the PS2 version.

[@noobdebusca1757]

But GameCube and Xbox came one year after PS2, PS2 is a unique piece of Hardware, games like MGS3, FF12, GT4 , God of War , Soul Calibur 3 has graphics to make GC/XB jealous

[@gabrieleriva651]

As someone who had Xbox and GC, no. GC and Xbox were far, FAR more powerful than PS2. Just look at Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Forza Motorsport, Windwaker or Resident Evil 4. SH2 was just a case of lazy japanese devs who couldn't be bothered to work on a foreign console.

[@noobdebusca1757]

Mike M Yes is 48GB/s, really impressive for that time

[@2drealms196]

PS2 had higher fillrate than even ps3 and pc videocards for many years. That is because it had a 4MB internal buffer with incredibly high bandwidth. PC videocards (still to this day) from AMD and Nvidia don't use internal frame buffers. Unlike the PS1/PS2 which were designed by Sony's Ken Kutaragi, PS3 gpu ended up using an Nvidia gpu without an internal frame buffer. Why didn't they have Ken Kutaragi design the gpu again? Kutaragi actually did design the original PS3 gpu but it was based off the Cell processor. They decided they wanted to support their mulitbillion dollar venture into Cell processors and planned to use a Cell processor for the cpu and gpu, but it soon became apparent Cell processor would make a bad gpu, and had to quickly switch to Nvidia mid development to allow developers access to the finalized hardware specs so they could work on games and get the PS3 out to market on time. Xbox 360 was custom designed and utilizes a 10MB framebuffer, so ironically its sony's competitor that has the hardware specs to run that fog in its full glory.

[@szymonchojnowski8040]

Oh God, Silent Hill 2. You haunt me to this day... I finished this game once and it completely destroyed my perception of horror games and movies. I was 14 maybe 15 when I played it and it took me like two weeks. I was so scared that I played for only an hour, maybe more maybe less and I had to turn of the PS2 and turn on the lights. The lighting, Pyramid head, the fog, the SOUND (yeah, with capital letters). The atmosphere of this game was truly crushing and stifling. Oh man, I had nightmares because of this game. For a while after that trauma I stopped playing/watching horrors. Then when I started to play other horror games I noticed that I wasn't scared anymore. To this day I can watch a horror movie and not get bothered by it. I mean Silent Hill 2 traumatized me so much that any other game or movie seems completely mellow ;) What a game... "In my restless dreams, I see that town... Silent Hill. You promised you'd take me there again some day... but you never did. Well, I'm alone there now, in our special place... waiting for you." - Maybe some day Silent Hill, maybe some day...

[@meghterb]

Amazing video. Thank you for making a video on such a legendary game. I still can't, and will never, believe how bad Konami handled the HD Collection. Shame.

[@arkhamknight616]

Dude I never really understood your videos... Until you did a video on one of my favorite games of all time... Mad respect dude...✌🏻

[@TheBeird]

The ending of this game made me tear up. Granted I'm an emotional wreck but that don't discount how raw and powerful it was. And it was the LEAVE ending, the only one that makes thematic sense.

[@salvo27]

For what we discover in SH3 and especially SH4 seems that developers got the IN WATER ending as a canon but officially no ending is the real one except for theories and fan favoritism. To me,as weird for some things it is,the IN WATER ending is the real one so SH4 makes much more sense.

[@Dawnoh506]

I just beat the game yesterday for the first time. My ending was Leave. I see it as the “good” ending. If the game is some sort of purgatory, it’s the heaven ending.

[@anteprskalo1894]

Probably my favorite YT channel. Another amazing video!

[@EmmBee27]

Surprised you guys didn't bring any attention to the sign at 17:51, which uses Comic Sans instead of the original font.

[@LoStraniero91]

The next DF Retro should be about "Shadow Man". A great game which was ported across different platforms (PC, PS1, N64 and DC). And you should also add "Shadow Man 2" has a little bonus. I just love these DF Retros. Keep them up.

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

To anyone who wants to play the PC version, he mentions SH2 Proxy but I actually recommend you download Aero's widescreen fix. It comes with SH2 proxy and as the tin states gives you widescreen.

[@dark1x]

I'll have to test that again, but when I used the wide-screen fix, it simply cropped the top and bottom of the image. So you did get a proper aspect ratio without distortion, but it was missing some of the image. I included some widescreen footage of the PC version in this video too. I suppose it might be preferable to black bars for many, though.

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

Seems to be working for me aside from the occasional visual glitch, but knowing how funky the PC version is it probably differs for every computer. I'm honestly amazed it runs at all because there were like a billion hoops to jump through just to get it working on later XP computers/Vista. Which is frustrating because it's the only copy I own, though I do have a PS2 lying around and a great CRT and knowing it is the rare instance of a (mostly) superior version I kinda want to see if I can't track down a copy. I'd be curious to play it in its original form, even if it doesn't have the "HD" look. From what I've read, you can get the FMVs working in PCSX2 but only in Software mode, which means you can either have the FMVs but no custom resolutions and the like or ditch the FMVs while having all the additional bells and whistles. So it's up to the user. Oh, and I just have to say that Silent Hill 3 IMHO may be one of the best looking games of its console generation. After I heard the HD Port was so terrible I modified the PC version to run in 1080p at widescreen and holy crap, it still looks great. I found it ironic that when I played it next to Homecoming, there were some areas that Silent Hill 3 looked better despite the diffirent times of release and different gens of hardware. Perhaps the models themselves were better in Homecoming, but the characters in SH3 looked so much more lifelike in terms of texturing.

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

I may have found a way to fix the FMVs for PCSX2. I can't really test it until I find a copy of the game myself (I'm one of those stingy people who only uses emulators with a legal copy.) but maybe you could try? It says you need a dev build, but if you use the OpenGL mode for the video plugin and scale the internal resolution and then go to "Enable HW Hacks" and then in configure hacks select "Unscale Point Line." Secondly go into Emulation Settings, untick "Preset" at the bottom, and then select "Switch to GSdx software rendering when FMV plays."

[@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421]

I got the PCSX2 version of the Director's Cut, and the only technical problem I noticed was that a handful of FMVs (for some reason it's only the ones with Angela in them) that froze for a few seconds while the music continued.

[@Wogle]

I still have my original review copy of this. Such a fantastic game.

[@hemogoblin69]

That sounds like a treasure

[@MrLESLO]

Probably your best episode John, well done.

[@NGameReviews]

I would actually say that Silent Hill 2 on PC is now one of THE best ways to play the game with the Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition mod. As the mod restores almost all of the same effects (fog/shadows/grain/DOF/post-processing are near identical to the PS2 original). It also has proper widescreen and high resolution support.

[@usul573]

If you can only get used copies for $250, IMHO that's when there's no fault in alternative methods. That's bullshit.

[@NGameReviews]

@@usul573 u mean the pc version? You can easily download it for free. I think the website's called myabandoneware or something. It's pretty legit and they only have games that you can't purchase digitally.

[@usul573]

@@NGameReviews Well yes, I argue that if the only way to purchase is an overpriced purchase of a used game, then going that route is morally ok.

[@NGameReviews]

@@usul573 And the game is nearly 20 years old too (released in 2001), so imo its more morally justifiable to download it today compared to when it was fresh. Besides being rare to obtain.

[@usul573]

@@NGameReviews Yeah if you buy an overpriced used copy, none of your money is going to the developer or publisher. Plus I have no disc drive, and getting older games to work can be difficult. If a game is available on steam or gog or EA origin or something, I am happy to purchase it.

[@jdx66]

I love these DF retro videos. You guys are doing a great job. Kudos to the DF team.

[@aterikasedi]

Came here after the Silent Hill 2 remake announcement?

[@aquamidideluxe5079]

Thanks, fine folks at Digital Foundry, for all these great videos. They are an invaluable resource for people looking to know which version of a game they should check out.

[@mrsmith366]

I think DF retro should do a metal gear solid 3 video so "THUMBS UP" MGS3 started on PS2 as a exclusive Then MGS3 Subsistence came with extra features and improvements Then There's the HD edition on PS Vita / PS3 / Xbox 360 And finally the 3d version on the nintendo 3ds So im curious what the differences are and which is the best version.

[@JorgeMartinez-dp3im]

Loved the video guys. You guys are the gold standard in graphics comparisons.

[@johnbartender3451]

Pcsx2 is back with a vengeance. Its really good now

[@vileindividual]

So glad you mentioned TwinPerfect John, more people need to know about what happened to the SH series

[@kaska456]

I accidentally clicked this in recommended, I do not regret hella intresting

[@dalton2k538]

Very helpful video. I've been thinking of picking up Silent Hill 2 for years, and almost got the HD version. Thank god I did not. Luckily, I have a launch PS3 that still plays PS2 titles, so I'll just grab that version. DF Retro is the best thing that could have happened to Digital Foundry.

[@PostLagone]

There's an Enhanced Edition mod that basically makes everything as good or better than the ps2 version

[@larsalpha398]

for me still until today one of the best videogames ever and the best silent hill game ever made. thanks, great video!

[@coolbrotherf127]

The character models are very impressive for 2001 standards. Compared it to other console games of the era like Halo which had much more boxy models.

[@vergilhilts8082]

All running on a PS2. :) Older console, better graphics.

[@coolbrotherf127]

@@vergilhilts8082 Well the Xbox was technically a more powerful console which has great looking games like Half Life 2, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, and Forza. The main reason SH2 could be so highly detailed for the time was because it used a very small draw distance and environments to make sure the 3D models on screen could have a relatively high poly count. Other games with larger draw distances like Halo CE had to lower poly count per model for larger draw distances and maps.

[@vergilhilts8082]

@@coolbrotherf127 Technically more powerful but nearly all multiplats somehow looked better on PS2. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Prince of Persia trilogy, Beyond Good & Evil, Matrix: Path of Neo, Burnout 3, Hitman 2-4, Harry Potter games, Metal Gear Solid 2 and many others look better and perform better on PS2. Xbox has framerate drops in MGS2 due to overwhelming particle effects and PS2 had much higher pixel fill rate + memory bandwidth than Xbox, along with 16 pixel pipelines compared to 4 on Xbox, and Xbox was locked with DirectX 8.1 API, whereas PS2 could choose whichever it wanted. Shadow of the Colossus has no fog, huge open environments and is more detailed than any Xbox title, not to mention HDR and sublime lighting quality. Xbox version of Matrix even lacks normal mapping, bloom and downgraded lighting from PS2. Games like PoP: The Two Thrones have missing godrays and lightmaps, bloom and downgraded shadows/VFX on Xbox.

[@Jaiysful]

This is an amazing video analysis of the game. There is a lot of attention to detail and good knowledge of the game. Fantastic job.

[@Iroquois2688]

Do Silent Hill 3 next PLEASE!

[@agamaz5650]

yessssss

[@newtmonkey]

Great video, and I agree 100% with your comment at the end. As a huge horror movie (and game) fan, getting an OLED was a game changer for me.

[@WeskerSega]

I love how Silent Hill 2 Enhanced Edition has managed to turn the initially lackluster PC version, which back in the day stayed behind the original console versions (ie, not the HD Collection ones), into the current best version of this game, even superior now to the PS2 version. I wonder what's the opinion of John Linneman now? Never understimate what a PC game can manage to achieve.

[@sunray2818]

Sorry the overall visual result is just close but not exceeding, 30fps FMV and worse sound can't be remedied. Most PCs now does not have a standalone sound processor and that can never be fixed.

[@SeiyaDLuffy]

@@sunray2818 now the 60 FPS FMVs and PS2 audio are on Enhanced Edition on PC bro

[@The92Waffles]

These segments are fantastic, I hope you never run out of material to cover!

[@wesleybcrowen]

Isn't Silent Hill 2 from HD collection an earlier beta version of the game that was used instead of the original because the original source of the PS2 release is lost?

[@ArabianFreedom]

Yes.

[@pmurph1]

Tried to google around for this a minute ago, not that I doubt you but do you have a source for that?

[@tsunimokitr]

WesleyB Crowen It is true.

[@GugureSux]

Actually old ALPHA builds. But really, using that as an excuse is so sad, since BluePoint studios, the guys behind the brilliant HD ports of GoW and MGS series, did NOT use any source-codes. They literally took retail PS2 discs, ripped all the data out of them, did some tech voodoo to reverse-engineer working "pc versions" out of them, and then did some more magic to enhance them and get them running on 7th gen consoles. When HiJinx and Tomm Hulett were asked why they didn't do the same, they hadn't even heard of such techniques, and assumed it would've taken too long. Well, BP did their entire MGS HD Collection in two years, and that's FIVE games in one (MG1 and MG2 are included w/ MGS3); SH HD Collection took a bit longer than that, and ended up being shit.

[@ArabianFreedom]

Teemuslayer Are you sure that it did take them two years for that?

[@StefanoDurden]

Digital foundry, time to update this video with the latest updates of the enhanced edition on PC. I know it's an old game, but we the gamers need your help to keep this legend alive

[@golbibulbus5183]

I think you should redo this with the presence of the Enhanced Edition mod for the PC version and test the game on newer TVs and monitors such as miniLEDs, which I hope produces accurate backlight for black areas too. I never knew Plasmas had glowing that would ruin the game, OLEDs really are better than Plasmas are they? It's a good thing Plasmas discontinued in 2013 in favor of OLEDs though.

[@lukessummerguitar]

YES!!! Finally a proper retrospective. Love this channel, keep up the fantastic work Digital Foundry.