The Lost Version of Silent Hill 2

One thing that we never really see is the early versions of games. It’s well kept and hidden from the public for a reason, as most early versions of games are very unpolished and unfinished, experimental even. Well, today, I wanted to take a look at this early prototype version of Silent Hill 2.
Become a Channel Member - / @silenthillarchives
Discord Server - / discord
Music:
LinkStarwaves - Restless Dreams (Slowed+Reverb)
Survival Spheres - The Weight
Heartbeat in the brain - I've Been Losing You ( slowed + reverb + rain )
Letter From Silent Heaven - www.igotaletter...
#silenthillseries #sh2

[@fatalkookie]

Removing the murder sentence from the radio message was a must. So glad they've made that decision.

[@unexploredtexas5497]

Nah it’s still in there

[@Nazareeni]

To be fair it just sounds like she's saying "kill me"

[@Nazareeni]

@Sullicep-wx9ju And also for the extra hidden layer: _when_ he did it.

[@blackdragoncyrus]

kill* And they just changed the subtitles.

[@a-yam943]

@@NazareeniShe says “Why did you kill me?” It’s really difficult to hear if you don’t know that she’s saying it, it sort of just sounds like gibberish. I knew the spoiler before I played SH2 and I still didn’t hear it until it was pointed out to me.

[@tenow]

-James, why did you kill me? -Oh, right, I did, duh. Leave ending plays, the end.

[@leddarklight7566]

More like In Water. James didn't met Laura yet.

[@EarthboundX]

Since enough replies asked for it. I figured since it's within the first few minutes of the video it was OK at the time. SPOOOOOOOIIILLLLLLERSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, they were originally gonna spoil that James killed Mary literally at the start of the game? Real glad they changed that.

[@mungologgo5526]

Yeah, I like the cut-up vague radio message after you kill the first enemy a lot more. It's distorted enough that you can't really tell what mary is saying until you know the twist.

[@videoguy6966]

Now you spoiled it at the start of the comments section.

[@Pow3rus]

@@videoguy6966 the game is more than 20 years old

[@henrysmith5343]

@@videoguy6966 Why would anyone click on a video about the original SH2 and not expect spoilers lol?

[@Livi2112]

@@videoguy6966 it's literally spoiled in the first few minutes of the video...

[@DRlSE]

To be honest the one thing I preferred from the early version was the lack of sound the monster makes when hitting it, makes it way more creepy.

[@StudioMod]

I think the issue was having the pain sound effect play EVERY single time. It should have had several pain sounds be mute in the files so not every hit got a reaction.

[@DRlSE]

@@StudioMod some of the monsters yeah I agree with you. However a lot of them have the face covered with flesh anyway so it makes more sense if they don’t make any sounds.

[@leniro1000]

I think the problem with that is that You wouldn't know if yor hit landed or not. Think about it in darker areas or even in some areas where the camera is on james' back

[@DRlSE]

@@leniro1000 you would still have the contact sounds, flesh being hit etc but just not the moaning of the monsters

[@voltjoltex4953]

It almost felt like you weren't really doing much to them..

[@DaiSol89]

Has the Silent Hill 1 Early disc ever found??? Allegedly, versions sent to the guide book company had different puzzles for locations like “Nowhere” where instead of Leg counting puzzle, it was an astrological puzzle. I still want to play that version!

[@borizzle1]

It was actually shared in October last year (along with an even earlier version), you can find it on Internet Archive. It was found a long time ago, but never shared publicly until now.

[@DaiSol89]

@@borizzle1 including exclusive game strategies puzzle? I never even heard it got released! Can you link?

[@borizzle1]

@@DaiSol89 yeah it’s that exact version, plus one earlier version that isn’t fully beatable but also has many more differences

[@borizzle1]

It’s not letting me link, but go to Internet Archive and search for “Silent Hill Preview 24.11.1998 and Review build”

[@borizzle1]

It’s not letting me link but go to Internet Archive and search for Silent Hill Preview 24.11.1998 and Review build

[@returntrip5763]

now for the lost prototype/story of silent hill 3, that everyone from team silent refuses to elaborate on.

[@macrohotline8834]

You wouldn't believe me but remnants of it hidden in game still ,like that painting called "suppresed memory" and that video in hybrid of mall and hospital ,in first glance its just static but there is actually more to it like its actually multilayered video that contains disturbing stuff, if you want i can show you some stuff that i got from it with editing software. Also wierd thing that this video persists for 1 2 and 3 silent hill games ,but for 2 its was hidden in metal gear solid disc . Another wierd connection is dead body of heather in first game (it will be unreachable because floor will break under you) and bossfight with worm will start

[@returntrip5763]

@@macrohotline8834 I've never used any mod/dev menus/editors for sh3 so I've never explored it, but I'm sure it's there, ive heard it was supposed to be a direct follow up from sh2 iirc and if I had to guess what a sequel to sh2 involving a girl that would go too far to the point team silent doesn't want to talk about it, would be if the game revolved around Laura and having similar themes to 3, can't really think of anything else they'd think is too controversial to even speak on but that's just my personal theory, also yes I've seen the TV thing you're talking about I saw several flashes with movement/bodies but they're very hard to discern which I'd assume is on purpose.

[@macrohotline8834]

@@returntrip5763 weirdest thing that i found its that video features piramid head and heather , i kinda was able to iron out one moment where he literally cuts her apart, and that body that i mentioned above in first game will be also split in two pieces , maybe they planned whole story to be a loop ?

[@macrohotline8834]

@@returntrip5763 also i forgot to mention paintings in moment when tou run away from fog,they are also really wierd and probably contain something about story or maybe just questionable imagery. OH there was a big thing recently: one guy with usage of cheat tools managed to hack camera ,there was a moment in 3rd game where something wierd will be going on behind blured screen ,essentally it will be that guy who follows and revives heather mocking nurse (unique model that didnt appears in game anywhere else) that is upside down hanging

[@returntrip5763]

@@macrohotline8834 I don't think I've seen any of this, which editor are you using?

[@KALOTO_OFFICAL]

Silent Hill 2, my beloved

[@lucassinclair8885]

I'm glad that my childhood game getting even more love

[@scubbasteve8418]

I think the “shit” part, the music starting after Angela said “Oh it’s you” and the dark outside of the apartment would’ve been cool to keep!

[@ancientandbored]

Regarding the radio message, if the player really pays attention to it, they can still hear Mary saying "why did you kill me?" Not so subtle, heh? But the main thing about SH2 is not what happened to Mary but why James did it.

[@KongQuest95]

I don't know, I would've had a much harder time rooting for James if I knew he killed her from the start. And my opinion of him suddenly shifting after the video tape is an experience I'll never forget

[@Zanarkand_0]

After some googling, I found a leaked trial version of the third game. If you could do a video on that, it'd be great.

[@slowyourroll1146]

Where'd you find the leaked trial ver and what does it consist of? I'd love to play it myself

[@Zanarkand_0]

@@slowyourroll1146 it's on hidden palace. if you search "silent hill 3 trial version" on google, you'll find it. The file is labelled as: "Silent Hill 3 (Mar 28, 2003 E3 trial version"

[@FatherMcKenzie66]

The “shit!” he said when he’s in the closet would have been a cool detail to include into the retail

[@iseriouslyi1m1]

yes, they should've kept it in.

[@Kalergi_Plan_Accelerationist]

fr, it gives personality and it makes game more immersive, we all would say it in the same situation lol.

[@NSGhostbusters]

I hope this can be modded back into the game sometime.

[@ales141]

Still looks better than the HD collection

[@CrashHeadroom]

which is insane because the HD collection is useing a beta that was only 1/2 iterations before the final release XD So yeah the HD collection really is trash.

[@stuartmacher6031]

Strongly agree.

[@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005]

​​@@CrashHeadroomit looks and runs pretty well on Series S

[@CrashHeadroom]

@@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005 Then you are ignoring the giant, well know flaws it has from being 2 interations down from the retail release. I'm not sure if they have been fixed, probably not but both the SH 2 an SH3 betas were used in the construction of the HD remasters and the teams had no idea / didn't give 1 crud about alot of those missing things. They had no fog, the shaders didn't work properly, alot of the voice lines wern't working, certain puzzles that were changed on release hadn't been changed, the overlays wern't put in and the list goes on. It is a very bad, inferior release.

[@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005]

@@CrashHeadroom idk they must have patched it cause when I play SH2 it has normal fog and all the voice lines work as intended idk I didn't play SH3 so maybe that's where the issues come in

[@nelsonagarez4268]

The retail version is better at everything, except that meeting with Angela. The music not playing at her introduction is much more ominous 😮

[@EleusiusBlack]

The static in Mary's message is randomized every playthrough upon hitting the New Game button. It is rare, but absolutely possible that you will hear most of the sentence of "why did you kill me" at the start of the game.

[@xAustishx]

Is there a source for this? I've never heard her say the full message or even close to it, never noticed if it changed randomly on playthroughs or not though

[@EleusiusBlack]

@@xAustishx I can confirm in the first game, if you boot it up on either PS2 OR Emulation, that the static changes from game to game. Each save file runs off of a seed that begins upon pressing the New Game button. It is my personal theory that the static is tied to this seed, as well as other pseudo-random events throughout the game. Much of the original SH2 is calculated in real time through the emotion engine, and while I'm a technician, I am nowhere near smart enough to understand how or why things work the way they do in the software. Hopefully this helps, though.

[@EleusiusBlack]

@@xAustishx There are also other examples of randomized stuff throughout the game, such as certain sounds samples playing in certain areas, (Like whispers in the hotel) or even different endings procing from the exact same amount of "points' for each ending. (Receiving the "in water" ending by staying damaged for long periods of time is notoriously hard to nail down between sessions, for example.) I'd love to watch a mathematical breakdown on how it's calculated, but I've not found a speedrunner who's sat down and done it.

[@mariomendez7727]

Interesting if true

[@glitchdragonexe]

@@EleusiusBlack The math behind how Silent Hill 2's endings has been figured out for a while now, thanks to decompiling the PC port. A video titled "The Hidden Math Of Silent Hill 2's Endings" by Punchy covers how this works. Don't think he's covered anything like the other randomized things you've mentioned.

[@ericfrancisco6615]

I binged watch your entire channel. You bring out stuff that are absolute bangers.

[@charlottecorday8494]

They're not bangers if I can't twerk to them

[@KermaPippuri]

The fact that this build is more intact and working than the HD Collection says a lot..

[@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005]

The HD collection runs pretty well on Xbox Series S

[@KermaPippuri]

@@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005 It wasn´t reverse engineered from a finished CD but scrounged together from early beta material, so there´s issues with fog and water, textures breaking, audios being swapped around and all other type of nonsense.

[@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005]

@@KermaPippuri must of been fixed though I played the ps2 version when I was very young so I might not be remembering right

[@KermaPippuri]

@@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005 The xbox version didn´t receive any patches, unfortunately. It did run better than the playstation release but it was still bad.

[@ELIZABETHMARLONE2005]

@@KermaPippuri still better than that remake lol

[@scaryxd3483]

I didnt know about this! Honestly, I prefer the original version of how promise reprise played in the Angela cutscene. What a good video! :) just subscribed

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

Love that your uploading on a daily basis my friend love your content!

[@michaelwest3379]

This kind of seems less like an early build but a playable demo version of the game that was available prior release.

[@StudioMod]

I don't know if this was in this version, but having Pyramid Head roam around would have been a really nice touch. And the fact that so many games in the future capitalized on this stalker/roaming enemy design, I would argue it's Silent Hill 2's biggest missed opportunity.

[@Shotcuz_cc]

There is that section in the labyrinth that has a pyramid head walking around so maybe it was a scrapped idea that they threw in there

[@KasumiRINA]

Nah, this game is super scary as it is, the few areas Pyramid Head is in are bad enough, I mean Nemesis in RE3 already was following you through screens so it wouldn't be new in Silent Hill 2. Still the scariest part is prison, with that weird sound in a cell, you don't know where it comes from.

[@a-yam943]

Personally, I find that the game achieves that without the player having to SEE pyramid head. I just did my 3rd replay a week or so ago, and the tension pyramid head’s presence STILL holds up even though I know by heart which parts he is in. When he disappears, it feels like he could show up behind me at any minute, despite me knowing for a fact he won’t.

[@StudioMod]

@@a-yam943 I agree, but still, it's underused. If Pyramid Head had patrolled the parts of the apartment you're not supposed to be in anymore, it would be really creepy. Like if you backtrack to a place you don't need to be.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@StudioMod yeah maybe they should pull a Tyrant on him: in RE2 original he didn't really follow you much and far, but in Remake he's more prominent.

[@cryxton3148]

wasnt expecting a silent archive post today but im not complaining lol

[@barmbailey6934]

There is also a difference at the 9:00 mark with textures between this prototype and the final version. 9:00 The sidewalk is clean leading up to the front apartment doors 9:10 In the final version, The sidewalk is grittier and there's a long white skid mark followed up by multiple marks from possibly; Pyramid Head's Great Knife leading up to the gate.

[@MellowedGrooves]

I wonder if theres any prototype assests in the disks storage

[@pikkoblank7123]

likely, it seems that a lot of the game's content is still in it. it's just locked behind an arbitrary barrier.

[@ugandahater]

The community has been on it

[@Flybeast1]

The intro made me watch the video . I like your style. Keep up the good work

[@kwizzeh]

While it's certain that this builds up a type of myth within a community, generally these things are cut for good reason. Whether it ends up being good or even great is purely theoretical since many think about it in a very particular way and not the way the developers intended or thought of it.

[@anthonybolony2460]

I just want to say thank you for the uploads !!! So awesome

[@feedthefishy]

Your channel is a goldmine, thank you.

[@ClusterMeerkat]

Please do not stretch 4:3 image to 16:9 😭

[@footsoljier6468]

Keep in mind the difference between the Enhanced Edition and the original version. The enhanced edition changed some colors and graphics

[@PatrickWentzell-jd9gq]

I have been a fan of Silent Hill for years I've never seen any different versions of the Silent 2 storyline but am curious to know about them I'm facinated with these kind of stories the town was full of life people were nice and then cults moved into the town they conducted rituals opening doors to other worlds you can't see these passageways allowing monsters to pass through somehow Laura the girl always on the run has no contact with any of those things around that town . Thanks for the video on this can there be more of them ?

[@tylerm5431]

I have an xbox series X and I got the HD version, I know it’s not the best for a first play-through but im still excited to finally play the game for myself

[@DMMDestroyer]

Thanks for sharing this. A lot of this was not heard of before and I played it when it first came out.

[@jb2einziger]

Wow I never knew about this ! That’s really interesting I made a analysis style video on SH2 a few months back and never came across this during research, a few points quite cool about the early version I like is it’s getting dark outside toward the end of your time in the Woodside apartments as can be seen on that balcony, I think the creatures not making any noise is quite unsettling and I like that the radio static still remains after pyramid head disappears it almost makes you feel he’s still there lurking but you don’t know where.. and for the bad points it’s a good thing they changed that subtitle in the radio message too, imagine us having that reveal spoiled that early in the game haha 😂 as well as I think entering the Woodside apartments and facing forward from behind James was the right choice as the sudden change to silence and that nearly pitch black empty foyer is really a creepy moment, also maybe that change from the angle above the body that has the apartment key was to hide the face/body a little more as I remember in the making of someone says all the corpses James sees are his exact character model so maybe it was to hide it away or make it a little more obscure ? Awesome video man ! Subscribed !

[@BeegableRock]

Haha great intro, and slick production. Another aweosme video 👏

[@cmdrnbsp7132]

It's an e3 demo to show people before the game is released.

[@AceTheFallen]

I never actually connected the Walter Sullivan murder case in SH2 to the Walter Sullivan in SH4! WOW! I love that I continue to learn more details about the series each time I delve into it!

[@slimtablet396]

Thank you so much!

[@Mankey619]

Its veey interesting to see the early beta of Silent Hill 2. Great to know tge differences between the early and final versio s of the game.

[@KasumiRINA]

Nice video! I really liked SH2 but will probably never replay it because of the sirens...

[@Markus-br5zh]

I feel like the shit line when you unload on Pyramid Head makes way more sense given James's character instead of the like G'd up teeth gritting in the final version

[@theshredguitarist25]

I would insert the disc inside the ps2 ASAP!

[@Scout-Fanfiction]

❤❤❤ Thanks for showcasing this :)

[@slappytheclown4]

Man the letter from silent heaven fan site is so cool, I miss when fan sites and other sites like it were more popular back in the 2000's era of the internet. I hate how everything has moved to discord for the most part, discord sucks for everything that isn't voice chatting with your friends and I'll always hate how it destroyed forums despite discord being an awful alternative to them. I spent a bunch of time just now going through the SH2 site on wayback machine just enjoying it from when it was first created. Miss this era.

[@chriscollinsmedia]

I loved your video man, looking forward to more content by you! God bless you G 💯💯💯

[@aleks83542]

Still a better build then the silent hill hd remasters 😂

[@Toogman]

You are the greatest. Love this vid, I want more!!

[@evilcrashbandicootthetouho2753]

Actually you can skip the coming soon by game codes and pyramid head pyramid was seen in streets

[@ReiHerrera]

i wish this could happen with the earlier versions of resident evil 4 with the ghost technical demo and the combination of the fixed cameras and over the shoulder cam.

[@Thatdarnraven]

I have an even earlier version that has cut content like the roaming pyramid head

[@SILENTHEAVEN456]

Build name? Version? More information about this

[@chriscollinsmedia]

Akira is a musical legend. ⚡️

[@mightymartin6290]

The jacket also moves much more realistic in the prototype than in the final version. My 2cents.

[@DevilDogMuNky]

I first thought the video was about the lost source code of the game...

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

All these little details, man

[@andreaseriksson8121]

This game still haunts me. It was amazing!

[@normalwhiteguy1555]

Great video thanks a lot 👍🏻

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Too bad it's not longer, would've been really cool to play the full early version.

[@diddea]

Finally found my people... Subscribed instantly!

[@renemersi5209]

rare stuff thank you man!

[@TheLuisberg]

Would this restore the source they lost for the game for a possible rerelease or it wont work that way.

[@WickedXombieDigiKing]

11:50 that was probably a censored thing like appease the America rating system etc so many things changed because of western perception YET somehow re2 remake we get to see the guts of the cop spread out pulling from the shutter The japenese version no gutts

[@cstolzenberger]

Um… sounds to me like it was meant to be a demo.

[@Demigod_3scrub]

Loved this !!

[@hntr_official]

So good to see the Silent Hill fandom rise up again

[@stem7141]

Just wanted to say that I love Silent Hill. Especially 2 and 3.

[@bilelsmith6333]

😂 that's almost how my all disc's look like. Back in the day 😂

[@DogDayFromPoppyPlaytime180]

I love Silent Hill. I wish I could play that version

[@raspatrashbear]

ah yes the deep lore...

[@ubcroel4022]

To be honest, it's still mostly the same minus a few unfinished stuff since it's in a beta state. It's not that groundbreaking, I woulda been fine playing this version even if it's 'less polished'.

[@KasumiRINA]

I assume it had only the early areas available because they were mostly done only a few small touches later like spellcheck and spoiler-pass, later areas in that version might be less finished?

[@mthwr]

amazing video!

[@paulyiustravelogue]

The early version certainly has its flaws, but it was still pretty good. Or, it was already way better than the original Clock Tower game in terms of sound effects and music.

[@TheAufziehvogel]

I'm diving into this channel the past few days and enjoying the content here much. Ist may sound stupid but is this channel somehow connectet to blameitonjorge? Voices of the narrator are eerily similar.

[@jaycarver3260]

Where you can download the game??? Couldnt find any links

[@TR-707]

tons of this stuff floating around. when you worked at videogame magazines youd get a game like 6 months or more before release to start writing reviewa or guides. I got to write a review of Interstate 76 for pc gamer Korea and they gave me an alpha version. same for KKnD and Magic Carpet. you do agree that you wont spread it on the net or physically through. i assume with all the konami hate someone just leaked it finally

[@SILENTHEAVEN456]

There is a full version of this build

[@mceehammer4185]

so you mean the first version i played was the old one? whoa

[@Lulzykek]

How did you get the game to look so dark and more grey? I love that

[@ennard9638]

i don't know if i'm crazy but i can't find the download link anywhere

[@SullySadface]

Didn't they end up reusing that voice line? I could swear I've heard him say it at some point.

[@KaiiWinter-nw4vi]

Thunder Bay was supposed to be Silent Hill . If the Russians and Oghamites hadn•t "deconstructed" it , it would have cohered into it on its own . --Se

[@KaiiWinter-nw4vi]

Instead , they gave us the cartoonized and wacky "Outlaws of Thunder Junction" .

[@gumistockbot3444]

The Jacob Crane Edition.

[@JonathanCantore11]

What is the music that plays from the beginning of the video, right until 20 seconds into it? I've heard it on another video, but this time on Gameological Dig's video about the significance of whales in Dishonored and eversince, I haven't been able to find it. Can you please tell me the name of this track? It would be much appreciated, thanks

[@silenthill3soundtrack]

all the music is in the video description, i think it's the first one

[@JonathanCantore11]

@@silenthill3soundtrack no it isn't, I checked and that's not it, but I found what I was looking for. It's Silent Hill 3's save theme.

[@PrimeDecanus]

Silent Hill 2 is still the best horror game ever made, the game gives me sad depressant vibes and hopelessness, no other game has done that to me.A lot of it is the music, the art and graphics especially some of the monsters like Abstract Daddy, Pyramid Head and the nurses.

[@Reject101Personal]

It's obviously just a demo

[@FatherMcKenzie66]

Holy shit whaaat?!?!

[@ГеральтизРивии-ь6п]

In e3 trailer Mary instead of Maria

[@SILENTHEAVEN456]

Hey hello. Thank you for the video. I have a cutscene from this version on my channel. Can you compare, I don’t know any differences except the text at the very end

[@And1User1987]

the wrong spelling of the word welcome reminds me of resident evil 2. i wonder if there is a connection or if it is coincidence.

[@stefos6431]

Silent Archives, where can we download this Lost Version at? Thanks

[@SILENTHEAVEN456]

It has been available for download for a long time

[@DREMONEYSNIPER]

Wow insane had they not removed that line that James killed Mary, it would have changed our whole perspective on the game if we saw it as a masterpiece or not.

[@tumado7304]

Sad that ,bloober team is ruining the remake ...sad times to live in ...

[@ivangutierreztellez803]

then its not a lost version it is a f**king demo.

[@shortking-vp9vv]

Something about the original delay of Promise (Reprise) just really hits the spot. I dunno what it is about it, but I love it. Also, to everyone who thinks it isn’t a big twist that James killed Mary, and they could have kept the spoiler up front… well, some of us are dumbasses and were blown away by the revelation 😭

[@agamaz5650]

HD collection was the beta released

[@Jdudushs]

Vids starts at a shocking 3:57

[@AStupidID]

Super interesting

[@Theottselmaster]

Its a more complete version then silent hill "HD COLLECTION"

Fuck i hav to play it i have this game but i never played it!

[@Hugo_Tate]

the song you have playing at 0:00 for a couple seconds, wheres that from or what's it called??

[@ugandahater]

It's the save/load menu theme from silent hill 3

[@TronixGuy93]

This one is less difficult to find than the racist Persona: Revelations, but nonetheless hard to get.

[@Lackooo84]

Why do you show us a 4:3 game in 16:9?? It looks disgusting with that ratio.

[@gegedamourify]

Looooost ?