History YMMV / SilentHill2

* ScrappyMechanic: It's very minor from a gameplay standpoint, but pressing any buttons while examining an object or location will immediately cancel the flavor text. This includes the controls for movement, making very easy to accidentally close dialog boxes before you can read them if you were on the move, and James has several thoughts and observations that he will not repeat if you missed them the first time.

--->''"James...you made me happy."''

--->''"For me, it's always like this."''

* TaintedByThePreview: Initial reception to the announced remake has been very...mixed, to say the least. While there are those that are cautiously optimistic, detractors have been ''very'' vocal about the perceived missteps being taken: from the fact that Bloober Team is working on the remake ''at all'', to the shift from fixed camera angles to over-the-shoulder camera, to how James looks and sounds.

** In the "Maria" ending, James's line "You'd better do something about that cough..." and the way it's delivered has been interpreted differently by players. It could either be concern (i.e. "You should see a doctor."), or a subtle threat ("...or else.") Either way, each interpretation implies a different kind of tragic ending for the two.

* HarsherInHindsight: At one point in the game James must jump into a dug grave with his name on a tombstone. In ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' Frank Sunderland once told Henry Townsend that his son went to Silent Hill and hasn't been heard from since. However James's true fate is ambiguous.

** "This town is full of monsters! How can you sit there and eat pizza?!"[[note]]James's reaction to Eddie's reluctance to find Laura because he's too busy eating a slice of pizza. It's one of the only moments (at least, intentionally) that's played for laughs. Not even Troy Baker as James in ''HD Collection'' could make it any less funny.[[/note]]

** ''Silent Hill 2'' is universally lauded as the best entry in the whole series, yet it’s also responsible for introducing the concept of [[TragicHero the hero having to own up to their tragic backstory as they enter the town]], a plot point that would become increasingly controversial in later installments such as ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming Homecoming]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour Downpour]]'' for instance. It was better received here than the [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 games before]] [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 and after]] [[VideoGame/SilentHill4 this one]] developed by Team Silent didn’t focus so much on the characters being flawed individuals but rather as capable fighters trying to survive against the hordes of monsters, making James’s struggle and the twist that inspired him to go to the town feel suspenseful and unique. Once the games were exported to American developers almost all of them tried to reprise this narrative, with flawed protagonists having to come to terms with their tragic backstories to escape or be punished. The only exception was ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'' which is a reimagining of the first game, but it still passes a sort of moral judgment on Harry depending on his actions.
** The game is also notable for introducing "Pyramid Head" and the sexy nurse demons, two of the series’ most iconic monsters who would appear in later games and the live action movies, so much that they’ve become the unofficial mascots of the series. Their use in this game was effective as they were not only there to represent [[spoiler:James’ sexual frustrations towards Mary and the guilt he had towards murdering her]], but because out of the Team Silent developed games, they were only exclusive to this game alone [[note]] Nurses did appear in the first and third games, but their appearances and representation were different since they faced different protagonists[[/note]]. After Team Silent disbanded, they began appearing constantly in later games and in the movie adaptations; the symbolism that made them unique was gone and they became generic slasher villains who popped up as mere [[PanderingToTheBase fan service]] with little to no symbolism whatsoever.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: It's often held up as the pinnacle of the series and one of the best examples of the SurvivalHorror genre. However, most of its acclaim was focused on its story, atmosphere and visual design, with many critics less impressed by its awkward, repetitive combat and nonsensical, unintuitive [[MoonLogicPuzzle moon logic puzzles]]. Interestingly, the game actually featured an option to disable its combat altogether, [[StoryDifficultySetting allowing players to experience the game solely for its story and puzzles]].

** "Silent Hill 2" is universally lauded as the best entry in the whole series, yet it’s also responsible for introducing the concept of [[TragicHero the hero having to own up to their tragic backstory as they enter the town]], a plot point that would become increasingly controversial in later installments such as ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming Homecoming]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour Downpour]]'' for instance. It was better received here than the [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 games before]] [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 and after]] [[VideoGame/SilentHill4 this one]] developed by Team Silent didn’t focus so much on the characters being flawed individuals but rather as capable fighters trying to survive against the hordes of monsters, making James’s struggle and the twist that inspired him to go to the town feel suspenseful and unique. Once the games were exported to American developers almost all of them tried to reprise this narrative, with flawed protagonists having to come to terms with their tragic backstories to escape or be punished. The only exception was ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'' which is a reimagining of the first game, but it still passes a sort of moral judgment on Harry depending on his actions.

* EpilepticTrees: Considering what is revealed in the game, this has lead to many people to argue what's the true ending of ''Silent Hill 2'': A common fan argument is [[spoiler: the "Leave" ending]], where [[spoiler: James leaves Silent Hill with Laura (and while most don't like Laura, it at least provides a happy ending for James)]] or the tragic [[spoiler: In Water ending]], where [[spoiler: while James does take responsibility for killing Mary]], he [[spoiler: cannot accept life without her and drowns himself in Toluca Lake]]. The other two endings ([[spoiler: the "Maria" and "Rebirth"]]) are also debated upon, but not as much [[spoiler: the "Leave" and "In Water" endings]]. The fact that Masahiro Ito and Guy Cihi both have stated to believe [[spoiler: the "In Water" ending]] is canon[[note]]as Cihi explained in an interview with Yong Yea, he considers "In Water" to fit best from a narrative and cultural standpoint, but personally prefers "Leave" because, as a dad himself, he identifies with James' decision to become a father figure to Laura[[/note]] and ShrugOfGod is put in effect doesn't help matters either (the only official word is that James' real motivations to search for Mary and his fate are for the individual player to decide, so looking to any other source for the "true" ending or trying to determine the answer for other players is DramaticallyMissingThePoint).

* ScrappyWeapon: The Hyper Spray. Like the Hyper Blaster from the first game, its effectiveness depends on your end-game ranking, so it will do very poor damage unless you're good at SpeedRunning and meticulous at gathering items. Unlike the Blaster, the Hyper Spray has shorter range, requires you to "reload" by shaking up the can after about 10 seconds of use, and using it also damages ''you''. Atop all this, it's just a simple spray can, so it doesn't even have the coolness factor of a sci-fi style raygun going for it.

* EpilepticTrees: Considering what is revealed in the game, this has lead to many people to argue what's the true ending of ''Silent Hill 2'': A common fan argument is [[spoiler: the "Leave" ending]], where [[spoiler: James leaves Silent Hill with Laura (and while most don't like Laura, it at least provides a happy ending for James)]] or the tragic [[spoiler: In Water ending]], where [[spoiler: while James does take responsibility for killing Mary]], he [[spoiler: cannot accept life without her and drowns himself in Toluca Lake]]. The other two endings ([[spoiler: the "Maria" and "Rebirth"]]) are also debated upon, but not as much [[spoiler: the "Leave" and "In Water" endings]]. The fact that Masahiro Ito and Guy Cihi both have stated to believe [[spoiler: the "In Water" ending]] is canon and ShrugOfGod is put in effect doesn't help matters either (the only official word is that James' real motivations to search for Mary and his fate are for the individual player to decide, so looking to any other source for the "true" ending or trying to determine the answer for other players is DramaticallyMissingThePoint).

* EpilepticTrees: Considering what is revealed in the game, this has lead to many people to argue what's the true ending of ''Silent Hill 2'': A common fan argument is [[spoiler: the "Leave" ending]], where [[spoiler: James leaves Silent Hill with Laura (and while most don't like Laura, it at least provides a happy ending for James)]] or the tragic [[spoiler: In Water ending]], where [[spoiler: while James does take responsibility for killing Mary]], he [[spoiler: cannot accept life without her and drowns himself in Toluca Lake]]. The other two endings ([[spoiler: the "Maria" and "Rebirth"]]) are also debated upon, but not as much [[spoiler: the "Leave" and "In Water" endings]]. The fact that Masahiro Ito and Guy Cihi both have stated to believe [[spoiler: the "In Water" ending]] is canon and ShrugOfGod is put in effect doesn't help matters either (the only official word is that James' real motivations to search for Mary and his fate are for the individual player to decide, so looking to any other source for the "true" ending is DramaticallyMissingThePoint).

* EpilepticTrees: Considering what is revealed in the game, this has lead to many people to argue what's the true ending of ''Silent Hill 2'': A common fan argument is [[spoiler: the "Leave" ending]], where [[spoiler: James leaves Silent Hill with Laura (and while most don't like Laura, it at least provides a happy ending for James)]] or the tragic [[spoiler: In Water ending]], where [[spoiler: while James does take responsibility for killing Mary]], he [[spoiler: cannot accept life without her and drowns himself in Toluca Lake]]. The other two endings ([[spoiler: the "Maria" and "Rebirth"]]) are also debated upon, but not as much [[spoiler: the "Leave" and "In Water" endings]]. The fact that Masahiro Ito and Guy Cihi both have stated to believe [[spoiler: the "In Water" ending]] is canon and ShrugOfGod is put in effect doesn't help matters either.

* HilariousInHindsight: Angela, who suffered at the hands of an abusive father, is voiced by Creator/DonnaBurke, who would later famously sing [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain "Sins of the Father."]]

* HarsherInHindsight: At one point in the game James must jump into a dug grave with his name on a tombstone. In ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' Frank Sunderland once told Henry Townsend that his son went to Silent Hill and hasn't been heard from since, however his true fate is ambiguous.

** The Abstract Daddies. ''A lot'' of bullets are required to take one down. They also have a wide hitbox but at the same time inhabit really narrow hallways, meaning that running past them is not a good option at all unless you're fine getting hit once or twice while trying to push your way through their models. And God forbid if you end up sandwiched by two different Daddies at once.

** The boss fight against [[spoiler:Eddie. There's not much in the way of combat tactics in this game besides just spamming the attack button on whatever your target is, so the "battle", more often than not, ends up consisting of two adult men (one of them dressed like a elementary schooler even) running around like headless chickens while shooting/smacking at each other occasionally.]]

** The boss fight against [[spoiler:Eddie. There's not much in the way of combat tactics in this game besides just spamming the attack on button on whatever your target is, so the "battle", more often than not, ends up consisting of two adult men running around like headless chickens while shooting/smacking at each other occasionally.]]

** The boss fight against [[spoiler:Eddie. There's not much in the way of combat tactics in this game besides just spamming the attack on button on whoever your target is, so the boss battle ends up looking more like two adult men running around aimlessly like children while shooting/smacking at each other occasionally.]]

** The Abstract Daddies. ''A lot'' of bullets are required to take one down. They also have a wide hitbox but at the same time inhabit really narrow hallways, meaning that running past them is not a good option at all unless you're fine getting hit once or twice while trying so. And God forbid if you end up sandwiched by two different Daddies at once.

** The Abstract Daddies. ''A lot'' of bullets are required to take one down. They are also wide but at the same time inhabit really narrow hallways, meaning that running past them is not a good option at all unless you're fine getting hit once or twice while trying so. And God forbid if you end up sandwiched by two different Daddies at once.

** The Abstract Daddies. ''A lot'' of bullets are required to take one down. They are also wide but at the same time inhabit really narrow hallways, so running past them is not a good option at all unless you're fine getting hit once or twice as you try to do so. And God forbid if you end up sandwiched by two different Daddies at once.

** The Bubblehead Nurses are a nasty spike in enemy difficulty compared to the relatively simpler Lying Figures and Mannequins, being much faster and durable while wielding weapons that actually increase their reach. It gets particularly bad when you have [[EscortMission Maria]] with you, since the Nurses can easily hit her (intentionally or by accident) while you try to get past them.

** The Abstract Daddies. ''A lot'' of bullets are required to take one down. They are also wide but at the same time inhabit really narrow hallways, so running past them is not a good option at all, unless you're fine getting hit once or twice as you try to do so. And God forbid if you end up sandwiched by two different Daddies at once.

** "This town is full of monsters! How can you sit there and eat pizza?!"[[note]]James's reaction to Eddie's reluctance to find Laura because he's too busy eating a slice of pizza. It's one of the only moments (at least, intentionally) that's played for laugh. Not even Troy Baker as James in ''HD Collection'' couldn't make it any less funny.[[/note]]

* EpilepticTrees: Considering what is revealed in the game, this has lead to many people to argue what's the true ending of ''Silent Hill 2'': A common fan argument is [[spoiler: the "Leave" ending]], where [[spoiler: James leaves Silent Hill with Laura (and while most don't like Laura, it at least provides a happy ending for James)]] or the tragic [[spoiler: In Water ending]], where [[spoiler: while James does take responsibility for killing Mary]], he [[spoiler: cannot accept life without her and drowns himself in Toluca Lake]]. The other two endings ([[spoiler: the "Maria" and "Rebirth"]]) are also debated upon, but not as much [[spoiler: the "Leave" and "In Water" endings]]. The fact that Masahiro Ito and Guy Cihi both have stated to believe [[spoiler: the "In Water" ending]] is canon and ShrugOfGod is put in effect doesn't help mattrs either.

** Despite what the main page would suggest, there is actual debate as to whether or not Pyramid Head really is a rapist. [[http://www.megabearsfan.net/post/2011/05/26/Is-Pyramid-Head-a-rapist.aspx As this fan eloquently argues]], it's plausible to instead believe that the infamous assault on a Mannequin scene is actually [[spoiler: a re-enactment of James' smothering his wife]].

** In the "Maria" ending, James's line "You'd better do something about that cough..." and they way it's delivered has been interpreted differently by players. It could either be concern (i.e. "You should see a doctor."), or a subtle threat ("...or else.") Either way, each interpretation implies a different kind of tragic ending for the two.
** [[spoiler: Mary in the Leave ending. Is she just a manifestation of the town meant to soothe James after everything he's been through, or is it really Mary, given a final chance to speak with James and convey that she has no ill will towards him?]]

* EightPointEight: ''Game Informer'''s lukewarm review of the game proved very controversial to much the magazine's readership, in no small part because they tapped a reviewer who was known for being an action/twitch gamer and admitted to disliking the SurvivalHorror genre as a whole. While the logic behind this choice was somewhat sound (i.e. "If ''this'' guy likes it, then it must be great!"), assigning the review to a writer openly biased against games like it also had a very obvious flaw (i.e. "If ''this'' guy hates it, that might not mean it's terrible."). Their [[DiggingYourselfDeeper continued potshots at the game and disbelief at its sales numbers]] in several subsequent issues didn't help in smoothing things over, either. Game Informer would subsequently praise the game in retrospective articles, and unlike many of their other "retro" reviews, they never even bothered to archive it, indicating they consider it an OldShame.