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rionaleonhart) wrote2025-11-22 01:19 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2025-11-22 01:19 pm
Entry tags:
The Better The Graphics, The Less Scary Pyramid Head Becomes. (He's Still Pretty Scary.)
More horrible adventures in the Silent Hill 2 remake! I've just reached Brookhaven Hospital, but this entry contains full Silent Hill 2 spoilers.
I entered an apartment and heard unusually human retching noises. 'Are we about to meet Eddie?' I exclaimed, excited by the prospect of seeing an actual human in this monster-ridden hellhole.
And then I discovered the corpse in the fridge. Right. I'd forgotten Eddie does things like that.
Playing the remake, I'm very conscious of how young Eddie is, in a way I wasn't during the original game; his voice in particular really brings it home to me. He feels more vulnerable than he did in the original. I think that sense of vulnerability works well; it serves as a reminder that, whatever Eddie might have done, he's still human.
Riona: I like that James tells me when he's worried. I really feel we're a team.
Tem: Well, we know what happened to the last woman who thought that.
(James tells me he's worried by bringing out a weapon; he doesn't turn to the screen and inform me aloud. That would be a bold choice for the remake.)
The conversation between James and Angela in the apartments (when she gives him the knife) was really well done! It had just the right feel to it. The interactions between these two are so goddamn weird.
Maria! James is so disconcerted by how sexy and similar to Mary she is, and it's absolutely delightful. There's a great moment when she reaches out and strokes a hand along his shoulder, and James recoils, but he recoils just a tiny bit too late; there are those few seconds where he's just standing there, letting it happen. (Here's a gifset by acecroft on Tumblr.)
This is something I pretty consistently love in fiction, actually! I really enjoy it when one character makes an inappropriate move on another, and the other character freaks out, but they freak out a tiny bit too late. The example that springs to mind is Miki and Kozue in Revolutionary Girl Utena's Black Rose arc; Kozue rests her hand on Miki's cheek and leans in as if to kiss him, and he lets her get so close before he jerks away in horror.
In the original game, I believe Maria says, 'You loved her, didn't you? Or maybe you hated her,' and I absolutely love the change to the more subtle and natural, 'You loved her, didn't you?' (long pause) 'Didn't you?'
MARIA REACTS TO JAMES SAVING. This is incredible. Apparently he's canonically just staring at the red square and zoning out.
The trouble is that it's really nice to have company in Silent Hill, but also Maria exists as a test of whether I'm loyal to my wife, so I can't get too attached!
This is a really tricky balance to strike. I can't show too much interest in Maria; I need to keep my focus on Mary! But I don't want to be a dick to Maria, because I don't like being a dick to anyone. Letting her into the motel room rather than leaving her locked out almost certainly gets Maria ending points, and I really don't want the Maria ending, but I couldn't leave her out there: what a pointlessly unkind thing to do!
Riona: I just want to be nice to Maria while also being loyal to Mary! You can be nice to a woman without having an affair with her!
Tem: I mean, you can. Can James Sunderland?
I entered motel room 106, and James said, 'This room... there's something wrong with it. I think we should leave,' so I left. James and I are a team! I have to respect my partner's instincts!
(I looked it up afterwards; apparently there was nothing actually dangerous in there, just a Halo of the Sun symbol putting James on edge, and I missed out on some supplies by listening to him. Slightly miffed with James for leading me astray, but it is at least not the worst mistake he's made.)
The scene between James and Maria in Heaven's Night is a new addition, I think, and it's a good one! Nice little human interaction between them. I wonder if James always refuses the drink, or if it depends on how you've played up to this point. In fact, there's a lot of incidental dialogue with Maria that feels like it could potentially differ depending on how strongly you've focused on finding Mary.
I walked James up to the pole on the stage in Heaven's Night.
Riona: Pole dance, James.
Maria, with incredible timing: You gonna dance for me, big guy? I'd pay to see that.
Tem: Pole dance, James! Grind on the pole, James! You weren't too good to stick your hand in a toilet.
I started looking at the sexy posters in Heaven's Night, then realised it was probably going to count against James's loyalty, so I reloaded my save.
Riona: I'm looking at these posters and then going back in time to undo it. I'm cheating at cheating on my wife.
Tem: God, that's the most James thing.
Knowing that the ending differs based on your actions is making me so paranoid. Every time I do anything in this game, I find myself worrying it'll affect my ending!
This is such a good remake! It's clear that a lot of respect and love for Silent Hill 2 went into it. It really feels like the original without being constricted by it; it modifies and expands on details in ways that feel true to the original game. I'm so impressed!
I entered an apartment and heard unusually human retching noises. 'Are we about to meet Eddie?' I exclaimed, excited by the prospect of seeing an actual human in this monster-ridden hellhole.
And then I discovered the corpse in the fridge. Right. I'd forgotten Eddie does things like that.
Playing the remake, I'm very conscious of how young Eddie is, in a way I wasn't during the original game; his voice in particular really brings it home to me. He feels more vulnerable than he did in the original. I think that sense of vulnerability works well; it serves as a reminder that, whatever Eddie might have done, he's still human.
Riona: I like that James tells me when he's worried. I really feel we're a team.
Tem: Well, we know what happened to the last woman who thought that.
(James tells me he's worried by bringing out a weapon; he doesn't turn to the screen and inform me aloud. That would be a bold choice for the remake.)
The conversation between James and Angela in the apartments (when she gives him the knife) was really well done! It had just the right feel to it. The interactions between these two are so goddamn weird.
Maria! James is so disconcerted by how sexy and similar to Mary she is, and it's absolutely delightful. There's a great moment when she reaches out and strokes a hand along his shoulder, and James recoils, but he recoils just a tiny bit too late; there are those few seconds where he's just standing there, letting it happen. (Here's a gifset by acecroft on Tumblr.)
This is something I pretty consistently love in fiction, actually! I really enjoy it when one character makes an inappropriate move on another, and the other character freaks out, but they freak out a tiny bit too late. The example that springs to mind is Miki and Kozue in Revolutionary Girl Utena's Black Rose arc; Kozue rests her hand on Miki's cheek and leans in as if to kiss him, and he lets her get so close before he jerks away in horror.
In the original game, I believe Maria says, 'You loved her, didn't you? Or maybe you hated her,' and I absolutely love the change to the more subtle and natural, 'You loved her, didn't you?' (long pause) 'Didn't you?'
MARIA REACTS TO JAMES SAVING. This is incredible. Apparently he's canonically just staring at the red square and zoning out.
The trouble is that it's really nice to have company in Silent Hill, but also Maria exists as a test of whether I'm loyal to my wife, so I can't get too attached!
This is a really tricky balance to strike. I can't show too much interest in Maria; I need to keep my focus on Mary! But I don't want to be a dick to Maria, because I don't like being a dick to anyone. Letting her into the motel room rather than leaving her locked out almost certainly gets Maria ending points, and I really don't want the Maria ending, but I couldn't leave her out there: what a pointlessly unkind thing to do!
Riona: I just want to be nice to Maria while also being loyal to Mary! You can be nice to a woman without having an affair with her!
Tem: I mean, you can. Can James Sunderland?
I entered motel room 106, and James said, 'This room... there's something wrong with it. I think we should leave,' so I left. James and I are a team! I have to respect my partner's instincts!
(I looked it up afterwards; apparently there was nothing actually dangerous in there, just a Halo of the Sun symbol putting James on edge, and I missed out on some supplies by listening to him. Slightly miffed with James for leading me astray, but it is at least not the worst mistake he's made.)
The scene between James and Maria in Heaven's Night is a new addition, I think, and it's a good one! Nice little human interaction between them. I wonder if James always refuses the drink, or if it depends on how you've played up to this point. In fact, there's a lot of incidental dialogue with Maria that feels like it could potentially differ depending on how strongly you've focused on finding Mary.
I walked James up to the pole on the stage in Heaven's Night.
Riona: Pole dance, James.
Maria, with incredible timing: You gonna dance for me, big guy? I'd pay to see that.
Tem: Pole dance, James! Grind on the pole, James! You weren't too good to stick your hand in a toilet.
I started looking at the sexy posters in Heaven's Night, then realised it was probably going to count against James's loyalty, so I reloaded my save.
Riona: I'm looking at these posters and then going back in time to undo it. I'm cheating at cheating on my wife.
Tem: God, that's the most James thing.
Knowing that the ending differs based on your actions is making me so paranoid. Every time I do anything in this game, I find myself worrying it'll affect my ending!
This is such a good remake! It's clear that a lot of respect and love for Silent Hill 2 went into it. It really feels like the original without being constricted by it; it modifies and expands on details in ways that feel true to the original game. I'm so impressed!
no subject
I like that, that's much more interesting than "This guy is just monstrous, end of story."
Oh, that is awesome!
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're better at being normal about women than James Sunderland. Unless I'm unaware of some massive secrets, I think you've solidly cleared bar.
It is!
no subject
It really helps to emphasise the similarities between Eddie and James. James may have committed a more sympathetic murder, as murders go, but they're both murderers and they're both human. We're more primed to see James as human because he's the character we're personally spending time with as the player, but we have to recognise Eddie's humanity as well.
I'm so curious about what saving actually means from an in-story perspective! If we die and restore our save, are we canonically rewinding time; are we time looping; are we jumping into a different universe?
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're better at being normal about women than James Sunderland.
I want a certificate that recognises my magnificent achievement here.
no subject
^ laughed too hard at that. The people need a mod where James intermittently stares into the camera like he's on The Office and proceeds to, slowly and poorly, attempt to break down his own emotions before the dog regains control of his body and forces him to stop making the text do the work of the analysis.
no subject
no subject
But! James! Is so much more engaging to me in the Remake. I feel like he's got stronger writing and a better sense of indepedent character beyond the player. Great facial expressions when words aren't enough can really so that for someone! (And it's kinda nice he's so much better looking now than he used to be... good for you, James.)
no subject
Original James is, of course, my beloved, but I love remake James just as much. I was so nervous about seeing this new version of a character I've loved for twenty years! But I really think they've knocked him out of the park. I'm glad he works more for you now!