Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams

"SH2: RD works well on Xbox."

Introduction -- Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, hmmm... to first start this review off, I have to say that SH on the Xbox is, GREAT! When I knew Restless Dreams came out on the Xbox with new features that the PS2 version never had, I got an Xbox just so I could play this game. This was my first Xbox game for the system. Now about the game. You still have everything the PS2 version, Silent Hill 2, had. The only new feature in this game is that your able to play Maria in the sub scenario called, Born from a Wish.

Gameplay -- 9 --- The gameplay is everything you would expect in a Silent Hill game. But with this game being on the Xbox, it'll feel somewhat different for you to play if you've played the series on PSX and PS2. It didn't take me long to get use to the Xbox controller, after about 10 minutes or so, I was totally into the game. You can choose if you want to play the main game, Letter from Silent Heaven, or you can choose to play the Maria part, Born from a Wish. But gameplay for this game should be really easy to pick up for anyone.

Story -- 9 --- The story is about a man named, James Sunderland. He has lost his wife, Mary, three years ago. Your get a strange letter from her asking him to come to their ''special place''. That's when James heads to Silent Hill where he knows that was their, special place. You'll find the truth that awaits when you get to the end of the game. But I have to say that the whole story is VERY good for a SH game. To some, it may take awhile to finally understand the whole story, but once you understand it, you'll enjoy the overall view you get from it.

Graphics/Sound -- 10 --- As some of you may know, Xbox is the system that has the best graphics on any game that comes out on it. There maybe a few games on the Xbox that could have better graphics, but overall, most do. The graphics for Restless Dreams seem to be really good. Very sharp, clear and realistic. As for the sound, excellant. Akira Yamaoka has always done a great job with all music/sound on all SH games. But with the Xbox, the music and sounds during gameplay seem so real in a way. If you have a really good sound system, you'll enjoy everything that comes out from this game.

Play Time/Replayability -- 9 --- The playing time on Restless Dreams is about the same time for the PS2 version of Silent Hill 2, if your playing Letter from Silent Heaven. I can't really say the actual time it took me, but it was around 9-10 hours. I just enjoy looking around at what is in the game, I don't hurry thru it to see the ending and then never play it again. Replay value seems good, you have two scenarios that should keep you busy. But if your a die-hard SH fan like me, you may want to play this game when your bored and need something to do in life. But trust me, this game will keep you busy for sometime.

Final Thoughts --- To end this, not short but good. Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for Xbox is one you shouldn't leave out. Knowing that the Greatest Hits version of SH2 for PS2 has everything RD for Xbox has, doesn't mean you shouldn't give this game a go. I've played both SH2, SH2(Greatest Hits) for PS2 and RD for Xbox. I just enjoy checking out every SH game that comes out on any system. As for fighting over which version is better, I could never make the choice. I'm just glad that the PS2 and Xbox are around for SH2, and more that could await in the future to come. But please, if possible, check out Restless Dreams for Xbox, I know you'll enjoy what you get and see.

-- I may update this review when needed. --

Final Score : 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/21/03, Updated 10/09/03