Silent Hill V.2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)THE SHORT: Great music from a great game, it covers the main themes and more recognizable stuff but doesn't have a lot of the more atmospheric, less musical tracks present in the game.

THE LONG: Along with great presentation and what I believe to be one of the finest overall stories in gaming, Silent Hill 2 is also memorable due to its music. This stands true to the series entire, as all those aspects make it what it is. But after the PS2 allowed for richer sound and before everything in the series began to stray just a bit with part 3, SH2 nailed the ambient tunes most proficiently.

The only problem is, not all of the music from the game is on this disc. It couldn't be, it would take at least two discs. I know because I burned the rest onto a cd and there were still some tracks left behind (more on that in a minute). But the important thing is, most of the music you'll remember from the game is on here: The gorgeous and haunting mandolin-rich opening theme, the tunes to some of the more tense and dramatic moments, and all of the ending credit themes are accounted for here (except for the Dog ending). It's the most accessible way to present the game's music to the mainstream public.

But that's where the one complaint comes in- so much of what makes these games unique is their gorgeous, purely ambient mood music. You know the stuff- most of it doesn't have a beat and it's the quiet but building stuff that you hear in the background as you explore. When James goes deep into Silent Hill's historical society, and its holes and underground prison, you're treated to a slightly melodic bit of sound that appears to be a man droning away in the darkness, his voice distorted as if just letting sound come out of his throat as he slowly contorts his yawning mouth. And there's more percussive stuff, the likes of which were expertly described as (and I paraphrase from memory) "a rumbling machine, similar to that of a washer and deep in an empty factory somewhere, which starts emitting a gravelly alarm until some creature comes by to apparently turn it off". This is the kind of rattling, distant distress noise that provides an undercurrent to the action in the game, and since it's designed to occur while James explores (or flees), some of it doesn't even turn into recognizable music until halfway through a twelve-minute piece. I'm guessing that this is why it wasn't included on the soundtrack.

But the good thing is, these tunes are available In mp3 format on at least one very helpful site that I ran across. While it wouldn't be right to list the name, the site owner was very responsible: He offered the tracks for others' enjoyment simply because they aren't commercially available, and refused to provide the ones that are, because he doesn't want to risk infringement or impede on the success of others' work. Because of this site (and there may be others but I didn't need to continue looking), the ambient score of the game is available as well.

It's hard to say which is better, since both the ambient score and commercial soundtrack each have several choice cuts on them. While I have more favorites on the score, it's music that is best listened to loud and alone or outside at night, preferably in uncertain territory. Trust me, it really causes anxiety. But then this soundtrack itself is a worthy purchase, since it is some good and recognizable music from a game full of good stuff. For example "Promise" is a sad tune of defeat and longing (which plays over one of the more dark endings) whereas "Black Fairy" captures the woozy, confused mix of emotions that main character James feels at the end of the game. Most of the pieces on this soundtrack, not the score, are more listenable or definable tunes. If you're interested, buy the one and download the other- they make a great set (I dubbed the second cd "Deeper Into Silent Hill"). Either way, you'll get a fix of some good old-fashioned music for the dark, and put together, you have pretty much all the music from the game- recognizable and ambient.

(On a side note, the Silent Hill film is currently being developed and the team is so far planning to use the game's original music from the score. Being that writer Roger Avery prefers Silent Hill 2, this soundtrack may be some of what is heard onscreen. We'll see!)

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Product Description:
Soundtrack for Japanese animated feature. All songs by Akira Yamaoka.

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