The Resident Evil 2 remake hit consoles last month, and it’s already become one of the most popular entries of the entire franchise. Although the original RE2 had long been considered by many fans to be the best of the series, a lot of those same people now consider the remake to be even better. Proving that modern reboots of classic games can be more satisfying than just another forgettable sequel, gamers are wondering which other awesome titles could be given the remake treatment next – even those outside of the Resident Evil franchise.
That brings us to Silent Hill 2. Although the Silent Hill franchise has seen many installments with various protagonists, SH2 is arguably the best one of them all. Taking everything that was great about the original game and improving upon it, SH2 remains a quintessential survival horror title. Even featuring the very first appearance of franchise mascot Pyramidhead, the game is just as frightening to revisit these days as it was to play at the time. Could you imagine giving the game’s creepy visuals a modern makeover to make them even more terrifying?
Of all the Silent Hill games, SH2 has the most compelling story as well. Players take on the role of everyman James Sunderland, who willingly travels to Silent Hill to meet with his wife. The problem? James wife has been dead for many years, and the ghost town has long since been abandoned. Upon arriving in the desolate city, James must confront its hideous creatures and mysterious residents, all while facing his own dark secrets. Multiple possible endings were offered for players, with each sharing the common connection of being depressing as hell.
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So, if they were going to reboot the Silent Hill series, why not start with the original game? The truth is, it just wouldn’t be as exciting as a modern update to SH2. In fact, the first game has already been reimagined a decade ago with the Nintendo Wii game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Although the gameplay was vastly different, the game’s basic plot was very similar to the original. Additionally, the first game’s story was explored on the big screen as well with the 2006 movie adaptation of Silent Hill. After already seeing two different takes on the original plot, I’d much rather see another iteration of James Sunderland’s story explored in a new game.
The final game to be released in the Silent Hill series was 2012’s Silent Hill: Downpour. Infamously, Guillermo del Toro and Hideo Kojima were collaborating with actor Norman Reedus to create the next installment, releasing a playable teaser in 2014. Called Silent Hills, the game had tons of potential, but the project was ultimately axed by Konami after an apparent falling out with Kojima. This left the entire future of the series in question, but the success of Resident Evil 2 just might lead to plans to revive the hibernating horror franchise.
As of now, Konami has not put any serious effort into publishing a new Silent Hill game since the cancellation of Silent Hills. We’re now seven years past the release of the last game, so I say we’re due for a return to the titular foggy town. Why not use the greatest installment of the series for inspiration? Another sequel would be fun, but an updated version of Silent Hill 2 is undoubtedly what I want to see the most.
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