TT aE ~ > een enaemventee January 22, 2003 Game Review Silent Hill 2 Greatest Hits Version Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Genre: Survival Horror Number of Players: 1 ESRB Rating: M Motorama Piccadilly Pub January 10 © page 10 Culture http://otherpress.douglas.be.ca Nick Hogg OP Gamer Most hardcore gamers sneer at the mark of shame Sony calls “Greatest Hits.” They are the ones that truly believe a game must be purchased at launch; this is one case where the thrifty among us can laugh in their general direction. You'll be laughing because for the first time in the history of Greatest Hits games, this version of the game has been changed, and thankfully it’s for the better. So now not only do you get one of the scariest games of all time, you get it for an affordable price, with new end- ings, added scenes, and a new scenario with a previously unplayable character. Everything about this game is scary; playing it alone at night isn’t recommended. The controls work much in the same way as in the previous Silent Hill game with a few exceptions: the first is the fact that the buttons take advantage of the analog functions of the PS2, changing how the character responds to your controls based on the force you use on the controller. The second exception is one of the most atmospheric uses of the dual shock func- tion—at all times it mimics the main character's heart- beat—when he gets scared you can feel his heart beating faster and harder. As well, to tie in with this overall scary atmosphere, you carry around a radio that gets staticky when enemies approach. You may not be able to see them but you know they are there. And, finally, the icing to his horror cake is the fact that most areas are completely dark; the only lighting you have is a small flashlight fimanda Aikman Assistant Culture Editor In the spirit of the New Year I have attempted to branch out a little and try new things. Judging by the lukewarm reception, SkyTrain passengers are not quite ready for my one-woman dance theatre, so on Friday, January 10th I decided to give up on that dream and try two other things I had never done. I went to a Canucks game and a Motorama show. They were both really loud and full of drunks, but other than that there were few simi- larities. For one thing, at the Motorama show the majority of the noise wasn’t actually coming from the drunks. Sadly, this was not the case at the Canucks game. I do believe, however, that given the opportunity (say, in an old-fash- ioned noise-off), Motorama could shut down even the loudest of hockey hooligans. Decibel levels at the Pic may not have reached clichéd “bone-crushing” status, but they certainly carried enough brute force to separate a shoulder or two. Motorama, the Todd Bertuzzis of Vancouver rock and roll. Taking the stage first, followed by Aging Youth Gang and The Walker Band, Motorama assaulted the crowd with their tightly executed noise rock. I can only assume that the comparisons I had heard to Shellac (the indie rock version of Dreamworks, featuring heavy hitters the other press pinned to your shirt for illumination. In addition to the nice controls and other effects in Silent Hill 2, it has a large multitude of complex riddles and puzzles to solve, so not only are you scared but you also have to problem- solve. The graphics are creepy, the town is abandoned and flooded with fog. The buildings are run-down and ill lit. Most everything you run into this game is unsettling, from the faceless zombie nurses with knives, to the inside-out skin people in strait-jackets, to the things that are two lower torsos put together, nothing seems right. Konami knows one fact very well, there is nothing scarier than the dark, except for a foggy non-descript middle American town with weird creatures running around in the dark. The background of this story is that James Sunderland received a letter from his wife prompt- ing him to meet her at Silent Hill, only problem is that his wife has been dead for three years. On his arrival in town James finds it fogged over and deserted, discovers weird and bizarre creatures, and finds there is no obvious way out of town. From there the game plays like a psy- chological thriller, but is a whole new level of scary com- pared to anything in the past, so keep the lights on. The game is great and the extra features give it an extra bit of life in the playability category. In the end you have one atmospherically scary story, with great puzzles and a complex story all rolled into a neat little package that’s affordable. Albini, Weston, and Trainer) and veterans the Jesus Lizard were appropriate, as I foolishly positioned myself in the well-endowed speakers’ direct line of fire. These boys definitely have it turned up to 11. Possibly 12, I didn’t get close enough to check. I believe there were vocals of some sort, based on the fact that Marcus Lander’s lips appeared to be moving, but even if I could have heard them I don’t think that the lyrics were really the point. This is great music to experience live. Heavy, fast, and loud, it bursts at the seams with energy and intensity. I may never catch myself humming it in the shower, but after a hockey game and a few drinks it was right on schedule for a Friday night. If there are factors that prevent you from attending your own Motorama show (work, laziness, agoraphobia), you mustn't fret. The good people at have got you covered. For a few measly dollars you can order a copy of the Motorama CD Rocket Powder, and whamo! you've got all you need to inject a little fuel into your Friday nights at home. I recommend that you start slowly, gradually increasing the volume over time. It is also a good idea to have an accredited rock star on hand; there is a reason these things are usu- ally handled by professionals.