Silent Hill 2 ps2

Silent Hill 2

Developed by: Konami TYO

Published by: Konami

Released: September 25, 2001

The first game scared the holy living piss out of anyone who actually played through it, but much of the debut's fear-inducing moments were born out of technological deficiencies. The sequel, on the other hand, was running on the PlayStation 2, and with a few years of R&D under its belt Konami managed to craft one hell of a fright-fest. It preserved most of the original game's what-might-be-out-there fear, but with major advances to the graphics and sound, the game was able to deliver a far more immersive, frightful and compelling storyline.

Leading man James had more at stake, more involvement with the town and far more demonic, powerful and, uh, pyramid-shaped skeletons in his closet. The soundtrack was incredible too, showcasing why some of Akira Yamaoka's songs are played at those fancy-pants new video game concerts out there. There are few iconic moments as strong and utterly terrifying as the sound of Pyramid Head dragging his massive sword around the dilapidated hospital -- and it's only made worse when you actually see him from afar just a bit later. When it comes to horror games, there's creepy, there's boo-I-just-scared-you and then there's the sinking, persistent, endless dread that comes over you as you try to make you way out of Silent Hill, and the second game absolutely nailed that kind of terror.