This is a pretty common fan theory. A lot of people speculate shes in the back seat of the car at the beginning.
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Are you saying that (spoiler below)
Summary
James killing his wife is a fan theory? If you are, it’s not a theory, James suffocated his wife in the hospital. Much of what’s going on with James is his guilt over murdering her.
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Well i havent played it…but i never heard anything definitive so
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Ah, ok. I assumed your were saying that based on having played it. All the answers are in the game.
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Is this really a fan theory? It’s just odd because James goes to Silent Hill because he receives a letter from his wife that she’s there. The theory doesn’t mesh well with the premise introduced in the first few minutes.
Alright. I finished Silent Hill 2 at around 2am this morning. Since I played most of the game in one sitting, it’s gonna be difficult summarizing it but here goes.
It’s interesting the sequel appears to abandon the setting of the first game. This version of Silent Hill is a completely different town. The relationship between James, the denizens, and Silent Hill has also drastically changed yet there is still a theme of purgatory and punishment for crimes committed.
All of the characters are unique to this iteration. They are just as eccentric though maybe a bit more unhinged and meaner than the previous cast. Their stories are way easier to digest except for Laura, who I’m still confused about what ends up happening to her. Though I guess I’m also confused about the character of Maria as well. I’m definitely going to be doing some post-game research, especially to view the other endings/cutscenes.
Speaking of endings, there are multiple again. I asked my friend to look up the “good” ending for me so I could aim for that. She then laughed and said “well, there isn’t really a good ending but there is one that is considered canon.” So we finished with the “In Water” ending. I thought the first game was depressing but it really has nothing on this one.
I feel like I’ll come up with more thoughts later. My own mental illness and post-hurricane brain is making it hard to process stuff. I don’t know if there’s any documentaries or places/videos to read up on this game that y’all would recommend. Or any fun facts to share about it. And of course your own thoughts.
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I think Silent Hill 2 was the game that introduced me to the concept that there can be, like, things to talk about in a video game lol. What’s sad is I’m not sure if there’s been anything since that reaches the same level that Silent Hill 2 is operating at (I feel that at this point, it’d only be indie titles that would dare to approach it). If you search online you’ll find plenty of articles (and probably just as many videos at this point) delving into all the layers of symbolism and examining each plot point in great detail and from many different viewpoints.
IMO what stands out most about Silent Hill 2 after all these years is its willingness to approach heavy and sensitive topics. The subject matter is unpleasant, and what is implied by the monsters becomes more unsettling than the monsters themselves.
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The themes of sexual trauma aren’t often explored in games. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure if I can think of any.
Oh, I came up with a drinking game during the finale. Drink every time he jumps into a hole.
He descended many levels of hell, you could say.
The other major theme the game explored that I can’t really think of another one tackling is euthanasia. And hell, even just soul-crushing guilt in general, really? Tough stuff.
If you like podcasts at all, I recommend this one for a nice overview of a Silent Hill 2 playthrough and their personal experiences with it. One of the first I listened to when I started getting into podcasts. (Note: spoilers for everything in the game.)
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Next Tuesday is October 15th so now’s a good time to start thinking of what our next theme will be. Should we continue with more horror to keep things in the spirit of Halloween? Or maybe nominate games that released in October from previous years? All suggestions are welcome.
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Im not sure ill get to silent Hill 2 by then, but i will be playing it.
I like more horror. Or since its autumn and such we could do a cozy game? Winter is like right around the corner.
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**Sneers in Southern Hemisphere**
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Why don’t we do a combo of both? For our next slate of games, feel free to nominate horror and/or cozy games (whatever that means for you). I’m thinking of having the final poll up by Friday so we can possibly starting playing this weekend…otherwise we’ll look at starting on the 15th per usual.
EDIT: I forgot to mention everyone can nominate up to two games.
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Beacon Pines. Hits both criteria. Is graphically gorgeous, fairly witty and touching, about 4 hours long.
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This is a great nom. I’ve been meaning to play it for awhile.
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Oh its fantastic. I beat it in one sitting right near launch, and my girlfriend played it like a year later also in one sitting. Its like goosebumps scary, so pretty tame and a bit goofy and playful, and the characters are great.
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I have it sitting unplayed in my Steam library, sounds like I have already a favorite.
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I think I’m gonna nominate Luigi’s Mansion and Night in the Woods. I’ve been meaning to play both of those for a very long time too. Playing Silent Hill 1 + 2 back to back gave me some anxietyyyyy so suggesting some cozier titles hahaha.
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Luigis mansion is terrifying! Lol.
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I’d also use this as an excuse to finally play Beacon Pines, which is also in my library.
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