Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Rolling Out Now On Xbox, And It's Discounted By 50% At Launch

Fantastic price. I've just bought it. 50% off makes it a no brainer. I thought they might try to fleece us on the Xbox by making us pay more that you could in a sale on the PlayStation, so the fact that they are offering it for less than that is superb...

I'm curious if this will get a disc release on XBox as well.
But an awesome game and still better than Silent Hill f.

@Nintendo4Sonic yeah, 50% off a great deal…might be enough for me to skip holding out for physical

Can’t wait for the DF assessment. It’s a great game, but plagued with incessant performance issues on PlayStation. Very curious if it was fixed, or if they just pushed out the same poorly optimized code. The game deserves better.

Wow, nice to have a huge discount at launch after waiting for one year for the PS console exclusivity to end. The Deluxe Edition has the same 50% discount, so not sure if I should get that.

@Balaam_ I would imagine it's just been ported as is, faults and all. Last I heard Bloober Team weren't involved in further updates for the Playstation version (Konami's decision). It'd be nice if there was some proper optimisation done for this release and the PS version gets those fixes in an update, but knowing Konami it's unlikely as they love doing the bare minimum.

UE5 performance issues aside, SH2 Remake was a quality game on Playstation so I'd expect it to be well worth playing on XBox too... Plus that's a tasty discount to launch at too.

I can’t seem to buy it in the US store, at least not from the link above. Searching doesn’t turn anything up.

@swedetrap I think you have to wait until it's the 21st at midnight.

@Banjo- ohhhh. Got it. Thanks!

Oh nice! Really cool to see a launch discount.

I know when I brought this up in other threads about the game I mentioned death stranding which has a launch price of £18. When death stranding has gone on sale since then (after going to full price) - the discount price has been £18 ok pretty sure. I’m seeing this £28 or so as what the sale price will be for future sales.

Great deal but the game is a bit too dark and horror like for me to enjoy as a game especially if those moaning creatures in the nurse outfits are still in the game it's just not my cup of tea for a game unfortunately!

@Bob_Tempura Konami never fixed the HD collection on Xbox 360 and they probably ordered the remake of 1 right after 2. It's a shame, because these efforts are huge compared to others like the remasters of 2 and 3, so if there's something wrong, it should be fixed. I hope that the developer at least noticed what's wrong and improved this port.

Worth it at double the normal price - at this price, it’s a steal!

@DJKingaling yeah, the price is really ok.

I just installed it on my Xbox Series X, my PC, and my Xbox ROG Ally X. Xbox Play Anywhere is cool Xbox are the only ones who do this, with a single purchase.

Very exciting! So much is coming out around the same time and I thought I was going to have to wait for a sale. Now it’s coming out at a discounted price.

In less than one year, I am getting remakes to two of my favorite games of all time, Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly! Feels too good to be true!

@EvilSilentFrame I pre-ordered the digital deluxe edition of Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly. 📸

@AgentCooper

Probably worth noting the discount runs until January which is pretty excellent 👍

Thanks for the info, might get it next month then.

@Banjo- my digital deluxe edition is also preordered! Can’t wait to return to Minakami Village, but first, I’ll be making a return to the town of Silent Hill. 😲

The best thing is that it's PlayAnywhere, which also gives you access to the PC version. And this is important to me, because I saw in reviews that the PC version had much better technical specifications than the console version.

Nice! I'm going to get this along with the Fatal Frame II Remake. And I love that this is a Play Anywhere title. I don't know if this is on MS or on the devs side, but those discounted prices at launch are really cool (like it happened with Death Stranding, which also is a Play Anywhere game). And of course, I love that Xbox is pushing the Play Anywhere feature on newer, bigger titles.

BTW, I'm misremembering, or this is one of the first Konami titles to have that feature?

@Banjo- Yei! I will do the same soon!

@EvilSilentFrame we will be eating good. Loved SH2 and FFII back in the day, two of my GOATs!

@HarmanSmith Nice to hear from you and that you're also looking forward to it!

I will update the official thread with the pre-order and deluxe goodies.

Even though I have a PS5 I never bought/played SH2, but 50% off straight away is very tempting…

@HarmanSmith yes we sure are eating well! Must have done something right in our past lives as the gaming gods are smiling upon us! Hope I don’t wake up and it was all a dream.

@Banjo- if I remember correctly, years ago you had never played SH2. Have you played it since?

I don’t usually buy linear one and done games but at half price on release I’m very tempted to buy this. How long is the half price offer on for?

I’ve not played Silent Hill since the original on PS1. I wonder why they’ve remade SH2 and not SH1 first.

@EvilSilentFrame Seeing Fatal Frame back with a full-blown remake is the best news of the year. 😊

Silent Hill 2 & 3 HD must be one of the few collections available on Xbox that I haven't bought, because of the glitches and lack of graphical effects, and because I was hoping for new remasters or remakes. I've only played Silent Hill Shattered Memories on Wii.

@Banjo — I played the remasters and honestly, they weren’t that bad.

If this is your first time with Silent Hill 2, and the remake hits the same notes as the original, you’re in for a treat. It’s not as gory as Resident Evil 7 (I know that was a deal-breaker for you), but it is morbid, super unsettling, and just gets under your skin in a totally different way. The story’s great—not as layered as Project Zero/Fatal Frame—but it keeps pulling you forward because you just need to know what happens next.

I just started the remake and so far it’s solid. It’s definitely a slow burn. It doesn’t throw everything at you like Resident Evil does. A lot of enemies you can just run past, and it leans more on exploration and puzzles than combat. At least the original was. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of enemies to battle. The fighting was never the series’ strong point, but the atmosphere and creepiness absolutely make up for it.

@MaccaMUFC

wonder why they’ve remade SH2 and not SH1 first.

Silent Hill 2 has one of the best "psychological" stories in horror games and has a strong cult following. The story is stand-alone so there is no connection, unlike SH1 and 3.

@EvilSilentFrame I started to play too.
How do you find it so far?

I played the crap out of this since launching last year on the PS5. Highly recommend this one to anyone who hasn't played it. Probably one of the best games (remakes) ever made.

@DeadSpace I’m going to try not to give any spoilers since a lot of people still haven’t played the original. So far, I’m really enjoying it. I’m trying not to rush through it like I can with the original SH2.

Graphically, it’s impressive. The gameplay feels solid, and the character controls are a huge upgrade from the old tank controls. Combat is better too—James having a dodge is a nice addition. I also like that they changed up the puzzles. They’re not just copied from the original, and the ones that do return are altered or moved to different locations.

I’m also glad they changed up the layouts. Running through the buildings and seeing different designs from the original is really fun. It’s cool to see their interpretation of SH2 instead of just recreating everything 1:1.

Overall, I’m having a good time with it, but I will say it’s not as scary as the original—at least not so far, and that leaves me wanting to play the original. I just got past Rosewater Park, so there’s still a lot left to go, but I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

How about you? What do you think of it so far?

@MaccaMUFC @TrollOfWar I agree with TrollOfWar—SH2 is one of the strongest psychological horror stories in gaming, and that’s a big part of why it became such a cult favorite. For many years, it’s been considered one of the scariest games of all time. Bloober Team has even said SH2 was a major inspiration for them, which you can see in games like Layers of Fear and The Medium. They’ve always been good at capturing the Silent Hill “feel,” even if their games didn’t quite hit the same level.

And like TrollOfWar mentioned, SH2 is standalone, while SH1 and SH3 are directly connected. So it makes sense they’d remake the fan favorite first, the game that inspired them all.

@EvilSilentFrame It looks great. The environment shows the power of UE5. Animations of James could be better. The way he stomps maniacly on the corpses actually looks sick. Hdr etc make it one of the best looking game I have ever played. Breaking the windows is a good addition too 😁 - it's fun.
Playing it feels like revisiting the old town but from the different perspective. I didn't have this impression playing RE remakes as I didn't know the originals. Playing SH2 is a different experience - still have the blury picture of the original in the back of my head.

@DeadSpace I’d agree with all of that. The visuals are some of the best I’ve seen. The animations can be a bit off at times, though. When James turns quickly, something about the hair movement looks a little strange. And the leaves rolling around don’t look quite right either—when they move fast across the ground, I’m seeing a lot of ghosting. Not sure if that’s my settings, but I didn’t change anything, so it really stands out.

Breaking windows is a nice addition. At first I thought it was just a small new idea I wouldn’t bother with, but I keep finding items in the cars, so now I’m smashing pretty much every window lol.

And yeah, it’s really nice revisiting the old town from a new perspective. I’m enjoying seeing how they interpret things and add new details. Some of the buildings that were just generic shapes in the original are now clearly defined—like “oh wow, that’s actually a flower shop,” or “this is a diner.” The original had its distinct landmarks, but a lot of places didn’t feel like real businesses. This remake gives the town more personality.

Overall, I’m very happy with the game so far. I think Bloober Team did a fantastic job recreating this game. It’s not perfect, but I’m so glad to have this game remade. It’s deserved the remake treatment for such a long time and it’s going to bring new fans to the series. Hopefully I’ll get to play more today, but I’m not in any rush. I want to keep exploring the town and its buildings to see what they’ve added. I can already see myself wanting to replay this game to unlock the multiple endings like I did with the original.

@EvilSilentFrame when outside, James looks composited on top of the environment. It could have been improved. Anyway the game looks great! Another thing which is quite frustrating is picking up the objects. Sometimes you have to stand in the right place to pick smth up even though you are next to it.
Mannequins! Oh man! Never seen anything like that - I mean when they hide on purpose and you have to look out, check if it's not behind the corner 😅 Crazy idea!!!
I'm in the hospital - now I remember why someone called SH the simulator of opening the doors. I don't really get one thing - sometimes you can approach something - let's say the table, press the A button and you can see a scenery like bottles, plates on it but can not interact with it or pick anything up. What is the purpose of it?

@DeadSpace Yeah, picking up objects can definitely be stressful. Sometimes I have to really move around and angle myself just right before it lets me grab something. I also wish cutscenes didn’t automatically move me from one part of the map to another. I like collecting everything—notes, memos, letters, photos—and I’ll purposely go down streets that aren’t the main path. But then I hit a cutscene that jumps me ahead, and suddenly I’m in a new area with no chance to go back and explore what I wanted to see.

The mannequins are genuinely creepy. I love that they mix in a normal full-body mannequin to trick you into thinking it’s one of the four-legged ones. And yeah, they hit really hard this time around. The fact that they hide and stalk you makes me slow down and check corners constantly.

I just finished the hospital. It was already a creepy section in the original, and they did a great job with it here too. I thought the nurses were going to be a big problem, but hitting them from behind drops them fast, and then I just stomp to make sure they’re actually down. With that strategy they’re not too bad.

After leaving the hospital I actually got stuck—I was fighting a mannequin near a car and got wedged so I couldn’t move at all. So I’ll have to reload my last save and start from the end of the hospital again tomorrow.

But overall I’m really enjoying the game. Sometimes I feel like I’m moving through it too quickly and need to slow down, but it’s fine—I’m definitely going to replay this one. Loving it so far.

@EvilSilentFrame I was talking about four-legged ones actually.
I also found the topic on Reddit about those scenery I was talking about but there is no answer.
,,Unless it's a spoiler and something to be revealed later, what are these? I'm prompted to hit X just to look at some seemingly random imagery (like a typewriter or a bed with chains) and a little music plays and that's it. James doesn't say anything, nothing is marked on the map, I don't (not yet at least) return to these spots. What is the significance?"
Do you know what are those?!?!

@DeadSpace I was talking about the four legged ones too. They’re tough and creepy!

The spots where it prompts you to look at something but you don’t get anything, I think are all callbacks to the original SH2. With them moving locations of items, puzzles, weapons…. I remember some of these locations being of significance in the original. It is throwing me off a bit at times too, but I think that’s what it is.

The first one I remember coming across was the dumpster in front of the apartment buildings. In the original, that’s where the garbage shoot emptied out to. This time, it’s been moved in that courtyard/alley type of area.

@EvilSilentFrame I just have finished Hospital. I shoot the nurses' knees. They kneel, then it's easy to finish them off... You can actually get any monster this way.
The thing about the radio - it seems it makes the game less scary because it warns the player but it actually work the other way around. It makes you prepared. But! It's the best thing about mannequins - you rely on the radio but those monsters don't always trigger it! Genius!!! Was it the same in original? And did they hide like that?

@DeadSpace That’s good to know about shooting them in the knees. I’ve been super stingy with bullets since I like to save them for boss fights. I actually have a lot right now because I’ve been raiding every car I see, but I still get worried I won’t have enough.

The radio definitely makes things less scary this time around. The original’s radio sound was terrifying. I think we’ve just become desensitized over the years.

As for the mannequins, I’m pretty sure they triggered the radio right away in the original, but I don’t remember them hiding like they do in this one. Here they’ll stand behind a bookcase or curl up into that weird ball shape. In the original, they’d just come at you as soon as you got close, and the radio would start blaring immediately.

As soon as I get home from work, I’m hoping to get to play more. See where the game takes me next.

@EvilSilentFrame I shoot the leg, they kneel, then run to them and hit with the pipe till it moves no more.
The radio makes me anxious for sure. I'm not surprised SH2 is considered the best... I recently played SH5 and despite they tried to use similar tricks to scare the player it lacks something... Glad Bloober remade it so well. Play Cronos if you have a chance - it's a great game too.

@DeadSpace I just tried your strategy—shooting them in the leg and then rushing in with the pipe—and it works really well. Thank you for that. The radio making you anxious is definitely doing its job. It really helps elevate the tension.

Silent Hill 5 was made by a completely different team. The first four were Team Silent, and 5 was handled by Double Helix Games, an American studio trying their take on the series. It wasn’t a bad game, but it didn’t have the same psychological impact the others did. Bloober did a really nice job with this remake, though. I hope they go on with a lot more successful games.

I’ll favorite Cronos and keep an eye out for a sale. I’m not much of a shooter, and I think that one leans pretty heavily into shooting, right? I can handle stuff like Resident Evil, but games like Doom just aren’t really my thing.

@EvilSilentFrame I know different team created fifth but you can still recognize the pattern. I started playing third in the past but didn't finish. I liked Origins a lot.
Cronos is more like Dead Space. There is a SH/RE vibe as well. You can see where did they take the inspiration from. It's very atmospheric, dark. The story is interesting and you wanna know how it ends... I liked it a lot. Tormented Souls is good old school game too. More like Silent

@DeadSpace I will look into it. I have it favorited in case I see a sale on it. I had to pause on SH2 with this work week being so busy. I’ll get back to that this weekend and eventually Cronos. Always looking for another good creepy game.

@DeadSpace Did you get to play more Silent Hill 2? I had to put it down last week because there was a lot going on with the family, but I picked it back up over the weekend—wasn’t trying to rush it. I just finished it today.

Overall, I thought it was good. I think Bloober did a great job. I’m really looking forward to their SH1 remake next. I still prefer the original SH2 by Team Silent—it just had a heavier sense of dread for me and felt scarier overall. But I’m genuinely glad Bloober got to do this one, and now it’s actually making me want to replay the OG SH2 again lol.

Bloober has a ton of potential. They’re a young studio, but you can see how much they’ve grown. Definitely a team to keep an eye on going forward.

@EvilSilentFrame Hey✌️
I have finished the game but I'll be honest with you - I'm too old for horror games 😅 - it makes me anxious. After the hospital I wished it would finish soon. It's a great game, great remake, atmosphere, feeling of horror but he locations are to repetitive to me. Too many rooms 😃
I think replaying the original will be a good move. You have just finished the remake and will see all the nuances, differences...
Bloober did a fantastic job. I also loved their Cronos, I played Layers of fear and Medium but didn't finish it.
I look for peace and been playin Batman Arkham origins right now - it's more relaxing kind of game 😅. Just getting old...
P.s. I really wonder what will they do with the first SH as I never played that one. ✌️