10 Brilliant PS2 Titles That Give You Instant Nostalgia

Silent Hill 2 is a masterclass in atmospheric horror that modern video games have been using as inspiration since the hit Konami game (remember when Konami made games!? What a time to be alive) was released in 2001.

The eerie, foggy atmosphere surrounding James' story of grief, guilt and acceptance are actualised perfectly in the town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill 2 does an amazing job of making you feel hopeless and weak at all times. All enemies, including video game icon Pyramid Head, are menacing and frightening but are balanced perfectly to never let the player feel like death is inevitable.

The game's flexible camera and stellar graphics were years ahead of its horror contemporaries and still look great to this day, thanks to the heavy use of fog to hide some of the blocker textures.

Silent Hill 2 is a shining example of both pushing the capabilities of video game hardware while simultaneously understanding the limitations, hiding them behind clever artistic choices. Silent Hill 2, above all else, is scary. For many, it likely evokes memories of late night sleepovers, passing the controller to your friends in abject fear.