It is, but also, to a degree, it's engineering. Whilst Pac-Man and Asteroids are a part of the Museum Of Modern Art's collection, it's in the design and engineering wing, rather than fine art. To some degree, couching the artistic sensibilities of Okami in the game play almost lessens it as a form of expression. Silent Hill 2 has no such issues, although sometimes to a fault. The Silent Hill games have never been about the mechanics. How could they be? They're clunky, the tank controls and rationed ammunition carried over from its major inspiration, Resident Evil. Instead of dealing out schlocky jump scares like Resi, however, the main thrust of playing the Silent Hill games is to enter a terrifying, oppressive atmosphere. Silent Hill 2 is the best in the series and, admittedly, it works a little like a Ghost Train ride. Ghost Trains probably aren't art. But it's at its best when it comes to the Freudian symbolism and art design inspired by the nightmarish portraiture of Francis Bacon. People like to argue what expressionist paintings are about almost as people argue about what Pyramid Head represents.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
