James from Silent Hill 2 Remake is almost unbelievable in combat

Despite some initial concerns from longtime fans regarding the studio's handling of the project, the Silent Hill 2 the remake is a resounding success for Bloober Team. The studio has not only carefully threaded the needle to craft a remake that adheres to the film's original spirit and vision Silent Hill 2 (including consulting with members of Team Silent who worked on the title), but it also deftly uses modern technology to add subtlety and nuance to the original's somewhat clumsy presentation. An area where the Bloober Team has taken a lot of liberties Silent Hill 2The remake of, however, lies in the combat, resulting in an experience that borders on ludonarrative dissonance.




Originally coined by game designer Clint Hocking in reference to the disparity between a game's narrative elements and its interactive or ludic elements, ludonarrative dissonance occurs when one or more characters in a game mechanically behave contrary to how players should perceive them in the game. context of the game's story. Make no mistake, fight Silent Hill 2The remake of is significantly improved over the original, but features the original's clunky controls and stiff movement Silent Hill 2 they were both a necessity and an intentional design choice that made more sense in the context of who protagonist James Sunderland is, with the remake erring more on the side of action-oriented survival horror.

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Silent Hill 2 Remake makes James feel powerful like he never has before


The survival horror remake era began in earnest with the 2019 release Resident Evil 2and ever since, that game has served as the gold standard for how studios approach reimagining classic horror games of the fifth and sixth console generations. It's no surprise, then, that players can find some Resident Evil 2It has DNA inside Silent Hill 2it's the remake. However, while Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are both trained fighters with combat experience, James Sunderland is not. In the Silent Hill 2 remake, his fighting prowess contradicts the idea that he's just a normal guy stuck in an abnormal situation.


Between dealing more damage with weapons, greater access to firearms and ammo, and a new dodge move that grants invincibility after use and doesn't have a stamina meter to limit players' use of it, James Sunderland can handle themselves more capably in the remake than he can. never could in the original Silent Hill 2. But James' ineptitude in the original was a combination of intentional design and technological limitations that forced players to evaluate their relationship with enemies. In the remake, there's no reason not to rush and dispatch enemies quickly, even if it breaks the immersion a bit.

Despite the conflict with James' characterization, Silent Hill 2 Remake's combat is a highlight

SH2R Pyramid Head standing in the rain

Aside from James Sunderland's place as an “everyman”, the improvements to Silent Hill 2in the remake they are, overall, positive. One area where this becomes painfully apparent is the new boss encounters, which are a far cry from the often boring and frustrating boss fights of the original. Silent Hill 2. Especially on higher difficulties, where players have a razor-thin margin for error during these tense encounters, having an effective dodge ability that grants i-frames with every use is a welcome (if not slightly overpowered) maneuver to have in the arsenal against the enemies of Silent Hill. nightmare inhabitants.


Overall, combat also feels more responsive and satisfying Silent Hill 2 remake, which is a blessing for the game's length and pacing, considering the reimagining of the 2001 survival horror classic is practically double the length of the original. If Bloober Team hadn't managed to stick the landing on the game's combat system, it would have been a disaster for the highly anticipated remake of one of the most important games of the sixth generation. Silent Hill 2James may look like an action hero in the remake, but the encounters are still challenging enough that a brush with death is a regular occurrence in every fight.

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