Here we have the second installment of the disturbing Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 2 (referred to as Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams for the XBox version). In my opinion, this is one of the best games ever made. The voice acting is decent, it's extremely well written, it has an excellent plot, and it's scary as hell.

The Story
James Sunderland's wife, Mary, died three years ago of a horrific disease. So, you could imagine his surprise when he receives a letter in her handwriting with "Mary" written on the envelope. The letter asked him to return to Silent Hill, a favorite vacation spot of the two. James decides to go and look for her. Could Mary still be alive?

The Characters
James Sunderland: The erstwhile protagonist. He comes to Silent Hill to search for the source of the mysterious letter. He is determined to find the truth, and refuses to let anything stop him.
Mary Sunderland: James' wife, who has been dead for the past three years.
Maria: A mysterious young woman....who, besides differences in hair, clothing, and demeanor, is a dead ringer for Mary! She is a manipulative woman who spends a lot of time in the game messing with James' head.
Angela Orosco: A young woman that James meets in a cemetary toward the beginning of the game. She in turns seems both vulnerable and abusive, and claims to be looking for her mother in Silent Hill.
Laura:A bratty little girl who doesn't seem to like James very much. What is she doing in a dangerous place like Silent Hill in the first place?
Eddie Dombrowski: Hmmmm...Eddie seems to be a little "special." For the most part, he is a quiet, gentle soul, but he has a bit of a problem controlling his temper.

Weapons
Wooden Plank:This is the weapon you start off with. Not very powerful, though it does get you through the first level of the game. James will automatically pick this up when you face your first enemy.
Handgun:You get this weapon on the second flor of the Woodside Apartment building, in a shopping cart. What a shopping cart is doing in the middle of someone's apartment, I have no idea. This weapon holds ten rounds.
Steel Pipe:This can be found stuck in the hood of a car at the Texxon gas station. It does more damage than the steel pipe does, and is good to use if you're low on ammo.
Shotgun:This weapon is found in the hospital, in the women's locker room on the second floor. This is an extremely powerful weapon, but ammo is scarce. It holds six rounds. I would reccommend saving it for boss encounters.
Hunting Rifle: The most powerful gun in the game holds four rounds. It's found in an office in Toluca Prison. Ammo for this gun is the scarcest of all, and I would save this gun for the last two boss fights.
Great Knife:This is found in Pyramid Head's lair in the Labyrinth, if you're willing to risk running into its owner. It's the most powerful melee weapon, but it also slows you down a lot.

Monsters
Patient Demons:The first monsters you encounter. These are found almost everywhere in the game, except for the hospital. They look like they're wearing straightjackets, but it's their skin. One of their main attacks is basically puking on you. Pleasant. They can easily be handeled with the wooden plank, but if you're surrounded, the handgun is a better choice.
Mannequins:These monsters look like the two bottom halves of a mannequin sewn together. They are tougher than the Patient Demons, but are much slower. Due to this, they are easily avoided. If you do wish to fight them, though, the handgun is the best weapon.
Cockaroach:You might remember these from the first game. However, here, they are a little bit smaller and more difficult to see. They make a sound kinda like a wind-up toy. They're really more of a nuisance than an actual threat. I wouldn't waste any ammo on them.
Demon Nurses:They're back, and this time, they carry steel pipes. Well, by the time you first encounter them, you have one too. Just let 'em have it! XD
Doorman: This type of monster is first encountered as a boss. Later, you encounter weaker versions of the boss in the hotel. If they get too close to you, they latch on to your head, causing a decent amount of damage. The shotgun is the best weapon in dealing with these.
Underhangers:These creatures hang under grates and attack from beneath you. They are also very rarely encountered, and are better avoided than attacked.

Ending Requirements
1: Maria Ending
In order to acheive this ending, you must do everything you can do to protect Maria. Don't let her get hit at all. Conversely, if you smack her a couple of times with the plank, you pretty much screw up any chances you have to acheive this ending. Smacking her is fun, though. In this ending, the last boss is Mary, and it ends with James leaving town with Maria.
2: Leave ending
To get this ending, you must go through the game as quickly as possible, heal whenever you get injured, and examine the letter and photo as often as possible. In this ending, the last boss is Maria, and James leaves town with Laura.
3: In Water Ending
The In Water ending is the most depressing ending in the whole game. This is the ending you get if you go through the game as recklessly as possible. Let your health slide into the red before you heal, read the diary on the roof of the hospital, examine Angela's knife as often as you can, listen to the conversation on the headphones in the reading room after viewing the tape in the hotel, and listen to the entire conversation in the hallway before the final 2 boss fights. In this ending, you fight Maria. Then James drives his car into the lake, thus ending his own life. ;_;
4: Rebirth
This is the creepy ending. O_O;;; To acheive this ending, You must first beat the game and go through a replay, picking up four items as you go along:
-White Chrism (Blue Creek Apartments, room #105)
-Lost Memories (newspaper stand outside Texxon gas station)
-Obsidian Goblet(Silent Hill Historical Society)
-Crimson Ceremony(reading room in Nightmare hotel)
You fight Maria in this ending, just like in most of the other ones. After the fight, James essentially joins the cult in an attempt to resurrect Mary. O_O
5: Dog Ending
The obligatory comic relief ending. ^^ First, you have to get the Rebirth ending, then you must locate the Dog key in the doghouse to the west of Jack's Inn. This ending is something you really have to experience for yourself.
Note: In the Greatest Hits version for the PS2, the XBox version, and the PC version, there is a UFO ending. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how to get this one, since I haven't played any of the above versions.

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