This is Konami's sequel to 1999's critically praised original Silent Hill, which was often noted for its deep storytelling, believable environments, and engrossing gameplay. Like the original PlayStation game, the Xbox's Silent Hill 2 is an interactive horror story built to derive its effectiveness from unsettling inconsistencies in an otherwise realistic, believable small-town setting. It is written to disturb players with a growing, pervasive sense of darkness and unseen evil, as opposed to regularly shocking them with sudden, unexpected events.
While set in an area of the same town of Silent Hill, this game features a new protagonist and a new storyline, which begins with a love letter from a woman who has been dead for three years. Also new is the sequel's platform. Developed for "next-generation" machines like the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, Silent Hill 2 is designed to take advantage of the improved technology over that of the original platform to deliver dynamic environmental effects, detailed city streets, and expressive characters that will enhance both realism and utter spookiness.