Videogame remakes are tricky things. Developers can try to add extra content and improve on now-dated gameplay and graphics, but this can risk the wrath of gamers, who fear change in most ways, but especially when it pertains to their nostalgia.
Alternatively, they can simply spruce up the textures and maybe try to run it at a higher frame rate to avoid upsetting those change-averse gamers, but this makes it harder to justify the higher than ever price-tag that all games now seem to command. It’s a difficult decision, regardless of the game, and it’s hard to think of a more legendary game with a more fanatical, piratical, hard-to-please, and potentially hostile fanbase than Silent Hill 2.
According to the previews and trailers, Bloober Team SA and Konami seem to have opted for the second option, meaning that this title is set to be one of the most graphically intense games of the year. Let’s look at the Silent Hill 2 Remake system requirements and specs to see if you’ll be able to run it.
Must have a 64-bit CPU and Operating System
Must have a 64-bit CPU and Operating System
If you’re interested in experiencing the internalised guilt, anger, and regret of our man Jaaaaaaaaaammessss Suuuuuuunderlaaaaaand, then as long as your system corresponds to either of the lists above, then yes, you shouldn't have a problem running it.
If your system is lacking on this front, we’d strongly recommend upgrading your graphics card above all else. The Silent Hill 2 Remake looks to have an even more oppressive and muddy atmosphere than the original. This means plenty of fancy lighting technology, very detailed and disgusting textures, and of course the unrelenting fog we all know and fear.
Faster RAM would also help with that, and if you do decide to upgrade your GPU to one of the newer, hotter than ever models, efficient fans and perhaps a case with better airflow will help make a system quiet enough that you can be fully drawn into the horrible, unwelcoming, and unescapable town of Silent Hill.
Interestingly the Steam Store page for Silent Hill 2 Remake also defines what kind of in-game settings you should be able to run the game on for the recommended and minimum requirements. If you’re struggling to run Silent Hill 2 Remake even with the hardware that’s recommended, perhaps refer to those.
It’s difficult to describe a game such as Silent Hill 2 in enough detail to illustrate how unique it is without spoiling some aspects. The trailer might give you a little insight. Then we'll try, too.
Silent Hill 2 belongs to the survival horror genre, but was singularly unique on release back in 2001, as you really felt powerless against even the weakest of enemies, regardless of what weapon you armed yourself with. This means you really have to get used to just running away, hearing the fitful footsteps of the freaks skittering on the cobbles right behind you as you do so.
The fog enveloping the sleepy town of Silent Hill however, makes it so you can never see too far ahead, so you can run into some of the more symbolically designed enemies at any moment. This makes you feel trapped and weak. You are particularly susceptible to the weirdo humans you encounter from time to time. These characters speak in subtly off-putting ways like they are never really talking to you so much as past you.
All this results in a remarkably effective combination, creating a game that remains widely treasured and revered to this day for its “environmental storytelling,” a term often used by video essayists.
This is about all we’re going to say about Silent Hill 2, and we just hope that it still applies to the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
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