mattcolewilson's review
4.0
I have a huge appetite for video games analysis. And I think it's likely that Silent Hill 2 is the most ripe for analysis in all of video games. There's just so much to say about this weird and haunting title. And over the last 20 years, a huge amount of ink has already been spilled. You could probably spend the rest of your life reading blogs and forum posts, listening to podcasts, and watching video essays about this game. So coming out with a *new* book on the subject is kind of a bold move.
But the author does a great job of paying respects to this existing body of work by acknowledging it and blending it with his own analysis and personal experience. The book is very much from the author's point of view, but some sections feel almost like a greatest hits version of the existing analysis. Dozens of sources are cited, ranging from contemporary games journalism to recently uploaded YouTube videos. And I think this was an incredibly smart move that allowed the author to say his piece without neglecting the mountains of work the fan community has done over the years.
While diehard fans may not learn anything new from this book, it's still very much worth reading if you just want *more.* It's a very quick read, and while it was satisfying, I did wish it was a bit longer. (But it makes sense as is and fits in with the Boss Fight Books series.) Even though it covers some expectedly heavy and dark subjects, the book never loses its sense of humor. And the author does a great job of balancing the heavy and the light-hearted, just like the game (see the Dog Ending). This has made me a fan of Mike Drucker, who I only barely knew from Twitter. He has some good tweets, too.
———
It's arguable that video essays and podcasts are the best mediums for video games analysis, but it's also extremely nice to just sit down and read a paperback once in a while. I'm very glad that Boss Fight Books and their authors are filling up bookshelves with such great work. This is my second Boss Fight book — my first was Resident Evil, also great — and I definitely plan on getting and reading more of their catalog.
But the author does a great job of paying respects to this existing body of work by acknowledging it and blending it with his own analysis and personal experience. The book is very much from the author's point of view, but some sections feel almost like a greatest hits version of the existing analysis. Dozens of sources are cited, ranging from contemporary games journalism to recently uploaded YouTube videos. And I think this was an incredibly smart move that allowed the author to say his piece without neglecting the mountains of work the fan community has done over the years.
While diehard fans may not learn anything new from this book, it's still very much worth reading if you just want *more.* It's a very quick read, and while it was satisfying, I did wish it was a bit longer. (But it makes sense as is and fits in with the Boss Fight Books series.) Even though it covers some expectedly heavy and dark subjects, the book never loses its sense of humor. And the author does a great job of balancing the heavy and the light-hearted, just like the game (see the Dog Ending). This has made me a fan of Mike Drucker, who I only barely knew from Twitter. He has some good tweets, too.
———
It's arguable that video essays and podcasts are the best mediums for video games analysis, but it's also extremely nice to just sit down and read a paperback once in a while. I'm very glad that Boss Fight Books and their authors are filling up bookshelves with such great work. This is my second Boss Fight book — my first was Resident Evil, also great — and I definitely plan on getting and reading more of their catalog.
prompted_ink's review
4.0
This was a book I initially doubted in a Twitter conversation with one of the Limited Run founders—who was asking for suggestions regarding Boss Fight books after a bad experience with their analysis of Earthbound. There was someone in my undergrad who did their senior paper on the series, plus the game itself has been analyzed to death by many others so I started the book with a "been there, done that" mentality.
I ended up regretting my dismissive attitude by the end. Mike Drucker deconstructs the game and its psychological horror elements for an audience beyond academia—sometimes bringing humor into the mix. Much like with Red Dead Redemption, I have never played Silent Hill 2 in any way so I can't vouch for anything. However, I respect the way that he brings his research together—not just in breaking down the game's narrative and mechanics, but in discussing the advertising for the game and how most of the ads got the game completely wrong.
If you're a fan of Silent Hill, I'd pick this book up.
I ended up regretting my dismissive attitude by the end. Mike Drucker deconstructs the game and its psychological horror elements for an audience beyond academia—sometimes bringing humor into the mix. Much like with Red Dead Redemption, I have never played Silent Hill 2 in any way so I can't vouch for anything. However, I respect the way that he brings his research together—not just in breaking down the game's narrative and mechanics, but in discussing the advertising for the game and how most of the ads got the game completely wrong.
If you're a fan of Silent Hill, I'd pick this book up.
jsjammersmith's review
5.0
Cannot Recommend this book enough. A friend of mine tried to convince me for a year to show me the game Silent Hill 2 because he called it, "The Citizen Kane of video games." Obviously, I thought that was a bold statement. Eventually I gave in and let him show me the game...and damn it I was sold. I've since become obsessed with Silent Hill and so this book was added to my library the moment I realized it existed.
Video games are art, whether people wish to accept that or not, and Mike Drucker does a wonderful job of demonstrating that in this short but wonderful book. There are some passages and moments where his prose feels a tad too conversational for my taste, and honestly there's some passages that should have been longer. Despite these flaws Drucker manages to dig into the plot, character arcs, marketing history, development, and cultural legacy of Silent Hill 2 to show the reader how this game managed to make the impact that it did.
While not being a fun game per-say, Silent Hill 2 tells a powerful story about trauma, guilt, sin, and how pain can warp people in terrible ways. Drucker explores his own trauma, while also studying the protagonist James, to show the reader how Silent Hill 2 pushes players to understand how choice, even at its most horrific, can have real consequences for the way our lives grow and change. This book is a reminder that game can offer players more than just power fantasies and escapism, but real opportunities to understand our humanity and how trauma can impact us.
Video games are art, whether people wish to accept that or not, and Mike Drucker does a wonderful job of demonstrating that in this short but wonderful book. There are some passages and moments where his prose feels a tad too conversational for my taste, and honestly there's some passages that should have been longer. Despite these flaws Drucker manages to dig into the plot, character arcs, marketing history, development, and cultural legacy of Silent Hill 2 to show the reader how this game managed to make the impact that it did.
While not being a fun game per-say, Silent Hill 2 tells a powerful story about trauma, guilt, sin, and how pain can warp people in terrible ways. Drucker explores his own trauma, while also studying the protagonist James, to show the reader how Silent Hill 2 pushes players to understand how choice, even at its most horrific, can have real consequences for the way our lives grow and change. This book is a reminder that game can offer players more than just power fantasies and escapism, but real opportunities to understand our humanity and how trauma can impact us.
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