In 2020, when my friend Tem and I were replaying Silent Hill 2 together, our mutual friend Rei came into the room during the scene where James first meets Maria. Rei watched for a moment and said, 'Wow, this game is really bad.'

Both Tem and I were scandalised. Look, yes, you can tell it's from an era when videogame companies just cast whoever happened to be standing around the office rather than hiring actual voice actors, but Silent Hill 2 was hugely influential for a reason!

It's going to be very weird when I eventually play the remake and have to experience this game with present-day voice acting.

Me: You see, my big concern about the Silent Hill 2 remake is...
Tem: ...what if the voice acting is too good?
Me: Exactly! It won't be the same with actual professional voice actors.
Tem: These characters aren't supposed to be voiced by people who know what they're doing!
Me: The awkward voice acting between James and Angela really gets across the fact that these characters are trying to have a conversation while barely being capable of registering the fact that anyone else exists. Their interactions feel deeply weird, and they should, because these characters are not normal.
(pause)
Me: And I realise I'm being the worst sort of fan here. Trying to explain why a game's shortcomings are actually good and important. I got so annoyed with people going 'have you considered it's actually a good thing you can't pause in Bloodborne?'

I'll definitely give the remake's voices a chance! But a part of me is nervous that it just won't be the same.

One interesting aspect of horror games is the way they benefit from technical limitations; if the graphics or voices don't feel quite right, that can ultimately add to the unsettling atmosphere. There's a reason retro low-poly 3D graphics are a popular choice for horror games specifically.

I'm interested to try out the remake of Silent Hill 2, but I think there will always be a place in the world for the original PS2 version. In a way, the rough edges add to the experience.

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