y2kovu Reviews

Silent Hill 2 (2001 Video Game)

A great game with minor drawbacks...you're not afraid of a few bothersome nightmares, are you?

[1 December 2001]

Silent Hill 2 is a must-have for any gamer that isn't afraid of a few weeks of pesky nightmares. From the time I plugged SH2 in, I knew it was going to be the darkest game out there for quite some time. Sure, Resident Evil has some jumps in it, but this game induces true fear. It does lack in areas, most noticeably its potential for improvement in the story. While it's a fairly straight-forward, if a tid bit depressing, story and pretty much impossible to screw up, there are several unanswered questions about the town, and about some characters. However, I've played through the game twice, and there is a bit more revealed each time, so maybe those questions are answered in the end--just another trip through Silent Hill away. Aside from that, the game is a very solid package, best enjoyed with the lights out and surround sound. Oh, and you should be alone when you start playing. Otherwise you miss the best visual effects the game has to offer: Those shadows in the corner of your room that you could have sworn just moved...

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (2000 Video Game)

Well-planned and executed

[25 September 2001]

I have been a fan of the Command & Conquer series since the first game was released. From the original with its low-resolution, but more-than-decent, CGI and "talking head" briefings, to Red Alert's second history report, there was much improvement. C&C2: Tiberian Sun was one more solid step towards C&C: Red Alert 2, which is quite possibly the best RTS game in existence. It blends *very* good acting and great visuals with a solid, continuing, and consistent storyline. The only flaw in this game? It's a pity Joseph Kucan couldn't make at least a cameo in it as he did in Red Alert; everyone's favorite dictator with a messiah complex would have been right at home, advising Yuri and Romanov, just like in the old days with Stalin. How old *is* that bald guy, anyway? --Y2k