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Game Debate to the Death! Silent Hill VS Resident Evil 2 photo

Of all the debates we've ever had together, last week's discussion definitely wins the "debate most called a landslide when actually the votes were almost dead even" award. Tallying the votes felt like I was reliving the 2000 Presidential Election all over again. At first there was a wall of votes for just one side, and everyone went to bed assuming this debate was over. Then a bunch of people woke up and voted completely opposite, some even assuming it to be a landslide in the other direction. Here are the results:

  • Twisted Metal 2 (40 votes)
  • Resident Evil 2 (55 votes) -- Winner!

This week we progress into the PlayStation finals brackets, with the winners from the first two PS1 rounds facing off in an early Halloween-worthy debate. The whole point of this several month "odd debate" theme is to match up games that are hard to compare and rarely contrasted. This week's debate, however, is definitely an exception. The last time we saw these two horror games compete as a series debate, Resident Evil took the crown. This week we have not only a rematch (see below), but also a one-on-one showdown.

How will you make your decision this week? Which game do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some PlayStation friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner and the start of the Nintendo 64 odd debate brackets!

Bonus Question: Silent Hill series VS Resident Evil series. Which has done better collectively over the years?


Continue: More Silent Hill stories





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89 comments | showing # 1 to 50

aborto thefetus's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:02
aborto thefetus
Resident Evil 2. No contest. It's just all around superior to Silent Hill.
aborto thefetus's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:03
aborto thefetus
Also, Resident Evil series also wins. You just can't beat 2, 3, and 4.
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:05
Fronz
FIRST QUESTION:
Silent Hill. A story and world that advanced the industry more than Resident Evil. Silent Hill wins in quality when compared to the early RE games, but fails in quantity since the series keeps going downhill.

BONUS QUESTION:
Resident Evil series. It has profited heavily from the "survival" aspect of survival-horror, whereas Silent Hill keeps using the same tricks, and same story, and it keeps getting more stale.
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:06
Fronz
Yes, please also cast a vote for the bonus question. If enough bonus question votes are cast I'll include both results next week.
Puppy Licks's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:11
Puppy Licks
Oh damn man you know how to pick the hard choices.

Resident Evil delivered so well on the 'Jump Scare' tactics that horror movies were all about, but Silent Hill had a horror style that could scare and also disturb you in a much deeper way.

In short: Resident Evil fucked with your nerves, Silent Hill fucked with your mind.

Silent Hill wins.
Wedge's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:13
Wedge
The original Silent Hill traumatized me for life with the incredible use of sound and level design. I played RE2 for five minutes and gave up because the controls were so bad.

However, RE has become a fun action game series (which is totally in line with the source material), while SH has... become outsourced.
eternalplayer2345's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:13
eternalplayer2345
ERM twisted evil funny mistake
Puppy Licks's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:15
Puppy Licks
Oh I forgot the second question :P

I think Resident Evil did best in the PS1 era, then Silent Hill did better in the PS2 era until RE4 came along. Now RE looks to beat Silent Hill again this era (as long as that game isn't banned in Australia either, but I'm just bitching now :P).
Nightrain117's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:15
Nightrain117
Silent Hill 2 was way better than RE2
Bonus Question: Even though I only liked the first 3 silent hill, I still prefer the silent hill series as a whole over resident evil. I've never been scared while playing resident evil.
Aex's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:17
Aex
Resident Evil by Far
Foshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:20
Foshi
Damn, this is a hard one. I enjoy both those series so much. But basing it on just two games out of those two series I"m gonna have to vote for Silent Hill because it actually brought tangible fear to me.
sinny's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:20
sinny
silent hill is better than RE 2.
In fact SH 1, 2 and 3 are better than RE 1, 2 or 3.
Then Konami forgot what SH really was, and CAPCOM suddenly made the best RE .
RE4 was just superior to any SH .
SO for me the thing is even. Slightly advantage to the RE saga because RE5 is looking really great.And i see more future for the capcom game. Konami just abandoned SH....
mr spooky's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:21
mr spooky
Um I would like to get resident evil 2 for wii but capcom is lazy to port those games in american wii edition. I did like slent hill because it felt like a 3d version of gta 3. Silent hill hospital stage level was little hard but made it all the down the basement level. I'm so glad basement level didn't have any eerie music. Imagine a remake of silent hill part 1 just the a graphics imrovment for the wii. :)
Foshi's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:21
Foshi
Oops, as for series I will say Resident Evil because the Silent Hill games have had some trouble keeping up with the modern video game conventions.So,for game I say Silent Hill, but for series I say Resident Evil.
aborto thefetus's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:22
aborto thefetus
actually, before anybody yells at me I would like to elaborate on the RE 2/ Silent hill quote.

With the Silent Hill games I have always found the Silent Hill games to have bad level design that infuriates me. When I get to a locked door in Resident Evil I know I will eventually get into that room. With Silent Hill, I go past whole hallways of locked doors who have absolutely no purpose, not to mention the environments in Silent Hill are really drab and boring whereas the Resident Evil environments are typically really interesting and detailed.

The Silent Hill games have a tendency of rehashing the same handful of enemies (I can only think of five enemies in Silent Hill 2) in each title whereas each Resident Evil game keeps introducing new enemies throughout the game and keeps you on your toes.

That, and the Silent Hill games don't scare me.
Druid 01's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:23
Druid 01
resident evil, not just 4, 0 and 1 are also way better than any SH games iv managed to shit through and the other RE games are damn fine as well
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:25
Im OK
Silent Hill.
Cataract's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:25
Cataract
Silent Hill for the game vs game, but Resident Evil for the series showdown.
Druid 01's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:26
Druid 01
sit*** through i'm sorry that was a typo not an insult to SH lol
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:28
Fronz
@eternalplayer2345 -- Oops! Hahaha, thank you. What a... *manny shamalangadingdong voice* ...twist?!
faultymoose's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:30
faultymoose
I'm with Cataract, mostly. SH > RE:2. But RE:4 > SH:4 and though I obviously haven't played RE:5 yet, I expect the trend to continue.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:39
Im OK
Silent Hill 1 > Resident Evil 1.
Silent Hill 2 > Resident Evil 2.
Silent Hill 3 > Resident Evil 3.
Silent Hill 4 < Resident Evil 4.
Silent Hill 0 ≈ Resident Evil 0? (Eh... I haven't played RE0 at all, though I still kind of vaguely want to, and I only made it to the sanitarium in SH Origins before giving up, so I dunno. Toss up, I guess.)

Silent Hill 5 vs RE5? To be determined, but RE5 is going to have to be pretty damn awesome to top Homecoming.
NukaCola's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:42
NukaCola
Tough pick, but I have to pick Silent Hill 1 simply because it's better in terms of scaring the shit out of you. RE2 had cheap scares, and while the action and story were great, it just couldn't top the creepiness that was Silent Hill.
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:43
Crunshii
wow... this is hard.

Game: Resident Evil
Movie: Silent Hill
13thDragon's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:43
13thDragon
Ooooo two of my favorite series. I could sit here and discuss this for days, but I'll go with the short version.

Silent Hill ftw. The psychological horror is more intriguing to me than the "jump out go boo!" type.
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:52
pedrovay2003
My favorite is Resident Evil 2. I just couldn't get into Silent Hill. I just found a factory sealed GameCube RE2, also. :D

As for the bonus question, probably Resident Evil also.
HoraceQS's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:56
HoraceQS
Game vs. Game:

Silent Hill. RE2 is a good game but Silent Hill just owns.

Series vs. Series:

A very difficult call. Silent Hill 1, 2 and 3 are better than RE 1, 2 and 3 but RE 4 is so much better than SH4 that it's absurd to compare the two.

RE4 is a high watermark in action influenced horror gaming. Indeed, I don't think anyone does it better. RE5 and Dead Space may prove otherwise though.

Meanwhile, SH2 is the pinnacle of what I would consider survival horror in the original sense of the term. Its slow burning, deep, disturbing psychological horror is unmatched. The story is one of the finest told in the gaming world. SH2 is the pinnacle of interactive horror fiction as far as I'm concerned.

So, for me, the second question boils down to SH2 vs. RE4. They are both so good that I believe it's personal preference at that point. Do you like action horror or psychological horror?

For me, the edge goes to Silent Hill but it's apples and oranges at that point.
Marou's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/14/2008 23:57
Marou
Game: Silent Hill
Series: Resident evil
HoraceQS's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:02
HoraceQS
@ aborto thefetus

Silent Hill operates on dream logic, if you over think every locked door you're kind of missing the point. The locked doors add to that feeling of confusion and isolation.

This is especially true when you're running from monsters. Now you have to think, was I here before? Is this door locked? How can I escape?
mix's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:03
mix
Game: Resident Evil
Silent Hill was a pretty awesome game. It had atmosphere and a sense of helplessness that was portrayed very well. Resident Evil had zombies, that is all.

Series: Resident Evil
I have yet to play the newest edition of Silent Hill but so far, I only enjoy SH 1,2 and 3. Resident Evil has more games that I have enjoyed and as you can tell, Capcom whores these bad boys out!
NegFactor's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:04
NegFactor
Silent Hill

As a series, I still say Silent Hill...although I did not enjoy SH4 much and didn't bother with SH:Origins.
nintendoll's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:12
nintendoll
See, everyone here keeps only considering the numbered Resident Evil games when talking about the series. I mean, did you ever play RE: Dead Aim? It was awful.

I think as a survival horror series, Silent Hill was superior. The RE games that were good had more of an action feel to them, without the psychological twist SH had. I know that right after playing an SH game, any sort of siren freaks me out pretty badly.
KaL YoshiKa's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:13
KaL YoshiKa
Silent Hill edges out Resident Evil 2 but oh it's a close race. Where as Resident Evil 2 keeps getting more outrageous and silly the longer the game runs Silent Hill just keeps getting more claustrophobic and terrifying with a handful of more interesting endings. Also Silent Hills small but meaningful cast are way better then Resident Evil 2s cast of Action film drop outs.

Because Resident Evil 4 exists I'd say that Resident Evil has pulled along better as a series. But as a Survival Horror series Silent Hill 2 manages to be the single best most subversive and paranoid experience of almost any game...ever. I don't know for sure here...the decision is tearing me apart...

...Alright Resident Evil gets my BEST SERIES vote...only because the amount of genuine innovation they've tried (GunSavivour, Resident Evil Outbreak, Resident Evil 4) shows that they're interested in growing the series and not just rehashing.
hoi1ma's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:16
hoi1ma
resident evil 2 is one of the greatest game i've ever played but resident evil 2 has been milked dry and still can be extremely enjoyable. silent hill, on the other hand, is too clever. why? because the foggy surrounding and limited graphic add to the charm and made it timeless.
i love most resident evil, this includes zero, 1-4, code veronica, 1 remake, 1 ds port and outbreak 1. hate outbreak 2 for some reason. never played gameboy ones if they exist.
so far i love all silent hill, even 4 & origins.

another hard choice, i have to say silent hill.
pendelton21's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:17
pendelton21
Resident Evil for 2 reasons:

RE4, and Nemesis.

No other votes should count.
Cowzilla3's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:22
Cowzilla3
I think even having this debate is against some law somewhere. I prefer to have them both exist equally.
MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:25
MrSadistic
It's a tough choice, but I'd pick Silent Hill as I enjoy disturbing games as much as the next guy.

I think the Resident Evil series has done better over the years. The obvious reason is because of Resident Evil 4, but in my view it's because of the declining quality of the Silent Hill games. As much as I love the series, it's kinda hard to keep pace with using the same setting, and atmosphere through 6 games.
DanMazkin's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:25
DanMazkin
Resident Evil: The fear comes from sudden shocks and dramatic high action moments when you're being chased. The story and dialogue is a bit cheese-ball and over the top. The combat is shit and you control like a tank.

Silent Hill: The fear comes from deeply unsettling atmosphere, constant tension and great psychological twists. The story and dialogue is deep, interesting and actually has credibility. The combat is shit and you control like a tank.

Silent Hill wins.
Respectable Gentleman's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:36
Respectable Gentleman
I didn't like the first Silent Hill. I dunno, maybe I was too young to appreciate it, but I thought it was shit at the time. SH2 is a different story. Resident Evil 2 on the other hand got my full appreciation.

As a series I also have to give the nod to Resident Evil. I know, they made some really shitty games but I try to ignore those. The core story games are superb and are just getting better.

Game:RE2
Series:RE
scottoid's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 00:38
scottoid
RE2 all the way baby
nukka jdav's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 01:01
nukka jdav
Game: SH2 (Atmosphere insanely good)
Series: RE (I'm totally into the story)
jonostarsmore's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 01:05
jonostarsmore
Silent hill 2 wins. It's the first game that continued to frighten me long after i put the controller down.

As far as series, I have to hand it to Resident Evil. The Silent Hill games have been pretty uneven. Resident Evil only faltered with res evil 3 (in my eyes).
T9X's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 01:56
T9X
Game - Silent Hill
Series - Silent Hill
Gibbo's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 02:15
Gibbo
Well Resident Evil 2, man it's awesome. And as good as Silent Hill is, Resident Evil has been more successful.

Game - Resident Evil 2
Series - Resident Evil
solidgoomba's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 02:16
solidgoomba
Game - Silent Hill, Every RE has felt the same to me, like staying up all night watching slashers films, as opposed to Silent Hill, which was like a good horror novel, even when the game was off I felt affected by it, the story was strong enough that couldn't set teh game down cause I was too scared, instead I had to tough it out.

Series - Silent Hill, mainly cause I'm a fanboy XD
Kree's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 02:24
Kree
Game - Silent Hill
Series - Silent Hill
Stonethigh's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 02:46
Stonethigh
In the debate strictly between Silent Hill and Resident Evil 2 I have to give the nod to Silent Hill.

Bonus: As for the series debate I would say Resident Evil has definitely come into its own and has really made great advancements in last generation (RE4) and look to continue that tread in the current 'next' generation with RE5.
Aziel13's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 03:35
Aziel13
I can't choose
vexed alex's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 03:39
vexed alex
Game: Resident Evil 2
Series: Resident Evil by far.
auntnadia's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/15/2008 03:52
auntnadia
RE2. and RE all.
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