The game-play has you exploring, discovering clues to piece together what is going on, solving the well-done enigmas and fighting foes. There is still no HUD, and one is not missed. It's easy to get into, and impossibly engaging. Right? With three difficulty settings for puzzles and four for action, this can be played by new-comers as well as veterans. Where she liked to be when she was alive. Or did she? You receive a letter from her, telling you that she is waiting for you. You are James Sunderland, whose wife passed away three years away earlier, because of a terminal illness. This is plot-driven, ambiguous, metaphorical and can be interpreted, and while I love the story of the first, this is definitely the more psychological one. Imagine playing through a horror masterpiece, one of the Asian ones or one by John Carpenter. The fear comes from the eerie surroundings, the grotesque, nightmarish creatures that are your enemies(on that, there are sadly not as many different types as in the original, and they are not as varied this time around, and although I completely understand why, this does impact the overall experience), the small town being abandoned and so nearly quaint, only.
When the two are put together, the most exquisite atmosphere is built up and maintained. With a subtlety unique to this series, this has you firmly glued to the seat, uneasy, and sometimes jumping out of it. Something that demands mention is the sound-side(including the amazing music, that is well-composed and fitting, never loud or noisy). It also improves the graphics, and those are excellent in this, regardless of release: The beautiful, impeccably done and realistic lighting, shadows, weather effects, "static noise"(invaluable for the mood), the *gorgeous* CGI cut-scenes(and the in-engine ones, that now have their mouths move, if perhaps not always perfectly synced), the cinematography that gets to be even freer and it's been loosened up, that it helps a ton and the dynamic camera(that brings with it immensely interesting and effective angles) that you can exert limited control over all add up to make this a truly cinematic experience. Then again, what add-on or expansion pack doesn't, in some way? It's still worth it, I'd say. I would almost go so far as to argue that it potentially detracts from the main game, if you take it as 100% canonical.
There is only a single outcome, it doesn't take you to many new areas, and there are only two new weapons, a revolver(that somehow holds ten bullets) and a meat cleaver.
It's *really* short, only one, maybe two hours of playing time. The former, however, means that you get a sub scenario, where you play as Maria, who, for how skinny she is, is not in very good shape she can only run for a few seconds straight before she slows down and has to catch her breath if she is to maintain a reasonable pace. Apart from letting you to save at any point(which I'm not sure you can do on the PS2), I don't think the latter changes anything. I base this upon the Director's Cut version, and I played this on the PC.
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