Silent Hill 2is proof that we need to shut the internet down. Maybe we need to go back to using pigeons to send messages between people or lighting a fire on a mountain so the person on the next mountain lights a fire and so on and so forth. I don’t know. Because clearly humanity is not benefitting from the fast transfer of information like we all expected.
They used to make books about the internet with a picture of a kid flying on a keyboard. Now that kid is a divorced dad who is furious about every movie that came out after 1999 and believes AI pictures of hurricane victims are more valuable and useful than actual pictures of hurricane victims. So no, I’m not surprised that real human beings online are upset that Angela Orosco in theSilent Hill 2 remakeisn’t attractive. I think it’s definitely strange to feel that way! But I’m not surprised.
Lemme get one thing outta the way first, folks: I don’t even reallylikethe change myself! So I promise that - for real - I am coming at this as much in good faith as I possibly can. If you don’t know, Angela Orosco is a teenage character in Silent Hill 2. Of the character redesigns, hers might be the most significant. In the original game, Angela Orosco looked gaunt and haunted, prematurely aged by the lifelong abuse she’d experienced.
In the new game, Angela looks younger, less thin, and, rather than haunted and confused, a bit more nervous and on-edge. Even if that design is not my preference (I felt the original Angela conveyed a shame that was devouring her from the inside), it absolutely still works in the game, and -as I’ve said elsewhere- this feels more like seeing a different actor take on a role in a play than it does having the character reduced or ruined.
You may like the change! You may not! But here’s the important part. Are you listening? Get a little closer.Angela Orosco is not supposed to be hot, you absolute weirdos!I hate to spoil a 21-year-old game, but for the love of God, she’s a victim of sexual assault! Her entire story pivots on the fact that she feels guilt and shame both for the abuse and for killing the family members who hurt her.
The end of her story does not involve her doing an air kiss and making a peace sign at the camera, you silly screwballs! She’s not in the game - either the original or the remake - to be your ideal kawaii waifu. I’m not saying that as a ‘woke’ thing. I’m saying you should have your internet history searched if you’re actually mad this character is not attractive.
After talking to a few people, the closest I can come to understanding this position is that in the CG opening movie of the original Silent Hill 2, Angela looks a bit more like Courtney Cox with tuberculosis. Okay. I get that. Consumption is in again. Here’s the rub: That’s just the opening movie. Butin the actual freaking PlayStation 2 game, Angela looks like an entirely different person.
Her eyes are full of panic, her jaw often slack, her baggy clothes hiding her body. That’s not the vibe of a person who’s out on the town looking to bag a husband, you nightmares. That’s someone who wants to never be looked at again, not someone who could be cute if she justtried a little harder. Neither version of Angela is covering her whole body because she’s a fourth wave feminist.
Yes, the new Angela looks quite different, but if you see a character lying on the floor, holding a knife, contemplating suicide, and your first thought is ‘I wouldn’t hit that’, maybe the problem is you. Seriously. The new version of Angela looks more like a teenager - which is, in fact, the genre of human she falls into - and her design still conveys a woman covering up as much as possible while uncomfortable with her body.
Here’s a hint: she’s not wearing a massive turtle neck because it’s in this season. There is exactly one character in the game that’s supposed to be hot andsheis literally a living sexual fantasy version of another, once again not-attractive character. Hell, they also made Eddie Dombrowski look stupider and meaner and his shorts are now a bit shorter - anyone going to take that outrage ball and run with it? No? I wonder why!
This has nothing to do with the ‘male gaze’ or something you heard sarcastically, yet incorrectly used on a podcast. Say what you will about my politics, but I don’t care if a character is hot or not. I think the fraulein inStellar Bladelooks amazing and, if she existed, my bowtie would make a whistling noise while it spun. I’m more than happy to look at Tifa all day long and then call sick into work the next day. They are fictional characters and their designers are allowed to make them look however they want.
And you know who else that applies to?Characters that I do not find attractive. It’s up to the artist! You want some battle-scarred lady with half her face missing like Harvey Dent? Go for it. You want a woman who’s basically just half boobs and half legs? Draw her up and marry the paper. Live that life! It does not impact me. But it’s still weird to want Angela - as a character - to be attractive. Especially when she - I’m so sorry to hit this point again - was also not attractive before. I’m sorry, I just don’t understand howthisone is complicated.
You think I’m exaggerating, but I have seen people yassifying Angela. I’m not making this up. There are YouTube videos and mods about ‘fixing’ her. To which I say, Jesus Christ in Heaven, what is wrong with you people? Just because she’s a fictional character doesn’t mean she needs to be a ten by default. I know the argument is, ‘Well, if this is a fictional world where anything can happen, why can’t everybody look like the optimal version of human physicality?’.
This argument, even if I don’t entirely agree, makes sense for something like Stellar Blade. This argument makes zero sense in the black mold and rotting plaster world of Silent Hill. I would argue that the fact that both versions of the character wear very baggy clothes and fold into themselves while talking suggests thatthey as charactersdo not want to be seen as attractive. Hell, Angela doesn’t want to be seen at all.
She doesn’t freak out and nearly stab James in the apartment because he did something wrong - it’s because him offering to help brings her back to the people who hurt her. That is, the people who were supposed to keep her safe. At no point does she want James to slam his fist on the table and howl like a wolf. There is an entirely different character for that.
If you’re frustrated that the increasing graphical fidelity in games has caused realistic character models to look less than perfect, I get it. I might not really agree it’s a problem, but I get where you’re coming from. You feel that these characters are being intentionally downgraded to appeal to what you consider non-gamers or some Johnny-come-latelys who aren’t as invested in this life as you.
You might believe they’re only making changes you don’t like to appeal to people you don’t like and it’s pissing you off. Or you feel these characters are being intentionally downgraded because the companies making the games inexplicably hate ‘real’ fans. This last one is more confusing to me because I’ve never worked for a major corporation that wanted a multi-million-dollar product to fail just to spite its audience.
There is no investor meeting where the CEO happily says, “Well, our game flopped, we lost a ton of money, everyone hates us, but at least some people online got so mad that they doxxed our community manager! Look at that green arrow going up!”
Folks, folks, folks, we need some media literacy. No, you’re not a monster for enjoying hot ladies with big ol’ keisters in your game. No, you’re not a bad person if you use a character creator to make someone who looks like you or your ideal sexy person.
But I would argue - and hear me out - that the artists and developers who make these gamesalsoaren’t monsters or bad people for designing characters the way thattheywant. Even if you -or me!- don’t like a change in a remake of a game, that does not mean it’s being done to earn political brownie points.
I’m not even saying that’s never happened in a game - I’m just saying that right now, right here, with Angela Orosco, I really do not believe that is the case. And I’ll write an apology if the developers reveal they were completely forced to make her look this way or get the entire game canceled. Honestly, I’ll probably just write an apology anyway because I constantly feel bad about everything. But either way, man, it’s super weird to want her to be hot. That’s all I’m saying!
Silent Hill 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Investigating a letter from his late wife, James returns to where they made so many memories - Silent Hill. What he finds is a ghost town, prowled by disturbing monsters and cloaked in deep fog. Confront the monsters, solve puzzles, and search for traces of your wife in this remake of SILENT HILL 2.High-end Graphics and SoundWith ray tracing and other cutting-edge technical enhancements, the world of SILENT HILL and its unsettling ambiance is even realer than before.And with the inclusion of new, immersive soundscapes, you’ll feel like you’re standing in the thick of it.Larger EnvironmentsExplore locations and buildings that were once inaccessible, or are newly added in the remake. Enjoy the same acclaimed story, even while you experience the town of Silent Hill with fresh eyes across an expanded map.Over-the-shoulder CameraThe remake moves from the original’s fixed-camera viewpoints to an over-the-shoulder perspective, putting you closer to what James sees, for a more thrilling, more immersive experience as you explore the town and come face-to-face with monsters.Evolved Combat GameplayFamiliar weapons like the steel pipe and handgun make their return, but now with an updated combat system. Avoid attacks with carefully timed dodges, aim down sights, and more, making monster encounters more engaging and nerve-wracking than ever.
