The sound of the car going faster and getting louder and louder to the point that it starts screeching gives me the most chills.. At this point James' psyche is completely broken, he just hit the pedal and went straight ahead without any care. The way he is also calm when he says "Now we can be together.." confirms that he has accepted his fate, and the mental imagery of him sitting there waiting to drown as the car is sinking deeper into a dark abyss is just so tragic yet intriguing in a morbid way.. In his way he gets to be "buried" along with his wife and that is all he cares about now.. for he accepts his punishment..
That part always gets me i love that little moment where James, drives off it gives me chills, but i guess i just find it badass, or so cool even though he’s going off to kill himself, plus it reminds me of Jessie Pinkmen, pealing out, and taking off, I can just picture James, laughing insanity before he hits the water.
@@grievousVryKe Yeah, she most likely was already buried by then, logically speaking.. but since his psyche is completely shattered by this point in the game.. he carries his (imaginary) wife who once again has died in front of him to the car (I just imagine James opening the car door to just make weird hand motions to place his non existent wife on the seat) and decides to "bury" both her and himself in the lake if you understand what I mean by that..
I just beat this and got the leave ending last night. first playthrough. I was stunned and I sat there with tears starting to form. Very emotional game. Mary's full letter broke my heart.
I got this ending the first time I played with my little brother (who was scarred for life). Used to playing Final Fantasy, I'd save all the healing stuff for the final fights and spent most of the game with low health. We also enjoyed hitting dead enemies, you know. In case they came back to life. By the time we got to the Two Bosses, I lunged at them, but soon realized it was futile. They were not going down. So I decide to go out with a bang. I equipped the big ass-sword and did a single horizontal hit that caught both of them. They took a few steps back and impaled themselves. We just stood there, wondering what the hell just happened. We had been saving the healing items for the final transformation, and it never came. Indeed. Our James had been seeking death all along, and the ending made perfect sense, considering the kind of shit we had been pulling.
Personally, this is my favorite ending. This is the perfect way to cap such an incredibly depressing, yet beautiful story. There's something horrendously poetic about James drowning in his guilt, sorrow and the weight of what he's done, and ultimately having the same fate as Mary.
@@unnamedx2 Nope. No canon ending, according to all developers (the fact James didn't come back to ____ doesn't mean he died, he could have just started somewhere new with Laura). I actually think In Water doesn't make much sense: many reasons, but a big one is James final battle with the two pyramid heads. James' rising up and resisting the pyramid heads is symbolic of him forgiving himself, or at least that he is not going to punish himself anymore, and that he rejects Maria (which really means he's letting go of Mary): so he's forgiven by Mary, he forgives himself, he lets go of Mary in some sense, and refuses to punish himself any longer... but then he kills himself (a form of self-punishment)? It doesn't make sense, especially considering the epic struggle he's persevered through to discover the truth would not have been possible by anyone but an extremely resilient person (not a trait of a suicidal). Laura is also a complete mcguffin & meaningless character if she doesn't represent ultimate redemption.
@@unnamedx2 it's not the most fitting and I'll tell you why. The whole purpose of silent hill was for James to overcome his guilt, and that's what the story was always trying to push. Especially with the pyramid head being defeated. This was supposed to be the symbolism of James overcoming his psychological issues. Eddy couldnt overcome his problems, and neither could the other girl so they suffered in their delusions. While James could recognize his errors and move on as a person. Maria also pushing the idea of him moving on with the child Laura further emphasized this.
I believe it was intentional for Mary's acting to not be "off". Plus her VA was actually cracking up during her big reading at the end, apparently breaking down after recording it.
@@sairabashir6617 The way i see it is like this: On the one hand he was wrong for murdering his wife and commited a egregious crime but on the other hand i feel sympathy for him because he was suffering from watching her dying and he couldn't stand it. I would have prefered if he had taken laura and went on and moved on because it lives on a high note instead of commiting suicide.
@@piromaniac9999 In another other ending he does go with laura though. That's why it's even more painful to get this ending. Knowing that YOU were doing the actions of already having given up. Checking Angela's knife, not healing yourself often, ect... Although honestly, this is what I wanted for "my" James after I watched the tape and found the truth, it just felt so hopeless and meaningless. But I guess the way you play the game changes your outlook on all this, so I'm looking forward to replaying it eventually and intentionally playing in a more "hopeful" manner.
@@calebfoxschool The way i figured from this conversation after the truth came out is he truly loved her he hated her for making him miserable while dying because he hated watching her slowly dying and suffering he couldnt stand it, it was agonizing to watch.This is not from a cold hearted man its coming from a place of love and he feels guilty about it and couldn't get over it and lives in denial. the reason i say i like the laura ending better than for instance the in water or maria ending the maria ending he is giving into his denialism more and the in water he is giving into despair and his misery ending his life.By going with little laura he can take care of her give her a better life and hopefully have a hopeful one where he remembers mary and remembers her fondly.
@@calebfoxschoolhear me out .. he crashed his car .. he is drowning and this whole game is in james head .. he is living it the moments before he dies. Guilt has eaten him up .. but again, I do get why he end her suffering. She was in pain but also wanted out sometimes.I think his love for her made him believe that he can’t just leave her.
In life, we are not defined by the tragedies that befall us, but rather, in the way we cope or don't... There is no cannon ending to this game. These are all different ways one can deal with guilt. We can hold onto our delusions with both hands, as in the Maria ending, or we can succumb and seek atonement through punishing ourselves, as in In Water. Or we can simply... leave... and put the guilt behind us to move on. James suffered immense trauma and guilt... and the endings are the different ways of dealing with it. None of the endings are exactly happy... they range from the bittersweet to the truly depressing... but there's a stark beauty in that. In leave, we're given an honest depiction of healing... not exactly happy, but hopeful... there is no coincidence in this being the best James can hope for...it is the best many of us who have been broken in such ways can hope for. And in this ending, In Water, we see an ending all too common for those that are unable to heal from their pain... drowning. The imagery is intentional, powerful and ultimately, the necessary ingredients to this timeless classic among the survival horror genre.
One reason I prefer this as the canon version is the irony of James' deciding he can't go on without Mary and killing himself. Only after James' has crossed the point of no return do we hear the true letter, a plea from Mary for James to live for himself. Of course, now, it's far too late. And that's ok. We're not all strong enough to go on.
The whole idea of having a 'canon' ending is missing the whole point of the game. they each represent a different way that James deals with what he's done. well the three main ones at least. there's not too much symbolism in getting abducted by aliens
Honestly the other games tend to hint at this as the canon ending. It's also the most fitting, as James comments about how he would never kill himself. The only reason he would is to be with his wife.
@@welestgw But in a building were the walls has red letters than says "there was a hole here, but now it's gone" also said that if James commits suicide he wouldn't go to where Mary is. Sorry for my bad English.
"Even though our life together had to end like this, I still wouldn´t trade it for the world. We had some wonderful years together." is the heart-crushing part for me, ´cause even in all that suffering, pain and sadness, Mary would still find the words to mention the happy moments they had.
I didn't bother to heal James saving up for "the final boss" fight. I hit the monsters after killing them "just to be sure"... I learned a lot about myself from playing this game. Read the letter maybe once, but assumed Maria was dead and that I just needed to survive. Turns out the James I played was a bloodthirsty suicidal maniac who was fighting the imaginary demons in his head. I definitely got the ending I deserved, and that made the experience so much better.
I absolutely love this game. It's the best I've ever played. The dialogue and the music in the backround really is emotionally touching and that all this is just a reflection of James' psychological mind. The town that brought his psyche and turned it into James' physical reality. Pure Genius.
@@bongosmcdongos4190 It is but they were demons both real and representing the different scenarios people were dealing with or had been affected by past sins, or had committed, Like the girl who's father had sexually abused her, The protagonist James. The very real but also a false trap Maria, staying in the delusion and lie, The in water ending as other have pointed out is coming to the very end of it all and not overcoming that final Trial of guilt and the need to be forgiven really. And in the leave ending you do get that, the overcoming of it all, the sins of the past, overcoming the very real but still false delusions of maria, and then finally redemption and a second chance in leave, but i can see why people would very much see leave as cannon or fall in love with it, it has a charm of its own.
i don't...the way she screws with him, gaslights him, emasculates him, and makes him question his love for Mary and bashes on him for still loving her even though she's dead makes me sick...She's even scarier than pyramid head ngl... The fact that she says "I'll never yell at you or make you feel bad." in it of itself is pathetic even though she did that to him a couple times, even by the time she tells him that.
Nobody talks about how heartbreaking Maria is in these endings. She’s so desperate to be loved, to not be lonely anymore, but James doesn’t even see her as a person. He went to that roof with the intention of killing her. He doesn’t know she’s a conscious being with her own thoughts and feelings, he thinks she’s just another monster.
Because she is. Maria thinks she is a person but she doesn't exist. She was born from the wish of Mary, brought into the town by the dark gods in silent hill, which makes her even more tragic because her sole purpose was to please James but he sees her as an obstacle. Maria was never real. She never was
This was my first ending when i played it; and i got to say that, for me, it's the saddest one :( I prefer the "Maria" ending..or even the "Leave" ending.. However...for me, this is the canon ending, it just really fits with the game. Meh, the "Dog" ending fits better.
Favourite ending in any game besides the dog and ufo ending The main endings are all about how James copes with his wife's death and how he copes with what happens afterwards. In Water is both overcoming his demons and letting them drown him in sorrow
This Game was incredible, wasn't scary but the soundtrack, that intro, The In Water ending... The scene where James comes to terms with what he's done (at the hotel) it's just a wonderful experience all along.
@@BushBumperBakerHe's not alone. I just finished playing the game and it really wasn't that scary, moreso disturbing and confusing. I'd argue Alien: Isolation is a scarier game than Silent Hill 2
Yes, but he deliberately blows off the question "what about Mary?" - Maria, "I have you"- James. He's in denial and already is replacing Mary, he's not moving on from her. Mary in her final confession letter acknowledges that James visited, he probably just didn't visit enough. She says that she wanted James to remember her and move on, but it seems like he is already denying her as the replacement Maria is a polar opposite of Mary. That's why its a sad ending, Mary has peace, James still won't.
I find it hard to choose between Leave and In Water. I think Leave feels more fitting to me, but I think the point is that everyone experiences James’s story from their own perspective of the events and how they feel about the characters. I think In Water is the most canon, it’s just so drastically sad. 20 years on this is still the best piece of media I’ve experienced
This game is so special to me. I love the Silent Hill series so much. Even after all these years, it still makes me cry. Even when I've replayed them multiple times, it's still always so special and a magnificent experience. What a truly great time in gaming when silent hill 1, 2, and 3 were made. Man I love these games so much. I need to replay them again Even though I did like 2 months ago lol.
I got this ending just yesterday in my first playthrough of this game, and almost had me crying. Absolutely loved it btw, a fantastic psychological horror game ❤
Same actually really ironic, might even have been 4 days ago same day you beat it I accidentally skipped the cutscene but the game result screen said I got the "in water" ending. Makes perfect sense that I got this ending first Sucks I had to UA-cam the ending I got
This was the best and most impactful ending in the game. They totally butchered it in the remake by cutting the talk with Mary, I couldn't fucking believe it when I saw it wasn't there.
Місяць тому+2
Yeah... Just got it and it felt lacking. Loved almost everything about the remake, but some things like this ending and how it showed him kill her so quickly in the videotape really stink for me.
I was so angry. The remake was amazing up to that point and I was excited to see it because this sequence makes the whole game for me. I was so ready to walk away from the remake thinking they actually pulled it off, then it felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. It wouldve been amazing with the new scene, too. Really feels like they intended to jump from the talk with Mary to the scene in the car, but cut it for whatever reason. James doesn't even pick her up and carry her away in the Leave ending.
Guy Cihi (James' voice actor) has said that during the recording of the letter everyone was silent and misty eyed after Monica Taylor was done, she herself was crying during the last paragraphs. That emotion you hear is all real and makes the letter powerful regardless of which ending you get it at. If you get Leave you're happy that Mary's wish gets fulfilled but still sad she can't be with James, but if you get In Water you feel empty knowing James didn't follow through with her last request. I want to remain optimistic about the remake even if I'm not a fan of the devs, but I can say for a fact there's no way their voice actors will match the performances we got here, as seen with the HD remaster all those years back.
The remake is going to be a disaster. I'm sorry. You know it too. It would be a difficult task for any studio to remake this, but Team Bloober? Not a fucking chance.
@@MrManBuzz Oh I know it will be all around a bad game, but I'd be a terrible person if I didn't at least hold out a bit of hope maybe they won't botch it.
@@gabrielklasutin1154 Against everyones expectations, it turned out very well. It still doesn't live up to the original imo, but Bloober did a great job.
Silent hill had alot of flaws that you can point at, but I find that for the most part they can be overlooked because of how well they developed James to feel like an actual human being with deep flaws and the town being his own self-inflicted torture to punish him for what he did and the guilt that he feels. No game I have played to this day accomplishes what Silent Hill 2 did with its flaws and all.
Yeah, I think that's the most reasonable explanation, it also fits why Maria in her introduction "Born from a Wish" shows suicidal tendencies, she is clearly self-projecting James mind. He can be satisfied and live on with the idea that Maria (ie Mary) wanted to die, and that she was suffering and couldn't do it herself therefore justifying what he did regardless of Mary's true feelings along with denying his selfish reasons for doing it, and this is largely hidden in his subconsciousness.
One of the most memorable games I've ever played and the first game where I became really emotionally involved with a character and wishing it wasn't true when it was revealed that James killed Mary. Only other game that can come close to this is Fatal Frame 2, another ending that hit me pretty hard and is still pretty haunting to this day.
I always saw this ending as the true ending to the story, especially after playing Silent Hill 4 when the only mention of James is that he went to the town and just never came back.
also on a earlier point, Mary's disease as I interpreted is like a form of dementia in that Mary was only a shell of her former self, she may have had uncontrollable violent outbursts and she may not have pushed James away deliberately. She may have had moments of clarity and had her memories but if the same thing happens to Maria then it will likely turn out the same. Also an early concept suggests she had multiple personality disorder ie: Mary and Maria initial conception but this was changed
The Leave ending is a great defeat of James' labito, but the In Water ending feels so much more fitting. The way he says "I'm done with you" always grabs me
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 how? As l know James show an opposed From what *whole l want kill myself* thing Such as he fight back against his nightmare version of his wife which was created by city
@@giornogiovannatheultimateb8553 When you woke up this morning, did you really think to yourself "Hey, I want to spend my time complaining about a UA-cam comment for no reason"? Calm your tits, it's only a game.
Its funny to think that a developer was just sitting at his desk probably saying the final message as he wrote it with the most dead look on his face and no emotion whatsoever He was probably like "now. i. want. you. to. live. on. for. yourself....james. do. Whats. Best. for. You. James.....done, sen- wait wait wait........james.......you. made. me. happy. Alright NOOOOOW I'm done"
makes some sense since james is technically underwater. the only thing I'd criticize about that idea is that he drowned himself in a lake, not an ocean.
edit: apologies Mary doesn't acknowledge him visiting her in hospital. But here's a further point, James trip to Silent Hill becomes pointless in the Maria ending as he doesn't learn from his mistakes and doesn't reconcile with Mary's death. Also what's not to say once things get too hard that James won't snap, he may have visited Maria in hospital but when the circumstances were not the same and he hasn't learnt much from his trip so its likely he won't deal with it differently.
Ironically I find the Leave ending to be much more depressing than this. I know a lot of people prefer this ending, but I always thought James continuing to live on with all the guilt of what he's done was way more heavy. Suicide just seemed like the easy way out and a lot less impactful to me personally. Leave seems much more depressing and that's why I prefer it, even though I guess it's supposed to be like new hope/ a new beginning.
People said that the ending song was supposed to resemble james car not starting before he crashed it in a river. I love it so much now knowing that and I believe it’s true since everything in this game has a deeper meaning
@@mirrta4598 cause happy ending are boring and NOT real at all. Leave ending, yeah James you are gonna live a peaceful life adopting a lil girl who barely knows u BUT firsgo to prison for some years for killing ur wife before being "happy"
Not really, the Maria ending is effectively James never confronting his issues with his wife Mary. That's why they exit silent hill through the observation deck where the story begins, the story has become a full circle that is repeating such as Maria's cough to symbolise she is terminally ill just like Mary and that James will once again have to go through the pain of losing her and killing her out of hate or mercy (or both). Nothing is resolved emotionally and its a false sense of happiness...
in the Maria introduction, its called "Born from a Wish" which again suggests that she isn't real or a tongue in cheek reference to the fans of the game. Also when James is near likely Maria can manifest, just like how Angela's demon "daddy" manifes near her. Nobody else recognises Maria in the game like Angela, Laura or Eddie. She actually avoids the encounter with them, suggesting she may appear as a monster in their perceptions. Just like Angela's father appears like a monster to James.
This is off the cuff and kind of disjointed, but here is my own interpretation: -Loop Canon accepted (James is looping over and over, until you get the Leave ending) -Mary really did die 3 years ago. Whether or not James "came" to Silent Hill *right* after she died and it's been 3 years of him looping there, or it really actually has been 3 years in reality and he finally came to Silent Hill to confront his feelings, either works. -James was never charged as doctors assumed she died from the disease. Probably not enough suspicion to look into an autopsy/cause of death. -I believe James is dead before the story starts, and his soul is entrapped by the town. The town is feeding off of him, putting him through loops of his own mind, memories, and feelings -Mary's body in the back of car is figurative, not literal. James hasn't "buried" Mary, hasn't let go of that guilt, hence the body in the back of the car. Although I suppose you could argue it's actually there if you believe he came to Silent Hill right after she died, but I personally think it's not literal. -James came to Silent Hill to off himself (drive into the lake). He had not been able to live with the guilt of what he did, even though he didn't fully realize it (being his trauma morphed his memory). -For that matter, I believe everyone in Silent Hill is dead and their souls are trapped there, all in their own personal versions of hell -Laura died soon after Mary, three years ago. Her soul haunts Silent Hill because that's where she thought she'd find Mary (in life/after life) -Everyone trapped by the town is gray, far from black and white. What James did wasn't right, but it wasn't evil either. Eddie is a bit less nuanced, but in my personal opinion, the dog thing feels tacked onto Eddie to make us hate him more. It robs too much sympathy/empathy from his situation (makes the bullies feel justified in taunting him). Regardless, bullying leads to self hatred, which can lead to violence towards others, even the innocent (cycle of abuse kind of thing). Angela's situation is just heartbreaking, and she in unable to move on and forgive herself (despite it being justifiable). This is because she feels like she deserved all that happened to her, thus she believes it was wrong to strike back and kill her father and brother. -Maria is a manifestation of the town, conjured from James memories/feelings/desires towards Mary. The town wants James to stay there forever, in a loop, feeding off of him, so she constantly tries to get James to give in to her. The Maria ending shows that the cycle repeats itself successfully. -I believe the real Mary is trying to rescue James from the town/himself. Mary wants James to forgive himself and let his soul rest. She is trying to reach out to him, as she does in a couple of the endings -The In Water and Stillness Endings are James reliving his suicide, which inevitably leads to the cycle repeating. In Water shows him actively barring himself from Mary's forgiveness, while Stillness is him starting to accept it. Regardless, both lead to the cycle repeating -The Leave ending is James finally overcoming the town, accepting Mary's forgiveness and putting his own guilt to rest. This also frees Laura from Silent Hills grasp, as she understands Mary isn't there any more. Both her and James can move on, and rest -Mary will be waiting for James in the after life, having forgiven him.
Compared to the Leave ending, James seems less sure about his reasons for killing Mary. He says a part of him hated Mary, as opposed to saying full front he hated and wanted to get rid of her. He can't commit to his sins, and winds up dying unable to deal with himself.
imho this ending was the most fitting and allways brings me to tears everytime i hear and watch the damn thing :( .Why? becuz I can relate to it in my personal life... I guess i'm just not as "brave or cowardice" as James :(
"....you made me happy..." the most gut wrenching words ever pronounced in a video game ....
T-T
.
it makes it worse that he killed himself.
Everytime I hear it I actually get a bit sick to be honest,its awful
"...you made me happy..."
*funny black man crying*
The sound of the car going faster and getting louder and louder to the point that it starts screeching gives me the most chills..
At this point James' psyche is completely broken, he just hit the pedal and went straight ahead without any care. The way he is also calm when he says "Now we can be together.." confirms that he has accepted his fate, and the mental imagery of him sitting there waiting to drown as the car is sinking deeper into a dark abyss is just so tragic yet intriguing in a morbid way..
In his way he gets to be "buried" along with his wife and that is all he cares about now.. for he accepts his punishment..
That part always gets me i love that little moment where James, drives off it gives me chills, but i guess i just find it badass, or so cool even though he’s going off to kill himself, plus it reminds me of Jessie Pinkmen, pealing out, and taking off, I can just picture James, laughing insanity before he hits the water.
Wait wdym underwater? didnt james kill her with by stranglement?
He deserved it
@@grievousVryKe Yeah, she most likely was already buried by then, logically speaking.. but since his psyche is completely shattered by this point in the game.. he carries his (imaginary) wife who once again has died in front of him to the car (I just imagine James opening the car door to just make weird hand motions to place his non existent wife on the seat) and decides to "bury" both her and himself in the lake if you understand what I mean by that..
@@Zetsuboulurkswithin she wasnt buried she was literally in the back of his car the entire time. one of the creators even confirmed it on twitter
I think James just drowned in my tears, to be precise.
Suddenly caralho
Even after 13 years I still get tears in my eyes from this game.
Even after 19 YEARS 🥺
I just beat this and got the leave ending last night. first playthrough. I was stunned and I sat there with tears starting to form. Very emotional game. Mary's full letter broke my heart.
He deserved it
Even after 21 years....
tears? I get waterfalls
"I wonder what was I afraid of?"
"Without you, Mary, I've got nothing...."
This is gonna make me cry
I got this ending the first time I played with my little brother (who was scarred for life). Used to playing Final Fantasy, I'd save all the healing stuff for the final fights and spent most of the game with low health. We also enjoyed hitting dead enemies, you know. In case they came back to life.
By the time we got to the Two Bosses, I lunged at them, but soon realized it was futile. They were not going down. So I decide to go out with a bang. I equipped the big ass-sword and did a single horizontal hit that caught both of them.
They took a few steps back and impaled themselves. We just stood there, wondering what the hell just happened. We had been saving the healing items for the final transformation, and it never came.
Indeed. Our James had been seeking death all along, and the ending made perfect sense, considering the kind of shit we had been pulling.
Ditto
Personally, this is my favorite ending. This is the perfect way to cap such an incredibly depressing, yet beautiful story. There's something horrendously poetic about James drowning in his guilt, sorrow and the weight of what he's done, and ultimately having the same fate as Mary.
Despite Mary's encouragement for him to move on and live his best life. Really makes your skin crawl.
This is the canon ending
@@unnamedx2 Nope. No canon ending, according to all developers (the fact James didn't come back to ____ doesn't mean he died, he could have just started somewhere new with Laura). I actually think In Water doesn't make much sense: many reasons, but a big one is James final battle with the two pyramid heads. James' rising up and resisting the pyramid heads is symbolic of him forgiving himself, or at least that he is not going to punish himself anymore, and that he rejects Maria (which really means he's letting go of Mary): so he's forgiven by Mary, he forgives himself, he lets go of Mary in some sense, and refuses to punish himself any longer... but then he kills himself (a form of self-punishment)? It doesn't make sense, especially considering the epic struggle he's persevered through to discover the truth would not have been possible by anyone but an extremely resilient person (not a trait of a suicidal). Laura is also a complete mcguffin & meaningless character if she doesn't represent ultimate redemption.
@@julianmarx2002 in the director's opinion it is the most fitting end for james so i take that as confirmation for a canon ending
@@unnamedx2 it's not the most fitting and I'll tell you why. The whole purpose of silent hill was for James to overcome his guilt, and that's what the story was always trying to push. Especially with the pyramid head being defeated. This was supposed to be the symbolism of James overcoming his psychological issues. Eddy couldnt overcome his problems, and neither could the other girl so they suffered in their delusions. While James could recognize his errors and move on as a person. Maria also pushing the idea of him moving on with the child Laura further emphasized this.
I still cry.. This is the most depressing ending to any game.
Imagine listening to this performance and thinking "yeah, we gonna need some better voice acting here"
I believe it was intentional for Mary's acting to not be "off".
Plus her VA was actually cracking up during her big reading at the end, apparently breaking down after recording it.
@@velahtielredfang9417 Maybe she was doing so as a nervous response to the awkwardness of the situation. Recording that in front of everyone, yk.
@@nightshadegatito She was doing that because it was sad, dumb ass. While she was recording it, people in there, and the VA herself were crying.
The voice acting is so bad lol
@@BirdGang6Trippin. Absolutely trippin.
I have to say silent hill has one of the most depressing endings ever.This ending is incredibly sad.
He deserved it
@@sairabashir6617 The way i see it is like this:
On the one hand he was wrong for murdering his wife and commited a egregious crime but on the other hand i feel sympathy for him because he was suffering from watching her dying and he couldn't stand it.
I would have prefered if he had taken laura and went on and moved on because it lives on a high note instead of commiting suicide.
@@piromaniac9999 In another other ending he does go with laura though. That's why it's even more painful to get this ending. Knowing that YOU were doing the actions of already having given up. Checking Angela's knife, not healing yourself often, ect... Although honestly, this is what I wanted for "my" James after I watched the tape and found the truth, it just felt so hopeless and meaningless. But I guess the way you play the game changes your outlook on all this, so I'm looking forward to replaying it eventually and intentionally playing in a more "hopeful" manner.
@@calebfoxschool The way i figured from this conversation after the truth came out is he truly loved her he hated her for making him miserable while dying because he hated watching her slowly dying and suffering he couldnt stand it, it was agonizing to watch.This is not from a cold hearted man its coming from a place of love and he feels guilty about it and couldn't get over it and lives in denial. the reason i say i like the laura ending better than for instance the in water or maria ending the maria ending he is giving into his denialism more and the in water he is giving into despair and his misery ending his life.By going with little laura he can take care of her give her a better life and hopefully have a hopeful one where he remembers mary and remembers her fondly.
@@calebfoxschoolhear me out .. he crashed his car .. he is drowning and this whole game is in james head .. he is living it the moments before he dies. Guilt has eaten him up .. but again, I do get why he end her suffering. She was in pain but also wanted out sometimes.I think his love for her made him believe that he can’t just leave her.
In life, we are not defined by the tragedies that befall us, but rather, in the way we cope or don't... There is no cannon ending to this game. These are all different ways one can deal with guilt. We can hold onto our delusions with both hands, as in the Maria ending, or we can succumb and seek atonement through punishing ourselves, as in In Water. Or we can simply... leave... and put the guilt behind us to move on. James suffered immense trauma and guilt... and the endings are the different ways of dealing with it. None of the endings are exactly happy... they range from the bittersweet to the truly depressing... but there's a stark beauty in that. In leave, we're given an honest depiction of healing... not exactly happy, but hopeful... there is no coincidence in this being the best James can hope for...it is the best many of us who have been broken in such ways can hope for. And in this ending, In Water, we see an ending all too common for those that are unable to heal from their pain... drowning. The imagery is intentional, powerful and ultimately, the necessary ingredients to this timeless classic among the survival horror genre.
Fantastic comment ❤
wow
That ending is hands down one of the best things not only in video games but in art in general
One reason I prefer this as the canon version is the irony of James' deciding he can't go on without Mary and killing himself. Only after James' has crossed the point of no return do we hear the true letter, a plea from Mary for James to live for himself. Of course, now, it's far too late. And that's ok. We're not all strong enough to go on.
Suicide is not okay.
@@BadWolfSilence
suicide is badass
Cheese head As someone formerly suicidal, no. It isn’t. It’s a waste of an infinitely precious human life.
@@cheesehead8952 shut the fuck up
@@BadWolfSilence stop shoving your ideas on me
The whole idea of having a 'canon' ending is missing the whole point of the game. they each represent a different way that James deals with what he's done.
well the three main ones at least. there's not too much symbolism in getting abducted by aliens
+Yetaxa
Maybe James has really gone nuts and imagined himself being abducted by aliens.
Yeti you do know it is a joke ending right?
Honestly the other games tend to hint at this as the canon ending. It's also the most fitting, as James comments about how he would never kill himself. The only reason he would is to be with his wife.
What if the dog WAS behind everything......
@@welestgw But in a building were the walls has red letters than says "there was a hole here, but now it's gone" also said that if James commits suicide he wouldn't go to where Mary is.
Sorry for my bad English.
I couldn't hold the tears at "you made me happy" my god... that sentence...
It's really scary how good the actors were in this game for all the characters. It's an 18 year old game and STILL holds up strong!
obligatory comment about it's been xxx years and the game is still good! no shit it's still good. it's such a toxic mentality to think otherwise
@@hypnos9336 brainlet can’t comprehend that a medium’s presentation (such as acting) gets better as the medium develops 😱
"There are monsters in this city, how can you sit there and eat pizza?!!?"
the "you made me happy" part at the end breaks me down every time, especially with this ending. Whenever I hear it I start sobbing like a baby. :(
"Even though our life together had to end like this, I still wouldn´t trade it for the world. We had some wonderful years together." is the heart-crushing part for me, ´cause even in all that suffering, pain and sadness, Mary would still find the words to mention the happy moments they had.
The Dagger of emotion was thrust deep into my soul.
I didn't bother to heal James saving up for "the final boss" fight. I hit the monsters after killing them "just to be sure"... I learned a lot about myself from playing this game. Read the letter maybe once, but assumed Maria was dead and that I just needed to survive.
Turns out the James I played was a bloodthirsty suicidal maniac who was fighting the imaginary demons in his head. I definitely got the ending I deserved, and that made the experience so much better.
I absolutely love this game. It's the best I've ever played. The dialogue and the music in the backround really is emotionally touching and that all this is just a reflection of James' psychological mind. The town that brought his psyche and turned it into James' physical reality. Pure Genius.
My first ending, guess it suits me.
I kinda feel sorry for Maria though, she just didn't want to be alone.
She did not exist
Maria is just the concept of James' "ideal" and "perverse" version of Mary, if you ask me.
@@anomitas she literally did. Everything in silent hill is real in game.
@@bongosmcdongos4190 It is but they were demons both real and representing the different scenarios people were dealing with or had been affected by past sins, or had committed, Like the girl who's father had sexually abused her, The protagonist James. The very real but also a false trap Maria, staying in the delusion and lie, The in water ending as other have pointed out is coming to the very end of it all and not overcoming that final Trial of guilt and the need to be forgiven really. And in the leave ending you do get that, the overcoming of it all, the sins of the past, overcoming the very real but still false delusions of maria, and then finally redemption and a second chance in leave, but i can see why people would very much see leave as cannon or fall in love with it, it has a charm of its own.
i don't...the way she screws with him, gaslights him, emasculates him, and makes him question his love for Mary and bashes on him for still loving her even though she's dead makes me sick...She's even scarier than pyramid head ngl... The fact that she says "I'll never yell at you or make you feel bad." in it of itself is pathetic even though she did that to him a couple times, even by the time she tells him that.
i havent cried for almost 2 years until i first beat this game and got this ending.
Nobody talks about how heartbreaking Maria is in these endings. She’s so desperate to be loved, to not be lonely anymore, but James doesn’t even see her as a person. He went to that roof with the intention of killing her. He doesn’t know she’s a conscious being with her own thoughts and feelings, he thinks she’s just another monster.
Because she is. Maria thinks she is a person but she doesn't exist. She was born from the wish of Mary, brought into the town by the dark gods in silent hill, which makes her even more tragic because her sole purpose was to please James but he sees her as an obstacle.
Maria was never real. She never was
maria is 100 percent a creation of the town
@@maintainrain Cogito ergo sum. She's still a real person.
@@maintainrain
It's like saying Trish from DMC isn't real. Although this are two different games but was tapping on the powers of the devil.
@@morganalabeille5004 she just look like she thinks, she's the only "person" in Silent Hill that's not an actual human.
This was my first ending when i played it; and i got to say that, for me, it's the saddest one :(
I prefer the "Maria" ending..or even the "Leave" ending..
However...for me, this is the canon ending, it just really fits with the game.
Meh, the "Dog" ending fits better.
for me leave ending fits better
Yea I got leave and he was against suicide when meeting with Angela but this ones good too
I don't really think he could have lived with himself after the leave ending, so this is Canon for me.
@@korosuke1788 100%
Yeah In water, though depressing, is the one that fits better given the story of the Game and James as a character.
Re-watching this years later and it still makes me fucking sob like a baby... :'(
Just beat this game for the first time yesterday and got this ending and I still can't cope how good this game was 😭😭 literally cried at the end
It makes it even creepier in that it's clearly the roar of a GM V8 engine that's heard, which his '77 Pontiac Ventura has...
I completed this game a decade ago today and received this ending.
Favourite ending in any game besides the dog and ufo ending
The main endings are all about how James copes with his wife's death and how he copes with what happens afterwards. In Water is both overcoming his demons and letting them drown him in sorrow
Mary's voice actor brings that letter's meaning to another level
i think this is porably the best ending in the game its such a tragic and emtional ending that just feels perfect for this game.
This Game was incredible, wasn't scary but the soundtrack, that intro, The In Water ending... The scene where James comes to terms with what he's done (at the hotel) it's just a wonderful experience all along.
Homie really just said SH2 wasn't scary. What could POSSIBLY be scary to you if not this game tough guy? Lmao
@@BushBumperBakerHe's not alone. I just finished playing the game and it really wasn't that scary, moreso disturbing and confusing. I'd argue Alien: Isolation is a scarier game than Silent Hill 2
Yes, but he deliberately blows off the question "what about Mary?" - Maria, "I have you"- James. He's in denial and already is replacing Mary, he's not moving on from her. Mary in her final confession letter acknowledges that James visited, he probably just didn't visit enough. She says that she wanted James to remember her and move on, but it seems like he is already denying her as the replacement Maria is a polar opposite of Mary. That's why its a sad ending, Mary has peace, James still won't.
I find it hard to choose between Leave and In Water. I think Leave feels more fitting to me, but I think the point is that everyone experiences James’s story from their own perspective of the events and how they feel about the characters. I think In Water is the most canon, it’s just so drastically sad. 20 years on this is still the best piece of media I’ve experienced
Literally been 10 years since I first beat the game. And I still think about this ending. My favorite horror game ive ever played, hands down.
This still makes me tear up
What absolutely wonderful voice acting. I remember sobbing playing this for the first time.
This game man, it's something amazing
This game is so special to me. I love the Silent Hill series so much. Even after all these years, it still makes me cry. Even when I've replayed them multiple times, it's still always so special and a magnificent experience.
What a truly great time in gaming when silent hill 1, 2, and 3 were made.
Man I love these games so much. I need to replay them again Even though I did like 2 months ago lol.
silent hill 2 and 3.... are masterpeices... 10/10 games.. if u like horror
I got this ending just yesterday in my first playthrough of this game, and almost had me crying. Absolutely loved it btw, a fantastic psychological horror game ❤
Same actually really ironic, might even have been 4 days ago same day you beat it
I accidentally skipped the cutscene but the game result screen said I got the "in water" ending. Makes perfect sense that I got this ending first
Sucks I had to UA-cam the ending I got
This was the best and most impactful ending in the game. They totally butchered it in the remake by cutting the talk with Mary, I couldn't fucking believe it when I saw it wasn't there.
Yeah... Just got it and it felt lacking. Loved almost everything about the remake, but some things like this ending and how it showed him kill her so quickly in the videotape really stink for me.
I was so angry. The remake was amazing up to that point and I was excited to see it because this sequence makes the whole game for me.
I was so ready to walk away from the remake thinking they actually pulled it off, then it felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. It wouldve been amazing with the new scene, too. Really feels like they intended to jump from the talk with Mary to the scene in the car, but cut it for whatever reason. James doesn't even pick her up and carry her away in the Leave ending.
James: *tortured by his wifes illness*
Mary: I never held you accountable stop blaming yourself, you made me happy I love you.
Me: 😢
This is the saddest thing I have ever sen. I can never forget it.
"I will always love you forever" is the sad part.
Guy Cihi (James' voice actor) has said that during the recording of the letter everyone was silent and misty eyed after Monica Taylor was done, she herself was crying during the last paragraphs. That emotion you hear is all real and makes the letter powerful regardless of which ending you get it at. If you get Leave you're happy that Mary's wish gets fulfilled but still sad she can't be with James, but if you get In Water you feel empty knowing James didn't follow through with her last request.
I want to remain optimistic about the remake even if I'm not a fan of the devs, but I can say for a fact there's no way their voice actors will match the performances we got here, as seen with the HD remaster all those years back.
The remake is going to be a disaster. I'm sorry. You know it too. It would be a difficult task for any studio to remake this, but Team Bloober? Not a fucking chance.
@@MrManBuzz Oh I know it will be all around a bad game, but I'd be a terrible person if I didn't at least hold out a bit of hope maybe they won't botch it.
@@MrManBuzzI have news for you!
@@gabrielklasutin1154 Against everyones expectations, it turned out very well. It still doesn't live up to the original imo, but Bloober did a great job.
Silent hill had alot of flaws that you can point at, but I find that for the most part they can be overlooked because of how well they developed James to feel like an actual human being with deep flaws and the town being his own self-inflicted torture to punish him for what he did and the guilt that he feels. No game I have played to this day accomplishes what Silent Hill 2 did with its flaws and all.
damm this tears me up every single time i watch, so powerful
I got this ending on my first playthrough and I shed a few tears lol
Me too, I bursted into tears from video game for a first time in my life when this ending showed up.
bro.... same
we should've healed more to get the leaving ending instead KEKW
Yeah, I think that's the most reasonable explanation, it also fits why Maria in her introduction "Born from a Wish" shows suicidal tendencies, she is clearly self-projecting James mind. He can be satisfied and live on with the idea that Maria (ie Mary) wanted to die, and that she was suffering and couldn't do it herself therefore justifying what he did regardless of Mary's true feelings along with denying his selfish reasons for doing it, and this is largely hidden in his subconsciousness.
The silence hurts the most.
One of the most memorable games I've ever played and the first game where I became really emotionally involved with a character and wishing it wasn't true when it was revealed that James killed Mary. Only other game that can come close to this is Fatal Frame 2, another ending that hit me pretty hard and is still pretty haunting to this day.
I always saw this ending as the true ending to the story, especially after playing Silent Hill 4 when the only mention of James is that he went to the town and just never came back.
Yeah, in water is the most fitting ending for this game canon or not.
also on a earlier point, Mary's disease as I interpreted is like a form of dementia in that Mary was only a shell of her former self, she may have had uncontrollable violent outbursts and she may not have pushed James away deliberately. She may have had moments of clarity and had her memories but if the same thing happens to Maria then it will likely turn out the same. Also an early concept suggests she had multiple personality disorder ie: Mary and Maria initial conception but this was changed
That letter it's so.... Hearth breaking
Not gonna lie hearing the suffering of both does bring me to tears its hard to hear.
One of the most powerful moments in gaming history for me. What a beautiful testament to games being art.
james...
you made me happy.
soul crushing. hard to hold back my tears
The Leave ending is a great defeat of James' labito, but the In Water ending feels so much more fitting. The way he says "I'm done with you" always grabs me
James literally says before final fight *
I never kill myself*
@@giornogiovannatheultimateb8553 he was in denial
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 how?
As l know
James show an opposed
From what *whole l want kill myself* thing
Such as he fight back against his nightmare version of his wife which was created by city
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 how?
@@giornogiovannatheultimateb8553 When you woke up this morning, did you really think to yourself "Hey, I want to spend my time complaining about a UA-cam comment for no reason"? Calm your tits, it's only a game.
Wow I'm crying waterfalls right now.
Its funny to think that a developer was just sitting at his desk probably saying the final message as he wrote it with the most dead look on his face and no emotion whatsoever
He was probably like "now. i. want. you. to. live. on. for. yourself....james. do. Whats. Best. for. You. James.....done, sen- wait wait wait........james.......you. made. me. happy.
Alright NOOOOOW I'm done"
*Looks around to make sure nobody's around*
LEAVE IS CANON
yeah for me too colleague >:|
Wrong
*Sneaks up behind you*
Revive is cannon
Actually they confirmed In water was canon
for the mighty power of Horacio Quiroga i slap the shit out of you while telling you there's no happy endings in this story
Why do i remember seeing the car lower into the water.
watch while listening to ocean man
Pure genius. That's a 200 IQ play right there.
Vai tomar no cu! 😂😂 fuk off
5,000,000 IQ
I love you so much.
makes some sense since james is technically underwater. the only thing I'd criticize about that idea is that he drowned himself in a lake, not an ocean.
edit: apologies Mary doesn't acknowledge him visiting her in hospital. But here's a further point, James trip to Silent Hill becomes pointless in the Maria ending as he doesn't learn from his mistakes and doesn't reconcile with Mary's death. Also what's not to say once things get too hard that James won't snap, he may have visited Maria in hospital but when the circumstances were not the same and he hasn't learnt much from his trip so its likely he won't deal with it differently.
If there's one good thing about the remake,
It's realising how masterfully executed this scene is!
makes me cry everytime
watching this while is raining at night 😢
Ironically I find the Leave ending to be much more depressing than this. I know a lot of people prefer this ending, but I always thought James continuing to live on with all the guilt of what he's done was way more heavy. Suicide just seemed like the easy way out and a lot less impactful to me personally. Leave seems much more depressing and that's why I prefer it, even though I guess it's supposed to be like new hope/ a new beginning.
Yep, just watched this again and cant stop crying😭
Imma be honest I came back after seeing the remake version and that one was so tame in comparison to this.
Good graphics
And best ending ever because it does have and understanding ending thanks for uploading it
Ending of this game makes me want to cry 😢
the reading of the letter in the remake is so bad...
its very emotionless in the remake.
People said that the ending song was supposed to resemble james car not starting before he crashed it in a river. I love it so much now knowing that and I believe it’s true since everything in this game has a deeper meaning
This was the first ending I ever got, over 15 years ago or so. Glad it was.
why?
@@mirrta4598 cause happy ending are boring and NOT real at all. Leave ending, yeah James you are gonna live a peaceful life adopting a lil girl who barely knows u BUT firsgo to prison for some years for killing ur wife before being "happy"
Not really, the Maria ending is effectively James never confronting his issues with his wife Mary. That's why they exit silent hill through the observation deck where the story begins, the story has become a full circle that is repeating such as Maria's cough to symbolise she is terminally ill just like Mary and that James will once again have to go through the pain of losing her and killing her out of hate or mercy (or both). Nothing is resolved emotionally and its a false sense of happiness...
Damn it. Who's cutting all those onions? (; - ; )
team silent. who else?
in the Maria introduction, its called "Born from a Wish" which again suggests that she isn't real or a tongue in cheek reference to the fans of the game. Also when James is near likely Maria can manifest, just like how Angela's demon "daddy" manifes near her. Nobody else recognises Maria in the game like Angela, Laura or Eddie. She actually avoids the encounter with them, suggesting she may appear as a monster in their perceptions. Just like Angela's father appears like a monster to James.
This is off the cuff and kind of disjointed, but here is my own interpretation:
-Loop Canon accepted (James is looping over and over, until you get the Leave ending)
-Mary really did die 3 years ago. Whether or not James "came" to Silent Hill *right* after she died and it's been 3 years of him looping there, or it really actually has been 3 years in reality and he finally came to Silent Hill to confront his feelings, either works.
-James was never charged as doctors assumed she died from the disease. Probably not enough suspicion to look into an autopsy/cause of death.
-I believe James is dead before the story starts, and his soul is entrapped by the town. The town is feeding off of him, putting him through loops of his own mind, memories, and feelings
-Mary's body in the back of car is figurative, not literal. James hasn't "buried" Mary, hasn't let go of that guilt, hence the body in the back of the car. Although I suppose you could argue it's actually there if you believe he came to Silent Hill right after she died, but I personally think it's not literal.
-James came to Silent Hill to off himself (drive into the lake). He had not been able to live with the guilt of what he did, even though he didn't fully realize it (being his trauma morphed his memory).
-For that matter, I believe everyone in Silent Hill is dead and their souls are trapped there, all in their own personal versions of hell
-Laura died soon after Mary, three years ago. Her soul haunts Silent Hill because that's where she thought she'd find Mary (in life/after life)
-Everyone trapped by the town is gray, far from black and white. What James did wasn't right, but it wasn't evil either. Eddie is a bit less nuanced, but in my personal opinion, the dog thing feels tacked onto Eddie to make us hate him more. It robs too much sympathy/empathy from his situation (makes the bullies feel justified in taunting him). Regardless, bullying leads to self hatred, which can lead to violence towards others, even the innocent (cycle of abuse kind of thing). Angela's situation is just heartbreaking, and she in unable to move on and forgive herself (despite it being justifiable). This is because she feels like she deserved all that happened to her, thus she believes it was wrong to strike back and kill her father and brother.
-Maria is a manifestation of the town, conjured from James memories/feelings/desires towards Mary. The town wants James to stay there forever, in a loop, feeding off of him, so she constantly tries to get James to give in to her. The Maria ending shows that the cycle repeats itself successfully.
-I believe the real Mary is trying to rescue James from the town/himself. Mary wants James to forgive himself and let his soul rest. She is trying to reach out to him, as she does in a couple of the endings
-The In Water and Stillness Endings are James reliving his suicide, which inevitably leads to the cycle repeating. In Water shows him actively barring himself from Mary's forgiveness, while Stillness is him starting to accept it. Regardless, both lead to the cycle repeating
-The Leave ending is James finally overcoming the town, accepting Mary's forgiveness and putting his own guilt to rest. This also frees Laura from Silent Hills grasp, as she understands Mary isn't there any more. Both her and James can move on, and rest
-Mary will be waiting for James in the after life, having forgiven him.
Compared to the Leave ending, James seems less sure about his reasons for killing Mary. He says a part of him hated Mary, as opposed to saying full front he hated and wanted to get rid of her. He can't commit to his sins, and winds up dying unable to deal with himself.
I got this ending the first time around and it broke me. Now in a weird way, it's a part of me.
This game deserves to be shown to the new generations. #remakesh2
You got your wish
I was referring to the fact that in the video, it took three hits/ three shots to kill the boss...
....
thanks for uploading the endings
Geez, Maria got wasted... nice aim, buddy.
OverlordMao I prefer using pyramid head's knife at that part
I just played Silent Hill 2 for the first time and got this ending. Was pretty shocked to be honest.
This ending is actually the true fate of the Silent Hill series, dead in the water...
This is Guy Cihi's(James voice actor) favorite ending, i can see why.
imho this ending was the most fitting and allways brings me to
tears everytime i hear and watch the damn thing :( .Why? becuz I can
relate to it in my personal life... I guess i'm just not as "brave or
cowardice" as James :(
I like this ending because this is the one i end up after finishing the game for the first time
Couldn’t take the remake one seriously lol
Mary, we all miss you dearly
Yes, but Maria coughs at the end after the letter is read, suggesting the same thing will happen again! :D
"sad" is the only word to describe this scene
"Heartbreaking" "soul-crushing" and "emotionally devastating" are some others I can think of
Almost a full 16 seconds between "do what's best for you" and "James, you made me happy". God the remake does not understand
Remake isn't as impactful as the OG.
James... you made me happy. 💔
I can't even bring myself to watch this again because I know it will absolutely destroy me