A new trailer for the remake of Silent Hill 2 showcased the updated look for James Sunderland, the protagonist, looks strange to many players.

The new James Sunderland for the remake of Silent Hill 2 looks completely different from the original. In the new trailers recently showcased by Konami, new character models for important characters of the game, such as James, Mary, and Pyramid Head, were showcased. And while there are several traces of their previous appearances, several graphical upgrades were made. This way, to fans of the original, their new appearance looks unfamiliar and strange.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Silent Hill 2.]

In the original Silent Hill 2, James Sunderland, the protagonist, had gone to Silent Hill in search of his late wife, who had revealed in a letter that she would be waiting for him there. However, upon his arrival, the town presents several challenges to James which force him to confront his own past, with him facing countless monsters and threats that remind him of his previous wrongdoings. With the announcement of the remake of Silent Hill 2 in an official livestream, it was revealed that players would be exploring the town through James’ perspective once more, but the changes made to his appearance can be extremely jarring, especially considering that recent technology has allowed a greater level of realism in the game and Silent Hill 2 has been released for more than twenty years.

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In the scenes shown in the trailer for the remake of Silent Hill 2, there was a significant graphical update, which resulted in more photorealistic scenarios. Character appearances suffered from this change, with their 3D models being based on real people, and this caused James’ face to be so strange for fans of the original. Not only that, but his disheveled appearance in the remake could have been a way to showcase how affected he was by the distressing reason why James was in Silent Hill, which contributed to making him so different from the original.

One of the main reasons why the new James looks so strange for fans of the original is the fact that the PlayStation 2 lacked the graphical technology that the PlayStation 5 contains. For the remake of Silent Hill 2, the improvements in this technology over the years have really shined, creating locations and characters that look like they were imported directly from the real world. This is the case with James Sunderland, whose new appearance is much more detailed than in the original. However, in the PlayStation 2, it wasn’t possible to recreate these models in such a realistic way, with James’ model and facial expressions being much less detailed than in the remake, which contributes to making him look so strange to fans of the original.

However, there were other changes made to James’ appearance, as shown in the bathroom scene in the trailer, that contribute to making him so different from his counterpart in the original. The new model for James Sunderland in the Silent Hill 2 remake looks much older and thinner than the original, with an unkept beard and bags under his eyes, which makes him seem much more mature and tired. This makes sense considering his tragic story in the game, being led by an alternate version of his wife, and witnessing her being taken away from him repeatedly. Not only that but knowing his backstory as a man whose wife struggled with a deadly illness for years until he killed her to end their pain, this new disheveled and pinched look he has in the remake much more sense.

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Sofia Santos is a Game Features writer for Screen Rant. Having joined in 2022, she merges her ever-growing passion for gaming and writing in her work. Outside Screen Rant, she dabbles in publishing her creative writing works, focusing on novels, poetry and short stories. Sofia is Brazilian and a lifelong gamer, being heavily enthusiastic about franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, Animal Crossing and The Sims. When not talking about the cozy or chaotic nature of these games, she can be found talking about D&D, books, music, and certain TV shows, like What We Do In The Shadows and Our Flag Means Death. Outside of consuming all types of media, Sofia loves spending time with her loved ones, sunbathing, doing yoga and exercising.