A statement I read once was "if video games were an art museum, then Silent Hill 2 is its Mona Lisa".
And... you know, I think that's accurate. Silent Hill 2 isn't even my favorite Silent Hill game, but the impact of that game in the industry and how it affected me (and countless others) on a deeply personal level is more than I can cover in a simple post. There's a sophistication, respect, maturity, nuance, and intelligence behind the game that is almost unmatched in any other game, where every inch of it seems meticulously designed with intent and purpose. It's a game that reveals itself the more you understand its story, themes, and creation. Its horror and psychological themes aren't there just for shock value or edginess - it tackles DARK themes with shocking amount of respect and understanding.
Surreal and ugly, violent and beautiful, dark and romantic, depressing yet hopeful... there was truly nothing else like it, even in Silent Hill series as a whole. If I could experience it again for the first time, I would. The mysteries, the revelations, the unanswerable questions...
The closest equivalent game I can really compare it to, in my opinion, is Dark Souls. How it leaves so much of its "answers" up to the player to determine for themselves based on their own ideologies and morality. A world so oppressive and awful, yet full of meaning and purpose if you determine it to be so.
If Silent Hill 2 Remake is even a fraction as good, we'll be in for a treat.