Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
(Xbox)
Reviewed By
immaculatewang
Rating: 4.5/5
The Playable Action Movie Strikes Back.
Metal
Gear Solid 2: Substance is a tweaking of the original, Metal Gear Solid
2: Sons of Liberty. That game was released for the Playstation 2,
whereas this version was (at first) an Xbox exclusive.
First, a bit of History:
The Metal Gear series debuted in the late eighties on the NES, or, as it's known in Japan, the Famicom. Published by Konami, the game stared Snake, a lone government operative sent to investigate a terrorist faction. This is a key theme in the series, as are:
Giant Robots.
Over the top boss battles.
LOTS of firepower.
Some sort of inter-government conspiracy.
Being sneaky, rather than gunning the opposition down. Okay, well sometimes gunning the opposition down. But mostly the sneaky part.
The game's visual effects are simply gorgeous.
Getting Started
This game avoids the usual trend of in-game tedium via endless tutorials. It’ll run you through a few basics of certain things on the spot, but otherwise is fairly straightforward. Any questions regarding controls can be answered using either the booklet accompanying the game or from the game’s menu system. Of course, the best way to learn how to put the hurt on the bad guys is, of course, to put the hurt on the bad guys.
Learning Curve and Game Play
Pretty easy to pick up, actually. For the most part, the control scheme, while complex, is very intuitive. In addition, there are different difficulty modes, depending on your familiarity with the game.
The game itself is played from a third-person perspective most of the time, either top-down, or from the side. The camera is fixed for each room, though it will change to accommodate you if you are peeking around walls, hanging from railings, etc. Additionally, you have the option of going into a first person view for the sake of such things as spotting enemies and precision firing. The camera is easily one of the best features of the game. A game with no camera issues is rare.
The plot is conveyed in two chapters—the Tanker chapter, and the Plant chapter. In the Tanker chapter, you are Solid Snake, two years after the events of the first Metal Gear Solid (covered in my previous review of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Snake is hitching a ride on a Tanker cruising just off of Manhattan. His mission—to capture photography of the new Metal Gear prototype, named RAY. Needless to say, as with all games, things don’t quite go according to plan. Another two years passes, and you find yourself re-entering the game world as Raiden, an operative sent to an offshore decontamination facility to rescue the U.S. President, who has been taken hostage by a terrorist group called Dead Cell. Wacky hijinks ensue, as well as one of the weirdest storylines in any game. Ever. Take my advice, folks, go play either the first one or its Gamecube remake before you pick this up, or you will be lost.
The game itself, being a port, contains many new features—fans of the series complained about the relatively short time spent playing as Snake in comparison to the much whinier Raiden. Mr. Kojima listened to his fans, it seems. This port, while offering almost no change to the main game itself, includes over 350 VR missions with objectives ranging from sneaking to a goal to eliminating a certain number of enemies in a certain amount of time. Additionally, another mode of play is included, called Snake Tales, and features a series of short missions starring everyone’s favorite predatory reptile, Solid Snake himself. Another, somewhat odd addition is the Casting Theatre, which allows you to view the various cinematic sequences throughout the game and, should you so desire, replace the character models with other models from the game. In a neat twist, the models for the original Playstation versions of both Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot are included, providing the player a firsthand view of exactly the kind of graphical upgrade the characters received.
What secret agent!? Where!?
The controls are very precise, and as I've stated, intuitive. If you push a direction on the stick, Snake will move that direction. Weapon selection is quick and easy to perform, and there are a load of support items you can use, from Rations to heal with to Thermal Goggles to pick out landmines and infrared beams.
The layout of the game is fairly straight-forward; you move through an area, attempting to avoid all guards an cameras that you see. Both can be disabled, but remember that if you kill a guard, more personnel will be dispatched to look for him. Hide the body well. Of course, if you prefer not to kill your foes, a new weapon introduced in MGS2 is a modified Beretta that fires tranquilizer darts. For sniping missions, there is also a modified sniper rifle—if you can find it.
The original Metal Gear Solid was one of the first truly successful stealth action games on the market, and part of the reason was simple fun. Sneaking through a heavily patrolled room was very tense, and for the most part, there was no music playing, enabling you to hear guards' movements. This feeling was enhanced in MGS2, as guards have better AI, and will do things such as call for backup, as well as perform coordinated sweeps of an area. Of course, a guard can’t radio for help if you shoot his radio, nor can he if you can manage to sneak up on him and hold him up.
Graphics
Hands down, this game is beautiful. There isn’t much more to say. Already, the graphics are starting to feel a slight bit dated, as rendering technology grows more and more advanced, calling for more lifelike features, but still, this game uses one unending source to keep itself up-to-date—style. The game feels like one big action/spy movie. It’s loud and dramatic and in-your face. Just the way it should be.
Sounds and Music
The voiceovers in the game are top-notch. Somewhat silly sometimes, but top-notch nonetheless. Several videogame voice-over heavyweights lend their voices to this cast, including: Jennifer Hale, who also voiced a character in the first game; Cam Clarke, known for many games and also for voicing He-Man in the more recent cartoon series; and David Hayter, who, in addition to voicing our hero, Snake, co-wrote the screenplays for both of those X-Men movies everyone loves.
The sound effects themselves are wonderful. Each gun has a distinct sound, and you're not the only one who can hear them--guards will come running to the sound of gunfire. Additionally, every thing is crystal clear, from knocking on walls, to bodies falling to the ground, to the sound of Snake running across a grate in the floor.
Music is sparse in the game; most times all you'll hear are variations on the main theme. This serves a purpose, however, as I've mentioned earlier. Music will only key in when you are spotted by guards, and then it is loud and tense, to really get your blood pumping. The music did an absolutely wonderful job of setting the atmosphere.
"I TOLD you not to let him take that Cosmo quiz!"
Final Thoughts
All in all, this is a wonderful game with only a few minor drawbacks; a confusing and somewhat badly-managed story balances out what was, for its time, simply revolutionary gameplay. Most people hate the story, but I find it grows on me a bit more with each replay, of which there have been several. If nothing, enjoy the simple pleasures in life, whether it be threatening to shoot a guard in the crotch or sniping the local wildlife to piss off your commanding officer.
Recommended For
The game's labeled mature, and given some of the things you can do, it makes a bit of sense. I'd say no to kids and anyone who's kinda squeamish. It's violent and bloody, but not more than any decent action movie out there, which is exactly what it feels like--a playable action movie.
First, a bit of History:
The Metal Gear series debuted in the late eighties on the NES, or, as it's known in Japan, the Famicom. Published by Konami, the game stared Snake, a lone government operative sent to investigate a terrorist faction. This is a key theme in the series, as are:
Giant Robots.
Over the top boss battles.
LOTS of firepower.
Some sort of inter-government conspiracy.
Being sneaky, rather than gunning the opposition down. Okay, well sometimes gunning the opposition down. But mostly the sneaky part.
The game's visual effects are simply gorgeous.
Getting Started
This game avoids the usual trend of in-game tedium via endless tutorials. It’ll run you through a few basics of certain things on the spot, but otherwise is fairly straightforward. Any questions regarding controls can be answered using either the booklet accompanying the game or from the game’s menu system. Of course, the best way to learn how to put the hurt on the bad guys is, of course, to put the hurt on the bad guys.
Learning Curve and Game Play
Pretty easy to pick up, actually. For the most part, the control scheme, while complex, is very intuitive. In addition, there are different difficulty modes, depending on your familiarity with the game.
The game itself is played from a third-person perspective most of the time, either top-down, or from the side. The camera is fixed for each room, though it will change to accommodate you if you are peeking around walls, hanging from railings, etc. Additionally, you have the option of going into a first person view for the sake of such things as spotting enemies and precision firing. The camera is easily one of the best features of the game. A game with no camera issues is rare.
The plot is conveyed in two chapters—the Tanker chapter, and the Plant chapter. In the Tanker chapter, you are Solid Snake, two years after the events of the first Metal Gear Solid (covered in my previous review of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Snake is hitching a ride on a Tanker cruising just off of Manhattan. His mission—to capture photography of the new Metal Gear prototype, named RAY. Needless to say, as with all games, things don’t quite go according to plan. Another two years passes, and you find yourself re-entering the game world as Raiden, an operative sent to an offshore decontamination facility to rescue the U.S. President, who has been taken hostage by a terrorist group called Dead Cell. Wacky hijinks ensue, as well as one of the weirdest storylines in any game. Ever. Take my advice, folks, go play either the first one or its Gamecube remake before you pick this up, or you will be lost.
The game itself, being a port, contains many new features—fans of the series complained about the relatively short time spent playing as Snake in comparison to the much whinier Raiden. Mr. Kojima listened to his fans, it seems. This port, while offering almost no change to the main game itself, includes over 350 VR missions with objectives ranging from sneaking to a goal to eliminating a certain number of enemies in a certain amount of time. Additionally, another mode of play is included, called Snake Tales, and features a series of short missions starring everyone’s favorite predatory reptile, Solid Snake himself. Another, somewhat odd addition is the Casting Theatre, which allows you to view the various cinematic sequences throughout the game and, should you so desire, replace the character models with other models from the game. In a neat twist, the models for the original Playstation versions of both Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot are included, providing the player a firsthand view of exactly the kind of graphical upgrade the characters received.
What secret agent!? Where!?
The controls are very precise, and as I've stated, intuitive. If you push a direction on the stick, Snake will move that direction. Weapon selection is quick and easy to perform, and there are a load of support items you can use, from Rations to heal with to Thermal Goggles to pick out landmines and infrared beams.
The layout of the game is fairly straight-forward; you move through an area, attempting to avoid all guards an cameras that you see. Both can be disabled, but remember that if you kill a guard, more personnel will be dispatched to look for him. Hide the body well. Of course, if you prefer not to kill your foes, a new weapon introduced in MGS2 is a modified Beretta that fires tranquilizer darts. For sniping missions, there is also a modified sniper rifle—if you can find it.
The original Metal Gear Solid was one of the first truly successful stealth action games on the market, and part of the reason was simple fun. Sneaking through a heavily patrolled room was very tense, and for the most part, there was no music playing, enabling you to hear guards' movements. This feeling was enhanced in MGS2, as guards have better AI, and will do things such as call for backup, as well as perform coordinated sweeps of an area. Of course, a guard can’t radio for help if you shoot his radio, nor can he if you can manage to sneak up on him and hold him up.
Graphics
Hands down, this game is beautiful. There isn’t much more to say. Already, the graphics are starting to feel a slight bit dated, as rendering technology grows more and more advanced, calling for more lifelike features, but still, this game uses one unending source to keep itself up-to-date—style. The game feels like one big action/spy movie. It’s loud and dramatic and in-your face. Just the way it should be.
Sounds and Music
The voiceovers in the game are top-notch. Somewhat silly sometimes, but top-notch nonetheless. Several videogame voice-over heavyweights lend their voices to this cast, including: Jennifer Hale, who also voiced a character in the first game; Cam Clarke, known for many games and also for voicing He-Man in the more recent cartoon series; and David Hayter, who, in addition to voicing our hero, Snake, co-wrote the screenplays for both of those X-Men movies everyone loves.
The sound effects themselves are wonderful. Each gun has a distinct sound, and you're not the only one who can hear them--guards will come running to the sound of gunfire. Additionally, every thing is crystal clear, from knocking on walls, to bodies falling to the ground, to the sound of Snake running across a grate in the floor.
Music is sparse in the game; most times all you'll hear are variations on the main theme. This serves a purpose, however, as I've mentioned earlier. Music will only key in when you are spotted by guards, and then it is loud and tense, to really get your blood pumping. The music did an absolutely wonderful job of setting the atmosphere.
"I TOLD you not to let him take that Cosmo quiz!"
Final Thoughts
All in all, this is a wonderful game with only a few minor drawbacks; a confusing and somewhat badly-managed story balances out what was, for its time, simply revolutionary gameplay. Most people hate the story, but I find it grows on me a bit more with each replay, of which there have been several. If nothing, enjoy the simple pleasures in life, whether it be threatening to shoot a guard in the crotch or sniping the local wildlife to piss off your commanding officer.
Recommended For
The game's labeled mature, and given some of the things you can do, it makes a bit of sense. I'd say no to kids and anyone who's kinda squeamish. It's violent and bloody, but not more than any decent action movie out there, which is exactly what it feels like--a playable action movie.