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The best game ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 32
Date: January 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I really like this game!I played it on the Xbox and what more on the PS2!I know it's going to be better on the PS2 because that's where it originally came from!

Snake kicks James Bond's

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 43
Date: January 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Although Metal Gear:Substance is like sons of liberty, but it has many new options. like you could go through the whole plant chapter with Solid Snake, and many other boss survival mode. Like you could fight some bosses, i'm not going to spoil anything, but u could even fight Meryl, and Psycho. The story is so twisting, so yesterday's ally might be today's enemy, it has one of the best story of all games. It is so cool and i hope Metal Gear 3 is coming out soon, so i could know what happened to that old Ocelot after he hijack Metal Gear, still, it is the best game other than Final Fantasy 10. Both of them are so great, i just don't know whick one is better.

stole but now better

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: March 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I had the first one, VR and seconed metal gear soilds until a friend stole the second one.But now i bought this one and its even better than the first time I had it with everything a metal gear soild fan wants.To a new comers welcome mat to enjoy and become a fan.Its a must buy for any ps2 owner.
Ooo to the friend that stole this game from me the frist time
thanks for it.Now i have one thats big and better than that one .

Good Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I think that this game is very well mad with over 350 VR missions and 150+alternative missions to choose from. Also the game includes not only the very fun VR missins but it includes the entire game of Metal Gear Solid 2: sons of liberty. So this is really an expansion of sons of liberty. This game also includes an all new skateboarding mode whs is pretty cool but it is basically tony hawk using snake or raiden on the big shell. I think this is a very good buy. Any real Metal Gear Solid gamer will be happy and if u never bought Metal Gear Solid 2: sons of libert this is ur chance buy this instead it is a much better buy.

Some Substance for PS2...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Despite many critics panning this as "too little too late" or simply "not worth owning", it's quite the opposite. MGS2: Substance is, at the most basic level, the original Sons of Liberty with an addon pack thrown in. And maybe people will see it as that. But, I think many important aspects of this release are being overlooked.

First off, the X-Box version was not the marvel either Konami or X-Box fans put it out to be. It was an unoptimized port that didn't make use of the X-Box's graphic strengths, leaving it often looking equal to or worse than the PS2 source; judging the new PS2 release with only having played the X-Box version is a mistake. This PS2 version has improved graphics and smoother graphics, with only a one or two second difference in loading times when compared to the original PS2 version. For example, many background textures are less pixelated, reflections are more detailed, and the thermal goggles are upgraded (similar to the ones in Splinter Cell). Player models are also smoother. The game just looks better.

With that said, here's what gameplay you get. The full, original Sons of Liberty is included, as well as the extra features included its corresponding European and Japanese releases (casting theatre and boss survival). VR Missions and Alternative Missions are included. There are over 400 VR levels and many alternative modes, such as holding enemies up and disposing of bombs within a certain time.

The two standout features of the game are the Snake Tales and the (sigh) skateboarding. This isn't to say that the skateboarding is terrible; it just isn't any Tony Hawk: Pro Skater, gameplay-wise or control-wise. It's entertaining to skate around as Snake or Raiden, but as that's really the only reason to play it, it's novelty fades away after an hour or so. Let me put it this way: if it were put out as a game on its own, not many people would buy it. Thankfully, the Snake Tales make up for the skateboarding. Snake Tales are five stories involving, obviously, Solid Snake. Some take place in the Big Shell during the Sons of Liberty storyline, and others take place outside of it. The gameplay ranges from the Normal level or higher, and Snake has no radar. Each story has breaks in it so the player can save and read the backstory of what's been going on from Snake's point of view. For example, Snake explains what happened between him and Meryl after Metal Gear Solid and his connections to Dead Cell's incarcerated leader. For Metal Gear fans, this is all sure to astound, entertain, and baffle you-- all at the same time-- as you try to put these things into the continuity laid out by the original MSX games and the recent Solid games.

When it's all said and done, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance usually leaves one conclusion in players' minds: "Was the original release a finished product?" The answer is: most definately not. But many critics argue that the extras and improvements actually lower the quality of the game. I believe quite the opposite. Substance is the game that we should've gotten in the first place. But we didn't. For people who never played the original Sons of Liberty, this is definately something to buy. For those who already have, rent it first. It's replay value still stands up, it's graphics are even better than before, and now there's hours upon hours of extras. Decide for yourself.

Blech!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I wanted to love this game...I really did. I thought it would be cool to be able to play alternate versions of missions and see old characters rendered anew, but it was just a let-down. Snake-Tales are hokey, silly, and really no fun (at least, that is how I felt). Snake-Boarding was pretty entertaining, but I will stick to Tony Hawk thanks very much.

The one Mission in Snake-Tales that is really worth playing is the one where you get reunited with Meryl. It seemed like a fun idea...until you actually got to play and had to deal with that horror of horrors: SLOWDOWN. Had the graphics been enhanced (like promised with the XBox Version, but never followed through) this would have been excusable, but this is Playstation 2 with the exact same game code no less. Also, in Snake-Tales, your trademark radar is disabled. Normally, this could be taken as a challenge, a chance to show our skills...but it simply becomes a pain, especially when you consider how really buggy the game is.

Here is what I mean: On the tanker, during a bomb disposal exercise, I quietly sneak down a staircase into the engine room. I spot a Gurlukovich soldier. Unaware of my presence, I crouch down on the stairs and go into first-person mode with my M9. I aim carefully so I can get him in the neck. I did not realize it at the time, but although I could see the laser-sight 'beam' aimed right on target, the actual 'dot' did not show up on the soldier (I guess the boringly technical way to describe what happened is that the sight 'dot' fell between two of the polygons). When I fired, not only did it not take him down, but it alerted him to my presence (even with a silencer) and then I had to deal with the attack team! After being annihilated (My USP only had 2 bullets), I tried again, this time waiting until the sight 'dot' was visible on the soldier's neck. I found that the tiniest movement of his head would cause the dot to disappear. Again, normally I would see this as a challenge of timing, but...When I am aiming directly as someone's head, usually whatever I am shooting embeds itself IN the head rather than THROUGH the head!

But, if you can get past this fundamental flaw (which only shows up in Snake-Tales) the VR Missions are what really carry the game, and you have over 300 to choose from. They are just about the only part of the game done well.

To Sum Up: SLOW and BUGGY? Not the two words you want to hear when discussing Metal Gear Solid 2, are they? Well, if anything, it is worth a rental, but ownership should be reserved for the hardcore fans only.

Not what I was expecting

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's the same thing as MGS2 with the exception of Snake Tails(which the levels look like a training sessions). There's no new plot.

overpriced, overhyped

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: March 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

so i was a big fan of the original metal gear solid. i liked sons of liberty too. so i figured substance would be a worthy purchase. after all, it had 300+ vr missions and 100+ alternative missions. too bad that averages out to about 40 missions, with eight characters to play them over and over again. that's right, they are the same missions, with only minor differences.
the only real draw is the all-new snake tales, but i am finding those unreasonably hard. not to say that they aren't any fun, but be advised that they had me wall-punching mad at a few different points.
all in all, if i were you, i'd save $...-$... and buy the original MGS2 on greatest hits. substance just doesnt have any.

MGS Substance = very good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

MGS Substance is a very good game with a lot of extras. First off the VR missions absolutely rock! There are over 350 missions which will definitely keep you playing for weeks. Be warned though, they can be frustrating, especially with Snake. Then there's the Snake Tales which allows you to play the game as Snake. Although they don't have cinemas or a radar, they're still pretty good. The game also has a skateboarding minigame, boss survival mode, and a casting theater mode that allows you to change the characters in some cinemas which can be very funny. Now to the problems. Snake Tales can make you extremely angry because having no radar, the enemies can catch you when you don't even know it. The VR missions can make you cry like a baby because the targets always move where you don't want them to move or sometimes you can't even find them when you're doing snipering missions. Finally, some of the Snake Tale missions are too silly. MGS fans will not be disappointed but it's still almost exactly the same as Sons of Liberty, just with more stuff.

BUY THIS GAME!!! IT'S WORTH IT!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I want to first thank Hideo Kojama for blessing me and all Metal Gear fans with the opportunity to play this EXCELLENT game. With that aside, let's get to the review. Did I like this game, is it fun you ask ? thats the stupidist question ever!!!! Quite simply THIS GAME ROCKS REALLY HARD!!!! the main game alone is worth $.... I know this has been said about more than one game but the story gabs you, and doesn't let go!!!!! It also has enough plot twists to make your head spin. I mean, towards the end of the game I thought the events of this ame could actually happen!!! In addition to the plot, THE VOICE ACTING IS FLAWLESS!! Some of the characters are played so well that you actually believe for a second that they are real poeople in real events. If some one dies, you actully say "No why did they have to die!?!? Why?!? The GRAPHICS are awsome!! Not too many games can boast graphcs like this one can. This game also has ton of mini-games and side-quests. Over 350 VR missions in all. Official playstation magazine said "Grown Men have been Known to weep this games magnificence." Wow thats saying alot, and its true. the musicis perfect for the game. i was humming the opening song for a week!! But if you haven't played Metal gear solid you probably should. You'll understand the games plot better if you do. Put simply, this is the game that all other games like it will be compared to for a long time to come. My 2nd favorite game of all time for the PS2. 1st goes to the magical FFX (final Fantasy X.) Buy both. On a scale of 1 to 10 it dserves a 30. Now run! Go and buy this game!

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