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Do Video Games Get Any Better?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 23
Date: April 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you are an older video game player lucky enough never to have played Metal Gear Solid 2, this game is your dream come true. MGS2: Substance contains not only the awesome, but not perfect, MGS2: Sons of Liberty in its full glory, but also a massive number of VR Missions, the cool and challenging Snake Tales, the not-so-good Skateboarding demo, and a bunch of other little bonuses. Whether this game is worth owning if you already own MGS2: Sons of Liberty depends on how hardcore a fan you are. *SPOILERS*

Metal Gear Solid 2 is truly state of the art, and I'll tell you why. The graphics are so incredible that even after playing it for dozens of hours you will still be floored when you stop to look around in the game. The animation is so fluid, and the character models so detailed, that MGS2 is one of the few games for any platform that could be considered as the most graphically impressive game of all time. The music is extremely well done, except for the insanely [bad] piano music during intimate conversations between Raiden and Rose. The sound effects are simply awesome; the voice acting, like the first game, is so much better than any other video game that it isn't even worth making comparisons. I hope David Hayter remains the voice of Solid Snake for every Metal Gear game from now on; his voice is just perfect for this character! The gameplay is excellent, with responsive controls and a great variety of moves, weapons, and dramatic situations. The boss battles are insanely cool and will really challenge the player. Those are the great aspects of this game, and far outweigh the not so good. But...

...This game does have some unfortunate flaws, which hold it back from being perfect. The story, to put it mildly, doesn't even come close to the first Metal Gear Solid. The story starts off interesting, gets weirder and weirder, until it becomes a confused, preachy mess. The new characters, with the exceptions of Vamp, Emma, and Solidus aren't really very interesting. Fortune, in particular, is a horrible character with idiotic speeches every time she comes on screen. The now-infamous decision to make Raiden the main character, instead of the infinitely cooler Snake, still boggles my mind today! What was (director) Hideo Kojima thinking!? Almost as bad, Meryl from MGS1 is nowhere to be found in Sons of Liberty! Her memorable and flirtatious conversations, and excellent voice acting, with Snake were one of the best things about MGS1, and to leave Meryl out of MGS2 was a huge mistake in my opinion. Meryl is in one of the Snake Tales, which is a nice treat, but it really doesn't make up for her absence in the main game. The one little romance in MGS2 in truly awful. Raiden and his girlfriend Rose argue and bicker about such meaningless garbage that you will actually cringe, I promise you. That is the bad stuff.

Overall, though, this games negative aspects can't even come close to matching all the brilliant and revolutionary features this game possesses. Personally, I've lost interest in the vast majority of games in the last few years. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2 (and MGS1, of course) are the type of game that brings me back. Staggering production values, ingenuity, and a mature, adult-aimed storyline are exactly what I want and MGS2 has it in spades. You would be foolish not to pick up this game. It's a souped-up version of an already outstanding game! And Konami would be foolish not to release both Metal Gear Solid 3 and a remake of Metal Gear Solid for PS2 using this brilliant game engine. I would most certainly buy them, and begin the addiction again.

P.S. If you have the choice of which console to buy it for, get the PlayStation 2 version. The graphics are slightly better than the XBox version, with no slowdown! I'm not joking here either; the XBox version has slowdown! Of course, this game is NOT available for the GameCube. Somebody at Amazon didn't do his homework...

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.

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.

Tactical Stealth Espionage Action at it's finest!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Metal Gear Solid is probably the one series, other than Grand Theft Auto, that has brought more people into the modern gaming era since 1998. The idea that stealth and not shooting takes precedence was and still is a revolutionary concept in the video game industry. Now over a year and a half since Metal Gear Solid 2's release on the Playstation 2, Knonami has served up a healthy dosage of supplemental material for this disc.

One of the things that makes this title stand out is the enormous variety in gameplay. There are various modes of play you can engage in. Hold up modes, VR missions, bomb difusals, elimination, alternate missions, over 500 in all. There's enough here to help you stave off bordom for quite a while. One of the standout features of this game are the Snake Tales. A side story feature that details Snake's mission during the main body of the game ( the full version of Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty is also included in this game). As you complete each set of challenges you unlock more playable characters, each with a varying degree of difficulty of use. Hideo Kojima has put alot on the table for you do that it doesn't feel like an "addon".

The graphics are essentially the same as the original game for PS2. But for those who feared some of the graphical problems that were associated with the XBox version, do not fear. There is no noticiable slowdown or drop offs in the framerate ( this has given PS2 owners the nuclear sized bomb to drop on XBox owners of "Gee, it runs fine on MY console). One thing that is different is the thermal goggle mode. The red background and bright red images has been replaced by a more "thermographic" scope showing degrees of heat emitted by objects.

The controls are very intuitive. It takes mere minutes to become familiar with them. And if you've played any of the previous Metal Gear games for the PS2 or PS1, you'll be able to jump right in and play with no problems.

The fact that this game didn't sell well on the XBox is an absolute travesty. Fortunately for PS2 owners, Metal Gear is back where it belongs, on the Sony Playstation 2.

What MGS2:SOL was meant to be...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: March 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Gamers were disappointed to find a Metal Gear game where they didnt play as the normal protaganist, Solid Snake. Many also criticized the storyline, as well as the gameplay to cinema ration. While MGS2 was still a fantastic game, with outlandish presentation, it was not the GOTY candidate many were expecting thanks to these shortcomings.

Thankfully, Konami has rectified the situation. Metal Gear Solid: Substance is the original MGS2 packed with extras, the most important of which - for most - is the ability to play as solid snake in some completely new missions. The same great graphics, sound and gameplay exists, the only difference is that the character gamers control is the one gamers wanted to control from the beginning. Konami has also included numerous VR missions to keep gamers busy after they complete the normal game (SOL is still the main game), which effectively turns the gameplay to cinema ratio into somehwat of a joke, as the hours of gameplay quickly become exponentially greater.

MGS2 was one of th ebest lookign games ever when it was released on PS2, and it remains one of the best to this day. In a sweet turn of events for PS2 owners, the PS2 version of MGS2:S does not feature the slowdown featured in its XBOX counterpart. The sound effects, music and voice acting is all hollywood quality, and draws the player intot he story quite well...that is until the final few hours of the game. The main weakness of MGS2, the story, is still present in the primary game, and it ha only become more apparent just how convoluted the plotline becomes. Hideo Kojima (the director of the game) was obviously influenced by the Matrix, but has been unable to pull it off anywhere near as well.

That small quibble aside, the gameply is still perfect, and the presentation is arguably second to none. I definitely reccomend this game to any new PS2 owners who missed out on MGS2, those owners who just didnt bother to try MGS2, and those hardcore MGS fans who just need another fix.

Graphics: 10

Sound: 10

Gameplay: 10

Replayability: 8

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.

Explosive Sequal to the Original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

MGS2 remake, Substance, while having its flaws is most definitely one of the greatest games available on the PS2. The stealth action genre has many copycats (all well recieved by critics though). This time around we control a new FOX Hound infiltrator codenamed Raiden (real name Jack), and while it's a disppointment for Snake fans, Raiden controls just about the same and you'll soon get over it. Let's see why this is a great game...

Eyes and Ears: 4.5/5: While the graphics are definitely a huge step above MGS1 on the PSOne, the sound is conventially the same (or tweaked to a level but I didn't notice: the gunshot sounds, intense music, noise collision detection, and voice acting are just as fantastic as they were in the first game). Framerates are still smooth and while the cutscenes in the game are greatly acted with stellar dramatic animation, they are WAY TOO LONG, but more on that later. The camera work never hinders the action or the gameplay, because you have the free movement of looking wherever you want, but even as you move about, it's still very well placed. My only gripe with the visuals were the mostly plain colors used throughout the game. See, because of the story, there's only 2 places in the entire game you play through(you control Snake on a ship as an intro to the game, but it's short) so variety in areas is lacking, but the actual content of the game will soon get your mind off it.

Hands: 5/5: Again Hideo Kojima has made certain to give us super tight controls so navigation through this game is never a problem. Given all the control options there are, it's important that it's all responsive. Unfortunately, with so much there comes a learning curve, so make sure to read over the instruction manual before starting the game (thankfully a new feature in the game is a small tutorial of every available action move), but if you don't the new substance remake has a huge set of customizable virtual training missions, so get some practice if you've never played a MGS game before. This is also a fun extra after you've beat the game... time yourself and see how fast you can get through the training missions.

Brains: 5/5: While many complain that the story is a little too complex to comprehend (I admit I got lost with all the characters and their motives), don't worry too much about it, the core story is really all you need to know. Things actually become very interesting at the very end where Raiden encounters a surprise about his fellow comrades, and some brilliant philosophy is brought in.
As far as the gameplay, enemies are just as fun to take down as they were in the original MGS. Sneaking around them is also a blast. There is a rescue and protection mission that is pretty challenging also.

Hormones: 4.5/5: Everything in this game becomes more and more fun as you go along, as you'll become more accustomed to the controls and variety of moves. Although it's fun, it's not perfect. If there's one thing I didn't like it would have to be the feeling of being handheld throughout the game. The cutscenes seems to do a lot of what I could be doing myself, and if you die or "lose" a mission, you'll be able to start RIGHT where you left off, so challenge isn't really an issue here as there's no real "fear" in dying, know what I mean? (by this I mean, while some situations may be hard to get through, all it really takes is patience and a quick finger). The save anywhere option makes it even easier (though, I played it through on easy mode, try the hard or extra hard mode after finishing the game, it'll be great fun to play it through again.)
The extras on this new edition consist of a dogtag mode (where you can collect dogtags off henchmen thoughout the game, and collect them all in a folder, big deal). There's also a skateboard mode where you can Tony Hawk LITE your way through areas in the game on a skateboard and rack up points. While that's somewhat fun, don't expect Tony Hawk depth. So if you've already bought the original edition, there's really no reason to buy this one. But the big one here is the cut-scene length, at the end of the game there's one that lasts about a half hour! There's gotta be a better way of progressing the story along, it almost felt at times that I wasn't really a part of it. A "movie-game" is a good idea, just don't make it so much that the player feels like he actually IS watching a movie and NOT playing a video game.

Overall, keep in mind none of the flaws in this game are designer-type problems, like bad controls, idiotic puzzles, lazy level design, etc, but more of things you feel like nitpicking at, and I honestly couldn't think of a better way to do them to optimally progress the story along. The game is great, plain and simple, and with enthrall all fans of action/adventure/stealth type games.

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.

Good update to MGS2:"Sons of Liberty" but RARE!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you don`t have MGS2:Sons Of Liberty and want to play MGS2,just go for this one;Substance,afterall it contains the entire Sons Of Liberty game along with a couple of extras:
Here is what you get if you buy MGS2:Substance :

*Entire "Sons Of Liberty" game(main game)-rated 9/10
*VR Missions(digital-style mini-missions)-7/10
*Snake Tales(All the games boss fights which star Solid Snake)-7/10
*SNAKEboarding mode(Raiden/Snake on a skateboard)-7/10

Its a good update and all,But its nowhere near as good as Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater`s update "Subsistence" as you get much more worthy contents,the main game "Snake Eater" has a new low angle 3D camera,MG1 and MG2,Online play,secret theater and demo theater modes-all for only 30$.

Only buy Substance if you don`t own MGS2,if you own Sons Of Liberty,than you can live without Substance.
Need I say more?

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.

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