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MGS2: Substance

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 20
Date: October 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I loved the PS2 version, and will definitely buy this one! That said, this game is not for everyone.

MGS2 is VERY story driven. There are times when you will sit for 10-15 minutes just watching a cut scene or viewing dialog between the characters. As a result, there is some very good character development enough so, that you can begin to sypathize with them and care about their fates as the game progresses. Some have complained that you play very little as Snake (the protagonist from all the other MG games). Although, I wish you had more time with his character, the game accomplishes its purpose in not allowing you to play as him throughout. The whole point is for you to see Snake's character though the eyes of a third party, and this is accomplished very well. (in the Substance version you can play as Snake for the whole game if you want). This game is more like having an active role in a novel, or movie than your traditional video game, never-the-less, the gameplay is excellent.

As a note, I wish people would quit comparing the game to Splinter Cell, because the only commonality between the two is that the core gameplay is based on stealth.

By the way, I did not think that the story of this game was as good as that of MGS1, but the gameplay is MUCH more developed. The only drawback, if you would even consider it such, is that the gameplay is rather short. At a leisurely pace you can finish the game in well under 20 hours. You can probably speed through it in closer to 10 if you are rushing it and not doing any exploring.

The game may be short, but would you rather play a bad game that is really long, or a short one that is really good?

Finally, I am excited that in this release you can go straight to the boss fights, which, are some of the best boss battles I have ever played!

MGS2.5

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 23
Date: September 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

MGS2 was good but I was disappointed by the lack of game play innovation. Now Konami is milking the cow presenting this port that doesn't take advantage of the Xbox hardware, but excuses itself by giving extra half-baked missions.
I think that MGS2 was made for the PS2, if you haven't played it, it is maybe worth on Xbox, otherwise get a game that was done for the Xbox like Splinter Cell.

Good job KONAMI !!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I would like to say that I agreed with most of the other reviews in that Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (hereafter referred to as MGS2) is good, but not great.

However, that was before I got REALLY bored during summer and ended up playing it for several hours at a time....inasmuch that my ears hurt from the lack of music. (I suggest classical or blues in the background.) Anyway, let's get on with the review...

Let's start with graphics, shall we? By just reading two reviews, I have heard conflicting opinions. Some say it's good, some say it's bad. Quite honestly, i don't believe a thing in ANY review for ONE game where there are differing opinions. In my own opinion, MGS2 has really great graphics. They're clean, dirty in a puesdo-randomness, and the graphics engine Konami and whatever developer used works well! The graphics are SO good, in fact, that the developers felt the need to use the now so-called "bullet-time" during fights with quick moving AI (such as Tangus and bosses).

But Konami didn't stop at that. Yes, they got even more detailed. Detailed to the extent that when taking pictures and zooming in and out, you have to wait a second for the camera to focus. (Yes, I encourage to try this if you don't believe me.)

The only place graphics don't shine is when you are Snake, outside the tanker. It is because it is raining, and the framerate suffers a lot for it. That is just about the only place I have been frustrated with the graphics.

CONCLUSION: Graphics very, very good. JUST short of excellent. (A-)

Can you hear me now? Good. Without a doubt MGS2 has some of the greatest sound I have ever heard. It really takes you off guard, actually. While playing Splinter Cell I was very happy with the sound, especially that background dialogue with the cops....

Although it RARELY gets that detailed in MGS2, you can tell Konami tried to make it as realistic as possible. The sound of the gunfire is great, especially that "WHOOSH" after firing a NIKITA rocket.

CONCLUSION: Some of the best I have ever heard. Seriously. ALMOST puts HALO to shame. (A)

How did Konami mess up the control scheme? I mean really? Well, I'll tell you how: porting it from PlayStation. This emans that XBOX users need to use the "X" button to fire. Yes, that's right: the X button! I personally find this ridiculous, and it takes longer than you'd think to get used to. At some points you can change it (such as first person mode during VR missions).

CONCLUSION: Controls feel ported. That is very, very, VERY bad. (B-)

Gameplay is where stealth action freaks really like MGS2. All the peakin' behind walls, checkin radar, holdin' 'em up, shooting out behind walls, watching the enemy, dropping "BOOKS" (wink wink nudge nudge...some reading material!), finding weapons, crawling rolling, sumersaulting, shootin' lights (Only in one VR mission, sorry!), hanging, running, walking, aiming, finding silencers, using tranquilizer rounds, pretending to be a guard, using a directional microphone to listen to a HEARTBEAT(!) in a room full of hostages, sneaking through rooms full of Marines (100's of 'em) listening to a speech, meeting the president only to watch him being killed, destroying several Metal Gear(!!), watching hours and hours of cutscenes, which I'll say ARE BETTER THAN SOME OF THE MOVIES THESE DAYS, using "Codec" nanomachines implanted in your skull to talk with allies (without actually talking to them), defusing bombs, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON!

CONCLUSION: Need I say more? (A+)

It is really very easy to get immersed in the game for hours on end. The mission objectives work seamlessly with the cutscenes, providing a story that is one of the most original I have ever seen. (Not counting the other games in the MG series.)

Immersion is refined to the extent that whenever you get caught, you feel the need to retry it, because YOU KNOW how do get past that one guard now. Of course, you must have patience. And a moderate attention span, because it isn't ALL action. (There's actually quite a bit of scouting.)

CONCLUSION: You can be easily immersed if you like: a) Splinter Cell, but weren't satisfied with the story or the action or the story; or b) the previous MG games. (A-)

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! KONAMI COMES OUT WITH GAME THAT REDEFINES THE MEANING OF THE WORD "EXTRA"! I'm not exaggerating, by the way. One of the ways Konami increases replayability is through "dog tags." Simply said, enemy soldiers carry these around, and the more you retrieve by the end of each mission, you can unlock secret abilities, such as infinite ammo, a stealth suit, etc.

The VR missions are spectacular. I am 25+ hours into it, and I have only unlocked two characters (of 7(?) total), and am only 45.0% complete. They come with modes galore, such as bomb disposal, first-person mode, hold-up, sneaking, eliminate all, variety, and the actually quite fun "Photograph" mode.

Some are straight-forward, others are not. This is the only frustrating part, because it is immensely difficult to beat a level when you do not know some specifics, like the fact that there are proximety sensors on boms with some characters, and not on others. Stuff like this takes a while to work out.

CONCLUSION: MGS2 has so many extras you won't know what to do with yourself. I'm speechless! (But not textless.) (A+)

** Menus are something I think should be reviewed in the future. In any case, MGS2 passes with flying colors: they load quickly, have cool fonts, and cool graphics. (A+) **

Overall, MGS2 is a great game. It will pull you in and keep you there with very original mission objectives, bosses, AI, alarm systems, gadgets, and much, much more. Moreover (haha, it is a STEAL at under $.... However, if you don't take my word for it, you might want to rent it, or borrow it from a friend.

GAME SAFE, GAME OFTEN!

In response to Matt from Ames, IA's comment-

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: September 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"MGS Substance is basically the japanese release of the game (american version didnt have all the extras!!)" This is false. Very false. It is true that the Japanese version of MGS2 Sons of Liberty is slightly different from the US version, but the differences are relatively minor; e.g. You select the difficulty at the beginning of the game by answering questions, rather than simply choosing your desired difficulty from a list. Come to think of it, I can't name any other differences.

MGS2 Substance is much MUCH more than merely an American release of the Japanese version. The skate boarding, the VR missions, the Snake Tales missions, playing as the Ninja, all of it is brand new. Both Japan and America will have two versions of MGS2, A) Sons of Liberty and B) Substance. While I question the ethics of video game publishers milking their products by slapping on some new extra features and re-releasing it, I just wanted to clear that up.

Metal Gear - The Remix

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

XBOX owners, this is what you have been waiting for. MGS2 was an enjoyable game for the PS2 in the Winter of 2001 and still is. I'm not sure why it is always considered a "short" game, really it depends on how you play and what you decide to do. Let's pick this one apart:

Controls:
A few minutes acquainting yourself with the feel of the XBOX controller vs. the MGS2 controls on PS2 and you're right back in the game.

Visuals:
This is where I differ from the extremists and be honest. The game is a port, sort of an expanded "Director's Edition" of MGS2. The XBOX hardware creates the illusion that the game surpasses it's PS2 version, but it doesn't. You'll notice faster frame-rates, load times, and smoother transitions...sure, hey it's on the XBOX hardware. That's about as far as it goes, yet, that in itself is enough. If you're thinking of a "Halo" or "Dead or Alive 3" MGS2 retooling or tweaking, you're going to be disappointed.

Gameplay:
The added missions, being able to play as Snake, and different stories will keep this offering as superior to the PS2 original. It's still the same essential story, but with so much added outside of the original story, it's worth the money. There's many things you can do with "Substance," such as:

1. Play the original story
2. Register your name and play as any unlocked character and choose what you want to do in VR missions:
a)Sneak, weapons, first person, alternate missions, and many other modes.
3. Take on the 6 campaigns called Snake Tales, all involving Snake.
4. Well, I'm going to leave out all the spoilers ;-)

Sound:
Hey, this is the XBOX version! The sound whips the PS2, especially in Dolby.

I recommend this title even if you have the original. The new offers are sure to rattle your chains again. Though, while we play, we sit and wait for MGS3. "Substance" will keep the franchise and fans growing stronger.

Good Game Hurt by a Bad Storyline

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 29
Date: February 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a very good game. It has good gameplay, good graphics, and a nice feel to it. The problem? It has, easily, the worst storyline and most horrendous characters in video game history.

Metal Gear is essentially a stealth combat action game, where you have to sneak around either an oil tanker or an ocean rig. You pick up a variety of weapons and items along the way, allowing you to take care of different tasks. There's also a lot of bonus missions, including VR simulations and other extras in the game that aren't in the PS2 version of Metal Gear Solid 2 yet.

In terms of gameplay, MGS2 is good, but not great. The camera is static, which hurts your line of sight, but you can switch into first person view, though you can't move from that position. Everything else is pretty straightforward, including your radar, which lets you know what the enemy's LOS is. The action is plentiful, although you need to pick your fights carefully or any guards you kill will be quickly replaced. Once again, the boss battles are where the game shines, as each one is different and requires a different strategy.

Graphically, this is a pretty sharp game. The details are all very good, from individual hairs to pictures in lockers. There is occasionally some slowdown, as things can get cluttered. The movies also look sharp and are really well put together, though some of the characters look a bit strange.

Sadly, much of the good I've described above is practically killed by the story. Essentially, it revolves around "Metal Gears", which are big nuclear powered machines capable of mass destruction, and the terrorists who plan to use these Metal Gears to wreak havoc on the world. That's not too bad of a plot. But the execution is horrible. First of all, some cutscenes can last up to 15 minutes, making you sit there and watch them just in case they contain any important information (which they usually don't). Many of these scenes contain a lot of unnecessary dialogue that kill the realism of trying to take care of a mission quickly. Half the time, I expect "NEEDLESS EXPOSITION" to flash up on screen. In real life, if commandos spent as much time talking as these guys do, the terrorist would find them and have them killed within five minutes. It's not so bad in the first episode, where you control Snake, although your help, Otacon, can get kind of preachy at times. It's the second episode that makes you want to turn the game off. In the second episode, which takes place on an ocean rig, you control Raiden, who has to be the dumbest covert ops commando in history. Half of his dialogue is just him going "Hmmm". It wouldn't be so bad if the supporting cast was decent, but, in terms of character development, I think the writers went well overboard here. Every single character has some sort of story to tell and some life-changing event that they have to lay to rest. One guy faked losing a leg in a bombing (a ten minute cutscene), another wears glasses to look cool (five minutes), and Otacon, who was mentioned earlier, left his family after his father died trying to save his drowning sister, who happens to be on the rig. I've seen soaps that aren't as complicated. You can't even save without getting ten minutes worth of dialogue. That's because the girl who saves the data also happens to be Raiden's girlfriend, so they have such interesting post-save discussions as the first time they met, why Raiden won't sleep next to her, and what restaurant they're going to once the mission is over. I'm not making this up, folks. All that I have mentioned actually happens in the game. Even the main storyline gets too wacky and preachy for my tastes, but I'll leave that to the brave souls who can sit through hours of dialogue. I don't know who the writers were, but somebody needs to find them and make them swear that they'll never write for a game (or anything else) again.

If you can get past all that, the game can be fun. But you need a lot of patience to play this game and sit through all the garbage. If you enjoyed the first game, then, by all means, give this one a shot. But, for my money, Splinter Cell is a much better game with a much more interesting storyline.

Quite Possibly the Most Fun Game Ever... No, really! Read!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: November 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

By far, Metal Gear Solid: Substance is one of the most fun, innovative, awesome, and needless to say, quite possibly the most fun game ever... bar NONE! MGS2:S (Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance) is a highly stylized stealth game based around several main and supporting characters. Unlike most games, you are not force-fed the same character the whole time. The developers at Konami had the insight to include several characters. Basically, there are several reasons I love MGS2:S.

The first reason is the ambience. The general atmosphere of this game screams stealth. The plot has more plot twists than you can shake a stick at. Those of you with an IQ lower than butter may not be able to comprehend the full plot. Yes, some portions of the plot are, to say the least, unbelievable. At first, anyway. Most of them are explained away as the plot matures. Some are left unresolved, thus leaving the audience either wondering what happened, or wanting more. The lower percentage of you may not understand much of the story, and I can not recommend it for you, however there is plenty of action (which I will address later). There are no plot flaws, and that leaves most of us with a refreshing alternative to the regular shooter; a smart stealth action/adventure/shooter.

The second reason I love MGS2:S is the intelligence. The gaurds are not morons! If you are sneeking around in a box (fun) and you park in the middle of the hallway, they will pick it up and shoot you. If they hear gunshots, they will investigate. You cannot stay in the same place. If you kill a gaurd, and he doesn't report in, they come and sweep the area. If they see wet footprints, they will investigate. They occasionaly fall asleep, but that does not make the game much easier. There are several details that may destract you, like posters. The complexity of this game is amazing. The enemies may not be stupid, but the upside is everything, and I do mean everying is a LETHAL weapon. This includes broken glass, pepper spray, and even knocked out or dead gaurds.

The third reason I love this game so much is the complexity. The attention to detail is amazing. The graphics are superb, as is the sound and AI. Everything about this game screeches first-rate. The cinematics include in depth character and relationship development. The less intelligent may not get or appreciate this, but it adds to the complexity of the game. One example of the game's complexity is the various sidequests. Collecting dogtags is my favorite. If you hold up a gaurd (the russian ones are funny) and point the gun at his head or crotch in first-person view, eventually he will shake and drop a dogtag. They are pointless, but will add to the hours of gameplay they will sustain.

The fourth reason I love this game so much is the gameplay and replay value. If you hear the common "this game only plays four, like, six hours!" don't believe it for one second. There are well over 500 (yes, that's right, five hundered) VR missions. They may take as short as a few seconds to complete, or as long as an hour or two. These missions add to the gameplay several hours, about 70-80 hours to perfect. Yes, I have to admit, there is no multiplayer (*sigh*), and the actual story mode may take as short as 6-10 hours of gameplay, but the cinematics and cutscenes add at least 4 or 5 hours. Some people say they are boring, and I say revert to your plotless, bland games, like "Doom". Obviously, this game has proved impressive. Look at the reviews in magazines and TV shows hailing it as one of the best games ever, bar none. This game is everything it should be. No matter what people say, this game's raplay value is nothing near short.

The PROS:
The game's level design fits with the plot perfectly, and is pure genius.
The graphics are superb and state-of-the-art. Eye candy!
The sound quality is nothing less than exceptional. Movie-quality.
The gameplay is awesome. Hours of entertainment.

The CONS:
In the rain, the game slows a little. I am told this is due to the emulation of the PS2 was direct, and the time was not taken to correct it.
The storyline is sometimes confusing to the less-intelligent.
The cinematics may be a little over the top, some lasting over 30 minutes.

THE RATINGS:

SOUND:
VOICEWORK: Excellent and talented. These actors are nearly movie-quality. 5/5 Stars
MUSIC: Also Excellent. Movie-quality. It is even on soundtrack. 5/5 stars.

GRAPHICS: Excellent. State-of-the-art. 5/5 stars.

FUN-NESS: HOLY COW! THIS IS THE MOST FUN GAME EVER! 6/5 stars.

PLOT QUALITY: Above average. 5/5 Stars.

OVERALL: 5/5 stars. Very solid. Every game has its flaw. MGS2:S has few and it well over makes up for them.

TIPS:

Before the gaurds can call in, shoot their radio so they lose contact.

Keep an eye on the radar.

When trying to catch the gaurds on surprise without them knowing, when in corner veiw press the weapons button (X) and jump out and shoot them. Press (X) several times to shoot several times. Just make sure they are facing the other way when you try this.

If you have an M9 modified for tranquilizer rounds, and you knock someone unconsious (they have little stars spining around teir heads) shoot them so they fall asleep longer and probably won't bother you for a while.

Try not to use guns that are not sileced or surpressed.

Try to not use your ammo. If you can, choke the gaurds or break their necks. Practice doing this in a patrol route with multiple gaurds without being dectected. You should probably conserve ammo for when you need it.

Save often, so if you are detected, you can revert to that ideal position.

If blood makes you uneasy, you can turn it of in the options menu. The cinematics still have blood, and the "Plant" portion of the game where the introduction to Vamp is will still have blood, though.

Thanks for Reading, and good luck with the game!

CRIMSON|RED

Good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Metal Gear Solid was, unquestionably, one of the finest games even released for the classic Playstation. It was a surprise hit that took the world by storm. And when creator Hideo Kojima promised a sequel, gamers were ecstatic. And now the sequel has arrived! How does Metal Gear Solid 2 - The Sons Of Liberty measure up? Read on and find out! This will be a two-part review - one part covering the game, one part covering the extras of the "Substance" reissue.

-THE GAME ITSELF-
PROS:
-The most noticable improvement over the original Metal Gear Solid is the graphics. The first game had terrible, pixelated graphics which were a pathetic attempt at 3D. NOT SO HERE. These are some of the finest graphics ever experienced in a video game!
-Unlike the first game, you can now shoot from a first-person perspective. This makes hitting your targets WAY easier than in the first game.
-Other play control aspects are also improved.
-The game is divided into two quests - the first involves Solid Snake going aboard a Marine ship to photograph the new Metal Gear prototype - Metal Gear Ray. The second involves a new agent called Raiden (no relation to the Mortal Kombat character.) infiltrating an ocean base.
-The game has a variety of cool weapons, items, and characters.
-The game uses the voice talents of Phil LaMarr - better known as Hermes from Futurama (he does the voice of Vamp in this game.)
CONS:
-The storyline in the Raiden quest is terrible. It adds so many plot twists as you progress, that after a while, nothing makes sense anymore.
-WAY TOO MANY CUT SCENES! I like cut scenes, but this game beats them to death! And if you skip them, you miss important storyline information!
-Many of the new characters destroy the "realistic" feel of the game. For example, Vamp seems more like he belongs in Konami's vampire-hunting series, Castlevania.

-THE SUBSTANCE REISSUE-
PROS:
-The game adds a number of VR training missions.
-There are also new sub-quests that let you experience the Raiden quest through Snake's eyes!
-The skateboarding mode is pretty cool - It's an actual skateboarding sub-game, comparable to the Tony Hawk series.
-XBOX version of the game is graphically superior to its PS2 counterpart.
CONS:
-There just aren't enough new features to make people who bought the original version of the game want to buy this version.
-The original version of the game is a MUCH better value. Let's see. You walk into a store and see the original for $20 and this version for $50. Which would YOU choose?
-The XBOX version, while graphically superior to the Playstation 2 one, has glitches the Playstation 2 one doesn't.
-The skateboarding mode, while fun, isn't everything it could have been.

OVERALL:
Overall this is a excellent game, despite some flaws. If you've got a Playstation 2, just get the ORIGINAL version of the game (it's now a Greatest Hit.) If you've got an XBOX, this is the only version of the game available on it. If you own both systems, just get the original Playstation 2 version, since it's a much better value.

MGS: Substance rocks

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Will you guys quit with comparing MGS to Splinter Cell?! The only resembance if the fact that they are both stealth based games with male main characters. That is pretty much where it ends. One is Japanese, the other North American... That in itself should indicate the differences. It's like trying to compare Final Fantasy to Baldurs Gate. There are too many differences and not enough resemblances to make an accurate comparison. Nevertheless...

-> Graphics (8 out of 10)
The graphics do have some strong weaknesses, and strengths. Overall, they look fine. Nothing spectacular however. Being a PS2 port, many of the textures look fine from a distance, but look horrid from up close. Had the game been developped for the Xbox, the game would not suffer from this issue. However, this is easily overlooked once you get into the game. However, the custscenes (prerendered ones that is), look amazingly juicy, which is the reason I had given graphics a 8 out of 10, and not 7.

-> Sound (9 out of 10)
I find that the only time you really notice sound is it if sucks. In this case, I cannot say that it does. The voice overs are great, and there is plenty of dialog to listen to. The background music fits the scenes fine, and the sound effects do sound accurate.

-> Controls (6 out of 10)
This is one of the problematic parts of the game, altho easy to get used to. I have never played the PS2 version, but I do imagine the controls would fit a PS2 controller better than an xbox one. The game would suffer less if you could customize the controls, rather than choosing from 1 of 4 configurations. An other problem if have with the controls is the static camera. Altho 95% of the time, there are absolutely no problem with them, there are times where the camera does pose some type of challenge trying to maneuver, or see enemies/obstacles. But again, this is easily overlooked once you are used to it, and know how to rectify/avoid the situations. I do wish that you would be able to move around in first person view, and would not have been much more work to impliment this. however, I do beleive the feature was left out purposely so that the game would not become a first person shooter rather than a stealth/action game.

-> Story (8 out of 10)
As with the previous MGS, the game is a storytelling masterpeice, altho again it does suffer some weaknesses as well. The story is great, and drives the whole game smoothly.
---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---|---SPOILER---
Many people did not care for the fact that you play as Raiden for most of the game. As a matter of fact, I did enjoy it. He can be a little whiney at times, but that is how he was created, and is an important part of the story. What I did not care about is the ending, where everyone goes "I fooled you", then someone else goes "Hah hah! No, I fooled you", and then yet an other person says the same, over and over a couple times, and Raiden STILL goes along with the Pariots plot. I would have rather see him site with Solidus Snake and gone with the Sons of Liberty plan.
----------------------------------------
If you were to total all of the cutscenes, it would far outlast an average movie, and that is not counting the last 2 hours of play, which are mostly cutscene. And this is an other small issue I have with the same. Altho I love long cutscenes greatly (lets me catch up on my nicotine), the ones at the end of the game are just too long. Other than that, the story is superb!

All in all, this if one of the best games I have ever played. And altho I do beleive it has a few shortcomings, there strenghts of the game far, far, far outweight the negatives, and makes it a truly enjoyable, and unique game.

Too many movies, not enough gameplay...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: November 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The look of this game is great. I give major credit to the designers for creating some really good looking locations and characters. However, that alone is not enough to make this game worth owning. I found myself incredibly bored watching the endless movies and chatter between the characters. I buy games to PLAY, not to sit around and watch movies for half an hour waiting to play another level. Besides that, listening to Raiden and his girlfriend argue about their relationship is enough to make a person throw up. Come on, give me a break...

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