Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance - Review

Added August 11th, 2003 by Final Sniper

Introduction:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is, essentially, a Director's Cut of the original game for the PlayStation 2. For Xbox owners who never had the chance to experience the original, Substance is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately for everyone else, it's, for all intents and purposes, more of the same. The game commences with Solid Snake getting aboard a tanker via bungee jump, armed with only a tranquilizer gun. His mission is to disarm the onboard Metal Gear, a bipedal tank with nuclear strike capabilities. Having dealt with numerous Metal Gears, Snake is the ideal choice for the mission. But then again, that's probably because Otacon and him are the only members of PHILANTHROPY. Regardless, he must neutralize the Metal Gear and escape, despite the Russian soldiers who coincidentally hijack the ship at the same time Snake arrives. The story evolves from there, with some plot twists scattered about until the end. What happens at the end, you ask? Your mind is cruelly and relentlessly bombarded with double-crosses, and double double-crosses until you have not the slightest idea as to what's going on, nor do you care. The whole core concept of Substance is to infiltrate the enemy base without being spotted, and the creator (Kojima) executes it masterfully. You'll crawl beneath pipes, hide behind crates, hang from rails, and put the smack down on guards. Regrettably, the Xbox controller isn't as apt for this caliber a task as the Playstation 2 was. Nonetheless, the controls are solid, with the option to sift through several control schemes; an alternative that is greatly appreciated.

Gameplay:

This is one of the two categories where the game shines. Throughout the game, you'll never be bored, a sign of a great game. You have to stay alert, or else a guard will see you and quickly call his buddies. Holding up enemies is also very fun, you sneak up behind them and hold you gun up to make them give you their dog tags. Dog tags are things that guards wear to identify them if they die on the battlefield. I don't need to say anymore, because the gameplay is 100% goodness. I guarantee you won't have any complaints on this part. Substance packs great graphics, a good story, and innovative gameplay. One of the nicer aspects of Substance is the ability to play the way you want. It's possible to go through the whole game with no enemy interaction and zero kills, since you can knock bosses out with tranquilizer darts instead. You'll have to effectively press up against walls, hide in lockers, and hang from rails to move about without hitch. Of course, what's the point of having that big, bad AK47u if you're not going to use it? Be careful about who you kill, though. Certain guards report in sporadically, and if they miss a status report a emergency squad will come in to secure the perimeter. Sadly, the tanker is more of a tech demo than anything else. I didn't need to shoot out a single light, much less find one that could be shot out, later in the game. You won't use the Thermal Goggles or Night Vision Goggles at all unless you're predominantly bored, and when you finally get the Nikita, there's nobody to use it on. A new feature that separates Substance from it's PSX sibling is the ability to ''hold up'' enemy sentries. Sneaking up behind a guard then pressing and holding the shoot button makes Snake (and Raiden) yell, ''Freeze!'' When you point your gun at his head or crouch, he'll give up valuable items and dog tags, which are needed to unlock extras like unlimited ammo and stealth. Some, however, are tough guys and need a bullet or two in the arm before handing anything over. Despite being fun at first, going through the different difficulties to collect more dog tags for that invisibility grows tedious quick. The characters in Substance have changed drastically. Kojima has settled for a more anime flavored game, with bisexual vampires and talking hands. Even one of the more influential protagonists, Raiden, is peppered with the style. Paler than you after a month of Phantasy Star Online, Raiden wields a katana, shoulder length blonde hair, and aerial summersaults. Supposedly, this is Kojima's response to all the fans of Metal Gear Solid for the PSX who wanted to play as the ninja. Not too fresh since we were doing this a year ago.

Graphics:

The visuals in Substance are excellent, giving the essential ambiance and sense of stealth. However, once you get to the second part of the game, you'll apprehend a glaring flaw. It's daytime. You can't tell the terrorists to wait until sundown, of course, but sneaking about in broad daylight feels a little astray in a stealth-orientated game. Sadly, the revamped graphics show little effort or understanding of what the Xbox could do. They're still impressive, additionally more than the Playstation 2's version, but the appearance of slowdown where there should be none might make some think they have a faulty disc. The amount of detail in the graphics are incredible, but there are a couple of problems worth mentioning. Many of you have heard that there is major slowdown when you are in the outside of the tanker, and it is without a doubt, true. However, this slowdown does not affect the game too severely, so don't worry. The second part worth mentioning is that sometimes there may be a white outline around a character's hair during cinematic, but this is merely the result of a rushed port. Also, one of the secret game modes, casting theatre, allows you to view the game's cinematic with different characters. While this is a cool feature, another problem arises; sometimes the people are suppose to hold onto an object, but the object is not in their hand at all. Again, this is but a very minor problem. Aside from these problems, the graphics quality is amazing, from the amazing ending cg's, to the awesome motion blur affect when you swim. Still, not much improvement from the PS2 version.

Audio:

Metal Gear Solid was one of the finest voice-acted games on the PSX, and the Xbox sequel is no exception. Characters exhibit emotion and a sense of necessity, sounding exactly as I'd envision them. The only flaw, and this is nitpicking, is that sentences tend to be short and choppy. This, luckily, does not detract from the gameplay notably. MGS2 Substance has a powerful music score by Harry Gregson-Williams (Armageddon, The Rock). It makes your blood pump when you face a tough boss, and it induces a sense of nervousness as you hide from enemy soldiers. The ending theme; I can't say goodbye to tomorrow is excellent. Voice acting is great, and it matches each character's personality well. The sound effects are good, surveillance cameras buzz as they move, guards scream when they're shot, and everything else fits perfectly. However, sometimes the music gets repetitive, and the guards have only a limited selection of lines, around twelve. Overall, MGS2 does well in this category.

Control:

The control scheme at first appears to be very well designed, allowing you to shoot guards in the leg, hang over railings, knock on walls, and do jump out shots from behind a wall. You'll be able to do all this after playing for about 30 minutes. There are 2 very important problems I should point out though. The Xbox controller is pressure sensitive, and MGS2 substance takes advantage of this by letting you do this with the small handguns: Hold you gun up by holding the X button, release quickly for a shot, release slowly to not take a shot at all. This is very useful, but a major problem arises from this. Imagine yourself in a huge battle with 4 guards with shotguns; amidst the chaos you manage to point your gun at one of the guards' head. You let go of the X button and nothing happens, because you didn't release quick enough. 3 seconds later half your health is gone. The other problem is strafing (running while holding your gun up). You strafe but holding the X and Y button at the same time, and for handguns, again you have to release the X button quickly to make a shot. It is very difficult to release the X button quickly while holding the Y button, unless you have a very large thumb. Other than those two problems, the controls are easy to learn and well setup.

Replay:

Following in the vein of the DVD phenomena, MGS2:S contains more bonus features than actual material. With the aforementioned missions and Tales, unlockable characters and modes, dog tags to collect, and of course the main game (which ironically is the most minute portion), your patience will run out before the game does. Which, of course, is the highest possible compliment for this category. Substance includes over 350 VR missions, 150 Alternative missions, 5 Snake Tales, and, after you beat the game, Boss Survival and Casting Theater modes. This game has enough extras to keep you playing for several weeks, possibly months.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're well aware that there's a good reason why Metal Gear Solid 2 is just coming out for the Xbox. Or, at least that's what Kojima says. The man himself dubiously stated that you would be allowed to play as Snake in the Plant chapter. What he forgot to mention is that it's only with Snake Tales; short scenarios starring Snake. In laymen terms: No, you can't play as Snake in the Plant during the normal game. Fortuitously, the game also includes a surplus of VR (Virtual Reality) Missions void from the PS2 version. VR Missions are basically an exercise to hone your skill by completing the various tasks and situations set forth in a pseudo-computer environment. I'm not sure if Kojima said it, but word had it that you got to play as the Ninja. This too had hidden conditions to it; namely, only during VR missions. Well, hey, cool, it's still a ninja, right? Not feeling he shafted gamers enough, Kojima created a new ninja that you'd play as.

Summary:

So the graphics didn't make a huge leap from PS2 to Xbox. From my standpoint, the game still looks phenomenal. And the frame rate was a problem in some areas. And the plot is a bit convoluted at times. Really though, those don't detract from this game being as stellar as it is. MGS2:Substance is an excellent port and addition to the Metal Gear family. Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a great game if you don't own the PlayStation 2 version, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who does. All said and done, it's simply a way for Konami to make more money with as little effort as possible. In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance lives up to the legacy of the Metal Gear games.