Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Konami has replaced the moronic enemies from the first MGS with more cerebral and capable foes; this causes an even greater emphasis on stealth than the original. The controls have been refined and Snake's repertoire of moves has grown, both of which deepen the gameplay. This is, technically and stylistically, one of the best-looking PS2 games on the market. Sound is also top notch, with a fabulous score and outstanding voice acting. What really makes this game such a stand-out is how all of these sight, sound, and story elements combine to immerse the player into an entertainment form between movie and game. It will be years before Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is surpassed. This is interactive entertainment at its finest. --Raymond M Padilla

I bought a PS2 with this game in mind and maybe I do agree with people talking of a disapointing launch line up last year, but that was the birth of PS2. Metal Gear Solid 2 will turn it into a classic console remembered for one of the greatest games ever made. I own a PS2 and I have the demo and can say fully without doubt that the wait so far has been most certainly worth it. Those who believed the gameplay of MGS left a lot to be desired may be interested in knowing that MGS2 has extremely smooth, highyly responsive gameplay that, although hard to get the hang of (unless your an MGS veteran), makes excellent use of Dual Shock 2's pressure sensitivity. The idea of stealth action is even better than before with more techniques to utilize and enemy AI at an impressive level which makes infiltration quite a challenge on harder difficulties. Action scenes are very impressive. Take for example the gun battle between Snake and Olga at the end of the demo, it oozes excitement and quality. A big wow factor in all the hype has been the graphics. They have true depth and realism, but smaller things should not go without notice. The rain effects when you are on the deck of the ship, the splash under your feet, shadows that change angle as you walk. These small things take time to program and add to an incredible overall quality which deserves recognition. Hideo Kojima's direction is startling, and he shows true talent in the game's cut scenes. You could almost believe that you were watching a high budget production as you view the opening sequence on the bridge, superbly handled material commented perfectly by a breathtaking score from Harry Gregson Williams. Along with spot on direction comes good voice acting. Yeah its in Japanese in the demo but you can understand feelings through tones of voice and facial expressions in the characters, a hint of what to come in the Pal and American releases with the original voice cast in place. All of these elements come together with great results in Metal Gear Solid 2. If you own a PS2 you need this game, and you must have some kind of non existent level of quality if you cannot at least apreciate some of its features.

All of that said, I think Metal Gear Solid 2 could easily be the greatest game ever made. It would be incredible if it wasn't amongst the greatest. My simplist opinion is, buy it as soon as it is available. There may be other great games on the horizon, but none will have what this game will. We may never see another like it.


worth every bit of the hype.   March 4, 2002
48 out of 56 found this review helpful

if you liked the original, this is easily the best game on any console at the moment. genious producer kojima has really pushed the envelope to deliver another benchmark title. i know it sounds cliched and has been said a billion times, but this is truly the reason you brought a ps2. the seamless stealth gameplay is made incredibly believable thanks to an even sharper enemy AI, and the detailed intricacies of the game will make you stop and stare - shoot a bucket of ice and the ice melts - bigger cubes melt slower. throw a smut magazine in front of a guard to divert his attention. hold guards up, stash dead bodies in lockers, hide in lockers - feeling your heart beating as well as the dual-shock, as guards sweep the room with flawless cooperation. shoot a fire extinguisher to reveal laser beams...the list goes on.
my only gripes over the game would be that there are waaay too many 'codec' scenes towards the ending especially - this involves your character communicating with your outside operators through a visual/audio device, and although the real time polygons like amazing in these scenes especially over the static sprites of old, the conversations go on for too long and usually babble about philisophical meanings whilst you'd rather be out shooting stuff and hiding in lockers. the cut scenes are spectacular - some real-time, and the bigger ones are fmvs, but once again there are too many in ratio to gameplay towards the end. you'll often feel you'd rather be playing it rather than watching it like a film, but its a niggle that you're going to have to deal with it to appreciate the rest of the game. the codec scenes are skip-able, but you'll be reluctant not to miss crucial storyline, as the game has one of the most over-epicly scaled action plots, totally crammed with mind bending twists.
the music is also some of the best, orchestrated by harry grygson williams (i hadn't heard of him until this game). he adapts the music of the first game with some nice touches and the other scores really add to the atmosphere.
overall - is it better than the first? yes - like i said, its the best game for any console if you like action titles with intelligent touches. although its not as inventive as the original, it shows how far ahead the first one really was - and there are still numerous ways of solving objectives in this game. do you shoot a guard with the risk of enemies overhearing, or do you break his neck clean?
buy it now. you'll get used to raiden.


Great but too many cut-scenes.   March 11, 2002
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

Ok, it is a great game. So why 4 stars?
The game's creator Hideo Kojima is always talking in interviews about his love of films and MGS's cinematic influences. God forbid that Kojima-san ever produces a feature film because the pace, scripting and plot are by far the game's weakest points. Metal Gear Solid: The Movie will probably be a 4 hour epic of unsuprising plot "twists", lengthy dialogue sequences and relatively little action!
Music, effects and voice acting are all excellent but quite simply there are far, far too many overblown codec/cut sequences that ruin the flow of gameplay. Many of these sequences are 5 or 10 minutes long and there is no pause option - but luckily you can skip them. It basically IS a film.
Sometimes in the middle of a firefight your character's girlfriend starts reminiscing on the radio about how they met....very, very irritating.
Ditto the constant quotation of ancient proverbs and home-spun philosophy.
The plot follows MGS1's style of "secret military/political group captures installation but their motives are unclear." By the time you've met the 10th character who isn't "what they seem" it gets a bit tedious and your really just want to get on with some sneaking/shooting.

I think the root of the problem is the game's japanese origins. Japanese gamers are very discerning when it comes to gameplay details: hence the amazingly rich environment where you can shoot just about anything just to see what happens.(e.g. try the pots and pans in the kitchens - they actually make a "ding" sound and swing back and forth).
However, they also seem to have patience for very long story-building scenes that establish the characters' motivations. Anybody who's played the Final Fantasy games will recognise this trait.
Much of what the western viewer/player would consider "cheesy" dialogue seems par-for-the-course in these games.

Anyway, you're still going to have to buy it and you shouldn't let the above spoil the enjoyment.
But for me the ultimate game of this type will need to be a combination of MGS's gameplay and graphics with a trimmed-down, westernised script that's actually interesting.

Oh, and they need to sort those hairstyles out as well!


Let down by longevity   March 25, 2002
11 out of 16 found this review helpful

This is a great game, and the reason I bought a PS2. The graphics are fluid - although I did experience a slight slowdown in the final boss fight - and the cinematics amazing. The designers have obviously spent a lot of time trying to make this game feel like a film, and the touches make a real difference. Sound is also right up there. The gameplay is enjoyable, although I agree that on Normal level it's actually not very difficult - the first person aiming we all cried out for in MGS is so accurate that you can take out most guards before they spot you. Metal Gear Solid was let down for me by the final boss fight, which I felt was really down to luck; however, in this game the balance is right - you can at least figure out a strategy which SHOULD work.

Everyone seems to be hung up on the fact that you don't get to play Solid Snake for most of the game. GET OVER IT. In case you've forgotten, Snake was just as annoying at times in previous games. Snake is cooler, obviously - but this game wouldn't have worked at all without Raiden.

Now for the negatives...

1. Longevity. I'm sorry, but the game is too short. I managed to complete it in less than two weeks (without playing at every available opportunity!) whereas I remember the first game took far longer. Having said this, on completing the game on Normal I had a look at the hardest setting - and it would take far, far longer to complete the game on this setting. You would get a much greater sense of satisfaction.

2. Cutscenes. These are good and add to the plot, but there's just too damn many of them!

3. Plot. It's plain weird. I felt I was being given a lesson in morality and on how to live my life!

These unfortunately detract from what is otherwise clearly one of the best games available on the PS2 at the moment. It's still worth the money - I just feel a little disappointed given how much I enjoyed the first game, and given the hype about this one. If you played the first Metal Gear Solid, spend your money in the knowledge that you will find things about the new game you don't like. If you didn't, I would still recommend buying it - you don't have anything like it at the moment.


CRASHINGLY DULL   April 15, 2002
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

In common with all but the most cack-handed of gamers I completed this within a few days. It wasn't the scandalously short length of the game that disappointed so much as the total lack of involvement along the way. Gameplay is repetitive, the story nonsensical, the acting atrocious, the script a mess of cliched awfulness. Neat touches abound, but seemingly at the expense of a proper game. Repeat value is nil. It looks good, but if looks are everything you may as switch it off and watch a film (surely any film is preferable to the interminable cut-scenes that constantly disrupt MGS2. And as for the Codec sequences, I'd rather watch my nails grow). It lasted two weeks on my shelf and for 10 days of that I just stared resentfully at the unopened box, reflecting on the many better things I could have done with the 44 I'd rashly parted with for this lumbering ...game.