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Video Games : Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (Xbox)
1 2 3
Rating: 
- One of the most immersive game worlds
Ok, so you've probably read loads of other reviews saying "yeah good game but nothing special." This attitude seems to focus on the visuals and constant FMV 'interruptions'.
Let's put a few things straight - the graphics are taken straight from PS2, given that and the age of the game (one of the first showcased for PS2) it is pretty damn impressive. Lip sync could be better but facial movements and expressions along with hair and clothing are a pleasure to look at.
Secondly as you progress into the game you will find the cut scenes an integral part of the story as the twisting and often surprising plot unfolds. MGS2 steers clear of the predictable storylines and character relationships that plague most games these days and concentrates on keeping the player enthralled in a bedroom sized bubble of pure gaming genius.
OK, the game lacks the gritty atmosphere and to die for realistic environments of splinter cell but you have to remember they are entirley different games and designed with different experiences in mind, they cannot really be compared because they are so different (i believe it is an injustice to both games to pit one against the other in a popularity contest) - i think the only similarity (and why people compare them) is the stealth aspect.
One of the very few gripes about the game i have is the fact that for a stealth em up - light and dark dont play a particularly big role - i found that you still get discovered even when cowering in what is seemingly a dark corner but this does add to the suspense - am i going to get caught, will they walk straight by? what should i do if i get seen? in fact what should i do if i dont?!!
Yeah i agree some of the codec messgaes are absolutely pointless and yes it did annoy me but you dont always have to answer it and you can always skip the interruptions - but that simply strips the game of all that Hideo Kojima wanted us to experience. On the other hand there are subtle messages which can be very clever hints that at the the time you dont realise or just amusing sub texts - or both.
The plot exceeds that of Hollywood and it is like watching an interactive movie, but thats the point of it.
To fully appreciate the plot and character development you have to be fairly open minded but by the end of the game my eyes were opened to a whole new way of thinking, especially the way i felt about the first installment. I think that Kojima has portrayed his story so well that the player (if they are actually interested in the story and not just there to pop necks) actually feels deep emotions similar to those that the character in the story must be feeling - such as relief, confusion a sense of betrayal or regret etc.
The whole adventure is full of secrets and hidden aspects - some have a function others are purley there for fun - to be discovered by the gamer - meaning that the 5th time you play it something might surprise you that you hadn't seen/realised before.
During the game certain characters get very philosophical and it is actually a breath of fresh air as opposed to the usual point and blitz games with cheesy and repetitive catch phrases, the plot is something you can discuss with your mates (well the ones who have cleared the game) and is something to really think about. Towards the end, Snake talks about legacies and what people want to be remembered by -
I believe this is Hideo Kojima's legacy, the man is a genius.
Roll on MGS3!!
Rating:
- A Classic
OK.. first the basics:
Graphics: Nothing jaw dropping in terms of lighting or texture effects. The attention to detail and character animation is excellent though. Its not going to win an beauty contests.. but theres nothing there to make you wince either. The character design is superb, and the game has a style of its own.. think 'Japanese Rambo'.
Sound: Again.. good but nothing too special. The most innovative thing is the use of the rumble feature on the Xbox controller to augment certain sounds.. like you're heartbeat thumping away during tense moments.
Gameplay: Awesome.. simply put. This is the best sneaking game I've ever played (Although I've yet to try Splinter Cell). The enemy AI, the level of interaction and the wonderfully ramping difficulty all go make this game tense, exciting and very fun. There are those who don't like too many cutscenes.. myself included. When I first booted up MGS2 (it was bundled with my XBox) I didn't think I'd like it much because I'd heard about the excessive amount of 'story' content. Amazingly.. the longer I've played, the more immersed in the story I've become. The cutscenes (slightly cheesy romantic moments aside) are actually pretty cool, the character development is above-par for your average holywood blockbuster and the computer generated 'actors' do a remarkable job of impersonating holywoods finest considering they're just bunches of shaded polygons. Endlessly sneaking around can be mentally exhausting, so the cutscenes are a welcome break 90% of the time.. letting you sit back for a few minutes, stretch your fingers and watch the show.
Be warned though, if you get sucked in as I was.. MGS2 will grip you like a really good book. You'll find yourself compelled to play it to the end in order just to get your life back.
Rating: - Excellent, but......
This is just a simple review to tell anyone looking, NOT to buy this game if you fail one of two reasons, you don't own HALO or you don't own SPLINTER CELL. Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing game, thats why i gave it 5 stars, I've got the original on the PS2 and completed it plenty of times and for about half a year was my favourate game of all time, on any console. But now the times have changed, HALO is not a mindless blast-em-up kind of game (like Quake III for example) that many reviews would lead you to believe, it is as tactical as MGS2: SUBSTANCE but comes with the extra fun of blasting aliens (it doesnt sound that interesting but it is, trust me and thousands [maybe millions] of other devoted fans) and then theres SPLINTER CELL, as tactical as you get and with graphics that kick solid snakes ass. I know you'll probably be thinking that this should be a review on the HALO game page but as I said I am just warning you that you should buy HALO and SPLINTER CELL first, if you trust youself with £35 that you will like MGS2: SUBSTANCE if you havent played it before, honestly you will get much more value for money and enjoyment from playing co-operative with a mate on HALO or sniping a terrorist from a rooftop on SPLINTER CELL than you would playing a buffed up version of MGS2 from the PS2.
Rating: - Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
This game rules! I have been waiting for this for about 4 years now, scince the original metal gear on psone came out and I was not disappointed.
The main games is split into two chapters, the tanker and the big shell plant, the latter being longer. Without spoiling the story, solid snake and otacon have now set up there own anti-metal gear organization known as philanthropy. Everyone thinks snake died after the tanker incident, but then Raiden, the main character of the plant chapter meets a guy there called pliskin, who mysteriously looks, sounds and acts iddentical to snake...
The actual gameplay isnt as good as splinter cell, but the main strong point of this game is the storyline, its fantastic, just like the first. You get to use many different guns and gadgets aswell.
There are some bad points about this game though, the graphics have ps2 written all over them, they could have, and should have been improved for xbox. Also there is some noticable slow down in places aswell. The other main complaint could be about the fact that for a lot of the game you are sitting listening and watching them talking and video clips.
The "substance" part is the 300+ VR missions and the 150+ alternative missions. Also, there are 5 new snake tales which you get to play as snake in. These should make up for his playable absense during the plant chapter.
So all in all buy MGS2: Substance becuase it is a fantastic game and certianly a worthy addition to the ever growing collection of xbox games. Buy it, and you wont be disapointed...
Rating:
- I love this DVD...! (?)
We bought this game following the great critiques we read from different sources... I'm not going to lie to you... this game is beautifully made, but the amount of video it has is just enormous. You spend about 80% of the game just watching a non-sensical movie (it is really not necessary)... and the dialogues are so idiotic and bannal. They would've made a great game by removing all the unnecessary video time. If you are thinking of buying it... do it, but be prepared for a DVD rather than an XBOX game...
- One of the most immersive game worldsOk, so you've probably read loads of other reviews saying "yeah good game but nothing special." This attitude seems to focus on the visuals and constant FMV 'interruptions'.
Let's put a few things straight - the graphics are taken straight from PS2, given that and the age of the game (one of the first showcased for PS2) it is pretty damn impressive. Lip sync could be better but facial movements and expressions along with hair and clothing are a pleasure to look at.
Secondly as you progress into the game you will find the cut scenes an integral part of the story as the twisting and often surprising plot unfolds. MGS2 steers clear of the predictable storylines and character relationships that plague most games these days and concentrates on keeping the player enthralled in a bedroom sized bubble of pure gaming genius.
OK, the game lacks the gritty atmosphere and to die for realistic environments of splinter cell but you have to remember they are entirley different games and designed with different experiences in mind, they cannot really be compared because they are so different (i believe it is an injustice to both games to pit one against the other in a popularity contest) - i think the only similarity (and why people compare them) is the stealth aspect.
One of the very few gripes about the game i have is the fact that for a stealth em up - light and dark dont play a particularly big role - i found that you still get discovered even when cowering in what is seemingly a dark corner but this does add to the suspense - am i going to get caught, will they walk straight by? what should i do if i get seen? in fact what should i do if i dont?!!
Yeah i agree some of the codec messgaes are absolutely pointless and yes it did annoy me but you dont always have to answer it and you can always skip the interruptions - but that simply strips the game of all that Hideo Kojima wanted us to experience. On the other hand there are subtle messages which can be very clever hints that at the the time you dont realise or just amusing sub texts - or both.
The plot exceeds that of Hollywood and it is like watching an interactive movie, but thats the point of it.
To fully appreciate the plot and character development you have to be fairly open minded but by the end of the game my eyes were opened to a whole new way of thinking, especially the way i felt about the first installment. I think that Kojima has portrayed his story so well that the player (if they are actually interested in the story and not just there to pop necks) actually feels deep emotions similar to those that the character in the story must be feeling - such as relief, confusion a sense of betrayal or regret etc.
The whole adventure is full of secrets and hidden aspects - some have a function others are purley there for fun - to be discovered by the gamer - meaning that the 5th time you play it something might surprise you that you hadn't seen/realised before.
During the game certain characters get very philosophical and it is actually a breath of fresh air as opposed to the usual point and blitz games with cheesy and repetitive catch phrases, the plot is something you can discuss with your mates (well the ones who have cleared the game) and is something to really think about. Towards the end, Snake talks about legacies and what people want to be remembered by -
I believe this is Hideo Kojima's legacy, the man is a genius.
Roll on MGS3!!
Rating:
- A ClassicOK.. first the basics:
Graphics: Nothing jaw dropping in terms of lighting or texture effects. The attention to detail and character animation is excellent though. Its not going to win an beauty contests.. but theres nothing there to make you wince either. The character design is superb, and the game has a style of its own.. think 'Japanese Rambo'.
Sound: Again.. good but nothing too special. The most innovative thing is the use of the rumble feature on the Xbox controller to augment certain sounds.. like you're heartbeat thumping away during tense moments.
Gameplay: Awesome.. simply put. This is the best sneaking game I've ever played (Although I've yet to try Splinter Cell). The enemy AI, the level of interaction and the wonderfully ramping difficulty all go make this game tense, exciting and very fun. There are those who don't like too many cutscenes.. myself included. When I first booted up MGS2 (it was bundled with my XBox) I didn't think I'd like it much because I'd heard about the excessive amount of 'story' content. Amazingly.. the longer I've played, the more immersed in the story I've become. The cutscenes (slightly cheesy romantic moments aside) are actually pretty cool, the character development is above-par for your average holywood blockbuster and the computer generated 'actors' do a remarkable job of impersonating holywoods finest considering they're just bunches of shaded polygons. Endlessly sneaking around can be mentally exhausting, so the cutscenes are a welcome break 90% of the time.. letting you sit back for a few minutes, stretch your fingers and watch the show.
Be warned though, if you get sucked in as I was.. MGS2 will grip you like a really good book. You'll find yourself compelled to play it to the end in order just to get your life back.
Rating:
- Excellent, but......This is just a simple review to tell anyone looking, NOT to buy this game if you fail one of two reasons, you don't own HALO or you don't own SPLINTER CELL. Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing game, thats why i gave it 5 stars, I've got the original on the PS2 and completed it plenty of times and for about half a year was my favourate game of all time, on any console. But now the times have changed, HALO is not a mindless blast-em-up kind of game (like Quake III for example) that many reviews would lead you to believe, it is as tactical as MGS2: SUBSTANCE but comes with the extra fun of blasting aliens (it doesnt sound that interesting but it is, trust me and thousands [maybe millions] of other devoted fans) and then theres SPLINTER CELL, as tactical as you get and with graphics that kick solid snakes ass. I know you'll probably be thinking that this should be a review on the HALO game page but as I said I am just warning you that you should buy HALO and SPLINTER CELL first, if you trust youself with £35 that you will like MGS2: SUBSTANCE if you havent played it before, honestly you will get much more value for money and enjoyment from playing co-operative with a mate on HALO or sniping a terrorist from a rooftop on SPLINTER CELL than you would playing a buffed up version of MGS2 from the PS2.
Rating:
- Metal Gear Solid 2: SubstanceThis game rules! I have been waiting for this for about 4 years now, scince the original metal gear on psone came out and I was not disappointed.
The main games is split into two chapters, the tanker and the big shell plant, the latter being longer. Without spoiling the story, solid snake and otacon have now set up there own anti-metal gear organization known as philanthropy. Everyone thinks snake died after the tanker incident, but then Raiden, the main character of the plant chapter meets a guy there called pliskin, who mysteriously looks, sounds and acts iddentical to snake...
The actual gameplay isnt as good as splinter cell, but the main strong point of this game is the storyline, its fantastic, just like the first. You get to use many different guns and gadgets aswell.
There are some bad points about this game though, the graphics have ps2 written all over them, they could have, and should have been improved for xbox. Also there is some noticable slow down in places aswell. The other main complaint could be about the fact that for a lot of the game you are sitting listening and watching them talking and video clips.
The "substance" part is the 300+ VR missions and the 150+ alternative missions. Also, there are 5 new snake tales which you get to play as snake in. These should make up for his playable absense during the plant chapter.
So all in all buy MGS2: Substance becuase it is a fantastic game and certianly a worthy addition to the ever growing collection of xbox games. Buy it, and you wont be disapointed...
Rating:
- I love this DVD...! (?)We bought this game following the great critiques we read from different sources... I'm not going to lie to you... this game is beautifully made, but the amount of video it has is just enormous. You spend about 80% of the game just watching a non-sensical movie (it is really not necessary)... and the dialogues are so idiotic and bannal. They would've made a great game by removing all the unnecessary video time. If you are thinking of buying it... do it, but be prepared for a DVD rather than an XBOX game...