Metal Gear Solid 2 Review

Introduction

Tactical Espionage Action. I first played this game back in ‘02 and I wasn’t sure what that meant or what to expect. I was going through a stage where I was trying out the best PS2 games and judging the games by their ratings. Who knew that I would be in for such a tasty treat. A game such as this only comes around once every few years. Not to get off subject but the last time I remember being sucked into a game like this was back in ‘96 with LOZ:Oot on N64. I don’t know if it’s just me and my preferences in the gaming scene but to me this game is almost perfect. Just watch the amazing intro to the game and you’ll be instantly interested in starting a new game.

Gameplay (9.5/10)

The game is split into 2 chapters. The “Tanker” chapter where you play Snake is about 25% of the total game and the “Plant” chapter where you play Raven makes up the other 75% of the game. The game is filled with cut-scenes, too many at times, (You can skip through them with the X button but may not want to your first time around). So what’s the objective of the game? The cut-scenes will tell you your objective, where to go and what to do. A mission could be taking pictures of Metal Gear, or rescuing someone from a building. To achieve your mission goal you will need to hide in lockers, under tables, in the shadows, from the surveillance cameras, it’s a living environment where everything you see can somehow play a role. How much violence you want in the game is all up to you. You can try to sneak past the guards and not hurt anybody or you can shoot everyone in sight, triggering them to radio for help.

Graphics (9.5/10)

I honestly didn’t know the PS2 was capable of handling this stuff. You can tell that Konami took thousands of man hours into this game to make it as perfect as possible. Some of the most spectacular graphics are in the Tanker mission. You start out on the outside of the ship where it’s pouring down rain. Then after shooting some baddies you make your way inside where you see where the real beauty lies. Right when you walk in you can see the puddles your feet create. You start walking and you leave wet footprints. The attention to detail is amazing. You can be anywhere in the game and hit the “R1? button and you get a first-person view with crisp detailed graphics in every direction. Since most of the game you will be hiding or avoiding enemies, the first person view is where you will do most of your shooting. If you shoot a fire extinguisher, smoke will fill the area and possibly reveal nearby laser beams. Whoops, you were trying to shoot the soldier and missed. The bullet broke one of the 100 bottles of liquor in the bar. The detail is amazing and has to be seen to be believed.

Sound/Music (10/10)

One of the best parts of the game was the sound. If a soldier sees footprints or blood left behind by Snake or Raven he will say “Hmm?” or “Who’s There”. If you knock on the wall to get a soldiers attention the soldier will ask “What was that noise just now?” The sound of a soldier walking by while you hide in the shadows is so lifelike it’s scary. I never knew sound could play such a role in a video game. The sound becomes such an essential element of the game; if you play on mute you’re only playing half the game although it does add an interesting challenge to the game. The music is beautiful in every way. If you get spotted by a soldier the music instantly goes into a thrilling musical score that makes them feel that much more intense.

Replay Value (10/10)

After going through this game once, I couldn’t stop. I’m at the point now where I know where everything is in the tanker chapter and I can practically beat it without weapons but just with snapping of necks and locker stuffing.