First Memory

Welcome to the First Edition of a possibly ongoing variety of reviews by none-other than myself. Since I have school and work and such, I find very little time to do anything I really enjoy (except maybe play Werewolf: The Apocalypse). It is with this excuse in hand that I start this little column. There have often been times when there was a game or movie or something that I really didn't get to enjoy the first time that I wanted to go back and give a second chance. That is the idea behind my first Review: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The first time I ever played--or rather, the first time I ever watched someone play--this game, I didn't really enjoy it. I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe it had been that I hadn't played all the way through Metal Gear Solid, or maybe it was that I knew very little of the oringal Metal Gear storyline...or maybe it was that I just really didn't like the PlayStation 2 all that much. Whatever the case, I just really didn't enjoy the game at all. However. As it sometimes is with these things, I realized sometime later (recently), that I really needed to try and give the game another look. I borrowed Draco's PS2 when he borrowed my GAMECUBE for Eternal Darkness (and again for Smuggler's Run: Warzones), and I desided then to do one thing and do it well. I was going to play through Metal Gear Solid 2 and get myself every Dog Tag in the game. It is with this idea in mind that I finally get to the meat of this Article. Let me welcome you to Huntermun's Second Look.

Like I said, when I first saw this game, I wasn't greatly impressed. Sure, it was pretty, you know, but it just didn't have any kind of appeal for me as a game player. The only thing you seemed to do was play a bit of game to get to a plot point, and then see a video sequence. After this, you would walk down a hallway, maybe knock out a gaurd or two, then enter another room to be presented with...another video sequence. Since I happen to be a fan of playing games and not being played myself, I saw this as kind of a crappy way to do things. The peices just didn't really fit into place.

The thing that kind'a turned me around to this game was that I finnally wanted to know what was going on. Most, if not all, of my freinds had enjoyed the game to a degree, but I didn't understand why, seeing as I had avoided it for a good long while. So, about a month ago, I asked Draco if he'd play through the whole game, on whatever difficulty he wanted, and show me the whole plot. The truth is, he had to spend the night twice on one weekend to show me the game as a whole. I desided I knew what it had been that made me dislike it the first time. I'd wanted to sit down and play a video game...but, that was just the thing. You see, MGS2 isn't a video game. Sure it comes on the same DVD-Media as most of the other PlayStation 2 games out there, but don't let that fool you. MSG2 is actually a playable movie. Had I known this from the start, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. The point is not to mearly finish the game, but to be as kind or cruel as you can while going though the two main locations, only to set the controller down and watch the cinemas. Sounds boring at first, but the story is so huge and intertwining that it's got to be played at least twice before you're sure you understand everything that's going on.

The basic controls are back from the last game, I suppose. But for those of you who don't understand, it's all fairly simple. First person view is R1, L1 locks on a person (if you really need to), R2 switches out weapons, while L2 switches out Items. The left of the four buttons (the "Square" button) fires your current weapon. What is kind of a neat thing is that the PlayStation 2 Dual Shock 2 controller actually allows you to let off the button just a little bit. This works like taking your finger away from the trigger, and thus not fire. This is handy for aiming you gun at people and not shooting them. Do this behind a normal gaurd and your main character will say "Freeze" and the gaurd will stop moving. However, don't try this on those freakin' SWAT gaurds as they tend to have an "Oh Yeah?" personality and will turn around to shoot you. If you're using Stealth, then they wonder where on Gaia's green Earth the disembodied voice came from. Funny thing is, when you are completely cloaked and you aim a gun at a gaurd... even if you are standing in front of them, where they definately can't see you, they will still hold in place while you've got your gun out. It's a minor thing, but I found it odd since a game like this should have "refined" special items. Oh yes, and the "Square" button also lets you come up behind someone and toss them or pull them into a choke hold when you don't have a weapon equiped. The "X" button takes you from standing to kneeling and visa versa. Should you try to move while kneeling (unless against a wall), you will crawl. Unlike the last game (if I remember correctly), you can now fire your gun while crawling. The "X" button also let you roll or do a cartwheel while running. This can be helpful for getting a place or two much later in the game, but otherwise is only really used to dodge the occasional Boss's bullet. The "Circle" button let's you punch (even when you have a weapon), and also lets you lay against a wall and knock on it. This lets you make some noise to get a gaurd's attention to lure them away from an area you need to get to, or to get them to a place where you can come up behind them to get their Dog Tag. Last, but not least (of the face buttons) is "Triangle". This wonderful button is the "Action Button". If you need a catch all button that can do just about anything, this would be the one that you use. It works kind'a like the "B" button in Conker's Bad Fur Day. It's "Context Sensitive" (and therefore sensitive to context). If you are against a railing, it lets you fip over the edge and hold on. If you use it while using an item with scope, you can check gaurds to see if you have their dog tags. If you are near a computer, node, or elevator, you can use it with those things as well. Like I said, it's kind of a all purpose button. Beyond that, Start pauses (and shows your location or a map), and Select brings up your Codec (your Radio, where you can talk to the other characters). All in all, the controls are pretty good, and nothing that really stands out as bad comes to mind. But, you can only have one weapon or item out at a time, and that did kind of bug me. Why can't you wear the Badanna and Stealth at the same time... or have out two guns at once, or wear the Body Armour, Stealth, Wig, Gaurd Uniform, and Termal Goggles all at the same time? Sure it may sound like to much, but the basic point is that a normal person could wear all those at once, so why can't your character? Maybe they can fix that in the next installment. I really don't know.

Story can be a big deal for some games, and a minor thing for others. For MGS2, you need the story to understand why it is your character is doing what he is doing...the first time. However, once you've heard the story, you'll end up skipping all but the scenes that interested you the most before. You'll end up watching only the scenes you deemed "really cool." However, if you are a Metal Gear fan (from way back on the NES, then I'm sure you loved this game. So far as I could tell, it made reference to the three previous legal games in the series. I say "legal" because I'm told that there was both a Metal Gear 2 and a Metal Gear: Snakes Revenge (which came out first). I don't know if this is accurate, but basically Snake's Revenge was so God-aweful-bad that no fan in their right minds counts it as having actually happened. Kind of like Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason takes Manhatten...so horribly bad that the next movie in the series didn't even acknowledge it. But, again, there are many references back to the last game. A huge amount of them are towards MGS, but there is mention of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land throughout the game. The only real trouble with the game is that to many people backstab to many other people as the game goes on. Most of these happen in the last, half-hour-or-so long cinema in the game, before the very final battle and credits. However, if you'd played the game in one sitting, the plot of the game really does tend to explain to all of that action happening, so I guess that's alright too.

This a fun subject. The Graphics in this game truely rocked when it was released. Now that the remake of Resident Evil has come out, and even Halo (forgive me for mentioning an X-Box game, Draco) this game has been put into a bigger perspective now. With games like Metroid Prime and Perfect Dark 2 on their way, MGS2 can still hold it's own, but--truthfully--the game isn't very revolutionary, but very evolutionary. It's like MGS except the characters are more curved and "real" looking than crappy PlayStation graphics. The levels (Tanker and Plant) are very well detailed, and look very nice. The biggest improvements come in the form of level interaction. That is actually more of a gameplay thing than graphics, but those things are more for graphic effect than they are to make the game more interesting... For example, in Tanker you learn that being out in the rain, then coming indoors makes it so Snake will leave wet footprints behind him. The guards can see these and go to investigate. Another example is being able to shoot glasses, pots, flour, fruit, fire extinguishers, glass, magazines, TV's, and all number of other things and have them be destroyed or make a mess. You can even take Magazines from your gun that you've emptied and toss them onto the ground for a gaurd to find. The two main characters are well animated. The only troubles come into play with Snake's headpeice, really. It's even worse when you equip the Infinite Ammo Bandana. It just doesn't rest against his body or anything correctly. Sometimes it falls through his back... sometimes it wont come to a stop as quickly as he does. But then again, that's another thing about not refining the special items. But how about effects, huh? In first person view, birds can crap on your face, blood from gaurds can cover your vision, and flour can completely white out your vision. Not to mention a big light blinding you. It's all pretty well done. But as far as non-first person view, explosions all look about the same...with a gray/brown colored dust-looking effect for everything from gernades to chaft, to C4, to Rockets. Every thing that counts as an explosion looks about the same. Even when you accidentally set off some big bombs to destroy all of your current location and get Game Over, the explosions all look that same gray/brown look. One would have thought flames would be appopriate for some, but maybe they didn't have time...

Statistics
System: PlayStation 2
Company: Kanomi
Game Style: "Tactical Espionage Action"
Players: One Player
Save Feature: ---
Price: ---
Rating: ---
Favorite Character: ---
Least Favorite: ---
Review Date: 08/16/2002

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Huntermun's Second Look © Tyler N. Sewell 2003