Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

"A wonderful experience in stealth tactics and cinematic storytelling"

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a game with one of the greatest stories around with awesome gameplay to back it up.

Graphics
Pros: The game has wonderful graphics, to say the least. Everything is beautifully detailed, from the water to the characters.
Cons: This game definitely was not graphically recreated for the Xbox. The Xbox's graphics are almost the exact same as the PS2 version, only with a slight addition of bump-mapping. There is even a very noticable framerate drop in some areas of the game, particularly the outside of the Tanker, due to the fact that the same coding was used as was for the PS2. Alas, such is a penalty of a rushed port.

Sound
Pros: Great voice acting to compliment the great cutscenes as well as the normal gameplay. Gunshots and footsteps are crisp and done nicely.
Cons: Sometimes the voices of the guards are quite badly done, though. This is especially so when choking a guard and snapping their necks.

Music
Pros: The music in this game is clear and sound. Well, most of it anyway.
Cons: The VR missions music and the Boss music are nothing to write home about.

Story
Pros: A beautiful, well planned-out story only made better by the numerous cinematic scenes throughout the game. The story will keep you guessing, as it has as many twists and turns as a snake (joke intended).
Cons: Sometimes the story is a little difficult to figure out.

Gameplay
Pros: Instead of just mindlessly shooting everything in sight, the idea of this game is to get to your mission objective undetected, relying on your wits and tactics more than your gun. This game has a great engine for doing this. Tactics such as knocking on walls to distract enemy soldiers, hiding in cardboard boxes, stowing enemy soldiers you were forced to kill where the others won't find them, et cetera.
Cons: If you like mindlessly shooting everything in sight, then this game is not for you. Running around like crazy spraying lead everywhere is sure to get you killed in this game, especially on higher difficulties.

Extras
Pros: Along with the original ''Sons of Liberty'' game and all its features, 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.
Cons: A lot of the things that were promised to us never made it into the game. The skateboarding mode is non-existent in Substance. You CANNOT, repeat, CANNOT play as Raiden in the Tanker or Snake in the Plant. The extra playable costumes are only available in the VR/Alternative missions.
On a side note, the Snake Tales are poorly done. They are all text, no new voice acting was recorded whatsoever. The areas they are played in are ripped straight from the original game. You even fight the same bosses, or at least variations of some of them.

Summary
Though not everything that was promised made it through to this ''enhanced'' port, the original game is still a marvelous experience, and the extras that did make it are enough to keep you playing this game for a long time.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/02, Updated 11/21/02