Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

"MGS 2 on XBOX?! And it's good?! Get outta town...!"

Snake is back in stores and back into popularity on the Xbox! Yes, you heard right! Four Metal Gear Games released on Playstation consoles, and now it's on Xbox. Wow, you must be thinking, what's wrong with Hideo Kojima?? Absolutely nothing! Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance shines on the Xbox just as it did on the Playstation 2 almost a year ago!

Metal Gear Solid 2 on the Playstation 2 was one of the most celebrated games in history. It had been anticipated for months and months and months. Everyone, everywhere had the Metal Gear fever. When the game was released, everyone was surprised at the greatness, yet disapointed with the new playable charactor, Raiden( if you don't beleive me, mention his name on the MGS2 board for ps2 ). That's where Substance comes in, now allowing you to play as the ledgendary Solid Snake.

Graphics: 10/10
Being the fanboy that I am, I hate to admit the Xbox's powerful graphics, and it does not show any flaw here. Substance's graphics are superior to the previous MGS2 on Playstation 2. The same vivid landscapes and the awesome water effects, but only improved. Just imagine a supped-up version of Graphics on the Xbox.

Plot: 9/10
This gets not perfect because they only thing not perfect about it is how confusing it can be sometimes. Solid Snake was a military officer, and was sent to the lone island of Alaska called Shadow Moses to investigate a terrorist organization that has taken over a nuclear research outpost. Upon arrival, Snake realizes that there are things he has not been told, and takes the Shadow Moses incident in his own hands and almost forgets his orders. He meets a engineer there, named Hal Emmerich, A.k.a. ''Otacon''. They become friends fast and after the Shadow Moses incident, they form an elite secret organization called ''Philanthropy''. Metal Gear Solid without a plot is like macaroni without cheese.

Sound: 10/10
Men scream, bullets rip, sound effects fill a room like angry people in the subway. Nothing has changed here, the same creepy dialogue on the codec, the same whirling noises, and the boss battles are intensly musical. The musical score is so wonderful, action-packed and gets your adrenaline pumping.

Gameplay: 9/10
This isn't a perfect score because a veteran Metal Gear Solid player is completely used to the Dual Shock controller, whereas herethe controller is completely different, as well as the controls. It takes awhile to get used to sneaking around with a new controller. Sneaking around could not be more fun than Metal Gear Solid. The gameplay is simple: sneak past guards and don't get caught. If you are caught, you risk :capture, death, low health, ect. The gameplay is smooth and not choppy, and the game is LONGER! There are over 350 VR Missions!!! And there are 5 lengthy Snake Tales, taking you into Snake's 'other' experiences.

Replay/Fun: 10/10
Are you kidding me?? Replay and fun is what this game is all about! After completing the game, you can go back and try to beat it on a higher difficulty, get higher ranks and scores, and there's no way the VR missions of over 350 can get boring. The Snake Tales is why I was really interested in the game, and that alone should be the reason you buy it. You can play this game over and over and over again and not be bored at all.

Verdict- If you own an Xbox, and like Metal Gear Solid, then your an idiot if you don't own it. I recommend some of you stubborn PS2 fanboys to buy an Xbox and get this instead of waiting more months for the PS2 version. Don't rent this game, buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/02, Updated 11/25/02