Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

"Quality substance."

Introduction: Metal Gear Solid 2:Substance is an improved port from the PS2 of MGS2: Sons of Liberty. It contains the same story mode, but also contains extras, such as training missions. To sum the game up, it's a third person stealth-based game, with a plot that revolves around a giant war machine called Metal Gear.

Gameplay, 8/10: The controls are very easy to get used to, although mastering them will, of course, take a bit longer. The controls are a direct port from the PS2 controller, though, meaning that B fires your gun, like square did on the PS2. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it may take some getting used to if you've played a lot of games where the triggers fire your guns (which just seems more logical). As far as the controls go, the only things you may have trouble with are swimming and the direction you're facing. The game is almost entirely in third person, and it can sometimes take a bit of working to get yourself into the exact position you want. You can go into first person for aiming, though, which makes up for most of these difficulties.

Overall, the game is fairly linear. There are no ''rich outdoor environments'' like in Halo, and you pretty much have to beat the game THIS way. There's a set way to win and you follow it. Between bosses (and other important parts), though, there is a lot of freedom. On the tanker, you can go three levels down, five levels back up, then go back out onto the deck as you please, and since there's rarely a timer, you have a lot of time to do whatever you want. It can be a lot of fun to mess with guards' heads.

The realism is incredible. Realism is one of the things that makes a game great, as you can't have a completely abstract game and expect people to connect to it, or grasp its ideas right away. The level of detail is enormous, too. Take this action: shooting a fire extinguisher. The bullet makes a ping as it hits, alerts a guard by this noise, who walks over. The bullet punctures a whole, releasing all the gas of the extinguisher in a giant spray, that not only allows you to see the beams of infrared sensors, but also affects the guard and causes you to begin sneezing. And, again with the rain. Standing out in it for too long causes you to catch a cold, smoking drains your life, and shooting the radio of a guard causes him to leave an replace it.

Story, 9/10: Okay, this is one of the most widely debated parts of the game. It's either you love it or you hate. Why would you hate it? It's extremely confusing. Why would you love it? It's extremely in-depth. The first level sets the overall plot (setting, characters), but doesn't progress it much. The second level is where all the so many twists and turns take place. Constant progression of the story beginning at the end of the first level will keep you playing for quite a while.

The plot, on the whole, can seem kind of out there, but its level of detail ties you in, and in a way it can be kind of enlightening. I don't mean to say that you'll become a philosopher after playing it, but you will gain a little something. Upon finishing the game, though, you'll still be looking for a few answers.

Graphics, 8/10: The graphics are very well done, everything, every guard movement, every vehicle motion, is fluid and realistic. The rain in the first level is incredibly realistic, with thousands of rain drops falling, pushed by the wind, and eventually splattering on the deck. The only problem I found here is the frame rate. At some points in the game, especially during the rain, there will be severe frame rate problems. This is resulting most probably from a bad port, as I didn't experience it in MGS2: SOL for PS2. You'll most probably only experience this during the more intense boss fights, and during the rain.

Sound, 10/10: There's not much to say about sound. You either have it or you don't. Everything in Substance has vivid, realistic sound that brings you into the environment. From the squawking of seagulls to the din of a package sorting machine, the voices of the characters, and the shattering of a salt shaker as it's hit with a bullet, nothing will seem out of place or missing.

Play time: Can you really give a score to this? Anyway, Substance is a long game. Given you'll like it at least moderately, you have:
the story mode (20-30 hours?)
Snake tales (5-10 hours?)
VR/Alternative missions (20+ hours)
Other extras (~5 hours)
Dog tag collecting (a lot more time...)

As I said before, Substance is a long game. Maybe not quite a 50 hour RPG, but a 50 hour RPG isn't for everybody. The replayability of the game is decent. You most probably will not replay it for the plot, but rather for collecting dog tags (which unlock extras). There's also a ton to do when replaying a level. Using some of the unlockables in creative ways is endless fun.

PS2 or Xbox? Your decision.
If you have a choice between getting the PS2 or Xbox version of Substance, it all depends on what you want. The PS2 version has more extras, and might not have as many frame rate problems. With the Xbox version, however, you don't have to worry about memory. Make all the game saves and take all the pictures you want, and you don't have to worry about memory cards or memory in general.

Final Recommendation: Buy it.
It's not exactly new, but it's a great game to play, and this game you can't play without buying it, just because there's so much to do.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/03