METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SUBSTANCE

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Konami Computer, Entertainment Japan And Success

Publisher : Konami

Engine : Not Revealed

Genre : Modern Action Adventure And Stealth

Release Date : March 27 , 2003

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 2000 / Windows XP

CPU : AMD Athlon Classic K75 / Intel Pentium III Processor

Memory (RAM) : 128 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 8.1 Compatible Video Card with Memory 32 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 2 MX Series
ATI : Radeon 9200 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 3.8 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

Clean out your hard drive and dust off your gamepad for Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, which you could easily tell originated on consoles if you didn't know it already. Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance lets you experience one of the most talked-about video games ever made, since the core of the game is a straight port of the PlayStation 2 release. It assumes you have some experience with the original Metal Gear Solid, though the storyline promises to bewilder you no matter how familiar with the characters and setting you are. Substance also throws in a number of additional features, most notably a series of no fewer than 500 so-called VR training missions that let you explore the nuances of Metal Gear Solid 2's first-person and third-person action without all the cinematic trappings. For a single-player-only game, it packs in a lot of value. The core game consists of two parts, the first being a relatively short sequence in which you play as Solid Snake, and the second being the main portion, in which you play as Raiden. Very story-driven and mostly linear, Metal Gear Solid 2 is by all means a cinematic game, one that you simply sit back and watch almost as often as you actually play. Much of the story unfolds via one-on-one conversations between the game's main characters using a communications device called a codec. Here you just see a green-tinted screen with close-ups of the speaking characters' faces, and you listen to what they have to say. At other times, Metal Gear Solid 2 presents some extremely impressive noninteractive cutscenes using the game's 3D engine, which look like something out of a big-budget action movie, only with video game characters instead of real people. The action appears highly realistic--some surprisingly lifelike enemy behavior, outstanding animation, and lots of little details make Metal Gear Solid 2 one of the closest computer game approximations to superspydom ever. So you'll often sneak up behind guards, switch to first-person view, and then quickly shoot them in the head either with deadly ammo or with tranquilizer darts if you're feeling humane. There are a lot of nuances to the controls, such as how you can dangle from railings or ledges, press your back up against a wall and peak around the corner, and crawl through narrow spaces.

They can strangle unsuspecting victims or use them as human shields, they can hold up their victims by surprising them with a gun to their backs, they can execute hip tosses or punch and kick combos, and they can leap away from their foes. Also, what with the game's great variety of pistols, assault rifles, explosives, and high-tech gadgets such as thermal goggles and a long-range microphone, Metal Gear Solid 2 definitely provides you with a lot of cool stuff to use and a number of cool situations in which to use it. For one thing, the story rewards multiple viewings, since you'll invariably miss some of the rapid-fire details the first time through. Tougher difficulty settings make the artificially intelligent guards much more ruthless and disable your tactical radar display, the absence of which makes playing the game very different and a lot more challenging. You can also fight your way through the game's sequences using a variety of different tactics, uncover numerous amusing secrets, and unlock some hidden extras by sneaking up on and sticking up all the guards you'll encounter, shaking them down for their dog tags and collecting these as you go along. One of the extras in Substance is the addition of five small, new missions called "Snake Tales," each starring Snake and each taking place during the events of Metal Gear Solid 2. These are balanced for experienced players and can be played in any order, but compared with the lavishly produced main game, these new missions seem rather disappointing. Cinematic cutscenes are replaced with pages of onscreen text, and there's no new voice-over, so the additions to the storyline in these new missions seem unnatural and slapped together. As you finish more and more missions, you'll gain access to hidden characters and their own unique sets of VR missions. Generally, some of the best mission types are the "alternative missions" for each character, which are unlocked once you finish with the basic missions and tend to be quite creative and enjoyable. The game's audio is even better, thanks to some very good voice acting and catchy musical score, which was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. Its interactively changes depending on the situation and will make the game's suspenseful bits all the more so and the game's intense bits all the more so. The rest of the game's audio is also very well done, from all the different-sounding firearms to smaller touches like the sound of seagulls off the coast of the game's main setting of a mysterious deep-sea production plant. The PC version Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance quietly snuck onto shelves earlier this month, and due to its steep requirements and obtuse controls, it threatens to disappear just as quickly. However, it really shouldn't, because there's a great game hidden in MGS2: Substance--one that just isn't comparable to anything else.

GAME REVIEW :-

8/10

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Trailer :-