I was a bit confused on what system to ask for this Christmas, but I finally decided on a PS2 for one big reason: Metal Gear Solid 2. I was a HUGE fan of and still enjoy playing the original. Would Metal Gear Solid 2 be a shoe in for my new favorite game?
The moment you start the console you are bombarded with what has to be the most awe-inspiring intro in years. You have to wonder if you are actually playing a game or watching a blockbuster movie. Now I have to choose my words carefully because I can’t tell about much of this game without ruining plot twists and surprises. So I’ll just tell you were you first start. You are Solid Snake, former member of Foxhound and member of a group focused on the destruction of robots of mass destruction known as Metal Gears. You go aboard a tanker that may or may not be holing the latest incarnation of these robots, Metal Gear Ray, developed by the marines to destroy the current version, Metal Gear REX, being mass produced on the black market. This is just the beginning of the story. All I can tell you from here is that if you like twists and turns, you will be more than overjoyed. If you plan on playing this game, do not let anything spoil the surprises in it for you. And be sure to be on the lookout for various easter eggs that are extremely funny.
If it is one thing that you learn from playing video games, it’s that bad gameplay can destroy even the best of stories. Luckily, Metal Gear Solid 2’s gameplay could not be any better. Even where many games fail, such as in swimming underwater, MGS2 passes with flying colors. If you are planning on playing MGS2 effectively, you should probably learn how to toggle between third and first person on the fly, which is not that hard of a task with the wonderfully designed PS2 controller. Speaking of the PS2 controller, this game takes full advantage of the Dual Shock 2’s analog buttons. When you have an automatic machine gun, you can lightly press the button to aim then press full force to fire. The fun never ends.
This game packs a full movie score with themes that will stay in your head. The music is beautiful and will make you feel triumph, pain, anger, and sadness. The sound effects complement the score and make you feel like you are there. The voice work is the best I have ever heard, far surpassing the original.
Holy crap. The PS2 is an amazing machine. MGS2 has CGI quality real-time graphics and detail! What is perhaps the coolest thing about the environments is the fact that nearly all of the objects in a room are interactive. If you shoot a glass bottle or a magazine rack, it will react in some way. Not since Crisis Zone has there been so much interactivity. You can switch into FPV (first person view) and actually read a poster on the wall. Facial detail in the various real-time cut scenes look almost as good as this summer’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. I was second guessing getting a Playstation 2, but after playing this game I know I made the right choice.
If you own a Playstation 2, you need this game. If you don’t own a Playstation 2, you need to buy one so you can play this game. Metal Gear Solid 2 surpasses the original in every way. In short: Hideo Kojima is a F%^&ing genius.
