Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Written by Kyle Williams on May 29, 2001

First Impressions: Snake's back and ready to kick some tail.

Having shipped over 5.5 million copies worldwide, the original Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation is one of the most successful action games of all time, and rightfully so. The originalВ Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998 and introduced gamers to one of the most unique gaming experiences of all time. Through their character, Solid Snake, gamers were thrust into the world of covert operations, and they liked what they found. Winning award after award, Metal Gear Solid left its mark on the gaming community.

Now, here we are, three years later, dripping with anticipation as the sequel to this bar raising game is looming on the horizon. It doesn't help that every video game magazine that we open teases us with the latest photos of the game, every one better looking than the last. Now, though, we need to start sifting through the hype and see just what this game is all about.

This time around, Snake starts his adventure in New York City, tracking down the latest incarnation of the now infamous Metal Gear weapons platform. Snake works outside of the jurisdiction of conventional governments along with his partner via radio, OtaconВ for the United Nations anti-Metal Gear task force. The game opens up with a fantastic cinematic sequence that would seem right at home in any Hollywood production. Cutscenes are being used throughout the levels as well, to both further along the story and to bring your attention to something that you may have missed.

The cutscenes are not the only place in the game where you will find that special attention has been paid to detail. Everywhere you look you will be treated to a visual collage of everyday life. This game is not being made up of the sterile locations that were the norm of yesteryear, instead, there are little hints of life scattered throughout it. To see a great example of this, you should try looking inside all of the lockers on board the ship on the first level, or try climbing in the locker yourself. The same level of detail is also being put into the models, the animations, and the textures that you will find throughout the game. If you watch the guards closely, you will be able to tell which ones are about to doze off from their body language.

All of this attention to detail would be for naught if the game weren't playable. Fortunately, Konami is delivering on this end as well. MGS2 is using the same control scheme from the first game which, while not flawless, was very useable. Once you become familiar with the control layout and the many different button functions, you will be able to pull off anything a covert agent would need to. Also, expect to see a few new moves that will help you get through the levels intact, like peeking around the corner.

In addition to Snake's arsenal of weapons and moves from the previous game, you will find that he has learned several new tricks. In addition to being able to peek around the corner, Snake can now fire a quick shot from around the corner, hold-up an enemy, use an enemy soldier as a human shield, and hang from ledges (a trick he must have learned from Lara Croft. While some of these moves will be more difficult to pull off than others, having all of them available is going to provide everyone their own personal way of getting through a level. One other thing that has been improved upon is the intelligence of the other soldiers. They are now able to notice you in ways that you would never have imagined, such as seeing your shadow on the floor. Enemy guards will also now react in ways that are a little bit more human. If you point a gun and someone's head they will give up, and if you take their buddy hostage, they will be less likely to fire at you. Also, expect to see advanced team techniques when is comes to looking for you, as the guards will now employ more thorough search techniques while looking for you. Even though this game looks great, plays great, and is giving us new depths of realism, there is one thing that I would have liked to have seen changed that wasn't: The level construction. Don't get me wrong, The levels are designed beautifully and realistically, but every level is broken up into smaller areas, and that is where my problem lies. Every area is a seemingly independent piece to the same puzzle, where what you do in one doesn't affect what happens in the next. If you fire your pistol in one area, it will get the guard's attention. He will then call for back up, which appears to come from the next area. Then, if you head in the direction that they came from, all of the guards are still there, as if they didn't hear the call. Also, if you clear one area of enemies, and then return there, you will find that they are all in the same location again.